User`s guide

The Controls Window
73
On-Screen Controls
T
h
e on-screen controls are accessed
from the Controls button in
Composite window.
You can position attributes such as light sources and targets, object centers, and camera
position. You can also view and manipulate an object’s motion path, spin, tumble, and scale
shapes, and view rulers to accurately position objects and attributes.
These controls do the following:
• Shape – displays a border at the edges of the shape. You can drag the handles to scale
the image. Drag the corners to adjust the Scale X and Y simultaneously to preserve the
aspect ratio of the object. Drag any of the side handles to scale the image on that axis.
• Position Point – displays the Position Points for attributes such as object position, light
sources and targets, camera position, and pivot point.
The Color Depth button sets the color depth for your project. 16-bit-per-channel
mode makes a larger range of colors available. When you work with gradients for
film effects or HDTV output, 16-bit-per-channel mode means that transitions
between colors display less banding, and more detail is preserved. Using an 8-bit
effect in a 16-bit project will result in a loss of detail.
To optimize performance, create your effect in 8-bit, save a preset and then render a
16-bit file for maximum quality. However, you should preview the final effect to
make sure that it appears correct. Even if you work with 8-bit media, in some
instances your images may look better in 16 bit, particularly when you use multiple
filters or a complex filter with multiple inputs.
The Add to Render Queue button adds the effect in the timeline to the
Render Queue.