Effect Editor

This section covers the Effect Editor features.

1: Inline Curve Editor
2: Inline Gradient Editor

The effect editor is a docking pane used to edit the features of the effects. There are various controls that are highly intuitive to control the values of the effects. The docking pane can be docked in any of the normal docking places or can float as a undocked window.

Properties of the effect are divided up into collapsable categories. Most of these categories are consistent across all the effects. This will help you find similar features across the multitude of effects as you become familiar with them.

The label for each property has some hover text that gives a better description of what the property changes or how it may act.

The editing is done in a live mode. All changes take effect once the adjustment settles for a short period of time. The effect will be rendered and the new representation will show in the timeline.

More than one effect can be edited at the same time. Each property will be applied to each effect edited. The effect do not even have to be the same kind. Some properties may not support multiple editing depending on their function, or if all effects do not have that property and will not be shown.

The sliders control items that have ranges.

Check boxes for on off type options.

Combo boxes for items that have specific selections.

Text boxes for other values that need text or have specific values that are beyond the resolution of a slider. The text boxes themselves have a bit of a slider function built in for numeric values. When you hover you mouse just below one the cursor will turn to a cross. At that point you can click and drag left and right below the text box to quickly alter the value up or down.

There are image representations for Colors, Curves and Gradients. When double clicked, these will open the appropriate editor for each type. These also serve as Drag Drop zones to drag that item out to somewhere else in the editor or another one dragged into to be used as the setting. They can be dragged onto other effects in the timeline or into their respective library to add them to the library. These same items can be dragged from the libraries onto the type in the editor to change them. See the drag/drop section for more details. They can even be dragged across two open sequences in two different editors.

In addition to double clicking the Color Gradients or Curve editor images to bring up the large full editors, both can be edited inline directly inline in a similar fashion as they can be edited in the larger editors. Most of the same actions work the same.

Many of these options will change based on selections you make. Options that are not relevant to a specific configuration will be hidden.

Lastly there is an option to turn on the live preview at the top. This will enable previewing of just the selected effects in the preview window if you have it running. This way you can preview the changes to specific effects without having to play the sequence.

1 - Inline Curve Editor

This section covers the Inline Curve Editor features.

Overview

The Inline Curve Editor is a powerful tool that allows many features of the larger Curve editor dialog to be done inline in the effect editor. This improves efficency for the user since they do not have to keep opening and closing a bulky dialog box.

Inline Curve Editor

Editing Curves

To add a node, hold the Control Key and Click the line where you want to add the node.
To delete a node, hold the Alt Key and Click the node you wish to delete.
To move a node, simply Click and Drag any node to the position you want. (The full editor provides more precision if needed)

Shortcuts

To flatten the curve into a horizontal line, hold the shift key and click anywhere in the curve control. Holding shift while dragging will allow you to position that horizontal flat line up and down. This function is intended to replace the functionality of the old simple sliders that have now been replaced with curves.
To reverse the curve direction, (flip left to right) use Control+Shift while clicking the curve.
To invert the curve (flip top to bottom), use Alt+Shift while clicking the curve.

Drag and Drop

Using the curve library, you can drag curves and drop them onto the curve in the effect editor. This works from the full library panel, or the toolbar. The opposite also works. You can drag the curve from the effect editor pane to the preset library or toolbar to add them to the library.
You can drag a curve from the effect editor onto any other effect or selected effects on the timeline. If the effect has more than one curve, you will be prompted to choose which curve to replace.
To invoke the full curve editor, simply double click on the black area of the curve control.
When a curve is linked to a library curve, the line will be gray and a link icon will appear over the control.

Full Gradient Editor

To invoke the full curve editor, simply double click on the curve in the effect editor.

A linked Curve denoted by the chain link in the upper left corner. Inline Curve Editor

You will not be able to edit the linked curve in the effect editor pane. Double clicking the curve control will allow you to link or unlink library curve. Once it is unlinked, you can edit it in the inline editor or the larger Curve dialog.

2 - Inline Gradient Editor

This section covers the Inline Color Gradient Editor features.

Overview

The Inline Curve Editor is a powerful tool that allows many features of the full Color Gradient editor dialog to be done inline in the effect editor. This improves efficency for the user since they do not have to keep opening and closing a bulky dialog box.

Inline Curve Editor

Editing Colors

To add a color node, simply click in the empty space just below the gradient image.
To delete a node, hold the Alt Key and Click on the node you want to delete.
To change the color of a node, Double Click on the node.
Nodes can be dragged to change the positon of the blend.
Fine editing of the blend or the points between colors is still done with the full editor.

Drag Drop

Using the gradient library, you can drag colors or gradients from the preset library or toolbar and drop them onto the gradient in the effect editor. The opposite also works to add a gradient to the library. You can also drag the gradient from the effect editor to another effect on the timeline. If the effect on the timeline has multiple gradients, you will be prompted for which gradient to replace.

Shortcuts

Sometimes you may want the reverse of an existing gradient that is being used. You can use Alt+Shift and Click on the gradient in the effect editor and it will reverse the color order.

Full Gradient Editor

To invoke the full gradient editor, simply double click on the gradient in the effect editor.

Library Gradients

When a gradient is linked to a library gradient, a link icon will appear over the gradient control and no nodes will be shown.

A linked Color Gradient denoted by the chain link in the upper left corner. Inline Curve Editor

You will not be able to edit the linked gradient in the effect editor pane. Double clicking the gradient control will allow you to link or unlink the library gradient. Once it is unlinked, you can edit it in the inline editor or the Full Gradient Editor.