Bumpmap

Bumpmapping and displacement are common tools in compositing and special effects. Neither this effect, nor the Displace filter, which we ll see in a moment, should be used unless you re working on an old project. They have both been superseded by FXScript DVE s Displace filter, which adds a versatile new tool to FCP s filters. All of these effects are most useful for creating motion in images, and are often used to create movement on background layers for motion graphics.

Bumpmap will displace an image based on the values of a grayscale image. The image is dropped in the Well, and the amount of displacement is set with a slider (Figure 11.17).

Figure 11.16: Photoshop File Over Clip with Invert Alpha Effect Applied

Figure 11.17: Bumpmap Controls With Result on the Right

Ignore the Luma Scale slider for the moment. The real controls are the Outset slider and the Direction dial. The Bumpmap controls work like Drop Shadow controls: Setting, Angle, and Amount. The distortion is created by shifting the portions of the video image based on the grayscale of the image in the Well. The closer to white the Well image, the more the shifting will occur. The darker part of the image will shift less. The grossest distortion will be in areas of pure...