Home / Docs / Visualfx / Effects / Backdrops Backdrops that need no drawing
A backdrop is a picture the graphics card makes by itself. It is behind whatever you draw, and shows wherever you have left the canvas clear: wipe the picture each frame with background() (no colour) and do not paint a colour over it.
15 of the 94 effects : plasma , starfield , metaballs , flow , warp , voronoi , moire , interference , aurora , fire , clouds , matrixRain , copperBars , checkerFloor , twister .
Each is one line to turn on. The value in the brackets is the one a plain number (or name) sets, and every other setting goes in by name: glow(0.8, { radius: 40 }), or in Python glow(0.8, radius=40). Every effect also has amount, from 0 to 1: how much of it is mixed in.
plasma
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Slow rolling colour.
JavaScript Python plasma ("sunset" )plasma("sunset" )
Setting In Python Starts at Can be palettepalette"sunset"a palette 's name, or a list of colours speedspeed0.3-5 to 5 scalescale10.1 to 10 amountamount10 to 1
starfield
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Flying through stars.
JavaScript Python starfield (0.5 )starfield(0.5 )
Setting In Python Starts at Can be speedspeed0.5-5 to 5 starsstars10 to 4 colourcolour"white"any colour xxthe middle a place in the scene yythe middle a place in the scene amountamount10 to 1
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Blobs that melt into each other when they meet: a lava lamp.
JavaScript Python metaballs ("neon" )metaballs("neon" )
Setting In Python Starts at Can be palettepalette"neon"a palette 's name, or a list of colours speedspeed0.5-5 to 5 countcount71 to 12, a whole number sizesize10.2 to 4 amountamount10 to 1
flow
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Colour that folds and curls like ink in water.
JavaScript Python flow ("ocean" )flow("ocean" )
Setting In Python Starts at Can be palettepalette"ocean"a palette 's name, or a list of colours speedspeed0.2-5 to 5 scalescale10.1 to 10 amountamount10 to 1
warp
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A chequered tunnel rushing past.
JavaScript Python warp ("neon" )warp("neon" )
Setting In Python Starts at Can be palettepalette"neon"a palette 's name, or a list of colours speedspeed1-10 to 10 xxthe middle a place in the scene yythe middle a place in the scene amountamount10 to 1
voronoi
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Soft coloured cells that slowly shift.
JavaScript Python voronoi ("candy" )voronoi("candy" )
Setting In Python Starts at Can be palettepalette"candy"a palette 's name, or a list of colours speedspeed0.3-5 to 5 scalescale10.1 to 10 amountamount10 to 1
moire
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Two sets of rings crossing, making patterns neither has alone.
JavaScript Python moire ("white" )moire("white" )
Setting In Python Starts at Can be colourcolour"white"any colour speedspeed0.3-5 to 5 scalescale10.1 to 10 amountamount10 to 1
interference
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Waves from four moving points, crossing.
JavaScript Python interference ("ocean" )interference("ocean" )
Setting In Python Starts at Can be palettepalette"ocean"a palette 's name, or a list of colours speedspeed0.5-5 to 5 scalescale10.1 to 10 amountamount10 to 1
aurora
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The northern lights over a night sky.
JavaScript Python aurora ("aurora" )aurora("aurora" )
Setting In Python Starts at Can be palettepalette"aurora"a palette 's name, or a list of colours speedspeed0.3-5 to 5 amountamount10 to 1
fire
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Flames rising from the bottom of the picture.
JavaScript Python fire ("fire" )fire("fire" )
Setting In Python Starts at Can be palettepalette"fire"a palette 's name, or a list of colours speedspeed1-5 to 5 scalescale10.1 to 10 amountamount10 to 1
clouds
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A sky with drifting clouds.
JavaScript Python clouds ("#3a8fdc" )clouds("#3a8fdc" )
Setting In Python Starts at Can be colourcolour"#3a8fdc"any colour speedspeed0.1-5 to 5 scalescale10.1 to 10 amountamount10 to 1
matrixRain
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Green marks falling in columns.
JavaScript Python matrixRain ("#3dff7a" )matrix_rain("#3dff7a" )
Setting In Python Starts at Can be colourcolour"#3dff7a"any colour speedspeed10 to 10 sizesize146 to 80 amountamount10 to 1
copperBars
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Shining bars sliding up and down: a demo-scene classic.
JavaScript Python copperBars ("rainbow" )copper_bars("rainbow" )
Setting In Python Starts at Can be palettepalette"rainbow"a palette 's name, or a list of colours countcount51 to 8, a whole number speedspeed1-5 to 5 sizesize344 to 300 amountamount10 to 1
checkerFloor
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A chequered floor rushing towards you under a glowing horizon.
JavaScript Python checkerFloor ("#ff2a6d" )checker_floor("#ff2a6d" )
Setting In Python Starts at Can be colourcolour"#ff2a6d"any colour darkdark"#101a3a"any colour speedspeed1-10 to 10 amountamount10 to 1
twister
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A twisting four-sided bar, another demo-scene classic.
JavaScript Python twister ("candy" )twister("candy" )
Setting In Python Starts at Can be palettepalette"candy"a palette 's name, or a list of colours speedspeed1-5 to 5 sizesize0.220.02 to 0.5 amountamount10 to 1