Adobe After Effects CS4 - Manual (Page 497)

491 USING AFTER EFFECTS CS4
Effects and animation presets
Last updated 12/21/2009
This effect works with 8-bpc, 16-bpc, and 32-bpc color.
Original (left), and with a simulated beam (right)
The Length control specifies the length of the beam based on a percentage of the Time specified. For example, a setting
of 100% means that the visible beam length is at its maximum when the Time control is 50%. Time specifies the time
of the beam’s travel from start to end as a percentage. The 3D Perspective control uses 3D perspective based on start
and end thickness if Time is animated.
Cell Pattern effect
The Cell Pattern effect generates cellular patterns based on cellular noise. Use it to create static or moving background
textures and patterns. The patterns can be used in turn as textured mattes, as transition maps, or as a source for
displacement maps.
John Dickinson provides an example project on the Motionworks website that demonstrates the use of the Cell Pattern
effect in a seamlessly looping background animation.
This effect works with 8-bpc color.
Original image (left); the Cell Pattern effect creates a displacement map (center), which is used as a displacement map for the Displacement Map
effect (right).
Cell Pattern The cell pattern to use. HQ denotes high-quality patterns that render with more definition than their
unmarked counterparts. Mixed Crystals is available only as a high-quality option.
Note: The Static Plates option is identical in appearance to the Plates option. However, when evolving, the static plates
retain a uniform lightness value, whereas the plates shift the lightness of the cell pattern.
Invert Inverts the cell pattern. Black areas become white, and white areas become black.
Contrast/Sharpness Specifies the contrast of the cell pattern when you use the Bubbles, Crystals, Pillow, Mixed
Crystals, or Tubular cell pattern. The control specifies sharpness for any of the Plate or Crystallize options.
Note: The option chosen from the Overflow menu affects the contrast.
Overflow How the effect remaps values that fall outside the grayscale range of 0-255. Overflow isn’t available if
sharpness-based cell patterns are chosen.
• Clip Values above 255 are mapped to 255. Values below 0 are mapped to 0. Contrast amount controls how much
of the image falls outside the range 0-255; higher contrast amounts result in a mostly black or white image, with less
gray. Therefore, less subtle cellular detail appears at higher contrast settings.
• Soft Clamp Remaps grayscale values to fall inside the 0–255 range. Contrast appears reduced; cells are mostly gray
with few areas of pure black or white.