User Guide

299
ADOBE AFTER EFFECTS 5.0
User Guide
A. Point of interest B. Spotlight cone C. Light
To create a new light:
1 From the Timeline or Composition window, choose Layer > New > Light.
2 Choose settings according to the guidelines in “Understanding light settings” on
page 299, and click OK.
Understanding light settings
Use the guidelines below to adjust light options. All the options, except Casts Shadows, can
be animated.
Note: For a layer to show a shadow, you must turn on the Accepts Shadows layer material
option. See “Understanding 3D layer material options” on page 289 for more information.
Light Type Parallel light rays emanate directional, unconstrained light from an infinitely
distant source. A Spot light emits light from a source that is constrained by a cone, like the
spotlight used in stage productions. A Point light emits unconstrained omnidirectional
light, like the rays emitted from a bare light bulb. Ambient light has no source but rather
contributes to the overall brightness of a scene and casts no shadows.
Intensity Sets the brightness of the light. Negative values create nonlight. Nonlight
subtracts color from a layer. For example, if a layer is already lit, then creating a directional
light also pointing at that layer and employing negative values to this new light creates an
area of negative light, or a dark area, on the layer.
A B C
UG.book Page 299 Wednesday, February 21, 2001 12:05 PM