Yusuf's Thoughts

Viral: Photo to Exploding Particles

3 min read

This effect is all over TikTok and Reels right now: a photo or video clip shatters into a 3D cloud of points, drifts, then snaps back. This tutorial recreates the viral version end to end, including the vertical export so you can post it.

Watch the trend

Technique base: Image to POPs and Interactive Portrait Wall.

1. Image into Points

  1. Add a Movie File In TOP with your photo or short clip.
  2. Convert it to points with a TOP to POP (one point per pixel). Each point keeps its colour.
  3. At this stage you have a flat wall of points that just looks like the image.

Resolution = particle count

A 1280x720 image is nearly a million points. Start lower (around 640x360) while you design, then raise it for the final render.

2. The Explode

  1. Add a Noise POP that outputs a 3D vector per point (turbulent, smooth).
  2. Push each point’s position along that vector. Multiply by an EXPLODE amount.
  3. Animate EXPLODE from 0 (image intact) up to a big value (full cloud) and back, with an ease.
  4. Drive EXPLODE from a beat: a Beat CHOP or an audio bass envelope so it bursts on the drop.

3. Make It 3D and Cinematic

  1. Render the points as small instanced shapes or soft sprites with a Render TOP.
  2. Add a Camera COMP doing a slow push-in or orbit so the cloud has real depth.
  3. Light it: one key light, additive glow, a touch of depth of field so the front points are sharp.

4. Export the Reel

  1. Set your Window/Render resolution to 1080x1920 (vertical).
  2. Frame the action centred for phone screens.
  3. Render to a movie with Movie File Out TOP, then drop it over a trending audio clip in your editor.

The personal version

Use a photo of the two of you. Time the burst to the beat of a song that means something to both of you.

Troubleshooting

  • “It just looks like floating dots, not my image.” Lower the explode amount and reduce noise so the image reads at rest before it bursts.
  • “Too slow.” Drop the source resolution (fewer points) and keep everything in POPs on the GPU.
  • “The burst looks mechanical.” Ease the EXPLODE curve and add a slight per-point delay so points scatter in a wave, not all at once.

Parameter Tuning & Behavior

ParameterBehavior
Explode amountHigher = full disintegration; Lower = gentle shimmer.
Noise scaleLarger = big swirling clumps; Smaller = fine fizzy dust.
Point sizeLarger = bold, painterly; Smaller = delicate starfield.
Camera speedSlower = cinematic; Faster = energetic, music-video feel.

Network Architecture

[ SOURCE ]        [ Movie File In TOP ] (photo/clip)
                         │
                         ▼
[ TO POINTS ]     [ TOP to POP ] (1 point/pixel, keeps colour)
                         │
                         ▼
[ EXPLODE ]       [ Noise POP ] ──▶ position += noise × EXPLODE  ◀── [ Beat/Bass env ]
                         │
                         ▼
[ RENDER ]        [ Render TOP ] ◀── [ Camera (slow push-in) ] + light
                         │
                         ▼
[ EXPORT ]        [ 1080x1920 ] ──▶ [ Movie File Out TOP ]

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