Looking for a special effect - diamond sparkle

[jparnold]

Does anyone have any ideas how I might create the effect of a diamond sparkling which I can use to overlay a video clip.

I want to add an effect to a face as if one of the person's teeth sparkles. I can remember in the movie The Great Race where this effect was added to a smile by the actor Tony Curtis. This is the effect I am trying to produce. I have looked at all the video filters but there are none which will produce this effect and it any case I think that I will have to do it using an overlay track rather than a video filter as I would want to position the actual sparkle according to where the 'tooth' is on screen.
I guess Adobe (sorry about that) After Effects would enable me to do this but it is far too expensive.

[Trevor Andrew]

Hi John

Try the "star" filter
I created a green Jpeg image, added to overlay track and applied the star filter, then customised.
Use Chrome Key to remove green colour. Set duration to a few frames

[Ron P.]

John,

The only one that I've found, is the Star Filter. You will need some patience, and placing numerous keyframes, adjusting the star size, position, opacity and width. Set the Halo size & Sun size to 1 for all keyframes. Zoom-in on the timeline for setting keyframes closely.

You kinda beat me to it Trevor...

However I don't think there's a real need to create a jpeg image. You can change the color of the star, as well as the opacity/transparency, which would eliminate the need for any chroma-keying.

[Black Lab]

The Star or Defraction filter won't do it? The NewBlue Starlight effect might interest you.

BTW, one of may all-time favorite movies.

[jparnold]

Thanks everyone for your quick responses - I can usually rely on quick replies at this web site.

I had looked at the star filter but didn't realise that it could be used on the overlay track where it can be manipulated (resized and change of opacity and/or chroma key applied plus key frames of course)

Here is a frame from the video clip I want to apply it to. It was taken on the island of Patmos and I just couldn't resist taking some video of what was the ugliest dog I have ever seen - although I want to have the 'sparkle' (star) stay on the screen longer than in Ron's clip.

Thanks again

[Ron P.]

John I done that example very fast. I could have spent more time on it. Also the clip I used, my granddaughter, was the first one I could find, and only had a very short segment where I could try this out. You can have it on screen as long as you want, just work with the keyframes. The good stuff is never meant to be easy and fast..

[jparnold]

I've done it.
The star filter was great and after some experimenting I achieved a great effect and was even able to include a 'moving path' keeping the 'sparkle' locked to a particular tooth as the dog moved his head slightly.
I should change my 'signature' to "the more I use and experiment the more I learn".

[jparnold]

And here's my result - what do you think of it?

[Ron P.]

Excellent John..

[Black Lab]

"the more I use and experiment the more I learn".

That's called "life".