Glass/Magnification Effect — After Effects

Question

How can I achieve this glass distortion effect that is caused by the circle in the middle? I am trying to achieve exactly the same level of distortion around the edges etc.

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Answer 1

You can use cc_glass for this sort of thing. There are great tutorials by andrew kramer from videocopilot, they might help you. Alternatively, this effect could also be created using a lens distort - you might want to try slapping it onto an adjustment-layer and masking the layer with a circle.