Animation Tab ============= The Animation tab is where you can create and modify :pmdocs:`Animations `. Here you can choose from a variety of Animations, create color palettes, and customize the Animation's settings. Selecting certain Animations will cause additional controls to appear, letting you change parameters specific to that Animation. .. image:: images/animation-tab.png :target: _images/animation-tab.png :alt: Animation Controls Choosing an Animation --------------------- Select an Animation using the *Type* drop-down. For all Animation types, you can modify basic options such as: * *Orientation*\ : Which direction the Animation moves in. * *Reverse*\ : Whether to run the Animation forwards or in reverse. * *Fade*\ : Whether to gradually transition between colors or jump from one color to the next. The *Palette* drop-down lets you select the color palette used to draw the Animation. Continue reading to learn more about customizing Palettes. .. Tip:: To reapply a Palette after customizing it, reselect it from the drop-down. The *Center* controls change the location where the Animation is centered on the grid. This only applies to certain Animations, such as ``Radial`` and ``Mandelbrot``. Timers ------ Timers control how frequently the Animation is updated. *Cycle Interval* sets the amount of time (in milliseconds) between Animation cycles. A cycle is the amount of time required for a single pixel to change from one color to the next. For example, a Blink Animation has two cycles: one to turn each pixel off, and one to set each pixel back to its initial color. A Blink Animation with a cycle interval of 1000 means the animation takes 2 seconds to complete: 1 second to turn off, and 1 more second to turn back on. *Delay Interval* sets the amount of time (in milliseconds) to wait before starting a new cycle. For example, if a Blink Animation has a delay interval of 2000, then the animation will pause for 2 full seconds at the end of each cycle before starting the next cycle. This is only available while fading is enabled. Controlling Playback -------------------- Next to the general Animation settings are the playback controls. Clicking the *playback* button starts and stops the Animation. While the Animation is paused, you can skip to a specific cycle by entering the cycle number in the *Current Cycle* text box. Customizing Color Palettes -------------------------- The Palette Editor lets you create your own custom :pmdocs:`color palettes ` or modify existing palettes. To open it, click *Edit Palettes...* .. image:: images/palette-editor.png :target: _images/palette-editor.png :alt: Palette Editor Creating a New Palette ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ To create a new palette, click *New Palette*. Enter a name for the new palette, the number of colors in the palette, and the type of palette: * **Blank** sets all colors are black. * **Random** randomly generates each color. * **Scaling** gradually scales from the *first color* to the *last color*. Select *Mirror* to scale from the first color to the last color, then back to the first color. This is useful for seamlessly blending Animations from one cycle to the next. * **Comet** creates a comet-like effect where it scales from *last color* to *first color*, then back to *last color*. *Start* sets the position of the *first color*, and *length* determines how long the "tail" is. .. image:: images/new-palette.png :target: _images/new-palette.png :alt: New Palette Click *OK* to generate and save your new palette. Selecting and Editing a Palette ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The drop-down in the top left corner lists all available palettes along with a preview of the first five colors. Selecting a palette displays each of its colors. You can change any color by clicking on it and selecting a new color from the popup dialog. Clicking the *Edit* button lets you change the palette's name, size, or color scheme. You can also delete a palette by selecting it and clicking *Delete*. This won't affect any Maestro components that are currently using the palette. Resetting Palettes ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ To revert back to the default settings, click the *Reset* button. This will remove all customizations and restore the default palette set.