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Effects with alpha channels
Hi all,
I did a job where I added a title which I created in Marquee over an animated background. The background was on the avid timeline, not in Marquee.
I wanted to apply a 50mm glow type plugin to the title only, but the effect also applied to the background, which I didn’t want. I tried nesting the effect, but this didn’t work. I tried importing the title as a pict sequence too, but still no luck.
So is it possible to apply filters such as the glow to something which has an alpha without effecting the background too?
The machine was a Symphony Nitris, by the way.
Cheers..
Toby
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8 Replies
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Try Sapphire (version 2) S2_Glow. Click Apply to Title/Key and you should get a nice glow on the Marquee title without affecting the bg.
— Gary
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Even earlier Sapphire version (1.3) can do the trick !
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If you want the glow on just the title, step into the title and apply it to the fill. If you want it to affect the outside of the title as well but not the background, follow the steps here:
https://forums.creativecow.net/cgi-bin/new_read_post.cgi?forumid=45&postid=860749
The example is for a title, but it will work with anything that has an Alpha channel. Post back if you have questions or it isn’t working for you.
Michael.
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Hey Michael…
I’m not in front of my avid right now…
but if you step into the title and apply onlly to the fill…what if the glow actually expands the shape of image or streaks outward….
If the matte shape doesn’t change accordingly, the shape change would be lost right?
Wouldn’t you have to step in and appy the identical effect to both the fill and the matte to make it key right?
Just trying to see if I understand…
Thanks,
Alex
I had a heck of a time with this trying the BCC glows. It urks me to no end that this is so difficult…
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If you step in and apply a glow to just the fill you’re right–even if the glow expands or steaks the edges of the fill it won’t show because the matte will cut these streaks off. You would need to apply the glow to both…however, when you import something with an alpha it locks the matte key effect so you can’t apply effects to it.
Therefore, step in to the effect, copy the matte key to your clipboard (or Alt+C and it will load it in your source monitor), then step out of the effect and cut it onto the video track above it. This will look like just a black and white piece of video–it is essentially your alpha channel. Apply your glow to that, then Alt+Apply a matte key effect. Any streaking or expanding will now happen to the matte. You may need to apply the same glow effect to the fill too.
If you’re using BCC effects, just drag and apply it to your Title or Matte Key footage (Do Not Alt+Apply it…that would nest the matte key effect, which you don’t want). Your BCC Glow effect will replace the matte key effect, then click Apply To Title. This should limit the glow to just that layer and not also effect the background.
Let me know if this make any sense. It can be kind of hard to explain sometimes.
Mike.
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So basically what you are saying:
break the nested effect of Matte and fill on the main timeline
Add the glow to each clip
then re-ALT-Apply the effect to re:NEST the title and Alpha together?
Alex
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Exactly. Very precisely said. Next time I explain it to someone I may just have to borrow your words–much better said (and understood) than all the mumbo jumbo I had typed before.
Thanks!
Mike.
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This is great. Slightly confusing at first, but makes perfect sense when you get it to work.
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