CValley
FILTERiT 4
Filter
effects for Adobe Illustrator 8/9
by
David Nagel
Executive
Producer
dnagel@digitalmedianet.com
FILTERiT
is probably the most remarkable set of tools I've ever seen
for a vector illustration program. This is a package of innumerable
effects for Adobe Illustrator 8 and 9, ranging from new types
of transformations to object distortions to effects that can
be applied to text without even converting text to paths.
I reviewed
version 3.0 of this set of filters last year and was impressed
with its variety, power, stability, performance, ease of use,
versatility and price point. (You can read this review here.)
Version 4.0 adds even more to the package, while still maintaining
the incredibly modest price of $129.
Do I sound
a bit enthusiastic about FILTERiT 4? I am. This brings features
to Illustrator for the Mac that are unheard of in any vector
program on any platform.
3D transformations
If you're unfamiliar with the concept of a 3D transformation,
just think of it as scaling and skewing an object, but in three
dimensions and with near limitless possibilities for the shapes
of your transformation. For example, you can apply a 3D transformation
to an object, turn it into a 3D spiral, and then rotate around
and increase or decrease perspective for various styles.
The image
below is actually a flower that has gone through several 3D
transformations, mostly spirals, and then repeated in a circular
pattern to produce this Spirograph-looking effect.
Original
Original
with 3D transformations (and a "live" effect) applied.
See below for more on live effects.
You accomplish
these 3D effects simply by selecting an object and then choosing
Filter > FILTERiT 4 > 3D Transform. Here's what you get:
The 3D Transform
window gives you a whole host of options for manipulating objects
in 3D space, from amplitudes and rotations to preset styles
accessible through a pull-down menu.
The
live effects
But 3D Transform is just the shiniest of the new tools included
in version 4. You still get all of the great effects found in
version 3 as well, including "live effects." Live
effects are applied to a single object or piece of text, and
the effects change as the original object changes. This includes
text, which you do not have to convert to outlines. Type your
text. Apply and effect. And then insert your cursor and edit
the text, and the effects change with it.
Live effects
include 13 individual, general effects, and each one has its
own palette for changing settings. Only one live effect can
be applied to an object at one time, but these effects can be
"expanded" so that the effects in themselves become
paths.
Effects
range from Galaxy (above), which replicates the original object
in a galactic spiral pattern, to simple embosses and drop shadows.
Version 4 includes support for transparency in Illustrator 9.
(Of course, Illustrator 8 doesn't have support for transparency.)
Other filters
in the "Live" category include Spiral (above), Border,
Circle (below), Cutout, Emboss, Explosion, Frame, Generation,
Neon, Reflection, Shadow, Tiling and Trail. The flower used
in the example below, incidentally, is the same one used in
the first example for 3D transformations.
I find the
performance of FILTERiT's live effects to be quite good. When
you start dealing with very complex objects, such as ones that
have had several live effects applied, you do start to see a
performance lag. This is a function of the speed of your particular
machine. But something like the circle of flowers above is drawn
pretty much in real time on a lower-end G4 400.
The regular
effects
Live effects are great for their editability and also range
of styles. But you don't get the full picture of FILTERiT 4's
power until you start messing around with the new tools this
set of plugins gives you. These new tools appear in the tool
palette in Illustrator just below all of the standard tools.
It includes six new tools, five of which call up a palette of
subtools, along with various control settings. These include
Craft, Lens, Warp, Wave, Metabrush and Align Points.
The Craft
Tools includes four subtools for "crafting" objects.
In use, this translates as smudging, nudging and otherwise freely
and interactively deforming paths using a variable-radius brush.
Using the Craft tool is as simple as dragging around the brush
over an existing object. All of the magic happens in the background.
The image below shows the original flower and a "Crafted"
flower, which had been smudged around the original simply by
dragging the Craft brush over and around it.
The Lens
tool is similar to the Craft tool except that it creates, as
its name suggests, lens effects. These include fisheye, magnification,
twirl and tone. You simply drag the brush over the object, and
the effect is immediately applied. The examples below show normal
(left), twirl and fisheye. You can increase the size of the
lens for more dramatic effects.
The Warp
tool is not like Craft and Lens in that it doesn't use a brush.
Rather, you select one of 22 warp styles and then interactively
apply the warp to an object by moving your cursor around the
screen. The examples below show the original (left) and two
of the warp styles.
The Wave
tool is similar to the Warp tool in the way you apply it. But
rather than creating warps, it places waves on an object interactively.
You can adjust the number of cycles numerically and then apply
the waves to the object by dragging around your cursor on the
screen. Where you move your cursor determines the height and
width of the waves. The examples below show three types.
Finally
we get to the Metabrush tool. This is a serious piece of work.
Rather than tweaking an object, it takes a selected abject and
allows you to use it as a brush. More than this, it offers a
tremendous amount of control over how the brush is applied.
Above you
see a screen shot of the Metabrush palette, which is automatically
called up when you select the tool. With it, you can set the
fade of the brush and apply various parameters for setting size,
spacing, shear, color, etc. You can set tablet pressure, speed
or direction to control all of these parameters. And you can
reverse them and throw in some randomness to boot.
The
bottom line
Man, this thing is great. You can see the results in several
of the examples I've created for this review, but to appreciate
FILTERiT 4 fully, you really need to see it in action. I hope
to have a QuickTime demonstration of this product up within
the next month because the way this thing works is just so fluid
and simple that it makes the process of creating images in Illustrator
enjoyable. You get a ton of effects. You get a bunch of live
effects. And you get 3D transformations, along with support
for Illustrator 9's transparency. All of this for $129. It's
so clean and so well implemented that you have to wonder how
they can sell it for so little. My recommendation is an immediate
strong buy. Get it while you can. One day these people are going
to realize what they have and start selling it for much more.
