The look of the effect is controlled in the properties panel. Initially, all effects are applied to the entire clip, but you can adjust the timing for when the effect will be applied by trimming the Effects bar just as you would any other clip, to set the starting and ending keyframes. Click on the Clips disclosure triangle to reveal the Effects bars. Effects appear in the hidden Effects tray for each clip. When you're over top of a clip, that clip will turn green, letting you know you can release the mouse and the effect will be applied. As you drag, notice that all the clips that the effect you're dragging can be applied to, highlight in blue. Hover your mouse over an effect widget to see a preview of the effect, then drag the effects widget onto a clip or a group in your timeline.
Applying a visual effect to a clip works the same for all effects.
These effects give you the ability to control the look of clips, giving your movies a more polished feel. You can also press the X key on your keyboard to automatically open this panel. The Visual Effects panel may be visible in your sidebar, or you may need to click the More button, and then select Visual Effects.
Now let's explore some of the most powerful tools inside of Camtasia: the visual effects.
