Using Particle Systems
Despite their sophistication, particle systems are easy to set up and simple to use. This
section describes how to use premade particle systems from the Particle Emitters category
of the Library. Afterward, this section explains how to create a simple particle system of
your own.
Particle Systems and Layer Sizes
Particle systems often create particles that grow or move off the Canvas before they
die. This can make the size of a layer or group much larger than the dimensions of the
Canvas. Although the particles are not visible after they move off the Canvas (unless
Show Full View Area is turned on in the View menu), they are still present in the project
and are processed. If you apply a filter to a layer containing growing particles, or use
that layer as a source object, select the Fixed Resolution checkbox in the Group Inspector
(available only when a group is the selected object). The Fixed Resolution parameter
allows you to set the specific width and height of a group, cropping anything beyond
those values. For more information, see
Fixing the Size of a Group
.
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Chapter 14
Working with Particles