Walker Effects Manual
- Installation
- Alpha Tool
- Channel Composite
- Channel Lighting
- Channel Noise
- Channel Offset
- Channel Range
- Channel Viewer
- Color Composite
- Color Fill
- Colorize
- Color Space
- Composite
- Crazy Stripes
- Glow
- Gradient Designer
- Light Wrap
- Stargate
- Super Histogram
Light Wrap
Light Wrap helps integrate composite elements by glowing background light around foreground objects. In the real world concentrated light tends to scatter creating a blooming effect, which is particularly noticeable at the edges of objects. Light Wrap simulates this effect and provides many advanced features for precisely controlling how and where the light is applied.
To use Light Wrap apply it to your foreground layer. Because the light wrap is based on the layer's alpha channel the layer must have transparency. You then specify which layer to use as the background light source. Light Wrap is ideal for compositing 3D elements and masked layers.
Important: Masks used by this plug-in should be turned off in the Timeline Window by setting their mode to None. Otherwise, the mask will be applied to the layer by After Effects as well. Furthermore, none of the mask controls in the Timeline Window are used. All settings regarding masks are controlled within the effect.
Tip: To help see what the Obscuration Layer is doing it is helpful to use the Light Stencil and Obscuration Layer View Modes.
To use Light Wrap apply it to your foreground layer. Because the light wrap is based on the layer's alpha channel the layer must have transparency. You then specify which layer to use as the background light source. Light Wrap is ideal for compositing 3D elements and masked layers.
View Mode
To help work with the various components of Light Wrap, the View Mode offers isolation of specific features and helps you see what is happening at each stage. Each View Mode will enable only relevant effect controls, while others will become disabled temporarily. Only in the Composite View Mode will all controls be active.Light Layer
Use this View Mode to see the source of light. This mode will render the Light Layer with masks, levels and blur applied.Light Mask
If you are using a mask on the light layer, use this mode to view the mask by itself. If no valid path is selected or the mask is not enabled, a red X will be rendered instead.Light Wrap
This View Mode will render out the internal light wrap layer. This can be useful if you wish to composite the light wrap separately or simply see what the light looks like alone. Note that you may need to turn off the background layer in the Timeline Window to see the light wrap correctly.Light Stencil
You can use the View Mode to inspect the affected regions of the light wrap. It will show in grayscale the area that the light is covering. This View Mode is especially useful when setting up the Obscuration Layer.Obscuration Layer
When the Obscuration Layer is enabled you can use this View Mode to see it directly. All of the options for the layer will be included in the render.Composite
To view the final output of Light Wrap use this View Mode. Only in this mode will all of the effect controls be available.Light Layer
The Light Layer specifies the background light that will be wrapped around the foreground object. This layer group includes a lot of options to provide you with full control in creating just the effect needed.Layer
Use this menu to choose the source layer for Light Wrap. If None is selected then the layer on which the effect is applied will be used.Invert Color
Turn this checkbox on in order to invert the color channels of the layer. This can be useful in conjunction with certain Composite Modes.Invert Alpha
This checkbox will invert the alpha channel of the layer when enabled. Invert is calculated before Premultiply With Alpha.Premultiply With Alpha
Enabling this checkbox will premultiply the color channels of the layer with the alpha channel. This effectively pre-renders the layer over black.Blur
Blur can be used to soften the background light. This helps to diffuse the light more and get rid of edges. Blur is only rendered when the amount is greater than 0. Otherwise, the group name will read 'Blur Off' and will be disabled.Blur Quality
This menu allows you to decide what type of blur is used. You can choose from Fast Blur or Gaussian. When set to Automatic, the effect will render the Gaussian Blur for best quality and Fast Blur for draft quality.Uniform Blur
This checkbox controls whether the blur is applied equally in the horizontal and vertical directions. If it is turned off, separate sliders for Blur X and Blur Y will become available.Blur After Levels
Applying blur before or after Levels can produce dramatically different results. This checkbox allows you to choose the rendering order to have maximum flexibility in using the blurring and levels features.Levels
The Light Layer can be adjusted using the Levels controls. These controls work similarly to the standard Levels effect.Input Black
As the Input Black is increased, the layer becomes darker. Visually it appears as though the darker areas grow, eventually overtaking all pixels. The Input Black and Input White values can be moved closer together to create contrast.Input White
Opposite of Input Black, Input White increases the range of white pixels. As the value is decreased, the brightness of the image increases until the whole image becomes white. When the Input White value is less than the Input Black, the layer will be inverted.Gamma
The grayscale levels between white and black can be biased towards either end of the spectrum using Gamma. At the default value of 1.0, the interpolation from black to white is even. Gamma values less than 1.0 bias the gray levels towards black, creating a darker image. When the Gamma value is greater than 1.0 the gray values are pushed towards white brightening the image.Output Black
The Output Black value clamps the layer value at the specified level. For example, if the value is set to 45, then no pixel in the resulting layer will be darker than 45 (measured in bits per pixel).Output White
The Output White level limits the maximum brightness of the layer. For example, if Output White is set to 128, then no pixel in the resulting layer will be greater than 128.Mask
Layer masks can be helpful to isolate or exclude areas of the Light Layer. The Mask group is only active when a valid Path is chosen. Paths must be closed. Whether the Mask is active or not is indicated by the word 'On' or 'Off' next to the Mask group name. When Use All Paths is enabled, the name of the Mask group will change to reflect the current usage of paths (ie 'Mask On: Using[1,2,3]).Important: Masks used by this plug-in should be turned off in the Timeline Window by setting their mode to None. Otherwise, the mask will be applied to the layer by After Effects as well. Furthermore, none of the mask controls in the Timeline Window are used. All settings regarding masks are controlled within the effect.
Path
To specify a mask, select the desired path from this menu. You may also choose to Use All Paths, in which case this control will become disabled. Only closed paths are valid.Use All Paths
With this option, it is not necessary to explicitly select a path. Instead, all available closed paths are used. The paths used are indicated by number in the name of the Mask group control.Uniform Feather
Enabling this checkbox means that mask feathering will be equal in the horizontal and vertical directions. Only one Feather slider will be provided. When this checkbox is unchecked, there will be two sliders for feather: Feather X and Feather Y. Note that the feather controls in the Timeline Window are ignored by the effect, and when using multiple paths they are all given the same feather amount.Feather
This slider controls the size of the feathering in pixels. The feather is actually rendered by After Effects using the built-in masking tools, and will perfectly match results you get with standard masking. You can turn off Uniform Feather in order to control the feathering amount independently on the X and Y axis. In this case, to sliders will appear: Feather X and Feather Y.Invert
When invert is on, the Mask will be rendered inverted. So rather than color being filled inside the path shape, it will fill all areas outside the closed path.Mask Mode
To control how the Mask interacts with the Light Layer's alpha you can specify the Mask Mode. The default Mask Mode is Multiply, which produces the most commonly expected result. However, you can use any other mode to subtract, add, or otherwise affect the transparency.Mask Opacity
The Mask Opacity controls how much the Mask affects the Light Layer. With a value of 0, the Mask is not rendered, and at a value of 100 the Mask is fully applied. Note that Mask Opacity behaves differently than the mask opacity in the Timeline Window.Obscuration Layer
The Obscuration Layer adds another level of control to Light Wrap by limiting light to particular areas. Often it is desirable to have more light wrap relative to the dark areas of the foreground, and less light wrap along bright edges. The default settings are intended for this purpose, using the inverted luminance of the source layer as matte.Tip: To help see what the Obscuration Layer is doing it is helpful to use the Light Stencil and Obscuration Layer View Modes.
Layer
Select the layer to use for obscuration with this menu. Typically this can be left to None to use the layer one which the effect is applied.Channel
Choose a channel to base the obscuration on. The default is Luminance with Invert enabled. This means that the bright areas of the foreground object will be more resistant to the background light.Invert
If this checkbox is enabled the selected Channel will be inverted. Invert is calculated before Premultiply With Alpha.Premultiply With Alpha
Turn this checkbox on in order to render the Channel premultiplied with its alpha channel. This option is generally used for layers that have transparency.Blur and Levels
These controls work identically to the Light Layer Blur and Levels controls. Please refer to the documentation above for more information.Composite Mode
The Composite Mode specifies the method to use when applying the Obscuration Layer. The default mode is Multiply & Burn, a proprietary mode to Walker Effects great for organically combining mattes and channels.Opacity
The degree of obscuration is controlled by the Opacity. If Opacity is set to 0, the Obscuration Layer will have no affect.Wrap Blur Quality
This menu sets what type of blur to use for creating the light wrap. You can choose from Fast Blur or Gaussian. When set to Automatic, the effect will render the Gaussian Blur for best quality and Fast Blur for draft quality.Uniform Wrap Size
When this checkbox is enabled, the light wrap will be equal in size in both the horizontal and vertical directions. When off, two sliders for Wrap Size will be provided, respectively: Wrap Size X and Wrap Size Y.Wrap Size
The size of the wrap is controlled by this slider. The larger the size, the more the background light will overtake the foreground. You can use the Light Stencil View Mode to see this clearly.Intensity
The Intensity is multiplied with the light wrap as a way to increase or decrease the effect of the light. Increase intensity to make the light wrap more prominent.Falloff
The Falloff controls the contrast of the light stencil and can be used to keep the light more or less from the center of the foreground layer. Low values of Falloff will washout the light wrap creating overall light, while higher values will shrink the light wrap towards the edges.Bias
The Bias can be used to control the gamma of the light wrap. Lower values will tend to shrink the light wrap while larger values will grow the light wrap.Composite Mode
The Composite Mode controls how the light wrap is composited with the original layer. Most often the Add mode is great for lighting but other Composite Modes such as Luma Out & Add can provide excellent results without over-exposing the foreground.Opacity
The Opacity controls how much Light Wrap affects the layer it is applied on. If Opacity is set to 0, Light Wrap will have no affect.Blend With Original
Use this slider to blend the result of the effect with the original input layer. If Blend With Original is set to 100, the effect will not render.