Adobe 12040118 - After Effects Standard Tutorial page 430

Wave Type What to base the wave shape on.
Polygon What kind of polygon to use for the wave shape. These controls are available if Polygon is chosen for Wave Type.
Sides Three sides create a triangle, four create a square, and so on. Size values above 64 result in a smooth circle. You can also
approximate a circle by setting Sides to 3, Curve Size to 1, and Curvyness to about 0.62.
Curve Size Specifies how much of each side is curved at each point.
Curvyness Specifies how extreme the curve is at each point of the wave.
Star Specifies that the polygon is shaped like a star. To change the number of points on the star, change the number of sides.
Star Depth Specifies the angles of a star by controlling the distance between inner points and the center of the star.
Mask Specifies the mask used to create a wave. This control is available if you choose Mask from the Wave Type pop-up menu.
Image Contour controls
You can base the wave shape on the contours of an image by choosing Image Contours for Wave Type.
Source Layer The layer to use as input for the creation of the image contours. Select an animated layer to emit moving shapes. A well-defined
outline, high-contrast grayscale layer, or alpha channel works well as a source. The Radio Waves effect detects edges and converts sources into
outlines.
Source Center Specifies the center point of the shape, relative to the source layer. For example, if you isolate a shape that is positioned in the left
half of the frame, the shape radiates to the left by default; you can move the source center anywhere on the layer.
Value Channel The color attributes of the source layer used to define the image contours.
Invert Input Inverts the chosen value channel option.
Value Threshold Specifies the threshold for the chosen value channel. It determines the percentage value at which everything below it or above it
is mapped to either white or black. This control can make a big difference in the shape of the wave.
Pre-Blur Smooths out the value channel before the value threshold is sampled. If you have a high-contrast image, such as white on black, and
you want the wave to follow the edges very closely, set this option to 0.
Tolerance Defines how tightly the wave conforms to the layer. A high setting results in sharp corners; a low value can make the wave shape more
sensitive to noise.
Contour Specifies the shape in the source layer that you want to use as the emitted wave. Contour numbers the shapes by their order in the
frame from top to bottom, left to right. The shape in the upper-left corner is number 1.
Wave Motion controls
Wave Motion controls specify how the wave emits from the center point.
Frequency Specifies the number of waves per second flowing out of the producer point.
Expansion Specifies the speed at which the wave travels from the producer point once it is born. This option doesn't affect the number of waves
per second.
Orientation Specifies the rotation of the shape at birth around its center point. To animate the rotation, use the Spin control.
Direction Specifies the initial direction of a wave if Velocity is greater than 0. By default, particles are emitted from the producer point in an
expanding radial pattern.
Velocity Specifies the speed at which the wave moves in the specified direction.
Spin Controls the continued rotation of a shape after it is born.
Lifespan (sec) Specifies the time, in seconds (including the fade-in and fade-out times), that the wave exists.
To prevent waves from abruptly disappearing when their lifetime ends, use the Fade Out Time control.
Reflection Specifies whether the waves bounce off the edges of the layer and back into the scene. This option is effective for generating
displacement maps for use as water ripples.
Stroke controls
Stroke controls specify the appearance of the stroke of a wave.
Profile Controls the appearance of the stroke that defines the shape. The outline of the shape is animated in the wave that emanates from the
effect point. The quality of the stroke is defined as a 3D wave type.
Color Specifies the color of the stroke.
Opacity Specifies the maximum possible opacity of the stroke. The actual opacity of the stroke takes into account this setting in conjunction with
the Fade-in Time and Fade-out Time controls.
Fade-in Time Specifies the amount of time it takes the wave to fade into view. Fade-in Time is measured in seconds and begins with 0 opacity at
birth. For example, if the Lifespan is 3 seconds and Fade-in Time is 1 second, the stroke is completely transparent at birth and fades smoothly to
full opacity at 1 second.
Fade-out Time Specifies the amount of time it takes the wave to fade out of view. Fade-out Time is measured backward in time from the end of
the Lifespan. If the Lifespan is 3 seconds and Fade-out Time is 1 second, the wave begins to fade out at 2 seconds. If the sum of Fade-in Time
and Fade-out Time is greater than the Lifespan value, the intersection point of the two fades is calculated so that the wave doesn't reach full
transparency. If either Fade-in Time or Fade-out Time is longer than the Lifespan, that amount is truncated to equal the Lifespan.
Start Width Specifies the width of the shape at its birth. End Width specifies the width of the shape at the end of its lifespan.
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