S5 is a game changer

[TexasLights]

This is not a commercial for S5 nor am I affiliated with LOR in any way but I do work in computer software.  We recently released a version which can really change the way people do things, although a majority of our customers still do things the old way.  What takes them minutes to do, knowing how to leverage the software, it could be done in seconds. 

I bring this up because S5 and motion effects compared to S4 is the same situation.   I still use a lot of the features just like i did in the past and that still works well.    Looking back, i had to decide how each light was going to work.   Just for fun. i recently created a group called thewholething which as you guess was every light I had.   I added 1 motion effect row and added some simple effects and that quick i was done.   Of course, I get a lot of enjoyment out of the little details, but for someone just starting out, you can accomplish a lot.  I read a recent comment that someone calculated the hours put in per minute of sequencing produced.   You don't have to do that with S5, but you can.    

[gsmith37064]

@TexasLights

I keep trying to use motion effects, but I find myself reverting back to doing it at the pixel level every time.

My biggest fear is that everyone will start using motion effects and all shows will look the same. Much like in Xlights. There will be no creativity with a lot of the shows out there if it turns out like that.

[TexasLights]

great point, i think its a place for both.  People get into this "hobby" with different skill levels and a lot of them just want to get some results to start.  My whole display as a single motion effect was nothing like what i put together because i do worry about little things like should this be red or off-red.   But to someone that is taking a first step, it gets results and quick and then they can start to worry about how to make it personal.  
 

[PhilMassey]

IMO  there is no replacement for pixel level sequencing right down to the RGB channel level. I never use the color picker unless forced to. All  my sequences have precise timings and intensity effects at those timings. I am sequencing Tools' Descending now and probably will be for the next month, but I will have the satisfaction of knowing that every drum beat, guitar lick and base note is where it is supposed to be.

Now, having said all that I will probably add a few motion effects in places, my pixel tree  for example, but it will be sparingly done.

It is far too easy to throw a motion effect at a prop for the entire song and let the viewers brain do the syncing. I was once asked how I got the house down the street with a static but flashing display, to sync with mine. Very depressing.........

May be old school, but then, I am old.

[Vince4xmas]

A mix of both is what works.

 

[k6ccc]

There is a place for both.  If all you do is let the automation do it's thing, I agree you can end up with everyone looking similar.  If you let the automation do little pieces of it mixed in with your own work, you can end up with stuff looking very unique, and still save a lot of effort.  For example, how much effort would it take to put scrolling text on a matrix doing it one pixel at a time?  But both SuperStar and Pixel Editor (now Motion Effects) can do that task in seconds.

Vince beat me to that by seconds...

 

[cdnlor]

1 hour ago, Vince4xmas said:

A mix of both is what works.

 

I am just in the process of converting to S5 and that is something I am loving about it.  In S4 I had some sequences that I did using the pixel editor and a couple that I did at the pixel level but I was always disappointing that you couldn't use both. With S5 that is no longer an issue.