2 questions I'm having problems with:
1. Scripts>Layer effects>Layer trail
How do you use this effect, or an example of its application. AS tutorials seem to blow by this and I'm trying to practice using all the effects with AS. I created a layer (ie. bouncing ball), then hit layer trail and it just created another layer with keyframes??
2. If I animate a light streak and I want the streak to (ie. follow the leader), how would I do this so the trailing line(or streak) follows the front like a train along the path smoothly?
What layer trail is doing is drawing a "line" that appears behind the layer as it moves. Sort of like a snail leaving a trail of slime. Icky example. The script creates a line that appears based on the settings you type into the script.
Select the original layer and scrub through the time line. You will see a line appear as the layer moves.
The "follow the leader" effect could be done by animating the layer motion then duplicate that layer any number of times and offset the keys. Because the layer is moving and not the vectors you can draw anything you want in that layer. Or you could animate a group or bone layer and place multiple items inside it. You wouldn't use the layer trails script though.
HeyVern,
I must be a complete moron, but I still can not figure out this layer trail.
I pick a layer (ie. a bouncing ball) and move it along the timeline. I then select the layer trail button and it creates a row of keyframes on its own layer button. When I go back a select the ball animation and drag the scrubber, NO trail. What am I doing wrong??
Sorry
LC
Are you animating the layer not the vectors? You must animate the layer.
Also don't have the "new" layer trail layer selected when scrubbing the timeline. The construction curves will "hide" the line. The line is a thin stroke shape repeated over and over with transparency automatically applied at key frames to make the line appear.
When you first run the script it asks for a starting and ending frame. On frame 0 you will not see any changes because the line or "trail" is invisible.
Other than that I don't know. I just tested it and it works for me. However it took me a while to see what it was doing because I had the layer trail layer selected and couldn't see the trail because of the construction curves on the vector layer.
Well, if you want to create a line that follows your object -
e.g. like handwriting, try this:
Create a vector-layer and draw a little circle (that will be your brush).
Use the Translate-Layer Tool (1) and move it into your starting position.
select Set Origin (0) and move it into the same position.
Now start animating your brush-layer with the Translate-Layer Tool along your chosen path , move your time-slider along to set keyframes and
drag your brush-layer to a new position, you will see blue squares (your keyframes) and a thin blue line between them (your path).
Don’t forget to check show path (top of your viewport).
If you are done go to Script/Layer Effects/Layer Trail...
choose your settings and click OK.
If you don’t like to see your brush, open the Layer Properties and uncheck Visible.
