How To Create Animated Dust & Specks From Paper Textures in After Effects + Photoshop

Description

This tutorial will show you how to create a Animated Dust and Specks From Scanned Paper in Adobe Photoshop & After Effects CC 2025.

**Expression Used:
**
posterizeTime(8);
wiggle(5,300);

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Check out my After Effects User Guide Course:
https://aeuserguide.com

Gear I Use:

https://mikemurphy.co/resources


To try or buy Adobe After Effects CC 2025:
https://mikemurphy.co/adobe (affiliate link)

Terrapin Textures:
https://terrapintextures.com

⭕️ Check out my Domestika Course on Adobe Audition:
https://mikemurphy.co/domestika

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Chapters:
00:00 Intro: About The Tutorial
00:29 Step 1: Scan Chip Board
00:59 Open In Photoshop + Add Levels
01:33 Merge Layers (Cmd/Ctrl + E)
01:43 Add Gausian Blur (2 px)
01:53 Mode..Greyscale…Bitmap
02:04 Bitmap…50% Threshold
02:18 Bitmap to RGB Mode
02:29 Select Black Specks (Color Range)
02:51 Add New Solid Color Layer
03:12 Rename Speck Layers Layers
03:33 Change 600 DPI to 300 DPI
03:57 Convert To Smart Object
04:18 Export As PNG Files
04:30 Import Into AE
05:14 Add Expression on Position & Rotation
05:56 Add Expression on Rotation Property
06:13 Copy & Paste On Black Specks
06:50 Create ‘Old Film Hairs’
07:55 Save AE & Export Specks

**Software Used:
**Adobe After Effects CC 2025 (Click To Try or Buy)
Adobe Photoshop CC 2025 (Click To Try or Buy)

How To Extract Specks in Adobe Photoshop CC 2025:

1. Scan in ChipBoard or Paper with good fiber/grain
2. 600 DPI…Black & White…Jpeg
3. Add Levels Adjustment Layer
4. Drag Black & White Sliders so background is white and specks black
5. Add Gausian Blur (2-5 px)
6. Image…Mode…Greyscale
7. Image…Mode…Bitmap
8. 600 PPI, 50% Threshold…Click OK
9. Select Layer
10. Go to Select Menu at the top and Click ‘Color Range’
11. Choose ‘Shadows’ and click OK to select all black specks
12. Click on 1/2 moon icon and select ‘Solid Color’ and change to Black
13. Rename Layer ‘Black Specks’
14. Duplicate Layer and change color to White
15. Rename Layer ‘White Specks’
16. Go to Image in top menu…Image Size…Change to 300 DPI
17. Add Speck Layers to Adobe CC Libraries
18. Convert Layers to Smart Objects
19. Export each as a PNG with Transparency

How To Animate Specks in After Effects

1. Create New Comp
2. 1920 x 1080, 24 fps, 10 secs
3. Import Speck PNG files or drag from Adobe CC Library on Comps
4. Select White Speck Layer
5. Press P for Position Property
6. Press Shift + R for Rotation Property
7. Press Option/Alt and click on Stopwatch next to Position
8. Enter **
   **posterizeTime(8); wiggle(5,300);
9. Copy Expression & Paste into Rotation Property
10. Add Expression on Position & Rotation of Black Speck Layer
11. Tap Spacebar to Preview

How To Create ‘Old Film Hairs’ in After Effects:

1. Duplicate Black Speck Layer
2. Add Gausian Blur Effect (2 px)
3. Add Turbulent Displace (increase amount to ~ 150)
4. Increase blur or reduce opacity to taste

How To Export Animated Specks:

1. Hide all layers except Specks
2. Go to Composition Menu…Add to Render Queue
3. Select ‘High Quality or Lossless with Alpha’
4. Click ‘Render