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Make your own effects and transitions....

edited April 2014 in MixEmergency
There's a "hidden/unsupported" feature in MixEmergency 2.0 that allows you to create your own effects and transitions using Quartz Composer.

To do this, you create a Quartz Composition, and place it in either:

~/Movies/MixEmergency/Plug-Ins/QCEffects/

or

~/Movies/MixEmergency/Plug-Ins/QCTransitions/

These Quartz Compositions can have the following keys used as inputs:

Image1 - The left channel (or current channel for effects) [type: image]
Image2 - The right channel (for transitions) [type: image]
Parameter1 - The first parameter [type: number]
Parameter2 - The second parameter (for effects) [type: number]
Mix - The crossfader mix position (for transitions) [type: number]
HoldChannel - (for transitions) [type: index]
CutChannel - (for transitions) [type: index]

Here are a few example (and template) compositions:

http://www.inklen.com/download/185/QCFXAndTransitions.zip

[Edit: just updated it with the correct paths.... whoops]
[Edit: added new example compositions]
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Comments

  • edited 5:28AM
    Good stuff thanks
  • edited 5:28AM
    Thank you for this!
  • edited 5:28AM
    I think my brain just exploded :-O
  • edited 5:28AM
    Welcome to the club
  • edited 5:28AM
    Nick, I think a good place to start for the examples would to demo an existing custom transition like the one that was done for Smash Vision. Having an example .qtz file that we can then work with. I'm sure ur on top of it. Good stuff as always
  • edited 5:28AM
    tried my best, but i need a little bit more information. i can't get the transition to show up in the list even tho i have several in the QCTransitions folder.

    also is HoldChannel & CutChannel supposed to be a Structure Index Member?
  • edited 5:28AM
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRCKtIOmcNA

    I ran across this video.. check it out
  • edited 5:28AM
    The HoldChannel is basically which channel (left/right) would be used when using the "Hold" transition - and the CutChannel is what would be used when using the "Cut" transition.... these can be helpful when creating transitions that need to know things such as which side you're transitioning from.
  • edited 5:28AM
    This seems soooo cool ...... yes complicated :-P
  • edited 5:28AM
    i got it to work. working on an effect and a transition. my effect is garbage tho. i think i'll have it done this weekend and upload a vid.
  • edited 5:28AM
    @Nyce cool post it up when done. I tried out an an ovelay .png file which should work with the "Mix" ME parameter in quartz to achieve the custom transition but for some reason that did not work. Looking forward to some insights from one that is actually working.
  • edited 5:28AM
    Been playing around with this but not got any results,
    if anyone could upload an example composition or guide would help loads,

    you had a chance to do anything yet Nick?

    Thanks owen
  • edited 5:28AM
    YouTube tutorial would really be ideal.
  • edited 5:28AM
    ^^^^ +111
  • edited 5:28AM
    Just been messing around with this and I made a couple of transistions using just the 2 images and the mixer inputs. 2 variations on spinning cubes, 1 splits a cube into rotating sections, and the other is a grid of cubes that flip.

    I just got a dropbox account, I hope it shares ok. They prob won't stay there forever.

    http://dl.dropbox.com/u/442763/QCTransitions/bars.qtz
    http://dl.dropbox.com/u/442763/QCTransitions/squares.qtz

    Any feedback welcome,

    The crop image patch seems to cause a huge hit to performance the way I'm using it, that might be a problem.
  • edited 5:28AM
    Thanks for sharing your work.

    I'm unable to get these working for some reason.... I'll have a look into it a little further sometime this week.

    Instead of the crop image patch, you may be able to use the Image Texturing Properties patch.
  • edited May 2012
    I'd accidentally saved with some test images in instead of connecting up the image inputs earlier. I resaved the files so you could try downloading them again.

    Just had a look at the texturing patch, I haven't got my head around some of this stuff yet, this is one of the areas I've been avoiding... looks like a good place to start
  • edited 5:28AM
    Hmmm, they're still not working for me.
  • edited May 2012
    Just made 2 more with the texturing patch, huge performance increase, cheers for that.

    http://dl.dropbox.com/u/442763/QCTransitions/bars%202.qtz
    http://dl.dropbox.com/u/442763/QCTransitions/squares%202.qtz

    1 thing to check, they should be saved with existing settings for rows and columns, if they are 0 then nothing will happen.

    I tried them on the latest download of ME, and the patches shouldn't be using anything but basic QC stuff.
  • edited 5:28AM
    What Mac OS version are you running?
  • edited 5:28AM
    Could not get these to run as well, all u see in the output window is a black screen. It seems like the output from the iterator is not being rendered to the output window. I modified the squares .qtz file and just ran it with regular images and that seemed to run fine inside the Quartz Composer Viewer.

    I also created a small .qtz transition to test out further and I ran into a similar problem i.e the mix of image1 and image2 not rendering to the output window, hence u get just a black screen.
  • edited 5:28AM
    This was made on my laptop, running at 10.6.8. Got work now, but when I get back I'll try it on a machine with the latest os and see if that breaks it.
  • edited 5:28AM
    They don't seem to work with ME on lion for me either. Yet when I open them in QC on Lion, it all seems to work as expected.

    QC file problem between versions?
  • edited 5:28AM
    I got one to work at 10.7

    http://dl.dropbox.com/u/442763/QCTransitions/bars%204.qtz

    It looks like ME didn't like published inputs that it didn't recognise. I removed the published node for Rows, and then it started working.

    Squares still doesn't work though, and I tried the same thing on that.
  • edited 5:28AM
    That's odd - I'm not sure why that would have any effect.
  • edited 5:28AM
    Hi Nick. Patiently waiting for some examples :)
  • edited 5:28AM
    ^^^^ me too!! ^^^^

    been playing around with transition making and had some luck but only with mixed results, be great to get a starting template,

    thanks owen
  • edited 5:28AM
    BTW, Are those inputs at the top the only ones available? Or can you still use the others like AudioLevel or Beat?
  • edited 5:28AM
    Those are the only inputs currently available. Hopefully in a future build I can get further inputs sent through as well.
  • edited 5:28AM
    OK, let us know, was just playing around trying to make an effect, but I really need it to react to the audio to work properly.
  • edited 5:28AM
    Made another transition while working some stuff out, it's like the existing zoom fade, but zooms and tessellates the video coming in too. Tried this on on 10.6 and 10.7 and it seems fine for me.

    http://dl.dropbox.com/u/442763/QCTransitions/ZoomerME.qtz
  • edited 5:28AM
    Where are these quartz patches located, I can't find image1
  • edited 5:28AM
    Nice one seriouscyrus - this one is working for me too.

    I would make one suggestion, hehe.... I would have it either always zoom in, or always zoom out (using the HoldChannel to swap the images depending on which side it is zooming to or from).... though that's just my preference (and me being pedantic).

    I think your version looks better than the current behaviour of the Zoom transition plug-in.
  • edited 5:28AM
    I'm not sure what you're asking, djevo1.
  • edited 5:28AM
    Thanks! I haven't really looked at the hold channel parameter yet, but I know what you mean, it'd be more consistent with a single direction, possibly with the direction controlled via the second parameter. I'll see if I can get round to it at some point.
  • edited 5:28AM
    i think djevo1 is asking how do you install a qtz transition
    because most transitions are .plugin files
  • edited 5:28AM
    @djevo1
    To do this, you create a Quartz Composition, and place it in either:

    ~/Movies/MixEmergency/Plug-Ins/QCEffects/

    or

    ~/Movies/MixEmergency/Plug-Ins/QCTransitions/

    you will have to create the folders if they are not there
  • edited 5:28AM
    The holdchannel patch, and the image1 and image2 patch are not in my quartz composer library
  • edited 5:28AM
    They're not patches, but published inputs. So, you can add an Input Splitter patch, of type "Image", and publish it as "Image1".
  • edited 5:28AM
    How do you use the cut channel
  • edited 5:28AM
    Does anyone know how to make a simple cut transition
  • edited 5:28AM
    http://www.inklen.com/download/183/CutQCExample.zip
  • edited 5:28AM
    Custom ME Effect
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/franknitty69/7531898648/

    I call it Saving Private Ryan. It's a bleach bypass using the v002 Film Effects Plugin

    working on some other Custom Effects and Transitions as well.
  • edited 5:28AM
    Nice.
  • edited 5:28AM
    Nick thanks for providing the cut transition example. If modified it to create a simple dissolve transition. However i'm looking to also have a custom image used a 'mask' as we transition from channel 1 to 2. Can u provide a template for this if possible it would be appreciated. Thanks
  • edited 5:28AM
    Finally got round to adding the hold channel, took me a bit to get my head round using it. Now it zooms in one direction only and the right video should be playing! I also got rid of the zoomed image hanging around in the borders after the transition.

    https://dl.dropbox.com/u/442763/QCTransitions/ZoomerME2.qtz

    I couldn't get the parameter1 or 2 inputs working, nothing seems to get picked up by the composition.
  • edited 5:28AM
    I don't have a template that I can just give you Omera.... I do know of a few guys who have been making them though - so hopefully they will contribute something soon.
  • edited July 2012
    Nice one seriouscyrus - I'm going to e-mail you a version with the Parameter knob working - which you're free to play around with and post here.
  • edited 5:28AM
    Thanks Nick.
  • edited 5:28AM
    I've edited my original post to include these template/example compositions:

    http://www.inklen.com/download/185/QCFXAndTransitions.zip
  • edited 5:28AM
    BOOM! Thanks so much Nick! Ive been DJing for like 20years and You have made software just enabled me to evolve and get to a new level of performing!

    Ive been checking back everyday waiting for these :) lol

    Thankyou so much.
  • edited 5:28AM
    :)
  • edited 5:28AM
    Hi Nick
    I've tried the image rotate qtz file but the black background won't let the vids show.
    Can you tell me why and how do i fix?
    Cheers
  • edited 5:28AM
    I'm not sure exactly what you're talking about?

    Perhaps you're having issues with the Clear patch? In which case, you need to set the background colour to be fully transparent.
  • edited 5:28AM
    I did that in QC but still no luck. Unsure of why
  • edited 5:28AM
    Odd. It should work fine once you've done that.

    I assume you're using it as a QC overlay in MixEmergency. Are you restarting MixEmergency after you've edited the file?
  • edited 5:28AM
    LOL... Just added it to QC overlay... OMG!! Thank you so much.
  • edited 5:28AM
    Hi Nick

    can you repost the link to the QC patches for ME please?

    Cheers
  • edited 5:28AM
    Which ones? There are a bunch of examples in the MixEmergency Disk Image (.DMG file) that you download when you install MixEmergency.
  • edited 5:28AM
    i'm after the patches not the .qtz files
  • edited 5:28AM
    I'm still not really sure what you mean, sorry. Can you explain a little further?
  • edited 5:28AM
    Mod
    http://www.mediafire.com/?zglzfdzw92czk8o

    Turn Table
    http://www.mediafire.com/?2a8sx72gssd8vnx

    @Nick Made these two transitions today my first tell me what you think and there is anything to change for beta thanks
  • edited 5:28AM
    Nice - the Mod one seems to work well.

    I'm not so sure about the Turn Table transition though. The image could be better positioned, and I think there should be a better way to transition through the image. I'll have another look when I'm back on Tuesday.
  • edited 5:28AM
    thanks
  • edited 5:28AM
    I think would be nice when it zooms in and out
  • edited 5:28AM
    Playing around with itch and ME, made a couple of effects

    SC RGB Shifter, like existing RGB Offset, but works on amount and angle. Parameter 1 is amount to offset, Parameter 2 controls the angle of the offset, the rgb channels are split evenly around this angle.

    https://dl.dropbox.com/u/442763/QCEffects/SC%20RGB%20Shifter.qtz

    SC Youtuber : Pauses video when Parameter 1 is greater than Parameter 2 (Prob a better way to do this)

    https://dl.dropbox.com/u/442763/QCEffects/SC%20Youtuber.qtz
  • edited 5:28AM
    Cool - that RGB Shifter isn't working for me though...
  • edited October 2012
    Got my files messed up again, dl again and it should work, or connect the min math patch to to the colourshifter amount input, and the output of the multiplexer to the angle of the colourshifter.
    .
  • edited 5:28AM
    Hmmm - it's still not working for me. I'm getting errors reported from the OpenCL patch.
  • edited 5:28AM
    Was afraid of that, i'll have a look tonight. Trying to get opencl to work can be a right pain, still learning it.
  • edited 5:28AM
    I made a new copy in case dropbox cached it or something, otherwise I don't know, openCL is known to be a bit flaky in QC, but once it works it's usually ok, not had trouble with others I've downloaded. Although this isn't the first QC file that worked on my machine and not on others for ME.

    https://dl.dropbox.com/u/442763/QCEffects/SC%20RGB%20Shifter%20copy.qtz

    vid from ME with the filter in action

    https://dl.dropbox.com/u/442763/QCEffects/RGB%20Shifter.mov

    I'm developing the comps on 10.6.8.
  • edited 5:28AM
    Remade the RGB Shifter above using a core image filter instead of opencl as an excercise, shouldn't be so glitchy.

    https://dl.dropbox.com/u/442763/QCEffects/SC%20RGB%20Shifter%20CI.qtz
  • edited 5:28AM
    Nice one :)
  • Using your example, I tried to add a Video Patch to the beginning of the chain. In the viewer, I see the video from my webcam, so I saved the composition to my desktop, then added it to the quartz overlay section in M.E.

    Then everything froze up.

    What am I doing wrong?
  • I've replied in your other discussion. Will take a look at this shortly.
  • Made another one called sound cube check it out and let me know https://app.box.com/s/incdo5x1pfgu682h7wc7
  • I like the sound cube :-) Are the parameter knobs supposed to adjust anything? Can't see any effect from them....
  • @Mark use the volume keys on your keyboard the more the volume the effect lol try it
  • Is there a way to design our quartz compositions using bpm or grid?
  • You can use an input named "Beat" to get the current beat.
  • My noobness obviously knows no bounds. I tried to implement what you said Nick, but can't find an input named Beat. Perhaps you could show/tell us how to get to the Beat input? All I'm trying to do is make beat reactive text, so if I use the word Clap!, it flashes on beat. I've made one just using the low end of the audio spectrum fed to X scale, but it's pretty jittery and doesn't keep a nice clean beat, which is pretty important when telling people to Clap!
  • You could just use the Grid control option for the effect parameter control in MixEmergency. Then you could modify the graph of how the control interacts with the beat via MixEmergency.

    Otherwise, add in Input Splitter in Quartz Composer. Set it to the Number type. Right click the patch and select "Publish Inputs", select "Input", then type Beat.
  • Thanks Nick I'll try that tonight!
  • I'm obviously missing a very important step. Here's what I'm doing: I have a piece of 3D text, made in Blender. The mesh is noodled to a Mesh Renderer. Stick those inside a Trackball patch, and the Trackball patch is inside a lighting patch, which lives on the root of the composition with the clear patch. Now I have a visible piece of 3D text. The step I'm missing is how to get that trackball patch to respond to the beats, so my text will cleanly flash on the 1, 2, 3, 4 etc...

    Any help on that would be most appreciated, and if anyone has an idea of where I can go learn this ish properly that would definitely be appreciated, blind Google searches are doing me no good
  • Maybe you should use the 3D Transformation patch instead?
  • If you want, you can e-mail me the file (you'll need to include the 3D model) and I'll have a quick look at it.
  • there is no
    ~/Movies/MixEmergency/Plug-Ins/QCEffects/

    or

    ~/Movies/MixEmergency/Plug-Ins/QCTransitions/
    folder. Well the plugins folder is there but the QS effect and transitions ones are not. DO I just create them?
  • Yep - just create them.
  • Among other things, there is a transition effect available here http://radikarl.de/freecontent.php
    "A Quartz file to be used as a transition effect in Mix Emergency. Replace the default mask graphic with your own logo in Quartz Composer. "
    Demo:
  • Nice one :)
  • Radikarl...
    I can't seem to find where to put my image in the transition effect above.
    I'm in quartz composer, but can't seem to replace the default mask graphic. I don't really know my way around Quartz Composer though.
    I'm doing something wrong, as soon as I change anything I'm unable to save the QC.
  • drag a png into quartz composer from finder
    wire it to the dot where the current mask goes.

    the png has to be black and white only, sharp edges, no grayscales

    saving with quartz composer can be tricky. apple seems to have messed some things up. try pressign alt or shift while the menu is open and you should see a "save as" option. -> this way you can save to a new file
  • Thanks, I wasn't using .png and it wasn't black & white for a start.
    I'll try again & post back if I have success.
  • Thanks for this one! Great stuff!
  • how do i get the qtz file to show up in my transitions folder?
  • You need to put it in the folder:

    ~/Movies/MixEmergency/Plug-Ins/QCTransitions/
  • brilliant thanks nick!!
  • hi nick sorry one more thing, im using the template radikarl put up and put my logo in which works fine except theres a feint ghost image of the logo at either end of the transition, any ideas how to remove that?
  • I don't know for sure, but I would check that your logo the whites in the logo are completely white, and the blacks are completely black. You can use the Levels function in Photoshop to check and correct them.
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