Create your first visual
Follow an example project from a new canvas to an exported audio-reactive visual.
This walkthrough creates a simple spectrum visual from an audio file. You can use Astrofox on the web or the desktop app.
Open Astrofox and select New project in the action rail if another project is already open. A new project starts with Image, Bar Spectrum, and Text layers. Select the Project settings button (the settings icon) in the action rail, then set a title, output format, size, and background color.
Select Load audio in the action rail and choose a song from your device. Use the player at the bottom of the workspace to play, pause, stop, repeat, or move through the track.
The new project already includes a Bar Spectrum. Select it, or add Radial Spectrum or Wave Spectrum from the Layers panel. Edit its colors, size, frequency range, smoothing, position, and other settings in the Controls panel.
Add a reactor in the Reactors panel. Select the part of the spectrum it should follow, then attach that reactor to a compatible control, such as scale, rotation, opacity, or effect strength.
Use the Image and Text layers that are already in the project, then try effects such as Bloom, Color, Film Grain, or Vignette. Reorder layers and effects until the composition feels balanced.
Select Save project in the action rail to keep an editable .afx
project. Use Save image for a still frame or Save video for an
animated export.
A useful first layer stack#
| Layer | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Text | Artist name or track title |
| Bar Spectrum | Primary audio-reactive motion |
| Image | Cover art or logo |
| Shape | Background panel or framing element |
| Bloom effect | Soft highlight around bright areas |
| Color effect | Final brightness, contrast, hue, and saturation adjustment |
Astrofox saves project structure and settings. Image and video layers may need to be relinked on another computer, and the audio track must be loaded again. Keep those files alongside your project when moving it.
Next steps#
- Read Interface for a tour of the workspace.
- Learn how scenes, displays, and effects fit together.
- Fine-tune motion with reactors.
- Choose the right format in Exporting.