Workflow Tips

Small workflow details that are easy to miss and useful every day.

Drag the number itself

Drag an unfocused parameter number left or right to adjust it smoothly. The slider stays available. Click the number to type an exact value, then press Enter to return to scrubbing.

Choose precision before you scrub

Hold-click a parameter number, or press the middle mouse button, to open the precision ladder. Move vertically to choose a finer or coarser scale, then drag horizontally to adjust the value.

Change speed while scrubbing

While dragging a parameter number, hold Shift for 10× speed or Command (macOS) / Ctrl (Windows and Linux) for one-tenth speed. Release the modifier to return to normal speed.

Try a value, then cancel the drag

Press Escape before releasing a numeric scrub to restore the value you started with. This also works while using the precision ladder.

Shortcut: Escape

Double-click resets controls

Double-click a parameter label or unused space in its row to reset it. Double-clicking a numeric input selects its value. Transform gizmos and many on-canvas handles also support double-click reset.

Overflow keyframe deltas can wrap or mirror

Preset and LFO tools can wrap or mirror overflowing values instead of clamping them. Use wrap for loop-like parameters such as phase, angle, offset, and palette cycling; use mirror when a curve should bounce back from the range boundary.

Horizontal scrolling adjusts any parameter

Scroll horizontally over any parameter input. Sliders increase or decrease their value, while dropdowns cycle through the available options. Vertical scrolling still moves through the panel.

Visibility is a keyframe target

Layer enabled/disabled state is animated from the Effect Panel footer's keyframe button, the same way opacity and blend mode become top-level tracks.

Masks can be copied between layers

Use the Mask submenu to copy a mask group, then right-click another eligible layer and paste the mask there.

Name layers before the stack gets busy

Short layer names keep masks, groups, and animation tracks easier to scan once a project starts branching.

Quick mask preview is one key away

Press Q while editing a mask to preview the mask result against the canvas without changing the stack.

Shortcut: Q

View Up To isolates a stack checkpoint

Use View Up To when a late effect hides a problem. It shows the stack only through the selected layer so you can compare before and after states.

Shortcut: \

Solo Layer isolates one layer

Use Solo Layer when you need to inspect the selected layer by itself. It renders only that layer while keeping ancestor groups visible.

Shortcut: I

Handles edit spatial parameters on the canvas

Turn on canvas handles to move centers, anchors, lights, and warp controls directly over the artwork while keeping the matching panel values in sync.

Group before a branch gets wide

A small group around related effects makes it easier to mute, move, preset, or mask that part of the stack later.

Save repeatable looks as presets

Save a tuned layer or stack as a preset when you expect to reuse the look. Smart Presets can carry animation and surfaced controls.

Example projects open as safe copies

Bundled examples load without a writable project path, so the first save creates your own project file instead of overwriting the original.

Base video sets the timeline

Opening a video as the base layer adopts its duration and frame rate for animation, then non-base video layers can trim, loop, and offset independently.

The keyframe button has a menu

Right-click a parameter's keyframe button to add gesture presets, LFO modulators, or audio-reactive drivers without building every keyframe by hand.

Frame Step creates held-frame motion

Animation Frame Step can render every second, third, or fourth unique frame while holding each result across the normal export frame rate.

Preview quality follows the canvas scale

Animation preview reuses the live canvas scale, so changing preview scale is the quickest way to trade render speed against detail while iterating.

Canvas Size changes the frame

Use Canvas Size to crop or extend the working area without resampling. Use the Resolution effect when the pixels themselves need to be resized.

Shortcut: CmdOrCtrl+Alt+C

Audio drivers can become editable keyframes

Bake audio-reactive drivers when a motion pass is close, then trim or reshape the generated keyframes by hand.

madphase 1.4.0