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lightTrail()v4.0.476

Part of the @remotion/effects package.

Creates a directional light trail from bright or opaque parts of canvas-based components such as <Video>, <HtmlInCanvas> and <Solid>.

Use it for speed streaks, luminous text trails and fast-moving logo smears.

Preview​

Drag current effect onto a layer in the Studio

Example​

MyComp.tsx
import {lightTrail} from '@remotion/effects/light-trail';
import {CanvasImage, staticFile} from 'remotion';

export const MyComp: React.FC = () => {
  return (
    <>
      <CanvasImage
        src={staticFile('logo.png')}
        width={1280}
        height={720}
        fit="contain"
        effects={[
          lightTrail({
            direction: 180,
            distance: 120,
            intensity: 1.6,
            decay: 0.9,
            threshold: 0.2,
            color: '#ffb000',
          }),
        ]}
      />
    </>
  );
};

API​

Pass an object with the following properties. You can also call lightTrail() without arguments.

direction?​

Direction in which the trail extends, in degrees. Defaults to 180.

distance?​

Length of the trail in pixels. Defaults to 80. Must be at least 0.

intensity?​

Brightness multiplier for the trail. Defaults to 1. Must be at least 0.

decay?​

Falloff from one trail sample to the next. Defaults to 0.9.

Use values closer to 1 for a longer visible trail. Use smaller values for a shorter falloff.

threshold?​

Luminance or alpha threshold from 0 to 1. Defaults to 0.

Pixels brighter or more opaque than this value contribute to the trail. Increase it to affect only the strongest parts of the source.

samples?​

Number of samples used for the trail. Defaults to 32. Must be an integer from 1 to 64.

Higher values make the trail smoother and cost more GPU work.

color?​

Color of the trail. Defaults to white.

disabled?​

When true, the effect is skipped. Defaults to false.

Combining effects​

lightTrail() only creates the directional trail. For a glowing speed-logo look, combine it with glow() and chromaticAberration().

Requirements​

lightTrail() uses a WebGL2 backend. See Using WebGL and WebGPU during renders.

See also​