Tweaks for After Effects: Morph, Move, Manipulate.

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Tweaks, a link to the paths.

Advanced control over paths, shapes, and layer distributions. From morphing shapes to fine-tuning paths and innovatively distributing layers, this tool will enrich your creative experience; with Tweaks, your artistic possibilities expand, limited only by your imagination.

Tweaks is a comprehensive toolkit designed for intricate path, shape, and layer manipulation.
From morphing multiple shapes simultaneously to intricate path manipulations, this tool handles the heavy computational work, freeing you to focus on creative nuances like duration, property adjustments, and keyframe customization.
Tweaks opens new avenues for creative exploration in AE.

User Interface:

The UI is divided into two rows of 2 tabs:

Points/Paths, Shapes/Layers
Polymorph and Spreaders

Each tab has its own list of features. At the bottom, you'll find a checkbox to tick if you want to delete Tweaks Guidelayers while removing expressions, then the erase tool, our bake path-expressions tool, the explode shapes feature and the Sumbit (Launch) Button.

Because we can't remember more than seven pieces of information, making you remember +30 features would be wrong!
"Tweaks" is fully documented; tick the "Tool Tips" box, and all the information appears!

Tab Polymorphers: Never Seen Before.

The PolyMorphers offer a powerful yet user-friendly way to morph shapes in Adobe After Effects with customization tools.
Polymorphers have global Proximity and Sensitivity Controls and many Easing functions before you launch them.
You can try to copy multiple paths in a row from Illustrator: you'll have a bunch of masks, not really handy, right?
There are so many ways to morph a set of shapes from one layer to another that you might spend all your life playing with it.
All parameters, and above all, the "Easing" Selection, is crucial.

PolyMorpher: "Classic"

Polymorpher Cassic was made to create smooth transitions: Select two layers you wish to morph. The 1rst one will be the morphed one, and the second will be the Reference. After submission, the tool will automatically generate a guide layer with unique naming conventions, "Morph-[Number]" and "Ref-[Number]".
The guide layer "XMorph-[Number]" contains the markers to control the morphing duration.

Markers: These are present in the guide layer and allow you to control the start and end times of the morphing animation.
Threshold: Intensity of the morphing effect.
Tolerance: Similarity while morphing.

PolyMorpher: Intricate

"PolyMorpher: Intricate" facilitates shapes morphing between two selected layers with a numerous-shape approach.
Select two layers you wish to morph. The 1rst one will be the morphed one, and the second will be the Reference. After selection, the tool will generate a guide layer with unique naming conventions, such as "Morph-[Number]" and "Ref-[Number]".The guide layer "XMorph-[Number]" contains the markers to control the morphing duration.

Markers: These are present in the guide layer and allow you to control the start and end times of the morphing animation.
Threshold: Adjusts the complexity of the morphing paths.
Tolerance: Adjusts the complexity while morphing.

PolyMorpher: Legacy

"PolyMorpher: Legacy" facilitates shapes morphing between two selected layers with a geometrical approach.
Select two layers you wish to morph. The 1rst one will be the morphed one, and the second will be the Reference
After selection, a guide layer named "XMorph-[RandomName]" will be automatically created.
This guide layer will have markers and controls essential for the morphing process.

Markers: These are present in the guide layer and allow you to control the start and end times of the morphing animation.

PolyMorpher: Explosion

The "PolyMorpher: Explosion" is a feature designed to morph between two selected layers in a visually stunning explosion-like transition.
Select the two layers you wish to morph. After selection, a guide layer named "XMorph-[RandomName]" will be automatically created. This guide layer will have markers and controls essential for the morphing process.

Markers: These are present in the guide layer and allow you to control the start and end times of the morphing animation.
Threshold: This control adjusts the intensity of the boom effect.

Tab Points-Paths:

Give you granular control over your paths. Features like "Complexifier" allow you to add complexity to your paths by dynamically adding points and adjusting their positions. "Tornado" lets you transform a single shape or stroke into a customizable, rotating pattern, offering controls for its frequency, height, width, and orientation whether you're looking to create subtle, natural movements with "Breeze" or more abstract forms with "Complexifier," the "Points & Paths" features provide a comprehensive toolkit for all your path manipulation needs.

Swallower

This feature helps create complex animations involving shape deformations, such as swallowing or rejecting effects. To activate the "Swallower" feature, you need to select the shape layers you wish to deform. A guide layer, "Swallower", will be automatically generated, offering sliders for the following controls:

Swallow & Reject: Sets the force with which the shape is attracted or repelled from the guide layer.
Min Distance: Sets the minimum distance for complexity addition.
Upscale: Scales the shape.
Complexity: Adds complexity to the segment's deformation.

Breeze

Select the layers containing the paths you want to manipulate. A guide layer named "Breeze" will be automatically created. This guide layer will have sliders for "Freq", "Speed", "Damping", "Smoother", and "Amplitude Solver".

Freq: Controls the frequency of the breeze effect.
Speed: Controls the speed of the breeze animation.
Damping: Controls the damping effect, which reduces the amplitude of oscillations over distance.
Smoother: Controls the smoothness of the shape.
Amplitude Solver: Controls the amplitude

WaveCraft

Select the layers containing the paths you want to manipulate. A line with 2 points is enough. A guide layer with a random name like "WaveCraft-XYZ" will be automatically created. This guide layer will have sliders for "Frequency", "Amplitude", "Phase", and "Speed". The more you have points on the path, the more accurate the waves are.

Frequency: Controls the frequency of the sine wave.
Amplitude: Controls the amplitude of the sine wave.
Phase: Controls the phase of the sine wave.
Speed: Controls the speed of the sine wave animation.

Simplifier

Select the layers containing the paths you wish to make less complex (reducing the number of points in paths). The tool will create a guide layer named "Simplifier". Move the Guide horizontally to do the magic.

Each shape has its path simplified based on the guide layer" 's horizontal position (x-axis) + its slider Intensity

Complexifier

Select the layers containing the paths you wish to make more complex. It might "recreate the selected shape within the new shape in many cases." like all features, do not hesitate to use negative values. The tool will generate a guide layer named "Complexifier" with the following controls:

Divider: Guide Position multiplier
Horizontal Solver: Allows you to control the horizontal projection of the paths
Vertical Solver: Enables you to manage the vertical projection of the paths
Guide Position: The guide layer" 's position in the composition determines the threshold for adding complexity. The Y-coordinate of the guide layer" 's position is used as the threshold. Points above this threshold will have additional points inserted between them.

Catch Points Curved

It allows you to manipulate path points and their tangents with a guide layer. This feature uses a guide layer named "Catch Points Curved" to control the path points" positions and tangents. Select the layers containing the paths you want to manipulate. A guide layer named "Catch Points Curved" will be automatically created. The path points and their tangents will be attracted towards the guide layer" 's center.

Attraction Strength: The radius of the guide layer influences the strength of the attraction.

Repulse Points

Select the layers containing the paths you want to manipulate. A guide layer named "Repulse Points" will be automatically created. The path points will be repelled away from the guide layer"s center.

Repulsion Strength: The radius of the guide layer influences the strength of the repulsion.

Repulse Points Bezier

Select the layers containing the paths you want to manipulate. A guide layer named "Repulse Points Bezier" will be automatically created. The path points and tangents will be repelled away from the guide layer.

Repulsion Strength: The radius of the guide layer influences the strength of the repulsion.

Flames

Select the layers containing the paths you want to manipulate. A guide layer with a random name like "Flames-XYZ" will be automatically created. This guide layer will have sliders for "Treshold", "Speed", "Seeds", "Attraction Intensity", and "Noise" and will create a fire. Use the threshold value for a consistent effect.

Threshold: Controls the Y-axis threshold for the flame effect.
Speed: Controls the speed of the flame animation.
Seed: Controls the randomness of the flame effect.
Attraction Intensity: Controls the intensity of the flame" 's attraction towards the guide layer.
Nois: Controls the noise level in the flame effect.

Vacuum

This feature is handy to create stretching or compressing effects. Select the shape layers to apply tension to activate the" Tension" feature. A guide layer named "Tension" will be automatically generated, offering a slider for the following control:

Vacuum: Sets the tension applied to the shape layer. The range is from 0 to infinity, with higher values resulting in more tension.
Complexity: Number of points dynamically added / Created curved segments

Tornado

It is designed to offer intricate control over the arrangement of layers in a tornado-like pattern. You can use guide layers to adjust the tornado effect's frequency, height, width, and orientation. Controls:

Frequency: Determines the number of twists in the tornado.
Height: Adjusts the vertical scale of the tornado.
Width: Modifies the horizontal scale of the tornado.
Orientation: Alters the angle of the tornado and mimics a 3D view/animation
Speed: Controls the rate of the tornado"s rotation.
Segments Curvature: This allows you to adjust the curvature of the tornado"s segments.

Spreaders:

"Spreaders" are designed to distribute layers in various patterns like cross, spiral, T, pyramid, Y, X shapes, etc.

Using guide layers, "Spreaders" provide dynamic spacing, elasticity, and rotation controls. These controls are not static but linked to the guide layer's scale for added customization. "Tweaks" sorts the selected layers by their index. It then calculates the number of rows and columns needed for the arrangement. The "Spacing" slider influences the position of each layer. Time-based easing is applied, and an elastic ease is used if the "Elastic" checkbox is checked. Finally, the layers are rotated based on the "Rotation" slider value. The "Bake" button allows you to convert these settings into keyframes for further fine-tuning.

Spread as Rect
Spread as Circle
Spread as Triskle
Spread as Cross
Spread as Spiral

Spread as Pyramid
Spread X
Spread as Hexagon
Spread as Heptagon
Spread as Octogon
Spread as H / I
Spread as T

Tab Shapes/Layers:

Whether you're looking to create complex animations involving shape deformations with "Swallower" or you want to arrange layers in a faux-3D carousel using "Carousel in Depth," this feature set has you covered.
"Magnetism" and "Repulsion" allow dynamic interactions between layers and guide layers, simulating natural forces. "Hi! Bye!" offers a unique way to animate layers through magnetic noisy displacement. At the same time, "Layers Spinner" provides a straightforward control for rotating layers around a guide layer. If you want to manipulate effects, "re-drop Sadow" gives you granular control over the Drop Shadow effect.
Finally, "Faux Depth" allows you to add depth to your layers, complete with controls for scale, delay, decay, and blur. Each feature is designed to offer maximum customization, often through guide layers and various controls, making it a versatile toolkit for any motion design project.

Layers Spinner

When you select the layers you wish to rotate, the tool automatically creates a guide layer named "Layers Spinner".This guide layer provides a single but powerful control:

Rotation: Determines the rotation angle of the layers around the guide layer.

Faux Depth

Select the layers you wish to manipulate to activate the "Depth" feature. The tool will then automatically generate a guide layer named "Depth". This guide layer comes with a "Scale Factor" control:

Scale Factor: This control allows you to set the scaling factor for the layers, ranging from 0 to 200. The control is dynamically linked to the scale of the guide layer, offering an additional layer of customization.
Blur Factor: This control allows you to influence the bluriness accorsding to the distance. You can aso scale up or dwon the guide layer to fine-tune your setup.
Delay: A 0.1-second delay is applied to each layer, creating a staggered effect.
Exponential Decay: A decay function is applied to both the scale and rotation of the layers, providing a natural and smooth transition.
Blur Effect: A Gaussian blur is applied to the layers, and its intensity is related to the scale.

Hi! Bye!

The "Hi! Bye!" is designed to create a magnetic attraction and repelling effect between layers and a guide layer. This feature allows you to control the strength and direction of the attraction, offering a dynamic way to animate layers. To use this feature, select the layers you wish to animate. The tool will automatically generate a guide layer named "Hi! Bye!" This guide layer serves as the centre of attraction for the selected layers. The distance and direction of each layer to this guide layer determine the strength and direction of the attraction.

Carousel in Depth

Select the layers you wish to arrange to use the "Carousel in Depth" feature. The tool will then automatically create a guide layer named "Carousel".
This guide layer is equipped with several controls:

Vertical: A checkbox that toggles the orientation of the carousel between horizontal and vertical.
Min Scale: This allows you to set the minimum scale for the layers in the carousel.
Max Scale: Enables you to define the maximum scale for the layers.
Tracking: Controls the distance between the layers in the carousel.

Repulsion/Magnetism

Create a repulsion effect between layers and a guide layer. Upon selecting the layers you want to animate, a guide layer named " Shape Repulse" will be automatically generated. This guide layer acts as the centre of repulsion for the selected layers.

To utilize the "Magnetism" feature, you"'ll need to select the layers you wish to magnetize. Once you"'ve chosen it, the tool will automatically create a Magnetism guide layer. The layers will then be attracted towards this guide layer based on their distance from it. The attraction strength is dynamically calculated, ensuring a natural, magnet-like effect. The closer a layer is to the guide, the stronger the attraction.

re-drop Sadow

Allows you to manipulate the Drop Shadow EFFECT of layers in a highly customizable manner. Using a guide layer named "Drop Shadow Tweak", you can control the drop shadow's direction, distance, and softness. The "Bake" button can generate keyframes for further customization.
When selecting the layers you want to modify, the tool automatically creates a "Drop Shadow Tweak" guide layer. This guide layer offers the following controls:

Drop Shadow Direction: Determines the angle of the drop shadow.
Drop Shadow Distance: Sets the distance between the layer and its shadow.
Drop Shadow Softness: Controls the softness of the shadow edges.

Unique feature: Upward!

"Upward" was built to simulate the physics of objects being lifted by a traction force. This feature allows you to manipulate parameters like gravity, traction, rope stiffness, and wind speed to create upward movements. This feature also offers controls for elasticity, pendulum amplitude, and damping to add nuanced behaviors to the animation. Select the three layers acting as the Traction, Rope, and Weight in your animation. Once selected, a guide layer named "Upward" will be automatically generated, containing sliders for the following controls:

Select first the weight > the the link (must be a path or shape) and then the traction layer.

Speed: Adjusts the speed of the animation.
Gravity: Sets the gravitational force affecting the objects.
Traction: Determines the upward force applied to the objects.
Stiffness: Controls the stiffness of the rope.
Elasticity: Modifies the elasticity of the rope.
Wind: Adds a wind effect to the animation.
Swing: Controls the amplitude of the pendulum swing.
Damping: Sets the damping factor to control energy loss in the system.

I want this!

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