Entropy documentation
Entropy is a particle effect for Adobe After Effects. Motion designers and visual effects artists use it to create moving points, shapes, smoke, and trails. You choose where particles start, how they move, and how they look. Entropy then calculates their motion as time advances.
A particle is one element in the effect. An emitter is the source that creates particles. A system combines an emitter, particle appearance, and motion controls. One design can contain several systems.
Browse by UI section
Choose the section you have open in Entropy. Each reference page follows its section groups and uses the control names from the interface.
| UI section | Find controls for |
|---|---|
| Emitter | Emitter Shape, Emitter Behavior, source position, Grid, Burst, Mesh, Text, Formula, Mask, Layer, and Path. |
| Particle | Life, Size, Opacity, color, Sprite, Geometry, Tracer, Volume, 3D Material, and Rotation. |
| Forces | Force Mapping, Wind, Turbulence, Vortex, Attractor, Spring, and Displacement. |
| Render | Lighting, Motion Blur, Depth of Field, and Time. |
See all UI sections to jump directly to a subsection.
Navigator and Composer
- Navigator and system rows: select, add, rename, duplicate, and link systems.
- Composer viewport: camera, background, grid, and guides.
- Graph and gradient editors: edit curves and color stops.
- Preset library: load and manage saved designs.
Getting started and workflows
- Your first particle system
- Build parent and child systems
- Save presets and transfer settings to After Effects
- Troubleshooting
Where you work
| Workspace | What you do there |
|---|---|
| After Effects | Build the composition, select source layers, animate controls, and render the result. A composition is the scene and timeline that contains your layers. |
| Entropy Navigator | Manage Entropy systems inside After Effects. Select systems, add children, and control inheritance. |
| Entropy Composer | Design a look in a live preview. Edit controls, use presets, then apply the design to After Effects. |
Composer previews your edits as you work. Transferring settings between Composer and After Effects is a separate action. Composition lights and layer sources require After Effects. See preview differences.
About this guide
This guide describes the controls in the Entropy 0.9.27 source snapshot. Beta controls can change between builds. Use the installation and compatibility information supplied with your installed build. The control reference follows Entropy's checked-in tooltip catalog.