S_DissolveLuma transitions from one clip to another using the luminance values of the two clips. By default, the transition dissolves from areas of similar luminance to areas of different luminance, but you can customize how the dissolve will look.
Effect Controls
The Background setting determines which layer will be used as a background image. If no layer is specified, only the foreground image will be processed, and the effect may not appear correctly.
The Transition Dir setting determines how to transition clips A and B. If A is above B, use Dissolve Off to Bg. If B is above A, use Dissolve On from Bg. Keyframe Dissolve Percent from 0 to 100 to complete the transition.
The Auto Trans setting determines if you want the effect to automatically transition between the clips without having to keyframe the Dissolve Percent. While this works well in Final Cut Pro, it does not work well on trimmed layers in Adobe After Effects because the plug-in uses the head and tail frames of the original media. In order for Auto Trans to work as expected in Adobe After Effects, you need to pre-compose the trimmed version of the layer, and modify the total duration of the pre-comp. (And at that point, it might be faster just to keyframe it!)
Softness widens the range of luminance values to use during the transition so the effect looks softer.
The Use Luma Of setting determines how to use the luminance values of the two clips to create the transition pattern. When set to Difference, areas of similar luminance dissolve before areas of different luminance. When set to Subtract, brighter areas of the foreground clip dissolve before darker areas of the same clip. With Mult, areas where both clips are bright dissolve before areas where either clip is dark. With Screen, areas where either clip is bright dissolve before areas where both clips are dark. When set to Foreground, darker areas of the foreground clip dissolve before brighter areas of the same clip. And when set to Background, brighter areas of the Background clip dissolve before darker areas of the same clip.
When Invert Pattern is enabled, the clips transition in the direction opposite to what is specified by the Use Luma Of setting.
Smooth Pattern blurs the transition pattern to soften the edges and remove any noise that may occur.
Other Related Plug-ins
- S_DissolveBlur transitions between two clips with a blurry dissolve. When Blur Rel X or Y is set to zero, blurring occurs in only vertical or horizontal directions, respectively. Blur Rel From and To allow you to blur the foreground and background clips by different amounts, respectively.
- S_DissolveBubble transitions between two clips with a bubbly distortion dissolve. Relative to the distortion of the foreground image, Rel Amp2 determines the intensity and direction that the background clip will distort. Adjust Slow In and Out to modify the speed of the effect near its beginning and end.
- S_DissolveDiffuse transitions between two clips with a scattering dissolve. Adjust the volume of scattering with Max Amount, or by using the on-screen widget.
- S_DissolvePuddle transitions between two clips with a rippling dissolve. You can adjust the frequency, rotation, and radiuses of the puddles with the on-screen widgets.
- S_DissolveSpeckle transitions between two clips with a noisy speckle pattern.
- S_DissolveStatic transitions between two clips with a noisy video static pattern.
- S_DissolveVortex transitions between two clips with a spiraling whirlpool distortion dissolve. Relative to the distortion of the foreground image, Rel Amount2 determines the intensity and direction that the background clip will distort. Adjust Slow In and Out to modify the speed of the effect near its beginning and end.
- S_DissolveWaves transitions between two clips with a wavy distortion dissolve. Relative to the distortion of the foreground image, Rel Amp2 determines the intensity and direction that the background clip will distort. Adjust Slow In and Out to modify the speed of the effect near its beginning and end.