Open search

Wiggle - Generate a fixed random calculation, even after adding layers

11min
Recorded on 18 September 2012 by Mattias Peresini

Important notice for English members

This tutorial video has been translated into English with a voice-over, but the software interface remains in French.

Information

You can learn how to create the lines used in the example with the Mercury Lines tutorial

Learn to control the wiggle expression with 5 arguments to obtain a fixed and random controlled motion, applicable to other layers.

Preview

In this free After Effects video tutorial, we’ll take a deeper look at the wiggle expression to better control it.

We’ll see how to generate a fixed wiggle that does not change even when adding other layers to the composition. This will allow us not only to have a consistent animation throughout the project’s progression but also to easily apply the same movement to other layers.

Finally, we’ll explore new wiggle arguments to achieve controlled variations compared to a basic random motion.

  • Review of the wiggle expression and its two main arguments: Frequency and Amplitude
  • Discovery of a function that produces a fixed random calculation
  • Discovery of the 3 other wiggle arguments: Octaves, Amplitude Multiplier, and Time
  • Creation of variations from a base movement

Wiggle function parameters for reference

wiggle(freq, amp, octaves, amp_mult, time)
  • freq: frequency of oscillations (number of variations per second)
  • amp: amplitude of motion (intensity of displacement)
  • octaves: number of added noise layers (more detail)
  • amp_mult: amplitude reduction factor per octave
  • time: evaluation moment (defaults to the current time)

Chapters

  1. Chapter thumbnail for "Introduction and problem presentation"
    00:00 Introduction and problem presentation

    This After Effects tutorial shows you how to use the Wiggle expression to generate random movements and how to solve the issue of movement changes when adding layers.

  2. Chapter thumbnail for "Applying and visualizing the Wiggle expression"
    00:23 Applying and visualizing the Wiggle expression

    Learn how to add wiggle(frequency, amplitude) to a layer and visualize the random movement generated over time.

  3. Chapter thumbnail for "Freeze Wiggle with seedRandom()"
    03:19 Freeze Wiggle with seedRandom()

    Learn to use the seedRandom(number) expression to stabilize the Wiggle motion, making it independent of layer indexes and easier to reuse.

  4. Chapter thumbnail for "Copy/Paste the fixed Wiggle to other layers"
    04:24 Copy/Paste the fixed Wiggle to other layers

    See how to duplicate this combined expression (seedRandom() + wiggle()) to apply an identical and stable random motion to multiple objects.

  5. Chapter thumbnail for "Advanced Wiggle arguments (Octaves and Amplitude Multiplier)"
    05:15 Advanced Wiggle arguments (Octaves and Amplitude Multiplier)

    Get familiar with the “octaves” argument to control the level of detail and the “amplitude multiplier” to adjust the complexity of the shake.

  6. Chapter thumbnail for "Wiggle time offset"
    09:15 Wiggle time offset

    Discover the last Wiggle argument, “time,” which allows you to introduce a temporal offset to create subtle variations between multiple Wiggle movements.

  7. Chapter thumbnail for "Conclusion and experimentation"
    10:20 Conclusion and experimentation

    Recap the techniques learned to master the Wiggle expression and don’t hesitate to experiment with all parameters to refine your animations.

About the author
Mattias Peresini avatar
Mattias Peresini
mattiasperesini.com

I am the Founder of Mattrunks. I work as Creative Director and Motion Designer in my studio. I also create video tutorials to share my passion of motion.

Want to be informed when a
new tutorial is available?