In 1987, John Knoll at ILM had to use labor-intensive, 3D slitscan photography to make the Enterprise-D stretch into warp speed. In today’s tutorial, we’re skipping the long exposures and doing it all in After Effects!
I’ll show you how to use 3D models, Null objects, and the Calculations effect to recreate that iconic "stretch and flash" look from Star Trek: The Next Generation. We’ll also build a custom procedural warp flash using shape layers and wiggle paths, no scratched acrylic needed!
In this video:
- Setting up the 3D Enterprise model.
- The "Null Pivot" trick for perfect directional stretching.
- Isolating warp nacelles using the Calculations effect to add a glow. - Building a procedural 1987-style warp flash.
This is part of my series on the history of Slitscan and VFX. If you missed the deep dive into how this was done in 1987 without computers, check out the history video here: https://youtu.be/qKOAOzVHvFQ
