Bullet Tracer effect

[MojoTrancer]

I am trying to find any clues on how to do a decent tracer bullet effect. Google is letting me down. Would a 3D or a 2D solution work better? Does anyone have anything for me? Tutorials? General ideas? Just need pointed in the right direction. Thanks.

[Andrew Brinkhaus]

In After Effects, you could easily track a light reference and add a fast blur to create the effect, I have never tried something like this, but assume that would work ok.

[Neil Rowe]

just make a small short (scaled to scene just slightly larger than a real bullet size) yellowish white line in photoshop, and then composite it into the scene in AE , and make it a "3D" layer so that you can move it in 3d space.. and rotate the layer untill its on the axis of the bullet path. add a glow filter effect to give it just a very small little "halo" and then just animate the layer on its path of travel and use motion blur on the layer. it will give you that glowing fast bullet streak you want.

[MojoTrancer]

Thanks much, Neil and Andrew. I appreciate your help.

[Neil Rowe]

shutup. ..i keel you

[FREUDENBERG_FILMS]

Try AE with Trapcode Particular.
Here is a tutorial. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxknYiG9GDE