Adobe After Effects CS4 - Manual (Page 135)

129 USING AFTER EFFECTS CS4
Importing and managing footage items
Last updated 12/21/2009
2 Choose the type of adjustment you want to make in the Adjustment Brush tool options by dragging the slider for
any of the following effects:
Exposure Sets the overall image brightness, with a greater effect in the highlights. Drag the slider to the right to
increase the exposure; drag the slider to the left to decrease the exposure.
Brightness Adjusts the image brightness, with a greater effect in the midtones. Drag the slider to the right to increase
the brightness; drag the slider to the left to decrease the brightness.
Contrast Adjusts the image contrast, with a greater effect in the midtones. Drag the slider to the right to increase the
contrast; drag the slider to the left to decrease the contrast.
Saturation Changes the vividness or purity of the color. Drag the slider to the right to increase the saturation; drag the
slider to the left to decrease the saturation.
Clarity Adds depth to an image by increasing local contrast. Drag the slider to the right to increase the contrast; drag
the slider to the left to decrease the contrast.
Sharpness Enhances edge definition to bring out details. Drag the slider to the right to sharpen details; drag the slider
to the left to blur details.
Color Applies a tint to the selected area. Select the hue by clicking the color sample box to the right of the effect name.
Click the Plus icons (+) or the Minus icons (-) to increase or decrease the effect by a preset amount. Click multiple
times to select a stronger adjustment. Double-click the slider to reset the effect to zero.
3 Specify brush options:
Size Specifies the diameter of the brush tip, in pixels.
Feather Controls the hardness of the brush stroke.
Flow Controls the rate of application of the adjustment.
Density Controls the amount of transparency in the stroke.
Auto Mask Confines brush strokes to areas of similar color.
Show Mask Toggles visibility of the mask overlay in the image preview.
4 Move the Adjustment Brush tool over the image.
The cross hair indicates the application point. The solid circle indicates the brush size. The black-and-white dashed
circle indicates the feather amount.
Note: If the Feather is set to 0, the black-and-white circle indicates the brush size. With very small feather amounts, the
solid circle may not be visible.
5 Paint with the Adjustment Brush tool in the area of the image that you want to adjust.
When you release the mouse, a pin icon appears at the application point. In the Adjustment Brush tool options,
the mask mode changes to Add.
6 (Optional) Refine the adjustment by doing any of the following:
• Drag any of the effect sliders in the Adjustment Brush tool options to customize the effect in the image.
• Press V to hide or show the pin icon.
• To toggle visibility of the mask overlay, use the Show Mask option, press Y, or position the pointer over the pin icon.
To customize the color of the mask overlay, click the color swatch next to the Show Mask option. Then, choose a new
color from the Color Picker.
• To undo part of the adjustment, click Erase in the Adjustment Brush tool options and paint over the adjustment.