Tutorial: Modifiers Vol. 4

[rkligman Profile Private messageWebsite]

This tutorial will show you how to create a relationship between two layers on a slide. The movement of one layer will help control the movement of the other layer.

18 enlightening minutes long.

Click here to go to the tutorial: Modifiers Volume 4

[Cliff.Thomas Profile Private message]

Rick,

Another nice job.

With your help, these things are beganing to make sense.

Thanks for taking the time to put these together.

Cliff

[Tom Perry]

Yes, Rick... thanks a heap for Modifier V4. It does kinda make sense in a logical sort of way once it's explained properly. You're doing an excellent job of that. Thanks again!

[skiyak]

Rick,

Thanks for all your great tutorials. I haven't watched all your tutorials yet, but this one I started watching and then just listened to the audio while I was playing with the modifiers.

In this, I just used two layers, changing the X & Y modifiers only on the one layer. I added keyframes to the unmodified layer and moved the photo around randomly. I then saved it as a slide style which also saved the modifiers as well. Took me about two minutes from start to finish.

Added two more slides and applied this slide style to both of them with a 5 sec. cross-fade transition. This kind of gives the illusion that it's all on one slide instead of three separate slides with images coming one after another.

This is a new link. I've added some instructions as well as a couple of variations using the same slide style but changing one setting.

Revised Link: http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewsho ... alb=129475

I'll send the slide style to Mike tomorrow so if anyone wants it, they can download. You'll probably want to fix it up a bit and resave it since there wasn't any real thought involved, but I was amazed of the result with very little work. Rick, you've got me sold on modifiers!


wendy

[Cliff.Thomas Profile Private message]

Rick,

Thanks for all your great tutorials. I haven't watched all your tutorials yet, but this one I started watching and then just listened to the audio while I was playing with the modifiers.

In this, I just used two layers, changing the X & Y modifiers only on the one layer. I added keyframes to the unmodified layer and moved the photo around randomly. I then saved it as a slide style which also saved the modifiers as well. Took me about two minutes from start to finish.

Added two more slides and applied this slide style to both of them with a 5 sec. cross-fade transition. This kind of gives the illusion that it's all on one slide instead of three separate slides with images coming one after another.


http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewsho ... alb=129475


I'll send the slide style to Mike tomorrow so if anyone wants it, they can download. You'll probably want to fix it up a bit and resave it since there wasn't any real thought involved, but I was amazed of the result with very little work. Rick, you've got me sold on modifiers!


wendy

Very nice. Certainly opens up a lot of capibilities doesn't it?

Cliff

[debngar Profile Private message]

I can see a potential use for this to create moving background of png images and gradients for filling screen space etc. The potential for creating more fluid backgrounds by using modifiers seems to be a good use for them. Has anyone notice there doesn't seem to be the old jittery motion problem when modifiers are used to accomplish movement? That's a plus!

This is good for pairing movement of masks over the associated image underneath too.

[cherub Profile Private messageWebsite]

I can see a potential use for this to create moving background of png images and gradients for filling screen space etc. The potential for creating more fluid backgrounds by using modifiers seems to be a good use for them. Has anyone notice there doesn't seem to be the old jittery motion problem when modifiers are used to accomplish movement? That's a plus!
This is good for pairing movement of masks over the associated image underneath too.

I was thinking exactly the same thing, I swear !!
When I saw those little squares moving left, right, back again, that's what I really thought - something instead of video clips !!

[debngar Profile Private message]

The only thing that I've noticed though is if you try to generate video from a series of slides, it makes for a huge file. So I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. I may revisit that option in the program sometime in the future to create a background again and see how that turns out now. I think it at least won't be as jerky as it was when I first tried to make a video from hand made animated elements in Producer.

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

I've watched part of the tutorial and while waiting for it to download the rest of the way, I thought I'd come here and say that one of my first thoughts was the same as Debbie's about using modifiers with masks. Most of the time when I want a mask to follow the second or third layer, I set that layer first, duplicate it, and then replace the image with the mask--but not always. I believe modifiers are the perfect tool for getting precision motion in those "not always" cases.

Rick, you're coming out faster with these tutorials than I can find time to practice the moves! Slow down!

Barbara

[cherub Profile Private messageWebsite]

The only thing that I've noticed though is if you try to generate video from a series of slides, it makes for a huge file. So I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. I may revisit that option in the program sometime in the future to create a background again and see how that turns out now. I think it at least won't be as jerky as it was when I first tried to make a video from hand made animated elements in Producer.

I think that the use of modifiers can solve the problem of NOT making a video at all.
Just put some additional layers in the slide, with the modifiers.
Of course, if you save the layers and the modifiers in a slide style, you have a ready made "video clip". All you need to do is maybe adjust the length. It will not loop, but.... it will be good enough I think.

BarbaraC wrote:
I thought I'd come here and say that one of my first thoughts was the same as Debbie's about using modifiers with masks. Most of the time when I want a mask to follow the second or third layer, I set that layer first, duplicate it, and then replace the image with the mask--but not always. I believe modifiers are the perfect tool for getting precision motion in those "not always" cases

.
Excellent idea!
However, I think that modifiers work in "Automatic" mode , whereas we use the Manual most of the time. Something to test, anyway.

Rick,

A big, big thank you for your tutorials. They are absolutely perfect !!

[skiyak]

Yes, I see this would be very useful for masks as well as a replacement for video clips -- I hate using them since they take a long time to load. Whenever I use video, I usually add at the end if I think I need them to avoid the wait times. I

It would probably be easy enough to put things in one slide using modifiers (have to experiment more with multiple pics or pngs moving around) - you could probably take a background with say squares and another background with stripes, change the opacity and move one picture around. I've used it in the past which looks quite effective but have mostly used just rotations since that was easy to do; or say, a group of balloons going bottom to top. You could loop it back by having the balloons come back off the screen so they're out of bounds and they start bottom to top again. Do it about 3 times. Have another set of balloons follow using modifiers that come in at a different time. Once you have this set up, you can use it for say a set of hearts. Maybe I'll try this on the weekend.

Anyway, I have a revised copy with some other samples with minor changes and instruction. I'll send the pxs file to Mike now if anyone wants to fool around with it.

I edited the original post with the revised link but in case you don't want to go back, here it is:

Revised link: http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewsho ... alb=129475

wendy

[cherub Profile Private messageWebsite]

Yes, I see this would be very useful for masks as well as a replacement for video clips -- I hate using them since they take a long time to load. Whenever I use video, I usually add at the end if I think I need them to avoid the wait times. wendy

Precisely !
Yes, I often do the same, or use a small size of the same video (needs 3rd party conversion tools).

[skiyak]

[quote="cherub"
Precisely !
Yes, I often do the same, or use a small size of the same video (needs 3rd party conversion tools).[/quote]

I tend to do that too since it then only points to the one video so keeps the size down. I also use that same video, say if it's an overlay, will use it in landscape or portrait mode, might use it as a lower third depending how I stretch or shrink it but you can make them look different but still have the consistency of the look.

wendy

[seektheburd Profile Private message]

Hi Rick,
Another great tutorial! Thanks to both yours and Dale's tutorials/samples/posts, alot of are going off! The multitude of modifier demos are a testament to that. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Now, while I have a few minutes to myself, I am finally going to give it a whirl myself.

Hugs,
Stephanie

[nannybear Profile Private messageWebsite]

Thank you Thank you Thank you!! I was doing that but for some reason not working and now it does. I can't wait until Sunday so I can play and make some layer styles. You are brilliant!!! hugs Jan