Leaf fall

Leaf fall makes an object as light as a leaf. A gust lifts it and carries it off downwind, gliding side to side as it goes, rocking like a pendulum and slowly turning, and growing smaller until the wind has taken it. The way back is a leaf settling: it flutters down from above, the swings and rocking die away, and it touches down softly in place.

How it works

Like a real falling leaf, it is most tilted at the ends of each swing, where it changes direction, and tips over a little at every turn. The wind picks it up gently and speeds it on, and it rises at first before sinking away. On the return it drifts in from upwind and slows as it comes down.

Settings

• Wind: to the right, to the left or away from the camera, judged from the screen when it starts.
• Swings: how many side-to-side glides it makes on the way.
• Rock: how far it tilts at the end of each swing.
• Drift: how far the wind carries it, as a share of its size.
• Duration: the length of the exit, and of the landing.

Use it for

Autumn and botanical scenes, paper and card objects, calm product reveals and gentle exits that should not feel abrupt. Run it on click or hover, inside an action, or as the object's entrance and exit. For a balloon-like rise instead, use Drift up.