Retiming behaviors are applied to image sequences, QuickTime movies, and clone layers to change their timing. Retiming effects include creating hold frames, changing playback rate, reversing a clip, creating stutter or strobe effects, and so on.
Important: Retiming behaviors can only be applied to QuickTime movies, image sequences, or clone layers. In other words, a Retiming behavior cannot be applied to a particle emitter, but it can be applied to an instance of the particle emitter. For more information on cloning layers, see Making Clone Layers.
The following sections cover the Retiming behaviors:
This behavior randomly inserts a user-defined range of random frames (adjacent to the current frame) into the playback of a clip.
The HUD contains the Random Frames, Frame Range, Duration, and Random Seed parameters.
The Hold Frame behavior holds the frame at the behavior’s In point for the duration of the behavior. The clip continues playing normally after the behavior’s Out point. For example, if the Hold Frame behavior begins at frame 60 and ends at frame 300, the clip plays normally until frame 59, frame 60 is held for 240 frames, and then normal playback resumes—frame 61 of the clip—at frame 301.
The Hold behavior is applied at the current frame, rather than at the start of the object.
Tip: Flickering might occur if the Hold Frame behavior is applied to interlaced footage. To avoid this, ensure that Field Order is properly set in the Inspector. To change field order, select the footage in the Media list, open the Media pane in the Inspector, then choose a field order option from the Field Order pop-up menu.
The HUD contains the Offset parameter.
This behavior loops a segment of the clip within the duration of the behavior. The loop’s starting frame is derived from the start frame of the behavior. For example, if the behavior is applied at the start of a clip, and Loop Duration is set to 30, the first 30 frames of the clip loop repeatedly until the end of the behavior. At the end of the behavior, normal playback resumes from the frame at the end of the loop duration.
The HUD contains the Loop Duration parameter.
This behavior “ping-pongs” a segment of the clip within the duration of the behavior. The ping-pong’s starting frame is derived from the start frame of the behavior. For example, if the behavior is applied at the start of a clip, and Duration is set to 30, the first 30 frames of the clip play forward, then play in reverse, then forward, and so on until the end of the behavior. At the end of the behavior, normal playback resumes.
The HUD contains the Loop Duration parameter.
The Replay behavior resets the playhead at the beginning of the behavior to a specific frame, and then plays the clip normally from that frame. The clip plays back normally after the end of the behavior. This allows you to trigger playback of the clip at different times, without requiring multiple copies of the movie object.
The HUD contains the Start From and Start Time parameters.
This behavior plays the clip or image sequence in reverse.
There are no parameters for this behavior.
There are no parameters for this behavior.
This behavior loops a segment of the clip in reverse within the duration of the behavior. If Loop Duration is set to 30 and the behavior begins at frame 1, frames 1–30 are played in reverse, then frames 31–60 are played in reverse, frames 61–90 are played in reverse, and so on.
Tip: To achieve a nice stutter effect, set Loop Duration to 2.
The HUD contains the Loop Duration parameter.
Like the Scrub filter, the Scrub behavior moves a virtual playhead around a clip, allowing you to change the timing of the clip without moving it in the Timeline. Additionally, the Scrub behavior allows you to animate the offset parameter using keyframes or Parameter behaviors, often with interesting results. Try applying the Oscillate behavior to the Frame offset, with the Offset From parameter set to Current Frame.
Note: You can also apply Parameter behaviors to the Retime Value parameter in the Timing controls for the clip object. The Timing controls are located in the Properties Inspector. Time Remap must be set to Variable Speed to access the Retime Value parameter.
Important: Scrub does not affect clip audio.
The HUD contains the Frame Offset and Offset From parameters.
This behavior allows you to change the speed (playback rate) of a clip. The speed specified in the behavior begins at the behavior’s In point and exists for the duration of the behavior. The clip continues playing at its default speed after the behavior’s Out point. For example, if the Set Speed behavior begins at frame 60 and ends at frame 300, the clip plays normally until frame 59, plays back at the rate specified in the behavior from frame 60 to frame 300, and then resumes its default playback speed at frame 301. You can apply an “ease-in” or “ease-out” effect to the speed change.
The HUD contains the Speed, Ease In Time, Ease In Curve, Ease Out Time, and Ease Out Curve parameters.
The Strobe behavior simulates the look of a strobe light or lower frame rate video by holding a number of frames as defined by the Strobe Duration parameter over the playback of the clip. For example, when Strobe Duration is set to 10, frame 1 is held for 10 frames, frame 11 for 10 frames, frame 21 for 10 frames, and so on. The frames in between (2–10, 12–20, 22–30, and so on) do not appear.
The HUD contains the Strobe Duration parameter.
This behavior randomly inserts hold frames, of random durations, into the playback of a clip. The effect is similar to a tape that sticks during play in a videocassette recorder.
The HUD contains the Stutter Amount, Duration Range, and Random Seed parameters.