---
title: "Over a particle's life"
description: "Lesson 5.3 of Creator Terminal's lesson films (Particles): Give each particle a lifetime, then make it shrink and fade as it grows older."
canonical: "https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/particle-life/"
last_updated: 2026-10-27
---

# Over a particle's life

> Lesson 5.3 of Creator Terminal's lesson films (Particles): Give each particle a lifetime, then make it shrink and fade as it grows older.

- The film (1:39): https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/media/5.3-particle-life/4cfaea42f378/5.3-particle-life.mp4
- Vertical cut: https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/media/5.3-particle-life/f4bffbda8bd9/5.3-particle-life-vertical.mp4
- Captions: https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/media/5.3-particle-life/b4dabf0b98dd/5.3-particle-life.vtt
- The page: https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/particle-life/

## In this lesson

### A ready stream (0:07)

Let's see how these dots disappear. In Creator Terminal, press zero, then space. Each dot stays the same size until it disappears.

### Find the values (0:18)

Let's find their life controls. First, click the ruler, then a dot to select its emitter. Over in the rail, click the more arrow to find its values.

### Give it time (0:29)

Let's vary how long each dot lasts. Lifetime is how many seconds a particle lives. Click its right-hand value. Type two, then press Enter. Each dot now lives between one and two seconds.

### Shrink with age (0:44)

Let's make each dot shrink as it ages. Under Scale, over life means size from birth to death. Click the right-hand value. Type twenty, then Enter. Keep the start at one hundred per cent.

### Fade with age (0:59)

Let's fade them away too. Opacity means how visible a dot is. On the lower over life row, click the right-hand value. Type zero, then Enter. Now on the stage, the older dots are already fainter.

### Watch them age (1:14)

Let's watch each dot grow older. Now press zero, then space. The older dots become smaller and fainter, while new ones keep arriving below. Each follows its own life from birth to death.