Gradient with Noise Approach

[Mike Truly]

Hello all... my first post as a new Xara Xtreme Pro user.

I have been in computer graphics since the dawn of time itself but as with all new apps, there's always a new methodology to learn. I am currently fumbling my way through videos, tutorials, etc. and am starting to come to grips with the XXP methods. But I have a question about a particular method.

In my line of work (I produce 3D animated videos in SD/HD), various video hardware is used and in the current state of such hardware, dithering is required on certain graphics in order to avoid banding. So for example, if you were creating a nice gradient background, it would look smooth and wonderful on your computer screen and would have terrible banding when displayed on an 8-bit video editing hardware. The solution is to create the color gradient with a very slight noise applied to it. The viewer will never know th is noise is there but this noise will prevent the ugly banding that can happen.

My question is, I have found how to apply the fractal noise to a shape such as a rectangle and I can adjust the two colors that make up the noise as well as the noise size, etc. What I haven't figured out is how to have this same noise applied over the surface of a rectangle that has a color gradient as it's fill. Is this possible to do? Or do I have to have 2 objects on top of one another just to get the noise applied to a color gradient?

Thanks!

[MarkMyWords]

Welcome Mike. Two objects I'm afraid.

You will find lots of ways to apply overlays in the options for the transparency tool (the dropdown that has MIX as its default). You can apply a pattern/texture as hue only or as tone (luminosity) or multiply (stained glass) and screen (bleach) with or without overall transparency applied. Hope this is what you are looking for.

[Mike Truly]

Thanks very much for that info. Two objects it is. Not really a problem once you find the QuickShape tool and can precisely snap the corners of one rectangle to another.

Thanks again.

[ss-kalm]

Don't use quickshape, Mike. Just select the first rectangle and hit CTRL-K to clone a perfect copy right over the top of the original rectangle. You can clone as many as you need adjust fills and send to back or front as required.

[Soquili]

Hello Mike,

I see Mark and Keith have both provided answers while I was composing a reply

I'll add the examples and the .xar file I made.

[Mike Truly]

Thanks to all for the ideas on this!

I am very excited with this software as I have been searching for a replacement for another app (where development has slowed greatly over the years) and the XXP capabilities seem to most closely approach the features I miss.

Keith, of course you are correct with CTRL-K as being the best method. I was actually trying to figure out how to precisely get the rectangle back in proper postion after having cloned the original with the right-click move and the Object Snap with QuickShape let me move it precisely back.

Bill, thanks for those examples... they help greatly.

One thing I noticed about the Fractal fills in my testing is that they are not quite as seamless as I would like. I was able to get acceptable results (as the noise level I needed is very faint) but when trying to get all aspects of the noise small enough, the right angle, etc., there is a noticable pattern to the noise when it's more opaque.

In my 3D Animation software I am able to create noise patterns that are totally seamless no matter how far you are zoomed in or out. Perhaps this will be improved in a future update or perhaps I'm doing something wrong.

Thanks again.

[ss-kalm]

Keith, of course you are correct with CTRL-K as being the best method. I was actually trying to figure out how to precisely get the rectangle back in proper postion after having cloned the original with the right-click move and the Object Snap with QuickShape let me move it precisely back.

Mike,

Not sure what you mean by get it back in position - Cloning (CTRL-K) should not need to be repositioned, it will be exactly on top of the cloned object. Duplicating (CTRL-D) will reposition the duplicate as defined in the Options-General-Editing-Duplication distance settings.

[raynerj1]

I would suggest taking a photograph of white noise on the TV. Then using that as the source of noise. You should have a picture much larger than the video screen thus you can increase the DPI and still get radom noise.

[Mike Truly]

Keith,

Sorry for the confusion. What I meant was that I had previously created a clone by dragging with the right mouse button and had moved my clone to some 'other' position. I then got this 'noise overlay' rectangle all setup with the noise at the proper settings, etc. and then wondered 'hmmm... how do I now get this rectangle to be precisely aligned with the original?'. That's when I found that QuickShape (with Object Snap ON) let me reposition precisely.

Your method is the method I SHOULD have used... but didn't.

Thanks again.

[ss-kalm]

Ahhhh, now I understand. Hope everything works out OK