Here is a guide to adding in some "dramatic" effects. 

This page has been designed to provide both a 'summary' of Common Adobe After Effects AND a step by step guide to implementing them into a production. 

1. Adding Fire Effects

Option A: Use Stock Footage (Easiest & Most Common)

1. Import your fire clip:
   File → Import → File…

2. Drag the fire footage above your main video layer.

3. Change the blending mode of the fire clip to Screen or Add so the black background disappears.

4. Use Transform to resize/rotate the fire.

5. Use Masking to isolate certain parts of the flame if needed.

6. Add Gaussian Blur, Glow, or Curves to help match your scene’s lighting.

Free/Paid places for fire stock:

• ActionVFX (high-quality)

• ProductionCrate

• FootageCrate

💥 2. Adding Explosion Effects

(Works almost exactly like fire)

Steps:

1. Import explosion stock footage.

2. Place it above your video layer.

3. Change blending mode to Screen or Add.

4. Position & scale it.

5. Add Motion Blur if the camera moves.

6. Add a quick brightness flash:

   • Make a white solid

   • Set opacity to around 20–40%

   • Keyframe it to appear and disappear quickly.

Tips:

• Add Camera Shake using:

  • Effects → Distort → Transform

  • Animate Position randomly for a few frames.

Adding Stormy Weather (Rain, Snow, Lightning, Fog)

Rain

1. Create a New Solid (grey or dark blue).

2. Apply Effect → Simulation → CC Rainfall.

3. Adjust:

   • Amount

   • Speed

   • Angle (to match wind)

4. Change the layer’s blending mode to Screen.

Thunder & Lightning

1. Create a new solid.

2. Apply Effect → Generate → Advanced Lightning.

3. Change:

   • Lightning Type to Strike or Directional

   • Adjust the Core and Glow colors

4. Animate the Conductivity State to make the lightning flicker.

5. Add a quick exposure flash to your scene for realism.

Fog / Mist

1. Make a white or grey solid.

2. Add Effect → Noise & Grain → Fractal Noise.

3. Increase Contrast and lower Opacity to around 20–40%.

4. Use Mask Feathering to soften edges.

5. Keyframe Evolution to animate it.

Other Possible Effects that you could add to your production: 

1. Environmental Effects

• Smoke / Fog / Mist → adds atmosphere or mystery. Use Fractal Noise + Opacity + Masking.

• Dust / Debris → makes explosions, crashes, or fights feel more intense. Often from stock footage or particle systems.

• Rain / Snow / Hail → simulation effects to make weather realistic.

• Wind / Leaves / Fireflies → subtle motion for scenes in forests or fields.

2. Energy & Sci-Fi Effects

• Lightning & Electricity → Advanced Lightning effect. Great for sci-fi or power-up scenes.

• Energy beams / Laser blasts → can use Glow + Shape Layers + motion paths.

• Magic / Spells / Particle Orbs → use particle systems like CC Particle World or Trapcode Particular.

• Force fields / Shockwaves → distort the background with CC Sphere or Turbulent Displace.

3. Destruction & Impact Effects

• Explosions / Fireballs / Molten metal → stock footage or particle simulations.

• Shattering / Crumbling objects → Shatter effect or 3D models in Cinema 4D.

• Impact sparks → small bright flashes when objects collide.

• Debris trails / dust clouds → adds realism to movement after destruction.

4. Visual Style Effects

• Glow / Neon / Light Rays → makes objects “pop” or feel magical.

• Lens Flares / Sun Flares → realistic sunlight or sci-fi effects.

• Vignette / Film Grain / TV Noise → stylizes your footage for mood.

• Color Grading / LUTs → completely change the scene’s tone.

5. Motion Effects

• Camera Shake → adds impact to explosions, fights, or crashes.

• Time Remapping / Slow Motion / Freeze Frames → cinematic motion effects.

• Motion Trails / Echoes → shows fast movement or energy streaks.

• Warp / Distortion / Liquid Effects → Turbulent Displace, Mesh Warp, or Liquify can make surreal movement.

6. Particle Effects

• Fireflies / Sparks / Smoke / Snow → CC Particle World, Particular, or Particle Playground.

• Rain streaks / Water splashes → particles or pre-rendered footage

• Magic dust / Glitter / Energy bursts → adds fantasy or sci-fi feel.

VFX Workflow Cheat Sheet

Step 1: Set Up Your Scene

1. Import your main footage.

2. Create a new composition (same size & frame rate as your footage).

   • Example: 1920×1080, 24fps

3. Drag your footage into the timeline.

Step 2: Add Fire

1. Import a fire clip (stock footage works best).

2. Drag it above your main footage.

3. Change blending mode → Screen or Add.

4. Resize and position it to match where the fire should appear.

5. Optional: Mask the edges so it doesn’t spill onto unwanted areas.

Step 3: Add Smoke

1. Import smoke footage or use CC Particle World → soft particles.

2. Place it above the main footage but below the fire.

3. Set blending mode → Screen or Add.

4. Scale and rotate to match the fire’s position.

5. Use Opacity keyframes for fade-in/out.

Step 4: Add Sparks

1. Use pre-rendered spark footage or CC Particle World.

2. Position near the point of impact (fire, explosion, or collision).

3. Add Glow effect for realism.

4. Animate small bursts, not constant streams, for impact.

Step 5: Add Camera Shake

1. Select your main footage and any effects layers.

2. Go to Transform → Position keyframes or apply Wiggler:

   • Frequency: 5–10

   • Magnitude: 10–20 pixels

3. Enable Motion Blur for all layers (Toggle Switches → Motion Blur).

Step 6: Layering & Timing

• Fire → Smoke → Sparks → Camera Shake

• Keyframe each effect so it appears at the right moment (like an explosion hitting).

• Use Trim Paths / Mask Feathering to make effects blend naturally.

Step 7: Color & Glow

1. Add Adjustment Layer on top.

2. Effects:

   • Curves or Color Correction → match tones.

   • Glow → subtle glow on sparks/fire.

   • Vignette → focus attention on the action.

Other Production Final Touches

• Preview at full resolution with motion blur.

• Tweak timing, opacity, and blending until the effects feel integrated.

• Optional: Add sound effects in Premiere or Audition for realism.

Other Step by Step Supports for adding various effects!