ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on some basic concepts, adjusting illumination and shadows, and advanced techniques such as creating virtual gels and gobos, plus faking reflections. Lights can also be rotated. Lights in After Effects do not diminish in strength over distance. Spot lights are directional: Their rays start at their Position and are sprayed out in a cone centered around their Point of Interest. The Cone Angle determines how widely the light rays are sprayed, with a maximum value of 180°. The farther a light is from a layer, the larger the cone of light will appear –think of aiming a flashlight toward objects farther away. Wide Cone Angles make it easier to illuminate a large area of one layer with one light. A Point light is essentially a Spot light that’s not restricted by a cone. Point lights spray their rays out at all angles. A Parallel light can be thought of as a variation on a Point light.
