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JANUARY 09, 2003 Jumbo Jillions Part 1
With the Scratch Area layer selected, apply the Gradient Wipe from Effect>Transition>Gradient Wipe. In the Effect Controls Panel, change the Gradient Layer to the Scratch Gradient layer. To position and place the gradient wipe correctly, change the Gradient Placement parameter to Stretch Gradient to Fit. This will resize the gradient layer to fit inside the layer the Gradient Wipe effect has been applied to. In our case it shrinks and stretches the image map to fit the gray scratch area.[an error occurred while processing this directive]The Transition Completion parameter determines how much of the gradient is revealed. At 100%, the wipe is complete and the entire area is cleared out. Because this is a lottery ticket, we want to keep some bits of scratch goop on the card to make it more believable and only want to reveal that area that you created in Photoshop. Adjust the Transition Completion parameter until the very end of the wipe is revealed, but before the effect has a chance to bleed the wipe or clear the area completely. For me, a value of 47% was just enough.  Move the Timeline Indicator to 3:15 in the Timeline and create a keyframe for Transition Completion by clicking on the Stopwatch Icon.  Move the Timeline Indicator to 2:00 in the Timeline and change the Transition Completion amount to 0%. If you make a RAM preview you will notice your wipe is going backwards. That is because After Effects always goes from black to white when it uses any gradient. You can fix this by placing a check in the Invert Gradient box. When you have made final tweaks and adjustments to this Gradient Wipe effect, you end up with a believable instant winning scratch card.
Next time, we’ll finish up this exercise by taking the lottery card and giving it some 3D treatments. Here’s a quick sneak peak.  You can download the lottery ticket and gradient wipe here. The file is compressed using Stuffit from Aladdin Systems. The Stuffit Expander is a free utility for Macintosh, Linux, Windows and Solaris that can be downloaded here. The final project will be available in the next installment. When not working deep in the labs of the DMN Central Division testing the latest and greatest software/hardware products Stephen Schleicher can be found at the local university teaching a few courses on video and web production. He can be reached at schleicher@mindspring.com. You can also visit him on the web at www.mindspring.com/~schleicher Related sites: • Animation Artist • Animation Supplement • AV Video • Broadcast Newsroom • Content Mastering • Corporate Media News • Creative Mac • Design Supplement • Digital Animators • Digital Media Designer • Digital Post Production • Digital Producer • Digital Video Editing • DV Format • Hollywood Industry • Mac Supplement • Production Supplement • Siggraph News • The WWUG Related forums: [an error occurred while processing this directive] 
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