Burning Question: How Do I Make a Hologram Effect in After Effects?

Holograms have been a popular implement in science fiction films for years, from Princess Leia in Star Wars to Joi in Blade Runner 2049. Holograms are a way to show recorded, beamed messages, schematics, 3-dimensional characters, futuristic user interfaces, and they’re now being used in interesting and exciting ways in real life. We’ll start with a few examples, and then some After Effects tutorials dealing with the humble hologram.

Examples of Holograms

Here are a few you may recognize, the most famous, of course, is Princess Leia in Star Wars, Episode 4, where she is projected from R2-D2.

Avatar Hologram Example

Beyond holograms: Star Wars-inspired 3D images float in free space

This you may just find interesting. Scientists have generated holograms in a lab that mimic Star Wars! This video came out this month from BYU.

Want to learn more about creating holograms? There is a free class at Udemy about VR, including holograms, AR, MR, DR, 360, 3D, and more. Virtual Reality: A Quick Introduction

Hologram Tutorials

There are tons of Hologram tutorials on YouTube. Here is a round up of a few After Effects tutorials you may enjoy.

After Effects Tutorial: Hologram from ForceVisual

Hologram Screen Effect – After Effects Tutorial from Phenomenal Creations

IRON MAN HUD After Effects Tutorial by VDODNA

ologram effects are ubiquitous in Star Wars and other space-related films and television shows. If you want to make some Star Wars-inspired visual effects of your own, these tutorials may help you out. There are more Star Wars-inspired tutorials below the videos too, so scroll down.

The Best Star Wars Hologram Tutorial (After Effects)

Chris and Adrian of ProductionCrate teach you how to create Star Wars Hologram effects in After Effects.

Create Star Wars Hologram | After Effects (No third-party plug-ins)

Flat Pack FX gives you their take on the Star Wars Hologram.

Hologram Tutorial in After Effects

Phil Ebiner has some methods for custom holograms in After Effects.

PixelBump – Tutorial 22 – Star Wars Holograms

Realistic Hologram in Adobe After Effects TUTORIAL! by Abdul FX

Hologram Tutorials and Inspirations You May Have Missed

We’ve posted a lot of hologram related content in the past. Here are a few to check out!

Midweek Motivations: Holograms in New Dimensions in Testimony and Full “116 Cameras” Documentary

Posted 03 Jan 2018 –  This is a very interesting use of interactive hologram technology to preserve the stories of Holocaust survivors, many who are in their 70s and 80s. Anne Frank’s stepsister, 88-year-old Eva Schloss, a survivor of Auschwitz, has been made into a hologram so that future generations may hear her moving story. The film was shown in New York during Eyewitness: Presenting the Holocaust on Film.

Learn more

Midweek Motivations: HEWLOGRAM, with Making Of Video

Aaron Rabinowitz and Red Giant have a new sci-fi comedy short starring David Hewlett and Paul Babb of Maxon! It’s lots of fun. Congratulations to Aharon and his team for producing a fun short! Plus, a behind the scenes, making of video.

Watch Hewlogram & Making Of Video

Tutorial: Red Giant: Holomatrix: Creating a Holographic Interface in After Effects

Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how to create the look of a holographic interface, using Red Giant Software’s Holomatrix. He’ll also use Magic Bullet Looks for color grading, and footage from Digital Juice’s Motion Designer’s Toolkit, in this classic tutorial.

Watch the tutorial

Tutorial: Earth Hologram

Learn how to create a futuristic earth hologram effects in Cinema 4D and After Effects in this three part full step-by-step guide from Motion Squared.

Watch the tutorial

Tutorial: X-Wing Hologram using Cinema 4D and After Effects

Dennis Wei explains some of the techniques he used in Cinema 4D and After Effects to create a hologram animation, using the awesome free X-Wing model from videocopilot.net.

Watch the tutorial

Tutorials: 5 Blade Runner 2049 Inspired Tutorials

From 24 Oct 2017: This page features “Sci-Fi Hologram Inspired By Blade Runner 2049” inspired by the hologram character, Joi.

Watch now