Particulate
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Particulate is a Generate effect.
What it does
Section titled “What it does”A particle system.
Parameters
Section titled “Parameters”| Parameter | Control | Range | Default | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shape | Dropdown | Point · Line · Ellipse · Rectangle · Mask path · Ellipse outline · Rectangle outline | Point | - |
| Position x | Slider | 0 to 3840; any value by typing | 960 | Pixels at composition size |
| Position y | Slider | 0 to 2160; any value by typing | 540 | Pixels at composition size |
| Position z | Slider | -2000 to 2000; any value by typing | 0 | Pixels at composition size |
| Width | Slider | 0 to 2000; higher | 400 | Pixels at composition size |
| Height | Slider | 0 to 2000; higher | 400 | Pixels at composition size |
| Depth | Slider | 0 to 2000; higher | 0 | Pixels at composition size |
| Emitter angle | Dial | Any angle; snaps every 15° while a modifier is held | 0° | Degrees |
| Mask path | Masks | This layer’s masks | First mask | - |
| Emit rate | Slider | 0 to 1000; higher | 150 | - |
| Direction | Dial | Any angle; snaps every 15° while a modifier is held | -90° | Degrees |
| Direction z | Dial | Any angle; snaps every 15° while a modifier is held | 0° | Degrees |
| Spread | Slider | 0 to 360 | 360 | Degrees |
| Spread z | Slider | 0 to 180; up to 360 | 0 | Degrees |
| Initial speed | Slider | 0 to 2000; higher | 90 | Pixels at composition size |
| Speed jitter | Slider | 0 to 100 | 50 | Per cent |
| Life | Slider | 0.1 to 10; down to 0 and higher | 2 | Seconds |
| Life jitter | Slider | 0 to 100 | 30 | Per cent |
| Size | Slider | 0 to 200; higher | 4 | Pixels at composition size |
| Size jitter | Slider | 0 to 100 | 40 | Per cent |
| Size over life | Curve | 2 to 16 points in the unit square | The identity diagonal | - |
| Opacity over life | Curve | 2 to 16 points in the unit square | The identity diagonal | - |
| Colour | Colour | Each channel 0 to 4, scene-linear | 1, 1, 1, 1 | - |
| End colour | Colour | Each channel 0 to 4, scene-linear | 1, 1, 1, 1 | - |
| Rotation | Dial | Any angle; snaps every 15° while a modifier is held | 0° | Degrees |
| Rotation jitter | Slider | 0 to 360 | 360 | Degrees |
| Spin | Slider | -720 to 720; any value by typing | 0 | Degrees |
| Align to motion | Checkbox | On or off | Off | - |
| Gravity | Slider | -2000 to 2000; any value by typing | 0 | Pixels at composition size |
| Wind x | Slider | -2000 to 2000; any value by typing | 0 | Pixels at composition size |
| Wind y | Slider | -2000 to 2000; any value by typing | 0 | Pixels at composition size |
| Wind z | Slider | -2000 to 2000; any value by typing | 0 | Pixels at composition size |
| Drag | Slider | 0 to 10; higher | 0.5 | - |
| Turbulence amount | Slider | 0 to 500; higher | 40 | Pixels at composition size |
| Turbulence scale | Slider | 10 to 1000; higher | 200 | Pixels at composition size |
| Turbulence speed | Slider | 0 to 5; higher | 0.3 | - |
| Mode | Dropdown | Disc · Sprite · Streak | Disc | - |
| Feather | Slider | 0 to 100 | 100 | Per cent |
| Sprite layer | Layer | Any layer in the composition | None | - |
| Streak length | Slider | 0 to 0.1; higher | 0.02 | Seconds |
| Max particles | Slider, whole numbers | 1 to 200000; up to 1000000 | 20000 | - |
| 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:
- Emitter groups Shape, Position x, Position y, Position z, Width, Height, Depth, Emitter angle, Mask path, Emit rate, Direction, Direction z, Spread, Spread z, Initial speed, Speed jitter.
- Particle groups Life, Life jitter, Size, Size jitter, Size over life, Opacity over life, Colour, End colour, Rotation, Rotation jitter, Spin, Align to motion.
- Forces groups Gravity, Wind x, Wind y, Wind z, Drag, Turbulence amount, Turbulence scale, Turbulence speed.
- Render groups Mode, Feather, Sprite layer, Streak length, Max particles, Seed.
- Feather is editable while Mode is set to Disc.
- Sprite layer is editable while Mode is set to Sprite.
- Streak length is editable while Mode is set to Streak.
- 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”The Emitter group — where particles come from and travel:
- Shape: which emitter.
- Position x, Position y and Position z: where the emitter sits.
- Width and Height: how big the emitter is.
- Depth: how far the emitter reaches through the plane.
- Emitter angle: turns Line, Ellipse and Rectangle about Position.
- Mask path: which of the layer’s masks particles are emitted from.
- Emit rate: new particles per second.
- Direction: which way particles travel.
- Direction z: how far they lean out of that plane.
- Spread: the cone about Direction.
- Spread z: the lean’s own cone.
- Initial speed: how fast a particle leaves.
- Speed jitter: how much particles differ from each other in that speed.
The Particle group — how a particle looks:
- Life and Life jitter: how long a particle lasts, and how much that varies.
- Size and Size jitter: how big it is at birth, and how much that varies.
- Size over life: multiplies Size against the particle’s age, from birth on the left to death on the right. Flat by default, so a particle stays the size it was born.
- Opacity over life: the same curve for opacity. It starts solid and ends invisible.
- Colour and End colour: the colour at birth and at death, blended across the particle’s life.
- Rotation: the rotation of particles.
- Rotation jitter: how much particles differ from one another in that rotation.
- Spin: how fast that rotation turns.
- Align to motion: turns each particle to face the way it is travelling, with Spin added on top.
The Forces group — what moves them:
- Gravity: a constant pull.
- Wind x, Wind y and Wind z: the air’s speed.
- Drag: how quickly a particle’s speed comes round to the wind’s.
- Turbulence amount: how far a rolling noise pushes a particle off its path.
- Turbulence scale: how far apart two particles have to be before the noise pushes them different ways.
- Turbulence speed: how fast that noise evolves as a particle ages.
The Render group — how they are drawn:
- Mode: Disc, Sprite or Streak.
- Feather: how soft a disc’s edge is. Disc mode only.
- Sprite layer: the layer stamped at each particle. Sprite mode only, and discs are drawn until you set it.
- Streak length: how long the tail is, in seconds.
- Max particles: the most particles that may be alive at once.
- Seed: Changes randomness.
The remaining properties:
- Mix: how much of the result replaces the picture underneath.
- Blend: how the particles composite with the layer they are drawn over.
- Matte and Invert drive the strength of the effect from another layer’s brightness; see Effects.