Alpha channels for dummies

[shiiko]

Hi,

Can someone please post (clear, detailed, sequential) instructions for creating matte effects within Edius (not exporting).

Ideally, instructions on how to: 1) take a blue street sign (basically a rectangle) and punch out all the video around it so that other video can be inserted on the outside, and how to colorize the interior letters. Or in a similar vein, select any part of the video frame and punch a hole to see another video source within the hole or modify (adjust color) outside of the hole.

2) Create a sinuous arrow in photoshop (or similar), import the arrow (.psd) and a mask, having said arrow point to something on the screen. In other words, create a graphic outside of Edius and import it over video.

I ask for your help because the instructions regarding this subject, as found within the 'help' .pdf, are not conclusive. I also believe that there are many new grasscutters out there that would like to expand their creative range and somehow have not gotten their hands around how to dominate alpha channels.

Thanks in advance for your input.

[zvit]

Re

1. ChromaKey in "Filters". Use the eyedropper to pick a color. In the Cromakey settings, click on "Details" button and you will get all the settings for spill and soft edges etc...

2. NewBlue FX Video essentials 2 has a very good chroma key.

[shiiko]

1. ChromaKey in "Filters". Use the eyedropper to pick a color. In the Cromakey settings, click on "Details" button and you will get all the settings for spill and soft edges etc...

2. NewBlue FX Video essentials 2 has a very good chroma key.

Thanks zvit. Was hoping to get something more illustrative. Have not had very good results with the Chroma or Chroma-key filters and that is the reason for my post. Will test NBFX but I was really hoping to work with what I have within Edius before going out of the box. I'm hesitating of buying/learning something new until I've mastered the internal tools.

[zvit]

RE

The way I punch out mattes of any pre-made shapes in Illustrator or PS (like the arrow you mentioned) is to use your file in an alpha dissolve and set the start and end points to be %50. This way, the matte stays static. I usually put my files in the path "C:\Program Files\Canopus\EDIUS 5\PlugIn\Alpha" just to keep it with all the other mattes shipped with Edius.

Soften the edges of your matte by a few pixels before exporting it.

You can try to duplicate the footage and put one on top of another. Colorize the bottom one and make a choma key on the top and the colored bottom one will show through the key.

If you just want to leave one color in a video, there is a built in filter for that but I forget the name EDIUS gave it because I have it in my favorites bin and had it renamed to "Leave Color" years ago :-)

Also, remember that you can always make an IN and OUT point, even in a nested sequence, and choose to "render and place in above track". This will render between the IN and OUT and place a rendered copy of the video on another track. This is a real .avi rendered file - just like you would have exported and re-imported footage. Very useful when you need to apply effects upon rendered effects.

I really wish though that Edius would make a garbage matte filter like Premiere Pro has were you get a matte with corner handles that you can just drag around and adjust.

If I have to do real keying work, I will export the footage and do it in Adobe Ultra (doesn't ship anymore).

Hope I was helpful