Reference / Effects / Distortion
Updated
Turbulent displace
Turbulent displace is a Distortion effect.
What it does
Section titled “What it does”Warps the picture with a pattern of swirls.
The pattern is the same one Fractal noise draws.
Parameters
Section titled “Parameters”| Parameter | Control | Range | Default | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Displacement | Dropdown | Turbulent · Horizontal · Vertical | Turbulent | - |
| Amount | Slider | -500 to 500; any value by typing | 50 | Pixels at composition size |
| Size | Slider | 1 to 2000; higher | 100 | Pixels at composition size |
| Complexity | Slider, whole numbers | 1 to 10 | 3 | - |
| Offset x | Slider | 0 to 3840; any value by typing | 960 | Pixels at composition size |
| Offset y | Slider | 0 to 2160; any value by typing | 540 | Pixels at composition size |
| Evolution | Dial | Any angle; snaps every 45° while a modifier is held | 0° | Degrees |
| Cycle evolution | Checkbox | On or off | Off | - |
| Cycle | Slider, whole numbers | 1 to 30 | 1 | - |
| Pinning | Dropdown | None · All edges · Left and right · Top and bottom | All edges | - |
| Seed | Seed | Any whole number | A fresh random seed per instance | - |
| Mix | Slider | 0 to 100 | 100 | Per cent |
| Blend | Dropdown | Normal · 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 · Luminosity | Normal | - |
| Matte | Layer | Any layer in the composition | None | - |
| Invert | Checkbox | On or off | Off | - |
| Channel | Dropdown | Luminance · Alpha · Red · Green · Blue | Luminance | - |
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.
What each control does
Section titled “What each control does”- 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.