In this tutorial we go over the best way to create vector based sunbursts in Photoshop, and then import them into After Effects.
Many tutorials on this type of design element either don’t create a vector based sunburst, or do it in an extremely inefficient way (such as creating each ray one at a time!). This is the only tutorial you will ever need for creating these, and we even show you how to bring them into After Effects correctly and maintain it’s ability to scale up infinitely without losing quality.
So go check it out!
Note: If you don’t want to spend the 30 seconds or so that it takes to create the sunburst on your own, you can download our pre-made sunburst custom shapes for Photoshop from our download section.
I just posted a project on my blog that uses a single shape layer to do this:
http://blogs.adobe.com/toddkopriva/2009/05/radial_rays_project_parameteri.html
Nice to hear that you show how to bring them into After Effects correctly and maintain it’s ability to scale up infinitely without losing quality. After this hopefully I will get something from it and I’ll do it easily.
Make sure you read the additional tutorial notes at the bottom of the tutorial’s page. I forgot to mention while making the tutorial that you CAN use a Solid Layer in addition to a Shape layer, however you must enable ‘Continuously Rasterize’ on the Solid Layer.
Great tutorial! I am however running in to one problem. When I try and copy the shape from PS (CS4) to the shape layer in AE (also CS4) it doesn’t give me the option to paste. Any thoughts on what the problem may be?
Sean,
Did you create a rectangle first?
Also, are you using the shortcut keys to paste, or are you trying to paste some other way?
Jon,
Fantastic tutorial; it was very informative and easy to follow. But for the love of all that is holy have a glass of water, chew some gum, something. It sounds like you have the worst dry mouth. It was distracting to say the least and made me want a gatorade by the end.
This tutorial was recorded with an older microphone which picked up a lot of high-pitch sounds of the tongue. Our newer mic is a professional one, works much better, even without a popper stopper.
Very good and thanks!!
Hi,
The tutorial freezes up on me right at the point where you are going to bring the pinwheel shape into After Effects.