Apple Motion 3 - Manual (Page 734)

734 Chapter 8 Working with Particles
Additional Cell Parameters Based on the Selected Color Mode
Each of the options in the Color Mode pop-up menu displays a different set of
parameters.
Color: Color controls available when the Color Mode is set to Colorize. Use them to
specify a color to use to tint the particles. You can also modify each particle’s alpha
channel, altering its opacity. This parameter is unique to the cell object. You can click
the color well to choose a color, use the eye dropper, or open the disclosure triangle
and adjust the Red, Green, Blue, and Alpha channel sliders.
Opacity Over Life: An opacity control that appears when Color Mode is set either to
Original or Colorize. Use it to change the opacity of particles based on their age. This
control is limited to grayscale values, which are used to represent varying levels of
transparency. White represents solid particles. Progressively darker levels of gray
represent decreasing opacity. Black represents complete transparency. A simple white
to black gradient represents a particle that is solid when first generated, but which
fades out gradually over its lifetime until finally vanishing at the end. The Opacity Over
Life parameter has the following controls:
 Gradient preset pop-up menu: Gradients from the Library (default or custom)
appear in this pop-up menu. Choose a custom opacity gradient from this menu to
load it into the gradient editor.
Note: None of the default gradients have opacity gradients. If a color gradient preset
is selected, it has no effect on the opacity gradient.
 Opacity bar: To add a new opacity tag to the gradient, click anywhere within the
opacity bar. Click an opacity tag to select it, and then change its value with the
Opacity slider. To change the distribution of opacity, drag an opacity tag along the
opacity bar, or select an opacity tag and use the Location slider. Change the spread
of color between two gradient tags using the spread controls (triangles). To delete an
opacity tag, drag it away from the opacity bar until it disappears.
 Opacity slider: Changes the shade of a selected gradient tag, from 100 (opaque/
white) to 0 (transparent/black).
 Interpolation: Sets the interpolation of the selected opacity tag to Constant, Linear,
or Continuous.
 Location slider: Changes the location of the selected gradient tag relative to the
gradient bar.
Color Over Life: Gradient controls that appear when the Color Mode is set to Over Life.
Use these controls to change the color of generated particles based on their age. When
born, particles are tinted with the leftmost color in the gradient. Over their lives, their
color changes through the range of the gradient, from left to right, until finally
reaching the rightmost color at the end of their lives. The Color Over Life parameter has
the following controls: