BCC Morph

Category: BCC Warp

Effect Name: BCC Morph

The BCC Morph filter, part of the BCC Warp category, performs a combined warp and cross-dissolve from one still image into another still image, resulting in the generation of an animated image morph image clip. The filter relies on the use of user generated Adobe After Effects spline mask shapes to define edges on the source and on the corresponding destination images to create a realistic image morph.

When morphing one face into another face, for example, the user draws open or closed spline mask shapes that follow the contour line of key elements in the source and destination images, such as the jaw line, eyes, ears etc and the filter uses these spline shapes to aid in generating a smooth morph transition between the two images. In addition to the spline mask shapes the filter uses Key Markers, which serve as instruction points for the Morph filter’s software algorithms that are set in the filter control panel by the user for the source and destination images to control of the duration of the morph. The Key Markers function is to instruct the filter on when to start and stop the image morph.

Working with the Filter

Presets and Common Controls

• BCC filters come with a library of factory installed presets plus the ability to create your own custom presets and preview them with the BCC FX Browser™.
• BCC filters also include common controls that configure global effect preferences and other host-specific effect settings.

For more information about working with presets and other common controls, Click Here.

• Render Mode: Determines the view from the filter in the composition window.
  • Blended: Displays the morphed result when selected.
  • Source UnWarped: Displays only the undistorted source clip when selected.
  • Source Warped: Displays only the distorted source clip when selected.
  • Destination UnWarped: Displays only the undistorted destination clip when selected.
  • Destination Warped: Displays only the distorted destination clip when selected.
  • Warped Splines: Displays only the warped spline shapes when selected.
• Destination: Used to select the destination image for the morph. All images that have been placed into the composition will appear in this list
• Key Marker: Used to instruct the filter where to start and end the morph transition. This parameter must be keyframed at the start and end of the section of the timeline where the image morph is to occur. Before the first keyframe the source image is displayed and after the second keyframe the completed morph image result is displayed
• Anti-Aliasing: Used to set the level of anti-aliasing in the morph result
  • None: No anti-aliasing is applied to the image.
  • 5 Samples: Minimum level of anti-aliasing is applied to the image.
  • 9 Samples: Maximum level of anti-aliasing is applied to the image.
• Accuracy: Used to set the optimal performance / speed versus the accuracy of the morph. Lower values produce a less accurate morph with fewer points on the grid but increases filter performance. Higher settings produce a more accurate morph but take longer to render.
  • Low: Most coarse grid setting – lowest number of grid points
  • Medium: Medium grid setting
  • High: Fine grid setting
  • Highest: Finest grid – highest number of grid points
• Warp Area: Used to set the size of the area in the image that is ultimately affected by the warp grid. Low values will warp only a small portion of the image, while higher values will extend the warp over a larger portion of the image, but will decrease the filter’s performance.
  • Smallest: Contains image warp to the smallest permissible warp field
  • Small: Small size warp field
  • Medium: Medium size warp field
  • Large: Largest permissible warp field
• Pin Edges: Used to hold or pin the image edges. Sometimes the image morph can show tears along the edges of the image. Enable this checkbox to pin or hold the edges of the image.
• Boundary Mask: Used to contain the morph to a select region in the image. Selecting a mask shape from this pop-up will contain the morph to within the bounds of that mask. If an open spline point is selected, the filter will automatically close the shape by linking the first and last points along the spline.
• Use Auto Blend: When enabled, the morph will blend the two images in a linear fashion, with all mask shapes getting equal weighting with regard to the image warp. When disabled, the warp is controlled by the settings in the mask expansion or mask opacity settings, depending on which was selected by the user.
• Mask Blend: Only available when the “Use Auto Blend” option is disabled, this pop-up allows the user to select whether the warp is controlled by making adjustments to the mask opacity or the mask expansion parameters.
  • Mask Opacity: When selected enables the user to control the degree of warp via the mask opacity parameter
  • Mask Expansion: When selected enables the user to control the degree of warp via the mask expansion parameter
• Point Match: Matches point for point the spline masks of the source and destination images, when enabled.
• Auto Alignment: Automatically aligns key features in the image, such as the eyes or teeth or other areas of high contrast, when enabled.