Pinwheel wipe transition

[Mike Kujbida]

You are correct in that you make the overlay matte from the sequence of images.
To do this properly, the easiest thing is to create an image sequence.
Place the images I made into a folder, load up Vegas, go “File – Import” and browse to this folder, click on “pinwheel-01.png”, click “Open still image sequence” (box at the bottom left of this window), click “Open” and finally click “OK” on the window that comes up.
What this does is turn the 31 separate images into a single file that can be dropped on a Vegas timeline.
In this particular case, the images were saved out in PNG format as it allows the use of an alpha channel (the black portion is actually transparent).
This can’t be done with JPEG images.
BTW, this is a great way of doing a time-lapse sequence.
Just make sure that all files are properly sequentially numbered and that there are no gas in the numbering sequence.
i.e. if less than 99, name them image-00 to image-99.
If more than 100 but less than 1,000, name them image-000 to image-999.

TO answer your other question, I exported the video you posted as a series of images, brought them into Photoshop and traced them by hand, deleting the unwanted sections as I went along.
I’m sure there’s an easier way of doing this but it didn’t take me that long to do.

[Charles Lawrence]

Before I had seen your latest post I had “persevered” forward assuming my thought about the 31 clips was correct. I figured I needed to create a clip out of the 31 PNG files with each image duration one frame in length. The quickest way I knew to do this, at the time, was to change the preference for default “New still image length (seconds)” in the Options|Preferences|Edit tab to one frame (0.017 sec), and then import the PNG files into the “Project Media” panel, then select all 31 PNG files and drag/drop them onto the timeline. After removing the empty space between every 2 events in the resultant timeline “movie”, I had what I was looking for on the timeline. I did not realize you could do an “Open digital image sequence” that you pointed out. Thanks for the tip. Using that method, how would you get each image to be say 2 frames in length, for a resultant 2 second transition?

Anyway, with the “overlay matte” on the timeline, I was able to follow the steps in the Digital Juice tutorial to finish creating the one second pinwheel wipe transition. However, I did deviate slightly from their steps. They had you putting the A-roll snippet track as the child of the matte track. To recreate what I had done in PRE7, I needed to put the B-roll snippet track as the child of the matte. In addition, I put their tracks 3 and 4 all on my track 3, not a big deal, I know.

Also, it turns out I needed to delete PNG file 1 from the sequence, otherwise, as soon as the transition starts, you get a one frame flash of the fully uncovered B-roll frame, when it should be just starting to uncover the B-roll with the small pinwheel vanes.

Again, thanks for your help. Now I am going to try to figure out how to make the grayscale gradient of the pinwheel using Photoshop. Then it should import into the gradient wipe transition and work as well, without quite so much trouble.

BTW: I have discovered this link to help me get started on this: https://www.psdpenguin.com/2009/11/psd-quickie-2-the-pinwheel-effect/

If anyone following this thread knows how it is done, please chime in.

[Mike Kujbida]

“Also, it turns out I needed to delete PNG file 1 from the sequence…”

Oops! That frame was supposed to be transparent 🙁

“Using that method, how would you get each image to be say 2 frames in length, for a resultant 2 second trans”

Place your cursor at the and of the last frame, hold down the Ctrl key and drag it out to the desired length.
Then, right-click it, select Properties and select “Disable Resample”.
If you don’t do this, every second frame will be blurred.
Try it so that you see what I mean.

“However, I did deviate slightly from their steps.”

You do what you have to do to get things to work for you.

“BTW: I have discovered this link…”

Thanks. Nice tutorial!!