Adjusting Layer Opacity and Scale in Animation
In this tutorial, we will learn how to make a layer visible, adjust its opacity, and animate its scale to create a dynamic perspective effect.
Making the Layer Visible
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Visibility Control:
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Click on the eye icon next to the Lights.png layer to make it visible above the background.
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Note that this element currently covers the entire court.
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Adjusting Layer Opacity
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Opacity Controller:
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On the baseline of the layer, there is a controller that allows you to adjust the opacity.
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Select the layer and check the properties window; the slider serves as a shortcut to the Opacity parameter found in the layer.
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Timeline Visibility:
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You will also see the opacity parameter displayed in the timeline.
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This controller allows for quick adjustments without the need to select or unfold the layer.
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Keyframe Differences:
- The controller on the baseline does not support keyframes, while the Opacity parameter does, enabling more advanced animation.
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Blending Modes:
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The opacity slider is split in two, with the left side determining the blending mode.
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Blending modes control how the pixels in a layer merge with the content below in the stack.
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Hovering over the blending mode list provides an interactive preview.
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Add Mode:
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Selecting the Add mode will combine the RGB values of this layer with the layers below.
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Black values (intensity of 0) will leave the background intact, while brighter pixels will add their values to the pixels underneath.
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Animating Layer Scale
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Scale Parameter:
- Select the layer containing the lights and press the ###S### key to display the scale parameter.
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Creating Keyframes:
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Go to the beginning of the animation to create the first keyframe for the scale parameter.
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Move to 5 seconds on the timeline (frame number 150 in a 30 fps composition).
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Simulating Perspective:
- Adjusting the scale parameter will simulate a perspective effect, where the lights appear to move at a different speed than the camera.
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Keyframe Adjustment:
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While adjusting the scale, hold down the Shift key to increase the speed of the adjustment, or press Ctrl (or Cmd on Mac) to slow it down.
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Set the scale parameter to create a second keyframe with a value of 1.15.
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Enhancing the Effect:
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Although the view capturing the entire scene is not animated yet, you will notice the lights moving towards the camera.
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You can increase the scale value to 1.2 for a more pronounced effect, and the keyframe value will update accordingly.
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Summary
In this section, we learned how to:
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Adjust the opacity of a layer
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Switch between different blending modes
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Control the speed of a parameter for effective animation