Organic
Fish Impressions
Watch thousands of silver fish swim through moonlit water and gather into a swordfish, a sailing ship, a sad or happy face, an arrow or the words you type, then stream off into the next shape with the music.
Fish Impressions swims a school of thousands of silver fish through open water lit by drifting light shafts and rippling caustics. Every few seconds the school gathers into a shape and holds it while every fish keeps swimming in place: a swordfish, a lobster, an octopus, a sailing ship whose cannons fire bursts of fish, a sad fish, an opera house, two waves with fish swimming between them, an arrow that turns to point the way, a happy fish and an ocean trench (plus a whale, a shark, a heart and a star at random). A held shape sways as one creature and now and then a wave ripples across it. Switch Mode to Words and it spells out what you type. The bass makes the school surge and tighten, beats can call the next shape or send a wave through it, and the hats make the scales shimmer; with no music it drifts calmly.
Open Fish Impressions
Launch the visualizer with its matching left-nav entry selected.
How do I make the fish follow my hand?
In Performer, open the FX Rack, add Visual Source with your camera (or a video) and set its Visualizer to Over, then set Background Opacity to 0. With Hand on Follow, raise a hand and the school leaves its shape to swirl around it; lower your hand and it goes back to its impressions. Scatter makes the fish flee your hand instead.
How do I draw a path for the school to swim along?
Set Hand to Draw Path and point with one finger while your camera or video plays in Visual Source. Your fingertip draws a line through the picture and the school streams along it; Show Path reveals the line as you draw, and Path Life sets how long the fish follow it. Hold up an open palm for a moment, or double-click the picture, to clear the path.
Quick start
- Start the demo track, choose a local audio file, or enable a live input.
- Try a preset or style first, then open the section for the part of the image you want to change.
- On a control with Assign modulation, open the source picker, choose a signal, and watch the slider's live fill.
- Use Reset to Defaults whenever you want to return to the original look.
Presets and styles
Moonlight School · Reef · Deep Trench · Neon School · Word Play · Bait Ball
Audio modulation
On a control with Assign modulation, select the activity icon to open Modulate with. Choose a named source, or choose — None to leave the control unmodulated. After you assign one, its name appears below the slider; select that name to edit the route, or use Clear modulation to remove it. The slider track shows the live signal reaching the control.
| Modulated control | Section | What the route changes |
|---|---|---|
| Hold Time | Impressions | How many seconds the school holds each shape before it swims off. |
| Beats Per Shape | Impressions | With ON BEAT, how many beats each shape holds; four beats make a bar. |
| Roam Time | Impressions | How many seconds the school swims free between shapes; 0 streams it straight from one shape into the next. |
| Form Time | Impressions | How fast the school swims into each shape, as the seconds it takes: 0.3 snaps it in, 8 drifts it in slowly. |
| Stagger | Impressions | Fish arrive in a wave from the head of the shape to its tail; 0 brings them all in together. |
| Formation | Impressions | How tightly the fish hold a shape: high draws crisp edges, low leaves a loose cloud milling around it. |
| Shape Size | Impressions | How large the shapes and words are drawn. |
| Undulate | Impressions | How much a held shape sways as one creature, a swimming motion running from head to tail with a gentle bob and roll; it never bends the shape out of recognition. |
| Undulate Speed | Impressions | How fast a held shape sways. |
| Waves | Impressions | How often, and how strongly, a turbulent wave sweeps across a held shape; with music a beat can send one. 0 turns them off. |
| Wave Turbulence | Impressions | How much the fish in a passing wave swirl, from a clean ripple to a churning one. |
| Shimmer | Scales | How brightly the scales flash as the fish turn; assigned to the highs, the school glitters with the hats. |
| Iridescence | Scales | Rainbow sheen on the scales at glancing angles. |
| Halo Glow | Scales | A soft glow each fish leaves in the water, blue where it swims slowly and warm where it darts. |
| Hand Strength | Hand Tracking | How hard your hand, or the drawn path, pulls or pushes the school. |
| Path Speed | Hand Tracking | How fast the school streams along the drawn path. |
| Fish Size | School | How large each fish is drawn. |
| Top Speed | School | How fast a fish may swim; assigned to the bass, the school surges with the kick. |
| Swim Beat | School | How quickly the bodies and tails sway as they swim. |
| Separation | School | How much room each fish keeps from its neighbors; higher spreads the school out. |
| Alignment | School | How strongly fish match their neighbors' heading; higher turns the whole school as one. |
| Cohesion | School | How strongly fish close in on the fish around them; assigned to the bass, the school tightens on the kick. |
| Center Pull | School | How strongly the roaming school is drawn back to the middle of the water. |
| Current | School | How much a slow swirling current bends the school into eddies; 0 swims it as one smooth sheet. |
| Predator Size | Predator | How big the predator is next to the school. |
| Predator Speed | Predator | How fast the predator hunts. |
| Orbit Speed | Camera | Circles the camera around the school; shapes turn to face you as it moves. 0 holds it still (drag to look around). |
| Camera Distance | Camera | How far the camera sits from the school. |
| Clarity | Water | How far you see through the water before far fish fade into it. |
| Caustics | Water | Rippling sunlight dancing over the backs of the fish. |
| Light Shafts | Water | Beams of light slanting down through the water. |
| Splat Amount | Water | How strong and how many the color clouds are. |
Settings reference
Impressions
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Mode | ROAM, SHAPES, WORDS | ROAM lets the school swim free; SHAPES gathers it into animals and signs; WORDS spells out the text you type. |
| Shape | ALL, SWORDFISH, LOBSTER, OCTOPUS, SHIP, SAD FISH, OPERA HOUSE, TWO WAVES, ARROW, HAPPY FISH, TRENCH, WHALE, SHARK, HEART, STAR | ALL takes the school through its shapes in turn (RANDOM adds the whale, shark, heart and star); pick one to have it form that shape again after each swim. |
| Words | Text, up to 120 characters | The words the school spells, one after another; separate them with commas. |
| Sequence | CYCLE, RANDOM, ON BEAT | CYCLE goes through the shapes or words in order, RANDOM shuffles them, and ON BEAT forms the next one after a set number of beats in the music. |
| Hold Time | 2–30 | How many seconds the school holds each shape before it swims off. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Beats Per Shape | 4–64 | With ON BEAT, how many beats each shape holds; four beats make a bar. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Roam Time | 0–20 | How many seconds the school swims free between shapes; 0 streams it straight from one shape into the next. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Form Time | 0.3–8 | How fast the school swims into each shape, as the seconds it takes: 0.3 snaps it in, 8 drifts it in slowly. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Easing | LINEAR, EASE IN, EASE OUT, EASE IN-OUT, BACK, ELASTIC | How the school speeds up and slows down as it forms: LINEAR at one pace, EASE IN starting slowly, EASE OUT arriving gently, EASE IN-OUT both, BACK overshooting and settling back, ELASTIC wobbling into place. Leaving a shape plays it in reverse. |
| Stagger | 0–1 | Fish arrive in a wave from the head of the shape to its tail; 0 brings them all in together. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Formation | 0–1 | How tightly the fish hold a shape: high draws crisp edges, low leaves a loose cloud milling around it. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Shape Size | 0.4–1.6 | How large the shapes and words are drawn. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Undulate | 0–1 | How much a held shape sways as one creature, a swimming motion running from head to tail with a gentle bob and roll; it never bends the shape out of recognition. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Undulate Speed | 0.1–3 | How fast a held shape sways. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Waves | 0–1 | How often, and how strongly, a turbulent wave sweeps across a held shape; with music a beat can send one. 0 turns them off. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Wave Turbulence | 0–1 | How much the fish in a passing wave swirl, from a clean ripple to a churning one. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
Scales
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Fish Color | Color | The tint of the silver scales. |
| Shimmer | 0–1 | How brightly the scales flash as the fish turn; assigned to the highs, the school glitters with the hats. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Iridescence | 0–1 | Rainbow sheen on the scales at glancing angles. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Halo Glow | 0–1 | A soft glow each fish leaves in the water, blue where it swims slowly and warm where it darts. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
Hand Tracking
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Hand | FOLLOW, SCATTER, DRAW PATH, OFF | In Performer with your camera on, FOLLOW draws the school to your hand, SCATTER makes it flee, and DRAW PATH lets you point and draw a curve in the air (or drag with the mouse) for the school to stream along; with no hand in view the fish swim on their own. |
| Hand Strength | 0–3 | How hard your hand, or the drawn path, pulls or pushes the school. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Hand Depth | 0–3 | How far the school moves toward you or away as you hold your hand nearer the camera than your face, or farther back; with DRAW PATH, how deep the drawn curve runs. 0 keeps the school on one plane. |
| Path Speed | 0–1 | How fast the school streams along the drawn path. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Path Life | 2–30 | How long a drawn stroke stays before it fades; holding up an open palm for a moment clears it. |
| Show Path | ON, OFF | Draws the path itself as a trail of dots while you draw it, larger where it comes toward you, then fades it out as the fish take it over. |
Audio
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Sensitivity | 0–3 | How strongly the music moves the controls assigned to it. |
| Response | 0–1 | How smoothly those controls follow the music; higher eases them, lower snaps them to each hit. |
School
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Fish Count | 1,024, 2,048, 4,096, 8,192 | How many fish swim; fewer leave more room for other layers and effects on a slower computer, more draw finer shapes. |
| Fish Size | 0.3–3 | How large each fish is drawn. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Top Speed | 1–20 | How fast a fish may swim; assigned to the bass, the school surges with the kick. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Swim Beat | 0–4 | How quickly the bodies and tails sway as they swim. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Separation | 0–100 | How much room each fish keeps from its neighbors; higher spreads the school out. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Alignment | 0–100 | How strongly fish match their neighbors' heading; higher turns the whole school as one. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Cohesion | 0–100 | How strongly fish close in on the fish around them; assigned to the bass, the school tightens on the kick. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Center Pull | 0–20 | How strongly the roaming school is drawn back to the middle of the water. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Current | 0–1 | How much a slow swirling current bends the school into eddies; 0 swims it as one smooth sheet. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
Predator
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Predator | ON, OFF | A big fish that hunts the school while it roams; the school scatters and flows around it, and it lurks at the edge while the school holds a shape. |
| Predator Size | 1–5 | How big the predator is next to the school. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Predator Speed | 0.2–2.5 | How fast the predator hunts. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
Camera
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit Speed | 0–1 | Circles the camera around the school; shapes turn to face you as it moves. 0 holds it still (drag to look around). Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Camera Distance | 10–45 | How far the camera sits from the school. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
Water
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Water | MOONLIGHT, REEF, TRENCH, NEON | The water around the school: moonlit open sea, a bright reef, the deep dark, or neon. |
| Clarity | 0–1 | How far you see through the water before far fish fade into it. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Caustics | 0–1 | Rippling sunlight dancing over the backs of the fish. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Light Shafts | 0–1 | Beams of light slanting down through the water. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Particles | ON, OFF | Tiny motes drifting in the water. |
| Splats | ON, OFF | Soft clouds of color that bloom in the water on the beat and drift on the current. |
| Splat Amount | 0–1 | How strong and how many the color clouds are. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Background Opacity | 0–1 | Fades the water so only the fish swim over whatever sits behind the visualizer; 1 keeps the water and 0 leaves only the school. |
Some controls appear only after you enable a related mode or style. The settings panel always reflects the options available for the current selection.
Tips for a better audio visualization
- Try Reef for bright tropical water, Deep Trench for a dark sea with a hunting predator, Neon School for glowing color that changes shape on the beat, or Word Play for spelled-out words.
- Set Mode to Words and type a few words separated by commas; the school spells each one in turn. Short words in capitals read best, and Fish Count at 8,192 draws the crispest letters.
- Set Sequence to On Beat to change shape with the music, and raise Beats per Shape for longer holds; four beats make a bar.
- Lower Formation for a loose cloud milling around each shape, or raise it for crisp edges. Undulate sways a held shape as one creature, and Waves sends a turbulent ripple across it now and then.
- Form Time sets how quickly the school swims into each shape, and Easing how it gets there: Ease In-Out for a smooth glide, Back to overshoot and settle, Elastic to wobble into place. Raise Stagger to bring the fish in as a wave from head to tail.
- Turn on Predator to send a big fish hunting through the roaming school, which scatters and flows around it.
- Turn on Splats for soft clouds of color that bloom in the water on the beat, and raise Halo Glow for a glow that runs blue where the fish cruise and warm where they dart.
- Set Background Opacity to 0 to swim the school over another Studio layer or over your camera in Performer.
- Lower Fish Count on a slower computer; the shapes still read with fewer, larger fish.