Adobe After Effects - Manual (Page 536)

Discrete
Linear
Smooth
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Requires no keyframes because it calculates the distortion at each frame. Discrete produces the most accurate results but
requires more rendering time.
(Default) Requires two or more keyframes and performs a straight-line interpolation between the keyframes. Linear produces
steady changes between keyframes and sharp changes at keyframes.
Requires three or more keyframes and approximates the distortion using cubic curves, producing distortions with graceful motion.
Use the Reshape effect
1. Open the layer in a Layer panel.
2. Create or import the source, destination, and boundary masks into the layer.
Name each mask so that you can easily recognize it in the Mask menu in the Effect Controls panel.
3. In the Timeline panel, choose None from the Mode menu for each mask.
4. Position the boundary mask to specify the area of the image that will remain unaltered. Areas within the boundary mask are distorted; areas
outside the mask remain unaltered. Keep the boundary mask as far as possible from the source and destination masks to avoid foldovers.
5. Scale and position the source mask over the image.
6. Scale and position the destination mask to indicate the final shape. Distortions work best if the source and destination masks are in
approximately the same location.
7. Make the Composition or Timeline panel active, select the layer, and then choose Effect > Distort > Reshape.
8. From the Mask menus, choose the source, destination, and boundary masks.
9. Adjust the Percent control, and choose an option for Elasticity.
10. In the Composition panel, add, delete, or move correspondence points on the masks to control the distortion:
To add a point, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the mask.
To delete a point, Alt-click or Option-click the point.
To move a point, drag it to a new location.
To change the interpolation of a pair of points, Shift-click a point. Smooth interpolation works best with round masks, while linear
interpolation works best with angular masks. You can combine smooth and linear interpolation in the same composition.
11. Choose an interpolation method, and preview the distortion. If Linear or Smooth produces undesired results, add more keyframes. If Discrete
produces undesired results, choose another method.
Ripple effect
The Ripple effect creates the appearance of ripples in a specified layer, moving away from a center point in concentric circles. The effect is similar
to dropping a stone in a pond. You can also specify that ripples move toward the center point.
Animate ripples at a constant speed using the Wave Speed control. This control doesn’t require keyframes for animation. Animate ripples at
varying speeds by creating keyframes for the Ripple Phase control.
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