gradient morph

[chucky]

Ok so we all know we can't morph a gradient in AS , you put an effect on and its stays.
The only way NORMALLY around this that I know is to create 2 shapes and change their opacity to achieve the effect of a gradient or effect morph.
So imagine my surprise when , while working with group actions I stumbled into this......
Keep in mind that it is one shape only , one layer only.

The weirdest thing is that also there is no keyframe in the timeline on the mainline or the actions.
The two gradients are on the 0 frame , one in the mainline one in the action.
Does anyone what is happening or, am I in the twilight zone?- don't answer that.

[funksmaname]

attach the file?

[chucky]

ok
http://charleskenway.com/goodies/gmorph.zip
http://charleskenway.com/goodies/gmorph.anme

[Darramouss]

I've figured out how to do it. Funny thing is I tried doing this before 5.6 was released and it didn't work then.

It appears we can make keypoints with gradients without visible keypoints showing up on the timeline. We can change the colour, transparency and orientation of the colours but we can't change from radial to regular. Please note that when you change the orientation it doesn't make the gradient look like it's rotating, either.

Want to see it for yourself? Open up AS Pro 5.6 and create a circle at frame 0 and give it a black and white gradient. Select frame 24 and open the gradients options. Change to colours to any other colours you'd like to. Export or render each frame to see the change.

With your example, Chucky, I'm going to make the assumption that you applied Effect 2 at frame 0 and Effect 1 near the end of the sequence. That's the only way I could recreate the effect that you did.

This is good and bad for us, people, but luckily more good than bad. Good in the fact that we can now alter gradients. Bad in the fact that without visible keypoints we can only correct errors by removing the gradient and re-applying it. (I tried opening the .anme file as text and couldn't locate where the changes occur. Maybe a more tech savvy bod could do this.)

Oh, I tried using this little trick with other shape effects but alas it doesn't work.

Maybe the powers that be could introduce a little fix that shows these new keypoints on the timeline?

[Darramouss]

P.S. Nice find, Chucky!!

[heyvern]

Keying gradient colors this way was always possible. It was always a big problem because the keys weren't visible. THERE IS NO WAY TO DELETE THOSE KEYS... The only way to "change" the keys is if you know EXACTLY where they are and put the same colors in. This is a problem if you want to MOVE keys since you can't.

The only way to delete the keys is to remove the effect... then put it back in the way you had it and reset the keys.

-vern

[Darramouss]

Hey, vern.

You make it sound really bad. I'd rather have this effect than a kick in the teeth!!

[chucky]

I agree Darramouss it would be soooo good to see those keys in the time line.
Maybe in the next version we might see the time line buffed up to a radiant polish by adding some those little improvements that are in the "wish list".
I hope Mike is being rewarded for making this software enough for him to take it to the next shiny level.

[heyvern]

I agree 100%. I would love to have that "feature"... but... currently it's too problematic to use when you can't edit the keys... at least that's my opinion. I've never had a real use for that before and if I did there are better ways to do it (multiple shapes and fading the fill opacity which HAS keys).

I thought of using a script to clear those keys or display them somehow but there is no script interface for accessing effects keys except for soft edge and shading.

I'm sure this is probably on a "short list" of fixes... one hopes anyway.

-vern