michiel | 16 years ago | 4 comments | 2 likes | 8.6K views
BluffTitler features a PRESET menu item. This article explains its use.
A BluffTitler animation is called a "show". Choose the menu item FILE / OPEN SHOW... to open a show. The BluffTitler installer comes with about 400 shows demonstrating almost all possible effects. This online gallery offers about another 400 shows. You can call those shows "examples" or "demos". Some users call them "projects" or "animations".
The first thing most people do after opening a show is editing the text, for example by changing "BluffTitler" into their own name. I guess that's the reason why some people call shows "presets", "templates" or "macros".
BluffTitler also offers the menu item PRESET / LOAD PRESET... As you know a BluffTitler show is built out of layers and every layer is built out of keyframes. When you save a show with the menu item FILE / SAVE SHOW AS..., all layers and all keyframes are saved. But when you choose PRESET / SAVE PRESET AS..., only the current keyframe of the current layer is saved.
A preset is layer specific. For example, if the active layer is a plasma layer and you choose PRESET / LOAD PRESET, only the plasma presets are displayed in the dialog. And when you create a new plasma layer by pressing the ADD PLASMA LAYER button, the same dialog is displayed with the same presets.
You can create presets for all layer types, but we find them of most use in the particle and plasma layers. That's the reason why a preset dialog is presented when you create a new plasma or particle layer, but not when you create a new text layer.
The BluffTitler installer comes with about 100 presets, most of them are plasma and particle presets.
So now you know why only 2 presets are displayed when you choose PRESET / LOAD PRESET if the active layer is a text layer.
The file extension BluffTitler uses for its show files is .bt
The file extension BluffTitler uses for its presets is .bp
Show files can be stored anywhere you like. The installer places them in the Outerspace Software\BluffTitler\Media\Shows folder.
Presets must be stored in the Outerspace Software\BluffTitler\Media\Presets or in the C:\Users\YOURNAME\Documents\BluffTitler\Presets folder.
michiel, 16 years ago
Michiel, I got a doubt.
Above you've mentioned that "when you choose PRESET / SAVE PRESET, only the current keyframe of the current layer is saved.", but how can a preset (.pb) file be "only the current keyframe", if it has its own animation? I mean, when I add a particle, for example "bubbles.bp". It has its own animation and isn't a single/current keyframe. I'm confused.
Is it possible to edit these presets and save again as preset?
Thanks in advance.
Penguin, 16 years ago
A particle layer does not need keyframes to animate. With thousands of particles per layer it would be too much work to animate all those individual particles with keyframes. Instead, properties like EMISSION (the amount of new particles that is being emitted every second), GRAVITY and LAUNCH SPEED are used to control the movements of all particles at the same time.
And yes, you can edit presets and save them again. You can do that with the PRESET / SAVE PRESET AS... menu item.
michiel, 16 years ago
I got it know. Particles has its own properties to control its animation/movements. Thanks. I appreciated that.
Penguin, 16 years ago
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About michiel
Michiel den Outer is the founder and lead coder of Outerspace Software. He lives in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
If he isn't busy improving BluffTitler, he is playing the piano or rides the Dutch dikes on his bikes.
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