[Mike Clasby]

This seems to do what you want. Put this expression on Opacity (T):

minOp = 0;
maxOp = 100;
minAudio = 0;
maxAudio = 15;

audioLev = thisComp.layer(“Audio Amplitude”).effect(“Both Channels”)(“Slider”);
Op = linear(audioLev, minAudio, maxAudio, minOp, maxOp);
Op

If the overall opacity seems to low, lower the maxAudio to well below you actual Slider Values (for both channels). I had to lower mine to 5 to get it to look right. It just all depends on your audio levels and the results you want. Would love to see the final product. Have a good weekend.

[Mike Clasby]

Are you getting in Condition for a new tut?

[Mike Clasby]

I Think the pickwhip is a pretty foolproof way. If you have the two comps open in the timeline window, and drag comp 2 off/up it will come detached and you’ll have two timeline windows showing. Now if you twirls down the same properties for both (say, S for Scale) then alt-click the Scale in comp 2 and pickwhip back to comp 1 you get:

comp(“Comp 1”).layer(“master”).scale

The name of the layer I pickwhipped to in comp 1 was “master”.

Similarly Opacity is:

comp(“Comp 1”).layer(“master”).opacity

This is AE6.5 syntax, I don’t know if there is a difference, just pickwhip for yourself. If you want to reset the timeline windows to for just one, drag the second back over the first. You can do the same with the
Comp Windows creating 2 views.

Here is a Script that creates expressions for effects that can be copy/pasted (or use presets) to layers throughout the Project that link back to effects in that original layer. Here’s the Cow thread for reference:

https://forums.creativecow.net/readpost/227/8341

Thought it might be useful.

[Mike Clasby]

This is the most complete stuff I know of for Camera and Nulls.

This post by Chris Smith on how he uses Nulls with camera movements. The whole thread is emlightening:

https://forums.creativecow.net/cgi-bin/new_read_post.cgi?forumid=2&postid=878237

Here is an AE project file (aep) for a nifty camera move Australian commercial by John Dickinson, very cool:

https://forums.creativecow.net/readpost/2/872881?

That’s the link to the project files, the thread explains.

[Mike Clasby]

OK, I just remembered how I got a mask for the text in that example above. The text, “Philip K. Dick”.

I typed in the text, then added a bar across the bottom with a new solid layer, say 400 pixels wide and 5 pixels high. The bard formed the base of the text. So it looked like this

Layer I – Text
Layer 2 – Bar for base.

Now I precomped those, then used Auto Trace on that precomp lsyer (Threshold 1, Tolerance 1) and I got a nice tight Mask surrounding all the text with the bar bottom attached, and many little cutout masks for the insides of the letters.

I feel soooo bad for not remembering how I did it, as it’s a whole lot faster than drawing it out with the Pen Tool. I didn’t remember until just saw the clip again for the first time in a long time, and I wondered how the mask was so tight… 30 minutes later I remembered the method.

I need to save this so I won’t forget again.

Sorry ’bout that.

[Mike Clasby]

I really like Audio Spectrum and Audio Waveform and if you want to see a kind or trippy use of it, check this out:

https://jumpcut.com/view/?id=94D38AEAF6B811DABD2F1E30947BEEEA

It’s a remix of Scanner Darkly for a contest, long past. I didn’t win nothin”… SAY WHAT?

Anyway, the text “Philip K. Dick” get drawn on with Audio Waveform, just by animating the “Number of samples from zero to about 300. It draws the letters like a laser-thing from the first vertex of the mask it’s applied to. For that one I put it on mask one (the outline of the text), no audio referenced) and then added other instances for the carve out, on separate layers if I remember correctly, then just slid their inpoints down do they appeared as the laser-thing whips out.

You can do the same thing with Audio Spectrum, just animate the “Frequency Bands” from 0 to 300 over time.

It’s the same thing, Number of Samples from 0 to 300 animating in the outline for the fellow sitting below (PKD himself), but there Audio is referenced.

Just thought you like to see the weird stuff you can do with Audio Waveform and Spectrum.

You can also make masks for those carve-outs with Auto Trace.

[Mike Clasby]

I dunno. Can you tell what type of compression the audio uses?

[Mike Clasby]

“Looks good to me”, said Dr Franken-yikes as he examines a new specimen.

OK, too wierd.

I like your version of the expression.

[Mike Clasby]

I liiiiiike it! What you have so far.

Now about those pesky Carve-Outs. You can add other instances of Audio Spectrum by selecting it in the Effects panel and hitting Ctrl D.

But you’re right in that when you change the Path to Mask 2, it makes the first one disappear… unless… (cue Jeopardy music)…

One the second Audio Spectrum, you click on the little box at the bottom named “Composite On Original”.

Now when you Dup the effect and change the Path to whatever mask you have, that Composite On Original is still checked and all is good. At least that works for me.

It looks like you’ll need 8 copies of Audio Spectrum to cover the text and all the Carve-Outs, just make sure all but the first one have Composite On Original checked.

Stroke does this automatically with one instance, if you check “All Masks”, but then you won’t have those cool audio line on the text.

Note: If you want the black background to be truly black and not transparent, also make that first instance of Audio Spectrum “Composite On Original”, but if it’s unchecked you will have transparency even though the following instances are “Composite On Original”. Hope that makes sense.

[Mike Clasby]

Click on Aharon’s head above the main page, then scroll down to:

Displacement Mapping Part 1: Basics

There is a part 2 and 3. Displacment Map will warp your air and make it magical.