---
title: "Effects - Programmer Manual - DMXDesktop"
lang: en
source: /knowledgebase/programmer-manual/effects
---

Programmer Manual Effects

Programmer Manual

# Effects

Automate colors and movement with beat-synced effects - from simple color cycling to complex position patterns.

## 8. Color Effects

Color effects automate your fixtures' colors - cycling, chasing, pulsing, and more - without manual programming for every step.

### Opening Color Effects

Navigate to **Colors** → **Color Effects** sub-tab.

### Applying an Effect

1. Select one or more fixtures
2. Click an effect button to activate it - the effect starts running immediately
3. Click **No Effect** to stop

### Effect Library

Effects are organized into categories:

#### Color Cycling

Smoothly transitions between colors.

| Effect | What It Looks Like |
| --- | --- |
| 2 Color | Alternates between 2 colors you choose |
| 3 Color | Cycles through 3 chosen colors |
| 4 Color | Cycles through 4 chosen colors |
| RGB | Cycles red → green → blue → red |
| RGB Snap | Snaps between red, green, blue (no fade) |
| CMY | Cycles cyan → magenta → yellow |
| Red-Green | Alternates red and green |
| Red-Blue | Alternates red and blue |
| Green-Blue | Alternates green and blue |
| Random | Random color each cycle |

#### Flick Effects

Rapid single-color flashes against black.

| Effect | Color |
| --- | --- |
| Blue Flick | Blue flash |
| Green Flick | Green flash |
| Red Flick | Red flash |
| White Flick | White flash |

#### Sequential Patterns

Fixtures light up one at a time in order - like a marquee.

| Effect | Direction |
| --- | --- |
| Sequence | Left to right |
| Sequence Reverse | Right to left |
| Middle Out | Center outward to edges |
| Middle In | Edges inward to center |

#### Chase Effects

A “lit window” of fixtures moves through the line - the rest stay dark.

| Effect | Direction |
| --- | --- |
| Chase | Forward |
| Chase Reverse | Reverse |
| Chase Inside-Out | Center outward |
| Chase Outside-In | Edges inward |
| Chase Inverted (+ variants) | The dark window moves instead of the lit one |

#### Wave Effects

A rolling brightness wave moves through the fixtures - think of a stadium wave.

| Effect | Direction |
| --- | --- |
| Wave | Forward |
| Wave Reverse | Reverse |
| Wave Inside-Out | Center outward |
| Wave Outside-In | Edges inward |
| Wave Inverted (+ variants) | Inverted wave pattern |

#### Pulse Effects

Fixtures pulse in brightness - together, rotating, or phased.

| Effect | Pattern |
| --- | --- |
| Pulse | All fixtures pulse together |
| Pulse Rotate | Pulse point moves across fixtures |
| Hybrid Pulse | Combined pulse pattern |
| Phased Pulse (+ variants) | Fixtures pulse offset from each other |

#### Alternation

On/off toggle patterns.

| Effect | Pattern |
| --- | --- |
| Switching | All toggle on/off together |
| Alternate | Even/odd fixtures alternate |
| Alternate Reverse | Reverse alternation |

#### Wash Effects

Uniform color movement across all fixtures.

| Effect | Pattern |
| --- | --- |
| Wash | Uniform pulse |
| Wash Phased | Phased uniform wash |

#### Atmospheric

Complex decorative effects for special looks.

| Effect | What It Looks Like |
| --- | --- |
| Twinkle | Random flicker (candle/star effect) |
| Rainbow | Moving color gradient (forward) |
| Rainbow Reverse | Moving color gradient (reverse) |
| Meteor | Rapid color sweep (comet trail) |
| Meteor Reverse | Reverse meteor |
| Fairground | Rapid on/off sweep (carnival lights) |
| Fairground Reverse | Reverse fairground |

### Effect Controls

Three sliders control how the active effect behaves:

#### Speed (Beat-Synced)

The speed slider ranges from **-3** to **+3**, representing beat divisions relative to the master BPM:

| Slider Value | Beat Division | What It Means |
| --- | --- | --- |
| -3 | 8/1 | One full cycle every 8 beats (very slow, dramatic) |
| -2 | 4/1 | One cycle every 4 beats (one bar in 4/4 time) |
| -1 | 2/1 | One cycle every 2 beats |
| 0 | 1/1 | One cycle per beat (default) |
| +1 | 1/2 | Two cycles per beat |
| +2 | 1/4 | Four cycles per beat (fast, energetic) |
| +3 | 1/8 | Eight cycles per beat (very fast, strobe-like) |

The BPM comes from your active beat source - audio beat detection, Ableton Link, or manual tap. If no source is active, it defaults to **120 BPM**.

Tip

Double-click the speed slider to reset to 0 (one cycle per beat).

#### Crossfade (0–100%)

Controls how smoothly colors transition:

- **0%** - Hard snap between colors (dramatic, punchy)
- **100%** - Fully smooth blend (gentle, flowing)

Not all effects support crossfade. When unsupported, the slider dims to 30% opacity.

#### Spread (0–100%)

Controls how the effect is distributed across selected fixtures:

- **0%** - All fixtures do the exact same thing at the same time
- **100%** - Maximum offset between fixtures (creates movement across the line)

Not all effects support spread. When unsupported, the slider dims.

### Multi-Color Effects

Effects like **2 Color**, **3 Color**, and **4 Color** need you to choose which colors to cycle between:

1. Activate the effect - color selection buttons appear
2. Click a button to choose from presets, or click the **palette icon** for a custom color picker
3. In the custom picker modal, drag on the color wheel and click **Apply**

### Walkthrough: Setting Up a Beat-Synced Chase

1. Select all 8 of your LED pars
2. Press C → click **Color Effects** sub-tab
3. Click **Chase** - fixtures start chasing left to right
4. Set **Speed** to **0** (one chase cycle per beat)
5. Set **Crossfade** to about **30%** - gives a slight fade between steps
6. Set **Spread** to **50%** - the chase window is wider, covering ~4 fixtures at once
7. The chase is now running and synced to your music's BPM
8. You can record this look as a cue (see Section 10)

## 9. Position Effects

Position effects create automated movement patterns for moving fixtures - circles, figure-eights, sweeps, and more.

### Opening Position Effects

Navigate to **Positions** → **Position Effects** sub-tab.

### Applying a Position Effect

1. Select one or more moving fixtures
2. Click an effect pattern button - fixtures begin moving immediately
3. Click **No Effect** to stop

### Available Patterns

| Effect | What It Looks Like |
| --- | --- |
| Circle | Circular motion |
| Figure-8 | Horizontal figure-8 |
| Vertical Figure-8 | Vertical figure-8 |
| Up-Down | Vertical sweep |
| Left-Right | Horizontal sweep |
| Box | Rectangular path |
| Diamond | Diamond-shaped path |
| Arc | Curved arc motion |
| Burst | Radiating burst outward |
| Cross | Cross-shaped movement |
| Opposites | Paired fixtures move in opposing directions |
| Random | Unpredictable random movement |
| Random Pairs | Paired random movement |
| Triangle | Triangular path |
| Star | Star-shaped path |

### Position Effect Controls

| Control | Range | What It Does |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Speed | 1–100 | How fast the pattern cycles |
| Size | 1–100 | How big the movement is (% of available range) |
| Phase | -50 to +50 | Timing offset between fixtures (creates wave-like staggering) |
| Direction | Forward / Reverse / Bounce | Which way the pattern runs |

Tip

Double-click any slider to reset it to its default value.

### Direction Modes

| Mode | What Happens |
| --- | --- |
| Forward | Pattern runs normally |
| Reverse | Pattern runs backwards |
| Bounce | Pattern alternates forward and backward |

### Combining Position Effects with Fan

The **Fan Pan** and **Fan Tilt** sliders in the Position Effects panel are synced with Manual Control. Adjusting the fan spreads the effect's center point across your fixtures - creating complex composite movement.

**Example:** Set a Circle effect, then add Fan Pan of +20. Instead of all fixtures circling in the same spot, each fixture circles around a different center point, spread across the stage.

### Limits Warning

If position limits are enabled (from Manual Control), an alert appears in the Position Effects panel. Effects are constrained within the limit area - so your circle effect won't send beams where you don't want them.

### Walkthrough: Creating a Phased Circle Effect

1. Select your 4 moving heads
2. Press P → click **Position Effects** sub-tab
3. Click **Circle** - all heads start circling
4. Set **Speed** to **40** (moderate pace)
5. Set **Size** to **60** (medium circles)
6. Set **Phase** to **+25** - each head is offset in timing, creating a “wave” of circles rippling down the truss
7. The result: a flowing, organic movement pattern across all your movers