| Properties | ||
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Fill | The amount of the original layer fill that remains visible. Leave this set to 0% to use the layer as an adjustment layer. Range: 0% to 100%; Default: 0% |
Usage
One of the most important effects in Alight Motion, Copy Background takes the background pixels (the combination of all layers behind the layer to which it is applied) and copies them into the layer.
By itself, this is not particularly useful, but when combined with other effects it makes it possible to apply an effect just to the part of the screen covered by the layer, essentially turning the layer into an adjustment layer, and using the original shape of the layer as a mask.
Effect Order
The order in which effects are applied the layer matters. Assuming fill is set to 100%, effects applied before Copy Background will affect shape of the mask (warp effects are useful for this), and effects applied after Copy Background will affect the area masked by the layer.
Applying effects that don't modify the edges of the layer before applying Copy Background will not have any visible result, unless fill is below 100%.
Use Cases
- Hide sensitive information: Blur a car's license plate number, a person's face, or other sensitive information. Start by creating a regular shape, vector drawing, or freehand drawing layer to cover the area you want to blur. Then apply Copy Background then Gaussian Blur or Inner Blur (depending on whether you want soft or hard edges). This also works with effects like Mosaic.
- Neon Edges: Start with a photo, then add a shape layer in front of it. Add Copy Background to the shape layer, then change the layer's blending mode to Difference. The layer will appear black at this point. To finish up, just add the Offset effect, and offset the layer just slightly to reveal neon edges.
- Soft Glow: To achieve the soft glow effect seen in early movies, start with a photo, then add a shape layer in front of it. Add Copy Background to the shape layer, then apply Gaussian Blur. Now just change the blending mode of the shape layer to Screen, and tune the opacity as desired.
- Color-correct part of a photo: Start by creating a regular shape, vector drawing, or freehand drawing layer to cover the area you want to adjust, then apply Copy Background. If you only want to work with specific colors within that area, you can further apply effects like Chroma Key (with Invert enabled to isolate the color) or Luma Key. Then just apply the correction effect you want to use, such as Saturation / Vibrance, Color Tune, or Exposure.