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Turbulent displace

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Turbulent displace is a Distortion effect.

The frame before Turbulent displace is appliedThe same frame with Turbulent displace applied
Drag the handle. Turbulent displace applied on the right, the original frame on the left.

Warps the picture with a pattern of swirls.

The pattern is the same one Fractal noise draws.

ParameterControlRangeDefaultUnit
DisplacementDropdownTurbulent · Horizontal · VerticalTurbulent-
AmountSlider-500 to 500; any value by typing50Pixels at composition size
SizeSlider1 to 2000; higher100Pixels at composition size
ComplexitySlider, whole numbers1 to 103-
Offset xSlider0 to 3840; any value by typing960Pixels at composition size
Offset ySlider0 to 2160; any value by typing540Pixels at composition size
EvolutionDialAny angle; snaps every 45° while a modifier is heldDegrees
Cycle evolutionCheckboxOn or offOff-
CycleSlider, whole numbers1 to 301-
PinningDropdownNone · All edges · Left and right · Top and bottomAll edges-
SeedSeedAny whole numberA fresh random seed per instance-
MixSlider0 to 100100Per cent
BlendDropdownNormal · Darken · Multiply · Colour burn · Linear burn · Darker colour · Add · Lighten · Screen · Colour dodge · Lighter colour · Overlay · Soft light · Hard light · Linear light · Vivid light · Pin light · Hard mix · Difference · Exclusion · Subtract · Divide · Hue · Saturation · Colour · LuminosityNormal-
MatteLayerAny layer in the compositionNone-
InvertCheckboxOn or offOff-
ChannelDropdownLuminance · Alpha · Red · Green · BlueLuminance-

In the Effect Controls panel:

  • Evolution options groups Cycle evolution, Cycle, and starts closed.
  • Cycle is editable while Cycle evolution is on.
  • Matte scales the displacement per pixel: white warps at the full Amount, grey warps a little, black not at all — where a strength dissolve would blend a fully-warped picture over an unwarped one and show both edges at once. Invert reads that matte inverted.
  • Displacement: Turbulent warps in both directions. Horizontal and Vertical warp in a single direction.
  • Amount: the amount a pixel can be displaced.
  • Size: the scaling of the fractal noise driving the warp.
  • Complexity: how many layers of finer fractal noise are added to the base.
  • Offset x and Offset y: move the underlying fractal noise’s position.
  • Evolution: changes the phase of the fractal noise.
  • Cycle evolution and Cycle: makes Evolution loop. With Cycle at 3, the Evolution at 0 and 3 full rotations are identical, so animating can loop with no seam.
  • Pinning: which edges are held still.
  • Seed: which randomly generated fractal noise pattern to use.
  • Mix: how much of the result replaces the original.
  • Matte and Invert drive the strength of the effect from another layer’s brightness; see Effects.