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Looking to re-create an effect that ESPN uses when playing a 4×3 video on HD channels where the pillar boxing is “blurred” for a lack of better words
If you watch a basketball game that’s on ESPN and it’s in a 4×3 window within your TV… it’s pillarboxed, however, there is a light blur as if there is color and shapes moving behind glass on the sides…
If you know what I am talking about, I’d love some possible solutions as I am trying to recreate that effect with some 16×9 footage…
I want to think I would just put masks on the sides and blur them and apply it to the entire video and render that out. Is that possible to achieve this effect? Is there another approach that would be extremely easy that I am missing?
Anyhow, some suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I know it’s a pretty simple effect, but I’d like to mimic their use of this effect as closely as possible due to the nature of the project I am working on.
Thanks!
Crawford -
4 Replies
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for better answers post a still- not all of us live in the US.
From what you describe though, a mask that feathers the vertical edges of the 4:3 frame and a stretched and blurred same clip composited under the feathered layer should do the trick.Tudor “Ted” Jelescu
Senior Compositor/VFX Artist -
I appreciate the response. I realize I should have included a screen shot of it… I have the effect mimicked here in this image, however I don’t want to post anything directly from ESPN channel due to copyright issues… not sure how they work, but anyway… here is the image I have as an example that represents exactly how ESPN does it. It sounds like your advice is right about where I was leaning, and would also produce an image like this… let me know if I am incorrect.
I really appreciate your quick response. Very helpful!
Thanks,
Crawford
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That’s a cool look. One quick suggestion, if I may — decreasing the brightness of the pillars just a little bit will help to direct the viewer’s attention to the subject of the video.
Thanks for sharing this!
Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events -
One more thought on this- you can use motion tile to mirror the image on the left and the right and just apply an adjustment layer on top with a mask that you can feather to your hearts desire and a blur effect applied on it. This way you get a mirrored image on each side that smoothly continues the video and can be blurred.
Tudor “Ted” Jelescu
Senior Compositor/VFX Artist
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