How to Create a Trendy Car Logo Flip Effect in After Effects (Tutorial with Exercise Files)
Disclosure: This website may contain affiliate links to Amazon or others meaning that I make a small commission form qualifying purchases if you decide to make a purchase through one of my links. This is at no extra cost to you.
In this tutorial, we’re diving into how to create the popular car logo flip effect—perfect for car or motorcycle videos, which have been trending on platforms like Instagram. This effect gives your emblem or logo a unique flip that matches the high-speed action of your clips. While there are different ways to achieve this effect, I'll walk you through the method I use in Adobe After Effects. Let’s get started!
Getting Started in After Effects
Create a New Composition: Open After Effects and create a new composition with the settings that suit your footage. I usually go with 1920x1080 resolution at 23.976 fps for regular video, but if you’re working with 4K footage, adjust accordingly.
Import Your Clip: Add your car clip to the composition. I’ve already applied a speed ramp to my video to give it that high-speed look, but you can start with any footage you like.
Precomposing and Masking
Precompose Your Clip: Right-click your clip and select Pre-compose. This helps keep your timeline organized. Name it something like “Car Speed Ramp.”
Change Anchor Point: Before doing the flip, adjust the anchor point of the logo to the center of the emblem. This is crucial for the flip to work smoothly. Use the Pan Behind Tool to reposition the anchor point.
Split the Layer: We’ll need two parts for this effect—one before the logo flip, and one after. Split the layer using Command/Ctrl + Shift + D.
Mask the Logo: With the layer where the logo flip happens, use the Ellipse Tool to draw a mask around the logo. Toggle the mask settings and invert the mask to isolate the logo area.
Track the Mask: Use the Mask Path to track the movement of the logo. You can analyze frame by frame to ensure the mask follows the emblem correctly. Adjust as necessary.
Creating the Flip Effect
Duplicate the Layer: Duplicate the masked layer by pressing Command/Ctrl + D. Rename the duplicate to something like “Emblem Background.” Invert the mask on this new layer so that it becomes the background element.
Make It 3D: Turn the Emblem Flip Layer into a 3D layer by clicking the 3D cube button next to the layer. Enable Motion Blur for smoother transitions.
Animate the Flip: Now, it’s time to animate the flip. Go to the Transform properties, and begin adjusting the Rotation and Position. For example:
Start with a 2x rotation to make the emblem flip.
Adjust the Scale and Position slightly during the flip for added effect.
Add keyframes for X Rotation and Scale to simulate the emblem flipping out and back into place.
Fine-tune the Animation: Add some easing to the keyframes by right-clicking and selecting Easy Ease. This makes the flip smoother and more natural.
Adding Saber Lights (Optional)
To enhance the effect, we can use the Saber plugin by Video Copilot. It’s free and adds a glowing light effect to your logo.
Create a New Solid: Go to Layer > New > Solid and apply the Saber effect to it.
Adjust the Saber Effect: Customize the settings to fit your logo. You can add a second Saber effect for the opposite side of the logo to make the flip look more dynamic.
Position the Layers: Ensure the logo layer stays on top of the Saber layers for the proper visual order.
Adding the Final Shake Effect
Create an Adjustment Layer: To give the effect some punch, add a slight shake as the logo lands. Create a new Adjustment Layer and apply the Transform effect.
Animate the Shake: Play with the Scale, Position, and Rotation properties for a few frames. This gives the illusion that the logo is bouncing back into place.
Wrap-Up
And there you have it! The car logo flip effect is now ready to go. It’s a fun and trendy effect that adds a cool dynamic to car or action footage. Don’t forget to play around with the timing and adjust the keyframes to get the perfect flip.
If you would like to see me doing the above with visuals, be sure to visit my Youtube channel to watch the step by step. See you in the next one!
