How to Create a Falling Raindrop in After Effects
- 1). Drag your footage into the "Layer" panel. Drag the footage again so there are two copies on top of each other in the "Composition" panel. The footage could be an outdoor scene or a simple picture of the outdoors.
- 2). Type "Mercury" in the "Effects and Presets" window. Drag and drop the "CC Mr. Mercury" effect onto the top layer of the project. Scrub forward three seconds into the video. You will see part of the footage bulge out slightly like a blob.
- 3). Click the "Effect Controls" tab. Go to the "Dimensions" section. Increase the "X" and "Y" dimensions so the effect spreads out and forms separate drops. Adjust until you achieve the size rain drop you want.
- 4). Select the "Animation" toolbar and then choose "Direction" for the animation. This will make the rain drop fall straight down.
- 5). Adjust the "Birthrate" of the effect until there is only one raindrop on the screen.
- 6). Set the "Velocity" and "Gravity" to match the speed at which you want the raindrop to fall. Set the gravity lower if you want the rain drop to fall slower and vise versa.
- 7). Press "Play" to render a preview of the rain drop. Make any needed adjustments and export your project.
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