How Live Effects work

Because all these effects are bitmap effects, the object to which the live effect is applied is first rasterized (converted to a bitmap) and then passed to the plug-in, which processes and returns a processed bitmap. You can control the resolution of the bitmap using the Live Effects InfoBar control.

When you lock a Live Effect it becomes a locked bitmap attached to that object. Altering the shape or size of the object will not cause the effect to be updated—it will simply adjust the object as you see it. When you save a locked effect it saves the bitmap in the document, so that it can be passed to others who may not have the same plug-ins installed, and they will still see the correct image.