Effects change a layer's pixels (or, for Frame Rate and the Expression Controls, its clock or the values expressions read). They sit in the Effects section of the Properties panel and run top to bottom.
Start with Working with Effects for adding, ordering, copying and turning effects off. Then look up a single effect:
- Blur: Gaussian Blur, Directional Blur (also Radial and Zoom), Sharpen
- Color: Hue/Saturation, Levels, Curves, Exposure, Color Balance, Invert
- Keying: Color Keyer
- Distort: Bend, Twist, Taper, Bulge, Squash & Stretch, Mesh Warp, Corner Pin, Puppet Pin
- Stylize: Glow, Bloom, Drop Shadow, Roughen Edges, Torn Edges
- Time: Frame Rate
- Expression Controls: Slider, Angle, Checkbox, Point and Color Control
- Generate: Noise & Grain, Fractal Noise, Film Texture
- Layer styles: Layer Styles
- Audio: EQ, Compressor
- Plugins: Plugin Effects
- BendCurves a layer along an axis, like bending a strip.
- BloomA physically styled glow with a bright core and a long falloff tail, like light in a lens.
- BulgePushes the middle of a region out or pinches it in.
- Color BalancePushes shadows, midtones and highlights toward red, green or blue.
- Color KeyerKeys out a green or blue screen color and removes spill.
- CompressorEvens out loud and quiet passages in a layer's audio.
- Corner PinMoves the four corners of a layer to fit it into a shape, such as a screen in a shot.
- CurvesReshapes tones with an editable curve for master, red, green, blue and alpha.
- Directional BlurOne blur effect with three types - Directional streaks, Radial spin and Zoom.
- Drop ShadowCasts a soft shadow of the layer's shape offset behind it.
- EQA five-band equalizer on a layer's audio, with a live response curve.
- ExposureBrightens or darkens in photographic stops, with offset and gamma.
- Expression ControlsSlider, Angle, Checkbox, Point and Color controls - effects that hold a value for expressions to read.
- Film TextureA Fractal Noise preset tuned for fine, blocky film texture overlaid on the layer.
- Fractal NoiseGenerates animated fractal noise textures for clouds, smoke, fluid and organic patterns.
- Frame RateMakes one layer animate at a lower frame rate, holding between samples, with an optional smart mode for fast moves.
- Gaussian BlurSoftens a layer evenly in every direction.
- GlowAdds a soft glow around the bright parts of a layer.
- Hue/SaturationShifts hue and changes saturation and lightness, for the whole image or six color bands.
- InvertFlips the color channels, the alpha channel, or both.
- Layer StylesPhotoshop-style drop shadow, inner shadow, glows, bevel, color and gradient overlays and stroke, in a fixed order.
- LevelsSets black point, white point and gamma, for the image and for each channel.
- Mesh WarpWarps a layer by dragging the points of a grid in the viewer.
- Noise & GrainAdds animated film-style grain or color noise to a layer.
- Plugin EffectsEffects added by installed plugins, listed at the bottom of the Effects menu.
- Puppet PinBends a layer by pinning a mesh over its opaque pixels and dragging the pins.
- Roughen EdgesEats into a layer's edges with fractal noise for a rough, eroded or fuzzy edge.
- SharpenIncreases contrast along edges to make detail crisper.
- Squash & StretchStretches a layer along an axis while its width answers to keep the area.
- TaperNarrows or widens a layer toward one end.
- Torn EdgesTears a layer's edge like paper, with jagged roughness, fibres and a paper-colored rim.
- TwistSwirls a layer around a centre point.
- Working with EffectsHow to add, reorder, rename, copy, reset, disable and remove effects on a layer.