Help with particle effects and volumetric lighting.

[TristanSynth]

I'm a musician, with no video editing knowledge, and I'm trying to make very simple videos of images with moving particle effects and volumetric lighting, like in this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0AY4ebPy4w

I found a free pack of dust of lighting effects from Rocketstock, but I can't figure out how to use them properly with the techniques I've tried to learn. All of the effects are over a black background. I'm currently using NCH Software's "Videopad". When using their chroma key option "green screen" on the black background of the overlay, I get dramatic pixilation and tearing in the lighting. When I try to instead blend the overlay with the image by transparency, the gray from the overlay darkens the original image, and the lighting from the overlay is too dim to notice. There's also a free app on my computer called "Video Editor", and it has some premade effects, but you can't modify the colors, speeds, or density, to my knowledge. It also seems that I can't add the Rocketstock effects package to the program.

I'm trying to avoid subscribing to Adobe After Effects, which is why I'm experimenting with Videopad. I don't mind buying a video editor that would allow me to accomplish these effects, but of course I don't want to buy one that can't accomplish this at all. I'm looking for help with technique, software recommendations, and any other advice or info you have.

[poisondeathray]

You don't "chroma key" the background. You use an overlay with blend mode set to "screen". I don't know if videopad has layer blend modes

Or you can use another free editor like shotcut , which has layer blend modes
https://www.videohelp.com/software/Shotcut

The "math" is just like photoshop blend modes
https://photoblogstop.com/photoshop/photoshop-blend-modes-explained

[TristanSynth]

You don't "chroma key" the background. You use an overlay with blend mode set to "screen". I don't know if videopad has layer blend modes

Or you can use another free editor like shotcut , which has layer blend modes
https://www.videohelp.com/software/Shotcut

The "math" is just like photoshop blend modes
https://photoblogstop.com/photoshop/photoshop-blend-modes-explained

Thank you so much for this! I was able to find an editor that I'm interested in and can also use Shotcut in the meantime! Thank you!