Heat Distortion
ConceptA rippling shimmer rises from warm surfaces, bending the image behind it.
Concept effect — not yet available in the AniFX app.
About this effect
Heat Distortion animates a vertical shimmer that bends and warps the image content behind it, simulating rising heat off pavement, engines, flames, or hot surfaces. The distortion is strongest close to the implied heat source and fades with distance, matching how real heat haze behaves.
Suitable image types
- Product
- Landscape
- Vehicle
Best use cases
- Digital Advertising
- Photography
Styles
- Dramatic
- Energetic
Motion characteristics
- motion_intensity
- moderate
- loopable
- true
- affects_subject
- false
- affects_background
- true
- transparency_support
- false
Planned controls
- Shimmer intensity
- Source point
- Rise speed
Best practices
Suits images with an implied heat source such as vehicles, flames, or sun-baked surfaces; on cool or indoor scenes the effect can look unmotivated.
Examples using this effect
Related effects
Questions about Heat Distortion
Heat Distortion is designed for Product, Landscape, Vehicle images. Results will vary outside those categories, so pick source images that match the effect's intent.
Yes — the planned controls for this effect include Shimmer intensity, Source point, Rise speed, so you'll be able to tune the result rather than accept a single fixed look.
Concept effect — not yet available in the AniFX app.
Yes — Heat Distortion is designed to loop seamlessly, so the animation can play on repeat without a visible seam or jump cut.