Gradient Wipe

The Gradient Wipe effect creates transitions based on the luminance values of a second layer, called the gradient layer. The luminance of a pixel in the gradient determines the time at which the corresponding pixel in the first layer becomes transparent. Dark areas of the gradient layer represent those areas which become transparent first, followed by lighter areas.


Original (left) and after applying the Gradient Wipe effect (center and right)

For example, a simple grayscale gradient from left to right produces a left-to-right wipe. The gradient layer need not be a still image; you can use any layer in After Effects as a gradient for unusual wipe effects. You can create more interesting wipes in a variety of ways. The Ramp effect is a good starting point because it can generate a variety of grayscale gradients. To make completely custom gradients, paint them in a program such as Adobe Photoshop, or draw them in a program such as Adobe Illustrator.

Adjust the following controls for the Gradient Wipe effect:

Transition Completion

Specifies the percentage of the transition applied to the layer.

Transition Softness

Specifies the amount of softness applied to the transition's edge.

Gradient Layer

Specifies the layer used as the gradient. The gradient layer must be in the same composition as the layer to which you apply Gradient Wipe.

Gradient Placement

Specifies how the gradient is positioned and sized in the layer. Tile Gradient creates multiple tiled copies of the gradient. Center Gradient places a single gradient in the center of the layer. Stretch Gradient to Fit resizes the gradient layer horizontally and vertically to fit the entire area of the layer.

Invert Gradient

Inverts the position of the gradient layer and the layer affected by the gradient transition.