Acorn: Filters

Using Filters in Acorn

See Also:

Acorn's filter panel

Filters are an amazingly easy way to change your image in original and unique ways. With a little bit of fiddling, these filters can create things you never even imagined. To bring up the filter window, simply pick a filter from the menu item Filter ▸ ..... In the example above, Gaussian Blur was chosen. Immediately the image that was being worked on will change to reflect the filter that has been applied to it.

The power of the Filter Window comes in stacking filters together to make workflows. Clicking the plus button on the green bar at the bottom of the filter will bring up a prompt with a list of all the filters. At this point you may choose an additional filter to apply.

Now the image that you see is the result of a Gaussian Blur and then a Hexagonal Pixellate. You can also drag the filters around to change the order of operations. The image below is produced by doing a Hexagonal Pixellate followed by a Gaussian Blur. If you decide you do not like the filter that you have chosen, the 'X' in the upper right hand corner will delete it.

Adjusting Inputs Visually

On the right, there are various options for the Sunbeams filter. Some of the options can be manipulated directly in the preview window, such as the "Center" option for the Sunbeams. On the left side of the image you will notice a highlighted area with a little orange widget which you can select and move about.

Watch a video of the Sunbeams filter being manipulated to see how it works in practice.

VIsit Filter Examples to see more filters in action.

Quartz Compositions

What are Quartz Compositions?

Quartz Compositions are filters created using Quartz Composer, which is a visual programming language and IDE provided by Apple. Anyone can create their own compositions, which can then be downloaded and installed.

Acorn will list your Quartz Composition filters under the Filter ▸ Quartz Compositions menu.

To install a Quartz Composition, you can either place the composition file (which will have a file extension of "qtz") into your ~/Library/Compositions folder or you can drag and drop the file into Acorn. If Acorn is running, you will need to restart Acorn for your filter to show up.

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Using the Compositions

Most compositions require some sort of input, such as the Film Stock composition to the right. Other compositions, such as "Color Pencil" do not require input.

When a composition requires a location for the filter, such as the Kaleidoscope filter shown above, Acorn will provide a thumbnail of the image on the left side of the composition parameter window. You can then click and drag to adjust the x/y coordinates of the filter location.

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Adjusting the Time Parameter

Some compositions, such as "Swing", provide a Time parameter. Adjusting the time value will tell the composition where in its virtual timeline it should hold stationary. In the Swing example to the right, adjusting the time will place the two selected images at different locations from foreground to background. The time is currently set to .4, which places the selected source image at 60% along its "swing", and the selected destination image to 40%.

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Try playing around with some of the filters and experiment, experiment, experiment. For more information, check out the Tutorials or send us an email to support@flyingmeat.com and request a tutorial.

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