Live effect custom user filter

[angelize]

I've been playing around with with the custom user filter that is found under live effects>other filter>user filter. It opens up a dialogue where you can change various input values and create a custom filter that you can save and reuse. However it seems a little clunky and perhaps this is just me not quite understanding how to use this but it really seems that it is difficult to achieve anything much with this.

Has any one else experimented with this? Am I perhaps not adjusting the settings right? all the input boxes seem a little confusing and there is no documentation for this or any of the built in filters in the help files.

[Soquili]

I have always meant to experiment with that but have never found time to actually do it.

A lot of trial and error seems to be called for to even begin understanding the capabilities of the User Filter.

[angelize]

Yes and I seem to be doing more error so far, but to be fair I didn't have a lot of time to experiment with it. If one could get useful results the fact that you can save them as a preset makes me think that it could be a great tool.

[handrawn]

you can look at it as a kind of 'bump mapping' - positive number in the matrix box give shift on a 'white' background and negative numbers shift on a 'black' background, divisor and equalisation giving you some global control dark and light respectively

the attached file has a screenshot of the xara colour bar and if you select this and go to the user filter and set the centre matrix cell value at 1 and all the other matrix values at 0, the divisor at 1 and the equalisation at 0 you have an unaltered image

then starting at the top left and going down the column change each cell value to -1 in turn to see the separate effect each one has - and repeat right through all cloumns - I suggest you start with negatives as they are easier to see

then you just mix it all up as required

[wizard509]

I have messed with that a couple of times and I agree Frances it is confusing. Thank you Steve for shedding a little light on the subject.
It still seems to be trial and error though.

[handrawn]

a little light is all I can shed Larry - cos I don't use them..

but I think I see a pattern, even if the theory is a long way off ..

[angelize]

Thanks for the extra info Steve. I'll have to play around with this a bit more. If I can make it do what I am hoping this may actually come in very handy.