Reference / Effects / Generate
Updated
Clone to points
Clone to points is a Generate effect.
What it does
Section titled “What it does”Wire a producer’s Points socket into this effect, pick a layer, and that layer’s picture is stamped once per point at the point’s position, turned by its rotation, sized by its size and tinted by its colour.
Up to four layers can be set, and Choose by says which of them a point takes. Time offset shows each stamp its layer at another moment. A Clone index driver anywhere in what a clone layer shows makes that layer render once per stamp, each copy reading its own number.
A clone layer that is outside its in and out points at a stamp’s moment draws nothing for the points that take it.
One Clone to points asks for at most 32 pictures of its clone layers: layers times moments, or one a clone. With several layers set, Time samples gives way, and four layers get eight moments each.
Parameters
Section titled “Parameters”| Parameter | Control | Range | Default | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apply to | Dropdown | All points · Picked · Not picked | All points | - |
| Group | Text | A short line of text | Empty | - |
| Threshold | Slider | 0 to 1; any value by typing | 0.5 | - |
| Clone layer | Layer | Any layer in the composition | None | - |
| Clone layer 2 | Layer | Any layer in the composition | None | - |
| Clone layer … | Layer | Any layer in the composition | None | - |
| Clone layer 4 | Layer | Any layer in the composition | None | - |
| Choose by | Dropdown | In order · Random · Number · Every layer | In order | - |
| More layers › Name | Text | A short line of text | Empty | - |
| Time offset | Dropdown | Off · In order · Random · Number · Point age | Off | - |
| Time › Name | Text | A short line of text | Empty | - |
| Time step | Slider | 0 to 1; higher | 0.067 | Seconds |
| Time samples | Slider, whole numbers | 1 to 32 | 8 | - |
| Per clone | Dropdown | Auto · Off | Auto | - |
| Max renders | Slider, whole numbers | 1 to 32 | 32 | - |
| Size | Dropdown | Point size · Layer size · Fit cell · Fill cell | Point size | - |
| Cell width | Slider | 1 to 2000; higher | 200 | Pixels at composition size |
| Cell height | Slider | 1 to 2000; higher | 200 | Pixels at composition size |
| Scale | Slider | 0 to 1000; higher | 100 | Per cent |
| Rotation | Dial | Any angle; snaps every 15° while a modifier is held | 0° | Degrees |
| Anchor x | Slider | 0 to 100; any value by typing | 50 | Per cent |
| Anchor y | Slider | 0 to 100; any value by typing | 50 | Per cent |
| Corner radius | Slider | 0 to 500; higher | 0 | Pixels at composition size |
| Opacity | Slider | 0 to 100 | 100 | Per cent |
| Tint | Slider | 0 to 100 | 100 | Per cent |
| Depth sort | Checkbox | On or off | On | - |
| Max clones | Slider, whole numbers | 1 to 200000; up to 1000000 | 2000 | - |
| 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:
- More layers groups Clone layer 2, Clone layer 3, Clone layer 4, Choose by, Name, and starts closed.
- Time groups Time offset, Name, Time step, Time samples, and starts closed.
- Clone index groups Per clone, Max renders, and starts closed.
- Group is editable while Apply to is anything but All points.
- Threshold is editable while Apply to is anything but All points.
- Name is editable while Choose by is set to Number.
- Name is editable while Time offset is set to Number.
- Time step is editable while Time offset is anything but Off.
- Time samples is editable while Time offset is anything but Off.
- Max renders is editable while Per clone is set to Auto.
- Matte is an input to an effect, scaling the strength. Invert inverts the mattes for calculating strength.
What each control does
Section titled “What each control does”- Apply to: which points get a stamp.
- Group: the group Picked and Not picked go by, as a name. Left empty, they go by the points a Pick points picked. See Names.
- Threshold: what a point’s Group must read above to be in it. It is read only with a Group named.
- Clone layer: the layer whose picture is stamped.
- Clone layer 2, Clone layer 3 and Clone layer 4: more layers to stamp. With more than one set, each point takes one of them.
- Choose by: how a point takes its layer when more than one is set. In order takes each in turn down the stream. Random rolls for it, the same every frame. Number reads the number the point carries. Every layer stamps them all at every point, the first row at the bottom. See Pick points for the number.
- Name, under Choose by: which of a point’s numbers Number reads. Left empty, it is the number the point carries. See Names.
- Seed: which roll a Random choice of layer and a Random time offset give.
- Time offset: shows each stamp its layer at another moment. In order steps back once a stamp. Random shuffles the same steps by the Seed. Number steps back by the number the point carries. Point age plays the layer from its start as the point ages.
- Name, under Time offset: which of a point’s numbers Number steps back by. Left empty, it is the number the point carries.
- Time step: how far apart two steps are.
- Time samples: the most moments a layer is rendered at. Steps past the last wrap round to the first, and a point older than the last holds it. Each moment is another render of the layer.
- Per clone: Auto renders a layer once per stamp when a Clone index driver is anywhere in what it shows. Off renders every copy alike. Under Point age the copies are alike too.
- Max renders: the most copies rendered with a number of their own. Stamps past it share them in turn. Each is another render of the layer.
- Size: what a stamp’s size is. Point size is a square of the point’s own size with the whole layer squeezed into it. Layer size is the layer at its own size and shape. Fit cell and Fill cell scale the layer into a cell and keep its shape. Fit leaves the rest of the cell empty and Fill cuts off what overhangs. For the last three a point’s size is a per cent, and a point of size 100 is the layer’s or the cell’s own size.
- Cell width and Cell height: the cell’s size. They show for Fit cell and Fill cell.
- Scale: multiplies each point’s own size.
- Rotation: added to each point’s own rotation.
- Anchor x and Anchor y: which place on the stamp sits on the point, as a per cent across and down it. The stamp turns about this place.
- Corner radius: rounds the stamp’s corners. It is measured on the stamp of a point whose size is 100, and turns and scales with the stamp.
- Opacity: multiplies every stamp’s opacity.
- Tint: how much of the point’s colour the stamp takes on.
- Depth sort: draws the stamps furthest from the camera first, and near ones cover far ones. Off draws them in the stream’s own order. It shows only on a 3D layer with a camera.
- Max clones: the most stamps that may be drawn. Under Every layer a point counts once for each layer.
- Mix: how much of the result replaces the picture underneath.
- Matte and Invert drive the strength of the effect from another layer’s brightness. See Effects.
Wire a driver that reads the copy, such as Stagger or Clone index, into Scale, Rotation or Opacity and each stamp gets its own value.