Filter: Path Distort.
Path Distort allows you to distort an image in the shape of a Bezier path. You can use any imported graphic, bitmap or vector, or a pre-comped layer. Of course, you can already position an image along a path using After Effects! True. But that image won’t take on the SHAPE of the path. Instead, the image will move rigidly. Path Distort is designed to bend and warp the image along the path.
Wrap arrow bitmaps along Bezier paths. [play] |
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Use Path Distort to warp circles made with our Gradient! plugin [play] |
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Distort any Bezier path.
With the Warped Layer parameter, you can apply Path Distort to a layer, then use that to distort another layer. The Bezier path can be opened or closed, animated or static, and have any amount of points.
In the Warping Methods pop-up, you have two options for warping. Bezier Warp provides a higher quality warp. It uses the true vector path which results in a much smoother distortion. There’s more math involved in the calculation, though, so it's a longer render time. |
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Jiggle the movement of a bitmap [play] |
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Or slinky the bitmap image [play] |
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Be a little warped.
The other Warping Method, called Linear Warp, is a faster mode at lower quality. It uses the plugin's Horizontal and Vertical Subdivision options, which create a mesh along the path. There are also three Output Views for quality versus time issues: Low Quality, High Quality, and Wireframe. You can see that the Linear Warp is more jagged than Bezier Warp. |
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LEFT: Original image.
CENTER: Bezier Warp.
RIGHT: Linear Warp. |
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