After Effects CS4 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickPro Guide

Chapter 11. Effects Fundamentals

At last, you come to the program’s namesake: effects. As if you didn’t already know, effects are used to alter the audio and visual characteristics of layers in countless ways. You can employ them to enhance, combine, or distort layers. You can simulate audio-visual phenomena from light to lightning. You can make changes that are subtle or spectacular. And, most important, you can animate these effects over time.

This chapter explains the process you use to apply effects to layers. It also describes how to use the Effect Controls panel as a complement or alternative to the property controls in the layer outline.

Using the Effects & Presets Panel

Although you can find and apply any effect using the Effects menu, it ...