Adobe After Effects CS4 - Manual (Page 496)

490 USING AFTER EFFECTS CS4
Effects and animation presets
Last updated 12/21/2009
Original (upper-left), and with effect applied (lower-left and right)
Audio Layer The audio layer you want to display as a waveform.
Start Point, End Point The position at which the waveform starts and ends, if Path is set to None.
Path If set to None, the audio waveform is displayed along the path of the layer.
Displayed Samples Number of samples to display in the waveform.
Maximum Height Maximum height, in pixels, of a displayed frequency.
Audio Duration Duration of audio, in milliseconds, used to calculate the waveform.
Audio Offset Time offset, in milliseconds, used to retrieve the audio.
Thickness The thickness of the waveform.
Softness How feathered or blurry the waveform appears.
Inside Color, Outside Color The inside and outside colors of the waveform.
Waveform Options Mono combines the left and right channels of the audio layer. Nonstereo audio layers play as Mono.
Display Options Digital displays each sample as a single vertical line connecting the minimum and maximum source
sample. This option simulates the display used on digital equipment. Analog Lines displays each sample as a line
connecting the previous and next sample from either the minimum or maximum audio source sample. This option
simulates the retracing seen in the display of an analog oscilloscope. Analog Dots displays each sample as a dot
representing either the minimum or maximum audio source sample.
Composite On Original Composites the audio waveform with the original layer using the Add blending mode. When
deselected, only the audio waveform is visible.
More Help topics
“ Randomness and random seeds ” on page 396
Beam effect
The Beam effect simulates the movement of a beam, such as a laser beam. You can make the beam shoot, or you can
create a wandlike beam with a stationary start or end point. The beam looks best when motion blur is enabled and the
shutter angle is set to 360.
John Dickinson provides a video tutorial and example project on the Motionworks website that demonstrate the use
of the Beam effect.