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text editbox layer listboxes all layers and all keys checkboxes properties listbox property sliders reset button property editboxes layers listbox physics listbox visible checkbox first key previous key next key last key play stop create key delete key copy key paste key move key to left move key to the right insert time remove time keyframes bar timeline slider current time number of keys About BluffTitler New Show Open Show Set Show Duration Set Show Resolution Save Show Undo Redo Add Text Layer Add Picture Layer Add Plasma Layer Add Particle Layer Attach Border to active Layer Attach Particles to active Layer Attach Plasma to active Layer Remove all attached Layers Delete active Layer Clone active Layer Change Font Change Texture Change Effect User Guide

Interface functions

Please click on the area that interests you:

images/manual/interface

The Text editbox

This editbox is used by the text and scroller layers. This is the place where you type the text you want to animate.

The following tags can be used for special effects: <ABC />, <abc />, <123 />, <time />, <showtime />, <countdown /> <millisecond />, <second />, <minute />, <hour />, <hour12 />, <ampm />, <day />, <month />, <year />, <fullday />, <fullmonth />, <fps />, <memory />, <computername />, <showtitle />, <showpath />, <version />

The three Layer listboxes

These are the three dropdown listboxes below the text editbox on the left side of the tool window. Those are used to select different layer effects. Every layer has its own effects: for example the text layer uses the first list box to set the composition while the picture layer uses this box to set the shape.

The All Layers and All Keys checkboxes

These checkboxes can be extremely handy, but confusing for beginners.

Read an in depth explanation of these boxes

The Properties listbox

All properties that can be animated are listed in the dropdown listbox above the three sliders. The property itself can be edited with the three sliders below this box. A plus symbol (+) is added to the property name when it is animated.

The three Property sliders

The result of dragging those sliders depends on the active property, set by the dropdown listbox above them.

For example when you select Text Position on the text layer, the first slider controls the horizontal, the second the vertical and the third the depth position. When editing colours, the three sliders represent the red, green and blue components.

You can move the 3 sliders at the same time by holding down the <Control> key while moving the first slider.

The Reset button

With this button you reset the three sliders to their default position.

The three Property edit boxes

With the text edit boxes next to the three sliders you can enter values that are outside the range of the sliders.

The Layers listbox

This is the big dropdown listbox above the Play button. BluffTitler animations are built out of layers. Every layer can be animated independently. Use this listbox to select the layer you want to edit. A plus symbol (+) is added to the layer name when it is animated.

The Physics listbox

This box is used to select the tweening method. This is the way the positions in between the keyframes are computed. You can use these effects to simulate physics effects.

The Visible checkbox

Layers can be turned visible/invisible with this checkbox. When you make a layer invisible, all child layers are invisible as well.

The First Key button

Jumps to the start of the show.

The Previous Key button

Jumps to the previous keyframe.

The Next Key button

Jumps to the next keyframe.

The Last Key button

Jumps to the last keyframe.

The Play button

Starts the show from the current position. You can also press <F4>.

The Stop button

Stops the show. You can also press the <Escape> key.

The Create Key button

Creates a keyframe.

The Delete Key button

Deletes the current keyframe. Use the Previous Key and Next Key buttons to select a key. A key can also be selected by clicking on it. Clicking on this button with the <Shift> key pressed deletes all keyframes.

The Copy Key button

Copies the current key into the clipboard. Every layer has its own clipboard, so do not worry about mixing up layers.

The Paste Key button

Copies the clipboard to the current time and makes a keyframe out of it.

The Move Key to the Left button

Moves the current key to the left. You can also click and drag the keyframe. When no key is selected the time is moved to the left. When holding down the <Shift> key, the key is moved 0.1 second instead of a millisecond.

The Move Key to the Right button

Moves the current key to the right. You can also click and drag the keyframe. When no key is selected the time is moved to the right. When holding down the <Shift> key, the key is moved 0.1 second instead of a millisecond.

The Insert Time button

When you press this button, all keys greater than the current time are moved to the right 0.1 second. When holding down the <Control> key, the key at the current time is also moved. When holding down the <Shift> key, 1 second is inserted.

The Remove Time button

When you press this button, all keys greater than the current time are moved to the left 0.1 second. When holding down the <Control> key, the key at the current time is also moved. When holding down the <Shift> key, 1 second is removed.

Current Time

The current time is printed in the following format: minutes : seconds . milliseconds.

Number of Keyframes

The number of keyframes is displayed above the keyframes bar.

The Keyframes Bar

In this bar every keyframe is displayed as a small vertical line. When you click on or very close to a key, the time jumps to the time of that key. You can now copy this key, delete this key or drag this key to another place.

The Time Slider

This slider indicates the current time. Dragged to the left represents time 0, the beginning of the show. Dragged all the way to the right represents the end of the show. By default shows have a duration of 3 seconds, but you can change this with the menu item File > Set Show Duration....

the All Layers and All Keys checkboxes

These checkboxes determine what happens when you change something:

Both unmarked

Only the current key is changed. This is the default mode.

All Keys marked and All Layers unmarked

All keys in the active layer are changed.

Both marked

All keys in all layers of the same type are changed.

All Layers marked, All Keys unmarked

The current keys in all layers of the same type are changed.

Some examples:

Want to change the colour of all keys? Mark All Keys and you can use the three sliders to edit the colour of all keys at the same time.

Want to change the font of all text layers? Mark All Layers before you change one of them.

Want to move all text layers to the same horizontal position? Mark All Layers and move one text layer to this position.

Want to add a golden border to all text layers? Mark All Layers before choosing Layer > Attach Border to active Layer...

For some properties, like the Bevel and Font Size in the text layer, the All Keys checkbox is marked everytime your select this property. The reason for this is that it is expensive to animate them (bevel) or unlikely that you would want to animate them (font size). It is possible to animate those properties by unmarking the All Keys checkbox. And when you unmark the Auto mark ALL KEYS checkbox in the Settings > General Options... dialog those checkboxes stay unmarked.