Xion Audio Player

making animation sets for visualizations

Tips, Tricks and Techniques for creating amazing Xion skins

Postby xonenine » March 29th, 2009, 2:48 pm

Animations made to mimic visualizations are easier to make than most other types of animation.The simplest way I use is to pick a filter (like dsb flux or kpt) that generates the same output regardless of input.You don't need filters at all, but it makes incremental adjustments alot easier to keep track of and repeat.
Any filters or photoshop tools with scale, rotate, and/or hue and saturation controls will work to start out with, really.(Mirror and pinwheel or fractal effect filters work well also)

Create a new layer set, then create any one image you like then duplicate it.Starting with the second image down, rotate the image, scale it, or adjust the hue, or any combination of the three, then duplicate the new image.Proceed down the animation set, creating 9 copies, until all 9 copies have been rotated, or scaled, or colorized, whichever you chose.That's all there is to it.

Make it a small adjustment each time, but keep in mind that most visualizations look better and more seamless if you loop them.In other words if it's a color vis, I try to start and finish w/ the same hue.I tend to split my effects up and do them one at a time.

Of course many other effects can be acheived by not looping as well.

The reason for using at least 9 or 10 layers is that it will help keep the visualization and VU meter animations from topping out and just sitting on the last frame.Other types of animations can require as few as 2 images.

The most responsive animation types are 3, 4, and 9, currently.The response also varies depending on different EQ settings.I still have a hard time getting alot of response out of treble associated vumeters and animation sets, I usually end up faking the treble response.Don't forget to try the other animation set modifiers, like fadebetween, fadein and fadeout.Have fun...:)
EDIT: The Treble responds great now also! :)
Last edited by xonenine on December 8th, 2009, 4:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby xonenine » December 1st, 2009, 12:09 pm

Here is an example.After starting w/ the color bars, I added a split/mirror effect.Then rotated the hue in each layer,and changed the scale a little, adding two effects to the animation.Then it's placed in an animation layer set, usually types 3,4 and 9 for my "visualizations". :)
The same thing was done w the vis on the right, scale and color rotation.
I highly recommend the filter suite DSB Flux to anyone who wants to mess w mirror effects or a color vis.It was used to create these two, I believe its still free, it runs fine w photoshop. :)

Then, if I want the visualization to respond to the bass, it would go in a layer set named:
Code: Select All Code
id(visname) animation animtype(9)

ImageImage

The animations are from the x1024 skin, should you like more examples.
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