The Vegas effect generates running lights and other path-based pulse animations around an object. You can outline just about anything, surround it with a number of lights or longer pulses, and then animate it to create the appearance of lights chasing around the object.

This effect works with 8-bpc color.

Stroke

What to base the stroke on: Image Contours or Mask/Path.

Image Contours

If Image Contours is chosen from the Stroke menu, you specify what layer to take the image contours from and how to interpret the input layer.

Input Layer

The layer whose image contours are used. High-contrast, grayscale layers, and alpha channels work well and are easy to work with.

Invert Input

Inverts the input layer prior to creating the stroke.

If Layer Sizes Differ

Determines how to adjust the layers if the size of the input layer differs from that of the layer to which Vegas is applied. Center centers the input layer in the composition at its original size. Stretch To Fit scales the input layer to match the layer to which Vegas is applied.

Channel

The color attribute of the input layer used to define the contours.

Threshold

The percentage value at which everything below or above is mapped to either white or black. This property is important in determining the location of the edges that the effect strokes.

Pre-Blur

Smooths out the input layer before the threshold is sampled. Set this option to 0 if you have a high-contrast image and want the stroke to follow the edges very closely.

Tolerance

Defines how tightly the stroke conforms to the input layer. A very high value results in sharp corners, while very low values can make the stroking sensitive to noise.

Render

Specifies whether to apply the effect to a selected contour or to all contours in the layer.

Selected Contour

Specifies the contour to use when Selected Contour is selected from the Render menu. Contours are numbered from left top to bottom right; the contour with the highest point is number 1, the second highest point is number 2, and so on.

Shorter Contours Have

Specifies whether shorter contours have fewer segments. By default, the effect breaks each contour into the same number of segments. For example, if you apply the effect to the letter R, the outside contour may look fine with 32 segments, but the inside contour may be almost solid. To resolve this issue, select Fewer Segments.

Mask/Path

The mask or path to use for the stroke. You can use either closed or open masks.

Segments

Specifies the number of segments used to create each stroked contour. For example, if the effect is applied to the word Vegas and Segments is set to 10, the outline of each of the letters, plus the inner contours of e, g, and a, are broken into 10 segments.

Length

Determines the length of a segment’s stroke in relation to its maximum possible length. For example, if Segments is set to 1, the maximum length of a stroke is one complete trip around the object outline. If Segments is set to 3, the maximum length of a segment is 1/3 of the total outline, and so on.

Segment Distribution

Determines the spacing of the segments. Bunched puts the segments together like boxcars in a train: The shorter the segment length, the shorter the overall length of the train. Even spaces the segments evenly around the contour.

Rotation

Animates the segments around the contour. For example, to create the appearance of running lights, start with a large number of segments set to 50% of their length, and then animate Rotation to move the lights around the shapes.

Random Phase

Specifies that the stroke starting point is different for each contour. By default, the effect strokes a contour beginning at its highest point on the screen. In the event of a tie, it starts at the leftmost highest point.

Blend Mode

Determines how the stroke is applied to the layer. Transparent creates the effect on a transparent background. Over places the stroke over the existing layer. Under places the stroke behind the existing layer. Stencil uses the stroke as an alpha channel mask, filling the stroke with the pixels of the original layer.

Color

Specifies the color of the stroke, unless Stencil is chosen for Blending Mode.

Width

Specifies the width of the stroke in pixels. Fractional values are supported.

Hardness

Determines how sharp or blurry the edges of the stroke are. A value of 1 creates a slight blur; a value of 0.0 blurs the line so that few solid areas of color remain.

Start, End Opacity

Specify the opacity at the beginning or end of the stroke.

Mid-point Opacity

Specifies the opacity of the midpoint of the stroke. This control works in terms of relative opacity, not absolute opacity. Setting it to 0 makes the change in opacity smooth from the start point to the end point, as if there were no midpoint at all.

Mid-point Position

Specifies the location of the midpoint within a segment: Lower values move the midpoint closer to the beginning; higher values move the midpoint closer to the end. Use this control to move the midpoint opacity from the center of the stroke.