Effect influence, gradueal decrease

[Tomasz Zając]

Hi! I have a problem, casuse no matter how long it takes me, I cannot came up with any idea how to make certain thing, without using not very convenient method. But what is my problem- I want to make anime picture cloth animation. But when I apply wave effect, it influences whole picture when it is import layer from photoshop or just mask in after effects. But I want only the bottom part and centre to be influenced by warp wave effect. I tried using compositing options and select a mask, but it just remove whatever is outside of mask when the wave warp the image. But there is a solution, which I do not like. Let's say me have a wife beater. But which behave like a dress, cause it is too big for the wearer. Wind is blowing from right to left <----. So only the left part and the botom should wave. Top side and right side are stabilized by body. How to do it in an annoying way? Precomp it with mask, Put it in this precomp to top right side. Go out form precomp and in main comp apply warp effect, and set pinning to ,,all edges,,. And this do the job. My question- is there any way to get the same result. And another question. Is there any way to make an effect gradual decrease in influence. Cause when I make a mask, apply warp effect, use compositing options with this mask, and increase the feather in this mask, it does not make gradual fade out of effects (for example it does not gradually decrease height of wave as the gradient is becoming more transparent as I would like it to do), but it behave like blending two layers in different opacity- one static layer and one at 100% influence of effect. First picture is for the first question, second is to another.

[Tomasz Zając]

This is what do I mean

[Rick Gerard · Accepted solution]

You can limit the Wave Warp effect by adding a mask over the part of the layer you want to distort and then adding the mask using the + Compositing options at the bottom of the Effect Properties in the Timeline panel, but you cannot make the effect gradually increase in intensity over distance.

A better option would be to create a gradient and use that as a displacement map. 

[Tomasz Zając]

That's great idea with that gradient and displacement map! Thank you!