Standard Special FX
Quake2 Demo Editing Tutorial

2/99 by Overman

         

Now that we have learned the basics of recamming and camera transitions, and we've followed the Cleanup Procedure in the Keygrip2 Help File (Help: Your First Movie: Section 4), it's time to learn about the different effects available from the Keygrip2 menu.   These are accessed by the F/X drop-down menu, or from their respective buttons on the toolbar.

A.   Color Fade

This is the most useful of the FX available to you with Keygrip2, and is also one of the easiest to use.  You should make sure you have completed the Cleanup procedure before applying Color Fades, because part of the Cleanup process is the clearing of all Playerinfo - Blend values, which are the parameters modified by the Color Fade effect. 

The most popular use of this effect is for Fading In and Fading Out at the beginning and end of a demo.  To use the effect for this purpose, start by selecting a range of blocks (Blocks 0 - 10, for example), and select Color Fade.  You will see the Color Fade window.

The controls are very straightforward:  Start and End Opacity values, with sliders to set them exactly as you like.  For a Fade In, you will want the Start Value set high (100%), and the End Value at 0% (normal Q2 viewing).  Black is the most popular color for fades, though Red is another color available with a simple click. 

Additionally, you may choose a color from the Windows pallette by clicking inside the Color box. 

At the bottom of the window, there are two styles of Fade available:   One Way, which will move progressively over your range from Start to End Opacity;  and Ping Pong, which will move from Start to End and back to Start Opacity over the range of selected blocks. 

If you make a mistake in your Fade, you can fix this easily by setting both Start and End to 0% and applying it to the range;  this will cancel out any Fades you had previously applied.

A very useful button is the Switch button, just to the left of OK.  This will automatically swap the Start and End Opacity values, making it easy to have your Fade-Ins match your Fade-Outs exactly.

Note:  you are not limited to using either 0% or 100%.  There are some situations where a partial fade may be desired.  For example, in the flashback scenes in Father Frags Best, I applied a 10% red (Start and End values) to the flashback scenes.  The result was a subtle reddish tint that made those scenes stand out a little bit from the rest of the movie.

Color Fade can definitely be over-done, so be mindful of using this feature tastefully.  While having the screen flash multiple colors may seem like a neat gimmick to you, chances are it will be annoying and / or distracting for your viewers.  Use this effect with discretion, however, and it can add a lot to your demo or movie.


B.    Change Speed

This effect can speed up or slow down the playback rate of a demo.   Note:  This effect is not able to be seen in the 3D Preview window, it will only be shown when the demo is played back in regular Quake2.  Note2:   A large change in the speed setting will result in a relatively very small noticable decrease in the playback speed.  Because of the way that Quake2 handles framerate, there will never be a drastic change in playback speed by inserting this effect.  To get Blahbalicious-style slow-motion effects, quite a bit of work and experimentation is going to be required.

Before Change Speed can be successfully used, you must open the Demo Information window and look for the Max Clients entry in the list of configstrings on the left.   Change the value of this configstring to 1.   This MUST be done, or you will never see any results.

The Change Speed effect is inserted in a single block, not over a range like Color Fade.  If you select a range to apply this effect to, it will only be inserted at the first block of that range, and will be in effect for all blocks following that point.

Select a block, and choose Change Speed.   The Change Speed window consists of a simple slidebar.  Move the slidebar to the value you need, or enter the percentage value of choice in the appropriate box, and click OK.

If you want this effect to only take place for a certain range, then you will need to select the block at the end of the range, and set the Change Speed value back to 100% (normal).

Playing this demo back in Q2 will show you that the difference is very small.  If you are wanting a more drastic change in speed, try applying a lower speed percentage several blocks in a row.  While this can be tedious, it may yield the slo-mo effect you are looking for.

C.    Reverse

The Reverse effect is simple to use, and will take a range of blocks and completely reverse their order of playback.  This can result in some interesting, sometimes humorous results.   Simply select a range of blocks, and choose Reverse.   The change is applied automatically. 

D.    Zoom In/Out

This effect modified the horizontal Field of Vision (FOV) parameter of Playerinfo messages to create Zoom effects.  Zoom is applied over a range of blocks, and will gradually move from one FOV setting to another.  This tool can also be used to set your entire movie to one consistent, custom FOV, depending on what would be optimum for your demo/movie viewing.

Select the range you wish to apply the Zoom effect, and choose Zoom In/Out.  The layout of this window is very similar to the Color Fade window:   there are two slidebars for starting and ending FOV, with a sample image from original Quake to give you a frame of reference.  On a Zoom In, for smoothest results, set your starting FOV to whatever the FOV for your demo is (90 is the default, your demo may differ).  When Zooming back out, use the same guideline for your ending FOV.  If you have a range that you wish to set a consistent FOV value (to keep the camera zoomed-in over a range, for example), set the start and end values to the same number.  Using these different possibilities in combination with one another can result in some very effective and professional results.  As with Color Fade, choose One Way for a straight gradual movement from start to end values, or Ping Pong to move from start to end and back to start.   Click OK to apply your changes.

If you are applying a Zoom effect after setting your recammed camera positions, it may be necessary to make adjustments to the camera angle, so that your subject is still in view.  If you use Zoom in combination with a Follow angle transition, this should not be necessary, but some adjustment is often needed for Pan or other angle transitions.  Simply select the camera position in question, and uncheck the Fix View box only.  Then you can use the mouse in the 3D Preview to make your angle adjustment, and apply it to that camera transition by clicking Set next to the angle values.  (The Set button will copy your current 3D Preview settings into the position data.) 


Special FX can add a nice touch to your recam or movie project.   When determining which FX are appropriate for your project, think of your demo as a cake, and you are the baker.  Special FX are the icing:  too much icing is usually not a good idea.  And all the icing in the world will not help if the body of your cake is lacking in "flavor." 

Use Special FX with care and taste, and they will accent the action and camerawork that make up the "dough" in your demo.  Next, we look at adding titles and credits to your movie.