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Mirage v1.5 Manual Credits

Software Development: Herve Adam, Eric Matecki, Sebastien Miglio Management Team: Paul Ford, Dan Kraus, Stacey Ford, Lydia Rodriguez Support & Manual: Steve Bowie Design Frank Lyons Testing: Paul and Sandra Fierlinger, Ray Adams, Rusty Mills, Manuel Zander, Terrence Walker, Frederic Marzullo, Matt Bell, Olivier Michon, Peter Wassink, Vincent Chazal, Roland Kernel, Lorenzo Straight, Matthew L. Stoehr, Patrick Chin, Petr Robek, Ahmed Balfaqih, Brian Jansen, Chris Bator, David Grantham, John Conning, Joel Fauche. John Riggs, Kevin Ang, Don Ballance, Darren Thompson, Andrew Morgan, Benoit Saint-Moulin, Jeff White, Ralph Messana, Andy Collen, David Weinkauf, Mike Genz, and Kevin Sloan Special Thanks: Claude Adam, Ellen Ford, Dr. Gregg Ford, George Cisneros, Brian Hughes and Lissa Martinez

Copyright © 2005 -- Bauhaus Software, Inc.

All Rights Reserved

Table of Contents

Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ 6

Chapter 1 Getting Started......................................................................................................... 12 1.1. PROGRAM CONVENTIONS .................................................................................................. 12

1.1.1. User Accounts and Program Directories ................................................................. 12 1.1.2. Input Devices ........................................................................................................... 12 1.1.3. Context and Pop-up Menus ..................................................................................... 12 1.1.4. Text and Numeric Fields.......................................................................................... 13 1.1.5. Resizing and Repositioning Windows...................................................................... 14 1.1.6. Progress Meters....................................................................................................... 14

1.2. STARTING MIRAGE ............................................................................................................ 14 1.3. LEAVING MIRAGE............................................................................................................... 15

Chapter 2 Introducing Mirage ................................................................................................... 18 2.1. MIRAGE – THE CONCEPT ................................................................................................... 18

2.1.1. Virtual Tools for Virtual Film..................................................................................... 18 2.1.2. Layers and Compositing .......................................................................................... 19

2.2. THE EXECUTION ................................................................................................................ 21 2.2.1. The Layer Panel....................................................................................................... 21 2.2.2. The Project Window................................................................................................. 21 2.2.3. Drawing Tools .......................................................................................................... 22 2.2.4. Custom Brushes ...................................................................................................... 22 2.2.5. A and B Colors......................................................................................................... 23 2.2.6. The Light Table ........................................................................................................ 24

Chapter 3 Interface Overview................................................................................................... 26 3.1. THE MIRAGE USER INTERFACE........................................................................................... 26 3.2. THE PROJECT WINDOW ..................................................................................................... 27

3.2.1. Overview .................................................................................................................. 27 3.2.2. Multiple Views and Projects..................................................................................... 28 3.2.3. Project Window Controls ......................................................................................... 29

3.3. THE PROJECT PREVIEW..................................................................................................... 30 3.3.1. Preview Settings ...................................................................................................... 30 3.3.2. The Navigator .......................................................................................................... 33

3.4. MIRAGE’S MENUS.............................................................................................................. 33 3.4.1. Help.......................................................................................................................... 33 3.4.2. About Filters............................................................................................................. 34 3.4.3. About Mirage............................................................................................................ 34

Chapter 4 Configuring Mirage................................................................................................... 35 4.1. PROJECT PROPERTIES ...................................................................................................... 35

4.1.1. Width, Height (no DPI?) ........................................................................................... 35 4.1.2. Aspect Ratio............................................................................................................. 36 4.1.3. Fielding Options ....................................................................................................... 36 4.1.4. Frame Rate .............................................................................................................. 37 4.1.5. Start Frame .............................................................................................................. 37

4.2. MODIFY PROJECT.............................................................................................................. 38 4.2.1. Modify Project: Settings ........................................................................................... 38

4.3. PROGRAM PREFERENCES.................................................................................................. 40 4.3.1. The Preferences Panel ............................................................................................ 40 4.3.2. General Tab ............................................................................................................. 40 4.3.3. Display Tab .............................................................................................................. 42 4.3.4. Interface Tab............................................................................................................ 43

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4.3.5. Memory & Cache Tab.............................................................................................. 44 4.3.6. Display Options........................................................................................................ 45 4.3.7. The Grid ................................................................................................................... 47 4.3.8. Guides...................................................................................................................... 48

Chapter 5 File and Project Management.................................................................................. 50 5.1. THE MIRAGE PROJECT....................................................................................................... 50 5.2. PROJECT FILES ................................................................................................................. 50 5.3. MEDIA FILES ..................................................................................................................... 51 5.4. NEW PROJECT .................................................................................................................. 51 5.5. THE FILE EXPLORER.......................................................................................................... 51

5.5.1. File Explorer: Controls ............................................................................................. 52 5.5.2. File Explorer: Path View .......................................................................................... 53 5.5.3. File Explorer: Detail View......................................................................................... 54 5.5.4. File Explorer: Preview.............................................................................................. 54 5.5.5. File Explorer: Viewport............................................................................................. 55

5.6. FILE MENU: LOAD.............................................................................................................. 56 5.6.1. Import Footage Panel .............................................................................................. 57 5.6.2. Import Footage Panel: Destination Tabs ................................................................. 57

5.7. FILE MENU: SAVE PROJECT & SAVE PROJECT AS… ........................................................... 59 5.8. FILE MENU: CLOSE PROJECT............................................................................................. 60 5.9. FILE MENU: EXPORT PROJECT TO … ................................................................................. 60 5.10. TWAIN SUPPORT.......................................................................................................... 64 5.11. PRINTING ...................................................................................................................... 64 5.12. THE CLIPBOARD ............................................................................................................ 65

Chapter 6 Layer Management .................................................................................................. 68 6.1. PROJECT LAYERS: OVERVIEW............................................................................................ 68 6.2. THE LAYER PANEL............................................................................................................. 69

6.2.1. Overview .................................................................................................................. 69 6.2.2. Layer Panel: Layout ................................................................................................. 69 6.2.3. The Layer Control Panel.......................................................................................... 71 6.2.4. Timeline Pane: Overview......................................................................................... 74 6.2.5. Merging Layers (Compositing)................................................................................. 78 6.2.6. The Spare Image ..................................................................................................... 78

Chapter 7 Painting & Drawing .................................................................................................. 80 7.1. THE TOOL PANEL .............................................................................................................. 80

7.1.1. The Tool Tray........................................................................................................... 81 7.1.2. The Custom Brush Tool ........................................................................................... 90 7.1.3. Drawing Tools: Common Options............................................................................ 94 7.1.4. Drawing Tools: Connection Settings...................................................................... 101 7.1.5. Drawing Modes ...................................................................................................... 103 7.1.6. Integral Erase Function.......................................................................................... 112 7.1.7. Brush Bins.............................................................................................................. 112

7.2. THE MAIN PANEL............................................................................................................. 113 7.2.1. Stroke and Filled Shape Modes............................................................................. 114 7.2.2. Fill Tool Options ..................................................................................................... 120 7.2.3. More Filling Shape Options ................................................................................... 122 7.2.4. Selection Tools ...................................................................................................... 124 7.2.5. Custom Brush Cut Tools........................................................................................ 126 7.2.6. Main Panel Utilities ................................................................................................ 127 7.2.7. A/B Colors, Clear/Kill, REDO, UNDO .................................................................... 131 7.2.8. Drawing Constraints............................................................................................... 131 7.2.9. The Coordinates Panel .......................................................................................... 134 7.2.10. ReApply (Edit Menu) .......................................................................................... 135

Chapter 8 Managing Color...................................................................................................... 138

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8.1. MIRAGE COLOR BASICS................................................................................................... 138 8.1.1. A and B Colors....................................................................................................... 138

8.2. THE PALETTE PANEL ....................................................................................................... 139 8.2.1. The Bin................................................................................................................... 140 8.2.2. The Slider Tab ....................................................................................................... 141 8.2.3. The Picker Tab....................................................................................................... 142 8.2.4. The Mixer Tab........................................................................................................ 143 8.2.5. The Status Line...................................................................................................... 143

8.3. GRADIENTS ..................................................................................................................... 144 8.3.1. The Gradient Panel................................................................................................ 147

Chapter 9 Managing Animation and Effects ........................................................................... 150 9.1. THE ANIMATION ENVIRONMENT ........................................................................................ 151

9.1.1. Basic Workflow Concepts ...................................................................................... 151 9.2. THE LIGHT TABLE ............................................................................................................ 154

9.2.1. Light Table: Project Menu Options ........................................................................ 154 9.2.2. Light Table: Layer Tool .......................................................................................... 154 9.2.3. Light Table: Settings Panel.................................................................................... 155 9.2.4. Light Table: Options............................................................................................... 155 9.2.5. The Compact LT Panel .......................................................................................... 156

9.3. EFFECTS AND PLUGINS.................................................................................................... 156 9.3.1. Effect Category Overview ...................................................................................... 157 9.3.2. Applying Effects, Mirage-style ............................................................................... 157 9.3.3. Effects versus Plugins............................................................................................ 159 9.3.4. The Effects Menu................................................................................................... 159

9.4. EFFECTS, AND THE FX STACK......................................................................................... 160 9.4.1. Effect Stack Advantages........................................................................................ 160 9.4.2. Stack Header Tools ............................................................................................... 161 9.4.3. Split Preview .......................................................................................................... 162 9.4.4. Effect Stack Preview and the HUD........................................................................ 163

9.5. WORKING WITH KEYFRAMES ............................................................................................ 164 9.5.1. Keyframes in the Layer Panel................................................................................ 167

9.6. EFFECT CONTROL PANELS .............................................................................................. 169 9.6.1. The Progress Profile .............................................................................................. 170 9.6.2. Keyframe Interpolation Menu................................................................................. 173 9.6.3. Effect Tools Menu.................................................................................................. 174 9.6.4. Source Menu.......................................................................................................... 175 9.6.5. Blend Mode............................................................................................................ 175

Chapter 10 Motion Effects..................................................................................................... 176 10.1. MIRAGE MOTION PATHS............................................................................................... 176 10.2. MANAGING MOTION PATHS .......................................................................................... 176

10.2.1. The Path Bin....................................................................................................... 176 10.2.2. The Path Manager.............................................................................................. 177

10.3. CREATING MOTION PATHS ........................................................................................... 178 10.3.1. Pixel Tracker ...................................................................................................... 178 10.3.2. Path Recorder .................................................................................................... 182

10.4. APPLYING MOTION PATHS............................................................................................ 183 10.5. AUTOPAINT ................................................................................................................. 183 10.6. THE KEYFRAMER......................................................................................................... 186

10.6.1. Motion Path Options........................................................................................... 187 10.6.2. Creating Motion Paths........................................................................................ 187 10.6.3. Rotation Concepts.............................................................................................. 188 10.6.4. Using the HUD ................................................................................................... 191 10.6.5. Position Variables............................................................................................... 194 10.6.6. Rotation Variables .............................................................................................. 194 10.6.7. Render Settings.................................................................................................. 194 10.6.8. Motion Blur ......................................................................................................... 195

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Chapter 11 Video and Keying ............................................................................................... 196 11.1. FRAMES, FIELDS, AND FRAMERATES............................................................................. 196 11.2. MANAGING VIDEO IN MIRAGE........................................................................................ 198

11.2.1. Loading and Exporting Media ............................................................................ 198 11.2.2. Viewing Options ................................................................................................. 199 11.2.3. The Video Grabber............................................................................................. 199 11.2.4. External Video Hardware ................................................................................... 201 11.2.5. Audio for Video................................................................................................... 201 11.2.6. 3:2 Pulldown....................................................................................................... 202

11.3. VIDEO MOTION EFFECTS.............................................................................................. 202 11.3.1. Stabilization 1 Point............................................................................................ 202 11.3.2. Stabilization 2 Point............................................................................................ 203

11.4. VIDEO UTILITIES .......................................................................................................... 204 11.4.1. Fix Motion Plugin................................................................................................ 204 11.4.2. Patterns Plugin ................................................................................................... 206 11.4.3. Video Legalizer Plugin ....................................................................................... 207 11.4.4. Waveform Plugin ................................................................................................ 207

11.5. KEYING IN MIRAGE....................................................................................................... 208 11.5.1. All About Keying................................................................................................. 208

11.6. KEYING EFFECTS......................................................................................................... 212 11.6.1. Luma Keyer ........................................................................................................ 212 11.6.2. Color Keyer ........................................................................................................ 213 11.6.3. Chroma Keyer .................................................................................................... 213 11.6.4. Advanced Keyer ................................................................................................. 216 11.6.5. Alpha Control...................................................................................................... 220

11.7. TRANSITION EFFECTS .................................................................................................. 220 11.7.1. Classic................................................................................................................ 221 11.7.2. Page Turn........................................................................................................... 222 11.7.3. Blind ................................................................................................................... 222 11.7.4. Block................................................................................................................... 223 11.7.5. Slide ................................................................................................................... 223 11.7.6. Rotary................................................................................................................. 224

Chapter 12 Image Processing Effects .................................................................................. 226 12.1. OVERVIEW................................................................................................................... 226 12.2. BLUR GROUP............................................................................................................... 226

12.2.1. Center Blur ......................................................................................................... 226 12.2.2. Chroma Blur ....................................................................................................... 227 12.2.3. Cubic .................................................................................................................. 227 12.2.4. Directional Blur ................................................................................................... 227 12.2.5. Gaussian Blur..................................................................................................... 228 12.2.6. Median Blur ........................................................................................................ 228 12.2.7. Radial Blur.......................................................................................................... 230

12.3. COLOR GROUP ............................................................................................................ 231 12.3.1. Black and White Converter ................................................................................ 231 12.3.2. Color Adjust........................................................................................................ 231 12.3.3. Color Eraser ....................................................................................................... 233 12.3.4. Curves ................................................................................................................ 233 12.3.5. Histogram........................................................................................................... 234 12.3.6. Sliders ................................................................................................................ 237

12.4. DISTORTION GROUP .................................................................................................... 239 12.4.1. Bump .................................................................................................................. 239 12.4.2. Displacement Mapping....................................................................................... 240 12.4.3. Flip (Mirror Classic) ............................................................................................ 240 12.4.4. Mirror .................................................................................................................. 241 12.4.5. Perspective: 4 Point ........................................................................................... 241 12.4.6. Tornado .............................................................................................................. 242 12.4.7. Wave .................................................................................................................. 243 12.4.8. Wrapping Grid .................................................................................................... 244

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12.5. KEYING GROUP ........................................................................................................... 245 12.6. RENDERING GROUP..................................................................................................... 245

12.6.1. Background Generator....................................................................................... 245 12.6.2. Lighting............................................................................................................... 246 12.6.3. Particle Generator .............................................................................................. 248 12.6.4. Perlin Noise ........................................................................................................ 248 12.6.5. Plasma ............................................................................................................... 250 12.6.6. Simple Text ........................................................................................................ 251 12.6.7. RotoTracking ...................................................................................................... 255 12.6.8. Time Code Generator ........................................................................................ 261 12.6.9. Volumetric Light.................................................................................................. 261

12.7. STYLIZE GROUP........................................................................................................... 265 12.7.1. Bevel .................................................................................................................. 265 12.7.2. Blender ............................................................................................................... 266 12.7.3. Bloom ................................................................................................................. 267 12.7.4. Color Range ....................................................................................................... 267 12.7.5. Drop Shadow...................................................................................................... 268 12.7.6. Erode.................................................................................................................. 268 12.7.7. Glow ................................................................................................................... 268 12.7.8. Grain................................................................................................................... 268 12.7.9. Halftone .............................................................................................................. 269 12.7.10. Lumix.................................................................................................................. 269 12.7.11. Mosaic ................................................................................................................ 269 12.7.12. Negative ............................................................................................................. 270 12.7.13. Noise .................................................................................................................. 270 12.7.14. Posterize ............................................................................................................ 270 12.7.15. Print .................................................................................................................... 271 12.7.16. Solarize .............................................................................................................. 271

Chapter 13 The Particle Generator....................................................................................... 274 13.1. INTRODUCTION: PARTICLES, EMITTERS AND THE WORLD............................................... 274 13.2. PARTICLE GENERATOR OVERVIEW ............................................................................... 277 13.3. PARTICLE GENERATOR DETAILS ................................................................................... 280

13.3.1. Creating a Particle System................................................................................. 280 13.3.2. Particle Settings ................................................................................................. 282 13.3.3. Emitter Settings .................................................................................................. 287 13.3.4. World Settings .................................................................................................... 291 13.3.5. Particle Generator: Options Menu...................................................................... 292 13.3.6. Particle Generator: FX Bin ................................................................................. 292

Chapter 14 Plugins................................................................................................................ 294 14.1. COLOR GROUP ............................................................................................................ 294

14.1.1. Color Factory...................................................................................................... 294 14.2. EXTERNAL ................................................................................................................... 295 14.3. KEYING ....................................................................................................................... 295

14.3.1. Cross Keyer........................................................................................................ 295 14.4. PARTICLES .................................................................................................................. 296

14.4.1. Star Field ............................................................................................................ 296 14.5. PREVIEW FILTERS........................................................................................................ 296

14.5.1. LightWave® Viewer............................................................................................. 296 14.5.2. Direct Show........................................................................................................ 299 14.5.3. DV, VT[3], etc. .................................................................................................... 299

14.6. MISCELLANEOUS FILTERS ............................................................................................ 299 14.6.1. Calculator, Clock, Wallpaper.............................................................................. 299

14.7. SPECIAL FX................................................................................................................. 299 14.7.1. Convolutions....................................................................................................... 299 14.7.2. Shadow .............................................................................................................. 300 14.7.3. Speed ................................................................................................................. 300 14.7.4. Video Group ....................................................................................................... 300

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Chapter 15 Scripting & Automation....................................................................................... 301 15.1. “ELEMENTARY” SCRIPTING ........................................................................................... 301 15.2. LAUNCHING MODES ..................................................................................................... 301 15.3. USING AN ELEMENT SCRIPT ......................................................................................... 302

15.3.1. Element Bin ........................................................................................................ 302 15.3.2. The Startup Script .............................................................................................. 303

15.4. THE ELEMENT LANGUAGE ............................................................................................ 304 15.4.1. Language Conventions ...................................................................................... 304 15.4.2. Character Strings and Tables of Variable .......................................................... 305 15.4.3. Arrays ................................................................................................................. 306 15.4.4. Procedures ......................................................................................................... 306 15.4.5. Procedure Instructions ....................................................................................... 307

15.5. ELEMENT INSTRUCTIONS AND MIRAGE COMMANDS........................................................ 308

Chapter 16 Appendix ............................................................................................................ 310 16.1. FILE FORMATS............................................................................................................. 310

16.1.1. Mirage format (.mir)............................................................................................ 310 16.1.2. AVI (Video for Windows) format (.avi)................................................................ 310 16.1.3. Cineon (.cin) ....................................................................................................... 310 16.1.4. DEEP format (.dip) ............................................................................................. 310 16.1.5. FLC format (.flc) ................................................................................................. 310 16.1.6. FLYER CLIP format (.fly) ................................................................................... 311 16.1.7. GIF format (.gif) .................................................................................................. 311 16.1.8. D1 RTV............................................................................................................... 311 16.1.9. BMP format (.bmp) ............................................................................................. 311 16.1.10. ILBM format (.iff)................................................................................................. 311 16.1.11. JPEG format (.jpg).............................................................................................. 311 16.1.12. PCX format (.pcx)............................................................................................... 311 16.1.13. Portable Network Graphics format (.png)........................................................... 312 16.1.14. Photoshop® format (.psd) .................................................................................. 312 16.1.15. Quantel® format (.vpb)....................................................................................... 312 16.1.16. QuickTime format (.mov).................................................................................... 312 16.1.17. SGI Image format (.rgb) ..................................................................................... 312 16.1.18. SoftImage format (.pic)....................................................................................... 313 16.1.19. Sun Raster format (.ras)..................................................................................... 313 16.1.20. Targa format (.tga) ............................................................................................. 313 16.1.21. TIFF format (.tif) ................................................................................................. 313

16.2. KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS............................................................................................... 313 16.2.1. Assignable Functions: ........................................................................................ 313 16.2.2. Assignable Keys (Global)................................................................................... 317 16.2.3. Assignable Keys (MAC OSX Only) .................................................................... 318

16.3. EXTERNAL VIDEO DEVICE SUPPORT ............................................................................. 319 16.3.1. Mirage v1.2 Video Cards Compatibility List (PC only) ....................................... 319

16.4. THE MIRAGE INITIALIZATION FILE................................................................................... 320 16.5. INTERNET RESOURCES ................................................................................................ 321 16.6. TECHNICAL SUPPORT................................................................................................... 321

Keyword Index............................................................................................................................. 324

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Chapter 1 Getting Started Welcome! You may be new to Mirage, or perhaps you have previous experience with one of its predecessors, whether on another platform or your current one. In any case, it is our earnest wish that you will find Mirage a real asset to your artistic pursuits. Equally, we hope you will enjoy the liveliness, support, camaraderie, and diversity of the Mirage community. The purpose of this chapter is threefold. First, we want to acquaint you with some program interface conventions – controls, sliders, menus and the like. Too, (since, in the next chapter we’ll launch into a brief overview of Mirage) we want you to know how to start the program. If you’re the adventurous sort, you might just want to jump right to that point!

1.1. Program Conventions

1.1.1. User Accounts and Program Directories Although you can select a different location during installation, the main body of your Mirage software is normally installed within the Program Directory on your system drive. It will be found there in a folder named Bauhaus. Inside this folder is the application itself, and files it depends on -- such as drivers, Plugins, and the like. In some settings, a single copy of Mirage may be used by a number of different people at different times. It is common in such settings for an administrator to provide each user with distinct login ID. This permits each to have a ‘personalized’ configuration. Mirage makes provision for this by storing a number of user-specific files separately, in the user’s own folder within the Documents and Settings folder on the system drive.

1.1.2. Input Devices Drawing with a computer mouse, though it can be done, is challenging for anyone. Graphics tablets (like the popular Wacom® models) are now quite affordable, and permit a good deal more control, along with a more natural drawing experience. Mirage provides direct support for the enhanced attributes afforded users of most graphics tablets, such as Pressure, Altitude, and Azimuth. (Specific settings pertaining to these devices will be considered in the context of Mirage’s drawing tools, in Chapter 7 - Painting & Drawing.) Still, the lowly mouse replicates the primary functions of a graphics stylus. Drawing with the left mouse button (LMB) pressed corresponds to applying the stylus tip, while dragging with the right mouse button is equivalent to using the stylus with its own button depressed. (In the absence of a right mouse button, Shift + left click will usually perform the same way.)

1.1.3. Context and Pop-up Menus The right mouse button (RMB) also serves to open many context menus. A panel may appear when you right click on a tool icon, providing convenient access to its settings. Or, right clicking may open a context menu providing utilities in connection with a panel or a window’s contents. Not to be outdone, the left mouse button is used to open numerous pop-up, drop-down, or ‘cycle’ menus. These interface gadgets usually offer optional settings in connection with some tool. The Paint Mode menu in the Tools Panel is an example.

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1.1.4. Text and Numeric Fields

Text and numeric entry fields (a.k.a. “string requesters”) appear in many different places throughout Mirage. Their use is fairly obvious, but it might be helpful to know that some standard keystroke shortcuts of the sort used in word processing are available. For example, Shift + Del deletes characters to the right of the current cursor point, while Shift + Backspace deletes to the left. Likewise Shift + Home selects all characters to the left, while Shift + End highlights those on the right. The usual Select All, Cut, Copy, Paste, and Undo keystroke shortcuts also work -- being CTRL + A, CTRL + X, CTRL + C, CTRL + V, and CTRL+Z, respectively. (The same commands are offered in a context menu that appears if you right click in a text entry field.) Mini-sliders

Another interface gadget used to set numeric values is the mini-slider, which combines aspects of the field gadget discussed above with an additional control. Dragging the mouse on the double-headed arrow next to the entry field increases or decreases the value assigned. A special slider is used for input in one part of Mirage. The Opacity Control associated with each layer in the Layer Panels control area is a ‘click-slider’ ‘-- a slider with a difference.

Clicking the LMB anywhere on the horizontal strip in this gadget immediately updates the current setting to the value corresponding to the mouse-click position. This permits very quick adjustments.

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When more precision is required, you can LMB + drag laterally on the strip. The gadget then behaves like a mini-slider, providing more discreet control over the value. The current value is always shown in the gadget, serving as an aid to precision as well as a ready reminder of the current level. Depressing the RMB on the strip opens a standard numeric entry requester, should you prefer to use that.

Hint: RMB-dragging both sliders multiplies the effect of mouse movement by five times.

Sliders and Scrollbars

Another type of sliding gadget appears in several places in the Mirage interface. The scrollbar, shown above, is normally associated with the two neighboring arrowhead gadgets. Most users will be acquainted with this sort of gadget from its common application in Web Browsers and file windows. It is used in Mirage in the usual fashion: dragging it with the mouse pans or scrolls the contents of a window (such as the Project Window, or a File list window.) Clicking the arrow devices moves the display in single increments.

1.1.5. Resizing and Repositioning Windows The titlebars of Mirage’s many windows and panels are dragbars. Click and drag the mouse in this area to relocate a panel. Most panels also feature some combination of the standard Minimize/Maximize, Fore/Back, and Close gadgets as well. Most panels and windows can also be re-sized (within certain limits) by dragging with the mouse. Hover the mouse pointer over the edge or corner of a window you want to re-size – if the panel proportions can be adjusted, the mouse pointer will be changed to a double-headed arrow. Drag with the mouse to make the adjustment.

1.1.6. Progress Meters

Progress meters are used as required throughout Mirage to indicate the status of more time consuming operations. The Stop button halts the operation, as does pressing the Esc key. Normally, partially completed results are retained. If this is not desired, for the most part the Undo function will allow you to revert to the previous condition.

1.2. Starting Mirage On launching, Mirage presents the Splash Screen panel shown below, which permits you to choose from already created Project Configurations, or to create a new one.

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Configuration presets retain the principal project settings Mirage uses. As installed, the Default configuration is the only one available. It can be modified at will, and if you opt to Save this configuration on exiting Mirage after your session, the current configuration will retain any changes you have made.

Note: in Mirage’s forebears, the Default Configuration could not be modified. In Mirage, it can, but the original (unmodified) Default configuration continues to be used as the base when New (User Config) is chosen on starting the program.

It can be quite useful to create several configurations suited to different tasks. Too, using the host computer system’s user management features, logging in under a different User ID permits multiple users to have a completely different set of User Configurations at their disposal. Custom configurations are created in one of two ways. Clicking New bases the initial settings of the new configuration on Mirage defaults (which are similar to standard VGA settings.) Alternatively, selecting Copy uses the settings of the currently selected configuration as a base. (Clicking Delete instead removes the currently selected Configuration from the list.) In either case, you then make any desired modifications using the settings in the Project Properties area, in the lower half of the panel. Afterward, click OK to launch Mirage. Depending on your installed hardware devices, at this point you may be asked to specify a few further settings relating to video standards before being able to work in Mirage. You’re not quite done, however: to ‘lock in’ the modifications you made to the default settings when creating the new Configuration, you must select Save this configuration on exiting Mirage. When you next launch Mirage, your new preset will be already selected in the Configuration cycle menu at the top of the startup panel (though of course you can also choose a different Configuration at will using that menu.) The parameters in the Project Properties part of the panel are mostly common framerate and resolution settings, and are discussed in more depth in Chapter 4, Configuring Mirage.

1.3. Leaving Mirage Ending a Mirage session is little different than exiting most other programs. You can use the Quit gadget at the upper right-hand corner of the main Mirage window, the File>Quit selection in Mirage’s Main Menu, or the keystroke shortcut CTRL + Q.

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In each case however, the Quit Panel shown here will appear, to permit you to either Save this configuration, or not. If you do opt to save the configuration, all current Mirage settings – including things like Pen size, Export paths, Connection Settings, and so on -- will be used to update the current User Configuration file.

Note: even the state of the Save this configuration switch is saved, so use it with care. You will not likely want to overwrite your preferred startup settings each time you leave Mirage!

The next time you launch Mirage, your last-saved settings are presented in the startup Splash Screen as the initial Configuration -- though as previously discussed, you can choose another Configuration at will when such exists. Clicking the Close gadget [x] in the upper-right corner of the Quit Panel cancels the exit process without saving the configuration, as does clicking Stay or pressing the equivalent keyboard shortcut, [ESC].

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Chapter 2 Introducing Mirage It is necessary to answer the question - what is Mirage? The answer is not as easy as might be imagined. As its evanescent namesake might imply, however, Mirage can be different things to different people. To some, it’s all about paperless animation. To others, it’s a CG utility, an effects generator, a composition tool, an image processor, a texture tool for 3D animation, a blemish-remover for photos, a file conversion utility, a web animation tool – the list is endless!

2.1. Mirage – the Concept Let’s see if we can convey the overall concept of Mirage as follows: Animations, films, video clips – all can be thought of as being like a filmstrip … a sequential series of frames on celluloid backing. As the filmstrip passes through a projector each frame is viewed on screen momentarily, then is quickly replaced by the ensuing frame. (For our analogy, the speed with which the displayed frame is updated – the framerate -- is inconsequential; but that rate is significant in the context of realworld media, and Mirage does offer control over it.) In this analogy, of course, the content of each frame may be anything at all. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a duck or a dirigible, or even completely black. Of course, none of those will capture the attention of a viewer for very long! Enter the concept of inter-frame motion.

As has long been established, if the image content of the filmstrip moves ever so slightly from frame to frame, the result to the viewer’s eye is animated motion. Moving the imagery further from one frame to another varies the apparent speed of the perceived motion. Reduce the inter-frame motion to nothing over a period of time, and the motion appears to slow, then cease. On the other hand, moving the sequential frames themselves past the viewer more quickly (increasing the framerate) goes a long way to enhancing the realism of the motion. It really doesn’t matter whether this moving imagery is hand-painted in the fashion of a cartoon, captured by a video (or movie) camera, or is computer generated (CGI) – to the animation system, it’s all the same. In essence, Mirage provides a virtual filmstrip and all of the tools you need to work with it (of course, you can also work with single images.)

2.1.1. Virtual Tools for Virtual Film Using Mirage’s Drawing Tools and Paint Modes, you can paint or draw content directly into the individual frames of your virtual filmstrip. You can paint over existing content, such as video footage (this is usually called rotoscoping), or create content ‘from scratch.’

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In addition Mirage lets you manipulate the frames of your filmstrip. You can cut, copy, paste and delete them, just as you might do with text when working with a word processor. You can scale them, too, modifying their resolution for a variety of purposes. You can even time-stretch them, slowing them down or speeding them up. Beyond this, you can perform image processing using Mirage. Image processing (or IP) is a broad category, but basically means modifying some of the attributes of an image. Simple examples would include brightening an image, or changing its contrast. More elaborate examples of IP functions include enhancing an image’s sharpness, blurring it or selectively altering it’s hues. These operations, often referred to as effects, are performed in Mirage using filters applied in its FX Stack.

2.1.2. Layers and Compositing Mirage also offers compositing features. Let’s spend a moment discussing what this means.

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Up until now, our analogy has been a simple filmstrip, a series of frames moving past the viewer. Mirage allows for more complex scenarios, however. What would happen if we overlaid a second filmstrip above the first, and then ran them through the (virtual) projector simultaneously?

The result as viewed could vary quite a bit. It might be a simple blend of two sequences, each contributing to the result. We could call the end product a composite image. Or, we might paint a series of moving images – say, a moving title for our epic – onto the uppermost filmstrip (or layer), leaving the rest of the frame blank (transparent.) Running the two layers through the projector simultaneously would then result in the title appearing over the background formed by the second layer – a different sort of composite.

By varying the opacity levels of multiple layers (or parts of layers) in this fashion, we would have a powerful tool in our chest. Mirage permits us to do just that, not only varying the transparency of layers but changing their ‘top to bottom’ order, placing one behind another at will. Further, it lets us erase parts of frames, revealing imagery in underlying layers. We can do this by hand (more rotoscoping) or ‘automatically,’ by varying transparency based on some attribute of the frames. Chromakey techniques (often referred to as ‘blue-screen’ or ‘green-screen’) work this way, effectively erasing parts of the frame that match specified colors while leaving the rest of the layer opaque. Other compositing techniques permit layers to be added to one another in various creative ways.

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2.2. The Execution So – we’ve got the basic idea of Mirage. It is designed from the beginning to allow one to create, modify, and manipulate the frames and layers of motion imagery. Let’s take a brief ‘first look’ at a few of its major features.

2.2.1. The Layer Panel The layers of a given Project are manipulated in the Layer Panel, which presents the successive frames of the project as horizontal bar graph strips, one above the other in a timeline. The Layer Panel also allows re-ordering layers, cutting and pasting layers (and frames), time-stretching, compositing (Merging) layers and much more (all discussed in depth in Chapter 6 - Layer Management.)

2.2.2. The Project Window The particular frame being displayed and edited at the moment is represented by the current timeline position. In turn, the contents (of this frame) appear in the Mirage Project Window. This window is also where all painting operations are performed, using Drawing Tools and Paint Modes from their respective control panels. The Project window also provides an animated Preview permitting you to review your efforts in motion.

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When you look at the Project Window (ignoring for the moment various display options), you are looking ‘down’ through the stack of layers at a specific frame. So there is also a chronological element to consider -- the frame represents a view of the project at a specific time in the overall animation. The all-important Project Window is examined closely in the next chapter.

2.2.3. Drawing Tools The content of any frame in a layer can be imported from another source, or created using Mirage’s tools. Mirage offers drawing and painting functions, as well as many effects. Drawing or painting in Mirage is much like doing so with natural media. First, a painter needs a brush, or perhaps an airbrush. Mirage’s brush options are quite diverse. The brush type is selected in the Tools panel. Many customizable settings are located in this panel as well.

2.2.4. Custom Brushes In addition to standard Mirage Brushes, you can use Custom Brushes, which is Mirage’s terminology for ‘painting with pictures.’ The Custom Brush function allows you to attach a

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‘floating image’ to your painting tool. You can use it to paint or modify your frame with, just like any other brush or pen. Even animation sequences can be used in this fashion, whether an animated character-sequence, video clip, or the letters of the alphabet. This class of brush is called an animbrush, a term familiar to longtime digital artists from the legendary Deluxe Paint® program.

2.2.5. A and B Colors Naturally, a painter needs to be able to pick colors for his brush, and Mirage’s Color Picker provides numerous ways to do so. Two colors are particularly significant in Mirage. They are called the A Color and B Color. The A Color is the current primary pen/brush color. The B Color may be considered a secondary color that you can access very quickly. To switch from the A to B color, you simply use the keystroke shortcut – the n key. To pick a new color from the screen, click the A color swatch and pick any color from the Mirage interface using the LMB.

More information on working with colors in Mirage is found in Chapter 8 - Managing Color.

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2.2.6. The Light Table Used in conjunction with the Project Window, Mirage’s Light Table permits the artist to do something not possible in our realworld analogy – to see the contents of frames before and after the currently displayed one, as a drawing aid!

The Light Table and the aforementioned FX Stack are considered together in this manual in Chapter 9 – Managing Animation and Effects. Image Processing effects and similar functions are applied from the FX Stack as previously mentioned. And of course, you will want to be able to Save your efforts, and to Load them later for further modifications or additions – as well as being able to Export the results in industry standard file formats types. Chapter 5 – File and Project Management covers these matters. Mirage offers all of these function and more in a convenient array. The precise approach you take, and the way you configure and use it will depend on your personal needs. We’ll look at some alternatives as we go along, but first – let’s take a more in-depth look at a few of Mirage’s most prominent interface features, with special emphasis on the Project Window.

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Chapter 3 Interface Overview This chapter provides an overview of some of Mirage’s main features, tools and controls. The discussion will consider several major interface elements in depth (some others, like the Layer Panel, are treated in chapters largely devoted to them.) Some space will also be devoted to navigation tools. Details on other controls, features and tools will follow in later chapters, along some remarks on workflow and methodologies as they arise. Even if you’re already familiar with Mirage, a few moments spent here might reveal some time saving tips.

3.1. The Mirage User Interface Mirage presents its tools and features using traditional pull-down menus, a dockable Menu Toolbar, and an array of floating panels -- any (or all) of which can be opened or closed according to your need. Certain panels are normally left open for convenience:

The Main Panel, for example, hosts an important array of buttons related to drawing and selection modes, along with the current Pen Color(s) and a few frequently accessed utilities (like Undo/Redo). The Main Panel is discussed in Chapter 7 - Painting & Drawing. The Tool Panel provides icon buttons that activate various drawing and painting tools, along with settings for those tools. The Layer Panel (discussed in Chapter 6 - Layer Management) contains Mirage’s timeline and a variety of layer-related controls and features, while the Project Window(s) provides the display and working view of the current project imagery. Opening Windows and Panels These panels, along with numerous others, are opened in several ways. The major panels can be opened using buttons in the Menu Toolbar. All panels open with selections in the Windows section of the Main Menu, found at the top of the Mirage interface. Individual panels may also be using keyboard shortcuts, and sometimes by RMB-clicking tools.

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3.2. The Project Window

3.2.1. Overview The Project Window is your primary workspace in Mirage. Since Mirage permits you to simultaneously manage a number of projects, more than one Project Window may be open. Normally, at least one Project Window will be present for each open Mirage Project *.

The Project Window displays a view of the image contents, if any, of the currently selected project at the currently selected position in time (for animations.) We’ll discuss Mirage’s layers again later, but its worth mentioning again that when you view the Project Window, you are effectively looking down through all the layers of the project -- no matter how many there are (discounting for this discussion ‘hidden’ layers, and the status of the Layer Visibility controls.) If an upper layer is entirely filled with 100% opaque pixels, the content of lower layers is hidden from view. If some part of that upper layer is transparent, the lower layer shows through in that area. But what should appear when the content of all layers is transparent, ‘right to the bottom’ as it were? This is up to you to decide. The Project Window Background Mirage’s Background Mode determines what you will see inside the Project Window if the current frame is empty, or where transparency exists in the frame and layer(s) currently displayed. This mode is set using control gadgets in the Layers Panel (described next) or, alternatively, the Main Menu item Project>Background. The options are shown in the table below.

Background Mode – None Background Mode - Color Background Mode – Check

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(Whether or not this background appears in any exported files depends on settings in the Export Panel, discussed in Chapter 5 – File and Project Management.)

3.2.2. Multiple Views and Projects You can have more than one Project Window for a single project, as well. For example, an enlarged view of one part of a larger image might be quite useful. Open the second view using the Main Menu selection View>New Zoom Window, or simply pressing m (for ‘magnify’) on the keyboard. When several views of a single project are open, any editing performed in one affects all open views for that project. Of course changes made in one project do not affect other projects open concurrently. When more than one Project Window is open, you will often wish to change which one is active (for editing operations). There are several ways to do this: When several views are open for a single project: you can simply draw in one, and then move the drawing tool over another and continue. However, switching to another project is different. You can select one by name, using the Mirage Windows menu, or you can click inside any open Project Window to activate it. The keyboard shortcut Tab is very useful. It cycles through all open Project Windows and views, activating each in turn.

Full Screen Mode By default, Mirage provides individual Project Windows as described above -- but an alternate approach may be useful for certain tasks. The Full Screen enable/disable button in the Menu toolbar changes the Project display mode. The View menu selection Full Screen provides the same result. When enabled, the project display is embedded in Mirage’s desktop, with no window border.

This ‘desktop’ Project Window can be repositioned, by dragging the LMB with the ALT key depressed. It can be resized (zoomed) too, using RMB + ALT. Otherwise, you can use the View Menu sizing options to perform these adjustments. Only one Project Window can be accessed at a time using the desktop in this fashion. Switching between open projects requires you to choose a project by name using the Windows menu.

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Since normal Project Window preview controls are not shown when working in this mode, you will need to use the Remote Panel (menu Windows>Remote Panel) to play previews. Show Full Page The View menu selection Show Full Page is slightly different. It provides a quick way to view the entire working page at in a preview window at full screen resolution. The page may be scaled to fit your display. The keyboard equivalent to the menu item is Shift + v, which toggles this window view.

The Zoom Tool The controls in the Project Window border are discussed momentarily, but a separate Zoom tool is located in Mirage’s floating Main Panel. When this tool is enabled, clicking the LMB on the window zooms in on that point, while a RMB click zooms out. You can also use the keystrokes > and < to zoom the window in and out on its center

3.2.3. Project Window Controls Controls related to project display options and views are arranged around the main viewport. A sub-panel at the bottom provides animation preview and frame selection tools* (discussed below under the heading Project Preview.)

Note: this will not be so when using the ‘Fullscreen mode’ for the Project Window (see Fullscreen Mode)

• Min/Max - Maximize or minimize the Project Window • Depth - Move a window in front of another panel • Close - Click to close a Project • Scrollbar(s) - Dragging a horizontal or vertical scrollbar (or clicking

the arrow gadgets) pans the image in the Project Window horizontally or vertically – see Pan

• Aspect - When active, this switch forces the display to correct for various Project aspect ratios. The function does not actually alter the image or project. Rather, it permits you to see how the imagery will look on a target medium not using square pixels (as your computer monitor does)

• 1:1 - This option displays the imagery at it’s true size, ignoring aspect correct and re-

setting the Zoom factor to 100% • Fit - Clicking this gadget with the LMB zooms the project to fit the current Project

Window. Clicking with the RMB fits the window to the project at the current Zoom level

• Video - Left-click to display the incoming video (from a Device designated in Mirage’s Video Grabber panel) in the Project Window. Right-click to open the Video Grabber panel

• Display Menu - This cycle menu permits the drawing Grid, Guides, Stencil, Paper, Safe Area, or Field Chart to be overlaid on the Project Window. The overlays serve as references only, and do not become part of the image itself.

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Note: settings pertaining to many selections in this menu appear in the Display Options panel, discussed in Chapter 4 - Configuring Mirage

• Field Mode - When the current project is interlaced, Mirage displays both upper and

lower fields together by default. Clicking either 1 or 2 displays just the upper or lower fields respectively (stretched vertically to appear normal). Clicking B re-displays both fields. When the project is “Progressive” (un-fielded), these controls are inactive

• Pan - Click LMB and drag on this control to pan the image within the Project Window.

Dragging the LMB right in the Project Window while the ALT key is depressed has the same effect. Using the RMB acts similarly, but with exaggerated effect

• Zoom In/Out - Clicking the + or – buttons adjusts the zoom factor to the next major increment. You can manually enter a percentage into the Zoom field, or drag the mini-slider to its right (a scroll-wheel mouse can be used to adjust the numeric entry, too.)

Note: When ALT is depressed, dragging horizontally with the RMB right on the project display also zooms in or out. The zoom is centered on the point where the button was initially clicked.

3.3. The Project Preview An animation program without previews would be a sad thing indeed. In addition to File Explorer Preview discussed later, Mirage provides a versatile and powerful Project Preview. You decide precisely what to preview, where, and how fast. The preview appears on the Project Window, but on host systems with suitable hardware (such as NewTek’s VT[3]™, or a Matrox DigiSuite™) can also be sent to an external video device.

3.3.1. Preview Settings The Preview Settings panel is opened using the menu option Windows>Preview Settings.

You can also access these settings by clicking the RMB on the Preview Progress Bar or Ready Light in the Mirage Toolbar. Preview Modes

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The Preview cycle menu offers Proxy, Realtime, and Render options. Proxy mode is opportunistic -- Mirage uses untapped CPU power during moments of inactivity to pre-render the preview. The progress bar shows the status of the proxy. The Ready Light glows green when this background process is complete. The RealTime option simply plays the preview immediately, without any rendering at all. This preview mode drops frames* when necessary in an attempt to approach the designated frame rate. Hence the accuracy of a RealTime preview largely depends on the speed of your system. Render mode previews are somewhat similar to Proxy mode, in that the animated preview is rendered. However, rendering only begins when you click Play (rather than running in the background), and playback cannot begin before the render is fully completed. Other Preview Options The Format menu permits you to choose RGBA, YUV, and YUVA color space for the preview. Your choice will largely be decided by the display requirements of any video display device you use to output the preview from your host system. Lower preview Ratio settings trade resolution against render time. Previews will be prepared much more quickly at lower ratios, and will still be displayed at the full-size of the Project Window -- but the (preview) image quality will be somewhat degraded. Check-marking Show TC overlays a timecode counter on the preview, and Play All forces the preview render engine to play every frame, even if it means frame rate accuracy will suffer.

Note: assigning the preview to show on the output of an installed video display board as mentioned earlier is discussed in the Chapter 11 - Video and Keying.

Preview Controls

Previews can be controlled from two different locations in Mirage (in addition to keystroke shortcuts.) The Remote Control panel is opened with the Windows>Remote Panel menu point.

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The Project Window also sports a preview control panel. The functions in these control panels are similar to those in the Remote. Both are discussed below – variances are noted.

• Mark In/Out - Mark a range of frames for operations, preview, or export using the arrow gadgets. Your in/out selections will be shown in the time display area by a green and red highlight. Note that these highlights may be dragged to a new position with the mouse. The Mark In and Mark Out buttons, when highlighted, activate the corresponding preview limit. Clicking them again de-activates the limit, though retaining its location. When de-activated, the corresponding colored in/out highlights are subdued.

• Sound - Toggle sound on and off with the speaker icon. • Loop - When enabled, project previews repeat endlessly, rather than playing through

once. • First/Last Frame - These two buttons move the current timeline position to either the

first or last frame of the current layer. • Next/Prev Frame - Move the timeline position in single frame increments using these

buttons. • Next/Prev Keyframe - Jump to the previous or next keyframe position. • Preview Speed - Choose from a number of convenient preset playback

speeds for the Mirage Preview. Selecting Custom opens a numeric requester.

The Remote offers speed buttons in place of the Project Window’s speed menu, as shown. This setting only affects previews, and does not modify the actual Project Framerate.

• Scrub - LMB-drag in the time display area of either the Project Window or Remote to scrub through the project frames. (RMB-dragging modifies the scrub behavior, so that the current timeline position snaps back to the starting point on release.)

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The current project position is highlighted in the time display area along with a numeric counter. Also shown are the Mark In/Out highlights in Green and Red. These highlights can be LMB-dragged, as well.

• Stop - Click to stop preview playback.

3.3.2. The Navigator

The Main Menu item Windows>Navigator opens the small panel shown at above left. As you can see at a glance, it offers controls and settings that correspond to those found in the Project Window borders. These are a great convenience when the Project Window is in Full Screen mode, as the border gadgets do not appear in that configuration. The small button labeled N opens a new zoom window, and corresponds to the Main Menu function View>New Zoom Window. The Navigator also presents a thumbnail representation of the entire current frame. Overlaid on it is a small rectangular outline in red. This rectangle can be dragged (LMB) to pan the Project Window, revealing a different part of the image. Dragging the outline with the RMB zooms the view in or out.

3.4. Mirage’s Menus The selections found in the Main pull-down menus (found just below the titlebar in Mirage) mostly correspond to functions discussed elsewhere in this manual in connection to their use. Almost all options also have keystroke shortcuts and/or user interface control gadgets that are conveniently at hand while working in Mirage. Nevertheless, the menus are useful to the user for locating seldom-used features, or even simply to note their keystroke equivalents.

3.4.1. Help

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The principle exception is the Help Menu, at the extreme right. Its InLine Help selection offers three choices for helpful tooltips that appear when the mouse pointer is hovered over interface items.

The Short option shows a simple abbreviated label for the item, while Full offers a more complete explanation. Choosing None turns off the display of tooltips.

3.4.2. About Filters This option shows a list of individual installed Plugins. When selected, some basic information about the plug-in (such as its developer and version number) will be displayed.

3.4.3. About Mirage When selected, this function reveals version information about Mirage, as well as introducing members of the development team, beta testers, and Mirage ‘family.’

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Chapter 4 Configuring Mirage

This chapter reviews the many optional settings of Mirage itself, and Mirage Projects. Note that some settings are considered elsewhere in the manual, in the context of tools or features with which they are associated. The Project Window Preview settings (found in Chapter 3), Light Table settings (Chapter 9) and settings to do with external video devices, such as Video Input and Output (Chapter 11) are examples.

4.1. Project Properties We glossed over this matter earlier, so let’s consider it more fully now. The term Project Properties describes the overall characteristics of the project itself – its resolution, frame display rate, pixel aspect ratio, and video fielding type. Some of these settings may not seem relevant to certain projects, such as when you are creating a single still image, for example. Even in such instances, though, appropriate settings are necessary.

The individual settings discussed here are rather basic. Besides their importance in connection with Mirage Projects, they also arise in numerous other places throughout the interface -- as in the case of Importing or Exporting single images or animation sequences, or Custom Brushes and Animbrushes. In some panels, as the one pictured above, a convenient cycle menu is available which provides a list of common presets. These presets adjust all relevant settings to match one or another industry standard format. Of course, you can easily make custom adjustments to any of the values as well. (Any field that is not relevant to the current operation will be locked, unable to accept user input.)

4.1.1. Width, Height (no DPI?) These parameters describe the dimensions (or ‘resolution’) of the project’s image area, as measured in pixels on X and Y axes (Width and Height.) It might be worth explaining here the absence of a DPI (Dots Per inch) setting, a parameter much beloved of the print realm. In most other settings, the DPI value of an image is irrelevant. This is certainly so with respect to video and animation generally, where the absence of a physical media that can be finitely measured in inches makes such a reference absurd. Do not despair, however – if you are hooked on DPI, all is not lost. The DPI value, used by and embedded in certain file formats as a convenience, is really a very simple matter to deduce. Suppose you scan an image, choosing to do so at 600 DPI. When you make this choice, you instruct the scanner to sample 600 distinct picture elements (or ‘pixels,’ as they are more commonly called) for each inch of the source document. For our purposes, let’s say the source is

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5 inches high and 4 inches wide (with apologies to metric standard countries.) The end result of our scanning will be an image with a resolution of 3000x2400 pixels. Now, for pixels, think ‘dots.’ One pixel equals one dot. That’s not so hard, is it? We can easily arrive at necessary values knowing this. A printer (and his software) might find it useful to know that the image was scanned at 600DPI, because by dividing the true resolution (3000 pixels) by 600, the natural print size of the image can easily be established (3000pixels / 600 DPI = 5 inches, and so on.) Hence a number of file formats embed this value. For video, film, computer and most other purposes, it is quite sufficient to know the true resolution. From that, we can easily determine how big an image will be if printed at a given dpi. Our image is 3000 pixels wide. At 600 DPI it would be 5 inches wide, but at 300DPI it will be 10 inches wide. At 1200 DPI, the result would be only 2.5 inches. This is not rocket science. That said, the DPI value is of little or no interest to most persons working with video or other animation formats.

4.1.2. Aspect Ratio This setting refers to the pixel aspect ratio, as opposed to image aspect. The standard video screen, being wider than it is tall, has an image aspect ratio of 4:3; but this tells us nothing about the shape of the pixels making up the image. Imagery for computer and print purposes are normally comprised of square pixels, but this is not so for video. Video pixels in both NTSC and PAL standards are rectangular. If we create a perfect circle on a computer monitor (with it’s square pixels) and then transfer that image directly to the screen of a TV set, it will appear oblong on the screen. It is being squashed because of the mismatch of pixel aspects.

The Aspect Ratio setting is how Mirage compensates for this situation. You can either directly enter an appropriate value or, in some settings, click on a neighboring gadget to reveal a list of preset ratios (shown in decimal form) to choose from. As discussed in the previous chapter, Mirage’s Project Window has a Display With Aspect function. The Aspect enable/disable button is found on the window border (and corresponding View Menu option.) This display option does not actually modify the image or its pixels. It just displays the image as it would appear if displayed on the target medium or device in its correct pixel aspect. (The Project>Modify menu function, discussed shortly) provides flexible management of pixel Aspect Ratios along with other Project settings when modifying an active project. The Import and Export functions, discussed in Chapter 5 – File and Project Management, provide similar aspect conversion tools.)

4.1.3. Fielding Options Video interlacing and video options are considered at some length in Chapter 11 - Video and Keying. For the moment, we’ll just note that you can select from Progressive, Lower First, or Upper First when you create (or Modify) your Project. You can also account for different field orders in Imported material, or change the field order on Export where this would is useful.

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4.1.4. Frame Rate Framerate settings are important in an animation system. Obviously they affect the apparent smoothness of motion, but there are numerous subtleties to this matter. These will be discussed in Chapter 9 – Managing Animation and Effects.

Mirage requires you to choose a framerate on creating a New Project. The Project framerate affects the actual imagery in some operations, and the way files are written. The timeline scale in the Layers panel (and in Preview panels) takes the Project Framerate into account. This setting, however, should not be confused with the Preview playback rate. The latter can be changed at will for a variety of reasons, but has no impact on the actual imagery. You can modify the framerate in several places (and in several ways) in Mirage, whether on Import or Export of media, or by actually modifying the Project Settings, as discussed momentarily. The controls used may be a simple numeric entry field with a mini-slider, or there may be a small drop-down menu offering convenient presets.

4.1.5. Start Frame

The start frame for a Mirage project is normally frame 0, expressed as 00:00:00:0 in video time code. A different value can be set on opening Mirage when desired, or it may be altered using the Main Menu item Project>Start Frame, which opens the small requester shown above. The arrow gadget, when clicked, opens a drop-down menu offering you the option to enter your choice as either a frame or timecode value. Armed with all this knowledge, let’s consider the Modify Project function, found in the Project menu.

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4.2. Modify Project

You can alter various settings and attributes of an existing Mirage project, doing so for any number of reasons. For example: you may wish to convert some video imagery to a field mode, resolution, and file format suited to multimedia use. Dealing with Different Formats From a theoretical standpoint, it makes sense to perform any Mirage operations you have in mind at the best quality possible – and that would normally be the original form and resolution. For example, it would usually be preferable to perform operations involving fine detail before scaling an image down. Mirage’s powerful Export options make it possible to export with a wonderful array of optional parameters. The same project can be exported with differing settings, all the while maintaining the original project in its undiminished glory! Other Scenarios Still, sometimes you may prefer to directly modify the settings of a project. For example, you are working with some HighDef video files; in addition, you’ve been asked to prepare the project for Internet use. The end result must be just 180 pixels wide. The original 1280 x 720 resolution is definitely overkill, and working with the larger images will tax your system resources unnecessarily. This is where the Project menu option Modify Project comes to the fore. The panel that opens features the familiar Viewport on the right side (see File Explorer: Viewport in Chapter 5), with a Modify Settings panel to its left.

4.2.1. Modify Project: Settings

• Project Settings - This display lists current project attributes as a reference.

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• Modify Project to - The cycle switch offers a variety of common presets – choosing one refreshes all the other target settings for the modified project with values appropriate to the selected format.

• Lock - - Locks the Width and Height field values, preserving their relationship proportionally when they are adjusted.

• Width/Height - Fields show the target Width and Height (in pixels) of the modified project. Direct numeric entry is possible with the keyboard, or the adjacent mini-sliders can be used.

• Frame Rate - Set the target frame rate for the modified project by direct entry, or by choosing from the preset rates available from the adjacent drop-down menu.

• Aspect - Set the target pixel aspect ratio for the modified project by direct entry, or by choosing from the presets available from the adjacent drop-down menu.

• Field - The cycle switch offers Progressive, Upper First and Lower First settings as target field modes for the modified project.

• Rotation - The existing project can be rotated using this setting (90 degree increments only permitted.)

• Stretch to New Size - If checkmarked, the original project imagery is scaled to the new size (see Correct Aspect Ratio). Otherwise, the source imagery will be positioned in the upper-left corner of the modified project without scaling.

• Correct Aspect Ratio - Enabling this switch forces the scaling function to respect the target aspect ratio set using the Aspect field above*.

• Stretch to New Frame Rate - If the source project is at a 24 fps rate, and the target is 30 fps, the project will be stretched temporally to maintain the original duration.

• Time Interpolation - When enabled in concert with Stretch to Project Frame Rate (above), a smooth interpolation is used to change the number of frames in the project as required to maintain the source project duration. Otherwise, ‘fast interpolation’ is used – frames are simply deleted or duplicated at intervals.

• New Project Size - This display area provides target resolution information for the proposed modifications.

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*Note: Since Scaling and Aspect functions interact, widely varied results are possible according to need. When source and target aspect ratios correspond, Correct Aspect will have no effect; the scaling routine will simply squash or stretch the imagery as necessary to fill the target frame. When the target aspect differs from the source, Correct Aspect forces the pixels of the source imagery to respect the new aspect ratio. This inevitably means the image will not fill the modified frame in both dimensions. Unfilled areas will be transparent in the new project. By default, Mirage displays the modified project with Aspect Correct Display enabled.

4.3. Program Preferences Aside from the obvious abilities you have to re-arrange Mirage’s interface by stretching and relocating panels (and the like), a number of User Interface options are configurable. Too, many utility functions can be personalized to your taste and workflow. For the most part, these settings appear in the Preferences Panel, opened with the Edit menu selection Preferences, discussed next. (A few other useful options are found in panels opened from the Windows menu. The latter items are discussed following our examination of Preferences.)

4.3.1. The Preferences Panel

Again, the Preferences panel opens with the Edit menu selection Preferences. Beneath its titlebar are 4 tabs, as shown.

4.3.2. General Tab The General Tab provides three buttons. Two of these, labeled Temp Directory and Plugins Directory open file browsers, which you can use to reset the default directories for these two items if desired.

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The Temp Directory refers to a location on a hard drive path used by Mirage as virtual memory, to hold part of large projects as necessary. The default path for this swap space is set as part of the installation sequence, but you may wish to modify that location -- perhaps because you are changing the hardware configuration of your system. Mirage works best when there is lots of room in this directory, and when it is located on the fastest volume mounted in your system. (When space permits, NewTek VT users will see benefits when they point this setting to their video array, which is very fast indeed.) The Plugins Directory is also set as part of the installation, and it is unlikely you will find a reason to change the default. The other button, labeled Keyboard Shorts, launches Mirage’s Configure Keyboard Shortcuts panel. This is a valuable utility to be acquainted with. The grand majority of Mirage’s functions can be assigned to keystrokes for speed and convenience! The Keyboard Shortcut Editor

The use of this panel is quite straightforward. It offers left-hand and right-hand panes showing listings, a status line at the bottom, and a few buttons at upper right. The Keystroke pane (at left) lists all available keystroke combinations. If a command or function has already been assigned to a keystroke, that command will be shown, too. The Function pane at right presents all possible commands and functions, grouped alphabetically. Items already assigned are shown in less distinct text. To determine which keystroke has been assigned, clicking on the command in the Function pane will show both it and the corresponding keystroke in the status line at the bottom of the panel. To assign a function to a keystroke, click an unused key at left, and an unassigned command from the Function pane. Then click the Assign button at Upper right. Both status line and the corresponding entry in the Keystroke pane will update to show the new shortcut assignment.

Note: Keystroke Shortcuts are saved as part of the current User Configuration. If you make assignments as above, but then decline to Save this configuration when Exiting Mirage, the changes you have made will be lost.

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Multi-Functions Shortcuts Several different commands may be added to a single shortcut key (or keystroke combination.) After assigning the first command, select another, but this time press Ctrl as you click Assign. The new command will be added in sequence to the assignment, and will be shown in the status line appended to the first command with a + sign. Unassign, and File As you might have guessed, the Unassign button frees a keystroke from its former assignment.

Depressing the LMB on the File button opens a drop-down menu permitting you to Save or Load KeyMap files, or restore Mirage’s Default keystroke assignments. Clear KeyMap provides a completely blank slate for you to use in setting up a new custom set of shortcuts.

4.3.3. Display Tab

The Display Tab hosts four user configurable settings areas: The uppermost is the Brush Display setting. When enabled, the full display of a Custom Brush is hidden during drawing operations, and only the mouse pointer is seen. In most situations you will want to leave this setting in its default off state. Next in order is the Display mode, which provides a drop-down menu offering Best and Fast options. (This setting is only valid when using 16 bit displays, and is locked at Best mode otherwise.) If you happen to be working with a 16 bit display, as opposed to the now more common 24 or 32 bits, selecting Best uses color dithering to improve the display of the project. Alternatively, Fast mode dispenses with dithering.

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The next section of the Display panel is labeled LUT, for Look Up Table. Adjustments in this area permit you to modify the coloration of your Project Window display, if necessary. The settings do not have any effect on the data in the actual project imagery; merely on the way it appears when viewed on the computer monitor. A 3X3 array of fields, consisting of three columns for each of the three RGB color channels, is offered. The columns are headed Gamma, Offset, and Gain. Gamma adjusts the luminance of pixels in the display, in proportion to the amount of the corresponding color. Its default value is 1.00. Offset controls the amount a given color channel contributes to the end result. Thus raising all three channels by the same offset is equivalent to adding white to the display, while varied offsets have the effect of skewing its hue. The Gain settings correspond to color saturation level, 1.00 being normal. At the bottom of each column is a Lock button, which ties the values for each color channel together in that column. The Apply Gamma Settings switch just below serves to enable or disable the use of the LUT. Finally, some display cards may not properly show YUV displays. In this case, in the Direct Draw section, selecting the box labeled Use RGB. Certain other video display cards may provide better performance with the HUD Compatibility Mode switch enabled.

4.3.4. Interface Tab

GUI Colors The uppermost part of this panel controls the colors Mirage uses for its various interface features. The top button opens a drop-down menu featuring a lengthy list of individual items in the interface. By choosing one, you select this interface item to edit. If you then click on the neighboring color swatch, the cursor changes to a color picker (denoted by the ‘question mark’ mouse pointer). A subsequent click anywhere on the interface will assign the clicked color to the swatch and the interface item. If you don’t like the result, you can click Reset to restore the default color, or click the swatch once more to try again. The Color Scheme drop-down menu allows you to quickly reset the entire list of items to either the default colors, or the color scheme used in previous versions (such as NewTek’s Aura™ application.)

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Cursor For some purposes, it can be useful to show the mouse pointer in a different form. The drop-down menu labeled Over Projects gives you four choices. The cursor can appear as cross-hairs (the default) when over an active Project Window, the standard mouse pointer arrow, a simple point, or a small circle. File Requester This section presents a menu offering two selections, Mirage or Windows/OSX. The Mirage option is the default, and instructs Mirage to use its own integrated File Explorer, in preference to the standard system one. The Never Confirm switch toggles a confirmation requester when deleting files or overwriting files. Project Window Enabling this switch prevents the Project Window from floating in front of other interface panels, hiding them from view. The default setting is Always Behind Panel.

4.3.5. Memory & Cache Tab

This panel allows you to customize settings Mirage uses to manage memory. The amount of Physical Memory displayed in the uppermost information line refers to the amount of RAM installed in your host unit. Below this is a numeric field and mini-slider permitting to raise or lower the upper limit of memory that can be used by the Undo buffer. Modifying this setting will affect how many Undo levels are available as you work with Mirage. The Cache usage section of the panel controls the relationship between Mirage’s use of RAM and the Temp space discussed earlier (under General settings). If you are content to let Mirage govern this, deciding when to use one or the other as space is required, select Automatic. Otherwise, by selecting Manual you can set a fixed limit for RAM usage with the Cache Size field nearby.

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4.3.6. Display Options

A number of setting affecting the display of Project Window features are governed by the Display Options panel, which is opened when you choose Windows > Display Settings. The checkboxes beside labeled features in this panel toggle the visibility of the specified item. When switched on (highlighted) the feature will be overlaid on the Project Window, as an aid to image editing. Be aware, though, that these features are not part of the image, and are not saved when it is exported (their on/off state, however, is saved as part of Mirage’s User Configuration when Save this configuration is selected on exiting the program.) Also, the Display menu in the Project Window border corresponds to the enable/disable checkboxes in this panel – changing the setting in either place will update the current state of the interface item in question. Grid and Guides This option enables you to view the Grid, and set the color (using the color swatch provided) and opacity of its lines. Grid settings are discussed a bit later in this chapter. The same options are provided for Guides, also discussed below. Stencil

Layer Stencils controls are discussed in Chapter 6 - Layer Management. Their use is considered in Chapter 7 - Painting & Drawing. When a Stencil layer is hidden from view (perhaps because it is beneath an opaque layer) enabling the Stencil display here can be useful. It will show the shape defined by the Stencil mask overlaid on the Project Window using the color and opacity set here.

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Paper The display of the currently selected Paper texture (discussed in the Chapter 7 - Painting & Drawing) can be shown parts of the Project Window having some level of transparency. This setting does not offer any color or opacity options, and serves as a toggle with the corresponding Project Window Display menu setting. Selection Also a simple toggle, this switch enables or disables the ‘dashed line’ display of a Selection region in the Project Window (see Chapter 7 - Painting & Drawing.) Safe Area Unlike most projection devices, consumer television sets seldom show the entire image area. Mirage’s Safe Area overlay provides a visual reference in the Project Window to assist you in visualizing what will actually appear on the screen.

When enabled, two rectangular outlines are shown, in the color and at the opacity level you set using the Safe Area options in the usual fashion.

The checkbox toggles the Project Window display on and off (in concert with the matching Project Window Display menu item.) The Out Area setting controls the dimensions of the outer rectangle. This area is often referred to as the “safe action” zone. Imagery appearing here will likely be visible on a typical TV screen, but as mentioned above, you can customize the setting if you find it necessary. The In Area setting adjusts the dimensions of the inner rectangle, which is usually referred to as the “safe text” area. It is good practice to keep titles within this region of the screen. The default ‘Out’ and ‘In’ settings are 5% and 10%, in that order.

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Field Chart

This overlay divides the screen into quadrants, and each quadrant is further subdivided by 12 graduations. (These divisions are commonly used for reference in the film realm, and have no relationship to “interlace fields,” as used in video broadcast.)

4.3.7. The Grid The Grid feature provides a useful way of constraining painting, brush cutting and other operations in Mirage’s Project Window. The user-defined grid may be used simply as a visual reference when overlaid on the Project window, or tools can be constrained to snap to the grid’s vertices. Clicking the Grid button in the Menu panel Grid function enables this function. It’s settings are accessed by right-clicking the same button, or by choosing the Menu item Windows > Grid. Again, display of the grid in the Project Window is toggled using either the Project Window border Display menu, or the Display Options panel.

Start X and Start Y fields control the grid’s starting point – the numbers indicate the offset (in pixels) the grid’s origin point will be from the Project Window’s upper left corner (co-ordinates 0,0.) The Width and Height fields control the X and Y spacing of the grid lines.

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If you click the Set button, you can determine the Grid’s attributes interactively by dragging the mouse in the Project Window (you might use this to ‘rough in’ a setting, which you would then refine using the numeric fields provided.) In most cases, you will want to disable an active Grid before using Set. Clicking the Use Brush Size button sets the Grid to the dimensions of the current Custom Brush. Snap, when enabled, constrains mouse movement to the Grid’s vertices, as mentioned earlier.

4.3.8. Guides Guides function similarly to the grid, acting to conform drawing actions inside the Project Window to occur along defined lines. The influence of Guides is subtle. You might think of them as being ‘magnetic.’ Guides can serve as useful positioning aids when working with text brushes, for example.

Left-clicking the Guides button on the Menu toolbar panel serves to enable or disable the function. Remember, just as with the Grid, the magnetic influence of active Guides is present

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whether or not they are visible in the Project Window. Visibility is controlled by the Show button in the Guides panel, opened by right-clicking the Guides button, or by the Main menu selection Windows > Guides Panel.

To create a guide, open the Guides Panel, and click the Set button. Click in the Project window to create a large ‘crosshair’ at the point where you release the mouse button. The vertical and horizontal lines represent your new Guide. If you click your mouse outside the image area (while still inside the Project Window), you can create single axis guides, as well. Multiple Guides are also permitted. The Reset button clears current Guides. Conveniently, Guide positions can be saved for later use using the Files drop-down menu. The Snap checkbox toggles the guide’s ’magnetic pull.’

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Chapter 5 File and Project Management In this chapter, we’ll review the nature of Mirage Projects, and how to work with them. We’ll explain the differences between dealing with project files and media files, and cover the tools Mirage provides for doing both. Among sundry other items you’ll find discussed here is Mirage’s TWAIN support (for scanning), Printing, and the use of the system Clipboard.

5.1. The Mirage Project You might consider Mirage to be a virtual graphics workshop, much like the physical workshop a carpenter might own. In this workshop are many tools -- the ‘saws, drills and hammers’ of the graphics artist. A carpenter will often have one or more projects underway. Likewise Mirage permits you to have a number of projects open concurrently. On rare occasions, the carpenter’s physical workshop might not have any active project at all, but no such luxury exists for the Mirage artist. If Mirage is running, at least one project is always open. It may lack content, but the workspace it represents is always ready to go. As a carpenter may be building a small child’s toy in one area of his shop, and a full-sized sailboat in another, the characteristics of each project may be quite different. These attributes are defined by the Project Properties, as discussed back in Chapter 4. When the carpenter wants to work on one project in preference to another, he can do so. He can also use his tools to cut part of one project out, and paste it into another. Or he may copy the part, and paste an identical item into the second project. Mirage is just the same, allowing facile transfer of graphic elements from one project to another.

5.2. Project Files If our artisan wants to work exclusively on the toy without being encumbered by the boat project, he’s in a bit of trouble – he would have to physically move it outside of the workshop. The Mirage artist has the option of first saving his ‘boat,’ and then closing that project, removing it from the current Mirage session. It can be re-loaded afterward to continue working with it. In this connection, Mirage affords the artist another advantage – the ‘boat’ can be saved and stored in more than one way. It can be Exported as a single layer, or it can be saved as a Mirage Project File (these files have a “.mir” file extension.) Saved as a Project file, each individual layer of the project is retained separately, so that (if they haven’t already been Merged), the ‘keel’ can later be loaded into its original layer position, the ‘deck’ into its separate layer, and so on. Or, more likely in this case, the text object of a ‘lower third’ overlay for a video scene can be kept separate from the background layer it overlays. Mirage Project Files can maintain all of the image data from every frame of the project intact, or be partially composed of links to source imagery used in the project (see the discussion of Dependencies in the File Menu: Save Project section later in this chapter.). Project parameters such as resolution, fielding and framerate are also part of the file. Thus the Project File is distinct in its characteristics from normal media files, such as simple images, animation files or video clips. (For this reason, as discussed later on, the File menu items Save and Save as are exclusively reserved for working with Project files.)

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It is possible to load a media file (say, a JPEG format image) as a project. When you do so, the new project created to receive the JPEG image (or sequence) will, by default, have that image’s characteristics. But only Project Files load into their original layer structure (with the exception of Photoshop™ PSD files, which are similar to Mirage’s Project Files in that they contain layer information.)

5.3. Media Files With the exception noted above (the PSD file format), media files are usually ‘flattened.’ That is, they consist of only a single layer of image data – with or without transparency information (the alpha channel) embedded in the file, depending on the file format. Animation file formats like AVI (common on Microsoft Windows™ systems) or QuickTime™ files (the de facto standard on Apple™ computers) can contain multiple frames, but do not normally hold layer information. Unless you are sharing files with another Mirage user, you would likely use one of these more common file formats when (having done your creative work in Mirage) you are ready to share the fruitage with the world at large. Mirage treats such files somewhat differently than its native Project files at this point. Rather than using the Save menu point in the File menu to create them, the correct option is Export Project To… This allows for a more flexible array of optional settings to be presented, as is appropriate to the various file formats with their countless variations.

5.4. New Project

Mirage’s File menu selection opens the panel above, which allows you to define the nature of a New Project. The project name can be edited in the field provided for the purpose at the top of the panel. The cycle menu just below, when you press the LMB on it, reveals a list of preset project formats suitable for many common applications. Width, Height, Aspect Ratio and Frame Rate settings along with the Field options in that menu have been covered already in Chapter 4 - Configuring Mirage, so we will not belabor them here (further information on video fielding can also be found in Chapter 11 - Video and Keying.) Clicking New Project creates the project according to your specifications, while clicking the panel’s Close gadget or the Esc key will cancel the process.

5.5. The File Explorer

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Whether you wish to Load a Mirage Project File, import media into an existing project, or load it as a Custom Brush, you will use the menu option File > Load to select a file. This opens Mirage’s integrated File Explorer (which also serves duty during file saving and exporting operations.) Selecting a specific Destination Tab and designating its settings controls where the imported file(s) will end up once loaded.

Note: to differentiate between media files and project files, Mirage’s predecessors used a different method, requiring the user to select the Import menu item for the former. This is no longer the case!

The Mirage File Explorer panel offers a number of benefits over the standard Windows/OSX equivalent. The File Explorer is such a frequently visited part of the interface that we will consider its features in depth before going on to discuss how it is used in specific cases.

You will notice the panel is divided into three main parts. There are two large lower panes. The left pane is the Path View, and the right pane is the Detail View. Both provide the standard scroll bars and arrow buttons. The upper area provides navigation and file management tools, which are discussed below:

5.5.1. File Explorer: Controls

• Pattern Field - Use wild cards* in this field to control which files are listed in the Detail View. Use the cycle switch to choose from a list of preset wildcard strings for the Pattern field. Note: wildcards in the Pattern field can be a big help when selecting files from crowded folders. For example, entering “*.TGA” will list only Targa files. The pattern “bob0??.jpg” would list all JPEG files named “bob0” followed by any two other characters and the suffix. Thus files between “bob000.jpg” and “bob099.jpg” would appear, but “bob100.jpg” would not.

• Left/Right Arrow - Click to move quickly back or forward through the File Explorer path history.

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• .. - Click to move up one level in the current path.

• Thumbs - Click to show thumbnail-size icon in the Detail View.

• List - Click to show small icons in the Detail View.

• Scan - Click to create thumbnails for image files in the current directory (thumbnails are persistent for your current Mirage session.)

• Delete - Deletes the selected entry.

• Rename- Opens requester permitting a new name to be entered for the selected entry.

• New Folder - Adds a new folder inside the selected volume or folder.

5.5.2. File Explorer: Path View

This hierarchical overview permits quick switching between volumes or deeply nested folders, whether locally or across a network. Right-click on an item to reveal the context menu containing Open (enter volume or folder), Delete or Rename functions.

*Hint: a mouse with a scroll wheel adds convenience to scrolling and selection in File Explorer views.

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5.5.3. File Explorer: Detail View This pane presents a detailed view of the current path level. It shows Type (icon), Name, (frame) Count, Resolution, (file) Size, Date and Time (last saved). Right-click on an item to reveal the context menu containing Open File*, Preview (discussed shortly), Delete or Rename functions.

*Note: Open may not be available in places where it would be inappropriate, such when exporting files. *Note: some details are not provided by certain file formats.

5.5.4. File Explorer: Preview

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The File Explorer Preview permits previewing of images, animation files, and sequences. Controls include Play, Pause, Stop and Loop gadgets, and a scrub bar beneath the display window. Show Number toggles a timecode overlay. Play all Images forces the display of all frames, whether or not the host system can attain the designated frame rate (if not, the preview drops frames to approximate the project frame rate.)

5.5.5. File Explorer: Viewport Mirage’s File Explorer features a functional Viewport, which is of great benefit especially in connection with Load and Export operations.

The dimensions of the standard Mirage viewport are quite generous. Still, larger images may be scaled to fit in the display. File Explorer viewports are not merely visual cues. When dealing with sequences of frames, they provide important selection tools too. For this reason, the lower portion of the Viewport features a control panel.

The Viewport control panel offers a scrub slider, and Mark In and Mark Out buttons. These controls allow a range of frames to be selected for import or export purposes. As many as three

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timecode display fields are provided where appropriate. These show the selected inpoint, the timecode (or frame number) of the current frame (as set by the viewport scrub bar), and the selected outpoint. Inpoint and outpoint fields are updated by clicking the Mark In/Out buttons. Hint: you can use either the LMB or RMB to drag the Viewport scrub bar. However, there is a difference when clicking in the slider area: clicking the LMB (on either side of the scrub bar) adjusts the current position by a single frame. Doing the same thing with the RMB sets the preview directly to the nearest time position, doing so in a single jump. Note: frame selections from the project provide starting values in the Mark In/Out fields of newly opened Export viewports. Having explored Mirage’s ubiquitous File Explorer, let’s see how it is used to Load, Import and Save imagery in many diverse ways.

5.6. File Menu: Load This File menu selection opens the Load Project panel (File Explorer), which provides all media and project loading and importing functions.

Selecting a Mirage project (.mir) or Photoshop™ (.PSD) file will load it directly as a new project. The .mir project will open retaining the original project attributes. Selecting any other image file opens the Import Footage panel.

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5.6.1. Import Footage Panel

This panel permits various attributes to be adjusted prior to importing media. The destination (within Mirage) for the import is set using the New Project, New Layer or New Custom Brush tabs, discussed below. Import Footage Panel: Settings pane

• Project Settings - - This display lists current project attributes as a reference.

• Browse - Click to open the File Explorer, permitting the current file selection to be reset.

• Preload - This checkbox toggles whether the file is pre-loaded into memory, or is to be read directly from the hard disk.

• File Details - Shows Footage Name and settings (as supplied by the file header or best guess), including Width and Height *, Frame Rate, Aspect, Field (Progressive, Upper First, or Lower First), Alpha mode (Guess, PreMultiply, No PreMultiply, No Alpha, Alpha Only), and a Rotation option (90 degree increments only permitted.) The Convert footage to menu provides presets, which may be used to modify some of the attributes. The Width and Height fields cannot be edited. Modifying the other fields overrides the file-supplied or 'best-guess' settings.

5.6.2. Import Footage Panel: Destination Tabs

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This section of the Settings pane offers three mutually exclusive tabs. The user selects options from just one tab, according to the current need. Import Footage Panel: New Project Tab

The selected image(s) will be imported as a new Mirage project according to the settings in this tab.

• Import Audio - This checkbox toggles loading of audio from file formats containing embedded sound data. When Import Audio is selected, the entire audio track is always imported. The duration is unaffected by the Single Frame checkbox or selection range designated by Mark In/Out.

• Single Frame - Forces loading of just the single frame displayed in the viewport.

Import Footage Panel: New Layer Tab

New Layer - The selected image(s) will be imported into a new layer in the currently selected Mirage project according to the settings chosen in the panel.

• Stretch to Project Size - Squash or stretch image as necessary to fit current project dimensions.

• Correct Aspect - Mirage adjusts the pixel aspect of imported frame(s) to correspond to that of the current project when this is enabled.

• Stretch to Project Frame Rate - Instructs Mirage to compensate for framerate mismatches between source material and the current project, according to the state of the Time Interpolation switch.

• Time Interpolation - This setting determines whether interpolation (smoothing) is used between fields or frames to adjust frame rates. Otherwise, fields or frames are simply duplicated or deleted within the imported sequence as necessary to compensate for mismatches.

• Single Frame - Forces loading of just the single frame displayed in the viewport.

Import Footage Panel: New Custom Brush Tab

The selected image(s) will be imported into the currently selected Mirage project as a Custom Brush, according to the settings chosen in the panel. The optional settings here are identical to those found in the New Layer tab (see above), save the absence of the Stretch to Project Size setting. The frame(s) will be imported at their actual size. (The resolution of the brush can be modified after import using the Edit Brush function in the Tools>Options panel).

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5.7. File Menu: Save Project & Save Project as… The File menu choices Save Project and Save Project as are used in conjunction with the File Explorer to save Mirage Project files (containing the data from each layer of the currently selected Project.) In this case, the File Explorer really only serves to designate a filename and the directory path for the saved file, since there are no user configurable settings to consider.

Save Project saves the file under its current name, while Save Project as allows you to specify a new name. The latter function provides a convenient way to keep different versions of a project. Save versus Export It’s worth mentioning that although it might seem the Export Project to… function (discussed shortly) provides a very similar ability to Save Project as…, there are significant differences! First, because the latter alternative presents the Export Footage panel (rather than simply opening the File Explorer to allow you to set a filename and path), you have the ability to use its Viewport control panel to mark a range of frames to be exported. This is not possible using either Save Project options. Also, using the Export Footage panel (provided when you use Export Project to…) allows you to export files in the PSD format used by Adobe Photoshop™, again, not possible the other way. Project Dependencies The content (and size) of Mirage Project Files may vary, of course. One factor you need to be aware of is the difference in saving a project containing dependencies and one that does not. When you load media from external files (as opposed to creating it directly using Mirage’s tools), you have a choice – to pre-load the footage or not (see Import Footage Panel: Settings pane, above.) This choice becomes significant in connection with the Project File. A project partially or completely comprised of non pre-loaded material is said to be “dependant” on the relevant external files. The Project File in this case contains links to the external media files, not duplicate image data. The external files will supply layer and frame content as necessary to re-constitute the project when it is later re-loaded. If those files are not available (because you deleted, re-named or moved them), the affected frames will be empty when the project is re-loaded! This does not occur, of course, when all imported imagery is pre-loaded. As you see the need, you may elect to pre-load any or all layer individually before saving a Project File. To do so, use the main menu point Project > Dependencies (the Layers Panel context menu provides a similar option.)

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5.8. File Menu: Close Project The Close Project selection in the File menu pretty much does what you would expect, doing so after presenting a confirmation requester. (If you close the only open project, a new empty project with the same Project Properties opens in its place.)

5.9. File Menu: Export Project to … As discussed earlier in the chapter, this menu item is used for all purposes having to do with the export of media files from Mirage projects. Choosing it opens the Export Footage Panel.

The three source tabs at the top-left control the manner and content of your file export. The functions and parameters in these tabbed panels are mutually exclusive. Opening any one makes that one dominant, and the settings in it will regulate the current export.

Export Footage Panel: Project Display Tab

When this tab is dominant, the export is drawn from the currently selected Mirage project, and the exported file will be comprised of a single layer. Depending on user selections (and the project display mode), the export can be a single image, file sequence or animation file. The export can include the combined display of multiple layers, or just the current one, and may optionally include the Mirage background (Color or Check) to replace transparent regions. Transparency can be retained in file formats with support for an embedded alpha channel, and the alpha channel can be exported separately using appropriate file formats. Export Footage Panel: Project Layers Tab

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When this tab is dominant, the export will comprise all of the data from the currently selected Mirage project. Unlike a Project Display export of similar scope, however, this export mode retains existing project layer organization. There are only a few items requiring attention in the Project Layers tab.

The Browse button opens the Mirage file requester. If you prefer, you can also type the filename and path for the export in the field next to it.

The Format cycle switch permits you to choose between MIR (Mirage’s own project file format) and PSD format, made popular by Adobe Photoshop™. Both formats are capable of retaining the project’s distinct layers (without merging.) Export Footage Panel: Custom Brush Tab

When this tab is dominant, the export is drawn from the current custom brush. Depending on user selections (and the project display mode), the export can be a single image, file sequence or animation file. The export can optionally include the Mirage background (None, Color or Check) to replace transparent regions. Transparency can be retained in file formats with support for an embedded alpha channel, and the alpha channel can be exported separately using appropriate file formats. Export Panels: Common Features Many similar features and options are found in the Project Display & Custom Brush panels. These are described next:

• Source Information Section - This area lists attributes of the current source image for quick reference. In the project tab display, the Project name will be shown.

• File Format Section - Mirage makes it possible to export your footage in a wide variety of popular file formats. The format to be used is selected by using the Format cycle switch. Which formats appear here will depend on the codecs installed on your system.

• Config - When the selected file format offers a variety of optional codecs, the Config button provides access to these and their particulars. Quicktime™ and AVI™ are two examples of this class -- both offer a wide array of options.

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Common File Format Settings File formats vary in the optional settings they offer. The user settings offered in this panel change to reflect setting for the current format selection. The most common options are described next.

• Mode - Options vary with capability of the format. You may find any of the following: Palette (8bits), RGB (24bits), RGBA (32bits), or Alpha Only.

• Palette - Offered when Palette (8 bits) Mode is selected, allows Global quantized, Local quantized, and User Defined* and Grayscale. Quantizing involves color reduction for use with low color formats. The optional setting determine how the reduced palette will be derived. Global quantized uses a palette optimized for all frames in the sequence. Local quantized works on a per-frame basis, while User Defined uses the 256 colors in the palette bin of Mirage’s Color Picker.

• Number of Colors - Designates the number of colors (from 2-256) in the palette used in quantization* for low color formats.

• Dither - Enables Floyd-Steinberg dithering, simulating a larger palette by pixel diffusion and dispersion techniques.

• Alpha - Select Pre-Multiply or Non Pre-Multiply to designate the method of calculating the RGB values in exported files.

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File formats can store RGBA values in different ways. Pre-Multiply causes the RGB values to be pre-multiplied by the alpha channel value, while Non Pre-Multiply does not. One or the other may be the preferred method for use in a given application.

Export Path and Scope

This area of the Export panel controls what is exported, and where it will be sent.

• Browse- Click to open the file explorer, permitting the current path and filename to be reset.

• Single Image - Exports just the single frame displayed in the viewport.

• Sequence - This option saves sequential files from a frame range, even when used with animation formats normally containing many frames. Use this, for example, to save a GIF file for each frame in the In/Out range (rather than a single GIF file containing many all frames.) Note: when you designate a base filename for an exported sequence, it will be incremented numerically as required for each exported file. For example, entering “basename.jpg” results in a sequence of files named basename1.jpg, basename2.jpg and so on. You may want the filenames to have a fixed number of digits, instead – entering “basename000.jpg” will result in files named basename001.jpg, basename002.jpg, and so on.

• Animation - Frame ranges will be exported to a single animation file (such as AVI, DEEP, or RTV.)

Other Export Panel Options

• Export Project to - The cycle menu offers a number of convenient image property presets, eliminating the time otherwise needed to modify each parameter in turn.

• Lock - This switch locks the width and Height fields together, preserving the existing image proportions as adjustments are made.

• Image Properties - These fields control the familiar image properties Width, Height, Frame Rate and Aspect Ratio for exported files, permitting these attributes to be modified at the time of Export.

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• Field - This cycle menu can be used to modify the field order of exported material.

• Background - When enabled, the Project Window Background Display setting is used as an opaque color filling any otherwise transparent areas of the frame.

• Correct Aspect - Mirage adjusts the pixel aspect of exported imagery to correspond to the new Aspect Ratio setting above when this is enabled.

• Stretch to Framerate - Instructs Mirage to adjust the exported file to the new framerate specified by the Frame Rate setting above, overriding the source project rate. The method used achieve the new rate will vary with the state of the Time Interpolation switch.

• Time Interpolation - This setting determines whether interpolation (smoothing) is used between fields or frames to adjust frame rates. Otherwise, fields or frames are simply duplicated or deleted as necessary.

Export Footage Panel: Viewport The standard Viewport controls allow a range of frames to be selected for import (see File Explorer: Viewport earlier in this chapter.)

5.10. TWAIN Support The TWAIN protocol is a standard used primarily in connection with scanners. It permits Mirage to directly communicate with supported devices. The TWAIN manager for your scanner is normally part of that device’s installation (only 32 bit Twain drivers are supported.) To select your device, select File > TWAIN > Select. After that you can use File > TWAIN > Acquire to scan an image. The digitized image can usually be sent directly from the device’s control panel to Mirage for further editing or manipulation.

5.11. Printing

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Mirage offers integrated printing functions, accessed with the File > Print menu point. The Setup button allows you to select from (and configure) any installed printers. The current selection will appear in the information field at the top of the Printer Config panel. The panel has two tabs, Single and Anim. The first option provides simple functions for controlling the printing of the currently selected frame, while Anim mode prints in the fashion of a photographers contact sheet, or artists storyboard. Both tabs provide several optional settings above a small preview pane. The Scale field sets the printed image size as a percentage of the printable area of the paper. The image(s) can be dragged with the mouse in the preview pane, and re-centered using the Center button just above. The Anim pane offers three additional options. Rows sets the number of columns of images (per page) that will be used, while the Step value allows you to skip frames between printed examples, rather than printing all images. When the Image nbr checkbox is enabled, Mirage will print a frame number on each image. In Anim mode, an additional gadget appears at the lower right. The opposing arrow devices allow you to step the preview display through the pages of your sequence. Clicking Print sends the Mirage output to your printer.

5.12. The Clipboard To system clipboard can be used by Mirage in several ways – as a temporary repository of data, or a way to transfer imagery to and from other applications on your computer. Select the Edit menu point Clipboard > Copy Brush to Clipboard or Copy Image to Clipboard to perform the respective operation (only the first frame of an animbrush is copied to the Clipboard if you have one loaded when making the former selection.)

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Clipboard > Get Brush from Clipboard and Clipboard > New Layer from Clipboard naturally perform the reverse functions. The clipboard data replaces any current custom brush when you choose the former.

Hint: mapping a single keystroke shortcut to Clipboard: Save Image + Clipboard: Load Brush can be quite handy for picking up the current image as a brush.

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Chapter 6 Layer Management We discussed the nature of Mirage layers earlier, way back in Chapter 2 - Introducing Mirage. If you skipped over that or need a refresher, you may want to review that introductory information before continuing here.

6.1. Project Layers: Overview Mirage Layers exist as one of two types: Image, or Anim. The former consists of just one single frame (though that frame may exist and/or be held for any time period over the duration of the project.) The latter is effectively an animation sequence, each successive frame along the timeline being a discreet image.

The color depth of both layer types is 32 bits. By default New Layers are 'empty,' i.e. fully transparent (alpha channel value 0.) When you add paint or imagery to a layer, the pixels of the frame(s) in the layer are assigned the corresponding RGB and alpha channel values. But where no color exists in the frame, it continues to be fully transparent. In addition to the possibility of some or all pixels in a frame being partially transparent, the overall Opacity of each layer can be controlled as well. The Opacity click-slider provided in the Layer List Column is discussed shortly. Layers are stacked one above the other in Mirage projects. In the resulting output, as in the Project window, layers dominance is from top to bottom. If there are 3 layers in a project, and the upper layer (layer 0) contains an image of the letter A, layer 1 holds the letter B, and the lowest layer, C … the letter A would appear foremost (above B and C) when all layers are displayed.

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6.2. The Layer Panel

6.2.1. Overview Many very important Mirage features are found in the Layer Panel. The Layer Panel provides a visual reference for both the relative duration and the layer order of a project. For animated projects, the current frame position (in time) is readily set, and frame selections for Cut and Paste edits, as well as Effect, Export and Preview functions can be made. The panel is also used to designate the current layer (or selected layers) for various operations. New layers can be created (or deleted), and the panel controls the Layer Type, Opacity, and manner of display in the Project Window. Time Stretching (slow/fast motion) is also performed here. In addition to the many controls and features, context sensitive menus can be found by RMB-clicking on numerous gadgets or empty areas of the Layer Panel; these are also discussed in the pages that follow. For good reason then, the Layer Panel can be considered Mirage's central hub. From it you can direct many other elements and transactions of your project(s). Let's consider its details now.

Mirage's Layer Panel is opened by clicking the Main Menu icon shown above, or by choosing the Windows >Layer Panel menu option.

6.2.2. Layer Panel: Layout The Layer Panel titlebar provides information about the current Project and Layer. Normally* this information is in the following format: First -- Project: (name) [first frame, last frame, total frames] Then -- Layer (name) [first frame, last frame, total frames]

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Note: while selecting a range of frames by dragging the mouse in the local time scale (under a layer in the timeline pane) the titlebar Layer frame information fields change function temporarily, showing the first selected frame, last selected frame, and total selected frames. On release of the mouse button, the titlebar frame display reverts to normal.

The panel has two major subdivisions - to the left, the Layer Control Panel and, to the right, the Timeline.

Layer Navigation and Selection The Layer Control Panel and Timeline panes are separated by a vertical scrollbar, which allows navigation vertically through the layers when their number exceeds the window's size. The main Layer Panel is, of course, re-sizable -- but sooner or later you will find yourself working with more layers than can be conveniently displayed. If you prefer, rather than using the scrollbar you can move up and down through the layers using the Up/Down cursor keys (arrows) on your keyboard. Unlike the scrollbar, however, navigating the layer list using the cursor keys also resets the current layer selection* (the currently selected layer is shown in a different shade, and it’s thumbnail icon is highlighted.)

*Note: multiple layer selections are possible using the Shift key with the mouse or cursor keys, and permit some operations to affect more than 1 layer. Only one layer will be highlighted as the current layer, but the layer icons included in the multi-layer selection with indicate their state by a bright outline. If you wish to select multiple layers yet leave intervening layers unselected, use Ctrl + click.

A scrollbar lying horizontally under the timeline provides a similar function, allowing you to pan through the project frames temporally. Of course, the Left/Right cursor (arrow) keys allow you to move through the frames as well, and Home and End move the current timeline position to the extremes of the current layer. Just above the vertical scrollbar (dividing the Layer Panel) is a [Z] button. LMB-dragging it horizontally zooms the timeline display, revealing more or less of the project length. (Dragging with the RMB radically increases the zoom-speed relative to mouse movement.) Further timeline magnification controls and options are covered below under the Timeline Controls heading.

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6.2.3. The Layer Control Panel

This area of the Layer Panel hosts many functions having to do with layer creation, timeline and Project Window display, compositing, layer editing, and even audio support. Control Panel functions are divided into three columns, along with header and footer controls, and menus. The controls and features in each column will be considered now: Layer Visibility Column Tools

• [H] button - - Clicking this button toggles the Display All Layers or Display Current Layer

option of the Project Menu (as does pressing the = sign, the corresponding keystroke shortcut). RMB-clicking pops up the context menu, offering Display Current, Show All Layers, Hide All Layers (hides all but the current layer, of course).

• Hide/Unhide Flag - The Green/Red LED toggles the display of a layer (selecting the layer

overrides this setting.) When the LED is red, the layer is hidden. Its contents will only be visible in the Project Window if the hidden layer happens to be the current layer as well.

• [C] - Opens a pop-up menu that allows a layer to be tinted for easy visibility in the Layers

Panel. Layer Stencil Column Tools

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• [S] button - LMB on this button toggles the Stencil state of the layer on or off. RMB opens a menu providing selections to Clear All Stencils, or Invert All Stencils.

• Stencil Flag (box) - Toggle switch enabling/disabling a layer as a project Stencil. • Invert Flag (box) - Inverts the Stencil for the layer. Layer List Column: Overview

The functions in this column include re-ordering layers (by dragging their icons), designating the current layer (by LMB click or cursor keys), and multiple layer selections. Again, Shift+click or Shift+cursor combinations serve to select neighboring layer icons in the list. If you wish to select multiple layers yet leave intervening layers unselected, use Ctrl + click. Merging (or, ‘compositing’) layers is performed using either the menu functions or drag-and-drop method. Additionally, a Minimize/Maximize gadget for the timeline keyframe display may appear underneath the layer icon. Layers themselves may also be minimized, to take up less space in the panel. Layer List Column Tools

• New - Clicking opens a menu allowing you to create new layers above the current selection.

The options are New Layer Image, New Layer Anim, Import Footage (Load.) New imported layers are named using the imported file name. By default, New layers are added above the current layer. Holding Shift while creating the new layer reverse this behavior.

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• Merge - This cycle menu controls layer merges, providing Merge Selected, Merge Visible,

and Merge All functions. Individual layers may also be merged, by dragging a source layer icon (thumbnail) onto a target layer icon.

• AutoFit - Quick timeline display magnification presets are accessed here - Fit to Project, Fit

to Layer, Fit to Image, Fit to Selection, Fit to Keys, and Fit to Sound. • Min/Maximize Gadget - The black triangle gadget at left near the layer name collapses or

expands the timeline layer display for the current layer. • (layer) Name - Layer names can be changed using the menu opened by clicking the layer

name. • Thumbnail - The thumbnail icon shows the contents of the current timeline frame. Layers

may be merged by dragging a source layer icon (thumbnail) onto a target layer icon. Layer order may be modified by dragging and dropping a layer’s thumbnail icon onto the borderline between two layer icons in the panel.

• Lock - The padlock button toggles the Lock state of a layer. Locked layers cannot be edited.

Layers cannot be locked when they are the current selection – you must select another layer first, then click the padlock.

• [LT] - LMB to enable the Light Table for the selected layer; RMB to open the Light Table

Settings Panel. • Opacity - Click on the white Opacity strip to set the layer’s opacity level. Clicking once sets

the value at the point of the click, while clicking and dragging (before releasing the mouse button) acts as a slider.

• Down Arrow - Clicking this gadget in the upper right corner of the column opens the context

menu, providing many layer management functions. Found therein are: Name (rename), (set) Current, Duplicate (Selected) Layers, Delete (Selected) Layers, Duplicate (Selected) Layers, Copy Selected Layers, Cut Selected Layer, Paste Layers, Lock/Unlock (toggle), Show Icons (toggle), Pre Behavior (None, Repeat, Ping Pong, Hold), Post Behavior, Opacity (pop up), and Light Table (toggle.)

Table - Control Panel Footer Tools

A number of important features are grouped in the Footer of the Control Panel. The items are considered in this list: • Sound - Load or Delete sounds using this menu. A temporal offset can also be specified (or

the sound waveform shown beneath the timeline can simply be dragged to a new position.) Also, you can set the sound behavior when working in the timeline using the Jog options, None (no sound), Scrub (play sound only when scrubbing the timeline with the mouse), or Always.

• Background - The menu determines what will be seen in transparent areas of the Project.

None will appear black, Color use the color from the leftmost of the two neighboring color swatches, and Check shows a checkerboard pattern using both neighboring colors.

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• Color Swatches- set the two optional Background colors. • Frame/Time Code - Click to toggle the timeline timecode display to either frames or

timecode. • Current Position - This field displays the current timeline position.

6.2.4. Timeline Pane: Overview The Timeline pane is actually a sort of bar graph. As such, it provides a graphical representation of the temporal relationships of all layers in a Project. Two thin red lines crossing the panel vertically mark the current timeline position. The background field of selected layers is lighter in color. Layers that have been colored using the Control Panel color option will appear in the appropriate shade.

Uppermost in the timeline pane is the global time scale. This display shows layer and frame position measured against the entire project time. Shifting layers laterally (to begin sooner or later) has no impact on this scale, which serves as a fixed reference.

Note: it is possible to view, and use, negative time … to drag a layer before frame 0, depress the Shift key while dragging the LMB.

If the timeline magnification level permits, Anim Layers can optionally display a thumbnail icon for each frame, or just the first and last frames. Image type layers do not display thumbnails, apart from the single thumbnail in the Layer List. For quick identification, layers can be tinted, as discussed earlier in connection with the Visibility controls in the Control Panel. Image layers are displayed completely tinted, while Anim layers (in Show Icons mode) have a colored border around the layer. Underneath each layer is its local time scale, relative to the frame count of that layer only. Shift the layer temporally, and the local time scale goes right along with it. Frame selections for various operations are made in this area of the timeline display, either by LMB-dragging a range or using standard keyboard shortcuts (the Shift + Cursor combination is quite useful, as is Shift + Home and Shift + End.) Current Position (Frame)

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The current timeline position, marked by the two thin red lines on the timeline, can be changed using the cursor keys, or by clicking the mouse in a new position on either the global or local time scales.

Note: you can jump the current timeline position directly to different frame by typing into the Current Position field at the bottom right corner of the Layer List column as well. Press Enter to complete the action.

Dragging to scrub through frames is possible as well, but only in the global time scale. (In the latter case, scrubbing with the LMB leaves the red current position markers at the last frame viewed, while scrubbing with the RMB returns to the starting position after release.) Keyframes As well, keyframe nodes for active filters are visible in the timeline pane. These appear as + signs visible just below the selected layer’s local time scale. RMB-clicking in this area opens the keyframe context menu, which offers options to Create, Delete, Select All, Cut, Copy and Paste keyframe nodes. Nodes may be directly selected by LMB-click or Shift-click methods, and can be dragged to new timeline positions.

Keyframe nodes may be displayed in collapsed or expanded view, depending on the state of the Minimize/Maximize gadget located beneath the thumbnail icon in the Layer List column of the Control Panel. The latter option shows separate nodes for each of the adjustable values for the filter, allowing precise timing of animated variables. Timeline Controls and Menu The timeline provides much more than just a graphic display. It is also allows interactive control over many layer features, as well as layer editing functions such as Time Stretching, Merging (compositing), Cut and Paste, and more.

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Two control gadgets are found at opposite ends of each layer (except locked layers.) The white vertical bar at each end is the layer handle. LMB-dragging the layer handle in either direction stretches the layer. Time stretched Image Layers are immediately shortened or lengthened accordingly. Anim Layers can be stretched in a number of different ways; when stretched, these present a pop-up menu requiring you to make a choice before Mirage performs the stretching action.

You select one of three main stretch modes in the Increase Layer Length panel. The options are reviewed below: • Stretch - Lengthens or trims the layer, so that the existing animation occurs in the new

duration. As required, unless Interpolate is checkmarked the operation simply duplicates or deletes frames from the layer (as evenly as possible.)

• Interpolate - This option provides smoother motion in the stretched layer, by interpolating

frames using strategic dissolves of existing imagery. If an Anim layer comprised of just two frames -- one filled with white and the other black -- was stretched one frame using interpolation, the added (middle) frame would be gray.

• Repeat - Repeat existing frames to lengthen the layer, using the method specified in the

Mode cycle menu below. • Mode - The designated mode determines the manner in which existing imagery is used to

extend a layer. Hold simply repeats the final frame. Loop, and Ping Pong modes re-cycle the frames from the layer either in succession, or in reversing order.

• Add Empty Images - Adds new empty frames to the end of the layer.

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Loop Modes

The other control (at each end of all layers) is a Loop Mode selector. These gadgets permit you to extend the display of a layer’s contents indefinitely in either direction, without actually stretching or adding to the layer. This is very ‘economical,’ as a single frame used as a backdrop for action in another layer can last for as long as required! Clicking the downward pointing triangle offers the pop-up Loop Mode menu. For Image Layers, the options are simple: Hold, or None. Anim Layers provide some other alternatives – Repeat (the layer’s frames over and over again in succession) or Ping Pong (cycle the layer’s contents repeatedly back to front, then front to back). Timeline Context Menu Similar Pre Behavior and Post Behavior items have been added to the Timeline Panel’s (RMB) context menu. Also in found in this menu are Lock/Unlock items, and the Show Icons toggle (Anim layers only) -- to enable or disable thumbnails of frames along the timeline layer.

In this context menu, some selections from the similar Control Panel context menu are replaced with appropriate variants. Instead of Delete Layer and Duplicate Layer, you will find Delete Selected Image(s) and Duplicate Image(s), in addition to Insert Image(s), Cut, Copy and Paste Image(s). The order of a frame selection can be reversed using Reverse Selected Images. Timeline: Zooming and Panning

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In addition to the timeline magnification tool ([Z]) above the vertical scrollbar and the Fit To options in the Layer control panel, Mirage offers two new zoom options. LMB + ALT dragging (horizontally) in the timeline pane pans the display, while RMB-dragging zooms it, centering the magnification action about the location of the initial mouse-click.

6.2.5. Merging Layers (Compositing) Layers may be merged (in several combinations) using the Merge menu found in the Layer List column, as discussed earlier. Alternatively, you can drag a source layer icon (thumbnail) onto a target layer icon. The drag-and-drop method provides explicit control over the Merge mode used.

The Merge Layer pop up menu, which appears when one thumbnail icon is dropped on another, allows layers to be blended using many of Mirage’s painting modes. There are several other associated options: Stamp mode replaces the colors of all opaque pixels in the source layer with the current A pen color. The Erase Source switch determines whether the source layer remains following the Merge, or is deleted from the project.

6.2.6. The Spare Image While Mirage’s Spare Image is not strictly speaking a layer, it seems fitting to consider it in this context. You might think of the Spare Image as being a “silent partner” to the frames and layers that overtly make up your project. It’s always there, ready to contribute or assist, but is normally unseen, and never intrudes unless you ask for it.

In some respects, the Spare Image is just like the Clipboard (see Chapter 5 – File and Project Management.) It can retain precisely one full frame of image data (complete with transparency) or it may be completely empty. Unlike the system Clipboard, however, the Spare Image is always lurking under the surface of your current layer and frame, ready to interact with it. In fact, it does just that in connection with several of Mirage’s drawing and image processing functions, such as the Impress painting mode (see Chapter 7 - Painting & Drawing: Special Brush.)

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Spare Image Management The Spare Image buffer is managed using the options in the Spare selection in the Edit menu, as shown above. You can view (or edit) the Spare Image at any time using the Swap Spare selection, but as noted below, when you do so you are not just viewing the Spare Image.

Note: These functions need to be used with some care, not least to avoid accidental losses. It is important to realize that Swap Spare pointedly does not mean Show Spare! When you select Swap, you are not merely displaying the content of a Spare Image buffer. You are trading it (even if it has no content) for the content of the current frame of your project. This is often quite useful, but can bewilder users acquainted with the similar but different function in the venerable Deluxe Paint, from Electronic Arts.

So – Copy to Spare (shortcut Shift + j) overwrites the content of the Spare Image buffer with identical data from the current project frame, whereas Swap Spare (shortcut j) replaces the current frame with the data from the Spare buffer, and vice versa. Delete Spare clears the Spare Image buffer.

Main Image Spare Image Bump- Result

The Spare Image data is used by a number of Mirage operations and functions. An example is shown above. The current project frame is the “star” at left. The Spare Image buffer contains the word “Sheriff”, as shown, and the third image shows the effect of applying the Bump effect.

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Chapter 7 Painting & Drawing In this chapter, we will get into the tools and techniques of drawing and painting in Mirage. We will discuss personalizing the tools, and painting modes as well. We will also deal with features that control the application of color (or other operations), including area Selection tools and Stencil masks. Finally, we’ll mention the Coordinates Panel, which provides useful feedback.

7.1. The Tool Panel Mirage’s Tool Panel (shown here) is roughly analogous to an artist’s brush box. It contains the digital equivalent of pens, pencils, crayons, and even a versatile airbrush. In goes well beyond this too, providing the means to radically modify the nature of the tools – not just, for example, the size of a brush, but also its aspect, and the manner in which the digital paint it is loaded with ‘dries out’ as you apply it!

This panel is such an important part of Mirage that it is normally left open. If you don’t see it on the desktop, you can open it with the Menu Panel icon circled below, or the Windows menu Tool Panel selection.

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The upper part of the panel provides the Tool Tray -- a double row of icon buttons that you use to select your active painting or Drawing Tool. Beneath this is a cycle menu that controls the current Paint Mode. What is displayed in the bottom half of the panel depends on which of the two tabs (beneath the Paint Mode menu) is selected. If Options is clicked, you have access to optional settings for the active Drawing Tool. The Bin tab provides a convenient way to store and quickly access favorites for each tool. Each of these features is considered in detail in the pages that follow.

7.1.1. The Tool Tray

Mirage is magic. Any time your mouse pointer passes over the active Project Window, Mirage magically converts it to a paintbrush, or pen, or spray nozzle -- depending on the choice you have made in the uppermost part of the Tools Panel – the Tool Tray. The general nature of each tool offered is considered next. After looking at each tool in turn (some in more depth than others, as appropriate) we’ll consider some variable settings common to most of the selections under the heading Drawing Tools: Common Options.)

• Airbrush

Mirage’s Airbrush is quite versatile, and can be extensively customized using settings and connections. As with many of the other tools, it can be used with various Paint Modes, and is especially useful with when using Panto to clean up blemishes or remove unwanted details.

• Pen Brush

The PenBrush is deceptively simple at first glance, but its many options permit results ranging from cursive to calligraphy.

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• Mechanical Pencil

The Mechanical Pencil tool produces an austere, single-pixel line, and is useful for fine detail, schematics, and the like.

• Oil Brush

This tool mimics a raised, three-dimensional appearance not unlike paste or oil paint applied to the image.

The paint ‘viscosity’ is set using the Grain menu in the Tool Options panel. The Silk setting produces a very soft look, while Hard results in more pronounced ridges.

• Charcoal Pencil

Applied with various optional settings, the tool can apply anything from a faint dusting of particles to a heavy granular streak quite like charcoal.

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• Wet Brush

Even when applied at full power and opacity, the paint applied with this tool will always be semi-transparent. It can be likened to painting in watercolors.

The last four Tool Tray options are each somewhat unique. It would not be entirely incorrect to think of the first two of these selections -- Warp and Special Brush -- as image processing, or even effect tools -- as much as they are brushes. (The final two options -- the Text Tool and Custom Brush Tool -- though drawing tools too, and properly included in this context, are likewise unique. The many options they provide demand individual consideration as well.) Both Warp and Special Brush tools can be used to perturb your work, producing a more natural appearance, or for effect. In fact, some interesting animated effects could be achieved by applying them over time to video imagery – the AutoPaint effect (discussed in Chapter 10 - Motion Effects) could quite nicely for this purpose.

• The Warp Brush

In place of the usual Paint Mode menu, this tool offers two unique optional modes – Warp In, and Warp Out.

Rather than contributing paint to the current frame, both modes distort existing opaque pixels. The effect of Warp Out is rather like that of a boat passing through water, seeming to create a bow wave as it pushes the pixels ahead of it and to the side. Warp In mode reverses this effect.

• The Special Brush

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This tool offers a number of optional modes in place of the usual Paint Mode menu items.

Smear mode drags pixels along with it as it passes over colored areas of the frame, smudging them along while leaving some traces behind.

Shift mode has a more powerful influence, dragging all traces of the source pixels along its path as though blown away by a wind.

Mixer is very similar in its effect to Shift mode, but is unique of the three Special Brush modes mentioned so far in that it does contribute some faint traces of the A Color to the frame.

Special Brush - Impress Mode The final Special Brush mode is Impress, which is short for Impressionist (as in the well-known artistic style.) Using Impress mode requires an image to be in Mirage’s Spare Image buffer (Mirage’s Spare Image is discussed in Chapter 6 - Layer Management.) The option will be unavailable and shown as ghosted out if no Spare Image exists. The effect of painting with Impress mode is rather like a combination of rub-through and smear. Wherever you ‘paint’ using this tool, you rub through the foreground imagery (the current frame) to import an impression of the corresponding pixels from the image in the Spare Buffer. The merged pixels are smeared somewhat at the same time, resulting in less detail than in the source (Spare) image. Used with small brushes and skilful strokes to gradually drag in pixels from the Spare Image, the result can be quite ‘painterly’, as the sample images below endeavor to demonstrate.

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Spare Image Impress Image

Try using Impress mode with a photo in the Spare buffer and a solid color in the current frame. Another approach is to copy the current frame into the Spare Image and ‘Impress’ it into itself.

The Text Brush Tool

The Text Brush tool may be considered a miniature CG application. Though only designed to deal with one line of text at a time, it offers a numerous interesting possibilities. Being one of Mirage’s Painting Tools, the Text Brush tool does not work exactly like most dedicated CG applications. The latter generally permit the user to type on the screen, and then select from various treatments to be applied to the text. In such programs, if you wish to modify the text later, you can simply select it for editing and do so. Mirage’s Text Brush tool works differently. It is a Text Brush generator, serving to create a text object that can in turn be used just like any other Mirage brush. Its content -- that is the characters making it up – cannot be edited later (save as a bitmap graphic which, when painted down in the Project Window, can be painted and processed, then picked up and re-used.) Entering Text You first enter your text into the string requester provided for that purpose, near the bottom of the Options panel. The text entry area has several added features in addition to the entry field.

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The down-arrow gadget next to the entry field opens a history menu, which contains a list of recent text strings for quick recall. Clicking the [B] button opens a longer (Big) string requester that allows longer entries, hence longer text brushes, to be made. The text brush will still comprise only a single line, however; there is no word wrap feature in the Text Brush tool. Just below these items is the Create Brush button (discussed momentarily) and an information field showing the brush width that will result, taking into account your current text entry and optional settings. Designing the Text Brush, and Text Modes Next you select a font, using the Font menu shown below. Clicking the Font Selector opens a panel that allows you to choose one of your installed system fonts (the Script drop-down menu gives access to characters from other alphabets when the font supports these.)

The nearby Style menu offers the usual Regular, Bold, Italic and Bold Italic options. Letter and Word Mode

Your text brush can be prepared in two distinctly different ways – Letter mode, and Word mode. When you choose Letter mode, as long as the Text Brush is active in the Tool Tray, your text string will be painted down letter by letter when you paint in the Project Window. The tool will respect the current drawing mode choice -- whether Freehand Line, Line, Spline or even Ellipse.

These latter possibilities permit you to paint text along a contour, or around a circle, as shown. Used with the KeyFramer or AutoPaint effects, you can also animate the letters flying sequentially onto or around the screen!

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Word mode, on the other hand, treats the text string as a complete word (or phrase.) It can likewise be applied with various drawing modes, but apart from using the KeyFramer effect to apply movement or rotation, you’ll ordinarily find little reason to do more than stamp the brush onto the screen. While not strictly necessary, if you intend to use Word mode, you’ll likely find it convenient to click the Create Brush button at the bottom of the panel (ending text entry by pressing the Enter key has the same effect as clicking Create Brush.) This converts the current string into a Custom Brush, which has several small advantages: First, the Project Window display is a little more responsive when positioning the Custom Brush. Too, the converted brush can be stored in the Custom Brush bin, described later in this chapter, or even exported as an image file. The Text Brush Bin Speaking of the Bin, just like other selections in the Tool Tray, the Text Brush tool has two tabs, not just one. We’ll be looking at the Options tab more closely in a moment, but don’t overlook the Bin tab! Once you create a text style you like, you can click in the open area in the bin to deposit that style there, for ready recall and application of its attributes to another line of text!

We’ll consider Tool Bins in a bit more detail shortly, but let’s press onto the Options tab. Text Brush Options When the Text Brush option is selected and the Options tab is highlighted, most of the Tool Panel is devoted to settings such as Size, Opacity, Border, Glow, and so on. Any characteristics you set here are embedded in the brush when you create it. The effect of each setting is explained next. • Size

Controls font size. Since typefaces vary widely, this setting is not an absolute size in pixels.

• XScale

Adjusts character width separately from the Size setting. The example at left shows the effect of settings of 100% and 50% respectively. Negative values can ‘flip’ the font left to right.

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• Space

Adjusts the gap between characters, 0 being normal. Unlike the similar Tracking option, this setting is absolute, and not proportional to character size. A negative setting will overlap characters. When used with Space, an average is applied.

• Italic

Increasing the Italic percentage slants characters to the right. A negative setting can create backwards-slanting characters.

• Rotate

Setting an angle alters the orientation of each character, banking them on their individual axes. This is distinct from the Italic option, as it does not actually distort the characters.

• Track

Similar to Space in modifying the distance between characters, but doing so in increments proportional to each character’s size. (Track is much like kerning, but is applied over the entire text string at once, rather than character by character.) When used with Space, an average is applied.

• Opacity

Sets the Opacity of the Text Brush, with 100% being fully opaque.

• Outline

Creates an outline around the characters of the Text Brush. The area of the character that would normally be opaque is transparent. The value entered determines the width of the outline in pixels. Outline and Border are mutually exclusive.

• Smooth

Applies a blur to the characters of the Text Brush. The smoothing level is variable between 1 and 32.

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• Border

Similar to Outline, this option creates an outline around the characters of the Text Brush. In this case, the character face is created normally, respecting the Opacity setting if any. The value entered determines the width of the border in pixels. Border color is selected by clicking the color swatch provided, and picking a color from the screen. Outline and Border are mutually exclusive.

• Glow

As with the Border option, you set the color and extent (in pixels) of the soft Glow, which will appear as though emanating from behind the characters of your Text Brush.

Anim versus Step Depending on whether you choose Letter or Word modes, the last optional item offered in the Options panel will vary. In Letter mode, the Anim drop-down menu is presented.

This menu offers various ways to handle the characters of your text string as you draw, as explained in the table below.

Option Description Once Each character is painted once, in the original order

Loop

Each character is painted in order, after which the sequence repeats endlessly for as long as drawing continues

Ping Pong Each character is painted in order, then the order reverses itself as continues beyond that point

Random Characters are painted without regard to the original order If the Text Brush Tool is in Word mode, rather than Letter mode, the Anim menu is replaced with a Step setting (discussed under the upcoming heading, Drawing Tools: Common Options.) Optional Connection Settings

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Like all of the other drawing tools, Text Brush offers additional control using Connections (Configuration and use of Connections for all tools are discussed a little further on under the heading Drawing Tools: Connection Settings.)

The Connection Options drop-down menu opens when you click the Connections button [C] for a specific optional setting. The button is found next to the option’s label, in the panel accessed by highlighting the Options tab in the Tool Panel.

7.1.2. The Custom Brush Tool

The Drawing tools in the Tool Panel all provide variable options affecting the shape, size and nature of the brush applied by the tool. The Custom Brush Tool raises the ante, permitting full color imagery to serve as a brush. In the case of custom animbrushes, even animated sequences can be used to draw or paint with. Custom brushes can be virtually any shape, can have transparent portions, and can be applied using Mirage’s many Drawing Modes (such as Color, Add, Negative, and so on.) They can be painted into your project manually, or you can use them to advantage with the animated Effect tools (such as the KeyFramer.) Sources for Custom Brushes Custom Brushes may be imported from media files stored on your system (or over a network connection) using Mirage’s File Explorer (see Chapter 5 – File and Project Management, Import Footage Panel: Destination Tabs.) They might be a client-supplied logo, or perhaps a video sequence you want to serve as an animbrush.

A short straight line drawn with one of Mirage’s sample animbrushes

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Custom brushes and animbrushes may both also be cut directly from the Project Window. Cutting or copying Custom Brushes from the screen is considered later in this chapter under the heading Main Panel – Drawing Functions. Custom Brush – Optional Settings Like any other Drawing Tool, Custom Brushes offer some adjustable parameters in the panel under the Options tab. The function of these tools and settings is considered next.

The thumbnail shows the current Custom Brush in miniature. The Edit button (next to the thumbnail image) opens the Edit Brush panel providing advanced settings, as discussed in next. When Stamp is highlighted, the inherent colors of the brush are ignored for painting purposes. The tool uses Mirage’s A Color (Chapter 2) in place of the original colors. Otherwise, in Brush mode, the tool uses the original colors of the brush.

Opacity sets the opacity with which the Custom Brush will be applied, and features a Connections button [C] as discussed below under Drawing Tools: Connection Settings Step and Drying are also considered shortly, under Drawing Tools: Common Options. The Optimize button crops the brush, where possible, removing all areas outside a bounding-box surrounding pixels with opacity (unlike the similar option in the Brush Edit panel, this button affects the source brush, and cannot be reset.) Handle sets which point of the custom brush is considered the true center for placement and rotation applications. By default, the actual Center (of the bounding box) is used, but the menu permits the handle to be set to any corner, or Custom. To use the latter option, select Custom in the Handle menu, then drag the mouse pointer across the brush (displayed temporarily in the Project Window) to the desired position.

In the case of an animbrush, the current animbrush frame slider (at the bottom of the panel) sets which animbrush frame is the current one.

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The information field at the bottom of the panel uses the format: current frame / total frames. It will not likely be a great surprise that the Reset button resets all of the Custom Brush options mentioned above to their default settings. The Edit Brush Panel It might be that you have a Custom Brush that is nearly ideal for your purpose, but is not quit right. It might be too big, or at the wrong angle, for example. You may wish to soften its edges, or outline it. The Edit Brush panel, opened with the Edit button under the Custom Brush Options tab, permits all this and more.

Although the effect of actions in the Edit panel on the current brush are briefly displayed (as an overlay on the Project Window) the actual modification occur only when you click Apply Changes at the bottom of the panel (Reset restores the original brush to its original settings before modifications.) In the upper part of the panel are twelve buttons providing quick adjustments. The eight left-most buttons have a cumulative effect. For example clicking the X2 icon once scales the brush by a factor of 2 (when Apply Changes is clicked); but clicking it twice scales it four times! The four right-hand buttons are toggles, being either On (when highlighted) or Off. The list below outlines the function of each button:

• - Double Size

• - Double Width

• - Double Height

• - Rotate Clockwise by 90˚

• - Flip on X axis

• - Optimize Brush (crop extraneous transparency)

• - Halve Size

• - Halve Width

• - Halve Height

• - Rotate Counter- Clockwise by 90˚

• - Flip on Y axis

• - Replace all transparency with B Color

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Below these buttons are several numeric fields (and related gadgets) as seen below:

When Lock Aspect is checked, adjusting either Width or Height automatically updates the other parameter to retain the original proportions when scaling the brush. Angle rotates the brush when Apply Changes is clicked. All three of these settings provide an [M] button (Mark mode). This button highlights when clicked to indicate you have engaged interactive brush editing. A bounding box representing the brush will appear in the Project Window, and you can drag with the mouse to adjust settings, viewing the result onscreen. Note that enabling Mark for either Width or Height highlights both fields for modification. Hold the Shift key while dragging the mouse to constrain scaling to one axis or the other. Use Lock Aspect with Mark to scale equally on both axes. Border offers a color swatch (click to pick a color from the screen) and thickness field (in pixels.) These settings will be used to create a border surrounding opaque areas of the brush when you click Apply Changes.

No Border Four Pixel Border

The AAliasing switch toggles anti-aliasing for the brush. When enabled, jagged, pixilated edges will be smoothed.

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The final Brush Edit option is Opacity Mapping, which is discussed under the heading Drawing Tools: Common Options, which follows

7.1.3. Drawing Tools: Common Options The majority of user-adjustable settings in the Tool Panel are common to many of Mirage’s drawing and painting tools (even Text Brush and Custom Brush tools.) Before continuing, let’s review these.

Note: the majority of the optional settings discussed in this section have both a numeric value entry field and a Connections button. The use of Connections is discussed separately just a little further on.

Brush Shape When present, the two thumbnail gadgets circled in the image below reveal the shape and characteristics of the current brush or pen tip.

The left-most image is a brush preview. The display at right shows a radial cross section (profile) of the tool’s overall opacity. You will understand it’s meaning better after considering the use of the Radial Profile Editor, discussed next. Open the Profile Editor by clicking on the profile thumbnail. The Radial Profile Editor The radial version of the Profile Editor pictured here is used for tools that do not require independent settings on two axes. It provides a single graph window along with related functions. The File menu permits you to Save or Load custom curves, or to restore the Default settings.

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The value at the right side of the graph represents the central value of a radial tool. The left-hand value is used at the outer edge of the tool’s opacity or influence. The default curve (or slope, in this case) represents a linear falloff, going from the strongest influence at the center (within the limits set in the tool’s own settings panel) to no effect at all at the edge. The image on the right above illustrates how this curve affects the opacity of an airbrush.

The Flip X and Flip Y buttons reverse the curve on those axes. In this case, flipping on X produced the result shown here. You can click inside the graph panel to add more nodes between the (obligatory) start and end ones. These additional nodes can be used to create complex profiles. Click directly on a node to select it. Then drag it to adjust to a new position, or remove it using the Delete button. Some of the panels actions can also be performed from a context menu that appears when you right-click in the graph window.

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The curve type menu offers Linear, Polynomial and Spline settings. These affect the way the curve is calculated between nodes. The small curve thumbnail in the Profile Editor’s lower left corner is a Curve Preset library. Click the up/down arrows beside it to cycle through available presets. When you see one you like, click the thumbnail to transfer the preset into the graph window. It then becomes the active profile for the tool (but it can be fine-tuned further using the panel’s tools if desired.) Opacity Mapping Some Drawing modes and Tools (including Filled Shapes and Custom Brush) provide an opacity Mapping option. The thumbnail gadget below and its corresponding Opacity Mapping (enable/disable) checkbox are available when this is so. Clicking the thumbnail opens a slightly more elaborate profile editor – the Axial Profile Editor.

The Axial Profile Editor panel is very similar to its Radial sibling, save that it hosts two curve graphs, rather than just one. This permits you to apply one curve to the horizontal axis of the tool, and a different (profile) to the other.

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As well, the profile preview is shown right in the panel, and is interactive – you can drag the mouse in the preview pane to modify the profile. The Copy To and Swap buttons augment the FlipX and FlipY items described earlier, providing convenience when modifying the profiles. The action is performed on the currently active spline curve. Again, a preset library is available, along with File menu functions. The former works in the same way as described previously in the context of the Radial Profile Editor. Application Modes The small button group (labeled X and Y) at the bottom of the Axial Profile Editor is the Application Modes control area. The seven buttons provide further control over the influence the profile will exert on your painting operations. The first three X/Y pairs can function in any combination or singly. When a button is highlighted, the corresponding axis of the curve will be active, and will be influenced in various ways, as detailed in the below:

• Uniform

If activated for an axis, the profile is directly applied to drawn shapes on that axis, without modification.

• Elastic

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When elastic mode is active for a given axis, the profile applied attempts to conform to the shape’s outline. (With deeply contoured shapes, some undesirable irregularities in the fill pattern may occur when using this mode.)

• Linear

After drawing with the tool, the mouse pointer becomes an interactive vector tool that you drag in the Project Window to set 1) a point of origin, 2) a distance, and 3) a direction. The profile will be applied over the distance set, extending outward from the origin in the direction specified.

• Centrifugal

As with the Linear option, you define the effect of this mode by dragging out a vector after drawing. In this case, the profile is swept “lathe-like” around the origin, extending outward from it to the extent of the vector’s length. There a number of other adjustable settings that make frequent appearance in the Mirage’s Tool Options. We’ll discuss these in the paragraphs that follow next. Power and Opacity

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Opacity is the complement of transparency – if a pixel has an opacity of 90%, it is 10% transparent. Power is very similar in meaning, but is applied to the base Opacity level – get it? No? OK, it works like this: setting the Opacity sets a fixed ceiling value for this attribute for the drawing tool. The Power value however, can vary – if you want it to! The variance in Power level (if any) during drawing depends on optional Connection settings you specify. We’ll examine Connections thoroughly soon, but let’s just consider one little example together now: The stroke below was drawn with the PenBrush tool at 100% Opacity and 100% Power.

Below is same stroke at 50% Opacity and 100% Power.

We see it next at 100% Opacity and 50% Power. It’s identical to the previous example, right? The lower power setting has modified the 100% base opacity.

Now, let’s set both Power and Opacity to 100% again but apply a Connection option (Fade) to vary the Power during the stroke. The result is shown below.

What has happened? The opacity remained at its base value of 100% throughout the drawing action, but the Power dropped from it’s starting value of 100% to 0% over the extent of the stroke The Power value has modified the base opacity of the tool, resulting in the tool’s power diminishing to nothing. Aspect

As seen in the example above, changing the aspect squashes the tool on one axis.

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Angle

Angle rotates the tool on the Z-axis. Step The Step value, where provided, sets the distance between iterations of the tool placed sequentially along the path of a drawing stroke. The percentage value of the setting relates to the tool’s native size.

The line above was drawn with a 20 x 20 square brush at a Step value of 110%.

The second line used a Step value of 150% instead. Drying In the physical world, paint may seem to take forever to dry, but in time it does. Thankfully, some paint is formulated to dry almost instantly. After that, if more paint is applied it does not mingle with the first “coat,” but lies on top of it. It is similar in Mirage when Drying is enabled.

Drying ON Drying OFF

When you paint something -- then add more paint in the same place with another stoke -- the second stroke ‘lies’ on top of the first. Otherwise, the paint remains “wet” through successive strokes so long as you do not modify any drawing (or project) related parameter. Gradients

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Another option provided by many of Mirage’s drawing tools is the Gradient feature. Gradients and their applications are discussed in Chapter 8 – Managing Colors. AAliasing

Anti-aliasing refers to the smoothing of the unsightly blocky, pixilated edges that can occur when drawing or painting. Unlike some applications that use color dithering techniques to smooth edges, Mirage’s Anti-aliasing function is transparency based. This is a great advantage, as it goes a long way to ensuring clean merging of CG objects with background imagery.

7.1.4. Drawing Tools: Connection Settings As mentioned briefly at the start of our discussion of Drawing Tools: Common Options, many of the controls have Connection buttons. In the Power and Opacity sub-heading, we saw how a Connection setting dynamically modifies the base value set in the parameter’s field.

A number of Connection settings are available for this purpose. Clicking the Connection button next to any parameter offering it opens a drop-down menu listing the possibilities. A checkmark indicates an item is activated. The meaning of items listed in the menu is discussed next (another section deals with Connections specific to graphics tablets.) Connection Settings – Generic • None - turns off connections for the corresponding parameter. • Invert - when activated, reverses the influence of the current Connection. • Speed - the velocity of the input device while drawing influences the parameter proportionally • Direction - the connected parameter value varies according to the direction of movement of

the drawing tool. The change from 0 to the ceiling value occurs through a 360˚ range. • Orientation - similar to Direction, but based on the inclination of the drawing motion, rather

than its angle alone. Lines drawn in exactly opposite directions will have identical values, as will opposite points on a circle (the change from 0 to the ceiling value and back cycles through 180˚.)

• Fade - value diminishes over distance (the specific distance is controlled in the Connection

Options panel discussed after this table.) • Random - random variation is applied to the parameter, Many professional artists use a graphics tablet and stylus (such as the popular Wacom® line) with Mirage, and a number of Connection settings are provided especially for their use. The next table outlines the control these items provide.

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Connection Settings Menu Items – Stylus & Tablet • Pressure - pressing harder with the stylus approaches the ceiling value established in the

numeric field of the associated parameter. • Altitude - altitude corresponds to vertical angle between the drawing tool to the tablet. At

maximum altitude, the stylus is perpendicular to the drawing surface. • Azimuth - the rotational angle of the drawing tool relative to the tablet. Rolling the stylus on

it’s longitudinal axis in your fingertips changes the azimuth • Finger Wheel - the value will vary with your adjustments to the drawing tool’s finger wheel

control (if it exists.) The final item in the Connection menu is Options. Choosing this opens the Connection Options panel shown below, which allows fine-tuning several Connections features.

The Speed curve thumbnail window is a miniature profile editor (see the Radial Profile Editor under Common options.) Click and drag the mouse in it to modify the curve shown, which supplies yet another level of control over the Speed Connection. The default “curve” is a diagonal line, representing a linear correlation between drawing implement and the modification level. The faster the tool moves, the closer it comes to the maximum value. The straight line indicates a 1:1 relationship between velocity and the rise in value.

Modifying the Speed curve to arch upward in the middle instead adds falloff to the adjustment. In this case, as the tool velocity increases, the connected parameter initially rises more quickly toward the maximum setting. Then the amount of gain applied slows (relative to further increases in velocity) as it approaches the upper limit. Reset restores the default curve. The Limit value just below provides direct control over the tool velocity you must use to achieve the upper limit value of the connected parameter

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The Limit calibration scale is pixels per .001 second. An entry of 100 means you must move the tool by 100 pixels (or more) per 100th of a second to achieve the maximum value for the connected parameter. The Fade setting indicates the distance the tool must travel before maximum fading occurs. For example, if a Fade setting of 100 is applied to the Power of a straight line drawn with the pen tool, that line will completely disappear in a stroke of 100 pixels (even if the stroke extends for 200 pixels, it will still fade out in 100.)

Direction – 45˚ Orientation – 45˚

The Orientation angle designates the direction of tool travel at which the connected parameter is at its minimum. The corresponding tool value completes one cycle (from zero to maximum and back) in 180˚ increments from this angle. For Direction, the connected value is at the maximum when the tool is moving at the angle set in the Options panel. The value decreases as the angle (of travel) increases in a clockwise direction. It reaches zero 360˚ later, then resets.

7.1.5. Drawing Modes

In addition to applying a tool’s color and opacity values, Mirage’s Drawing Tools (other than the Warp and Special Brushes) can be applied to the current frame in a variety of ways. The Drawing Mode menu selector appears just under the Tool buttons (at the bottom of the Tool Tray) and shows the current mode. The list of optional drawing modes appearing when you click on this menu button can be extensive; options vary as appropriate to a given Drawing Tool selection. The effect of various options is considered below. (Panto and Merge modes are somewhat more involved, and are considered separately afterward.)

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• Color - applies the A Color

• Behind - protects opaque pixels, painting only on areas with transparency, as in the red oval

applied behind the text.

• Erase - removes opacity from pixels that are “painted.”

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• Shade - darkens opaque pixels.

• Light - lightens opaque pixels.

• Colorize - adds the A Color to the frame without modifying the original luminosity values of

the pixels. Can affect saturation values of color pixels, however.

• Tint - similar to Colorize, but respects both saturation and luminosity, hence has no effect at

all on grayscale pixels.

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• Grain - adds subtle graininess where applied – the grain is multi-colored, and is not

dependent on the A Color.

• Smooth - performs a slight blur where applied, useful for softening hard edges, de-

accentuating blemishes.

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• Noise - applies the A Color in a random noise pattern.

• Negative - reverses the original colors of the pixels “painted.”

• Sharp - applies a sharpen convolution, accentuating detail.

• Emboss - adds an apparent shading to edges (high contrast boundaries) as though from a

light source, simulating a ‘bas relief.’

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• Solarize - blends a negative of the source pixel color with the original values.

• Saturate - increases color saturation.

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• Unsaturate - de-saturates pixel colors.

• Add - adds the A Color values to the corresponding values in the color channels of the

source pixels.

• Sub - subtracts colors except the A Color from affected pixels. Drawing with white (RBB 255,

255, 255) results in RGB 0, 0, 0 – black.

• Multiply - multiplies the individual RGB channel values of affected pixels by the amount of

that channel in the current A Color. When the A Color is white (RGB 255, 255, 255) the source color is unchanged, since each channel is multiplied by 100%. An A Color of black has the opposite effect, multiplying the source colors in each color channel by 0, resulting in black.

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• Screen - somewhat like Multiply, except that the inverse values are used, resulting in

generally lighter colors. The effect is much like what would result if the image were projected onto itself on a screen.

Merge Drawing Mode

The application of Merge Drawing Mode is similar to Impress mode (see Special Brush, Impress Mode, discussed earlier in this Chapter), being dependent on there being content in the Spare Image buffer. Otherwise the option is ghosted out in the menu. When applied with a drawing tool, Merge mode effectively draws pixels through into the current frame from the Spare Image contents. This makes it useful in various ways. For example, you can copy a photo into the Spare buffer, then Swap the Spare Image into the Project Window; apply a slight Blur to reduce blemishes, then Swap back to the original image.

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Finish up by using an airbrush in Merge mode to “paint” just where blemishes appear, bringing blurred pixels from the Spare buffer forward without undesirable loss of detail in the main image. Panto Drawing Mode Panto is short for “pantograph,” and provides an offset drawing function like that tool does (it is similar to “rubber stamp” and “clone” functions found in some other software.) Basically, Panto mode uses an image’s own pixels as a source for the painting tool! It copies (usually) nearby pixels into the area under the tool. Since the “source” pixels are drawn from the same image, they can generally serve as a great source of suitable colors and textures to mask unwanted features. For example, you can use neighboring “sky” and “cloud” from an image to paint out overhead electrical wires that ruin an otherwise perfect shot. Alternatively the technique can serve to seamlessly add “clones” of items in the existing image, as in the case of the lotus blossom image below.

Source Panto “Cloned”

To use Panto mode, it is necessary to define the offset. A special panel is used for this purpose (and a few other settings, too - discussed later, under Main Panel Options.) The Shape Settings panel can be opened by right-clicking one of the Stroke or Fill Type buttons in the Main panel, or by using the Windows menu item Shape Settings.

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You can directly enter offset values using the X and Y fields at the bottom of this small panel, or click the Panto Set button to do so interactively right in the Project window. (The offset values derived are retained until such time as you decide to modify them again.) To use the Set button, simply drag the mouse in the Project window, moving it from the desired source region of the current image to the target area – an elastic vector will stretch out as you do so to show your current settings. When you paint in Panto mode, you will see two crosshairs attached to your input device pointer, instead of the usual one – the larger one represents the target position, while the smaller indicates the source.

7.1.6. Integral Erase Function The RMB (Right Mouse or corresponding stylus button) serves to provide a convenient auxiliary Erase function. This feature is available for use provided that you have not switched Color, Stroke or Fill modes, Drawing modes or Tools since painting the section you wish to Erase (also, if Drying is enabled only the last stoke can be Erased.)

7.1.7. Brush Bins

In addition to the myriad features considered up until this point, Mirage’s Tool Panel hold’s one more very useful feature – the Brush Bin(s). Clicking the Bin tab (as opposed to options) beneath the Tool Tray opens the Bin, which can be used to store a number of preset configurations, just the way you like them. Even animbrushes are supported! To add the current brush to the bin, simply click in an empty space within the Bin window. To pick up another brush from the Bin, click on that one.

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The Bin offers two pop-up context menus, as well, which appear when you RMB-click on a thumbnail or in the empty Bin area. The thumbnail context menu holds the items shown above, which allow you to Add the current brush to the Bin, Get (pick up) a brush from the bin, Swap the active brush for one from the bin, or Delete the brush from the bin. The Export Brush option saves opening the Export panel when you would like to save a brush in another format or to another location. The file format to be employed in the process is specified in this case using the Mode selection, which pops up a menu offering a variety of standard file types. A smaller context menu that pops up when you RMB-click in an empty area of the Bin window allows you to Put the currently active brush into the Bin, or Import a new one from a file.

7.2. The Main Panel

Mirage’s Main Panel is aptly named – it host numerous important features and tools, including Stroke and Filled Shape Modes, Selection Tools, Custom Brush Cut Tools, and several other important offerings covered below under the heading Main Panel Utilities. The panel is divided into four rows of buttons. The three upper rows are tools, and only one tool can be active at a time. The active selection is highlighted. In many cases, the buttons in these rows have more than one function. All but one of the first row buttons feature several states, for example. The Rectangle button can also be the Filled Rectangle button, and the Freehand Line button is also the Freehand Fill button. To toggle between states, you simply click the button again – a different button icon will appear, indicating the current state.

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Also, many of the buttons have settings that affect them. In some cases, clicking a Main Panel button updates the Tool Panel, which then presents options relevant to the Main Panel function (as seen in the image above, which shows the Tool Panel display that appears when the Panning Tool is selected in the Main Panel.)

In other cases, additional preferences are accessed in the Shape Settings panel. This panel can be opened from the windows menu, but it is usually more convenient to simply RMB-click the appropriate Main Panel button (you will seldom go wrong by right-clicking Mirage’s buttons to see what useful item might appear.) Shape Settings options along with Tool Panel options affecting filled shapes are of particular interest, and will be considered in detail under the heading Fill Tool Options later in this chapter. Let’s consider the Main Panel functions row by row, starting at the top:

7.2.1. Stroke and Filled Shape Modes While the selections you make in the Tool Panel control the nature of your virtual drawing tool, the uppermost row of buttons in the Main Panel provides aids to extend your natural drawing abilities. Can you quickly draw a perfect circle or a straight line freehand? Not likely – most need the assistance of a compass or ruler to perform these tasks. Mirage’s Main panel functions make them easy in Mirage, and much more, too. FreeHand/Single Dot

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The concept of freehand drawing needs no explanation. The button states toggles between Single Dot and Freehand Dot. The difference is whether a single iteration of the current brush is deposited when you draw, or holding the mouse button down while drawing deposits many copies of the brush, machine-gun style. (The distance between brush iterations in the latter case depends on brush size, tool movement, and system speed.) FreeHand Line/FreeHandFill

This tool also has two states, FreeHandLine and FreeHandFill. The former works much like FreeHandDot, but draws continuous lines.

The latter closes the drawing between the point where you being to draw and where the stroke ends, then fills everything inside the line. The fill operation respects the various Filling Shape settings in the Tool Panel, and preferences set in the Shape Settings Panel (both discussed under the upcoming heading Fill Tool Options.) Line/PolyFill

To simply draw a straight Line, drag the mouse from the line’s origin until you want the line to stop. The line will be drawn on release of the mouse button.

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To use PolyFill mode, click the LMB repeatedly in the Project Window to define the vertices of a polygon. When the shape is complete, close it by right-clicking, clicking the LMB on the first point, or pressing Enter on the keyboard. The polygon will be filled. You can Cancel the drawing by pressing Esc. (Alternatively, if your first click is with the RMB, and you use the LMB to establish subsequent vertices, an Erase is performed.) Spline/SplineFill

Like polygons, Spline curves must be defined before being drawn (or filled.) To do so, it’s easier if you don’t simply click to place the spline control nodes in the Project window. Rather, drag as you place them. This has the effect of drawing out the spline handles, which you can use afterward to refine the shape of the curve.

After placement, you can re-select a node to edit its position or spline handles by simply clicking on it. Spline handles will appear as red tangential lines extending from the node. By dragging the small control point on each end, you can easily change the nature of the curve between two nodes.

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The Spline functions also include a context menu, invoked by clicking the RMB on a node or spline. It offers functions to Delete or Insert a point on the spline, Close or Apply it (completing the drawing operation), or re-setting the function and beginning a New spline. Of course, closed splines are only filled if you have selected SplineFill – otherwise the curve is drawn. It can be useful to break a spline handle, allowing you to create sharp corners on one or both sides of a node. To do so, hold down the Ctrl key while dragging the spline handle. (To re-join broken spline handles, simple re-select and adjust either end.)

When the shape is complete, pressing Enter on the keyboard perform the drawing operation. You can cancel the drawing by pressing Esc. It is often helpful to be able to move a spline curve before its application. To do this, after creating the curve (but before applying it), simply press CTRL while dragging anywhere in the Project Window (except directly on a node.) ReApply (discussed just a little further on) is very useful with spline tools too. For example, after creating a filled spline shape, press the Enter shortcut key (to engage ReApply), re-activating the previously curve. Click the SplineFill button again to cycle it to the unfilled state, and set Mirage’s A Color to black. Press Enter again, perfectly outlining the previous shape with the current pen.

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Rectangle/RectangleFill

To draw either a Rectangle or filled Rectangle, select the appropriate button state in the Main Panel, then click and drag on the Project window.

The initial click becomes the first corner, and the tool button release point is the opposite corner. You can constrain the proportions of the rectangle created to be perfectly square by holding Shift while drawing. (Unfilled rectangles are drawn using the current Drawing Tool. If that tool has a round brush tip, the “corners” of the rectangle produced will also be round.) Ellipse/EllipseFill

Ellipse and EllipseFill are selected by clicking the appropriate button state in the Main Panel, then dragging in the Project window.

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There are two optional methods for setting the outline of the ellipse shape. The Shape Settings panel opens with a right-click on the Main Panel button, or by using the corresponding Windows menu item. Use the Circle pop-up menu to select between two different tool behaviors. When you choose Center, simply drag the mouse in the Project Window to create an ellipse. The point where you begin dragging is the center point of the shape. The 3 points option is very useful when you want a circle to fit precisely defined boundaries. You might need to trace over an existing circle, or fit an “opening” exactly (this option can only define circles, however.)

Three points located on the circumference define a circle. Click the tool on a point, then move to another point on the screen – a preview outline follows, showing the interim circle shape. Click a second time to lock down the second point. Clicking the third point finishes the operation. (Esc cancels.) FloodFill

The FloodFill button has only one state. When applied, it fills contiguous areas of the frame with the A Color (or active Gradient colors, if that option is enabled in the Tool Panel.)

If you click then drag the drawing tool in the Project Window, you will see the area that will make up the filled region displayed using a checkerboard pattern.

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You can continue to drag the tool around as long as you wish – the fill operation is performed only when you release it. Releasing the button outside the image area of the Project Window cancels the fill. (Using the RMB instead does a fill-erase.) In addition to the usual Tool Panel controls, there are several optional settings affecting a FloodFill operation. The Shape Settings panel opens with a right-click on the Main Panel button, or by using the corresponding Windows menu item.

The fill operation respects the various Filling Shape settings in the Tool Panel, and preferences set in the Shape Settings Panel (both discussed under the upcoming heading Fill Tool Options) Before moving on to consider the second row of buttons in the Main Panel, let’s sidestep and look at some important options that pertain to the Filled Shape and FloodFill functions we’ve just outlined. The next subheading will discuss these.

7.2.2. Fill Tool Options When you fill a drinking glass, you need three fundamental pieces of information: you need to know which glass you are filling, what you are going to fill it with, and how full you want it to be when you are done. Filling areas of an image in Mirage is much the same. You need to know a) what you are going to “pour” into the area b), what area you will be filling, and c) how full it should be when you’re done. In real life, you would seldom want to fill a glass to over-flowing. Likewise in Mirage – but you will often want to fill an area “right to the brim.” Fill Source If your selected Fill function is a brush-cutting or selection tool operation; the question of what to fill with is irrelevant. Otherwise, this is easily controlled. Normally, area fill operations use the current A Color. Alternatively, you can switch on the Gradient option in the Tool Panel (again, creating gradients is considered in an upcoming chapter.)

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There is another interesting possibility – the Custom Brush. The Tool Panel provides the Filling Shape options when a Fill Function is selected in the Main Panel. Brush Wrapping is found among those options.

When Brush Wrapping is enabled (by check-marking its box) the fill operation is performed using the current Custom Brush (rather than a simple color or gradient.)

There are three Brush Wrapping modes -- Stretch, Tile and Wrap. Any mode can be used to regulate the fill operation on Width, Height, or both axes.

The following table provides samples of the outcome of filling an odd shape with each mode in turn. The multi-colored square Custom Brush shown above served as source.

Stretch Tile Wrap

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Stretch mode performs a linear scaling to fill the outline, without any distortion of the source brush. Tile fills up the space with as many copies of the brush as necessary to do so, while Wrap distorts the source brush as necessary in an attempt to follow the outline of the filled area.

7.2.3. More Filling Shape Options We touched briefly on the second point – what area will be filled – earlier (in our discussion of the FloodFill function.) But there’s more to learn (the options we’ll consider next also relate to the third point– how full is “full”?)

In its Filling Shape manifestation, the Tool Panel provides the Smooth setting. This plays an important role. The fill operation is feathered out to the boundary of the filled region according to the smooth value set (in pixels.)

Smoothing the fill poured into the background of the image at above left caused a noticeable feathering as the boundary of the fill region was reached. Also useful at times is the possibility of using Opacity Mapping with a fill function, as shown at right above.

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Shape Settings Panel Options Three important controls affecting Fill operations are found in the Shape Settings panel, opened by right-clicking any Fill-related button in the Main Panel, or by using the Windows menu.

The Fill cycle menu provides six alternatives: Color & Density, Color Only, Density Only, Luma, and BColor. These play a big role when it comes to what is filled. The fill algorithm, as it expands outward from the point you click, must examine each pixel it comes to in turn. The pixels must be qualified or disqualified for re-coloring – “in”, or “out”? Pixels that are disqualified serve instead as a boundary. But what criteria will the algorithm use to determine whether a pixel is “in” or “out”? The Fill menu option regulates the primary attribute assessed as the basis for the decision, and the Range setting governs the algorithm’s tolerance for “near-misses.” Let’s take an example: Color & Density is the default Fill mode. Using a Range setting of 25, a pixel with RGB and opacity (alpha channel) values inside that range (from the value of the pixel clicked to being the operation) qualifies for re-coloring. So, if the fill origin pixel has an opacity of 255, and is white (RGB 255, 255, 255), any pixel encountered in the progress of the fill having a value in any channel that falls below 230 will be considered “out” -- a boundary pixel. Color Only mode may be useful when the opacity of an otherwise solid colored area area varies, perhaps because of anti-aliasing along the edges. Density Only discounts color entirely, considering only opacity in its “in or out” decision. Luma also ignores color, basing its judgements on brightness only. B Color fills consider boundaries to be any pixel within the Range tolerance of Mirage’s current B Color. This can be useful, as it will fill multi-colored regions bounded by the B Color, of course. Expand is the final setting bearing on Fill operations. Its function is to grow the filled area by the number of pixels set in the numeric field. This can be of help when filling an area bounded by drawn lines. Because of anti-aliasing of the lines, a standard fill operation may not produce a clean result. By using Expand to push the fill outwards a little further, (sometimes along with a small Smooth value in the Filling Shape options) an improvement can result.

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No Expand value

Expand value 1

Expand 2, Smooth 2 Let’s move on now to a consideration of the second row of tools in the Main Panel. Actually, we’ll just consider the first five in this section, since they are all related – the other two will be considered as part of the Main Panel Utilities heading further on.

7.2.4. Selection Tools

Selection areas are created with the tools in row two of the Main Panel. These restrict Mirage’s operations to areas of the frame falling within them. Pixels inside the selection area will be affected by the operation as per usual, while those outside the area are not.

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In order, the Selection tools are Rectangle Select, Circle Select, Freehand Select, Spline Select, and Magic Wand Select* (FloodFill). The use of each of these corresponds to the similarly named drawing functions in row one.

*Note: Shape Settings options (discussed earlier) such as Range and Expand affect Magic Wand Select in the same way they would a FloodFill painting operation.

In the sample render above, a circular selection area around the bee was inverted, limiting subsequent operations to the area outside the circle. Reducing the brightness of the frame highlighted the bee against the surrounding petals (not being included in the selection area, the bee was not darkened.) Basically, you define selection areas by choosing one of the buttons, then drawing in the Project Window to surround the desired area. As you draw, a thin outline line shows the boundaries of your selection area. When you release the mouse, the selection is activated. It will remain active until you clear it (discussed momentarily.) If you have Selection checkmarked in the Display Options panel (opened from the Windows menu) a dashed line overlaid on the Project window will outline the selection area. When any of the five Selection buttons are highlighted in the Main Panel, the Tool Panel appears in its Tool: Select format to provide additional control and functions pertaining to selection areas. These items are explained next. Tool: Select Options

The cycle menu at the top of the panel controls how selections are affected when you make repeated use of selection tools.

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When Add is selected, any subsequent use of a selection tool adds to the already defined selection area, whereas when Sub is chosen the newly drawn area is eliminated from the existing selection (you can also engage Sub mode temporarily, by using the RMB to “select”.) Replace mode effectively starts a completely new selection, ignoring previous selection area. Since selections remain resident in memory until cleared, you can change selection tools and continue modifying the selection using Add and Sub modes.

Setting a Smooth value (before making a selection) extends the selection area, creating a pleasing falloff into neighboring areas when subsequent operations are performed. AAliasing is similar, automatically providing a slight degree of smoothing within the selection. Invert reverses the selection area, and Clear removes it entirely. Copy to Layer and Cut to Layer are interesting options. They both create a new layer above the source layer. The selected area of the source layer is then either copied or cut out, then pasted into the new layer. The Copy to Brush, and Cut to Brush commands are similar, but the selection area becomes the current Custom Brush. Crop copies the content of the selection area into a new project (the resolution of the new project corresponds to a bounding box that would just encompass the current selection area.) Continuing our exploration of Main Panel, let’s look next at (button) row three.

7.2.5. Custom Brush Cut Tools

The third row of buttons in the Main Panel offers four selections that are quite similar to those just discussed. In this case, the selections are (in order) Rectangle CutBrush, Poly CutBrush, Free CutBrush and MagicWand CutBrush. As you might deduce, the tools work in virtually identical fashion to their complements in the drawing (first) and selection (second) rows, with one exception – they neither paint, nor create a selection area. Instead, they pick up a Custom Brush from the imagery on the screen.

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Depending on the button selected, the brush can be rectangular, polygonal, freeform, or it can follow the outline of a flood fill. Conveniently, pressing the shortcut b key repeatedly cycles through the brush cutting functions, always beginning with Rectangle CutBrush.

Note: although none of the CutBrush functions corresponds to the Spline option in the previous two row, in a pinch you can use Copy/Cut to Brush with the Spline Select function.

When multiple frames are selected in the layer from which you cut the brush, you will be offered a choice -- whether or not to pick up an animbrush, cutting the content from successive selected frames.

Several more options appear in the Tool panel when a CutBrush button is highlighted, as discussed below. Tool: CutBrush Panel

The cycle menu at the top of the panel designates whether you Cut or Copy the brush from the source image. Alternatively, cutting with the LMB copies, while the RMB actually removes the brush from the source image (just as Cut does.) The Smooth value works just as it does with selection tools, providing a falloff area. AAliasing is likewise similar, automatically providing a slight degree of smoothing of the custom brush. If Keep is enabled, custom settings you have made in the Tool: CustomBrush panel – Opacity, Step, Handle, etc -- are retained when cutting a new brush. When the Optimize box is checkmarked, the new custom brush is automatically optimized after it is cut, removing unnecessary transparent areas from the new custom brush.

7.2.6. Main Panel Utilities Earlier, we skipped over several entries in the second and third row so we could consider them together here.

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Crop Tool

The Crop Tool is found in the Main Panel’s second row, and permits numeric or interactive cropping of the project. Crop transfers the cropped imagery to a new Mirage project, cropping all frames and layers of the current project to the new format!

The Tool panel Lock button constrains Width and Height fields to retain the original image proportions. When first opened, these values are one half the source image values. The StartX and StartY fields mark the position of the upper left corner of the crop region, which appears as a dashed preview outline on the Project Window.

You can drag this rectangular outline (with the LMB) to re-position it, and change its size (and proportions, when Lock is disabled) using the RMB. Click Crop or press Enter to perform the operation, creating the new project.

Zoom Tool

Zoom in or out (from 1% to 10,000%) using this tool. When it is selected in the Main panel, simply click the LMB on a point on the Project Window to zoom in, or RMB to zoom out. (You can also use the keystrokes > and < to zoom the window in and out on center, or use the Project Window’s own magnification tools, discussed earlier in the manual.)

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Panning Tool

The Panning utility in Mirage’s Main panel slides the content of a source image on the X and Y axes of a 2 dimensional plane. Two modes are available in the corresponding Tool: Panning panel -- Shift and Wrap. The latter tiles the source image as necessary to fill the frame, while the former does not (leaving ‘empty’ parts of the frame fully transparent.) Wrap mode is particularly useful when creating seamless textures for 3D surfacing or web applications, allowing you to “roll” the edges of an image into the frame (for smoothing, using Mirage’s painting tools.)

You set the amount of offset interactively by LMB-dragging in the Project Window. The AAliasing switch enables anti-aliasing, but you may want to try doing without this as it is usually not required and can degrade fine detail slightly. The Move Selection switch, when enabled, causes any current selection area to be panned as well, so as to retain its position relative to the image. Alternatively, you can turn off Move image to move the selection independently. Transform Tool

Transform likewise permits interactive editing of the image and selection area X and Y positions, but adds scaling (Scale) and rotational (Angle) editing as well. To scale the image, drag with the RMB in the Project Window. Holding down the Ctrl key while dragging performs a rotation instead. Of course, you can use the entry fields in the Tool panel to set the values numerically as well (the Center button rests X and Y offsets to 0.)

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Fill mode (the alternative to Once) found in the cycle menu at the top of the Tools: Transform panel, tiles the image when your settings are such that it would not otherwise fill the frame. You can variously move both Image and Selection areas, or use the provided switches to limit the transformation to just one or the other. Reset returns all values to their original state. When the Preview switch is highlighted, you will see the impact of your decisions, which are only rendered when you click Apply.

Wrap Tool The Wrap tool allows you to stretch the 4 corners of an image, just as though the frame was elastic. By changing the relative position of one or more corners, you can achieve the impression of a wide variety of 3D perspectives.

X and Y fields for each corner point are located in the Tool: Wrap version of the Tool Panel. The Fill switch toggles tiling of the output to fill the frame. Clicking Preview permits interactive dragging of the target X and Y location of the 4 corner points in the Project window. Drag a single point with your LMB, or move all four points together by dragging inside the preview outline bounded by the four points. Dragging with your RMB scales the outline. Note that once again the Tool panel permits you to Move Image, Move Selection area, or both together.

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Note that Wrap mimics real world perspective. Thus any setting resulting in a non-rectangular shape actually has a vanishing point, which appears in the preview as a small box on the outline between two corners (you may need to Zoom the Project window out to see the full outline, in some cases.) If this virtual vanishing point appears in the frame, there will be a horizon in the frame. Areas ‘below’ this artificial horizon will be filled with the image output, while areas ‘above’ the horizon will be transparent. The vanishing point preview gadget can itself be dragged, as well.

Click Reset to restore default values, and Apply to complete the operation.

7.2.7. A/B Colors, Clear/Kill, REDO, UNDO The last row of the Main panel provides four more important items, discussed below. • A/B Colors - see Chapter 2 - Introducing Mirage, and Chapter 8 – Managing Color for more

information on the A and B Colors. • CLEAR/KILL - delete the contents of the current frame. • REDO - redo actions that have been undone (using the Undo function.) The Redo. Not to be

confused with ReApply (found in the Edit menu), which repeats the last action associated with a drawing tool or effect.

• UNDO - Undo actions in reverse order of their application (for information on configuring

memory for Undo, see Chapter 4 – Configuring Mirage.)

7.2.8. Drawing Constraints

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There are several methods of constraining Mirage’s drawing and effect modifications to certain parts or attributes of imagery (in addition to Selection Areas, discussed above.) These options are considered below.

Channel Preserving

There are four Channel buttons in the Main toolbar, as pictured above. These buttons stand for Alpha, Red, Green and Blue channels. When enabled, a button constrains modifications to pixels of an image to the channel designated. So, for example, if the Alpha channel is preserved (highlighted), only pixels with some measure of opacity can be modified. Consider an image wherein only part of the frame consists of opaque pixels, as for example a title graphic on a transparent background. If you enable Alpha Preserve, then drag out a filled rectangle covering the entire frame -- only the opaque title text will be re-colored by the painting action. Similarly, suppose you had an image containing three circles in pure red, green and blue. If you enable Preserve Blue, and then drag out a filled white rectangle over the frame, everything other than the blue circle will become white. Paper Textures

One of the realistic natural media functions Mirage offers is its Papers facility, enabled with the Main Toolbar button shown above.

Click this button to enable the currently selected paper, which will be used to modify the opacity of paint and effects applied to the screen.

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You select a paper in the Paper panel, which opens if you right-click the Papers button, or using the Windows menu. The Hardness in this panel control varies the intensity of the effect. If you like, you can create your own paper textures, adding the image to Mirage’s Papers directory (see the heading, User Accounts and Program Directories in Chapter 1 for more information.) Seamless images would normally be used, for obvious reasons. Only the luminosity values of paper images contribute to the effect when applied. Stencil Layers Any layer in a project can be designated as a Stencil Layer, using the Layer Panel stencil tools discussed back in Chapter 6 – Layer Management. Stencils have an impact on Mirage tools not unlike the Alpha Preserve (or Preserve Transparency) button (mentioned earlier in this sub-heading) in that they restrict modifications to areas of the frame where opaque pixels exist. However, Preserve Transparency protects pixels based on the opacity level of the current layer. A stencil can be in a different layer entirely, yet still serve as mask or matte for all other layers simultaneously.

Let’s consider an example. The waterfall image below is in the upper layer of a project. The white circle (on a transparent background) is beneath it, in a layer which has Stencil enabled in the Layers panel. The result, shown at right below, is what remains after clearing the frame with the Main Panel Kill button (we inverted the Stencil to get this effect.).

Source Layer Stencil Layer Result

The stencil’s influence has protected the content of all layers, forcing them to respect the opacity values of pixels in the stencil layer. It effectively extends its protective zone upward and downward through the entire stack of layers in a project.

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Stencil layers can even be Anim Layers, which makes for some interesting possibilities.

Note: if you wish to edit the stencil layer itself, the Stencil must be disabled (since its opacity is entirely protected while Stencil is enabled.).

7.2.9. The Coordinates Panel

The Coordinates panel is small, but very handy. Opened either from the Windows menu or by using the convenient Main Toolbar button (circled above), it provides useful information about the current pixel when you hover the drawing tool over your Project Window.

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The panel displays the current X/Y position, along with the RGB values of the pixel. A magnified view assists with placement and selection. The other two information fields are context sensitive – they shows things such as the length and angle of lines, radii of circles, and so on as you work with those tools!

7.2.10. ReApply (Edit Menu)

This little function, tucked away in the Edit menu, is nevertheless a very important one. At a glance, it seems similar to ReDo, but the reality is that ReApply is much more versatile. ReDo, ReApply, and History ReDo goes hand in hand with the Undo function. If you Undo an action, then change your mind, you can ReDo it. If you Undo several steps, you can reverse those steps, too – provided you haven’t performed some new operation in the interim, re-writing the undo history as it were. The history that ReApply uses, however, is conveniently drawing mode specific. Here’s an example: Paint a Freehand Line, using an airbrush in Color mode; then click Undo. Your drawing reverts to its former state. If you change the current A Color, then hit ReDo, the new A Color will not be respected – the old color is re-applied, just as before. This is because you are redoing exactly what was undone.

However, if you repeat the steps above but employ ReApply – the new color is used to paint the stroke. You can even change drawing tools, switching from the AirBrush to the PenBrush for example, without losing the stroke you created. Even if you switch stroke methods -- painting a rectangle instead, for instance -- ReApply still recalls your previous stroke in FreeHand mode! Switch back to FreeHand and ReApply, and you’ll see that this is so. And ReApply now remembers the last rectangle you created, too. Re-enable Rectangle mode and use ReApply to prove this to yourself.

Note: the convenient keyboard shortcut for ReApply is Enter.

This ability is very important, as it allows you to quickly test a variety of settings -- different pen tips, drawing modes, connection settings, colors, opacity, and so on. There is another benefit, as well… Reapply and Multi-frame Selections

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After testing a drawing or processing action on a single frame, you can Undo it, then multi-select as many frames as you like in Mirage’s Layer Panel, and hit Enter to ReApply the operation to all of them. This is very powerful, permitting you to quickly process a whole layer (even a different one) or any part of it.

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Chapter 8 Managing Color It would be hard to overstate the importance of color to most of Mirage’s users. If animation is the spirit of the Mirage, color is its lifeblood. Describing color and its use would tax the linguistic skills of any mortal, of course, so this chapter will leave your use of it to you while providing a review of the principal color-related tools Mirage offers. (Some associated matters, such as color correction and chromakeying, are considered further along in the manual in other contexts.)

8.1. Mirage Color Basics Mirage’s frames provide a color space for you to paint or draw into that is, in digital terms, 32 bits in depth. This is to say that in the parlance of the RGB (Red, Green, Blue) color system common to the digital realm, you have at your disposal the full dynamic range provided by 24 bits of color information per pixel, along with an additional 8 bits of transparency data. This translates into millions upon millions of discreet colors.

Note: some areas of Mirage’s color controls provide alternative color reference systems for your convenience, such as HSL values. This system uses Hue -- defined by a degree of rotation on a color wheel, saturation (or Soma) – the amount of the pure hue present, and Luminance (or Luma) values – the latter representing the brightness of the color. Where both color references are present in the interface, as in connection with color mixing, updating one modifies the other in tandem.

A palette displaying all available colors would be daunting indeed, so Mirage does it’s best to provide ready access to a useful but not overwhelming selection, with other ranges and color mixing tools conveniently at hand as well. As was mentioned earlier in this manual, two special colors are always at your fingertips in Mirage. These are the A and B Colors. At risk of repeating ourselves, let’s review and expand upon what we stated earlier:

8.1.1. A and B Colors The A Color is the current primary pen/brush color (some other programs might use the term foreground color.) The B Color is a secondary color that you can access very quickly. To make the current B color Mirage’s active color (A Color), use the shortcut key n. This swaps the current A Color into the secondary (B Color) position, ready to be recalled with another keystroke -- n again, of course.

The current A and B Colors are readily seen (and changed) in the two different places in the interface.

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It’s hard to conceive of a case where you would not want Mirage’s important Main Panel open, so one of it’s features is an A/B color gadget, circled in the image above. The circular center of the Main Panel A/B Color gadget shows the current A Color, while the background field shows the B Color. This gadget is more than a simple reference, however. If you click it, your cursor turns into a color picker. Clicking a second time anywhere on the Mirage screen resets the A Color using the color of the pixel you clicked. If you drag the mouse (keep the LMB depressed) while moving the color picker (cursor) around, the circular A Color swatch updates, showing the color that would be used if you released the button at that moment. To reset the B Color, toggle it ‘forward’ into the A position temporarily (using the n key), then send it back the same way after modification if you wish. The other location where these two colors make a prominent appearance is in the so-called Color Picker, also known as the Palette Panel. Really, this is their home, if you will, being the dwelling place of color creation and archiving tools along with quick access bins.

8.2. The Palette Panel

The Color Picker/Palette Panel is also so frequently used that most leave it open at all times. If it is not visible already, you can open it by clicking the Palette button in the Menu Toolbar, or by using the Windows menu item Palette Panel. The panel offers 4 tabbed optional views: Slider, Picker, Mixer, and Bin (shown below.) At the top, just beneath the tabs, are two large color swatches showing the current A and B Colors -- the larger swatch at left is the A color.

These larger swatches are similar to the corresponding Main Panel A/B Color gadgets, but have a few additional features. First, note that either one can be the active selection for modification. The A Color always remains the active drawing color for Mirage’s tools, but you designate either the A or B color swatch in this panel as the current candidate for changes. So, unlike the Main Panel gadgets, here you can directly set the B Color.

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Designate either color for modification by clicking its swatch. (This selection is persistent until you click the other swatch.) Having done that, you may pick a color from the bin, or use the tools provided in one of the other tabbed panels to arrive at a color. Or -- you can click the (already activated) swatch a second time, once again turning your cursor into a color-picker. As before, this allows you to pick a color from the screen (and again, the swatches update if you drag with the mouse button depressed.)

8.2.1. The Bin There are other, less obvious features related to the Palette Panel’s Bin tab. First, it’s worth mentioning that the panel can be resized (in the vertical dimension only), allowing you to view (and access) more colors. Simply drag the lower border of the panel in the normal fashion to do this. The default palette shown in the bin is a 16 x 16 matrix of ‘general purpose’ colors. It may suit your needs or not. Fortunately, it is readily modified and/or augmented. The matrix is actually bigger than 16 x 16 – that is to say, it can have many more colors. To add the currently active Palette Panel color (see above) to a new color well, click a square beneath the existing rows in the bin. You can add numerous colors in this fashion. The bin also features two context menus. Context Menus

If you click the RMB in the bin window, or on a (square) color well in the Bin, a context menu appears. The menu varies slightly depending on whether you click on an occupied square or an empty one. We’ll consider the common menu items first. Palette Panel: Bin Context Menu • Presets - switch palettes by selecting from one of these presets (add custom palettes to the

list using the File menu, discussed below.) • Add/Replace Color - add the current active color (see body text for discussion) to an empty

well, or replace the current color in an occupied well. • New Palette - empty the Bin window to provide space for you to define a new palette. • Copy Palette - make a duplicate of the current bin to permit a new palette to be based on the

current one. • Rename Palette - opens a text requester allowing you to enter a new name.

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• Delete Palette - removes the current palette from the Preset list and Bin window, but does

not delete the actual file from the hard drive. Context Menu - File • Load – load a Palette file you have saved to the system hard drive • Save – save the current palette under a unique filename (with a .pal extension) • Default – replace the current palette with the Mirage default Three more items appear in the context menu when you open it from an occupied color well: Swap Color exchanges the contents of two color wells in the Bin matrix. To use Swap, click (LMB) a color well to select it, then RMB-click a different well to open the menu and select Swap.

Spread works somewhat similarly in that you select one well, then RMB-click another to make the menu selection. However in this case, Mirage modifies the contents of all intervening wells to create a smooth color transition -- basically a 2-color gradient -- between the two selections. The context menu item Remove Color empties the selected well completely.

8.2.2. The Slider Tab

This panel’s use is pretty self-explanatory. As usual, the A and B colors are presented at the top. Below that are six sliders, displayed on gradient color strips -- one for each of the three values of the RGB and HSL color systems (discussed at the outset.) The RGB and HSL values are “locked”, so that adjusting one updates the other as appropriate. The slider position at any moment represents the values for a given color channel of the Palette Panel’s active color (which can be either A or B, according to which swatch above was most recently clicked.) To move a slider, simply drag its control button. If you click to the left or right of the control, you will adjust the value for that channel up or down in increments of 1. If you click the RMB at any

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point on the gradient bar, the value jumps immediately to that position. Of course you can directly enter values in the numeric fields provided as well.

8.2.3. The Picker Tab

The Picker tab provides a number of other interesting color selection possibilities. In addition to the ever present A & B color swatches, it offers a large display window on the left, and a vertical slider on the right. The contents of the window and the value controlled by the slider vary according to the current selections in the Picker’s context menu.

Open this by clicking the RMB over the display window. Selecting one of these options transforms the slider into a controller for the channel selected. The display window content is initially based on the (Palette Panel’s) current active color. So, for example, should you choose Hue, the slider positions correspond to the entire spectrum of pure colors. In this case, the display in the window will show the current active color in the upper left corner. The resulting colors from all variations of Saturation between 255 and 0 will be displayed from left to right across the display, while the vertical coefficient corresponds to values between 255 (at the top) and 0 (at the bottom.)

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Choosing Luminosity or Saturation instead will give the slider control over that attribute instead, and the display window will show the possible variations based on the full range of the other two related values – beginning again with the current active color values. These two options often provide a subtlety hard to achieve using RGB values alone. Similarly, choosing Blue, Green or Red from the menu gives the slider control over the selected channel, and the display window will show the result of varying that color component. To modify the active color, you can simply adjust the slider to a new position, or click in the display window to pick directly from the colors in it. Again, you can LMB-drag in this display until you see the active color you want, then release the button.

8.2.4. The Mixer Tab

The Mixer tab provides a facility that mimics the mixing area of a physical painter’s palette. By dragging the LMB in the display window, you mix Mirage’s A Color into the extant blend. You can continue to drag, swirling the colors about just like real paint. This interactive mixing feature mandates a different color selection method for this tab. When you see a color you like and want to select it, hold down the Ctrl key when you click it (Ctrl + drag works in the same fashion as simple dragging does in the other panels, too.) The Mixer panel has a unique context menu as well, opened with an RMB-click in the mixer display. It offers a nice selection of presets, but naturally you can Import and Export your own creations using the File menu item. Interestingly, these presets are image files, and can be loaded into and modified in Mirage proper, using any of the painting and drawing tools. As well, you can take advantage of this aspect of the mixer to load any image you like – even a photo -- to use as a starting point (in any supported file format.)

8.2.5. The Status Line

At the bottom of most variants of the Palette Panel is a versatile Status Line. Its readouts vary a bit from one incarnation to another, but basically provide information about either the active color or, when in a color selection mode (as when dragging the mouse in a mixer window), the pixel under the pointer at the moment.

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The Status Line can display color values in either HSL or RGB formats, and will show either Red, Green, Blue coefficients, or the corresponding Hue, Saturation and Luminosity value. Clicking directly on the Status Line cycles the units displayed from one format to the other. The leftmost field in the Status Line provides some other environmental information, such as the name of the current palette or mixer preset, or perhaps which channel is assigned to the slider when using the Picker tab.

8.3. Gradients Many of Mirage’s Drawing Tools offer Gradient options. All of the Filled Shape tools do, and many of the other tools can as well. Tools other than the filled shape selections apply the gradient on the basis of the opacity of the paint applied, which permits some astonishing results, at times far exceeding the effect of natural media tools (the glowing streak below was easily created with a single stroke of a gradient Airbrush.)

Note: when applied with tools other than Filled Shapes, a Gradient’s own inherent transparency is ignored. Color useage varies according to the opacity of the paint applied, with the color at the left end of the gradient being used where opacity is lowest, and the color at the right being deposited in 100% opaque areas.

When the current Drawing Tool selection permits, a gradient enable/disable switch appears in the Options list of the Tool Panel, along with a Gradient Display Strip.

The Gradient Display Strip is in fact a control as well. Click and hold the LMB on it to display a menu listing a number of preset gradients (including your own custom ones.) If you want to open the Gradient Panel (discussed shortly) to modify the current gradient, or create a new one, click the RMB on this panel.

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When a Filled Shape painting operation is chosen in the Main Panel, another set of five control buttons appears just under the Gradient Display Strip. The highlighted button sets the Gradient Fill Type, as explained shortly. First, though, a note regarding the way you control gradient application in Mirage. When you drag out a Filled Shape (or use FloodFill) and Gradient is enabled in the Tool Panel, the shape is not immediately painted. Instead, it’s outline appears in dashed form, and your cursor turns into a compass pointer. This is to remind you that you must now drag out a vector to show the origin, direction (where applicable) and extent along which your gradient will be applied.

This vector provides substantially extended interactive control to the artist, determining just how the gradient will appear in the result. For example, the three Filled Circles here all resulted from drawing the gradient control vector differently, as shown by the red streak overlaid on them.

In addtion to the three factors under the influence of the gradient control vector, the five Gradient Type buttons mentioned earlier above affect the overall nature of the Gradient, as explained in the following list.

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Tool Panel: Gradient Types • Linear

The gradient is painted on the angle set by the vector, with the left-most color being applied at the origin (and any part of the shape “behind’ it in the opposite direction of the control vector.) • Spherical

The gradient is centered on the control vector’s origin, and spreads outward from it. The breadth of any color bands resulting is proportional to the length of the vector. • Bi-Linear

Similar to Linear, but proceeding in both directions from the center of the vector. • Radial

The gradient sweeps counter-clockwise around the origin, beginning with the left-most color at a line corresponding to the vector drawn • Rectangular

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Similar in usage to Spherical, but resulting in a rectangular pattern.

8.3.1. The Gradient Panel Finally, we come to the Gradient Panel itself. You may recall it can be opened by an RMB-click on the Tool Panel’s Gradient Display Strip or from the Windows Menu item, Gradient Panel.

The cycle menu at upper left provides a convenient list of preset gradients to chose from. You can, of course, create a New gradient using the button provided. You will be prompted to supply a name for your gradient. To begin with, the new gradient will comprise the current A and B colors and an interpolated range between them. Copy, by contrast, creates a duplicate of the current gradient, which you can modify to suit your need without ruining the original. Naturally, you can Rename the current gradient using that button, while Delete removes it from the preset list – but not from the hard drive, in the case of a gradient file you may have loaded. Clicking Invert reverses the order of colors in the current gradient. As you would expect, the File menu permits you to Save and Load custom gradients (gradient filenames have the extension .grd appended.) The File menu also holds a Default Gradients option, which restores the standard list of presets. The two numeric fields (with mini-sliders), Spread and Dither, both serve to add noise to the gradient, Spread settings resulting in a little more coarsely grained pattern. Notice that these parameters use a random seed value, which can be varied by LMB-dragging on the uppermost of the gradient display strips discussed next.

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The top strip displays the Result of your combined settings. The middle strip is where you designate or modify the Colors comprising the gradient, using nodes (the small square gadgets surmounted by triangles beneath it) to position colors along its length. Color nodes are added by clicking in the area where they appear beneath the Colors strip. You can add nodes at your pleasure, or simply use the two that always exist -- the start and end nodes (which are fixed in place) -- to define your range. Added nodes can be LMB-dragged to new positions to modify the gradient; otherwise, RMB-clicking to the left or right of a node causes the selected node to jump to that position.

Just above the Colors strip is another control area, which will contain one of more triangular gadgets. These are gradient bias controls. By default, a bias control exists at the midpoint between any two nodes. Dragging it left or right biases the color interpolation between the nodes, skewing it so that the transition is weighted toward one node or another. You can also RMB-click the bias control area to jump the selected control to a new position. When you move a bias control close to a node, the gradation of colors at that point is very sharply defined. RMB-clicking on a bias control provides a Center option. When selected, the selected control will be centered between its two nodes. Nodes, too, feature a context menu that pops up when you RMB-click them. The options in it include Delete (node) and several other items to do with its color. You can choose APen or Bpen to set the selected node to either the A or B Color, or Pick Color to choose a color from anywhere on the Mirage screen. Before considering the Alpha strip, let’s sidestep to discuss the buttons at the bottom of the panel since they largely correspond to the options in the node context menu.

This Delete button deletes the currently selected node. Next to it are found three color wells, and matching checkboxes. Selecting one of the three boxes sets the current node to use the neighboring color selection, which from left to right are – Color, Apen or Bpen. The Color used by that option is a custom color, picked from the interface in the usual fashion – that is, by first clicking the color well, then picking a color. The last control area to consider is the Alpha display strip. It has nodes and bias control just like the Colors strip, but in this case the nodes set the opacity value for the gradient at that point in the range. The effect of the Alpha control settings is indicated by a checkerboard pattern appearing in the Result display strip.

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When you select an alpha node, the color controls at the bottom of the panel are removed, being replaced with an Alpha value field and min-slider. Alternatively, you can right-click a node to open a small context menu with Delete (node) and Set Alpha options.

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Chapter 9 Managing Animation and Effects Besides offering drawing and painting functions, Mirage is above all else an animation program. (Remember that from Mirage’s perspective, any motion sequence, whether hand-drawn, rendered 3D animation, or even video footage is an animation sequence!)

As well, it offers a plethora of powerful digital effects to enhance both still images and animated sequences. In this chapter, we’ll bring together some of Mirage’s major features – most of which having been discussed in some depth earlier -- doing so this time to show how they work together to provide powerful animation ability. We’ll also fully explore the Light Table, mentioned only in passing in Chapter 2, and the important keyframe concept.

Too, we will introduce you to Mirage’s effects, since they too can contribute to animation, and indeed can often be animated. For the most part, individual effects and filters are considered in

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their own contexts in chapters to come, but we will consider the concepts underlying their implementation and use at this point.

9.1. The Animation Environment We’ve looked at most of the major elements of Mirage’s animation environment already. In Chapters 2 and 3, we discussed the nature of animation, being a sequence of image frames displayed in rapid succession. We considered how Mirage deals with these concepts principally by providing the Anim Layer type -- a sequence of frames (empty or not, as the case may be) into which you can paint or load imagery. Image layers, by contrast, may or may not be part of the overall animation project, but in any case serve only to contribute static elements.

The Layers Panel provides a timeline overview of these layers and their relationship, along with assorted tools -- as discussed back in Chapter 6. The Project Window (Chapter 3) displays the current frame at the current time position, and the Project Properties (Chapter 4) in turn govern the matters of resolution and framerate, along with interlace fielding issues related to video display formats (considered in more depth in Chapter 11 – Video and Keying.) We have also reviewed, in Chapter 3, the Project Preview, which permits flexible playback of the animation project for motion test purposes. We touched briefly on the Light Table earlier too, but we’ll provide an exhaustive look at it in this chapter. Finally, we looked at the loading and exporting media files as well as the nature and use of Mirage Project files in Chapter 5.

9.1.1. Basic Workflow Concepts Initially, to create an animation, you will open a new project (though of course you could load a sequence or animation file instead.) By default, new projects contain a single layer, with a single frame in it at the default global time starting position 0. The default layer is an Image Layer, as it happens.

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No matter how long you display the contents of an Image Layer, it can hardly be considered animated -- nothing is going to move, so you’ll want to convert it to an Anim Layer, or add another layer of that type. The Layer Panel offers both possibilities. For now, simply right-click on the default layer in the timeline pane and select Make Anim from the context menu. Adding Frames Even though the layer is now an Anim Layer, it’s still just one frame in duration. And – it’s empty. So you have a choice. You can paint something into it, then stretch the layer out to a new duration … or, stretch the layer first and then paint something. The order of operations does make a difference!

When you Stretch a layer (by dragging one of the layer handles – in this case, likely the last one) you are offered some optional Stretch Modes. As it would apply to our little project, if the layer already has content, we could Repeat that single frame. This would copy its content to all the new ones. Or we can opt to Add Empty Images. (The same choices are available if the frames are empty of course, but Repeat rather loses its benefit if the source frame is empty.) (Alternatively, you can add frames to the current layer using the Insert Images or Duplicate Images items in the timeline pane’s context menu, or the corresponding Images menu items.) Drawing Tools, Frames, and Layers If there was ever something beyond the scope of a few paragraphs, it would be telling you how to draw. Chapter 7 in this manual spent more than 50 pages exploring the drawing and painting tools Mirage places at your fingertips, and we will won’t repeat all that here. However, we can touch on some fundamentals that may help you work efficiently with Mirage. Remember that each individual frame in the Anim Layer is independent, being analogous to the pages of a physical flipbook or sprocketed frames of a movie film. Selected frames in a layer can be cut, copied and pasted -- within a layer, or between layers -- or even from project to project. Blank frames can be inserted, or appended (or prepended) to a layer as necessary. The Layer Panel controls these matters, though many standard keyboard shortcuts (such as Ctrl + c, Ctrl + v, Ctrl + x, and even Ctrl + z for Undo) can also be used.

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Frame selections for cut and paste operations (as well as other purposes) are made by dragging the mouse in the local time scale under a layer, as detailed in Chapter 6). Interestingly, since (as mentioned in Chapter 7) drawing tools remember your last stroke with them, you can lay down a stroke, click Undo (or press either u or Ctrl + z), then re-apply the same stroke to a selected range of frames by pressing Enter (to Re-apply.) You can even modify you brush or tool settings and color before doing so! This takes the tedium out of experimentation. Not to be overlooked either are animbrushes, which can paint their multi-frame content down into a succession of selected frames (Chapter 2) using either the Effect Stack or simple Drawing Tools, Re-applied (using the Enter key.) Layer Usage Concepts Mirage’s unlimited 32 bit layers make it possible to treat and control disparate elements of your animation independently, in several ways.

For example, you may use a single frame in a single Image Layer as a static backdrop for foreground action drawn in an upper Anim Layer. You could manually stretch the Image Layer to a suitable duration, or often simply enable a layer Loop Mode instead, to keep the background image onscreen indefinitely. Again, recall that Mirage’s layers are top dominant, and can be re-ordered (by dragging their icon in the Layer Panel) to place the content of one behind another. And of course, layer Opacity plays a role in determining whether or not lower layers appear through opaque pixels in the upper layers. Likewise, layer (and frame) selections can be used in concert with image processing effects and other filters to modify individual elements of an animation to suit the need. Time is, of course, an important dimension of animation. Mirage permits you to slide whole layers left or right in the timeline pane of the Layers Panel to adjust their timing relative to other layers, and the project itself. You can even Stretch or shrink a layer (with or without inter-frame Interpolation – Chapter 6) to modify it’s run time, or for other reasons. Animation Visualization At any given point in time, the Project Window presents a “time slice” of the animation. You can scrub through the frame by dragging with the LMB in the Project Window, Layer Panel or Remote Control time scales, or by using the cursor (arrow) keys.

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The Project Window display is governed in turn by various settings – the Display Settings detailed in Chapter 3, along with the Visibility Column controls of the Layer Panel (Chapter 6.) These setting act in concert to provide various useful ways to view the project in all its glory, or just isolated elements of it while hiding others. Of course motion Previews are vital, and have been previously detailed in Chapter 3 (do remember, though, that the Preview playback framerate can be different than the project framerate, in order to accommodate various host system limitations.) But given the painstaking nature of hand-drawn animation in particular, Mirage’s Light Table is a tremendous asset. Let’s look at it in depth now.

9.2. The Light Table The light table is a familiar tool in the world of animation and graphic design, and Mirage provides a wonderfully versatile counterpart. The Light Table function displays the contents of a number of successive animation frames in the Project Display window simultaneously.

Animators can use the illuminated ‘fore’ and ‘aft’ frames as a convenient motion reference while working on the current frame. Counting outwards along the Mirage timeline from the current frame, the Light Table can illuminate up to 21 frames -- 10 frames in both fore and aft directions. Although images from a number of frames are illuminated (visible in the display) only the current frame can actually be edited.

9.2.1. Light Table: Project Menu Options The Mirage Main Menu option Project> Light Table> Front/Back changes the manner in which the Light Table illuminates activated frames. The default setting is Back. In that mode, illuminated frames appear behind each other in succession (as they are further away from the current timeline frame.) When Front is selected, illuminated frames appear to be superimposed above the current frame.

9.2.2. Light Table: Layer Tool

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The Light Table works on a ‘per layer’ basis. Each Anim Layer has its own independent Light Table tool in Mirage’s Layer Panel (Image Layers do not offer the LT tool, for obvious reasons.) Clicking the LMB on the Light Table tool (LT) for a Layer enables the Light Table for that layer alone. You can enable the function for just one layer, or several layers. The Light Table respects Layer Panel Hide states, as well as Mirage’s global layer display mode, found in the Layer menu, Display All > Current Layer.

9.2.3. Light Table: Settings Panel

Light Table controls and settings are found in several convenient places throughout Mirage’s interface. The principal Light Table Panel (shown below) opens with a click on the LT icon (seen above) in Mirage’s Main Toolbar, or an RMB-click on an LT gadget in the Layer Panel.

Note: the LT button only opens and closes the Light Table Panel. It has no effect on the state of the tool (as to whether it is enabled or disabled.)

The Light Table Panel is used to configure global Light Table options. These settings are used universally by each layer with its own LT setting enabled. The panel can be used to toggle the Light Table on and off, but only when the LT tool is already activated for a layer. In reciprocal manner, if no LT Settings Panel options are active, enabling the Light Table tool in the Layer Panel will have no effect. Note: the LT Settings Panel need not be open (nor need the main LT button in the Mirage toolbar be selected) for the function to work when a layer’s LT tool is enabled.

9.2.4. Light Table: Options

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• Level Sliders - the sliders establish the level used by the LT to illuminate a given frame in the fore and aft LT spans. Level 100 sets the illumination of the active frame at its maximum (up to the limit of the global setting.)

• Select (All) – globally enable or disable all fore and aft sliders

• Link - selecting this button links level sliders, so that adjusting one affects its neighbors.

• LT Span - activate up to 10 frames fore and aft of the current timeline position (represented by 0). When enabled, the LT illuminates active frames.

• Color - Fore and aft Color Switches and Swatches allow you to independently tint the frame spans included in the LT display

• Global Level Toggle - governs the maximum illumination the LT can achieve. This permits quick adjustment of the overall level without the need to disrupt your existing illumination settings. De-activating the global level switch disables the LT for all layers. Put another way, when this box is not illuminated, the LT will not work.

• Front - when selected, active LT frames will be superimposed above the current frame. Normally, they seem to underlie it, with frames furthest from the current one (temporally) drawn nearest the ‘bottom.’

• Minimize/Maximize - show either the Compact or Normal version of the LT Settings

Panel.

9.2.5. The Compact LT Panel

The compact LT Settings panel provides most of the functionality of the full version, but takes up less space on the screen. Its controls function in the same manner as the larger version.

9.3. Effects and Plugins

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While Mirage is primarily a drawing, paint, and animation program, it also provides a deep array of related tools. These permit the artist/animator not only to create and manage imagery, but also to modify and enhance it in various ways -- some subtle and others quite extreme.

So, while not primarily a compositing program, Mirage does provide compositing tools. Though not primarily a file utility, it provides powerful conversion tools. As well, it features a wealth of image manipulation tools that fall loosely into the category of Effects!

9.3.1. Effect Category Overview Some of Mirage’s numerous Effects are of the Image Processing variety, discussed in Chapter 12. For the most part, these alter color attributes of the existing project imagery in some fashion. Color Adjust, Mirror and Wave are examples of this class. Also dealt with as a group in this manual are Motion Effects (Chapter 20.) The connection these have to an animation program may seem more obvious, since they largely have to do with adding moving imagery to the project (or sometimes, moving existing imagery to animate it.) The KeyFramer and Path Recorder fall into this category. Several other effects could have been included with the motion effects but for the fact that their most common application suits them better to the Video Utility group, discussed along with the Keying effects (which could also be considered Image Processing effects, in another context.) as part of Chapter 11. The 2 Stabilization effects are lumped together in this class, along with Transitions, and a miscellany of video-related filters.

9.3.2. Applying Effects, Mirage-style We’ll consider the specifics momentarily, but briefly -- Effects are applied in Mirage by selecting a frame or frame selection in a layer, and processing that range with the selected Effect (which will usually offer a number of variable settings.) As you might hope for in an animation program, almost every Effect setting can be animated – that is, it’s value can change over time at your discretion.

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The mechanism for varying Effect settings in this fashion is the keyframe. Basically, a keyframe locks in a fixed value (for a setting) at a given point in time relative to Mirage’s time scale. Anytime that at least two keyframes exist for any of an Effect’s parameters and the values at the keyframes differ, Mirage interpolates the value between the two keyframes when the Effect is applied. This is an important concept in Mirage, and we will spend a few lines on it presently. Speaking of applying Effects, let’s clear up something that can confuse New Mirage users. Not a few expect its workflow to conform to some well-known effects and composting programs they have previous experience with. The WYSIWIG (What You See is What You Get) Approach It is traditional in such dedicated compositing applications to prepare a “comp,” “stack,” “build,” or “flow.” Though variously worded, these expressions all refer to the fact that the project in these programs, as you work with it at any moment, really represents a collection of settings you intend to apply -- not actual work performed. The various effects (with all of their timing factors and variable settings) and links to any source media files are used to present you with previews, animated or still. Only when you commit to a render, applying the effects you have set up to the source media, is anything actually produced. There are some advantages to this approach, but it hardly need be pointed out that none of these applications, as useful as they may be as effect generators and compositors, has any significant drawing or painting ability after the fashion of Mirage! Versatile as it is, Mirage is not primarily an Effects application. The core of Mirage’s interactive feel and responsive drawing ability is the fact that, when you work with it, you are actually creating or updating your imagery – full size -- in real time. The same thing is true when Effects are applied. Other Workflow Considerations

While you can apply a battery of effects in a single pass using the FX Stack if you like, once you Apply them, they are actually applied! No further rendering is necessary. Clearly this is a different matter than working in downscaled previews, and it calls for a different workflow when working with effects. You can Undo if you wish to make a change – or use duplicate layers experiment with, but think of the Apply FX Stack button as rendering. Similarly, when you Save a Project File, you are saving the component project layers along with Project Properties, but pointedly not any laboriously arrived at Effects settings you may have applied to the imagery. To preserve those settings for later use, use the Bins in the FX Stack instead.

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9.3.3. Effects versus Plugins

Unlike Mirages’ predecessors, the Main Menu now hosts two items related to what were previously termed filters – the Effects menu, and the Plugins menu. Earlier incarnations required each filter to be applied separately, one by one. Filters came in several flavors: there were integrated filters, part of the program proper, as well as third-party plugins, hardware-related plugins, and External Filters. Further complicating things, each one might offer it’s own unique interface. The Effects menu and the related FX Stack panel change all that. Together, they provide the means to apply effects singly or en masse, along with a host of new features, effects, and functionality. Most of the existing filters have been re-written (and enhanced) for use in “the stack.” We’ll discuss Mirage’s important FX Stack in detail shortly. Still, it would be a shame if Mirage did not provide a way for those who use third-party filters from continuing to benefit from these (while waiting for their developers to port them to the new format). Enter the Plugins menu. It is home base for these External and third-party filters, along with some other legacy effects and filters. (When opened from the Plugins menu, filters and effects are applied in the older serial fashion, and are free to use their own interface panels.) Individual plugins included with Mirage will be considered in this manual along with the Effects group they are most nearly related to.

9.3.4. The Effects Menu

The Effects menu lists all Mirage Effects that are FX Stack compliant, doing so in the same groups the Stack’s own Add Effect menu orders them. The top two items in the Effects menu, however, are special. The Multiple/Simple Effects items determine whether the FX Stack is going to be tasked with controlling a single Effect, much like Plugins are applied, or whether you want to use it to apply a sequence of Effects – batch processing the imagery, as it were. When Simple Effect is checkmarked, a subsequent Effect selection made from the menu will cause that Effect to usurp the place of any existing Effect already in the Stack. Otherwise, when Multiple Effects is selected, subsequent additions initially appear above those already listed in the Stack panel. Since all other selections that can be made in this menu are duplicated in the Effect Stack panel, we’ll discuss them under that heading.

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9.4. Effects, and The FX Stack

The FX Stack Panel can be opened in several ways. You can use the icon button in the Main Toolbar, as seen above, or the Windows Menu point. Alternatively, selecting any effect from the Effects Menu will add that effect to the Stack Panel and open it, if not already onscreen (if the Panel is in Simple mode, the newly added filter displaces any existing entry in the Stack.)

9.4.1. Effect Stack Advantages You may notice that some filters duplicate functions found readily at hand elsewhere in Mirage, notably in the Main Panel. For example, the Main Panel’s Wrap tool and the Effect menu’s Perspective: 4 Point effect provide virtually identical results. The seeming redundancy does serve a purpose, however. When applied as an effect, settings can be keyframed to vary over time. This is not possible using the Main Panel tools. The Effect Stack offers other advantages, too. Notably, it can be left open for convenient access to the filter list -- but that’s by no means all. It also allows the sequential application of multiple filters in a single render pass, and filter settings can be connected to one another. So, for example, the direction of a Drop Shadow filter can be drawn from the corresponding setting of a Bevel filter listed earlier in the same Effect Stack. Animating the direction setting over time automatically affects both filters, easily adding a realistic impression that the light source is moving. In the example below, the gradient background was also added at the same time, using the Background Generator effect.

Another advantage: each effect in a stack can draw on different source imagery, whether from a project layer, custom brush, the output of other filters or even other projects! Settings of an individual filter or even the entire stack can be saved to a Bin for instant recall, another powerful Mirage feature. Let’s use a simple example to explore the FX Stack’s basic features. But first, remember that effects are applied to the current frame, or to a selected range of frames. Frame selections are performed in the Layer Panel, as discussed in the Chapter 6. Basically, in the Layer Panel, drag the LMB in the local time scale under a layer to select a frame range. Note that the Effect Stack, discussed next, also provides controls that dictate the source of imagery to be processed.

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9.4.2. Stack Header Tools Again, we’ll run through an example to explore the Stack’s tools. The Add Effect drop-down menu in the upper left corner of the Panel lists all available effects (or at least, all those that are stack-friendly.) We’ve used it to add the Center Blur effect from the Blur group.

The Option menu is next, and provides Options, Reset All and Delete All selections. Reset All removes all keyframes and restores default values for all variable parameters of all effects in the Stack List. Delete All removes all effect entries from the window.

The FX Stack Bin menu is very important. Selecting Add from it stores the current Stack List, complete with all keyframed settings for each entry to an internal preset list for quick recall on another occasion (Bin files have a .bin filename extension.) Import and Export allow for alternative Bins to be saved under unique filenames and reloaded or shared. Recent Bins are listed at the bottom of the menu convenience. The remainder of the FX Stack Panel itself is deceptively simple. Depth (Front/Back) and Close gadgets adorn the upper right corner, as you would expect, and the panel can be re-sized vertically by dragging the lower border. A scrollbar on the right-hand side allows you to pan the Stack Effects List when necessary.

At the very bottom of the panel is the broad Apply FX Stack button. Clicking it renders all activated effects in the list to the each frame in the current layer selection.

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The Preview button serves more than one purpose. As you probably suspected by now, enabling it shows a preview of your effect on the current frame – not a small thumbnail preview, but a full size one right in the Project Window. More than this, however, for many effects it also enables Mirage’s HUD – the powerful Heads Up Display that appears as an overlay on the Project Window to let you set many effect parameters interactively.

9.4.3. Split Preview In version 1.2, a new Preview menu has been added to the FX Stack footer. This feature permits you to split your Project Window Preview into “before” and “after” views. (Naturally, the nearby master Preview switch continues to control whether or not the Preview is being displayed.)

Using this menu, you may selectively preview the result (of enabled effects in the FX Stack) in the Left, Right, Top or Bottom quadrants of the Project Window. The accompanying example previews the result of a Mosaic and Color Adjust operation to an image on the Top part of the display. The lower portion continues to show the unprocessed imagery.

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Note that the Preview sports HUD control. The thin red line separating the “before” and “after” regions is activated (and highlighted) by hovering the mouse above it outside the active image area. When active, it can be dragged to a new position. This permits you to define the bounds of the two areas interactively.

9.4.4. Effect Stack Preview and the HUD

Mirage’s HUD (how apropos for a program named Mirage) is a multi-function overlay that feeds values from it’s control gadgets back to the effect settings of entries in the Stack Effect List. When more than one (active) effect is in the list, the Preview will show the combined result. Thankfully, however, the HUD only presents control gadgets relevant to the (single) currently selected effect* in the Stack List. The image above shows several controls:

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The white control circle has two small red handles at left and right. Dragging either one adjusts the radius setting of the effect. The center of the circle has another gadget that can be dragged to relocate the X and Y coordinates of the Blur’s origin. Recall too that the Preview is showing us the net result of the Effect Stack at a single point in time, that is -- at the current frame. If we do not set any keyframes, to lock in other values at other time positions in the project, this set of values is applied constantly throughout the frame range selected. However, if you look closely, you’ll see a faint line leading off to the lower-left corner of the preview in this case. We have set a second keyframe (in fact, it’s the first keyframe of this effect) in that corner. The Radius values and origin at the two keyframes are such that the effect will be go from a tightly focused blur that completely obscures image detail to one which shows the lotus blossom flaring outwards. The two keyframes are marked in the HUD by small squares. Although you can move from one to the other for editing purposes several other ways, it’s quite convenient to be able to simply click one directly in the Project Window to select it instead. The project’s current frame updates accordingly to show the new time position. As mentioned, other HUD gadgets are provided as appropriate. These will be discussed in ensuing chapters in connection with various effects.

*Note: to make an Effect the current one (for editing purposes), click on its titlebar. When an effect is the current selection in the list, its control panel is drawn in a lighter shade than other list entries.

Before continuing to look at some controls and features common to FX Stack entries, let’s take the time to review the use of keyframes in Mirage.

9.5. Working with Keyframes The subject of keyframes has arisen not only earlier in this chapter, but way back in Chapter 2, and later in the context of the Layer Panel’s timeline controls (Chapter 6.) It has been explained how a keyframe essentially locks an adjustable setting* (or a number of such settings) to a specific value at a specific point in time.

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*Note: optional settings can properly be referred to as parameters. Said parameters in turn control attributes -- of an effect, a tool, a color value, opacity level, and so on. Not all parameters can be varied over time (animated), but most can.

Some, like the power of an airbrush, can vary dynamically according to user input … how hard you press on a stylus, for example. Others must be keyframed to set the values that apply at given points in time. Parameters than are not constant are variously referred to as animatable, keyframeable, or simply as variables.

In our Center Blur example above, two keyframes were used to lock down different values for X and Y positions and Radius – the keyframes were at the beginning and end of the sequence. Of course, an effect can be applied without setting any keyframes at all. In this case, when you apply the effect, the settings (entered in the effects numeric fields or established using the HUD control gadgets) are applied without variance through the entire range of selected frames. Creating Keyframes To vary any parameter of an effect over time, though, a minimum number of two keyframes are required. In Mirage, you set keyframes for an effect parameter by clicking the Create Key button for that parameter in the effect’s settings panel.

Initially, when no keyframe exists for the setting at the current timeline position, these buttons appears as a C (Create), next to parameter value fields. Clicking once sets a keyframe for that value at that time position, and the button changes to a highlighted D, which stands for Delete*.

*Note: alternatively, you can select Create Key or Delete Key in the keyframe context menu found in the timeline pane of the Layer Panel.

Setting a single keyframe enables AutoCreate (keyframe) for that parameter. After this, if you move to a different timeline position and adjust the setting (using either the effect’s setting panel or the HUD control gadgets), a new keyframe is set – for that parameter only. So, to begin the process, it is necessary to deliberately set keyframes (click the C button) for any parameter you wish to animate. Then simply move to another frame and change any of the already keyframed values to create a new keyframe. Keyframe Displays

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The Layer Panel provides a number of keyframe-related features and functions. These have been touched on in Chapter 6, but we’ll re-iterate some aspects here, In the accompanying illustration, again based on our Center Blur example, the current point in time -- or current frame position – is frame 0, the first frame of the layer. The current frame position is visible in the Project Window Preview Control Panel (and in the Remote Control when open), and in the Layer Panel’s timeline. Information and control items related to keyframes at any time position appear in all of the above, as well as the Effect Stack. And of course, the HUD plays an important role, as noted previously.

The highlighted areas in the image above all correspond to the same keyframe, established at frame 0: The HUD (in the Project Window) shows a preview of the effect at the current keyframe (marked in the HUD by a small green square) along with relevant control gadgets. It also shows the location of other keyframes established for the selected effect, as a red square; and, when movement is involved, the path between them. The control panel for the selected effect in the FX Stack shows two highlighted D buttons next to the Position (X/Y) and Radius fields. This indicates that keyframes exist for those values at the current frame. Clicking a D button would delete them. The numeric fields show the keyframed value. The Timeline Pane in the Layer Panel shows keyframes as + markers, displayed in the keyframe area just beneath the layer’s local timescale. Just to the left, in the Layer List column, the (currently selected) effect name is shown, and -- if the Keyframe list is expanded, using the gadget next to the effect name -- the label of each of its keyframed parameters. There are numerous other keyframe-related features here, and we will examine this area more closely in a moment.

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Keyframe Navigation Once some keyframes have been set, you will often want to move from one to another to fine-tune the settings. Mirage offers a number of ways to do so conveniently.

The small triangular gadgets next to the Create/Delete button in the effect’s control panel make it easy to see if keyframes exist at the current frame, or in either direction (along the timeline) from it. If a value is keyframed at the current frame, the Create/Delete button itself is highlighted. The neighboring triangles are Next/Previous Keyframe gadgets. If either of them is black (rather them simply outlined), another keyframe exists for that value in corresponding direction. Clicking the gadget will jump the current position to that keyframe.

You can also use the HUD keyframe gadgets to jump from one keyframe to another – simply click on a keyframe marker to make it the current one. Keyframe shortcuts are useful too – use Page Down/Up keys to jump to neighboring keyframes. Finally, you can simply use the Layer Panel to move from keyframe to keyframe, in several ways. There are so many important keyframe functions in the Layer Panel that we’ll focus on it in some detail now (remember that some of these functions are considered back in Chapter 6.)

9.5.1. Keyframes in the Layer Panel The Layers Panel controls and features have been reviewed before, but now we want to see how these features combine to provide control related to animation and animated effects. Since so much of these matters is related to the concept of keyframing, that’s where we’ll focus our attentions now. We’ve seen how to set keyframes using the Create/Delete buttons in the FX Stack, and mentioned that this can also be done using the timeline pane’s keyframe context menu.

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We’ve also note that an area of the Layer Panel has been devoted to keyframes – the Layer List column shows the current effect name, and beside that an Expand/Collapse gadget that can be toggled to show the full list of its keyframed parameters. In the timeline pane, keyframes are marked by a + sign, as mentioned above. When the effect’s keyframe list is collapsed, a single keyframe set is displayed beneath the layer -- the parent keyframe row, as it were. When the keyframe list is expanded, child keyframe rows are shown for each keyframed variable. In the illustration that follows, you can see the Center Blur parent keyframe row beneath the layer’s local timescale, with three child keyframe rows underneath.

Interestingly, you can see that the child row for the Power variable is shorter than the others, having only one keyframe marked by a + sign. It is really not necessary to use a single keyframe in this way, but it was done to show how each variables can have it’s own independent keyframe positions. Note, as well, that the master keyframe row shows a + mark wherever any other row has a keyframe set. Current Keyframe versus Selected Keyframe Clicking on the + marker in a row selects that keyframe, and moves the current time position there. You can also navigate to a keyframe using the HUD or Stack gadgets, or keyboard as mentioned before. A distinction needs to be made between the state of the keyframe(s) in each case, however. If you click directly on a keyframe marker in the timeline pane, or use the HUD to jump to it, any keyframes at that position (in time) are selected. Their selected state is shown by the + signs being highlighted. On the other hand, moving to the same time position using the Stack’s Next/Previous gadgets (or the keyboard) does not alter the selection status of marked keyframes. A keyframe can be the current one but not the selected one, and vice versa. You might wonder why this is so. Selecting Keyframes It works like this – you can modify the settings of the current keyframe (which may or may not be in a selected state). But, when keyframes are selected in the timeline pane keyframe rows, you can do much more – you can Copy and Paste, Delete, shift or even scale them over time.

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These actions can be performed on single or multiple keyframe selections. Clicking the keyframe marker (+) in the parent row at a given timeline position selects the keyframes in all dependent child rows at that time position. This is the equivalent of choosing Select all in the keyframe context menu. If you double-click a parent marker, you select all keyframes for the effect. By contrast, if you click the marker in a child row, you select the key for that value alone (the corresponding parent marker highlights, too.) And, double-clicking a child marker selects all keyframes for that parameter alone. To deselect keyframes, click on an empty part of the layer’s timeline pane display. You can multi-select keyframe markers by clicking with the Shift key depressed. Timeline Keyframe Actions Individual keyframes and keyframe selections can be shifted temporally by dragging them with the LMB. Alternatively, if you click and drag a keyframe row between keyframe markers, you can shift the entire row left or right. If you drag the master row in this fashion, you move all keyframes at the same time. Dragging a single child keyframe row in the same manner moves just that row, while simultaneously extending the master row at the same time as necessary. Keyframe selections can also be cut, copied and pasted using the timeline pane’s keyframe context menu, or the standard keystroke shortcuts (Ctrl + x, Ctrl + c, Ctrl + v).

You can also stretch a keyframe row (or rows) to modifying the overall timing of an effect or one aspect of it, by dragging the white handle at either end.

9.6. Effect Control Panels Though parameters and HUD controls vary from one effect to another, certain aspects of the Effect Control Panels are common. Each effect has it’s own titlebar, which holds it’s name, it’s own local FX Bin (which, unlike its namesake in the FX Stack titlebar, preserves the current parameters of a single effect) and several other items.

Note: effects in the Stack can be re-ordered by dragging and dropping using the titelbar.

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When in Multiple mode, the Stack can host a bank of effects, but only one is the current effect for editing purposes. Click the titlebar of an effect to select it as the current one (its control panel will be painted in a lighter shade than other effects in the same Stack.) You can re-arrange the order of effects in the Stack by dragging the titlebar of one above another, as well.

The triangular gadget at the extreme left of the titlebar is the Expand/Collapse control for that effect’s Control Panel. Click it to toggle the control panel’s display, as shown below. The checkbox next to the Effect Name in the titlebar activates or de-activates the effect. De-activated effects do not appear in either the preview or result when the effect is applied. The effect titlebar hosts two drop-down menus. The Options menu, like the similar one in the Stack’s own titlebar, holds Reset, Duplicate and Delete functions; these items, of course, pertain only to the selected effect. The FX Bin functions just like the corresponding Stack Bin save that it only pertains to one effect.

9.6.1. The Progress Profile Since version 1.2, some effect control panels provide a Progress Profile (with representative thumbnail) and toggle switch in the titlebar. It is tempting to describe this profile as providing Ease In and Ease Out functions, as it certainly does do that. But Progress does much more than that. The Progress Profile modifies the interpolation of keyframe values when rendered, even radically so. The horizontal scale represents the complete duration of an effect, as defined by its outermost keyframes along the Layer Panel timeline. The vertical scale corresponds to the percentage of progress made towards the final keyframed value(s) for the effect. Let’s consider a straightforward example: Applied to a custom brush being moved from one point on the screen to another, the profile shown below would result in the brush easing into motion, and easing out of it at the end of its travel. The rate of motion diminishes on the ends of the motion path, providing the impression that the brush begins to move slowly, accelerates to a constant speed, then slows down to “park” gently into its final rest position.

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The initial node (at the left-hand end of the profile) shows the effect as having made no progress whatsoever towards the final outcome. The node in the upper-right corner shows that as the last keyframe is applied the effect will have progressed to its final destination value. But, if you modify the profile curve to appear like the one below, there will be quite a different result!

In this case, the profile reaches its zenith in the middle, then dips to 0 at the end. At every point in time, the Progress Profile modifies the keyframe values as before – applying whatever percentage of progress (through the keyframed values you have set) the profile dictates (its vertical component.) The result of the above profile then is that -- by its midpoint -- the effect has already reached the peak value(s) established by the final keyframe. After that, it returns to the starting values. In the case of the custom brush animation mentioned previously, the brush would hasten to its final keyframe position in half the normal time, then retrace its path to the origin!

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Picture a custom brush of a ping-pong ball with just three keyframes – one (at frame 0) on the left side of the frame towards the middle of the Y axis, and another (at frame 50) at the opposite side of the screen. Now, add an intervening keyframe (at frame 25), positioning the brush somewhat above the line between the other two. Set that middle keyframe to spline interpolation (see next sub-heading) so the motion path curves through it.

The Progress Profile above, cycling between 0% and 100% progress as it does, could be used with that very simple three-keyframe animation to create a quick ping pong game. The ball would cycle from start to finish (and back) completely 5 times in the 50 frames. Progress thus lends itself perfectly to creating seamlessly looping animations and animation elements. The Timeline Effect Progress Indicator A new timeline feature has been added that works in connection with the Progress profile. The Effect Progress Indicator (EPI) is a small yellow index mark appearing just below the timeline keyframe row(s).

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As discussed above, the Progress Profile affects the actual outcome of an effect, adjusting the application of the keyframe values that would normally pertain at a given timeline position. As you advance through the timeline, Mirage’s FX Stack Preview displays the actual outcome at each frame taking the effect of the Progress Profile into account. The EPI is a further aid -- it helps you to evaluate the impact of the profile at a given frame. The EPI marks the point on the timeline matching the natural progress of an effect before the profile is taken into effect. In the image above, the EPI and the current timeline position are identical. This is an indicator that the rendered output for the effect would be the same -- at that point in time -- with or without the Progress Profile’s being applied.

In the case of a simple “ease” profile (a gentle S-curve like this one), something different occurs. As you scrub through the timeline frames from left to right, the EPI marker tends to lag behind the current frame position – the profile is easing the motion out of the first keyframe value toward the next. As you continue to scrub through the timeline frames into the realm controlled by the linear segment of the Progress Profile, the EPI begins to “gain” on the current frame Marker -- eventually catching up with it. This indicates that (at this point in the effect) a normal rate of progress (that is, a 1:1 correlation according to your established keyframes) has been achieved. Further on, the EPI may lead the current frame marker slightly in preparation for the effect to decelerate into its final rest values. The Effect Progress Indicator thus provides the animator with useful feedback regarding the impact of the Progress Curve.

9.6.2. Keyframe Interpolation Menu

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In an expanded effect control panel, the Interpolation Mode menu controls the manner used by the Effect Stack to determine parameter values between keyframes. The options are Linear, Spline, and Polynomial.

In the image at left above, the middle keyframe has been set to Linear, and no interpolation is performed between keyframed positions. The right-hand example shows the result of applying Spline interpolation at the same point. The curvature of the line between keys can be modified by dragging the spline handles at the key (use Shift with the LMB to break the tangent, allowing modification to just one side of then keyframe node. Smooth mode is similar, but does not provide spline handles. When applied to other settings (than Position, as in this example), the values derived by the Stack between keyframes are likewise interpolated according to these settings.

9.6.3. Effect Tools Menu Many effects offer a Tools menu in their control panels, as well (some provide more than one Tools Menu, when that would be appropriate.) This menu is multi-functional.

Reset restores default values to a single setting for the effect (as opposed to the Options menu Reset command, which resets all values.) Center sets keyframe position coordinates to the middle of the screen. Other menu items have the ability to automatically assign keyframe values for the effect by copying them from matching settings of other effects (in the same Stack), or by using values extracted from Mirage motion paths. It also provides direct links to Mirage’s motion path tools --

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the Pixel Tracker, Path Recorder, and Path Manager. The Add to Bin and Copy From Path Bin items permit you to store and recall motion paths for use in the Stack, or elsewhere. Manager (See Chapter 10 -- Motion Effects, for details on these items.)

9.6.4. Source Menu Certain effects can make use of other sources for the imagery they process. In such cases, the control panel features a Source menu like the one below.

The default source setting is FX Stack. In this case, the effect simply takes the output of the effect below it in the list, and processes that. Other alternatives include the Current Layer (which, of course is the source when only one effect is listed or active), or the entire Display (respecting Mirage’s various layer visibility options). The content of the Spare Image buffer is another option (see Chapter 6), as is the current Custom Brush (Chapter 7.) A specific layer from the current Project may be specified, or another (currently open) Mirage Project entirely!

9.6.5. Blend Mode

Finally, the Blend menu controls the painting mode that the Stack will employ to merge the output of the effect(s) into existing imagery in selected frames of the current layer. The alternatives largely correspond to the similar items mentioned as Drawing Modes in Chapter 7 (with some options that would be irrelevant in this context being excluded.)

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Chapter 10 Motion Effects Mirage offers a good many motion-related features and functions. Some (like the KeyFramer) are implemented as Mirage Effects with their own control panel in the Effect Stack. Other, such as the Path Recorder, Pixel Tracker and Path Manager, appear as utilities in the Effect Stack’s Tools menu, with occasional guest appearances right in the control panel of an effect. A few of Mirage’s motion oriented features are particularly (though perhaps not exclusively) oriented to video tasks, and are reserved for discussion in Chapter 11 -- Video and Keying. The rest are considered here. (Numerous references are made to features in the FX Stack and keyframes in this chapter. If you are not yet well versed in those concepts, you would do well to read Chapter 9 before continuing.)

10.1. Mirage Motion Paths All of the four primary features covered in this chapter are in one way or another related to motion paths. A motion path may be considered as a single entity comprising the complete set of keyframe values related to motion (X, Y and Z coordinates, rotation values, stylus variables, and more) for an animated effect. The motion path file does not contain information related to specific drawing tools -- things like color, airbrush settings, and so on. So having created or imported a motion path, you can apply it to any number of different drawing operations, and even some other things too (such as providing information to the Stabilization filters.)

10.2. Managing Motion Paths It is possible to create and work with a number of different motion paths during a Mirage working session. You may for example, assign one motion path to a certain parameter, and another path to a different setting in the same control panel. When you use a motion path tool (such as the Pixel Tracker or Path Recorder) to assign values to a given control panel setting, the derived values become the keyframe values for that setting. The current motion path is only held in memory until you overwrite it by creating a new motion path; but the setting’s keyframed values are secure even when that occurs! You can safely invoke a motion path tool again to derive keyframe values for another setting without endangering previous actions.

10.2.1. The Path Bin Still, you might want to keep that first path for any number of other reasons. In earlier version, the Pixel Tracker, KeyFramer and Path Recorder had file menus that served this purpose. In Mirage, the Path Bin items in the Tools menu cares for this chore.

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When you have created a motion path using one Mirage’s tools (and before creating another) you can use the Add to Bin command from the Tools menu to store a copy of the current path. You will be asked to supply a name for the path when you do so. Later, even in subsequent Mirage sessions, you can recall that motion path by name using Copy From Path Bin. In the same location in the Tools menu you will find the Path Manager, which provides extended tools for working with motion paths.

10.2.2. The Path Manager The Path Manager panel provides three tabbed pages, Manage, Average, and Smooth. The following list outlines the utilities in each. Path Manager: Manage

• Path Menu - select from a list of current motion paths. • Rename - rename the current path. • Copy - copy the current path (base a new path on an existing one.) • Invert - reverse the motion, so that the first position become last and vice versa • Delete - remove a path from the list (and Bin.) Path Manager: Average

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• Path 1-4 - select up to 4 paths from those available, and click Apply Average to adjust the keyframe values to an average derived from the values of each of the paths at that point in time.

Path Manager: Smooth

• Path (Menu) - apply a smoothing algorithm to the keyframe values of the path selected in this

drop-down menu. • Smooth (Value) - the level of smoothing applied to the motion path is determined by the

numeric value in the Smooth field. Click Smooth Path to apply.

10.3. Creating Motion Paths Motion paths have countless uses in Mirage, and can be created (or derived) in several ways. “Derived” would really be the correct term to use when referring to motion paths created by the Pixel Tracker. Other motion paths are freely created by the user, whether working interactively with a drawing tool (as in the case of the Path Recorder) or through use of the HUD (Heads Up Display) control gadgets along with the KeyFramer. (Of the motion tools mentioned so far, the KeyFramer is unique in that it can not only create motion paths, but can also apply them to imagery. In this respect it is like the AutoPaint effect, and will be discussed with the latter under the upcoming heading Applying Motion Paths.)

10.3.1. Pixel Tracker The Pixel Tracker is a versatile feature of the FX Stack’s Tools menu, presented in the control panel of most of Mirage’s effects. Using the Pixel Tracker, you can accurately trace the movement of a distinct pixel as it varies throughout the course of an animation or video sequence. Motion paths created by the Pixel Tracker can be used to automatically set values for the keyframes of various effects. Invoking the Tools menu point Pixel Tracker opens that tool’s own control panel.

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Tool Titlebar Some effects make provision for more than one effect parameter to be linked to motion paths. For instance, Stabilization: 1 Point can use two different motion paths – one for the origin point and another for the destination. Thus some effect control panels offer more than one Tools menu. When you invoke a Motion Path tool such as the Pixel Tracker, the tool’s titlebar informs you which effect and which specific setting will derive its value from the current invocation of the tool. The Pixel Tracker Panel The Pixel Tracker panel, as shown below can be divided into five sections – the source settings, reference settings, tolerance settings, and magnifier areas, along with the two action buttons at the bottom.

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We’ll look at the controls and settings each of these sections offers one by one. Pixel Tracker: Source Settings

• Layer - select which layer to track, choosing from a list including the Current layer, the

current Project Window Display, or other project layers by name. • M In - by default, the Tracker operates on the full range of frames in the current layer. This

button can be used to specify the current timeline position as the starting point. • M Out- similar to the above, this button permits a different last frame to be used for tracking

purposes. Pixel Tracker: Reference Settings

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The next section of the Pixel Tracker panel has to do with defining the reference area the tool will attempt to trace throughout the designated frame range. The paragraphs below explain its settings. • Ref X/Y- these fields allow you to set and/or view the center of the source pixels region that

will be tracked throughout the frame range. Normally you will likely use the interactive Set Tracker option rather than numeric input.

• Ref W/H - these values define the boundaries of the pixels to be tracked. Larger values here

can cause longer search times. • Track W/H - controls the boundaries within which the Tracker is permitted search for the

Reference pixels • Set Tracker - turns on an interactive display showing the effect of the three settings above on

the Project Window. The use of this display to adjust the settings is discussed in the paragraphs that follow.

Pixel Tracker: Tolerance Settings

Next in the panel are settings related to the Tracker’s search criteria and tolerance factors. • Reference - the options offered are Static and Dynamic. When Static is selected, the

Tracker always uses the reference pixel area from the first frame as a basis for comparison. Dynamic mode actively updates the reference during tracking, using the best match from the previous frame.

• Channel - the options are RGBA, Red, Green, Blue, Alpha, Luma or Saturation. The

Tracker limits its examination of pixel values to those in the designated channel. • Accuracy - controls the tolerance range for the Tracker’s pixel comparison function. The Tracker’s Magnifier Window is a big help when selecting the Reference boundaries. As you can see in the image below, a crosshair surrounded by two rectangular outlines appears over the current frame when you press the Set Tracker button. (Since you will want to begin tracking at the first frame of your defined search range, set the current frame position there before defining the Reference Area.)

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Then, click Set Tracker, and find a suitable pixel patter to track, centering the crosshair over it by dragging the mouse in the Project Window. You can modify the Reference and Track rectangle dimensions interactively too, using Ctrl + RMB to modify Track Width and Height, and Ctrl + LMB to alter the Ref Width and Height.

Finally, clicking the Track button below the magnifier window instructs the Tracker to begin scanning through the frame range to create a motion path. (You can watch its progress to see how well your settings are working as search criteria, and if you wish to you can abort the tracking operation by pressing the Esc key, then modify them.) The Rev Track button serves to invert the tracking function, scanning the frames in reverse order.

Note: formerly the Pixel Tracker was a standalone filter and had an integrated file menu. In Mirage, path retention is handled differently – see the earlier heading dealing with the Path Bin for details.

10.3.2. Path Recorder Mirage’s Path Recorder provides a way for you to manually draw a motion path, doing so right in the Project Window. The path can then be applied in various ways; perhaps the most common use in connection with the AutoPaint effect which could, for example, be used to create an animated sequence of a signature being “handwritten” over a period of time.

The Path Recorder panel opens by invoking the FX Stack Tools menu command by the same name (AutoPaint is so frequently used with the Path Recorder that its control panel sports its own Record button, serving the same purpose as the one found in the Path Recorder panel.) Its usage is very straightforward. Click Record, and then draw in the Project window (no matter what Main Panel drawing style is selected when you click Record, the tool uses Freehand drawing mode.) The Record button will change to an illuminated Stop button.

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You are free to draw as you please while the Stop button is lit. You can even stop drawing and move to a new area of the Project Window to continue (or lift the stylus and then begin again, if you are a tablet fan.) After drawing is completed, click Stop to end the “recording session” -- you can Cancel by pressing the Esc key, too. It’s usually good to select a range of frames before you click Record, as Mirage will automatically fit the keyframes of the motion path created to the designated range in that case. As mentioned previously, the Record button found in the control panel of the AutoPaint effect works in exactly the same fashion as just described.

10.4. Applying Motion Paths Having created a motion path, what can we do with it? Mirage can use the values derived from motion paths in a multitude of ways. The combination of motion paths and the Stabilization effects is very useful, and will be examined in Chapter 11 – Video and Keying.

More commonly perhaps, motion paths are used to supply positioning information and other values to parameters that can take advantage of it. Examples are really too numerous to mention. The FX Stack’s Tools menu with its motion path utilities pops up in many effects -- even where you might not think to look -- such as in the Mirror, Plasma, and Lighting effects. Even the Timecode Generator can be animated with motion paths! Foremost among effects using motion path data are the KeyFramer and AutoPaint effects. We will consider these as examples of applying motion paths in Mirage.

10.5. AutoPaint This effect was previously know as the Stroke Recorder, a name that failed to its full capabilities very well. AutoPaint lays down paint (in various ways) along a motion path, whether recorded directly using the Record function in its own panel. or derived in other ways using Mirage’s tools.

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It can easily be used to create animated signatures and drawings, or for more elaborate creations.

AutoPaint takes full advantage of motion path data supplied by the Path Recorder (though paths created using other means can serve too.) The Position X and Y values can be created directly using Record, imported from the Tools menu Path Bin, or copied (Tools menu again) from another effect in the same Stack.

The path’s keyframes (once assigned) can be adjusted in the control panel, or interactively in the HUD by dragging keyframe nodes overlaid on the Project Window. Each node can be set to interpolate the adjacent path using Linear, Spline or Smooth modes. You may recall that the overall progress of the animation is further modified by the Speed profile. (For information on working with Speed, please refer to sub-heading Effect Control Panels in Chapter 9.) A Draw checkbox indicates whether the mouse button was depressed (or the stylus in contact with the tablet) at a given keyframe – when it is checkmarked, drawing will occur when the effect is applied. When it is not illuminated at a keyframe, no drawing occurs there. This mimics the gaps that occur when an artist lifts his tool from the page to reposition it before continuing to draw. The Preserve Timing switch is related to these periods when you lift your stylus. The switch forces Mirage to respect the relative time elapsed during these ‘non-drawing moments, often serving to enhance the natural appearance of the animation.

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AutoPaint and Graphics Tablets Even the subtle feedback supplied by drawing with a graphics tablet recorded as part of the path can be applied. Expand the Tablet section of the control panel using the triangular gadget provided for that purpose, and you will observe switches to enable or disable Pressure, Altitude, Azimuth and Finger Wheel data supplied by your tablet input device. Stroke Modes The Stroke menu provides optional ways that AutoPaint can apply your drawing tool to the page when applied. The choices are Normal, Size, Full and Last. The following illustrations show the result when the various modes are applied. In each case, the motion path was the same. The frames show the result of the specified Stroke Mode at frames 8, 16, and 24 of a 25-frame animation sequence. For reference purposes, the keyframes of the source motion path are shown as dots joined by a line in the background of each frame.

When Normal mode is used, the stroke appears to write itself progressively onto the screen, leaving a trail of ink or paint behind the tool.

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Size mode produces interesting results. It works just like Normal mode, up to a point. Once a certain number of keyframes have been passed in the course of the stroke, the first strokes are erased. You designate a numeric Size number, which regulates the keyframe count before this occurs. The effect, when viewed, may vary from a comet-trail effect to something rather like the progress of the proverbial “inchworm.”

Full mode draws the entire stroke on every frame, filling in the whole motion path (while respecting any current drawing tool settings, of course) through the entire selected frame range.

When you use Last mode, as AutoPaint progresses from frame to frame though the selected range, it simply deposits the current brush at the current keyframe position. Thus only the last brush position is seen at any time during the course of the sequence. The final AutoPaint setting is the Noise field. This value allows you to define a value of random perturbation of your motion path, which can sometimes improve on the “occasionally too perfect” computerized drawing.

10.6. The KeyFramer The KeyFramer may arguably be Mirage’s most powerful motion path tool. You can use it to create motion paths, edit and apply them. Of course it can be used with motion paths created using other members of Mirage’s motion tool set, as well. The KeyFramer is also the only motion tool providing control over rotation on three axes. The motion can be applied to a variety of sources within the project, and the result added into existing imagery using various application modes.

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10.6.1. Motion Path Options The KeyFramer, like other motion effects, offers the Stack’s Tools menu. In fact it pops up in two places in the KeyFramer’s control panel – next to Position, and Pivot. As previously discussed, this menu provides direct access to the Pixel Tracker and Path Recorder utilities, which can be use to create and assign a motion path by using their unique abilities. Position data can be locked to the corresponding values of another effect in the same Stack using the Copy From Stack List function in Tools. As well, you can employ the Add to Bin and Copy from Path Bin functions in that menu to import and export motion paths. The Path Manager also adds some useful tools, as has been described earlier in this chapter.

Note: the Path Bin in the Tools menu is distinct from the FX Bin, which retains not only the motion path but all settings as well as the motion path.

10.6.2. Creating Motion Paths Alternatively, the KeyFramer provides its own powerful motion path creation tools.

The control panel has two tabbed display panels, Position and Render (in addition to the Speed profile control and switch seen in the effect titlebar (please refer to sub-heading Effect Control Panels in Chapter 9 for information on the Speed profiles.)

When the Preview is enabled at the bottom of the panel, the result of your combined settings from both panels will appear in the Project Window. A second switch nearby turns the HUD off, for those occasions when it is not wanted. Frequently, however, you will use the HUD in tandem with the settings in the Position tab to create your motion path. Let’s explore the KeyFramer’s HUD control gadgets that you will use to interactively set various keyframe parameters.

Note: please remember that if you adjust some settings (either in the control panel or by using the HUD) then apply them without first creating a keyframe -- by clicking the C (Create key) button next to the setting(s) in question -- that setting will be applied throughout the selected frame range. Similarly, a single keyframe has no effect by itself – to animate any setting (varying it over time) requires a minimum of two keyframes to be set.

The image below shows the HUD overlay and control gadgets provided by the KeyFramer. There are four control gadgets to consider. The Pivot point (discussed shortly) of the assigned Source at this position in time (in this case a Custom Brush, with HPB settings of 0, 0, 0) is a small green box. Co-incident with this green box, you will at times see a red box as well, indicating a keyframe at the current position.

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Extending outward from the Pivot are 3 colored vectors. A green vector rises upward, and sets Pitch. The red lateral vector represents the Heading, and the Blue diagonal vector governs Bank. (Strictly speaking, the vectors themselves do not actually represent those parameters, since they do not change appearance as they are adjusted.) You can also reposition the Source object in the Project Window, changing its X and Y coordinates. Do so by clicking and dragging its Pivot point (which is centered by default.) The Pivot point can also be relocated relative to the Source, using settings in the control panel. This permits you to modify the center of rotation, spinning the Source object by a different “handle”, as it were. For example, rather than rotating on Heading like a spinning coin might do, you can swing the Source as door rotates around its hinge.

10.6.3. Rotation Concepts The concepts of Heading, Pitch and Bank (HPB) values may be unfamiliar to you, so let’s pause to explain them. It is customary to use X, Y, and Z axes in reference to 3D motion, where X is viewed as the left-right axis, Y is up-down, and Z is thought of as representing the dimension towards or away from the viewer. These concepts, though used by some, do not translate so well when applied to rotation. One can readily comprehend simple rotation on the X axis, for instance. But it becomes quite another matter once several axes are involved. For instance, a 90 rotation applied on the Y axis has the effect of turning the local (Source) X axis into the negative Z direction. All of a sudden, it becomes difficult to explain which axis governs what rotation! There are ways to account for these oddities while using XYZ references, but Mirage takes a much more straightforward approach – one which will be conveniently familiar to most 3D animators: Heading, Pitch and Bank. The following illustration shows the meaning of each of these terms, which you might recognize as being borrowed from the realm of aviation.

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Picture the Source imagery as being an aircraft. As the artist, you are in the control tower position. If you command the plane to change the direction it’s facing, you change its Heading. In the process of changing direction, it will likely Bank (tilting its wings relative to the fuselage and direction of travel) to one side or the other. If you order it to descend, the plane’s Pitch will change, pivoting it nose-downward.

This usage helps keep things straight during complicated maneuvers. You are able to easily make adjustments to the “plane’s” attitude, without concern about previous alterations. Pitch and Heading both refer to the orientation relative to the “ground,” while Bank is relative to the to the “plane”, a local axis. (Just remember that rotational values control orientation, not direction of travel -- movement.) Let’s look at the subject from a few different angles to confirm our understanding of the Heading, Pitch and Bank concepts. HPB Rotation Axes

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Heading is rotation about a vector rising through the Pivot Point from the fixed ground plane at a perpendicular angle. Positive Heading values turn the Source plane counter-clockwise as viewed from a theoretical position above the screen. Rotation on the other two axes does not affect Heading.

Pitch measures the angle between the ground plane (shown in red) and a vector through the Pivot Point at a perpendicular angle to the Source plane. Rotation on the other two axes has no effect on Pitch.

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Bank is not based on a fixed ground reference, but is local to the Source. It can be viewed as rotation around a vector running through the Pivot Point at a perpendicular angle to the Source’s image plane.

10.6.4. Using the HUD Let’s return to our earlier subject, that of creating a motion path using keyframes and the HUD controls to do so. With Preview and HUD enabled in the FX Stack footer, drag the Source to a new position in the Project Window (drag the small green node at the Pivot Point with the LMB; dragging vertically with Shift depressed modifies the Z axis setting.)

By creating a Position keyframe (clicking the C button in the control panel) at frame 0 (the current frame) in the example above, we have locked the Source brush in place at that point. Then we advanced the current position to the last frame of a short Anim Layer. Moving the Pivot Point of the Source (by dragging it in the HUD) automatically created a new keyframe at that position. A new HUD keyframe marker appears in the image to indicate this. Let’s add another keyframe between these two, by moving to another frame between them.

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Suppose you want the path to curve though the middle node, rather than making an abrupt change in direction? In this case, you must change the Interpolation mode switch for Position in the KeyFramer’s control panel to Spline, as shown below (the other option, Smooth, works similarly -- but offers no control over the resultant curve.)

The KeyFramer will then change the way the motion path is calculated passing through that node. The Preview will update to show the new path, and the HUD will provide spline handles when the corresponding node is selected. These are shown in the HUD as yellow tangential vectors. Dragging the end of a spline handle modifies the nature of the curve, allowing to precise control over it. Normally, dragging one spline handle affects the one on the opposite side of the node as well. You can manipulate just one end of a spline by holding down Shift while moving it (to restore its normal functionality, simply drag either handle again without the Shift key.)

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Note: In current release versions, rotation can not be adjusted in the HUD. The appropriate sliders in the KeyFramer’s control panel serve this purpose instead.)

The image below shows the result of modifying Heading and Pitch only.

In order to edit the parameters of a keyframe, you must first select it, making it the current frame. You can do so in several ways – by moving to it on the timeline, by clicking on its representative + sign on the Layer Panel’s timeline keyframe display, or by clicking on its node in the Project Window (when the Preview and HUD are enabled.) You have the option of selecting multiple keyframes if you wish. You can do this using the timeline tools as discussed in earlier chapters, or by simply dragging out a marquee around the keyframes in the HUD. While it is possible to select and edit multiple keyframes at the same time, existing keyframes are dominant. Suppose you multi-select three keyframe nodes, and then adjust the Pitch of the current one. The other selected nodes will take on the new value if there is no keyframed value for Pitch at or beyond those positions already. As well, it is important to note that even in this case, keyframes are not established at all selected positions, but only at the current one.

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It is particularly useful to be able to multi-select nodes for the purpose of re-positioning a group of them simultaneously. Do so by dragging with the LMB. Again, to modify the Z axis position, drag vertically with the Shift key depressed. Size, Width and Height values are set in the KeyFramer’s control panel when necessary.

10.6.5. Position Variables The control panel’s Position tab features Interpolation and Tools menus for both Position and Pivot settings. The X and Y Position settings should be familiar by now, but there are a few things you should realize about Z values. At first glance, the Z setting may seem to provide the same results as do the Size parameters Width and Height. However there is more to this than meets the eye. Unlike the latter, Z axis settings have a compensating effect on motion paths that attempts to mimic perspective when the move is calculated.

10.6.6. Rotation Variables

There are settings groups for each of H, P, and B. Each one provides an Align button, Angle and Rotation fields, and a keyframe C/D (Create/Delete) button with next/previous gadgets on either side. Enabling Align overrides the Angle and Rotation fields, forcing the KeyFramer to align the rotation of the Source to the path, just as an airplane’s autopilot would do if flying a plane along the same path. These buttons act independently for each setting -- Heading, Pitch and Bank. If enabled, any Rotation keyframes you have set for that axis are ignored. The Angle field sets the angle at the current frame. If you keyframe a brush at a Heading of 0˚ at one frame, and 45˚ at the next, the brush will rotate though 45˚ at it moves between them. If, instead, you set the second keyframe at 360˚, the Rotations field below will change to 1 at the second keyframe position, reflecting 1 full rotation on that axis. You could achieve the same thing by simply entering the 1 manually. Enter a 2, and the Source will complete 2 full turns, ending up once again at the Angle value above. The Lock Size checkbox constrains adjustment to Width and Height to match the original Source proportions.

10.6.7. Render Settings The Source for the effect is set using the menu provided. Its options were considered in detail in the previous chapter. You can animate a layer, the display, a Custom Brush, and no end of other things using the KeyFramer. Note that this area sports two new menus, Pre Behavior and Post Behavior. When consecutive frames from layers and animbrushes are used as the Source, these options dictate what happens if the frame selection for the effect exceeds the length of the source sequence. The neighboring Offset value lets you modify the starting position (for the KeyFramer’s use) in the designated Source sequence.

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Like Source, the Blend Modes have been discussed previously. These control the manner in which the KeyFramer’s output will be painted into any existing imagery. The nearby Opacity field can be keyframed. The Fill switch toggles tiling of the output to fill the frame when the effect settings result in output that does not already do so.

10.6.8. Motion Blur

The final area to consider is the Motion Blur group (if it is not visible in the Render panel, click on the Expand gadget next to its name.) When the enable/disable switch (next to the name) is checkmarked, Mirage will create a sort of trail along the motion path, rather than a simple iteration of the Source. This works by pasting slightly blurred and increasingly transparent copies of the Source along the motion path. Normally, Motion Blur would follow the Source motion, and this is what happens when the Blur Size is negative. This value determines the extent in pixels along the motion path during which the blur will occur. The Blur Step field sets how many (and how blurry) instances of the Source are going to appear in that span.

Both values can be keyframed. If you want the Source imagery to be stationary at the end of the animation, you can have the motion blur disappear as the Source comes to rest at that point by reducing Blur Size to 0 at the last keyframe. An AntiAliasing switch toggles edge-smoothing to reduce “jaggies” when applying the effect.

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Chapter 11 Video and Keying Dealing with video is like dealing with a hydra – it’s a many-headed monster. Depending on where you live and work (or distribute your work), you may have to deal with a multiplicity of video formats -- analog and digital, PAL, NTSC, SECAM, and local variants of all of the above. Each has it’s own color limitations and standards, along with specific resolutions. Then there are the considerations of image aspect -- from 4:3 up to 16:9 (not to mention those ratios peculiar to DVD and VCD media) and pixel aspect ratios, too … from square, to several varieties of rectangular, and the ever popular anamorphic squeeze variety!

And what about framerates, not overlooking such exotic examples as NTSC’s dropframe and non-dropframe timecode, along with the multi-splendored calculations involved in converting film at 24 frames per second to video at 25 or 29.97? We haven’t even mentioned interlacing and the whole subject of fields yet – odd, even, top, bottom, A and B, upper and lower and (finally) -- progressive … ready to give up? It could all drive one mad, and probably has. What’s a poor artist to do? It would take many volumes to cover all of these aspects of video exhaustively. At the least, we’ll have to credit you with a smattering of knowledge of the arcane requirements of your own equipment. That said, let’s try to deal with the important fundamentals. In this chapter, we’re going to look at Mirage’s video-oriented tools – some of which can also be put to other uses to be sure – but which are primarily used in this realm. Among the items you will find discussed in this chapter are Video Motion Effects, like the two Stabilization offerings. As well, we’ll look into some Video Utilities, such as the WaveForm Plugin. Mirage’s Transition effects will also be considered. Let’s begin with a little overview of framerates, frames, and interlaced fields.

11.1. Frames, Fields, and Framerates In film or slide projection systems, the complete frame of an image (or animation) is presented in its entirety simultaneously, each pixel hitting the screen (and eye) at the same moment. This is not the case, however, in the majority of consumer video settings. These use a system known as interlacing or fielding to effectively fool the eye.

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Leaving the various international formats and standards aside, suffice to say that video images are normally ‘painted’ into view by an electron beam traversing a display screen. This tiny stream sweeps from one side the screen to another, activating corresponding phosphors on the picture tube as it goes (let’s not discuss plasma screens, shall we?). In order to cover the entire screen (revealing the whole image) it makes many horizontal passes, completing one video line at a time before moving to the next in order. Obviously, the device completes the job many times in a single second, in order to achieve a framerate that passes for realistic motion. This impression is enhanced by the fact that the phosphors do not simply blink on, then immediately switch off. Phosphor persistence causes them to fluoresce for a moment. Along with our own persistence of vision, this permits the entire frame sequence to be ‘assembled’ before our eyes, though we are unable to see it happening. All of this is asking a lot of an aging technology. In the days of its formulation, a little further sleight of hand was employed by engineers to squeeze more apparent resolution and motion smoothness into the formula. Interlacing the video lines was the solution, taking advantage of the visual persistence factors inherent in the system. (There are distinct disadvantages to interlacing as well, of course. At the moment, technology is slowly moving away from it and progressive scan (top to bottom) devices and formats are becoming more common.)

Rather than progressively painting each video line in order, beginning at the top and proceeding one by one until the bottom of the screen was reached, the electron gun skips every second line. Then, having reached the bottom, it quickly begins again, painting in the intervening lines. Effectively, this means that a video image, though appearing to the eye as a single frame, is actually dealt with (in the hardware of the display system) as two distinct segments. The frame is subdivided into two fields, each comprised of one set of alternate lines of the original image. The two fields are painted on the screen in rapid succession -- the fieldrate (time to display each field in turn) is, by definition, double the framerate. In North America, where the NTSC video format dominates, the framerate is 29.97 frames per second. This dictates a fieldrate of 59.94.

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The PAL system uses the somewhat more agreeable values of 25 and 50. The two fields, when displayed almost simultaneously on the screen, appear as one -- but this is not really so, as previously explained. Individually, a field may be thought of as being either the Upper Field, or the Lower. The Upper field consists of the visual data from the first video line, and then every second ensuing line. The Lower field holds the data from the second line, and subsequent intervening lines. (In the video realm, it is also common to see references to Odd or Even fields, but this terminology cannot be considered definitive. Some sources consider the uppermost video line to be line 1 -- hence Odd, while others refer to it as line 0 -- which is ostensibly ‘Even.’ This nomenclature is therefore error prone, and not employed in Mirage.)

11.2. Managing Video in Mirage It is necessary to allow for a little more complexity yet. Several video standards are in use, and many different systems of working with the media exist. Actual resolution in pixels of different file formats and devices alike can vary, and these factors all affect which field should be first in order. It would be impossible for us to list all the possibilities here.

11.2.1. Loading and Exporting Media Thankfully, Mirage offers a number of presets for various applications in those places throughout the program where Project and File parameters, including field and aspect options, can be set.

You can override the defaults as need may arise, according to the requirements of your target device or media format. These matters have been explored in other chapters, notably Chapters 4 and 5, when we considered Loading files, creating New Projects, Modifying Projects and Exporting media files.

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Since video standards and formats very widely (almost perversely), it is important for you to know the field order of the footage you are working with. If you get it wrong, either importing or exporting with the incorrect field order, you will see interlace errors when you display the result. Mirage’s presets should help, but the complexities are such that at times you may need to override them.

11.2.2. Viewing Options There is also the matter of how to view video footage while working with it in Mirage.

We noted earlier (when discussing the Project Window in Chapter 3) that the lower border of the window contains B, 1, and 2 buttons which allow you to independently view and either the first or second field (with respect to the order in which they were loaded) or both together.

11.2.3. The Video Grabber Mirage provides a number of utilities for working with live video. These features are largely controlled and configured using the Video Grabber panel, shown below.

The panel opens with the main menu item Windows > Video Grabber, or by RMB-clicking the small [V] gadget on the lower right border of the Project Window (LMB-clicking the same button has the effect of overlaying live video from the third-party device over the Project Window.) It features two tabbed sub-panels, labeled Video Input and Video Output.

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Video Input

The upper section of the panel offers settings related to third-party video hardware (settings not relevant to installed devices may be ghosted out.) Use the Device menu to choose between supported third-party video devices (including IEEE 1394 devices.) The Input selector allows you to choose between available inputs for devices providing more than one (such as NewTek’s VT[2] and VT[3] systems.) The Format setting cycles between supported video color protocols. Clicking the Settings button opens a small pop-up menu allowing you to specify whether you are working with PAL or NTSC video.

The lower pane includes a small preview pane (convenient when you do not wish to enable the main Project window video overlay), and a number of other controls and settings. Mix controls the blending of the content of the Mirage Project with the video overlay when enabled. (Note that this level is for display purposes only – it does not affect the opacity of either captured video frames or the overlay of Mirage graphics on video output through the external device.) The Apply In drop-down menu has two options: Current Layer pastes newly- grabbed frames into the currently selected Mirage layer (if the layer is an Image Layer it is converted to an Anim Layer to accommodate the new frames.) New Layer creates a new Mirage layer each time you click Grab Input. The Length field and slider determine the number of copies of the grabbed frame that will be pasted into the designated layer. The default value of 5 means that 5 copies of the (still) image grabbed will be supplied. The Field menu determines how interlaced video fields are treated by

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the Frame Grabber. As Is will create the new frames using both fields, while Lower First or Upper First employ just one video field, scaling it vertically as necessary to match the Project resolution. Mix is useful for de-interlacing imagery, reducing interlace flicker when necessary (see Fix Motion under the discussion of Video Utilities later in this same chapter for another de-interlacing option.) As you would expect, Grab Input does exactly that. Video Output

The second tabbed panel is labeled Video Output. Enable is an on/off toggle (for output via the external video hardware.) When Refresh is checkmarked (along with Enable,) supported devices display your Mirage painting efforts in realtime on the video output as you work (when it is disabled, the display on the outboard device refreshes each time you stop painting.) The Keyer switch is required with some devices to be able to overlay Mirage output retaining any transparency it may have. Fit endeavors to scales the Mirage output from whatever the project size may happen to be to a resolution appropriate to the video display hardware. Note not all of these functions are available with all supported hardware (and some devices do not require their use to get the same level of functionality.) Please see the next sub-heading and the Appendix for details.

11.2.4. External Video Hardware Mirage supports a broad range of third-party hardware, including video display and capture boards associated with many popular professional non-linear video editing systems. Current support extends to systems from Matrox™, NewTek™, DPS™, OHCI compliant IEEE1394, and more. The level of support provided by Mirage varies with the installed hardware capabilities. It may be possible to overlay video from the device on the Mirage Project Window, grab frames from the video, view Mirage previews through the device’s outputs, and even key Mirage graphics directly over video passing through the external hardware. For a complete list of supported devices and the features available with each, please consult the Appendix .

11.2.5. Audio for Video Mirage can import and play sound from supported file formats (including WAVE, Quicktime®, and .AVI). Audio usage has been covered previously in Chapter 6 in connection with the Layer Panel, and Chapter 5 – File Management.)

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11.2.6. 3:2 Pulldown A common question relates to converting film rate (24fps) imagery – which is normally treated as progressive scan imagery, rather than interlaced -- to interlaced video footage at NTSC’s 29.97fps rate. Because of the mechanics of the conversion, this operation is often referred as “3:2 Pulldown.” Mirage provides for it in the following fashion. Source and Destination Criteria The source imagery must have been created at 24 frames per second. This sequence should be loaded into an already existing Mirage Project, using the New Layer tab. The destination project should have a framerate of 30 frames per second, and be interlaced (fielded.) Load Panel Settings

In the lower part of the Load panel (File menu), turn Stretch to Project Framerate ON, and turn Time Interpolation OFF. Click the Load button to complete the conversion.

11.3. Video Motion Effects Mirage provides a number of effects and utilities that assist in dealing with common video tasks, (though some have other applications as well.)

Note: when we refer to effects, we mean features which are applied through the use of the FX Stack. By contrast, we refer to functions accessed or applied in other ways (such as through the Plugins menu) as utilities.

11.3.1. Stabilization 1 Point Found in the Effect menu’s Motion group, this filter (like it’s 2-point sibling) is primarily used to remove unwanted jitter or motion from a video scene. It does so by panning the entire image plane horizontally and/or vertically, doing so on a per frame basis. The direction and magnitude of the offset is determined by the relationship between two points. You determine the X and Y coordinates for an Origin point and the desired Destination. The filter pans the image as necessary so the Origin coincides with the Destination in the end result.

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The Origin and Destination points correspond to labeled controls in the HUD. Clicking the box for either selects it for interactive editing by dragging them mouse. The currently selected item is shown in the HUD as a slightly larger control box. While it is possible to manually keyframe X and Y values for Origin and Destination in this way, doing so could be tedious in the extreme. Thankfully, the FX Stack Tools can be used to derive the necessary values. The Pixel Tracker serves admirably for this purpose. The final image, having been offset from its original location, will often be panned outside the Project window. This may well leave some blank areas in the frame. The Fill option, when enabled, overwrites any transparent areas created by tiling the source image. For most purposes however, you will leave this option turned off. It is generally better to (manually) Crop the unwanted (transparent) areas out of the frame later. Afterward, you can easily Modify the cropped project to the original resolution. Though this will result in a little loss of detail, the enhanced stability usually justifies the loss. Using Stabilization: 1Point Briefly, to use the filter -- move to the first frame of the segment to be stabilized. Click on the Tools menu button next to Origin, and track a suitably prominent pixel. This assigns the motion path from the Pixel Tracker to the Origin X and Y values. Next, copy the starting values (only) from the Origin X and Y fields to the corresponding Destination fields. Finally, click Apply Filters.

Note: you may find it useful to Smooth the motion path derived by the Pixel Tracker, using the Path Manager. Alternatively, you can delete some nodes in overly dense groups of keyframes, and switch to Spline or Smooth mode interpolation for remaining keyframes in the FX Stack control panel (see Chapter 10 for details on the Pixel Tracker.)

11.3.2. Stabilization 2 Point This filter works in nearly identical fashion to its less elaborate sibling, the Stabilization: 1 Point filter just discussed. However, it is substantially more powerful -- albeit at the expense of slightly more complexity.

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In this case, the coordinates of a second Origin point are of great value in the stabilization process. By calculating both the angle of deviation and distance between two pixels on a per frame basis, the filter can add two new dimensions to the correction – Scale, and Rotation.

Consider Rotation first. Imagine two pixels, perhaps the tips of two posts at some distance from a video camera in your hands. If you accidentally rock the camera slightly, in the resulting video the angle of an imaginary line drawn between the two pixels will change. If we could determine precisely how much angular deflection there had been, we could ‘rock’ the imagery in the opposite direction, thereby compensating for our clumsiness. The 2 Point Stabilization Filter can do just that, if we enable the Rotation switch. Similarly, the two points in the video may move farther apart -- presumably because we have moved the camera closer or zoomed the lens, rather than as the result of a major earthquake (though these days, who knows?) In this case, the filter can optionally Scale the frame to maintain the original distance between points Thus, by discerning use of its options, and careful choice of Origin points for tracking purposes, our filter gives us the ability to remedy many stability problems afflicting video footage. To use this filter, apart from deciding whether or not to enable the Scale and Rotation options, the process is virtually identical to the method described just above for the single point filter. The primary difference, of course, is that we must specify motion paths for two Origin points, rather than just one.

11.4. Video Utilities

11.4.1. Fix Motion Plugin

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It is sometimes desirable to de-interlace (fielded) video imagery for various purposes. Motion in the brief interval between fields being recorded results in a characteristic comb-like effect when viewed as a single frame on a progressive scan system like a computer monitor. Whether for the purpose of eliminating this video artifact from stills or for other reasons, you may want to eliminate this problem. At times, too, computer generated (CG) imagery exported for video use can cause a scintillation (sometimes called interlace flicker) that is quite objectionable. Computer images are usually sharper, and highly resolved horizontal picture elements can scintillate when they are displayed on a television.

Interlace Motion Duplicate Mix

Fix Motion can be helpful in both situations. It treats the image data from the lines of each field separately, in one of two ways: It can duplicate one field – Upper First or Lower First options -- doubling its video lines in height, and discarding the other field entirely (with the penalty of losing some image resolution). Or, it can Mix (merge) the two fields for an interpolated result (resulting in a slightly softer image.)

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11.4.2. Patterns Plugin

This plugin generates a number of standard video test patterns, painting them into the selected) frame(s). The Pattern pop-up menu offers a selection of patterns as detailed in the table that follows:

Option Description

Bars 100 Eight colors—white, yellow, cyan, green, magenta, red, blue, and black—at 100 percent saturation

Bars 75

The same test pattern as above, but at 75 percent color saturation

Bars + Pluge

Bars 75 test pattern with addition of the pluge area, used to adjust brightness and contrast

Bars + Red

Bars 75 pattern with a band of 100 percent red at the bottom

Bars + SMPTE

The Bars 75 pattern with the SMPTE pattern

Gray Step 5

Five gray step bars plus white

Gray Step 10

Ten gray step bars plus white

Gray Ramp

Gray value ramp, from 0 to 100 IRE (luminance scale)

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11.4.3. Video Legalizer Plugin

Defined standards exist with respect to permissible values for signal color and luminance in the broadcast video realm. In the United States, the limits at the time of writing are part of the FCC’s RS-170A signal specification. (RS-170A specifies the sync characteristics of a video signal, but nothing about its image quality otherwise – “bad” video can be “legal,” in more than one sense.) The Video Legalizer plugin examines the selected frames for unsafe color values. Illegal pixels can be modified to conform to the standard by reducing their Luminance or Saturation (Reduce menu). The Gamma cycle menu allows you to adjust the curve used to modify the pixel attributes to conform to PAL or NTSC standard, or to use a Linear interpolation instead. The Chroma and Composite settings govern the tolerance range for those two color attributes. The default values, 110 IRE (Composite) and 50 IRE (Chroma) match the RS-170A specification. Highlighting Mark pixels displays illegal pixels at 0% opacity – thus you can see the Project Window background color (or lower layers) through them. Marking is only for preview purposes, and only works when Preview is enabled, too.

11.4.4. Waveform Plugin

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The Waveform plugin provides a virtual composite or component waveform/vectorscope right within Mirage. The pop-up menu in the top-left corner is used to select Composite WF, VectorScope, or Component WF. The cycle menu in the upper-right corner offers alternate signal displays, depending on the current mode. Composite WF mode allows combined or individual YC monitoring, while Component WF provides YUV and RGB choices. The VectorScope can be set to 75% or 100% calibration scales. Luminosity values permit you to adjust the brightness of the display, while the Reticule switch toggles the appropriate scale overlay for each mode. While most often you will simply use this display as a production aid, it can be applied into the current frame(s) for other purposes. When the Transparent option is selected, the black background does not appear when you click Apply.

11.5. Keying in Mirage Keying is a process used in both analog and digital realms to modify the transparency of some image elements based on user definable attributes. The best known example is probably chromakeying, sometimes referred to as “the weatherman effect” for its frequent use in that setting. There are countless other applications as well, including removing substrata from line drawings for the various purposes to do with animation.

11.5.1. All About Keying The name for the process and the basic concept revolves around the idea of a “key color.” In a typical setup, a camera subject is positioned against a backdrop deliberately comprised of a color not found in the foreground. This unique (in the resulting image) background color is “key” to the process – the key color … hence the name. Originally, analog signal processing techniques were use to remove all trace of the key color from the resulting imagery, leaving transparency in it’s place. This made it possible for another backdrop to be substituted, appearing in the transparent areas to provide the impression it had been part of the original scene. So, the weatherman could appear to be standing in front of in front of a map, and superheroes could fly in outer space. Digital techniques are now used in most post production settings. The process is still often referred to as “blue-screening,” after the predominant key color of years gone by. Today a green key color is likely more frequently used, and occasionally even more bizarre key colors serve for special purposes. Really, keying doesn’t really even require “color” as such – a process call “luma-keying” is based on brightness values rather than color information – luminance, as opposed to chrominance.

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Luma-keying depends solely on the dynamic range between black and white to work – “video legal” black is actually not “as black as black can be,” and the concept of “super black” (a black that falls below video legal IRE levels) is sometimes used as a key “color.” Artists are even more likely to use luma-keying to render the (white) paper base of scanned line drawings transparent. The more common chromakey process uses color rather than simple luminance values. As any artist knows, however, color is not a simple thing. A number of systems have been devised to quantify its attributes. Leaving aside print-oriented systems, the more common ones are RGB (Red, Green, Blue), HSL (Hue, Saturation, Luminance), and for video -- YUV (and various siblings and derivatives.) It is possible to perform keying based on any the pixel value or combination of values from within these different schemes. Key Tolerance Let’s consider a simple example, to get familiar with a few of the subtleties related to keying. In it’s simplest form, a digital keying system tests the level of a designated key attribute value for each pixel of an image. If the value exceeds a predetermined number, meeting the test, the opacity of that pixel is set to 0%, and the routine moves on to the next pixel, and the next, until the entire image has been scanned. The image below can be used to illustrate the process. The upper part of the picture shows a white rectangle that falls off from a peak luminance value of 255 in the middle, to 0 at the edges.

A luma-key operation can test the luminance values of each pixel making up the rectangle, and determine which are above or below the key level we set, and set those that pass the test to 0% transparency.

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Key Level: 255 Key Level: 225

When the level is set to 255, only the very brightest pixels become transparent. Dropping the key level to 225 shows more of the background image in the layer below. Key Softness Thus far, our theoretical keying system is very basic – a single pixel attribute is used to determine whether that pixel is “keyed: or not. Increasing the allowable range, so that pixel with luminance values between 225 and 255 are “tolerated,” adds more pixels to the key (for this particular image.) The range of tolerated values is, not surprising, referred to as the key tolerance. Let’s add another useful feature to our keying system. Until now, a pixel either becomes part of the key, or it does not. It is either rendered fully opaque, or fully transparent. There is no middle ground. But suppose we devise a compromise -- a second value outside the normal tolerance range, and ask our keying system to graduate the transparency of pixels that fall into this second, outer range? Pixels testing outside the secondary range would still be rendered fully opaque, but above this outer limit, their transparency would gradually increase in proportion to the key criteria level (luminance, in this case) until full transparency is reached at the previous tolerance level.

In the image above, key Tolerance is still set to 225, but the outer limit (let’s call it Softness) is lower, at level 128. Pixels with a luminance of 127 are rendered fully opaque, but about 128 they become increasingly transparent until reaching 0% opacity at level 225.

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Keys and Mattes A lot of terms are used in this connection, some in particular that we should consider briefly. The opacity scale, for our purposes, has 256 levels, just as an 8bit grayscale image does. This lends itself to the use of grayscale images to represent transparency levels (or conversely, opacity levels.) This brings to the concept of the alpha channel. As commonly applied, 8 bits of 32 bit image file formats, and -- not coincidentally Mirage’s layers – are reserved for those opacity values. This is referred to as the alpha channel, as distinct from the RGB color channels (Alpha provides the “A” in RGBA.) File formats of this variety store transparency information along with the image, which is very convenient for many reasons. In times largely gone by now, the opacity data was often stored as a separate file – an 8bit grayscale image. White areas in the alpha channel are interpreted as opaque in the combined result, black as transparent, with gray somewhere in between. This grayscale image is sometimes also referred to as the matte. Thus there are relationships between the alpha channel, mattes and keying. An alpha channel defines transparency for an image. It can be represented as a matte. The matte can be created in different ways – one can simply paint a suitable image, for example. Or, a keying system (like the one we’ve been discussing) can provide the information. The terms are related, though not precisely interchangeable.

Source Matte Result

There are times when it is useful to be able to manipulate the matte separately. For example, in real world situations, it can be tricky to get a “clean key.” It’s not unusual to have difficulty getting precise differentiation for keying purposes at points where the foreground meets the key color in the source image, for example. Begin able to choke (or erode) the matte -- reducing the white are by a defined number or pixels – or sometimes to blur it slightly can often improve the result. Let’s add one more useful function to our theoretical keyer, before moving on to look at the real thing. Spill Removal Again, in real world keying situations it is common to run into a problem with spill. By spill, we mean unwanted light reflecting off the (key colored) background, spilling slightly onto the foreground subject and tinting it. If you are viewing the image below in color, you may just be able to make out a little green spill in the area beneath the chin.

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We can’t just key the affected pixels out without cutting an unwanted hole in the foreground material. However, since we know what the key color is, and we know the result of spill is to tint the foreground slightly, we can devise a supplemental function for our keyer – spill removal. What this function does is add a second test criteria, watching for pixels that have low saturation of the specified color (almost always the key color), and then to reduce the saturation of that color channel for those pixels, “nudging them” slightly towards neutral values.

11.6. Keying Effects Mirage’s keying tools are applied through the FX Stack, processing the currently selected range of frames. They are listed in the Keyers group in the Add FX menu. Many of the keying modules use similar control gadgets. Rather than explain their use repeatedly, we’ll consider them progressively as they arise, beginning with the LumaKey effect.

11.6.1. Luma Keyer

The Luma Keyer’s titlebar contains the same features as other effects, discussed in Chapter 9. The Display menu allows you to separately view the Result, Source, or Matte when the Preview button is enabled. The Color swatch works as usual, allowing you to click a color on the screen to be the base key color. Of course, in the case of the Luma Keyer, only luminance values from the color clicked are taken into account.

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Note: color selections from the Project Window are always based on the pixel attributes in the Source image – regardless of the Display menu selection.

The Tolerance area of the control panel provides Add and Sub buttons. These allow you to click additional pixels (in the Project Window) to add to or subtract from the Tolerance Range. Likewise, you can add or subtract Softness in the same fashion, providing a falloff zone at either or both extremes of the Tolerance Range. The control device just beneath these items is both a graphic display of your decisions and an interactive control. Let’s look at it in depth as an example of similar controls in the other keyers.

The checkbox toggles the active status of the control sliders. When OFF, the controls have no effect. The horizontal gradient bar represents all possible values for an attribute, from 0 to 255, in this case showing the luminance channel. The gradient bar displays the result of any Color selection you make in the Project Window, but also responds to dragging the LMB in the display strip and adjustments made to the numeric fields and mini-sliders below. The two inner markers on the display show the limits of the Tolerance range, and the outer markers (and ramps) demarcate the Softness areas, if any. Note that Tolerance and Softness are keyframeable values.

11.6.2. Color Keyer

The Color Keyer, found in the Keying group in the Effect menu, is a simpler variant of the chromakey principle that uses only RGB values (typical of computer imagery.) Its use is very straightforward. Simply click the Color swatch to pick a color from the image, and (using the Preview) adjust the Tolerance and Softness values to suit. All values, even color, can be keyframed. Don’t forget to click Apply FX Stack when ready.

11.6.3. Chroma Keyer

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The Chroma Keyer adds more control to the process. Rather than using RGB values, it works on Hue and Saturation values. This permits a more finely graduated key to be performed, allowing more subtle fading of the Softness falloff range. Even though a pixel may contain a certain amount of a pure hue in the Tolerance range, the keyer’s effect on its opacity can be limited by the Saturation of the color.

. Basically, select the primary key color by clicking the Color swatch and picking from the screen, then use Add/Sub functions to broaden the Tolerance range as necessary. You can use the Add/Sub Softness buttons to set a falloff on either or both ends of the Tolerance, then, if you like, continue by manually using the Saturation sliders to fine tune the Matte (as before, the Display menu permits you to view the Matte, Result, or Source.) Here’s a typical greenscreen shot, below:

Here’s the result after initially selecting the green key color. The Black area is transparent.

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A little green fringing still appears, however, so let’s remove that, by clicking Add Tolerance, and clicking a pixel in the fringe area. That gets rid of most of the problem.

After that, we still have a little unwanted green fringing, but there is much less of a problem. Let’s try Add Softness to deal with it.

Very nice, nearly perfect.

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If you wish, you can expand the Spill Removal section of the control panel, and pick a Color (usually the key color) for its use. The Add/Sub buttons here define a Tolerance and Softness range as usual, but rather than affecting opacity, the Spill Removal function (when enabled) reduces color saturation in the spill zones of the image. Below is a final composite image, created after the Spill Removal function was applied.

11.6.4. Advanced Keyer The Advanced Keyer is Mirage’s most powerful integrated keyer.

It provides three tabbed sections in its control panel – Key, Matte, and Spill Removal (the controls in the Spill Removal section are identical to those discussed earlier in connection with the other keyers.)

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The three Color control areas beneath the Key tab vary according to which color space you choose in the Keyer Mode menu. You can determine which color system’s attributes will work best for your keying situation, RGB, HSL, or YUV. The Tolerance and Softness controls (the Color picker, gradient sliders, numeric fields and mini-sliders) are used to define the key values, just as with the other keyers. Matte Controls The Matte tab (shown below) provides a number of powerful functions for directly editing the keyer’s Matte. You may find it helpful to use the Display menu to show the matte when working with these options. We’ll review the numeric settings at the bottom first Erode removes pixels from the outline of the Matte according to the number entered here. The Blur Width and Blur Height values are used to control a blur applied to the matte. Mostly you will use this to slightly soften the boundary between white and dark areas of the Matte, resulting in a smooth blend between opaque and transparent zones when applied. Gain and Lift are complementary functions. Lift brightens the darkest areas of the Matte, while Gain values brighten the lightest areas. A clean white matte region results in perfect opacity, and solid black area 100% transparency. “Noise” (imperfections, appearing as gray flecks) in either area of the matte are generally undesirable. Gain can be used to “block up” gray (semi-transparent) parts of the white areas, and to boost undesirable gray spots in the black areas, making it easier to see and select them so that they can be Added to the Tolerance. After initially selecting a key Color (Key tab), use Add judiciously to set tolerance and Softness. Then switch to the Matte tab, and Display the matte. Boost Gain by as much 500, and you will see where the imperfections are in the black areas. Use Add again, clicking these boosted areas of the matte. Then switch the Display back to Result. If you see any remaining color fringing around your foreground subject, try raising the Erode value slightly, perhaps also adding a subtle Blur.

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The Matte displayed above shows Gain at 500% has raised the white values dramatically, making it clear that some flaws were present in the corners of the matte. These were subsequently removed by clicking those spots to Add them to the tolerance range. The Matte Histogram

The Histogram at the top of the Matte control panel provides yet another powerful way to directly manipulate the values in the matte.

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The use of histograms to modify values is detailed in the next chapter, but basically this part of the keyer allows you to squeeze the luminance values of the matte in one direction or another. The Points menu allows you to set several control points just below the histogram display graph. The Log option can make it easier to see the relationship of pixels in the matte. The graph shows the fill range of luminance values from 0-255 on its horizontal axis. The relative number of pixels in the matte corresponding to those values comprises the vertical component. Black pixels “accumulate” towards the left end of the scale, and white pixels to the right. In between are the pixels that are various shades of gray in them matte. More often than not, you will want to minimize these latter, solidifying the black and white areas of the matte, with gray-toned pixels serving only as a slight feathering on the border between the two, so as to provide a little blending there. The diagram above shows 2 source points (actually sliders) just below the histogram graph. Pixels having the value at a source pointer are remapped to the value at the corresponding destination pointer below. In the example shown, the second source pointer has been moved well to the left of its original position. To the right of this position (along the luminance scale) almost all source pixels are gray to white. The corresponding destination pointer is far to the right, all the way to white. Pixels in the matte with luminance values corresponding to the second source pointer have their values boosted toward the destination pointer, elevating their levels. The end result is a much more pronounced division between light and dark areas of the matte.

Note: one additional Keyer – the Cross Keyer -- is found in the Plugins menu. Its use is detailed along with the other Plugins

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11.6.5. Alpha Control We have just discussed the features of the Advanced Keyer’s Matte Control panel. The freestanding Alpha Control effect independently provides identical functions. The effect can be used alone or in concert with many other effects, providing elaborate tools for dealing with the edges and opacity levels of any layer.

11.7. Transition Effects Mirage offers a substantial number of integrated transition effects. These are located in the Transitions group in the Add FX menu. According to your keyframed Position percentages (in the FX Stack) these variously remove or reveal the source imagery from the frame. The content of underlying layer(s) becomes visible through the transparent portion of the frame(s) after application. To create a transition from one project layer to the one below it, you select the layer and the frame where the transition should begin in the Layer Panel (timeline.) Setting the effect’s control panel Position value to 0%. Next, move to the frame where the transition should be completed, and set Position to 100%. Selecting the frames between your keyframes and applying the filter completes the job. There are seven separate categories of transitions: Blind, Block, Classic, Fade, Page Turn, Slide and Rotary. The Fade transition class offers only the Position setting. The others offer other appropriate settings, as discussed next (the black background in the samples shown is transparent – the contents of any underlying layer would normally appear here.) Note that several of the transitions provide a Tools menu that can be used to set position values, and an Interpolation Mode menu allowing you to smooth between keyframes.

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Original Image

11.7.1. Classic Crops the source layer, removing opaque pixels from the image area according to the Position setting. It can proceed in any of 16 directions, selected using the Direction menu. For some directions, the centerpoint can keyframed using Position X and Y fields. This permits widely diverse effects. (Other directions ignore these settings.) The Border color swatch and field control the color and width of a border painted around the cropped image. The Soft value blurs the border. All settings can be keyframed.

• Top Left Pos 25%, Border 90, Soft 75

• Horizontal Rectangle Pos 65%, Border 20, X 253, Y 243, Soft 0

• Circle

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11.7.2. Page Turn Produces a page turn from any of the 4 corners of the frame. A virtual light source in the frame casts natural looking shadows and highlights. The light direction corresponds with the Direction setting, appearing to be above the turned corner

Gradient ON When the Color menu is set to Gradient, the current Mirage gradient colors are shown there. Otherwise, the Color set in the panel’s color well is used on the obverse.

11.7.3. Blind The Number field in this transition controls the number of rectangular divisions the imagery will be transected into. Depending on the Direction menu option selected, the opaque rectangles can be vertical or horizontal (like venetian blinds) or can form a (vertical AND horizontal) matrix. The Type menu controls how the source image will be removed from the scene. When Crop is selected, each division of the image is progressively cropped, proceeding in the direction selected. The Slide setting has the effect of simultaneously sliding the source image in the direction designated. Choosing Stretch scales the imagery while subdividing it into rectangles.

• Crop (Pos. 40%, Number 2)

• Slide

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• Stretch

11.7.4. Block The image is divided into rectangular blocks, according to the Number X and Y counts you choose (these fields cannot be keyframed.) The transition removes blocks from the frame one by one according to the Position setting, and proceeding in one of 9 patterns

• Top Right Pos 50%, Block X 9, Block Y 9

11.7.5. Slide Similar to Classic, save that the image slides off screen, rather than being cropped. Center zooms the image in or out.

• Left Pos 50

• Center Pos 50

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11.7.6. Rotary Provides 9 primary styles of radial wipes. Each wipes the image from the frame in ‘windshield wiper’ fashion. The wipe axis is either a corner of the frame or the center of one side, with the exception of the center thumbnail selection; the latter creates are ‘radar sweep’ style wipe from the center of the frame. The Clockwise switch controls the direction of rotation.

• Center Pos 35%

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Chapter 12 Image Processing Effects

12.1. Overview We’ve come at last to another of Mirage’s powerful tools – image processing. As we mentioned in touching briefly on the subject much earlier, image processing basically means modifying some of the attributes of an image. Some effects are largely stylistic, while others are more utilitarian. Brightening an image, changing its contrast or sharpness, or more esoteric operations such as subtle color adjustments, adding bas relief effects, warping, twisting, and much more all qualify. (Technically, so does keying, just discussed – but it seemed appropriate to deal with keying in the context of its most frequent and familiar use, video.) By now you should be acquainted with the use of the FX Stack, which is Mirage’s image processing center, so to speak. As they appear in the Effects menu, Mirage’s effects are grouped as follows: • Blur Group • Color Group • Distortion Group • Keying Group • Motion Group • Paint • Rendering Group • Stylize Group • Transition Group Of these, these entire contents of the several groups has been covered elsewhere in this manual: for the Keying Group, see Chapter 11 - Video and Keying; Motion Group and Paint – Chapter 10 - Motion Effects; Transition Group, see Chapter 11 - Video and Keying. Let’s move on to look at the remaining items under the group headings that follow. (Bear in mind, again, that image processing effects are effects – that is they are operated from the FX Stack. For detailed information on the standfard toolset Mirage’s FX Stack provides for your use, turn to Chapter 9 – Managing Animation and Effects.)

12.2. Blur Group

12.2.1. Center Blur

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The effect of this blur is that of a motion blur which emanates from a central point. This dramatically focuses interest on one part of the frame. The Center X and Y fields set the origin of the effect, and can be animated using keyframes or the Tools menu path options. The amount of Blur (controlled by the Power setting) and Radius of the effect can also be keyframed. Using these features, one could for example readily create an eagle’s eye view of a mouse running though a field, tracking its motion and zeroing in for the kill.

12.2.2. Chroma Blur In connection with digital imaging, the term “chroma” refers to color -- as distinct from “luma,” or luminance values -- the underlying black and white values of an image. It can occasionally be useful to modify one separately from the other. An example of this is the Chroma Blur effect, which can subtly blur the color of an image without affecting the luminance values. This facility is especially of value for use with consumer digital video footage. “DV” uses color compression techniques that take advantage of the forgiving nature of human eyesight. Our vision tends to place more emphasis on sharpness in the luminance channel than it does with respect to color. An unfortunate side effect of DV compression, however, is that it can cause visible issues when chromakeying, since color resolution is somewhat compromised. Some have found a slight blur applied to an image’s chrominance channel only, minimizes the damage DV’s restrictive color sampling methods produce, producing a better result. Leaving the important luminance channel untouched serves to retain apparent sharpness. The only adjustable setting for this effect is the blur sample Size.

12.2.3. Cubic This is a quick blur that can be applied in varying degrees according to the Size setting, which can be keyframed as well. The Channel menu allows the effect to be applied to the full image (RGBA) or just the Alpha channel of the image. The latter option can be useful to smooth and soften the edges of CG objects for more seamless inclusion into a composition.

12.2.4. Directional Blur

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The source is blurred along the Angle set in the amount established by the Length setting. Both parameters can be animated. This effect can be useful in creating stylized backdrops for CG overlays, among other things.

12.2.5. Gaussian Blur

Gaussian Blur produces a noticeably subtler result than the faster Cubic Blur, more akin to the image produced by a defocused lens. Smoothing between pixels is applied in a graduated fashion, diminishing from the center of the sample area outward. The blur sample area is controlled by the Width and Height settings. The effect is quite useful for mimicking depth of field between a background layer and foreground objects. Too, since the settings are independent, the amount of blur on each axis can be separately controlled. Animating the settings permits a wide variety of effects. For example, reducing the Height setting from 200 to 0 over time permits a CG object to be effectively “beamed in” to sharp focus.

12.2.6. Median Blur Formerly designated “Crazy Blur,” Median Blur nudges pixel values toward an average derived from neighboring pixels (those in the area defined by the Radius setting.) This is quite a useful ability for image enhancement and artistic purposes alike. The result varies according to the Mode setting, which affects the median target value and method of interpolation. Some examples are provided below. • Smooth

Pixel values are biased towards the median value of pixels in the sample area, with smoothing applied between adjacent pixels. Great for minimizing blemishes in photos.

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• Light Halo

Pixel values are biased towards the value of brighter pixels in the sample area, with smoothing applied between adjacent pixels. This results in a subtle highlight gleam. • Dark Halo

Pixel values are biased towards the value of darker pixels in the sample area, with smoothing applied between adjacent pixels. Subdues highlights. • Light Mark

Pixel values are biased towards the value of brighter pixels in the sample area, without any smoothing. Can be used to add glitter, among other applications. • Dark Mark

Pixel values are biased towards the value of darker pixels in the sample area, without any smoothing. A painterly effect. • Edge Double

Similar to Smooth, but retaining more edge sharpness. A painterly effect, permitting a reduction in fine detail without loss of apparent overall resolution. • Impress

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Pixel values are biased towards the median value of pixels in the sample area, without smoothing between adjacent pixels. Produces an ‘impressionistic’ result.

Similar in some respects to the Center Blur, this effect blurs the pixels along a circular path. It sweeps around the circumference of a circle, however, rather than emanating outward from its center. The center point is defined by the Center X and Y settings. These settings can be animated using keyframes or the Tools menu path options.

The effect increases further from the center up to the limit established by the Power field, which can also be keyframed. Radial blur offers many possibilities. For example, positioned beneath a rectangular gradient, it can be used to create a rainbow from a simple gradient.

12.2.7. Radial Blur

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12.3. Color Group

12.3.1. Black and White Converter The effect replaces color in the source imagery with grayscale shades. The entries you make in the Red, Green and Blue fields permit you to bias the result. The default values correspond reasonably well to the color response of human vision and will do for most purposes, but can be edited (and even animated) for special purposes. For the technically minded user, the effect is based on the formula Y=R*CoefR + G*CoefG + B*CoefB.

12.3.2. Color Adjust This effect is one you will use often, permitting quick adjustment of Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, Gamma, and Hue -- principal attributes of any image. Saturation removes or augments color from the affected pixels, without affecting the underlying luminance values. Removing 100% of the saturation results in a grayscale image. It suffices for most purposes to think of Brightness as adding (or removing) white from each pixel, while Contrast adjusts the deviation between light and dark areas – blacks become ‘blacker’ and whites ‘whiter’ with positive values

Contrast - /+25

Both Brightness and Contrast are linear. This means, for example, that raising Brightness affects all pixels equally. Since the upper limit of values in each color channel is 255, as you increase Brightness, more and more pixels ‘hit the ceiling.’ Raising Brightness 100% results in all opaque pixels being assigned to RGB 255,255,255 – in other words, white. Extremes in either Brightness or Contrast adjustments inevitably result in loss of detail. Though otherwise similar to Contrast, Gamma’s effect is not linear. The shift is graduated, being applied along a curve. The ends of the gamma curve are effectively pinned: Very light and very dark values are relatively unaffected, while mid-tones are adjusted to the limit of the deviation of the curve (which can be set between –5 and +5, 1.0 being ‘normal’.) This makes Gamma quite valuable when simple Brightness or Contrast adjustments result in ‘washed out’ or overly dark

Brightness +/- 25

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results. Shadow or mid-range detail can be enhanced without losses at the extremes of the dynamic range.

Hue rotates the RGB values of all affected pixels through the 360 degrees of the color wheel (spectrum), while Saturation globally controls the amount of color (chrominance) of an image.

Hue +/ –30

Saturation +/- 25

Of course all of the above controls can also be creatively used for dramatic effect, as well as to salvage less than ideal imagery. And naturally, all values can be keyframed for animated color effects.

Brightness 25, Contrast 25, Gamma 0.1, Hue 180

0.70 Gamma 1.30

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12.3.3. Color Eraser This effect basically works on the same principle as Spill Removal function discussed in the Keying section of the preceding chapter.

A color Tolerance and Softness are set using the Color swatch and slider gadget (again, the previous chapter explains the use of these control) along with the Add/Sub buttons. The designated color range is then de-saturated.

The Invert switch permits you to apply the effect to the colors excluded from the Tolerance and Softness ranges. The image above shows the effect applied to the right side of a color image only.

12.3.4. Curves

This effect provides the ability to replace the values of any or all attributes of an image separately. It can affect either H, S, L, O (Hue, Soma, Luminosity and Opacity) or R,G,B,A (Red, Green, Blue, and Alpha) channels, according to your selection using the Mode cycle menu.

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The new value applied to each attribute is controlled by a “Look Up Table” (LUT), and can vary according to the original value of the source pixel in a specific channel. The LUT is in turn controlled by a profile. A thumbnail is shown for each profile in the control panel for each available channel. Clicking the thumbnail opens the Profile Editor (see Chapter 7 - Painting & Drawing.)

Using Profiles to Control Attributes

Both horizontal and vertical scales in the profile represent values of the selected color attribute, from 0 to the maximum of 255.

The horizontal scale represents the entire range of values of the designated component that any pixel in the source image can possibly have. The vertical scale is the look up table. The value at any point on this scale is the value that a source pixel will be assigned when the effect is applied.

When first opened, each value from 0 to 255 along the (horizontal) source scale is mapped to its original level -- 0 to 0, 128 to 128, and so on. The resulting default profile is a diagonal line, which, if applied, would result in no change whatsoever. It works like this: the effect first examines each pixel in the source image, determining its starting value for a given channel. Armed with that number, it locates it along the horizontal scale of the profile. Having done that, it ‘looks up’ the value from the vertical scale. Finally, it modifies the pixel to the new value.

In the image above, for example, the source image was a gradient containing all possible values for green, from 0 at left to 255 at right. Applying the profile shown ramped the mid-range values down to g = 0, resulting in the effect demonstrated. Applied to various attributes in this fashion, custom profiles can provide spot control over changes in contrast, gamma, or saturation, deepen shadows, invert an image’s opacity, and much more.

12.3.5. Histogram The histogram is an analysis tool and a color effect at the same time. You can use it to make subtle adjustments to specific color channel values while leaving others untouched. In the upper part of the Histogram effect’s control panel is the graph display. Depending on your choice of color channel (chosen using the row of tabs just above) you can view an analysis of the Luminosity, Red, Green, Blue, or Alpha channel content of the current image.

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The display shows you two different sorts of information about the color values of the pixels in the current image. It contains a (black) bar graph, and a (blue) line graph. Let’s look at them one by one. The horizontal component of the bar graph represents the values (from 0 to 255) of the selected color channel. These values are also displayed graphically just beneath the graph itself, in the form of a gradient strip actually showing the values.

The vertical component of the bar graph shows the (proportional) number of pixels in the image having the corresponding value (on the horizontal scale), mapping only pixels that use the designated channel. So, for example, when viewing an image with many dark pixels, the bar graph would be denser to the left-hand end of the scale. An entirely green image with no red or blue component in it would be a flat line with a “spike” at 255, because all pixels have that value. The blue line indicates the percentage of pixels in the image that have the corresponding value. So, looking at the image above, which represents the blue channel, we can see from the bar graph of all the pixels using blue, most have low values. The red vertical line marks the exact value where the heaviest concentration of pixels having blue in them. Still, the blue line graph, having reached 70% by about the value 128, shows that the most of the pixels in the channel have values less than 128. There are two sets of triangular sliders under the graph. The fields under them show the values at a given slider position. These are Source and Destination controls, as shown below, which are use to re-map color values when the effect is applied. In the example below, Source slider number 3 is skewing the (blue channel) value of pixels at the 135 mark upward, towards about 250. The number 2 slider is effectively locking values at 108 in place, since its Destination slider is also at 128. Values below this will not be affected. Pixels having original blue values between those two positions will be affected with a gradual falloff of influence toward the lower number.

The images below show the result of these settings. In the source image, there are three blue balloons. We can see that the pixels for the blue balloons would have higher blue channel values than their neighbors, though there is a blue component in them too.

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The image below shows the result of applying the settings shown above. By using the number 3 slider to dramatically increase the blue value of source pixels that already contained a fairly high value blue, the blue balloons appear more saturated. By locking down the values below the number 2 slider, we prevented this blue shift from affecting pixels with lower (original) blue channel values. This effectively protected the other balloons from being modified.

There are actually two tabbed rows at the top of the control panel. We discussed the Channel tabs already. The other set, shown below, modifies the angle of the effect’s influence.

The Points menu determines how many control points you will have at your disposal. Log modifies the calibration of the bar graph, and can assist when dealing with low values that would otherwise show up poorly in the graph. Choosing Master, Shadows, MidTones, or HighLights limits the effect (with a gradual falloff) to the Range shown in the Range window below. (You may need to expand the Range section of the control panel using the gadget next to the Range label.)

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There are six sliders in the range panel, as well, three above and three below. By adjusting these, you can broaden or reduce curves representing the Shadow, MidTone, and Highlight ranges. Working with Ranges Ranges work as follows: When the Master tab is selected, the adjustments to the sliders are global, affecting all ranges equally for a given channel. Selecting Highlight focuses the influence of the sliders in the Histogram graph more narrowly on that Range of values, falling off toward the MidTones range.

Note: the settings in all tabbed panels, even for different channels, are cumulative. You can make adjustments in the different Ranges, and even in different channels, and apply them all at once. The number of sliders in each channel can even be vaired.

12.3.6. Sliders This is arguably Mirage’s most powerful Color Correction effect. Basically, it is a more elaborate version of the Curves effect, providing similar LUT functions. (You would do well to consider the explanation of the LUT in the Curve effect section before venturing further, if you haven’t done so.)

Whereas the Curves effect uses simple profile curves to provide LUT values, Sliders offers much more precision by using a powerful graph editor. In fact, with the exception of the Preview switch, the controls all relate to the creation of these curves (click Preview to see the effect of your adjustment right in the Project window.)

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The control panel features 7 sliders, as illustrated above. These are used to create and modify the LUT curves affecting Temperature, Magenta, Luminance, Red, Green, Blue and Alpha values in the effect’s graph (the first three are shown in the graph view as functions of the Red, Green and Blue curves, rather than presenting their own display.) The effect also provides four Range tabs -- Master, Shadows, MidTones and Highlights.

These tabs limit the adjustment of curves in the graph to selected ranges of the overall color gamut, as shown below. The Master tab has a global influence, while the other three restrict the curve-editing effect of slider changes to their respective Ranges in the graph window.

The Range graph (seen at the bottom of the panels above) serves several purposes. By sliding the small triangle gadgets horizontally, you can change the boundaries of the Shadow, MidTone and HighLight zones at will, narrowing the influence of the effect with a great degree of precision.

You use the sliders above the Range graph to set the maximum deviation of each of the corresponding curves, within the zone designated by the currently selected Range tab. The resulting curves are displayed in the graph as overlays, as seen above.

The lower set of four tabs (Gamma, Contrast, Gain, and Brightness) controls the way the curve is drawn within the selected range. (Since a natural falloff occurs at the boundary between ranges, you may be able to observe the influence of these tabs on the resulting curve more readily when the Master tab is selected).

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When the Brightness tab is selected, adjusting a slider simply raises all related levels. The Gamma tab clamps the values at both ends of a range, and raises or lowers the curve between those limits. This makes for a more subtle impact. Contrast mirrors the effect of any slider adjustment you make on opposite sides of the selected curve’s midpoint, increasing the amount of the selected color component on one half of the curve while decreasing it on the other. It helps to think of Gain as being related to Contrast in the same way Gamma is to Brightness. It clamps the values at either end of the curve, while permitting the intervening values to move in proportion to slider adjustment. The curves you can create using Sliders offer a great deal of localized control. A Midtone Gamma reduction (with the MidTone range biased toward lower values) adds ‘snap’ to the lotus image below, without compromising the rest of the image. The blossom stands out more distinctly from its leafy background.

Before After Color Adjustment

Note that the slider settings as well as the Range limits (set using the triangle gadgets in the Range graph) can be keyframed, permitting color correction curves to be varied over time.

12.4. Distortion Group

12.4.1. Bump Luminance values from the image selected in the Source menu are used to create an embossed appearance in the result. Shading is applied to the selected image to give the impression that brighter source areas appear raised, while darker areas are recessed. Pre Behavior, Post Behavior, Anim and Offset are used to control the use of animated Bump channel sources with this effect. The shading applied is based on a virtual light source. If you set Apply With to Center, the light will seem to radiate from the X and Y fields in the Center settings. If Apply With is set to Direction, an angle gadget appears, to permit Direction to be set by dragging with the LMB. The Depth field controls the amount of the relief effect applied, while Smooth controls the apparent severity of the edge between ‘elevations.’ All settings can be keyframed, but only Center X and Y settings can use motion paths from the Tools menu. The effect can be used to simulate texture, such as linen or brick, or for other purposes, such as ‘raising’ an embossed logo out of stone by animating the Depth setting.

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Bump Source Selected Image

Apply With Center Apply With Direction

12.4.2. Displacement Mapping This effect functions in similar fashion to Bump, and offers controls that correspond. In this case, the luminance values of the designated Source image buffer are used to warp the pixels of the resulting image, rather than to shade it. Animated sources are handled in the same fashion, too. Lighter areas of the source have greater impact, distorting the selected image’s pixels more than darker source colors (black pixels have no effect.) When Center is chosen in the Apply With menu, the effect seems to bulge outward from the designated X and Y co-ordinate, while the Direction option in the Apply With menu flows pixels along the angle specified. Again, warping is more or less pronounced according to the luminance of the source pixels. The Smooth setting softens the boundary between warped areas. A setting of 0 results in a distinct boundary between pixels warped by neighboring white and black source pixels, while a setting of 10 is much more fluid in appearance.

Smooth 0 Smooth 10

Center X and Y values can be animated using the Tools menu, or keyframed. The other settings can be keyframed.

12.4.3. Flip (Mirror Classic) The Flip effect has a similar effect to the Image menu item Modify - Flip. Both allow you to flip the image horizontally, vertically or both. The chief advantage of the effect is that it can be included with a list of other effects in the FX Stack.

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12.4.4. Mirror

Original Image Mirrored Result

The Pivot X and Y fields control the horizontal and vertical position of center of the reflection axis, which by default splits the frame horizontally. The Pivot can use motion data from the Tools menu. Angle controls the orientation of the reflection axis. Using the HUD controls, you can set the position of the reflecting line interactively right in the Project window. You can drag the line to a new position with the LMB, or re-orient it by dragging the vector control extending from a selected keyframe marker. The Opacity setting regulates the density of the reflected image.

12.4.5. Perspective: 4 Point The effect provides the FX Stack equivalent of the Main panel Wrapper tool. Though actually a 2D tool, the result can seem three-dimensional. You can think of it as allowing you to stretch the 4 corners of an image as though the frame was elastic. By changing the relative position of one or more corners, you can achieve the impression of a wide variety of pseudo-3D perspectives. The effect can also be applied to a custom brush, of course, or even an animated custom brush sequence. The render menu provides Pre/Post Behavior, Anim mode and Offset controls for the Source. Clicking Preview permits interactive dragging of the target X and Y location of each of the 4 points (designated P1, P2, etc.) via the HUD controls in the Project Window. The preview promptly updates to show the result of your decisions. Drag a single point with your LMB, or move all four points together by dragging the HUD keyframe marker. X and Y fields for each corner point are located in the Position Settings, and can be keyframed for animated effects. The Tools menu for each point allows values for those fields to be drawn from similar settings in other effects in the stack, or from motion paths. Interpolation modes are available there as well. When used with paths provided by the Pixel Tracker, imagery can be locked to follow action in a scene. One might, for example, add an image to a stationary sign captured on video through the window of a moving vehicle.

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Render Settings provides cycle menus for Source and Mode. The former designates what source imagery the effect is applied to, while the latter determines the paint mode used to merge the output of the effect with other imagery in the result. The Fill switch found in the Render pane toggles tiling of the output to fill the frame.

Note that this effect mimics real world perspective. Thus any setting resulting in a non-rectangular shape actually has a vanishing point. If this virtual vanishing point appears in the frame, there will be a horizon in the frame. Areas ‘below’ this artificial horizon will be filled with the tiled output, while areas ‘above’ the horizon will be transparent.

12.4.6. Tornado The filter warps the image in a spiral, as though twisted by a vortex. The effect is most pronounced at the center of influence defined by the Center X and Y fields, and falls off to the edge of the area of influence defined by the Radius value. Both values can be set interactively using the HUD controls.

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The Angle gadget can be used to set the degree of the twist applied (in either direction.) The Rotation field associated with Angle is a multiplier, allowing the number of turns to be quickly incremented in multiples of 360 degrees. The Center values can be derived using the standard FX Stack Tools, or set manually.

12.4.7. Wave This effect creates a circular ripple, much like that of a stone dropped in water. The center of the ripple is determined in the usual fashion by the Center X and Y fields (both keyframeable, and having access to the FX Stack Tools). Both values can be set interactively using the HUD controls.

Amplitude controls the maximum apparent displacement, which falls off over the distance determined by the Radius value. The Number setting controls how many concentric waves make up the pattern.

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The Angle gadget and corresponding Rotation value adjust the roll of the wave pattern, hence can be used to animate the ripple. Each wave completes one full cycle of motion (from its origin to the circumference of the circle of influence) in 360 degrees. Thus the pattern produced seems identical when Angle is set to either 0 or 360. However, if those very same settings (0, 360) are keyframed at different frames during a sequence, the wave(s) appear to propagate outward. Each wave will have moved through one full cycle, and a new wave will be forming at the origin (just as at the initial keyframe.) An identical result would be obtained if the Angle was fixed at 0, but the Rotation field went from 0 to 1 during the animation. Entering an Iteration of 2 would move the waveform through 720 degrees, and so on.

12.4.8. Wrapping Grid The wrapping grid can be thought of as being a “mini-morph” effect. It can be used for a huge number of things, basically warping imagery at will as though it were painted on stretched rubber, by dragging Source and Destination control points ( or “nodes”) in the HUD. You can also use the Effect’s Stack Tools menu to provide position data to individual nodes if you wish. Grid Height and Grid Width determine the density of the mesh or matrix used by the effect. The HUD control nodes appear at the vertices of this mesh. Note that creating very dense meshes can slow down the responsiveness of the controls, depending on the speed of your host system.

The interpolation option is global, affecting the way the pixels of the imagery are warped from one node to another. Linear interpolation performs a straight line warping, while Smooth mode causes a generally more pleasing blending. The Spline option instructs the HUD to provide four spline handles when a control node is selected. By default, the Display mode is Destination, which usually serves best for interactive editing using the HUD. Use Source display when you need to re-locate a Source node for precision control, as around facial features, for example.

Note: to select a group of nodes, you can drag out a marquee around them in the HUD, or use the Shift + click selection method (nodes need not be next to each other in this case.).

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The Points menu allows you to select a specific point in the mesh, but you will likely find it simpler to simply click it directly in the HUD. Expanding the lower area of the control panel (using the triangular expand/collapse gadget) reveals the (X, Y and Z) position settings of the currently selected node for both Source and Destination. The Tools menu allows these to be automated in the normal fashion. To animate the effect over time, use the C(reate) and D(elete) keyframe buttons in the standard manner.

12.5. Keying Group All members of this effect group were discussed in detail in Chapter 11.

12.6. Rendering Group

12.6.1. Background Generator The Background Generator creates colorful gradients in the current layer. Since the color information created by the effect includes alpha values, your gradient can be semi-transparent. This permits it to be used to overlay or tint existing imagery, as well as merely providing a background for use with other CG elements. The Mode cycle menu offers three main options. Horizontal creates a gradient where the boundary between the two colors crossed the frame from left to right. Choosing the Top and Bottom colors set the extremes between which the colors will gradually from one to the other. The A (alpha) value in the field beneath the color swatch controls the opacity of each pixel, based on the relative amount of the related color at that point. Selecting Vertical provides a similar result, with the exception that the transition between colors runs top to bottom. In this case, you choose the Left and Right colors.

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The 4 Points option has the effect of radiating the four designated shades outward radially from the corners of the frame. You choose colors for the Top Left, Top Right, Bottom Left, and Bottom Right points. The Blend menu provides the usual complement of paint modes. The selected method is used to paint the results into the current frame.

4 Point BG in Color Mode 4 Point BG in Colorize Mode

Note: do not overlook the fact that the colors selected can be keyframed. This permits you to use a simple horizontal gradient to animate a daytime sky changing to its twilight hues with just a few clicks!

12.6.2. Lighting This effect allows you to illuminate your imagery realistically, as though using external light sources. Three different types of lights are provided -- Spot, Omni, and Ambient. Lights are selected and added to the effect using the Lights cycle menu, selecting New, along with a type. Once added to the effect, lights are selected for editing using the same menu. The Delete option removes the selected light from the effect, and Duplicate allows you to base a new light on an existing one.

The source image before adding the Lighting effect

Multiple lights can be added, and light types can be mixed. The effect of active light sources is cumulative, as seen below.

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After the addition of a single Spot light.

Ambient light added at 60% intensity.

Adding an Omni light adds illumination and halation to the moon. Settings for individual lights are adjusted in the lower section of the panel. Happily, many settings can be adjusted interactively in the Project Window using HUD control gadgets when the filter’s Preview checkbox is enabled. Mirage quickly refreshes the display to show the result of your mouse actions. The optional settings vary according to the light type: Ambient lights adjust the global illumination level of the image. The only settings offered are Intensity and Color. An Intensity of 100% represents the base luminance level of the source image; in other words, it has no apparent effect. A higher setting raises the overall lighting level, while lower settings actually darken the image (setting Ambient to 0% Intensity mimics the proverbial ‘coal mine at midnight,’ and negative settings will actually darken other lights!) Clicking the Color swatch changes the cursor into a color picker (that can be used to pick any color from the Mirage screen.) The light source will take on the selected color, as though it passed through a colored gel.

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Omni and Spot light types share a number of settings: The Omni light type provides a spherical illumination pattern much like the sun; various settings may result in a wildly different appearance than the sun of course, but the illumination pattern remains spherical. In addition to Intensity and Color, discussed above, Omni light settings include Source X, Source Y and Source Z, which control the location of the light source relative to the image plane. A Source Z setting of 0% is co-incident with the image plane, and has no effect. Larger Source Z settings increase the apparent distance of the light source in front of the image plane (positive or negative Z settings produce identical results.) Radius controls the base size of the light source. In addition to duplicating these settings, Spot lights offer Destination X and Destination Y settings (the Z axis destination is always the image plane itself, hence requires no adjustment.) Using these two parameters in conjunction with the equivalent Source X, Y & Z settings permit precise tailoring of the spotlight’s beam. Using the options in the FX Stack Tools menu, the source and destination fields can also take their values the Pixel Tracker, Path Recorder, Path Bin, and so on.

The default light profiles can be modified (to change the propagation pattern of the light in any number of ways.* An Omni light can be used to add an atmospheric glow, annular rings, or an animated shock wave. Click the Profile swatch to open the Profile Editor (see Chapter 7 regarding editing profiles) Note: although most settings in the Lighting filter can be animated, as elsewhere in Mirage, Profiles cannot be keyframed.

12.6.3. Particle Generator The Particle Generator effect is profoundly powerful, almost a program all by itself. Its features are so numerous that we have dedicated all of Chapter 13 to it.

12.6.4. Perlin Noise

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This effect creates a wide variety of mathematically generated patterns. The results can be useful for a variety of applications, from creating or modifying textures for 3D objects to mimicking smoke, clouds or underwater illumination effects, or simply as interesting organic backgrounds. The Width and Height fields control the density of the pattern on those two axes (higher values result in a denser pattern), while the Position X, Y and Z settings vary its center point. (The latter settings can be animated with the FX Stack Tools menu options, in addition to the usual keyframe possibilities.)

Width 4 Height 4 Width 8 Height 8

The Octave setting controls the amount of detail in the procedural pattern, adding additional ‘noise’ factors to perturb it. Lower Octaves result in a less complex results. The Seed parameter is an integer value on which the pattern is based. The effect of modifying this number is quite unpredictable, as every value results in a different pattern.

Width 4 Height 4 Octave 1 Width 4 Height 4 Octave 3

Just below the Seed setting is the Color Source cycle menu. (If it is closed, you can expand it with the Expand/Collapse triangle next to its name.) When Color is selected, the color set in the Color swatch is used to create the pattern. The other options are Gradient, or Image. Selecting Gradient pops up a gradient strip. The gradient can be modified (using Mirage’s standard Gradient Editor) by clicking on the strip. When Image is selected instead, the generated pattern conforms to the colors of the source image’s pixels.

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Gradient with Opacity Off Gradient, Opacity Off, Invert enabled

Two other factors influence the nature of the pattern. First, while the Color Source menu designates the color(s) for the pattern, when either Color or Gradient (but not Image) is chosen, the resulting pattern will also include either black or transparent areas. Which is used depends on the state of the Opacity switch. As well, the Invert switch, when checked, reverses the coloration in the result. The Blend menu presents the standard complement of modes, which in turn are used to apply the pattern or combine it with any existing imagery. Also per usual, most of the settings for Perlin noise can be keyframed, allowing you to animate the texture.

12.6.5. Plasma The Plasma effect generates an astonishingly diverse variety of patterns. It might help to think of it as a more complex version of the Wave effect. Rather than warping an existing image with concentric ripples however, Plasma creates new imagery using multicolored ripples. Further, since Plasma allows multiple Generators (up to four) to contribute to the result, the circular ripples from each generator can interfere with each other. The number of Generators used to create the pattern is set using the Circles pop-up menu. Choosing 1 Circle simply creates a set of variegated concentric rings. The ripples from two or more generators result in increasingly complex patterns.

1 Circle, Smooth 1 Circle, Linear; 2nd Circle, Linear

The Mode menu at the top of the control panel determines the results when ripples from separate generators collide (thus when only a single Generator, Mode selections have no effect.) Whether the values at a given intersection are combined using Add, Subtract, or another function can have profound effects on the result.

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Minimum Mode Maximum Mode

Several controls are specific to individual Generators. A cycle menu offers Smooth, Linear1 or Linear2 settings, which affect the profile of the waveform generated. X and Y co-ordinates mark the origin, and can be either keyframed or use values derived from the FX Stack Tools menu. Scale settings for each generator effectively control the wavelength of the pattern for each active Generator, and may also be keyframed. Global controls follow the Generator specific settings. Global Phase controls the pitch of the waveform, seemingly rolling the ripples. Red Phase, Green Phase, Blue Phase, and Alpha Phase settings control the color components (and opacity) of the ripples. Each color Phase cycles through values of its corresponding channel, affecting how that color is contributed to (or subtracted from) the pattern. Modifying a Phase setting alters the placement and amount of the selected component in the pattern. Phase settings ‘roll over,’ producing identical results when integers are added to or subtracted from the original setting.

12.6.6. Simple Text Mirage version 1.2 introduces another member of this Effect Group – Simple Text. It allows you to add text to your frame(s) in a variety of interesting and creative ways. While the Text Brush Tool (section 7.1.1, Chapter 7 Painting & Drawing) provides many of the same features, Simple Text brings the full power of the FX Stack to bear on the task.

The standard Text Brush drawing tool creates a bitmapped custom brush, using standard vector fonts installed on your host system. Simple Text does so too, but only as the last step in creating the imagery. At any time prior to applying the entire FX Stack, the characters of the text line can be edited and their attributes modified. Saved as Bin entries (whether by using either individual FX Bin, or the FX Stack Bin), a text treatment (and animation style) can easily be recalled for repeated application, or exported for sharing. Text Animation

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Text motion can be achieved directly, using the Position attribute’s standard Tools menu (providing access to the Pixel Tracker, Path Recorder and Motion Path tools), or by the use of the keyframe C/D (Create/Delete) button.

The Progress Profile feature of the effect panel’s header provides wonderful control over any of the countless keyframeable attributes in Simple Text. Here’s a simple example: Applying the Progress Profile shown above to a Center-aligned text entry having just two keyframes -- XScale keyframed at 100% for frame 0 and 75% at a later frame -- results in a seamlessly looping text that seems to be “breathing.” Looping rotations and other animated effects are as easily performed using profiles too. Variable Settings The Angle setting (set with the numeric slider or neighboring Rotation compass gadget) can likewise be varied over time and keyframed. (The numeric Rotations field just below works in standard fashion, causing one turn through 360 degrees when incremented by a value of 1 over any period of time.)

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The effects of the Size, XScale, Spacing, Italic, and Tracking settings are identical to their counterparts in the Text Brush Tool, but it is worth mentioning that these settings too can be keyframed when applied from within the FX Stack.

Note: One Text Brush Tool feature not currently supported in Simple Text is Letter Mode. As discussed in Chapter 7, this mode can serve to deposit text characters along a motion path or spline. To achieve this effect in the FX Stack, you must instead use an animbrush (composed of the appropriate character sequence) in concert with the KeyFramer effect.

Filling Options Some attributes of the standard text tool have been separated into tabbed panels in Simple Text. Again, this provides more powerful alternatives. Rather than simply specifying a Color for the Font (face), its Border or Shadow, the Filling menu under each tab provides several alternatives, including Gradient as well as Texture. The simplest Filling option is Color. A standard color swatch is provided (click the swatch, and drag the mouse over the interface to select a color) along with an Alpha value numeric slider and SmoothX and Y fields.

True to form, all of these values can be keyframed. Knowing this, you can easily add Bin entries that fade text in and out with eerie animated blur effects (or any number of other creative alternatives), all without requiring optional plug-ins or even particularly complicated steps.

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Selecting Gradient or Texture Filling mode reveals additional options. Gradient options include the standard gradient strip (click the strip to open Mirage’s Gradient Editor), along with Angle and Rotation fields and gadgets, in addition to Smooth X and smooth Y – all keyframeable, of course. The Texture Filling option is very powerful and flexible. In addition to the Smooth X and Smooth Y functions common to all modes, its Texture menu allows you to select from the standard FX Stack source list.

You may choose from a number of available image sources, including the current Paper or Spare image, other layers, or even other projects. Since the designated source may well be an animbrush or animated layer an Anim mode menu and Pre and Post Behavior drop-down menus are provided. This provides a wonderfully easy way to map video or animation sequences to text. These diverse Filling options are available in all three tabs, Font, Border and Face. Additionally, the Border tab provides a border Size field, while the Shadow panel offers Angle (with the usual compass gadget and Rotations field) and offset Distance settings. It should come as no surprise by now that every setting can be animated using the keyframe buttons in the usual manner. Multi-Line Text It must be obvious by now the only the name and use of this effect can be termed “Simple.” As a standalone CG animation tool it easily outstrips many dedicated CG programs. One might note that it lacks multi-line text capabilities, but that statement is slightly misleading, too.

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To create multi-line text pages, one might simply use the effect control panel’s Options menu (the small triangle next to the FX Bin menu) to duplicate the effect. Then, in the duplicate FX Stack entry, editing the text string and Y Position value is all that is required. Note that it is in this connection that Simple Text’s Align menu becomes useful – text in multiple lines can easily be justified to the Left, Right, or Center relative to the position node visible in the Project Window when the HUD is displayed. Outline Text You may have noticed that another Text Brush feature is absent – the Outline option. Really, though, it’s easy to replicate this useful and attractive text style. Simply set the Font tab Alpha value to 0 with a suitable Border width to produce the same result. To round off this discussion, don’t overlook the fact that Simple Text can be further enhanced using other effects, such as Bevel, Volumetric Lighting, Tornado or Wave effects, or even Perlin Noise.

12.6.7. RotoTracking

Definition and Applications

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The RotoTracking effect is another way Mirage offers to deal with complex keying situations (though it can be creatively applied for other purposes too!) The effect uses spline shapes. Splines, as you likely are aware, are mathematically defined curves whose shapes are controlled by points (or nodes.) For the purpose of this effect, the splines are closed. Areas both inside and outside the borders of the shape have their opacity adjusted by the effect. Though not always the case, the region inside a spline shape is commonly used to define opaque areas, while areas falling outside its influence are rendered transparent. A blending area at the edge between the shape and the rest of the image can be used to provide a gentle falloff of influence between regions. The position of the nodes defining the spline shape (and indeed all its control parameters) can be animated.

This is a very useful ability, allowing the user to modify the shape defining a matte over time, fitting it closely to a moving subject. Given that the shape is user-defined and not dependent on image attributes (such as color or luminosity), it can be used to create quite acceptable mattes for multicolored, “busy” or otherwise unsuitable background areas.

Likewise, the effect can serve in tandem with Mirage’s keyers to provide the unhappily named but ever-so-useful “garbage matte”” function.

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Though the “roto” part of the effect’s name is drawn from “rotoscoping” -- a name replete with connotations of tedious manual labor -- Mirage’s spline implementation is termed RotoTracking because of its unique access to the powerful Path Recorder and Pixel Tracker utilities in the FX Stack’s Tools menu. These features go a long way to reducing the drudgery commonly associated with the use of splines! Control Panel Overview Beneath the standard control panel header (with its Progress Profile switch, Options menu gadget, and FX Bin menu) we find tools and controls for creating and modifying spline shapes. The uppermost section of the panel contains the Spline menu. This allows you to create, Rename, Duplicate and Delete new B-spline shapes (B-Splines are mathematically related to the Bezier spline curves used as a drawing shape in Mirage’s Main Panel, but have certain advantages over the latter for quickly defining a shape.) Note: multiple spline shapes can co-exist, and even interact. The Spline menu also designates which shape is currently selected for editing when more than shape one exists.

The Opacity percentage controls the transparency level of image areas outside the spline shape when the effect is applied. (The lower Opacity field controls the Opacity inside the selected spline shape.) A setting of 100% results in the outer area becoming fully transparent. As you would expect, the Invert switch reverses the impact of the effect. Both Opacity and Invert can be keyframed (Invert is a toggle, however – either on of off. It cannot be ramped over time.) There is also a keyframe C/D (Create/Delete) gadget next to the Spline menu. This is a “master keyframe” switch, used to create keyframe values for all keyframeable variables beneath it, including Position, Edge, etc. Beneath this menu are seven Action buttons. Hovering the mouse over these (with the Inline Help balloons enabled) provides information on each one. In order from left to right they are: • Append Point – when selected, each mouse-click in the Project Window adds another point

to the spline shape being defined. If a shape has been closed, selecting Append opens it again.

• Move Point – permits you to interactively drag a point (or selected group of points) to a new

position. • Insert Point – when this Action button is selected, the cursor becomes a cross hair when it

passes over a spline boundary line. Clicking at that point adds a new node to the existing spline.

• Delete Point – works similar to Insert, but clicking deletes the spline node point under the

cursor. • Modify Point’s Edge – adjust point Edge values using the HUD (see discussion of Edge

below.) • Modify Point’s Sharpness – adjust point Sharpness values using the HUD (see discussion

of Sharpness below).

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• Move Spline – enable this and drag anywhere in the Project Window to reposition the entire selected spline shape. A bounding box with 3 control points per side appears in the HUD. Dragging these control points resizes the shape on one or both axes. (Hold down the [Shift] key to constrain the re-sizing operation. Points may be multi-selected for movement by dragging out a rectangular marquee in the HUD to surround them. CTRL-click also serves to multi-select points for editing, even if they are non-contiguous.)

Note: You can Rotate the entire selected spline shape using the HUD’s spline rotation handle, which extends from the Move Spline bounding box. Conveniently, the angle is shown while performing the adjustment.

The central area of the RotoTracking control panel provides control over the position and effect of each node in the selected Spline shape. As in the case of the Spline menu, the Points menu displays the point currently selected for editing. Likewise, it sports keyframe controls; as in the case of the Spline keyframe gadget, this is a “master” control, creating keys for all pertinent lower level settings.)

Note: Point selection (for editing) can be done using the Points Menu, or by using the HUD. Points may be multi-selected for editing by dragging out a rectangular marquee to surround them, or using CTRL-click to multi-select points. It’s useful to realize that control panel sliders always influence a single point – the one listed in the Points menu. This is so even when a different group of points is currently multi-selected for editing using HUD actions!

The Position parameters (X and Y) govern the spatial position of the selected point. As with corresponding values in other effects, Position parameters can be established automatically using Mirage’s Path Recorder and Pixel Tracker (hence the name, RotoTracking.) (It’s worth remarking that the nearby interpolation menu (just above Tools) acts to modify the path of the point, not the nature of the spline curve it defines.) Edge Settings This setting provides precision control of opacity blending at the edge between areas inside and outside the spline shape, on a per point basis.

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The selected point in the upper right corner of this image has an Edge setting of –60, resulting in a gradual falloff of opacity as the natural boundary of the spline shape is approached. The extent of the modification to the natural edge is shown by a new boundary line drawn in light blue. The Edge value permits a region of feathering to be applied selectively, eliminating harsh edges when the effect is used to define a keyed area. Naturally, the value can be keyframed to accommodate changing conditions. Edge settings may be positive or negative (positive values create the blending zone outside the natural boundary of the spline shape.) Remember that Edge can be adjusted interactively in the HUD, by dragging the mouse over a spline node when the Modify Point’s Edge Action button is enabled. Sharpness Settings Sharpness values modify the shape of the spline at a given point, rather than the opacity with which it is applied.

B-Splines, unlike Bezier splines, do not pass though the nodes defining the shape. Raising the Sharpness value has the effect of drawing the spline curve more tightly into the actual node position. A sharpness of 100 pulls the curve right through the node – in fact, a four-point spline shape with all points set to Sharpness 100 would be a box! (The upper right node of the spline shown here has a Sharpness value of 100.) As with Edge, Sharpness can be adjusted interactively in the HUD, by dragging the mouse over a spline node when the Modify Point’s Sharpness Action button is enabled.

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Blending Mode

Multiple spline shapes can be used simultaneously for many reasons. Several combined shapes may serve together to create a complex matte. Alternatively, a secondary shape may serve to modify a primary one, cutting into it as it were. The Blending Mode menu determines what sort of influence a designated shape will have – Add will combine the opacity of the two shapes (to the limit of full opacity) while Sub mode results in the difference of the values provided by the two splines being applied.

The lower Opacity field controls the Opacity inside the selected spline shape, hence also influencing the result when Sub mode is applied. Edge and Sharpness settings are also respected for the purpose of Sub mode shapes. The Show HUD switch can be used to toggle the spline outlines on and off when the display is becoming to crowded for working conveniently (Zooming in is also helpful when to making fine adjustments.) Creating a Spline Shape To create a new spline shape, follow these steps: – Select New B-Spline in the Spline menu (the Action button auto-sets to Append Point) – Turn the FX Stack Preview on, with the HUD displayed. – Add spline-nodes by clicking in Project Window – When done adding points, click the mouse over the first point you created, closing the spline

to form the shape. Modifying a spline shape Having created a spline, experiment with the various settings. Then, keyframe some or all values, and move some frames further on in the Layer Panel Remember that Edge can be

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adjusted interactively in the HUD, by dragging the mouse over a spline node when the Modify Point’s Edge Action button is enabled. Change the position of some points, noting the effect on the spline shape. Setting the first keyframes turned on auto-key for those channels. Modifying the Position (or other) values at another point in time has created new keyframes, according to the need. When the effect is applied the shape and its settings will smoothly transition between the values you established.

12.6.8. Time Code Generator As its name implies, this effect paints a timecode display window into the current layer. The user can select the Font (using a cycle menu) from those installed, and can Scale the display to suit the need, using the field provided. Font Color and the Back Color (for the rectangular background field) are set using the color swatches so labeled, and each offers a corresponding Alpha setting.

Three modes are available from the Time Code menu: Current Project utilizes the actual global timecode for each frame. This mode has no other time related options. If the Layer Panel timeline is set to display timecode, the result will show the current frame that way. When Layer Panel timeline mode is set to display a frame count, frame numbers are used instead. Free Run mode lets you choose specific project settings, and uses the StartFrame you select as the first frame number displayed at the first frame of a selected layer, irrespective of the global timeline position. The Frame Rate field allows you to specify a rate, which can be different than the actual project rate. The Reverse switch shows a countdown overlay instead. The Mode menu just below permits you to choose between Frame and TimeCode. Frame shows a frame count (0, 1, 2, 3, etc.) while TimeCode displays standard SMPTE timecode (00:00:00:29.1). Font Scale and Color, Back Color, Alpha values, Position settings and Scale can all be keyframed. Position alone has access to the FX Stack Tools and keyframe Interpolation modes.

12.6.9. Volumetric Light The standard Lighting effect discussed earlier illuminates imagery just as a real light would play over a physical image. By contrast, Volumetric Lighting uses the image itself to shape and color the illumination. The images colors and opacity can variously filter, tint, or mask the rays emanating from the light source.

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Light X and Light Y serve to position the virtual light source. Ray Length controls the reach of the beam, and Light Power sets the overall effect brilliance. Channel Options The next area of the panel controls the manner in which the light ray colors are calculated. The Source menu holds Alpha, Invert Alpha, Luminosity, Stencil, Red, Green, Blue options. Here are some examples to illustrate the modes available:

The original image before the addition of Volumetric Lighting is shown above. The gray areas of the image are transparent, while the black is 100% opaque.

Volumetric Light added in Alpha source mode. The virtual light source can be clearly seen, streaming through the transparent parts of the original image layer.

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Selecting Invert Alpha as source mode restricts rays from the virtual light source to passing through opaque pixels only. Transparent areas of the image block transmission of the beams, though rays which have “shone through” opaque pixels can pass over transparent ones as they complete their journey. Luminosity mode has no effect whatsoever when applied to the very same image used above. This is because both the black and the transparent pixels lack any luminosity, hence have a source value of zero!

For this reason, we have substituted the image above to show the impact of the Luminosity source setting.

White pixels have maximum Luminosity values, so pass the volumetric rays completely. The surrounding black areas, having no luminosity, are treated as fully opaque. The Red, Green and Blue source modes restrict the volumetric ray calculations to a single color channel. The text in the following images is painted with a gradient from left to right. The left side of the text is red, and the right is blue.

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In this image, the Volumetric Light source mode is set to Red. The resulting radiant effect is correspondingly more pronounced on the left (red) side of the image.

By contrast, the effect source was set to Blue for the lower image, with the result that the rays emanating from the right hand side of the text are dominant. Blend The Blend settings control the manner in which the volumetric rays are merged with existing imagery. The Color, Add, Sub, Replace, Multiply, Screen and other alternatives are familiar from discussions of painting and merging modes elsewhere in this manual.

Substitute mode (above) removes all vestiges of the original pixels from the scene. It creates an entirely new image displaying only the rendered volumetric rays. As such it provides an atmospheric, otherworldly result that is all the more alluring when the light position is animated. Color source

The Color Source options are Image, Color, and Gradient. In Color mode, the Color swatch just below determines the apparent color of the volumetric light source. Clicking on the swatch

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permits another color to be picked from the screen and substituted for this purpose. When the Color Source is set to Image, the ray color is also influenced by the color of pixels in the original image. The Gradient mode uses the current Mirage Gradient to tint the rays according to the luminosity and density of the effect on any pixel. (Clicking the small gradient strip opens the Gradient Panel to allow adjustments to be made.) Mask The Mask control area holds a Radius setting, in addition to the enable/disable checkbox. Think of this as defining a falloff circle around the virtual light source. Shimmer The settings in this part of the panel add a perturbation to the volumetric beam, splitting it up and dispersing it. The effect might be likened to the way sunlight is fractured into smaller rays as it passes through clouds. The parameters (like others in the panel) can be keyframed to provide quite a convincing result. The Size setting controls distribution of the disturbance pattern. Higher values have greater impact. Angle and Rotation rotate the interference, with the result that the rays appear to rotate around the light’s central axis. Higher Variation settings produce more contrast in the rays. You might think of variation as controlling the opacity of the dispersion pattern that the rays encounter as they travel outward from the source. The Seed value is an otherwise meaningless input parameter of the math function that generates the dispersion pattern. Changing it results in a completely different pattern in more or less random fashion.

12.7. Stylize Group

12.7.1. Bevel The Bevel effect is another reason to think of Mirage as “2½ D.” Its options permit CG objects to appear chiseled or raised from the image plane in a variety of interesting ways. The filter uses shading techniques not unlike those of the Bump filter, and requires opaque objects on a transparent background as Source.

The Mode cycle menu lets you select either Inner bevel, which seems to carve relief into CG objects, or Outer, which seems to raise the CG object from the image plane. Both mode applies Inner and Outer selections. Below are some Bevel samples (black regions are transparent.)

Inner Bevel Outer Bevel

The Bevel field establishes the basic bevel depth. The Smooth setting applies a slight blur to irregular edges, but co-incidentally increases the bevel width. Smooth settings that are too high will almost certainly ruin the effect, so don’t overdo it! The Direction angle gadget points to the virtual light source, while Altitude, as its name suggests, controls its apparent elevation relative to the image plane.

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Both Mode (with high Softness)

Increasing Softness values ‘softens’ the interior face of CG objects, flattening pronounced bevels somewhat. At extreme settings it can even impress the face ‘below’ the beveled edges, rather like a stamp pressed into soft clay. Light Power controls the intensity of the bevel’s highlights. The Light Color swatch is used to change the virtual light color. Shadow Power and Shadow Color provide corresponding functions for the shaded portions of bevels.

12.7.2. Blender This effect deconstructs the source image, re-assembling it into a randomized ‘seamless’ image made up of ‘patches’ of color. Images of this sort are well suited to tiling for web or 3D texture mapping purposes, but (with a little extra processing) can also be attractive backgrounds for CG work. The Seed value is the only adjustable parameter, serving to change the result in random ways.

Before After Blender Blender applied 3X

(Successive applications of Blender produce finer results, ultimately breaking the image down to the point that pixels are nearly indistinguishable.)

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12.7.3. Bloom Bloom is a very popular effect for adding an ethereal, otherworldly or romantic essence to imagery. Basically, it adds a subtly blurred glow. The effect is more pronounced on highlights, and when used carefully can lend a slightly more film-like appearance to video footage because of it’s impact on luminosity and sharpness.

Brightness may be thought of as a global control over the lightness of the bloom. Saturation affects the richness of colors in the bloom. The Glow Size X and Glow Size Y settings let you exaggerate the effect on one axis if desired. The effect of Blur Tune is such that you might think of it as increasing the haziness of the bloom. A low setting restricts it somewhat, while a higher setting lets it flare over darker areas too. Finally, you can skew the color of the bloom using the values in the Red, Green, and Blue Variation fields. All settings can be keyframed.

12.7.4. Color Range This effect substitutes the colors from the current Mirage gradient for the color values of pixels in the selected frames. The gradient serves as a left-to-right Look Up Table (LUT). The Channel menu permits you to set whether the substitution will be based on the Luminance, Alpha, or Red, Green or Blue values in the source.

Source Image Gradient Result

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12.7.5. Drop Shadow

This effect creates nice drop shadows for opaque CG objects in your scene. Naturally, the shadow will only appear if there are transparent areas in the imagery.

The settings are pretty much self-explanatory. Even so, by checkmarking the Preview switch, you can see the results of your settings instantly displayed in the Project window. Click the Color swatch to choose the shadow color. Then click again to pick a shade from the interface using the mouse. The Direction gadget (and matching field) controls the angle along which the shadow will fall, while Distance defines the shadow’s offset (in pixels) from the (shadow-casting) CG object. The Opacity setting regulates the density of the shadow, and Smooth values define the softness of the shadow outline. (When the shadow is quite soft, several applications of the filter can be used to add density to the result.) All settings (including the shadow Color) can be keyframed.

Note: a simliar effect is available as a standalone filter in the Plugins menu.

12.7.6. Erode The effect effectively shrinks the alpha channel of opaque areas in the frame, according to the Erode X and Y settings you apply. The settings are in pixel values, and are keyframeable.

12.7.7. Glow Glow is not unlike a Shadow applied at a distance of 0 pixels. It applies a blurred border around CG objects. The glow surrounds the entire object, and is more or less prominent according to your Glow X and Y settings. Along with the size values, Color and Alpha settings can both be keyframed to provide an animated result.

12.7.8. Grain The Grain effect adds visual noise to the selected image. The effect is randomized, so no two successive frames will be the same. The grain can be Monochrome, or colored. The effect can be used to mimic film-grain, compensate for the unnatural smoothness associated with computer generated imagery, or for more dramatic stylizing.

The Size parameter controls the gross size of grain added, from very large to pixel-sized. A smaller size uses fewer pixels and gives you a more subtle effect. Range controls the level of deviation in the grains, affecting both size and color. Higher ranges make for very pronounced, even psychedelic effects

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The Red, Green and Blue Variation settings control the influence of those color components in the resulting pattern (changing these values does have an impact even when Monochrome is enabled.).

12.7.9. Halftone The Halftone effect mimics the rasterized look of screened artwork. The effect varies the size of the mesh according to the source value of the pixels being processed. The H(orizontal) Cells and V(ertical) Cells settings control the density of the mesh pattern, while Angle rotates it. H Jitter and V Jitter vary the pattern slightly. The Type menu offers several different styles, including Dot, CrossHatch, Line, Soft Dot, and others. Opacity percentages control the overall power of the effect, and Mode offers 5 different mesh application methods.

12.7.10. Lumix This effect substitutes the luminance value of pixels in the selected imagery (Source menu) with the luminance data drawn from the designated Luma From source. Both source areas offer the usual Pre/Post Behavior, Anim modes and Offset control for animated sources.

Source Image Luma Source Result

12.7.11. Mosaic

The Mosaic effect replaces individual pixels of the source image with ‘super-pixel’ sized blocks, which are in turn comprised of averaged color values derived from the source pixels. The result can be like an image composed of equal-sized mosaic tiles. The size of the blocks is set using the X and Y fields, which can be keyframed to vary the effect over time. The Smooth switch

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enables blending between neighboring blocks, producing a more subtle interpretation of the original image.

12.7.12. Negative

This effect simply reverses the colors of the source image, replacing each pixel with its complement to produce a negative of the original. It has no adjustable settings.

12.7.13. Noise

The Noise effect re-distributes source pixels randomly, respecting the two settings Shift (defines the upper limit for the distance a source pixel will move) and Intensity (what percentage of the pixels in the source image will be moved.) Both settings are keyframeable. The filter can give a film-like grain to animated footage (the randomized noise varies convincingly from frame to frame) or enhance stills, with effects ranging from ‘ground glass’ to something approaching pointillism.

12.7.14. Posterize

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This is a color reduction filter. The source imagery is analyzed, and pixel colors are replaced to reproduce the original using a reduced color palette. The effect can be quite dramatic or rather subtle, depending on the Posterize setting applied. Note that this number does not directly control how many colors the final image will use. Rather it limits the number of tonal increments available to the filter in each of the color channels. Thus the setting scale is not linear (high numbers may well produce an image nearly indistinguishable from the source.)

12.7.15. Print

This effect mimics the half-tone screening common in comic books and cartoons, which compose their images from a series of dots of varied size. The dots and surrounding field are colored and sized to provide a dithered appearance. Dot Size controls the upper limit of the matrix, which will vary according to values derived from the source pixels. The Channel menu determines whether the half-tone screen is painted in Color, Black&White or is based on the Alpha value of the source pixels. In the later case, the half-tone screen is based on transparency, so applying the filter to fully opaque pixels has no effect.

12.7.16. Solarize

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The Solarize filter digitally replicates the photographic effect known as solarization. The latter technique involved re-exposing a film negative to a light source during development, skewing the color and luminance values to produce a dramatically different result. The Mirage filter achieves a similar effect by blending the source image with its own negative.

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Chapter 13 The Particle Generator The Particle Generator effect is a great graphics and animation tool, but you might prefer to think of it as a magical playground. Its truly infinite variety can serve many different ends. Video producers can do all sorts of glitzy effects, from 'pixie dust' to dazzling text treatments. Animators can use it to add smoke trails, billowy pyrotechnics, flowing water (or lava), falling snow or flying chimps to their work!

13.1. Introduction: Particles, Emitters and the World Let's talk for a minute about the nature of a particle system. Think of the tip of a burning cigarette (don't inhale). Picture the rising smoke. The smoke looks like a gaseous substance, but is actually largely comprised of (mostly lethal) chemical particulate. The Particle Generator also creates particles, but it places them in an image. Suppose that (instead of carcinogens) the individual particles consisted of an image – say a small, fluffy-looking blob with a little transparency. If we stacked up enough of these little particle-images -- let's call them Shapes, as Mirage does (though sprites is a common generic term) placing them just-so, they might look just like real cigarette smoke (but this smoke wouldn't land us in chemotherapy.) If we had a number of empty animation frames (and lots of free time), we could stamp these shapes down many, many times in successive frames. By raising their position a little each frame (and adding more of them at the bottom of the growing column as required) we could create an animation of a rising column of smoke! Having mastered that technique, we might branch out into something healthier ... say landscape work. We could replace our amorphous particles with several different images (Shapes) of leaves in fall color. Reversing directions in the animation, it would seem like the leaves were falling. To really be effective, we might want to move the leaves around even more, rotating them slowly to make them appear to tumble as they fall; maybe moving them laterally a bit, to simulate drift caused by an autumn breeze. And then we could retire, because we'd be old. Enter Isaac Newton

Wouldn't it be grand if Mirage could automate these processes? We could designate an image to be a particle Shape -- a leaf, a spark, bubble, coin -- anything at all! In this ideal digital world, we

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could instruct Mirage to attach these Shapes to particles, and animate them along a path we defined. Or, better yet, we could simply tell Mirage to give them a Direction and a Velocity, and let the laws of physics take charge of creating the path. While we're at it, maybe they could have other inherent characteristics -- like Spin, so that falling snowflakes could be given a gentle twirl. Since we've invoked the laws of physics, let's add more physical properties for our particles, like Weight, for example. That sounds great, but if you think it through, it won't work. Why not? Let's consider weight as contrasted to velocity, mentioned earlier: If we assign lateral velocity to a particle, it moves at the defined rate across the frame until it eventually passes 'out of sight' … so that works. Velocity has a frame of reference --in this case literally the frame itself (as measured in pixels.) But if we simply add weight to the travelling particle, would the particle fall through the frame? No, it would not - because there is no gravity in a frame. Consider a particle system made up of balloon Shapes. We can tell Mirage "These balloon particles each have a weight of 10 units." But is 10 units more or less weight than the empty pixels surrounding the balloon? Is the balloon lighter than air (a helium balloon) or heavier (a water balloon?) And even if it were more or less, without gravitational attraction weight wouldn't make any difference! A World of Our Own To make this work then (so that something heavy falls instead of floating as though in outer space) our World (the frame) must have some properties of it's own -- including Gravity. While we're at it, we might as well give it Wind. Now we can define balloon particles (or bubbles) and make them float, even letting them drift away on the breeze! Optionally, the particle system could interact with 'objects' already existing in the World. By examining the opacity of the pixels in a frame, our balloons can Bounce off the ceiling (as defined by the frame borders) or a wall that we paint into the scene. In our magical world, we can even bend the rules of physics. In reality, a heavy object and a lighter one fall at the same rate -- not so in Mirage. A heavy particle sinks faster than a lighter one (this is just to make it easy on us, so we don't need a college course in ballistics.) Emitter and Particle, Mother and Child Let's take a closer look at our cigarette smoke. There might be more than one type of particle in the smoke. There may be some gray ones that are a little heavier, and whiter particulate that is less dense. The heavier one rise briefly after emission, then are overcome by gravity as they cool and begin to fall. The lighter particles rise lazily upwards, slowing slightly as they cool but mostly continuing upwards, finally trailing off in wisps. Both particle types originate from the cigarette tip together, but they behave differently. So, our virtual particle system should allow us to have more than one particle type, each with it's own inherent characteristics: Weight, Shape, Bounciness, Opacity, and so on. Again, since both particles originate from the cigarette tip, we can call that point of origin the Emitter. An Emitter can launch a number of different particle types -- really as many as we care to define -- each with its own characteristic behavior. So, particles each have their own inherent velocity, and weight; but it would be useful to be have some control over the Emitter, too:

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We need to be able to aim the particle flow as it exits the Emitter, and to determine how particles are dispersed -- whether on a broad front, or narrowly focused. Emitters can be varied in shape, direction, and angle of dispersion. A drinking fountain is a particle emitter, and so is Niagara Falls! One points up, the other down. One is narrow, and the other quite broad. Life and Death in the Magic World Once it leaves the emitter, each particle's behavior is principally ruled by its own inherent characteristics, but environmental factors -- like Wind – also play a role. You could say each particle has a Life of its own. It also has a "death" of its own. But unlike the real world, we get to decide when that will occur, and we can put it off as long as we like! The issue of longevity is always important to us, even when we simply want to create a realistic particle effect. Imagine a stream of sparks sputtering and dropping away from an arc welder's electrode. The shooting white sparks flare into life, then disappear quickly -- no later than a moment or two after the stream hits the floor. But even after the sparks wink out, the slag particles may glow for a few seconds longer. We could mimic this emission stream with two distinct particles -- one bright and 'sparkly, and the other glowing dully red. If their motion characteristics matched precisely, they would move as one. And if the bright particle "died" a moment before the reddish one, we'd have taken another step towards real world behavior. Another case study: a broad emitter placed at the bottom of a glass of liquid, streaming bubble particles upwards. We don't want the bubbles to rise endlessly, right out of the glass and up to the ceiling. If instead we arrange their Life and Velocity just right, we've got champagne! Are You Coming, or Staying Behind? Let's give a little thought to the relationships between real world emitters and their particles. Consider once more our cigarette (this is becoming a habit.) The smoke is wafting gently upwards, drifting slightly with the movement of air in the room. As each particle in the stream reaches its life span, it fades gradually out of existence. (We can mimic that, too, by decreasing the opacity of the particle.) We mentioned earlier that particles have a life of their own -- so the smoke stream, having left the emitter, continues on its way. If we move the cigarette, the smoke trail continues to be formed from the tip, but smoke that has been emitted already does not chase the cigarette, in an attempt to maintain a bond. It just continues to drift from its original point of emission, without regard to the cigarette. Even if you snuff out the emitter, the smoke lingers a while. Sometimes, though, we do want the bond to be maintained, to a greater or lesser degree. Let's think about the former situation. Again, our emitter for this discussion is the end of the cigarette. You know the old saying right? “Where there's smoke there's fire!” So we really should add a lively red glow to the emitter. We can create yet another particle stream for this purpose. Variegated red and gray particles can mimic the fluctuating hot glow nicely. If we give them neither Weight nor Velocity, they'll just sit in place. Our cigarette will smolder correctly. So far, so good ... but what will happen now when we move the cigarette? The glow is left behind, floating in static position in the frame! That will never do. We need to be maintain the connection between the emitter (the cigarette's tip) and these particles -- and only these particles! The smoke can drift away, that's what we want -- but the glowing ash must stay fixed to the emitter. No problem, Mirage can do this for us, by Linking the Particles to the Emitter.

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Particles in the Fast Lane In another scenario, we might want to establish a more casual bond between the emitter and its particles. Suppose you want clouds of dust to arise from a roadside, accentuating the speed of a passing truck. An Emitter tracking the truck could do the job. But realism calls for attention to detail. Real dust is first whipped up, then drawn along the road in the direction of the truck's motion for a while. Then it loses momentum, and begins to fall. Finally, under the influence of local wind currents, it disperses well behind the long-gone truck. This calls for a subtle linkage between the Emitter (which is following the truck) and the dust particles. They have a life of their own all right, but need to be tugged along by the emitter to some degree --- but just for a while. The further away the truck (and its Emitter) is from their initial emission point, the less the Particles should feel its influence. Finally, they are entirely free, and float off. To achieve this effect in our virtual world, we need to be able to selectively Link particles to their emitters, with varying degrees of strength. Perhaps that's enough theory for now. Let's turn to the details of Mirage's Particle Generator.

13.2. Particle Generator Overview In the discussion above, we've isolated the three principal elements of a particle system: the Particles themselves, The Emitter, and the World. The system requires all three, hence comprises an Emitter that sends forth a stream of Particles into the World. Each element of our little triad has it's own properties which cumulatively dictate the sum behavior of the particle system. Mirage's Particle Generator works in precisely this fashion. The settings for each element are found in various sections of the Particle Generator control panel when the effect is added to the FX Stack. Settings are mostly keyframeable, as well. This means the emitter and particles can be animated with respect to much more than their position in the frame. Particle Settings Some settings are particle-specific. In the control panel, these are accessed using the Particle tab. It shows all settings for a given Emitter (an animation may consist of a number of Emitters, each with it's own flock of disparate particles.) For example, Particle Life can be keyframed. At one point of an animation rising steam particles can "evaporate" (disappear from view) more quickly than later in the same sequence. This might suggest that the fluid is heating up, producing a more substantial plume of steam as the animation progresses. Such an impression could be strengthened by keyframing the Particle Number variable, which controls the particle birthrate. (The Number setting is found by first clicking the Particles tab, and then selecting the Current tab beneath that.)

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A Number setting of 1 means a single new particle will be produced for each second of animation (respecting the project framerate.) Beginning the animation with a Number of .1 (one new Particle every 10 seconds) and raising it to a prolific over time 10 makes quite a difference! Emitter Settings Naturally, other settings regulate Emitter characteristics (like Direction of emission). Emitter specific settings are found by clicking the Emitter tab, and then the Current (emitter) tab lower down in the panel. This is also the logical place for some 'higher-level' settings that can be used to globally govern the whole particle system spawned by one Emitter. Suppose you set up a multi-particle system, like the arc welder spark stream discussed earlier. Later you decide you want to shorten the Life span, so the sparks and slag both decay sooner.

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To achieve this without having to tweak the settings of each Particle type, a global Emitter Life setting (expressed as a percent of the Particle Life settings) could be reduced to 75%. In consequence, ALL particles from that one Emitter die out 25% sooner. World Settings

Choosing the World tab permits you to apply and adjust environmental factors -- Wind and Gravity -- and to decide whether particles can

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experience collisions (and hence deflect according to their Bounce settings), or will simply pass through obstructions. Particle Browser The Particle Generator’s control panel FX Bin button provides a Browse option, which opens the Particle Browser. You may be forgiven for thinking (at least initially) that the Browser is the best part of the Particle Generator filter. A large array of completely configured Emitters is stored there, ready for use.

You can audition preset Emitters one at a time in the Library window. Clicking its Presets drop-down menu lets you browse through directories full of Emitters. Enabling Full Quality and AAliasing provides excellent realtime previews if your host system is capable of supporting these display options. You can drag your mouse pointer around in the Browser window to study the Emitter's behavior. When you find one that's just right, clicking Copy to FX will export the preset shown to the current project. Afterward you can simply keyframe it in the Project Window as you please, and press Apply FX Stack -- or tweak its attributes to customize it.

13.3. Particle Generator Details

13.3.1. Creating a Particle System Particles are the basic building blocks of this effect, so we begin by designing one. As particles are 'children' of an Emitter, their settings are found nested within the (higher level) Emitter tab (as opposed to the World Tab.)

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Before a Particle can exist, however, an Emitter must exist -- so (after adding the Particle Generator to the FX Stack) make sure the Emitters tab is selected, then click on the Emitters drop-down menu just below. For now, choose Point to create your first Emitter. The Quick Preview Pane Notice also the Quick Preview button that shows up at the bottom of the control panel. Enabling this provide an interactive window in which you can view and test the characteristics of your particle emitter.

This panel is obviously very similar to the previously mentioned Particle Browser. But it’s not the same, actually. The Browser lets you test and select from preset emitter assemblies. The Quick Preview actually displays the currently active emitters from the effect. The display updates immediately to reflect adjustments to the particle or emitter settings, making it a key component for design purposes! As with the Particle Browser, you can drag your mouse pointer around in window to study the Emitter's behavior. When your host system is competent to use these options, enabling Full Quality and AAliasing enhances the display.

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13.3.2. Particle Settings We'll return to the Emitter panel to consider settings found there later. For now, click the Particle tab (just a little lower on the same panel.) As in the case of Emitters, to define a Particle we have to first add it, using the Particles drop-down menu.

This menu also allows you to specify which Particle you wish to edit when there are more than one (it's the same with Emitters, when there are more than one in an effect.) Duplicate makes a copy of the current Particle. This is a great convenience when you want an Emitter to spawn several Particle types with similar properties, perhaps only changing the Shape attached to it. Emission Controls Once you create a Particle (as described above), the Particles tab will refresh to offer more controls. Grouped in this area are some other controls that deal with the way particles are generated by the emitter and relate to it. The list below discusses these:

• Link to Emitter - The amount of influence the Emitter retains on the Particle after its birth,

expressed as a percent. • Number - Controls Particle birthrate on a per second basis – when set to 0, you won’t see

any particles at all.

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• Life - Defines how long a Particle will continue to exist, expressed in seconds • Points - Actually an emitter setting, Points controls the number of emission points populating

an Emitter. For example, a setting of 2 for an Ellipse type emitter creates two distinct emission points on opposite sides of the ellipse.

The Single Life (“One is the loneliest number…”) The Single checkbox instructs the Emitter modifies the Number setting for the current Particle. With Single disabled, a Number value of 5 (as shown above) means 5 particles will be emitted per second. Each particle emitted would cease to exist at the designated Life time, in the example above, a mere 1 second -- presuming the particle’s own activity does not remove it from view earlier than that.

When Single is enabled, after a particle is emitted, no more are produced until the previous one reaches the end of its Life. Thus when Life exceeds the particle birthrate (governed by Number) Single overrides the Number value, preventing more particles from being emitted until full Life expectancy is reached. If, on the other hand the Life value is short (although only one particle will ever exist at a given point in time) the birthrate Number may still be achieved. Single (Particle) can be quite handy: You might be working on an animation of a fighter jet (a French Mirage, no doubt.) At one point, the jet comes under threat of missile attack. In addition to juking and jinking the jet to evade contact, you want it to eject chaff and flares to throw off the missile's radar and thermal targeting. The metallic chaff needs a Life span long enough for it to leave the frame, even when another cloud of chaff is emitted a few moments later. So the chaff burst (emission) rate can be controlled with the Number setting -- every so many seconds a new cloud of chaff is ejected. The Life setting has no bearing on the emission rate, and can be set as long as you like. But there is a better way to control the flares. You want a new flare to be ejected by the Emitter (which is tracking the tail of the jet) every time the previous flare burns out (but not before.) If you set Life to 2 seconds, the flare will burn out quickly. When Single Particle is enabled, every time a flare winks out, a new one is automatically born (digital reincarnation?) Change the Life of the flare Particle, and the birthrate automatically compensates. There are many other applications, of course. Particle: Shape Settings Tab Now click the Shape tab. Here are controls over the Shape(s) that will be the visible form of the particle.

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The controls and options here are discussed below: • Source – Offers two options: Default assigns an “all-purpose” round, soft-edged shape.

From File opens the file Browser permitting you to select a bitmap (image or animation) as the Particle Shape.

• Handle - Like Mirage brushes, the Shape has a Handle which serves as its axis. When set

to the Shape’s Center, Particle Spin is centered there. Setting the handle to Top Left swings the Shape around that corner when spun. The other options are Left, Right, Top Right, Bottom Left, Bottom Right, and Top, Bottom and Custom. This latter choice pops up an HUD display allowing you to drag the cursor to establish handle co-ordinates.) Too, the Handle serves as the collision point for Bounce calculations, and defines the precise point at which a Particle is born relative to the Emitter. A Particle with 0 Velocity and Weight with its handle at the Center rotates with its Emitter. Moving the Handle to a corner would cause the Particle to orbit the Emitter, instead.

• AntiAliasing – Toggles AA for the particle shape, reducing “jaggies.” • Animation – The Anim mode controls the order in which sequential frames are supplied to

the particle when the Particle Shape draws on an animated Source. - None ignores all but the first frame. Every particle will use the same image as its Shape, drawn from the first frame of the Source animation. - Once mode applies the source animation frames sequentially at each frame of every particle’s Life while the source lasts, then applies its last frame indefinitely. - Loop mode applies the animation frames in natural order to Particles during their Life. When the sequence is exhausted, it begins again at the first frame. Each newly emitted Particle begins with the same frame of the animation, then cycles through ensuing frames over and over again in that fashion. – Random & Loop selects random starting frames for each Particle on emission, then

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applies the animation sequence in natural order as the Shape Source during its Life. When the animation sequence runs out, it begins again. – Ping Pong works just like Loop, but -- rather than cycling back to the first animation frame in one jump when the sequence runs out -- it reverses through the sequence back and forth as many times as necessary. – Random might be described as completely haphazard, cycling through Source animation frames unpredictably. – Random at Start begins with a different Source animation frame for each Particle, then applies that same frame to a given Particle throughout its Life. – Age applies the full Source animation once during the Life of each Particle. The sequence begin at its first frame on emission of the Particle, holding subsequent frames as long as necessary to make the sequence last to the end of the Particle’s Life. - Particle Direction varies the source Shape selection (from the animated Source) based on the orientation of the Particle at a given frame. (Particles may have one Shape when rising, and change to another when falling, for example) – Generator Direction globally updates ALL existing Particles at each frame according to the orientation of the Generator at that moment.

Emitter types such as Line and Ellipse allow multiple generators according to the Points setting. The Generator’s Direction at any point in time is governed by the global (Generator) Direction setting in the Current (Emitter) panel.

– Emitter Direction works similarly, but is based on the orientation at any moment of the Emitter.

• Blend - Determines how the Particle Generator will paint its output into the frame. The

Color, Behind, Erase, etc., options are familiar paint modes discussed elsewhere in this manual.

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• Color Source – This provides the ability to tint or even completely replace the natural color of Particles. You can choose between None, Color and Gradient options. – Color provides a color swatch that you can LMB-click to pick a color from the screen. Adjusting the associated Alpha value controls the level of the color added to the Particle Shape. The percentage is not keyframeable - Gradient permits you to assign the tones of a gradient in place of the Color. Clicking the neighboring gradient opens a standard Gradient Editor. The Opacity level controls the amount of color added, while the Mode menu provides color application modes similar to the (Source) Animation modes discussed earlier – Age, Random, Random@Start, etc. Colors from different points along the gradient are chosen at a given time according to these settings.

Particle: Current (Settings) Tab Let's look at the Particle settings Current tab now. Here we define the independent properties of the currently selected Particle. Each attribute has a settings field (with mini-slider), a [V] gadget (Variance), and a Profile swatch.

Consider the Size control as an example of this type. A setting of 100% generates the particle at the natural Source (brush) size. The Variance establishes the maximum Size deviation permitted during the particle's Life. (A particle with a Size of 100 and Variance of 25 is free to range between a rendered size of 75 and 125, as governed by other relevant settings) The Size Profile controls when that variation will occur (if at all), and what proportion of the maximum deviation occurs at any interval during the Life span.

The above composite image shows how a Size Deviation and Size Profile affect a particle moving from left to right. The Variance setting is 100%. Clicking the Profile swatch opens the Profile Editor, shown below. Our example starts at 100%, dips to 0, and then back to 100. (The default Profile of all un-initialized settings is 100% for Life of the Particle.) Our example Life span is .5 seconds. A gold-to-blue gradient was also applied (using a linear profile) using the Color mode, Age. If you are seeing this in color, the initial frames (on the left) show the Particle tinted gold, just after it's birth. As it ages (and moves to the right) the tint becomes progressively more blue. At the midpoint of its life, the Size has dwindled completely away, but by the last frame is once again the original size.

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The list below describes the other settings provided here: • Size - Sets the size as a percentage of the Shapes natural size. • Velocity - Speed (expressed as pixels/frame) at the time of emission. • Weight - Raising the Weight value (in the presence of a positive Gravity setting) increases

the acceleration of a falling particle. Conversely, negative values will cause a particle to ‘float.

• Bounce - Particles with higher values rebound more vigorously when Alpha Collision is

enabled in the World settings panel. • Friction - Friction values introduce the notion of surface resistance into the particle system.

Particles with Friction applied decelerate over time. • Opacity - Setting a Max Deviation for Opacity, and using a Profile to ramp the value during

the Life of a Particle controls its opacity at any point. • Motion Randomness – Amount of deviation from a standard calculated motion (saving a lot

of keyframing that would otherwise be needed to achieve lifelike ‘imperfect’ motion paths.) • Spin - Sets the degree of rotation the particle will complete on its local axis (Handle) during

its life. • Align (Switch) - Enabling this overrides the Spin setting, automatically orienting Particles to

their own heading – useful, for example, when animating a flock of ‘geese’ particles.

13.3.3. Emitter Settings Emitter Types That pretty much covers the life and times of a particle, so now let's consider its parent, the Emitter. There are several different types of Emitters, including Point, Line, Ellipse, and Area. These alternatives allow you to fit the Emitter to the task at hand.

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A Point Emitter serves well for many duties. It can 'spray' points in all directions; or, the stream can be narrowed, and aimed to serve as a water fountain. A sparking particle stream at one end of a rotating Line Emitter (like the one below) could be turned into a twirling magic wand with pyrotechnics spiraling off on tangential paths, or (by keyframing generator direction) an anti-aircraft guns tracer rounds painting the night sky with serpentine phosphorescent trails.

An Ellipse can be round or ovoid, and could easily make a gorgeous solar corona or rotating fireworks pinwheel, while an Area Emitter can provide the bubbles for a glass of cola, or a field of wheat waving in the breeze.

Interactive Editing Emitter settings such as shape, direction and position can be interactively edited using the HUD (Heads Up Display) in the Project Window when the Preview button is enabled -- in addition to the numeric controls discussed under the heading Emitter Bounds below. Dragging an Emitter’s central node with the LMB repositions it, and of course the position can be keyframed In connection with working in Preview mode, it can be helpful to disable any other active Emitters. This may improve intelligibility as well as improve display response with less powerful machines. The Active switch in the Current (emitter) tab serves this purpose. Emitter: Current (Settings) Tab Most of the adjustable (and keyframeable!) settings in the Current Emitter tab have been considered previously. Number, Life, Size and so on are all quite familiar to us. So the following

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paragraphs deal primarily with new items. It should be noted, though, that the settings in the Current Emitter panel are mostly percentages.

This is because these settings serve as “master controllers,” governing all of the particles spawned by the emitter. They provide a final control over the level of the individual settings applied to all child particles when rendering occurs. (Among other things, this allows you to quickly scale an entire particle assembly you have created for use in a project with a different resolution.) Some settings in the Current (Emitter) tab are new to us, however. Their use is discussed next.

• Active - Emitters can be disabled, permitting experimentation without risking the loss of your

current settings. • Pre Render - You may occasionally want a Particle effect to be well under way before the

first animation frame. This setting permits you to ‘pre-roll’ the particle system to taste. • Direction (Angle) – the angle at which individual particle generators incline away from their

emitter.

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• Range – the Degrees of an arc through which a Particle stream can be emitted. Range can

restrict the Particle stream from the particle generator(s) of an Emitter, which can be aimed using Direction (Angle.)

• New First (Switch) - Particles are painted into the frame successively according to age

based on this setting, either New First or older particles first. To make it seem as though particles are streaming forward (toward the viewer) disable this control.

Emitter: Main Settings The uppermost part of the Emitters tab contains a few more important settings and options.

The Emitters drop-down menu has been previously discussed, and permits you to create, Duplicate, Delete and select an Emitter for editing (when more than one exist.) The Center X, Y and Z fields represent the Emitter’s location in the frame, and can be animated in the usual fashion using the items in the nearby Tools menu. This can be used to tie an Emitter to a motion track derived with the Pixel Tracker, or for other purposes. Angle in this panel refers to the orientation of the selected Emitter itself. Like Center, this setting can be keyframed. The convenient companion Rotation field has been discussed earlier (in Chapter 10, under the heading Rotation Variables.) Depending on the type of Emitter being edited, there may be some other fields controlling its dimensions, like the Length field shown above. It is worth remembering that these settings can be keyframed, too.

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13.3.4. World Settings Much earlier in this Chapter, we discussed how a particle system could emulate real world environmental factors. The World Tab is where these items are controlled. In the upper part of the panel, the Bounding Box switch enables a white outline around the extremities of a particle. This can be useful, especially when large areas of the Shape are transparent. Gravity and Wind

Immediately below this is the Seed number – this merely serves to provide a number for certain more or less random internal processes, and can largely be ignored. Of course, you ignore Gravity at your peril. Without it, Weight settings elsewhere in your particle system will be meaningless. The Angle and Rotation fields in the World Tab refer to the Wind Direction, while Wind Strength is self-explanatory. Alpha Collision

The lower half of the World Tab is devoted to collision control. Here you may use the standard Source menu to designate imagery to serve as barriers to normal particle activity. The panel includes anim control options (such as Pre and Post behavior) to permit you to use animated sources as well. The Offset field allows you to vary the beginning frame of the Source animation. Used in conjunction with other environmental factors such as Gravity, Weight and Friction, particles can display amazingly realistic interaction with their 2D environment.

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13.3.5. Particle Generator: Options Menu

The Options menu opens with a click on the downward-facing triangle gadget in the control panel’s titlebar.

Among other things, this menu provides Create Key and Delete Key functions. Although individual keyframes can be set easily using the standard [C] and [D] buttons in the lower panels, these options are global keyframe controls – they set a key for every variable with one click.

Along with Reset, Duplicate and Delete (effect) menu items, note that the uppermost item is the name of the effect – Particle Generator.

Conveniently, the effect’s name may be changed using this entry. The new name you assign is local to the current effect – that is, other Particle Generator effects are not modified. However, if you save an FX Bin or Stack Bin entry after a name change, when you reload it later the name change is retained (along with all the other settings.)

13.3.6. Particle Generator: FX Bin

The FX Bin menu options allow you to Import and Export your custom Particle Emitters for archival purposes or to share it with others. You can also Add the current Emitter to the Bin for convenient recall, and Delete Bin entries.

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Chapter 14 Plugins

14.1.1. Color Factory

Plugin categories include some legacy “filters” from earlier versions. The application of these is somewhat different than it is for Mirage Effects. Plugins are applied individually to selected frame ranges in the current layer, outside of the FX Stack environment.

Also in this menu you will find any installed External filters, such as those created for Adobe® Photoshop® (Mirage need to be configured to recognize these, as detailed in this chapter.)

Some other third party plugins may also appear listed here.

14.1. Color Group

This panel permits you to directly modify color channel attributes of all pixels in an image, or selected frame range. You can enter a numeric value directly, or use a mathematical formula that has access to various existing values of the current pixels. Arithmetic operators than can be used are: + (addition), - (subtraction), * (multiplication), and / (division.) Use brackets -- “(“ and “) “ – as you normally would in algebra. Otherwise, the expression you enter is performed from left to right.

g green channel value

a alpha channel value

y y pixel position

h image height

The following variables are available for your use, and are case sensitive:

r red channel value

b blue channel value

x x pixel position

l image width

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14.2. External

Mirage can apply many Adobe® Photoshop® 5.5 plug-in filters (not Photoshop 6 and greater filters, however.) This feature is “PC only,” unfortunately.

To install Adobe® Photoshop® plug-in filters, make sure the plugin.dll file is located in your system directory (i.e., C:\Windows, C:\Winnt, etc.). This is part of the Photoshop®) installation.

The Photoshop plug-in filter location must be saved as part of the user configuration file, but first, select External (in the Plugins menu) to open the External requester, and click Select Directory. Navigate to your Photoshop\Plugins subdirectory. There should be several files with a file extension of .8BF. Select any one, and click OK. Exit Mirage, making sure the Save this configuration option is active on the Quit panel.

14.3. Keying

Your Photoshop® Plugins are now listed in the Plugins menu under External Filters.

14.3.1. Cross Keyer

The Cross Keyer may be considered a “broad-spectrum “ chromakey plugin. It is very quick to set up, and may often provide sufficient utility for a clean result with minimal fuss. The Keep and Drop buttons are used to define color regions to be included in the key (rendered transparent), or retained as opaque. To use these buttons, click one or the other, and then drag out a lasso over the Project Window to surround the portions of the image you wish either kept or dropped.

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Next, click the Preview button to see the effect of your color selections so far. You can adjust the Mix setting to expand the number of colors included in the region that will be rendered transparent. Of course you can also add to either the Keep or Drop regions by using the LMB. (The RMB can be used to subtract from these regions.) The Edge setting controls the blend between selection areas. Higher values will result in sharper edges. When your settings seem to be optimized, click the Learn button to “set” the color ranges before clicking Apply.

14.4. Particles

14.5.

14.5.1. LightWave

The LightWave Viewer panel opens from the Preview filters group in the Plugins menu.

14.4.1. Star Field

This filter creates the familiar (from television) effect of a star field rushing past the viewport of an intergalactic vessel, or a variety of related results. The filter uses Mirage’s Custom Brushes as source images for the ‘stars,’ so you can just as easily animate a vortex from clipart or client logos. Don’t overlook the fact that animbrushes can be used as well!

Set the Number of stars to be created using the field provided. Keyframing the rotational Angle will create a vortex like effect on the particles. SpeedX, SpeedY, SpeedZ fields set the outward velocity from the point of origin, which is in turn designated by the CenterX and CenterY settings. The latter settings can be derived from the FX Stack Tools. The final effect is painted into the current layer, which of course may or may not be transparent.

Preview Filters

® Viewer

The LightWave Viewer provides direct support for NewTek’s LightWave3D®. The plugin offers a number of conveniences when you wish to use Mirage’s powerful paint and image processing tools to create or enhance surface texture maps.

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The Options Tab

The panel has three tabs. The Options tab allows you to set the path to your LW3.cfg file if you wish, though this is optional. You may simply use the Object button to directly Load a LightWave object (.LWO format) into the plugin for surface editing. The Surfaces Tab

The Surfaces tab is for use with conventional (Planar, Cubic, Cylindrical, or Spherical) texture maps. The Surface selection menu in this panel permits you to choose from the object’s surfaces by name.

The Channel menu provides a standard list of LightWave’s surface attributes to choose from. You can edit Color, Diffuse, Reflection, or Bump maps, and so on. The Texture drop-down menu just below this allows you to select which of several images are assigned to the channel selected when more than one surface layer has been applied. (When you first load an object, if no images have been assigned to a given surface, the Texture menu will read “None”.) The Status Line beneath shows the type of texture mapping assigned to the image.

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Once you have selected a Surface, Channel, and Texture image for editing, click Load to open a new project with the image to be edited. The outline of the object’s surface is overlaid on the Project Window as a guide, but the overlay does not become part of the image itself.

The UV’s Tab

The other main tab opens the UV’s panel, for use when you have a UV-mapped object to work with. The Project Window overlay makes it easy to create precisely aligned textures with Mirage, as the simple example below shows.

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14.5.2. Direct

Selecting the Preview plugins may open a panel offering afford access to third party hardware configuration settings. Please see the Appendix for information on External Video Device Support, and Chapter 11 (under the Video Grabber) for more details of supported features.

14.6. Miscellaneous Filters

14.7.1. Convolutions

The Convolution filter provides a matrix into which you may make (or Load) numeric entries. When applied, the filter examines each pixel in the source image as well as its immediate neighbors. The numbers you provide are used to modify pixel values using a mathematical formula. By comparing each pixel in this fashion, and modifying it in relationship to others nearby, a wide array of diverse image processing effects are possible.

Show DirectShow is a component of Microsoft DirectX® architecture developed for handling multimedia streams and files. In part it provides support for Windows WMD (Windows Driver Model) devices such as cameras connected via USB or IEEE 1394. There are no settings for this preview plugin.

14.5.3. DV, VT[3], etc.

14.6.1. Calculator, Clock, Wallpaper

These legacy plugins are provides as convenient utilities within the Mirage interface.

14.7. Special FX

The convolution matrix is square. Depending on your selection using the Size menu, it can consist of a 3x3 matrix, or 5x5. The former processes only the central pixel and directly adjacent pixels. The 5x5 matrix uses a broader sample area. The filter averages the values of the pixel and the pixels surrounding it, weighting the result values according to the numbers (coefficients) in the convolution matrix. Because it takes into account not only the source pixel, but also its neighbors, convolutions can permit discreet control over modifications. For example, high contrast (or detail) areas can be distinguished and either enhanced or minimized. A selection of prepared convolution matrices (.acv files) is included with Mirage. Several example Blur matrices demonstrate weighted averaging, modifying values of the central pixel based on the value of neighboring pixels. As more weight is given to the value of neighboring pixels a more intense blur results. Sharpness convolutions increase the contrast between each pixel to sharpen an image. Before Deep Press Matrix Result

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Relief convolutions, like the sample above, produce a bas relief impression by detecting edges between larger color regions and accentuating them with a highlight that appears to provide a faux light direction.

14.7.2. Shadow This effect works in the same manner as its sibling in the Effects menu and FX Stack, with the exception that the plugin’s Apply On menu permits you to optionally render the shadow into a new layer of its own, automatically created just beneath the current layer. Please see Chapter 12 for more details.

14.7.3. Speed

This filter applies a graduated ‘motion’ blur that seems to implying speedy movement. The blur is restricted to one of the four cardinal directions set using the Direction cycle menu. The filter affects more or less of the entire image according to the percentage set in the Begin field, and the amount of blur applied is controlled by the Power setting.

14.7.4. Video Group

All entries in this group have been documented elsewhere in this manual – please see Chapter 11 -- Video and Keying.

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15.1. “Elementary” Scripting

Chapter 15 Scripting & Automation

Element is a macro scripting language that you can use to control Mirage. It is an automatic pilot that sends instructions such as select this function, use this color, draw this, etc. to Mirage. Each instruction corresponds to a Mirage function or icon. Everything takes place as though Element was clicking the icon in the interface for you. You can use existing Element scripts or you can create your own. With Element, you can create an infinite number of custom drawing functions and automate the use of Mirage. Many example scripts are included with Mirage; these are stored in the Element subdirectory. You can read descriptions for each of the example Element scripts by double-clicking the script name. A dialog appears that asks you if you would like to read instructions; select yes and the instructions appear on a panel. The Element language is documented in the Software Developers Kit (SDK) on the Mirage CD. The SDK contains the complete list of current Element commands and examples for how to use them.

NOTE: Element programs are basically plain ASCII text files. You can use any text editing program (e.g., Microsoft Notepad®) to create and edit them.

15.2. Launching Modes Each Element program uses a launching mode indicated by a small icon adjacent to the corresponding line on the Element panel. Essentially, the icon indicates the drawing actions from which the script derives information.

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None mode: You do not need to draw anything before using this type of Element program. The program does not receive any parameters.

Single mode: You draw a dot in the image to run the program, which receives a character string containing the word Single, a pair of coordinates (x, y) and a code identifying which mouse button you pressed (0 for left and 1 for right). Each parameter in this string is separated from the previous parameter by a space.

Continue mode: You draw a freehand line in the image to run the program. Each time you move the mouse, the program receives a character string containing the word Continue, a pair of coordinates (x, y) and the code identifying which button you pressed. Each parameter in this string is separated from the previous parameter by a space. The program can store the coordinates as it receives them, and for example, may execute them when it detects that you released the button.

Line mode: You draw a straight line in the image to run the program. The program receives a character string containing the word Line, two pairs of x and y coordinates (the start and end of the straight line) and the code for the button that you pressed. Each parameter in this string is separated from the previous parameter by a space.

Rectangle mode: You draw a rectangle in the image to run the program. The program receives a character string containing the word Rectangle, two pairs of x and y coordinates (the opposite corners of the rectangle) and the code for the button that you pressed. Each parameter in this string is separated from the previous parameter by a space.

Circle mode: You draw a circle in the image to run the program. The program receives a character string containing the word Circle, a pair of x and y coordinates (the center of the circle), the radius and the code for the button that you pressed. Each parameter in this string is separated from the previous parameter by a space.

15.3. Using an Element Script

Choose the Element panel from the Windows menu to bring up the Element panel, or click its button in the Main toolbar. On the All tab, a scrollable list appears of all of the provided Element scripts in your Element subdirectory.

To use a script, simply select it in the window with your mouse and it is highlighted. The launching mode icon appears on the right side; the icon indicates what you must draw to execute the script. For example, if you select a script that shows the Line icon, just draw a line on your project window. The script continues executing once you release the mouse button. Press the Esc key to pause or terminate an executing script.

NOTE:This list is updated each time you start Mirage.

15.3.1. Element Bin

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The Bin tab of the Element window contains a customizable list of Element scripts. You can add and delete scripts from the list as well as load and save user-defined groups of scripts.

Click your RMB on the blank area at the bottom of the list to display a special pop-up menu.

Close the panel to return to the Element panel. The selected program name and start mode appear on the script line.

Every time you run Mirage, it attempts to execute the startup.grg program in the Element directory, if one exists. This allows you to customize all working parameters using an Element program (e.g., load a background image or your personal color palette, adjust color cycles, the envelope and the power of the airbrush, or opacity curve, etc.).

Choose Add to add a script using its filename. Choose Script to add a script from the list on the All tab. Choose File > Save to save the group of scripts on the Bin tab. Choose File > Load to load a previously saved script group. Use this feature to group programs by function or according to your preferences. (The Default option will load the default group of scripts called command.agc stored in the Mirage directory, if it exists.)

If you click your RMB directly on an item in the list, a different menu appears.

Selecting Edit displays the Edit Element Script panel, discussed below. Remove will remove the item from the list. The File options operate as above.

The Edit Element Script panel contains the path and filename of the file currently associated with the script line. To change the file, simply edit the input field. You can also click the Select button and choose another program using a file requester. By default, only files with the .grg extension are shown. If the file you chose is an Element program, the icon corresponding to its launching mode is automatically selected. If it is a system program, you can choose the appropriate launching mode or you can deselect all icons to start without a parameter.

15.3.2. The Startup Script

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15.4. The Element Language

If you want, you can write your own scripts or modify the provided scripts to suit specific needs. Element is a very rich programming language and even borrows many features from higher level programming languages like C, including loops, conditional tests, and calculations.

15.4.1. Language Conventions

Variables

Element manages numeric and character string variables transparently. You do not need to declare variable types before using. Thus you can write: a = 3 MyVariable = "Monday" Additionally, variable names are not case sensitive. Thus, Element interprets PRINT, Print, PRint and PriNt as all the same. Reserved Variables Some variable names are reserved for Element. These variable names may be modified at any time without warning. You can read these variables to see what they contain, but it is strongly recommended that you do not write into them. An example is the Element Result variable that is used in particular to store the results of Mirage commands. Program Line

You can include only one instruction on any one line. For example, the following is an example of what you cannot write:

#PRINT "hello"

PRINT “hello”

Remarks

Two slashes will remark out whatever follows. This allows you to add comments to your code.

PRINT "Hello" PRINT "see you tomorrow .." Like variable names, instruction and command names are not case sensitive. Thus, Element interprets Tv_AliasOn, tv_aliason and TV_aliasON as all the same. Element Instructions

For better readability, Element instruction lines can start with the “#” character. Thus you can write:

instead of

NOTE: Do not confuse lines to be used by Element (which can start with the # character) and Mirage command lines (which all start with tv_). Lines to be used by Element form the program structure (loops, tests, calculations, etc.), whereas lines that contain Mirage commands affect Mirage panels and screens.

//PRINT "hello" will not write anything PRINT "hello" // actually writes “hello”

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/ division

> greater than

< less than

NOTE: You must use the CMP instruction to find out if two character strings are identical. Do not use the equality operator (==).

Logical operators

Character strings

All character (text) strings must be written between double quotation marks (") or between single quotation marks ('). When you want to use either of these two quotation characters in a string, you must use the other quotation character to surround it (for example, "It’s finished!" or 'The program name is "Mirage" ').

Arithmetic operators - negative ** exponent * multiplication

+ addition - subtraction

Relational operators == equal to != not equal to

>= greater than or equal to

<= less than or equal to

NOTE: Do not confuse the assignment operator = and the comparison operator ==. The former is used to assign a new value to a variable (like a=a+1) whereas the second is used to compare two expressions (like a==b) during tests.

&& and || or

15.4.2. Character Strings and Tables of Variable

You can process numeric values like string values in operations such as concatenation (joining several strings together). For example: PRINT "The result is "value Use the CONCAT instruction or the empty character string ("") if you want to concatenate two strings, in other words join them together one behind the other. The following two lines produce the same result: CONCAT(string1,string2) and string1""string2

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day[2] = "Tuesday"

FOR i = 1 TO 3

15.4.4. Procedures

A procedure is an independent part of a program that is called from the main program and that carries out some processing on the data in the program. A procedure can repeat a set of operations without the need for you to duplicate the corresponding lines in the program. Simply create a procedure, and then call it from the main program. Procedures are recursive, so a procedure can call itself.

There is no need to know exactly how a procedure works. All you need to know is the type of data that it needs and the type of data that it will return to the main program.

All procedures must be placed after the end of the main program, although, their order is not particularly important. You can use any Element instructions and any Mirage commands in a procedure.

Procedure Declaration and Call

If you want to concatenate these two strings and separate them by a space, you can write:

string1" "string2 If you want to increment the numeric part of a character string (for example a file name) you can write: FOR i = 1 TO 10 name = base""i // base is the base name PRINT name // base1, base2, etc. END

15.4.3. Arrays

You can create variable arrays in Element in the form var[i] or var(i), where i is a numeric value indicating the position of the required element in the table, and “var” is the generic name of the variables in the array. There is no need to make a prior declaration for the dimension (the number of elements) in these tables because they are created dynamically. These arrays may contain several dimensions (for example var[i,j] or var(i,j) for a table with two dimensions).

Example:

day[1] = "Monday"

day[3] = "Wednesday"

PRINT day[i] //displays "Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday" END

Use the FUNCTION instruction to declare a procedure. You must state the name of the procedure and the names of the variables transferred to the procedure, after the FUNCTION instruction. The procedure must end with an END instruction. Therefore the general form of a procedure is:

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FUNCTION name(var1,var2,…,varN)

(instructions in the procedure) END

The procedure can access any of the variables declared in the main program at the time that the procedure is called. The main program will recognize any new variable declared in the procedure, after returning from the procedure. You can also create variables that will be recognized only in the procedure, by using the LOCAL instruction. Use the RETURN instruction to return a value to the main program. Procedure “name” is called from the main program as follows :

name(var1,var2,…,varN)

FUNCTION Counter(number)

ELSE

END

var = 100� a = Counter(var)� PRINT A

RETURN

Syntax: RETURN expression

The number of variables transferred must be exactly the same as the number of variables expected by the procedure. If the procedure returns a result, you can store it in a variable, or test it, and so on.

15.4.5. Procedure Instructions FUNCTION Syntax: FUNCTION Dothis(var1,var2,…,varN) (instructions) END Declare a procedure named Dothis, which expects variables var1,var2,…,varN. Note that var1,var2,…,varN are the names by which the received variables are known in the procedure. Examples:

LOCAL I IF (i > 0) FOR i = number TO 0 STEP –1 END

RETURN "Countdown finished"

RETURN "Countdown impossible”

END

Example calls to this procedure from the main program:

PRINT Counter(100)

or

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Returns the value expression to the main program. This instruction is not compulsory in a procedure. Examples:

RETURN 0

LOCAL

RETURN "End of procedure" RETURN var

Syntax: LOCAL var1 var2 … varN Declares one or several local variables in the procedure. These variables are available (in other words recognized) only within the procedure. Example:

#INCLUDE "include\basic.grg"

From these base directories you can specify an access path for the file to be included (for example, #INCLUDE "library\strfunct\strlib.grg"). If the file to be included contains procedures (see the FUNCTION instruction above), you must place the INCLUDE line after the end of the main program. You will find two examples of function libraries for the processing of character strings (“Basic.grg” and “Advanced.grg”) in the “Element\Include” directory of Mirage.

15.5. Element Instructions and Mirage Commands

Element Instructions are special functions, like Rnd() and Tan(). Mirage commands are the command lines you use to execute Mirage operations. These will be listed and explained in HTML format in the Mirage SDK.

LOCAL day1 day2

INCLUDE Syntax: #INCLUDE "file" Declares a file to be inserted in the current Element program. Example:

When the Element command interpreter meets a line containing this command, it replaces it by the contents of the specified file. This allows you to create function libraries and include them in your Element programs.

To access the specified file, Element gives priority to two search directories: the Mirage home directory (mentioned in the “HomeDir” line in the “Mirage2.ini” file) and the directory containing the Element program in which the INCLUDE instruction was given.

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Chapter 16 Appendix

Select a save format for your files using the Mode pop-up list in the Mirage File menu. You can read a description of how to use this menu in Chapter 2. This appendix describes the different file formats and the options available for each of these formats.

This format is used to save an animation as a single file or a single image in 8 bits (256 colors). See the previous discussion on Indexed Color Palettes and Dithering for information on the Palette and Dithering pop-up menu options.

16.1. File Formats

16.1.1. Mirage format (.mir) The Mirage format is specific to Mirage and there are no settings for it. It is used only by the project, palette and mixer files.

16.1.2. AVI (Video for Windows) format (.avi) The AVI format saves an animation as a single file or a single image that you can then display afterwards, for example using the Windows Multimedia player. The number of colors saved depends on which compression method you use. A system dialog box appears after you have entered the file name to be saved. The Compressor pop-up menu contains the names of the compression/decompression algorithms (codecs) currently installed on your system. This will vary from system to system. Compression is essentially the process of reorganizing and eliminating data to reduce the required data transfer rate (and file size) necessary to playback and store video (animations).

NOTE: the available options vary depending on the Compressor selected. As such, some options on the panel may be ghosted.

Compression Quality determines the final image quality. A high value provides a better quality image with less compression, but increases the resulting file size. The Key Frame Every option sets the number of full images that will actually be saved in the file (this does not affect the animation playback rate). This is available for codecs that support delta compression. If you set the value to 10, every tenth frame is stored in its entirety. Only the changes (i.e., delta) between frames are stored for other frames. If you do not activate this option, every frame is a key frame. Data rate sets the maximum allowed data transfer rate. The quality of the video is automatically adjusted to achieve the specified data rate. Configure accesses another dialog box, if any, containing settings specific to the chosen compressor. Make the desired settings and then click on OK to save the AVI file.

16.1.3. Cineon (.cin) The Cineon file format is a 10-bit per channel logorithmic image format originally designed by the Eastman Kodak Company for use with its line of film scanners and recorders.

16.1.4. DEEP format (.dip) The DEEP format saves an animation or a single image in 32 bits (16 million colors with 8-bit alpha-channel). This is a fast and compact proprietary format specific to Mirage. There is no settings panel for this format.

16.1.5. FLC format (.flc)

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16.1.6. FLYER CLIP format (.fly) The Flyer Clip format is used to save an animation as a single file for use with NewTek’s VideoToaster Flyer. Generally, your project size should be 752 x 480.

16.1.7. GIF format (.gif) The GIF format is used to save an animation as a single file or a single image in up to eight bits (256 colors). See the previous discussion on Indexed Color Palettes and Dithering for information on the Palette and Dithering pop-up menu options.

NOTE: with this format, Mirage defines all transparent areas of the image as using the GIF transparent color. This is not a variable transparency, but rather a transparency mask (an area is either completely opaque or completely transparent). When you load a GIF file, Mirage will take into account the transparency color areas, if they exist.

16.1.8. D1 RTV The DI RTV format is used to save an animation as a single file for use with NewTek’s VT[3]. Generally, your project size should be 720 x 486 for NTSC (Video Toaster 2 and VT[3]; for Video Toaster 1, use 720 x 480 NTSC) and 720 x 576 for PAL (VT1 and VT 2). When you save RTV files can Save Alpha Channel, and maintain masking or transparency or you can save without the alpha channel using Normal. If you save the file with Super Black, it is similar to saving with an alpha channel—Super Black provides good hard edges on video elements.

16.1.9. BMP format (.bmp) The BMP format can save a single image or a sequence of numbered images in 24 bits (16 million colors) or 8 bits (256 colors). See the previous discussion on Indexed Color Palettes and Dithering for information on the Palette and Dithering pop-up menu options. You will have the additional choice of using the 24 bits option, which saves images using over 16 million colors. No dithering options are available with this mode and the number color is fixed at 16M(illion).

16.1.10. ILBM format (.iff) The ILBM format, standard for the Amiga computer, can save a single image or a sequence of numbered images in 24 bits (16 million colors) or 8 bits (256 colors). See the previous discussion on Indexed Color Palettes and Dithering for information on the Palette and Dithering pop-up menu options. You will have the additional choice of using the 24 bits option, which saves images using over 16 million colors. No dithering options are available with this mode and the number color is fixed at 16M(illion).

16.1.11. JPEG format (.jpg) The JPEG format saves a single image or a sequence of numbered images in 24 bits (16 million colors). Its settings panel contains a single setting, the JPEG Ratio Quality. This setting affects the quality of saved images. As this value increases, file size increases and image quality improves. This can be set between 1 and 100.

16.1.12. PCX format (.pcx) The ever-popular PCX format can save a single image or a sequence of numbered images in 8 bits (256 colors). See the previous discussion on Indexed Color Palettes and Dithering for information on the Palette and Dithering pop-up menu options.

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16.1.13. Portable Network Graphics format (.png) The PNG format saves a single image or a sequence of numbered images in 8-, 24-, or 32 bits (16 million colors with 8-bit alpha channel). This format can give very attractive compression ratios and it is particularly suitable for images that will be transmitted by network or modem (Internet, remote update system, etc.). See the previous discussion on Indexed Color Palettes and Dithering for information on the Palette and Dithering pop-up menu options. No dithering options are available for the 24- or 32-bit modes.

16.1.14. Photoshop® format (.psd) The Photoshop® format saves a single image or a sequence of numbered images in 32 bits (16 million colors with 8-bit alpha channel). This is the file format native to Adobe® Photoshop®. Layers are preserved as are their individual opacity settings, if the file is loaded as a project; otherwise, the layers are merged. There is no settings panel for this format. Note that Mirage’s PSD format is compatible only with Photoshop® 5.0 and 5.5.

16.1.15. Quantel® format (.vpb) The VPB format can save a single image or a sequence of numbered images in 24 bits (16 million colors). This file format is native to Quantel® Video Paintbox®. Mirage merges layers when you export as VPB, however Mirage supports VPB with a Stencil layer. There is no settings panel for this format.

16.1.16. QuickTime format (.mov) The QuickTime format saves an animation as a single file or a single image that you can then display afterwards, using the QuickTime player. The number of colors saved depends on which compression method you use. A system dialog box appears after you have entered the file name to be saved. The Compressor drop menu contains the names of the compression/decompression algorithms (codecs) currently installed on your system. This will vary from system to system. Compression is essentially the process of reorganizing and eliminating data to reduce the required data transfer rate (and file size) necessary to playback and store video (animations).

NOTE: The available options vary depending on the Compressor selected. As such, some options on the panel may be ghosted.

Best Depth specifies the number of colors to use in the final image. Your options range between Black and White up to Millions of Colors+. Quality determines the final image quality. Best provides a high quality image with less compression, but increases the resulting file size. While Least gives a low quality image with high compression, and therefore a smaller file size. Under the Motion options, you can set the number of Frames Per Second, which determines the speed at which your final animation plays. The Key Frame Every option sets the number of full images that will actually be saved in the file (this does not affect the animation playback rate). This is available for codecs that support delta compression. If you set the value to 10, every tenth frame is stored in its entirety. Only the changes (i.e., delta) between frames are stored for other frames. If you do not activate this option, every frame is a key frame. Data rate sets the maximum allowed data transfer rate. The quality of the video is automatically adjusted to achieve the specified data rate. Choose your settings and then click on OK to save the QuickTime file.

16.1.17. SGI Image format (.rgb) The SGI Image format can save a single image or a sequence of numbered images in 32 bits, RGBA mode, (16 million colors with alpha-channel) or 24 bits, RGB mode, (16 million colors

312

without alpha-channel). Set the Compression pop-up menu to RLE to use compression when saving the file. Use None for no compression. You can enter optional text in the Comment input field, like the author’s name.

16.1.18. SoftImage format (.pic) The SoftImage format saves a single image or a sequence of numbered images in 32 bits (16 million colors with alpha-channel). There is no settings panel for this format.

16.1.19. Sun Raster format (.ras) The Sun Raster format saves a single image or a sequence of images numbered in 32 bits (16 million colors with alpha-channel) or 24 bits (16 million colors without alpha-channel).

The Targa format saves a single image or a sequence of digitized images in 32 bits (16 million colors with alpha-channel). Images may or may not be compressed.

You can conveniently assign keystroke shortcuts to a huge list of Mirage functions and features, customizing the interface to your own needs. Here is a list of currently supported commands, followed by keystrorkes that can be used:

Clipboard: Load Brush

Mirage: About

Shape: Ellipse

Shape: Move Image

Shape: Apply

Grid: Toggle

Brush: Toggle CutBrush

Guides : Toggle

16.1.20. Targa format (.tga)

16.1.21. TIFF format (.tif) The TIFF format saves a single image or a sequence of images digitized in 32 bits (16 million colors with alpha channel) or 24 bits (16 million colors without alpha channel). From the Format pop-up menu, choose RGB to save in 24 bits or RGBA or RGB+A to save in 32 bits. With the RGBA option, the alpha channel data are interlaced with RGB data in the file. With the RGB+A option, alpha channel data is stored separately. From the Compression pop-up menu, choose LZW or PackBits to compress the file. Select None for no compression. You can enter optional text in the Artist input field.

16.2. Keyboard Shortcuts

16.2.1. Assignable Functions:

Shape: Spline Clipboard: Save Image Shape: Magic Wand Clipboard: Load Image Shape: Rectangle Clipboard: Save Brush Shape: Point Shape: Line Shape: Freehand Dot Mirage: Iconify

Mirage: Configure settings Mirage: Quit

Interface: Close Window Grid: Snap Grid: Display Tools: Right Mouse Button

Brush: Toggle Stamp/Brush Shape: Circle

Shape: Freehand

Guides : Display Shape: Flood Fill

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Guides : Snap Guides : Add Guides : Remove

Brush: Toggle Handle Corner

Brush: Double Width

Brush: Recut

Brush: Numeric Resize

Brush: Halve Height

Brush: Rotate

Brush: Freehand

Layer: Insert Image

Layer: Select Image From Keys

Layer: Last Layer

Layer: Insert Single Image

Layer: Clear

Layer: Next Layer

Layer: Make Anim

Layer: Rename

Layer: Merge Display

Layer: Time Ratio

Layer: Toggle Fields/Frames/Time Code Layer: Frame Rate

Layer: Delete Video Layer

Layer: Toggle Window

Layer: Time Zoom In

Spare: Copy To

File Project: Save

File Project: New

File Project: Save As

Zoom: Move

Zoom: Scroll Up

Zoom: Scroll Left

Layer: Duplicate

Layer: Delete

Brush: Restore Last Brush: Cut

Layer: Icons Size Brush: Double Size Brush: Halve Size

Layer: Light Table Mode Brush: Outline Brush: Toggle Display Mode

Layer: Reverse Selection Layer: Toggle Background Mode Brush: Flip Horizontally

Brush: Double Height Layer: Toggle Video Layer Brush: Rotate 90°

Brush: Flip Vertically Layer: Select Video Layer Brush: Resize

Brush: Next Animbrush Layer: Open Window Brush: Previous Animbrush

Brush: Move Handle Corner Layer: Merge visible Layer: Merge Selected Brush: Optimize Layer: Expand / Collapse Brush: Toggle Transparency Layer: Select Current Image Layer: Select Current Layer Brush: Halve Width Preview: Make Brush: Cut Poly Preview: Play Brush: Optimize Source

Layer: Time Zoom Out Layer: Pick Layer Layer: Slide Layer: Goto Image Layer: Duplicate Image Layer: Slide To Layer: First Layer

Spare: Exchange Layer: Select All Images

File Project: Load Layer: Duplicate Single Image

File Project: Resize Layer: New Layer: Toggle Display All

File Project: Close Layer: Previous Layer

Layer: First Image Layer: Last Image

Zoom: Activate Layer: Next Image Layer: Prev Image

Zoom: Move Page Zoom: Show full page Layer: Cut

Layer: Copy Zoom: Scroll Up Left

Zoom: Scroll Down Left

Layer: Paste Layer: Select All

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Zoom: Scroll Down Zoom: Scroll Down Right Zoom: Scroll Right

Color: Pick B Color

Color: Hue >>

Color: Saturation +

Color: Luminosity +

Color: Red +

Color: Green +

Color: Blue +

Interface: Close Main Menu

Undo: Last Action

Element: Function 07

Element: Function 09

Element: Configure

Element: Function 12

Element: Function 14

Printer: Config

File Export: Image

File Export: Brush

Tools Brush: Decrease Size

Tools Brush: reset

Tools Brush: Chalk

Tools Brush: Propelling

Tools Brush: Oil Paint

Tools Brush: Warp

Element: Function 11

Element: Function 13 Zoom: Scroll Up Right

Element: Function 15 Zoom: Center Element: Function 16 Element: Function 17 Color: Invert A/B Element: Function 18 Color: Open Palette Element: Function 19 Color: Pick Element: Function 20 Color: Toggle Color Range Color: Up Interface: Configure Keyboard Color: Down Color: Right Interface: Next Cursor Color: Left Printer: Print

Color: Hue << Twain: Acquire Color: Saturation - File Import: Image File Import: Sequence Color: Luminosity - File Import: Brush File Import: Animbrush Color: Red -

Color: Green - File Export: Sequence

Color: Blue - File Export: AnimBrush Tools Pantograph: Set Image Buffer: Hold Image Buffer: Fetch Toggle Main Window Image: Flip Horizontally Interface: Open Main Menu Image: Flip Vertically Interface: Toggle Main Menu Image: Flip Both Axis Tools Brush: Change size Tools Brush: Previous Undo: Multi Redo Tools Brush: Next Tools Brush: Increase Size Interface: Toggle windows display Tools Brush: Increase Size 2 Interface: Close all windows

Tools Brush: Decrease Size 2 Magic Number

Element: Function 01 Tools Brush: Pen Element: Function 02 Tools Brush: Air Element: Function 03

Element: Function 04 Tools Brush: Pencil Element: Function 05

Element: Function 06 Tools Brush: Water Color

Element: Function 08 Tools Brush: Gouache

Tools Brush: Special Element: Function 10

315

Interface: Open Remote Panel Tools Brush: CustomBrush Tools Brush: Text Tools: Draw Dot

Interface: Toggle Palette Panel

Interface: Close Palette Panel

Interface: Close Coordinates Panel

Interface: Open Element Panel

Interface: Open Paper Panel

Interface: Open Grid Panel Interface: Open Preferences Panel

Interface: Full Screen

Interface: Close Grid Panel

Interface: Toggle Guides Panel

Interface: Open Video Grabber Panel

Interface: Open FX Panel

Interface: Open Pixel Tracker Panel

Zoom: 1:1

Tools: Toggle Paper

Tools: Toggle Red Tools: Toggle Green

Tools Mode: Prev Tools Mode: Default

Shape Select: FreeHand

Shape Select: Spline

Shape Select: MagicWand

Shape Transform: Position

Tools: Zoom

Interface: Close Remote Panel

Interface: Open Preview Settings Panel

Interface: Toggle FX Panel Mirage: Copy Selection Mirage: Paste

Interface: Close FX Panel Mirage: Select All Mirage: Delete Selection Interface: Toggle LightTable Panel Mirage: Cut Selection Interface: Open LightTable Panel Interface: Close LightTable Panel Filters: Reset Filters: Load Interface: Open Path Manager Panel Filters: Save

Interface: Open Path Recorder Panel Interface: Open Main Panel

Interface: Open Menu Panel Zoom: Toggle Aspect Interface: Toggle Tools Panel Zoom: In Interface: Open Tools Panel Zoom: Out Interface: Close Tools Panel Zoom: Fit

Interface: Open Palette Panel Zoom: New Zoom window Zoom: Next Zoom window Interface: Toggle Layer Panel Zoom: Prev Zoom window Interface: Open Layer Panel Zoom: Toggle Video Interface: Close Layer Panel Zoom: Fit Project Panel Interface: Toggle Navigator Panel

Interface: Open Navigator Panel Tools: Toggle Stencil Interface: Close Navigator Panel

Interface: Toggle Gradient Panel Tools: Toggle Transparency Interface: Open Gradient Panel

Interface: Close Gradient Panel Interface: Toggle Coordinates Panel

Tools: Toggle Blue Interface: Open Coordinates Panel

Tools Mode: Next Interface: Toggle Element Panel

Interface: Close Element Panel

Interface: Open Guides Panel Shape Select: Rectangle

Shape Select: Ellipse Interface: Open Display Panel Interface: Open Shape Settings Panel

Shape Select: Clear Interface: Open Connection Panel Shape Select: Invert

Interface: Open Ease Key Panel Shape Transform: Pan Interface: Close Ease Key Panel

Interface: Toggle Ease Key Panel Shape Transform: Wrap

Interface: Toggle Grid Panel Tools: Crop Interface: Close Guides Panel

Tools: Zoom Toggle Interface: Close Paper Panel Brush: Rotate -90°

Interface: Toggle Paper Panel Interface: Toggle Remote Panel

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317

//Gradient Gradient: Next Gradient: Previous Gradient: Load Gradient: Save Gradient: Default Gradient: Invert //Display Display: Show Stencil Display: Show SafeArea Display: Show FieldChart Display: Show Selection Display: Show Paper //Grab

Grab : Increase Grab Length

Layer: Create Key

Layer: Toggle Auto Key

Layer: Toggle Stencil

Layer: Fit To Project

Layer: Fit To Layer

Project : Next

Layer: Hide All

Drawing Mode 02 (Behind)

Drawing Mode 04 (Panto)

Drawing Mode 06 (Shade)

f g

i v

x

z

Shift B

Shift D

Shift F

Shift T

Shift V

Grab : Video Input Grab : Switch Modes Grab : Grab Length

Grab : Decrease Grab Length

//Layer Layer: Next Key Layer: Prev Key

Layer: Delete Key

Layer: Invert Stencil Layer: Show All Layer: Clear All Stencil Layer: Invert All Stencil

Layer: Fit To Selection

Layer: Fit To Key Layer: Select All Keys Layer Sound: Load Layer Sound: Delete Layer: Delete Image

Project : Previous Layer: Fit To Sound

Layer: Fit To Frame

Drawing Mode 01 (Color)

Drawing Mode 03 (Erase)

Drawing Mode 05 (Merge)

Drawing Mode 07 (Light) Drawing Mode 08 (Colorize) Drawing Mode 09 (Tint) Drawing Mode 10 (Grain) Drawing Mode 11 (Smooth) Drawing Mode 12 (Noise) Drawing Mode 13 (Negative) Drawing Mode 14 (Sharp) Drawing Mode 15 (Emboss) Drawing Mode 16 (Solarize) Drawing Mode 17 (Saturate) Drawing Mode 18 (UnSaturate) Drawing Mode 19 (Add) Drawing Mode 20 (Sub) Drawing Mode 21 (Multiply) Drawing Mode 22 (Screen)

16.2.2. Assignable Keys (Global) a b c d e

h

j k l

m n o p q r s t u

w

y

Shift A

Shift C

Shift E

Shift G Shift H Shift I Shift J

Shift K Shift L Shift M Shift N Shift O Shift P Shift Q Shift R Shift S

Shift U

318

Shift W Shift X

Shift Z

Ctrl b

Ctrl d

Ctrl j

Ctrl l

Ctrl o

Ctrl q

Ctrl t

Ctrl y

0

2

4

7

/ *

,

!

~ \

'

|

_

)

£

F7

F9

Ctrl F1

Ctrl F4

Ctrl F6

Ctrl F11

Shift F1

Shift F8

Shift F11

Ctrl Shift F1

Ctrl Shift F3

Ctrl Shift F5

Ctrl Shift F7

Ctrl Shift F9

Ctrl Shift F12

Shift Del

Shift Down

Ctrl Shift Down

Shift Left

Ctrl Right

Page Up

Page Down

Middle Button

Ctrl Middle Button

16.2.3. Assignable Keys (MAC OSX Only)

Cmd B

Cmd G

Cmd I

Cmd K

Cmd M Cmd Shift F

Shift Y

Ctrl a

Ctrl c

Ctrl e Ctrl f Ctrl g

Ctrl k

Ctrl n

Ctrl p

Ctrl r Ctrl s

Ctrl u Ctrl v Ctrl w Ctrl x

Ctrl z

1

3

5 6

8 9

- +

; :

< > &

#

( [

`

@

] } $

% § . = F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6

F8

F11 F12

Ctrl F2 Ctrl F3

Ctrl F5

Ctrl F7 Ctrl F8 Ctrl F9

Ctrl F12

Shift F2 Shift F3 Shift F4 Shift F5 Shift F6 Shift F7

Shift F9

Shift F12

Ctrl Shift F2

Ctrl Shift F4

Ctrl Shift F6

Ctrl Shift F8

Ctrl Shift F11

Space Tab Shift Tab Ctrl Tab Ctrl Shift Tab Home Shift Home Ctrl Home Ctrl Shift Home End Ctrl End Shift End Ctrl Shift End Del

Ctrl Del Ctrl Shift Del Insert Shift Insert Ctrl Insert Ctrl Shift Insert Backspace Shift Backspace Up Shift Up Ctrl Up Ctrl Shift Up Down

Ctrl Down

Left

Ctrl Left Ctrl Shift Left Right Shift Right

Ctrl Shift Right

Shift Page Up Ctrl Page Up Ctrl Shift Page Up

Shift Page Down Ctrl Page Down Ctrl Shift Page Down

Shift Middle Button

Ctrl Shift Middle Button

Cmd A

Cmd C Cmd D Cmd E Cmd F

Cmd H

Cmd J

Cmd L

Cmd N Cmd O Cmd P Cmd Q Cmd R

Cmd S Cmd T Cmd U Cmd V Cmd W Cmd X Cmd Y Cmd Z Cmd Shift A

Cmd Shift B Cmd Shift C Cmd Shift D Cmd Shift E

Cmd Shift G Cmd Shift H Cmd Shift I Cmd Shift J

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Cmd Shift K Cmd Shift L Cmd Shift M Cmd Shift N Cmd Shift O Cmd Shift P Cmd Shift Q Cmd Shift R

Cmd Shift T

Cmd Shift V

Cmd Shift X

Cmd Shift Z

Cmd 1

Cmd 3

Cmd 5 Cmd 6

Cmd 8

F10

Shift F10

The table below provides current information on the specific functionality provided as of the time of writing, but more recent information may be found on the website.

• Frame Grabber – capture still images on the fly from the incoming video stream.

16.3.1. Mirage v1.2 Video Cards Compatibility List (PC only)

Cmd Shift S

Cmd Shift U

Cmd Shift W

Cmd Shift Y

Cmd 0

Cmd 2

Cmd 4

Cmd 7

Cmd 9

Ctrl F10

Ctrl Shift F10 Ctrl Backspace Ctrl Shift Backspace

16.3. External Video Device Support As mentioned in Chapter 11 (Video and Keying), Mirage provides direct support for a wide and ever-growing list of popular third-party video hardware.

Here is a list of definitions to assist you in understanding supported functions: • Realtime via Framebuffer – view the progress of your work in Mirage simultaneously on the

video output of the device. • Rendered Preview – certain older cards require the project preview to be rendered before it

can be played back over the video device’s output. • Keyed over Video Stream – the current Mirage display can be keyed (using alpha channel

values)over a live video

• Video Stream in Project Widow – display the active video stream in the Mirage Project

Window. • Native File Format – import and export Mirage imagery in the device’s preferred file format.

Video Output Video Input Model

Realtime via Framebuffer

Rendered preview

Frame Grabber

Keyed over Video

Stream

Video Stream in Project

Widow

Native File

Format

Leitch VelocityQ

Yes Yes No No No Yes (.dps)

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DPS PAR

Yes

PVR Hollywood

No No No No No

Matrox DigiSuite

DigiSuite LE DigiSuiteDTV

Yes Yes Yes No No Yes (AVI)

Newtek VTNT VT [2] VT[3]

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes (.rtv)

DV (OHCI 1394 compatible)

Yes Yes Yes .rtv) Yes No Yes

WDM (WebCam,

Digital Camera, etc.)

No Yes No No No Yes

Bluefish 444 Yes Yes No No No Yes (Quicktime,

AVI, Cineon)

NOTE: When you save the configuration file, make sure that it is an ASCII text file. Otherwise, Mirage will not be able to read it.

Nosubtablet=0 This option does not work on all computers, it will depend of your system.

16.4. The Mirage initialization file

A number of default parameters are defined in the Mirage configuration file. This file is called MIRAGE.INI and it is located in your main system directory (e.g., WINDOWS, WINNT, etc.). It is a plain ASCII text file that can be edited with any word processor or text editor (such as the Windows™ Notepad program.)

All values that you can modify in this file are located in the [STARTUP] section. In the following description, terms between square brackets indicate the type of values expected for each parameter (the brackets do not appear in the file). If one of these lines is missing in the .INI file, Mirage will use the default value for the corresponding parameter.

You may comment out lines by placing a semi-colon (;) at the beginning of the line. This allows you to leave settings for future use without having them used.

NOTE To enable tablet subpixel input, add this line:

DDrawEmulationOnly=1 This line disables the DirectDraw hardware acceleration. You must use this setting if your graphic card doesn't support all DirectDraw acceleration options. DDrawRgbaOnly=1

This line sets DirectDraw to RGBA mode instead of YUVA mode. You must use this setting if your graphic card doesn't support YUV DirectDraw acceleration. This setting is equal to DirectDraw Use RGB on the Settings panel. HomeDir=[directory] This line indicates the location of the Mirage home directory, in other words the access path to the directory containing the executable program. This line is automatically updated when Mirage is installed on your system. If you move the Mirage directory after it is installed, you will need to modify this line accordingly.

HINT For dual monitor setup you can adjust where the popup menus appear so they are not sliced in half between the two monitors. Try adding these lines to the Mirage2.ini or Mirage.ini file to adjust the position of the pop-ups. PopX=300 PopY=300 Changing the number, changes the position of the pop-ups.

16.5. Internet Resources

In addition to information about our products, upgrades, and the latest releases of Mirage software, our World Wide Web site has various support files and information you may find helpful.

ElementDir=[directory] This line indicates the default directory used to store Element programs. Mirage displays the contents of this directory when you want to select an Element program. The default directory is the ELEMENT subdirectory in the Mirage home directory. Gauge=[0 | 1] Setting this to 0 will suppress the display of progress gauges. Last_Config=[configuration file]

This indicates the last configuration file used when Mirage was last run. This entry is updated each time you run Mirage.

PopX=[value] PopY=[value] These two values define the position of the center of the menus and windows displayed by Mirage. By default, these windows are centered in the center of the screen. Use this for dual monitor systems.

ReqFileName=No By default, the name of the last loaded or saved file appears in the file selector when you save or load a file. Add this line into the MIRAGE2.INI file if you want the Name field in the selector to remain empty.

Our web address is http://www.bauhaussoftware.com

16.6. Technical Support The best source for help with installing or configuring software or hardware is the retailer from whom you purchased your product. While we have made every effort to keep your software and hardware trouble-free and easy to use, you may occasionally need help right from the source. If you have problems, please contact technical support in one of the following ways:

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• By email: support@bauhaussoftware.com

• By fax: (210)212-7538

Please supply in your communication or have the following information handy when calling:

• Your computer’s operating system and version (e.g., Windows 2000, XP Pro, etc.)

• The version of Mirage you are using

• The amount of RAM in your computer

• Any relevant specifics about your system (display card type, memory managers, accelerator type, etc.)

• Your dongle serial number

NOTE: Your product must be registered before you can receive support

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Keyword Index

A

A and B Colors · 23, 131, 138, 139 A Color · 23, 131, 138, 139

Add Frames · 152

Blur · 227

Preserve · 132, 133

Alpha Control · 220

Animation · 151

Aspect Ratio · 35, 36, 39, 196

AutoPaint · 183

AAliasing · 93, 129

Alpha Channel · 51, 60, 61, 68, 211, 220, 227, 234, 294

Erode · 268

Alpha Collision · 287, 291, 292

Alpha Preserve · 132

Aspect (Drawing Tools) · 99

Audio · 201

Stroke Modes · 185

B

B Color · 23, 131, 138, 139 Background · 73 Background Generator · 160, 245 Bank · 188, 191, 193 Bauhaus Inc. · 321 Bevel · 265 Bins

Drawing Tool · 140 Element · 302 FX Stack · 158, 160, 161 Individual FX Bin · 169, 170, 187, 280, 292 Motion Path · 178, 183 Palette Panel · 112 Particle Generator · 292

Blend Menu · 175, 195

Brightness · 157, 231, 239

Brush Cut Tools · 113, 126

Path · 176 Black and White Converter · 231

Blender · 266 Bloom · 267

Brush Bin · 112

B-spline · 257 Bump · 239

C

Cache · 44 Calculator · 299

324

Character Generation (Simple Text) · 251 Charcoal Pencil · 82 Chroma Blur · 227

Chromakeying · 208

Clipboard · 65

RGB · 138, 209

Color Channels · 132

Color Factory · 294

Color Picker · 23, 62, 139

Compositing · 19, 78

Contrast · 157, 231, 239

Convolutions · 299

Cursor · 44

Custom Brush · 22, 35, 90, 91, 296

Custom Brush · 113, 126

Chroma Keyer · 213, 214

Clear · 131

Clock · 299 Close Project · 60 Color

Black and White · 231 Histogram · 234 HSL · 138, 141 Negative · 270 Posterize · 271

Sliders · 237 Solarize · 108, 271, 272

Color Adjust · 157, 231, 239

Color Eraser · 233

Color Keyer · 213

Color Range · 267

Configuration Default · 15 New · 15 User · 15, 16, 41, 45

Connections · 90, 91, 101 Constraints · 131 Contact · 321

Control Panels Effect · 169, 184, 187

Coordinates · 134 Crazy Blur · 228 Cross Keyer · 219, 295 Cubic (Blur) · 227

Curves · 233

Cut · 113, 126, 127 Edit Panel · 92

D

Default Configuration · 15 Destination Tabs · 57, 90 Direct Show · 299

Displacement Mapping · 240

Background · 73

Drawing Modes · 90, 103, 114, 175

Directional Blur · 227

Display

Display Settings · 30, 42, 45, 47, 60, 125 DPI · 35 Drawing Constraints · 131, 133

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Ellipse/EllipseFill · 118 Fill Options · 114, 115, 120 FloodFill · 119, 120, 122, 125, 145 FreeHand Line/FreeHandFill · 115 FreeHand/Single Dot · 114 Line/PolyFill · 115 Rectangle/RectangleFill · 118 Spline/SplineFill · 116

Bins · 112

Wet Brush · 83

Drawing Tools · 18, 21, 22, 80, 81, 89, 90, 91, 94, 101, 103, 144, 152, 153

Charcoal Pencil · 82 Connections · 90, 91, 101 Constraints · 131, 133 Custom Brush · 90 Mechanical Pencil · 82 Oil Brush · 82 Opacity · 98, 99, 101 Options · 81, 89, 91, 94, 101 PenBrush · 81 Power · 98, 99, 101 Selection Tools · 124 Special Brush · 83 Text Brush · 85 Warp Brush · 83

Drop Shadow · 268 Drying (Drawing Tool) · 100 DV · 227, 299, 320

E

Edit Menu Clipboard · 65 ReApply · 135

Effect Control Panels · 169, 184, 187

AutoPaint · 183

Chroma Keyer · 213, 214

Effect Image Processing · 226

Effect Progress Indicator · 172 Effects · 159

Advanced Keyer · 216, 220 Alpha Control · 220 Applying · 157

Background Generator · 160, 245 Black and White Converter · 231 Blend Menu · 175, 195 Bump · 239 Center Blur · 227 Chroma Blur · 227

Color Adjust · 157, 231, 239 Color Eraser · 233 Color Keyer · 213 Cubic (Blur) · 227 Curves · 233 Directional Blur · 227 Displacement Mapping · 240 Flip (Mirror Classic) · 240 Gaussian Blur · 228 Histogram · 234 KeyFramer · 157, 186, 187, 192

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Lighting · 246 Luma Keyer · 212 Median Blur · 228 Mirror · 241 Page Turn · 220, 222

Perlin Noise · 248

4 Point · 160, 241

Radial Blur · 230

RotoTracking · 256

Source Menu · 175

Tools Menu · 174

Multiple · 159 Simple · 159

Erase · 112

Export Source Tabs · 60

F

Particle Generator · 248, 274

Perspective

Plasma · 183, 250

Render Settings · 194, 242

Simple Text · 251

Stabilization 1 Point · 202 Stabilization 2 Point · 203 Time Code Generator · 261

Tornado · 242 Transitions · 220 Wave · 243 Wrapping Grid · 244

Effects Menu · 159

Element · 301 Bin · 302 Language Conventions · 304 Launching Modes · 301 Startup Script · 303

Ellipse/EllipseFill · 118 EPI · 172

Erode · 268 Export · 60, 61, 64, 198

Animation · 63 File Numbering · 63 Sequence · 63 Single Image · 63

Export Footage Panel · 60, 61, 64 Export Project to… · 60

External (filters) · 295 External Video Device Support · 299, 319

Fast Motion · 69, 75 Field Chart · 29, 47

File Explorer · 51, 52, 55

Detail View · 54

Preview · 54

File Formats · 62, 310

Fields · 196, 197, 199, 205

Controls · 52

Path View · 53

Viewport · 38, 55, 64

File Menu Close Project · 60 Export · 198

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Export Project to … · 60 Load · 56, 198

Print · 65

Save Project · 59

File Menu: · 50

File Requester · 44

Flip (Mirror Classic) · 240

FreeHand/Single Dot · 114

Blend Menu · 175, 195

Motion Blur · 195

Render Tab · 194, 242

New Project · 37, 39, 51, 57, 58, 198

Save · 50

Save Project as… · 59

File Numbering · 63

Fill Options · 114, 115, 120, 146

FloodFill · 119, 120, 122, 125, 145 Frame Rate · 37, 196 FreeHand Line/FreeHandFill · 115

Full Screen Mode · 28 FX Stack · 19, 24, 158, 159, 160, 161, 164, 166, 167, 169, 173, 175, 176, 178, 182, 183, 191, 202, 203, 212, 213, 220,

226, 240, 241, 243, 248, 249, 251, 261, 277, 280, 281, 294, 296, 300

Effect Control Panels · 169, 184, 187 HUD · 163, 191, 241 KeyFramer · 157, 186, 187, 192 Keyframes · 164

Preview · 163

Source Menu · 174

G

Gamma · 157, 231, 239 Garbage Matte · 256 Gaussian Blur · 228 Glow · 268 Gradient Panel · 147 Grain · 268 Graphics Tablet · 12, 101, 185 Grid · 45, 47 GUI Colors · 43 Guides · 45, 48

H

Halftone · 269 Heading · 188, 190, 193

Matte · 218, 220

HUD · 163, 191, 241

Height · 35, 39 Help Menu · 34 Histogram · 234

Hotkeys · 41, 313 HPB · 188, 193 HSL · 138, 141

Keyframe Interpolation · 192 Hue · 157, 231, 239

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I

Image Processing · 19, 78, 83, 153, 226, 296, 299

Destination Tabs · 57, 90

Initialization File · 320

K

Import Footage Panel · 57, 58, 59, 90

INI · 320

Input Devices · 12, 101, 102, 185 Interface Settings · 43 Interlacing · 30, 36, 196, 197, 199, 205 Internet Resources · 321

Keyboard · 41, 313 Keyboard Shortcuts · 41, 313 KeyFramer · 157, 186, 187, 192

Rotation · 188 Motion Blur · 195

Keyframes · 75, 167, 184, 193 Adjusting · 169 Creating and Deleting · 165 Interpolation · 173, 192 Selecting · 168

Keying, Keyers · 208 Advanced Keyer · 216, 220 Alpha Control · 220 Chroma Keyer · 213, 214 Color Keyer · 213 Cross Keyer · 219, 295 Luma Keyer · 212 Matte Controls · 217, 218 Softness · 210 Spill Removal · 211, 216, 233 Tolerance · 209

Kill · 131

L

Layer Panel · 21, 26, 69, 152, 166 Background · 73 Controls · 70, 71 Current Position · 74 Effect Progress Indicator · 172 keyframes · 75, 184, 193 Keyframes · 167 Layer List Column · 68, 72 Light Table · 154 Loop Modes · 77 Merging · 21, 72, 75, 78 Stencil Column · 71 Timeline · 74 Visibility Column · 27, 71

Layers · 68 32 Bit · 153 Adding Frames · 152 Anim · 68, 153 Image · 68, 153

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Light Table · 154 Loop Modes · 77 Merging · 19, 21, 72, 75, 78 Stretching · 76, 152

Light Table · 24, 154, 155 Lighting · 246 LightWave® Viewer · 296 Line/PolyFill · 115 Load · 198 Loop Modes · 77 Luma Keyer · 212, 216, 220 Lumix · 269

M

Macros - Element · 301 Main Panel · 113, 124, 127

A/B Colors · 131 Bins · 112 Charcoal Pencil · 82 Clear · 131 Crop · 128 Custom Brush · 90 Custom Brush Tools · 113, 126 Kill · 131 Mechanical Pencil · 82 Oil Brush · 82 Options · 81, 89, 91, 94, 101 Panning · 129 PenBrush · 81 REDO · 131 Selection Tools · 124 Special Brush · 83 Text Brush · 85 Transform · 129 UNDO · 131 Warp Brush · 83 Wet Brush · 83 Wrap · 130

Matte Matte Garbage · 256

Matte · 217, 220, 311 Mechanical Pencil · 82 Median Blur · 228 Memory · 44 Memory & Cache · 44 Menus · 12 Merging · 21, 72, 75, 78 Mini-sliders · 13, 14 Mirage Initialization File · 320 Mirror · 241 Mirror Classic (Flip) · 240 Miscellaneous Filters · 299 Modes (Drawing) · 90, 103, 175 Modify Project · 37, 38, 39 Mosaic · 269 Motion Blur · 195 Motion Paths · 176, 178, 183, 187

Path Recorder · 157, 175, 176, 178, 182, 184, 187, 248 Mouse · 12 MOV · 201

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N

Negative · 270 New Project · 37, 39, 51, 57, 58, 198 New Zoom Window · 28, 33 Noise · 270 NTSC · 196 Numeric Fields · 13

O

Oil Brush · 82 Opacity (Drawing Tool) · 98, 99, 101 Opacity Mapping · 94, 96, 122

P

Page Turn · 220, 222 PAL · 196 Palette Panel · 139

Bin · 140 Mixer Tab · 143 Picker Tab · 142 Slider Tab · 141

Panto (Drawing Mode) · 111 Paper · 46 Paper Textures · 132 Particle Generator · 248, 274

Alpha Collision · 287, 291 Details · 280 Emitter - Current Settings · 288 Emitter Types · 287 Introduction · 274 Options Menu · 292 Overview · 277 Particle - Current Settings · 286 Particle Settings · 277, 282 Quick Preview · 281 Shape Settings · 283 World Settings · 291

Path Bin · 176 Path Manager · 177, 187 Path Recorder · 157, 175, 176, 178, 182, 184, 187, 248

Preserve Timing · 184 Patterns Plugin · 206 PenBrush · 81 Perlin Noise · 248 Perspective

4 Point · 160, 241 Photoshop® Files · 51 Photoshop® Filters · 295 Pitch · 188, 190, 193 Pixel Tracker · 178, 179 Plasma · 183, 250 Plugin

Patterns · 206 Video Legalizer · 207

Plugins · 159

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Calculator · 299 Clock · 299 Color Factory · 294 Convolutions · 299 Cross Keyer · 219, 295 Direct Show · 299 Discussion · 294 DV · 227, 299, 320 Element · 301 External · 295 Fix Motion · 204 LightWave® Viewer · 296 Plugins

Miscellaneous Filters · 299 Preview Filters · 296 Speed · 300 Star Field · 296 Video Device Support · 299, 319 Video Grabber · 29, 199 Video Group · 300 VT[3] · 299, 319 VTNT · 299, 319 Wallpaper · 299 Waveform · 207

Plugins Directory · 40, 41 Posterize · 271 Power (Drawing Tool) · 98, 99, 101 Preferences · 40 Preview

Controls · 31, 32 FX Stack · 163 Play All · 31 Proxy · 31 RealTime · 31 Render · 31 Settings · 30, 31 Sound · 32, 73 Split · 162

Preview Filters · 296 Print · 65, 271 Profile

Editor, Axial · 96, 97 Editor, Radial · 94 Progress Profile · 170, 172

Program Directory · 12, 133 Program Preferences · 40 Progress Meters · 14 Progress Profile · 170, 172 Project

Close · 60 Field Mode · 196 Frame Rate · 37 Project Properties · 15, 35, 50, 60, 151, 158

Project Configuration · 14 Project Configurations · 15, 16, 41, 45, 295 Project Dependencies · 59 Project File · 50, 51 Project Menu

Background · 73 Dependencies · 59 Modify Project · 37, 38, 39 Start Frame · 37

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Project Properties · 196 Project Window · 21, 27, 32, 35, 44, 151, 154, 298

Background · 64, 73 Controls · 29 Display Menu · 27, 29, 154 Display Video · 29, 199 Field Mode · 30, 36, 196, 199 HUD · 191, 241 Overview · 27 Zoom · 29, 30

PSD files · 51 Pulldown · 202

Q

Quicktime® · 201 Quit · 16

R

Radial Blur · 230 Ratio, Aspect · 35, 36, 39, 196 ReApply · 135 Rectangle/RectangleFill · 118 REDO · 131 Render Tab · 194, 242 RGB · 138, 209 RGBA, · 31 Rotation · 188, 193, 194, 290 RotoTracking · 256

S

Safe Area · 29, 46 Saturation · 157, 231, 239 Script

Startup · 303 Scripts

Element · 301 Scrollbars · 14 SECAM · 196 Selection · 46 Selection Tools · 124 Shape Settings · 123 Show Full Page · 29 Show TC · 31 Simple Text · 251 Sliders · 237 Slow Motion · 69, 75 SMPTE · 206, 261 Solarize · 108, 271, 272 Sound · 201 Source Menu · 175 Spare Image · 78, 79 Special Brush · 83 Speed · 300 Spill Removal · 211, 216, 233 Splash Screen · 14, 16

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Spline Interpolation · 192 Spline Shapes · 256 Spline/SplineFill · 116 Split Preview · 162 Stabilization 1 Point · 202 Star Field · 296 Start Frame · 37 Startup Script · 303 Stencil · 29, 45, 72, 80, 133, 134, 262, 312 Step (Drawing Tool) · 100 Stretching

Keyframes · 169 Layers · 69, 75, 76

Stroke Modes · 185 Stroke Recorder · 183 Stylus · 12, 101, 102, 185 Super Black · 209

T

Table of Contents · 6 Tablet · 12, 101, 102, 185 Technical Support · 321 Telecine · 202 Temp Directory · 40, 41 Text Brush · 85

Anim · 89 Letter Mode · 86 Options · 87 Options Word Mode · 86 Step · 89

Text Fields · 13 Text, Simple · 251 The Navigator · 33 Time Code Generator · 261 Time Stretching · 69, 75, 76 Timecode · 31, 74, 261 Timeline · 74

Context Menu · 77 Effect Progress Indicator · 172 Zooming and Panning · 77

Titling (Simple Text) · 251 Tool Panel

CutBrush · 127 Gradients · 146 Select · 125

Tool Tray · 81 Tools Menu · 174

Pixel Tracker · 178, 179 Tornado · 242 Transitions · 220 TWAIN · 50, 64

U

Undo · 44 UNDO · 131 User Config · 15, 16, 41, 45, 295 User Interface

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Overview · 26

V

Video External Video Hardware · 201

PAL, NTSC, SECAM · 196 NTSC · 196

SECAM · 196 Third-party Support · 319 Video Input · 35, 199, 200, 319 Video Output · 199, 201, 319

Video Video

Video Legalizer Plugin · 207

Show Full Page · 29

Grabber · 29, 199 Video Group · 300

View

Viewport Export Panel · 64 File Explorer · 38, 55, 64

Volumetric Light · 261, 262, 264 VT[2] · 299, 319 VT[3] · 299, 319

W

Wacom® · 12, 101 Wallpaper · 299 Warp Brush · 83 Wave · 243 Waveform Plugin · 207 Wet Brush · 83 Width · 35, 39 Width, Height · 35, 39 Windows Menu

Guides · 47, 49 Navigator · 15, 26, 27, 28, 33, 37, 69, 154, 159 Paper · 46 Path Manager · 177, 187 Pixel Tracker · 178, 179 Tool Panel · 80

Wrapping Grid · 244 WYSIWIG · 158

Y

YUV · 31 YUVA · 31

Z

Zoom · 29, 77 New Window · 28, 33

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