Tipps/Tricks
5
print this page
Many tips and tricks may be found on the ScreenPlay User's Forum.
Here are a couple examples.
Flashing Text
Multi-Colored Backgrounds
Sliding Color-Effect Window
Moving Titles - The Basics: Scrolling Titles on Black Clips
Moving Titles on Clips Containing Video
Moving Titles - Multiple Layers of Scrolling Titles
Flashing Text - Myron Crum
Once you add the graphic to the Storyboard, You can use envelope control to flash or pulse your text.
Set the duration for the length you want the message on screen, set a bunch of control points on your
envelope and alternate the dots at the top or bottom of the envelope. This will cause on and off pulses
of the text. By alternating the number and spacing of the dots, you control the speed of the pulse.
Another way would be to place two dots 2 up, and then 2 down, and then continue in that pattern.
This will allow you to adjust the length of the 'on' and the 'off' durations. By spreading out the
two dots making each peak, you make the 'on' time longer.
Multi Colored Backgrounds - Myron Crum
You can create multi-colored backgrounds for transitions and titling by combining color clips and various
transitions.
- Drag down a black or white clip.
- In details, modify the color, brightness and contrast until you have a color you like.
- On the timeline, duplicate that clip, so now you have two clips of the same color (maybe dark blue).
- Go back into details on one of the clips, and modify the color again so it is a complementary color (A lighter blue shade).
- Pick a nice gradient transition. Drag the transition between the two color clips.
- In the transition's detail screen, adjust softness to suit your taste. Set the transition time to match the duration of the color clips. While here, you can also change the orientation of the effect to wipe in from any corner by choosing mirror, flip, or rotate.
Using Envelope Control, you can make the effect go up and down over the length of the effect. This will cause the colors to fade from lighter to darker, from corner to full screen and back. By making the duration long enough, and using a very soft edge, this fade and wipe can be very subtle, constantly moving under your titles.
Or, you can scrub the puck through the effect, until you have just the right amount of color and wipe, and then extract a still frame. Then, drag this single still frame out as long as you need it. By merging these color clips with the transition, or extracting single frames, you can save different gradients in your bin.
I used this process to create a full screen gradient of the entire rainbow spectrum from corner to corner. To do this, I created seven color clips, adjusting each color to the desired shade. Then I repeated the wipe pattern from two of the colors, merged that file, and wiped it to the next color. Then wiped between that merge to the next color, and so on. As I added each color, I gradually increased the size of the wipe, repeating this process until I covered the entire spectrum and filled the screen. I used the colors of the rainbow, but you could do the same technique with any group of colors.
Sliding Color-Effect Window
This application note describes a technique for producing a "sliding color-effect window". This has the appearance of a moving rectangle with the video, which contains a color-adjusted version of the same portion of the video imagery.
- Identify a clip on the Storyboard to be used for the effect. The clip should be no more than the duration of the desired effect, as the entire clip will be used.
- Duplicate the clip to produce five identical clips in succession on the Storyboard. The fifth copy of the clip is a "backup copy" when can be used to recover from a mistake during the last step of the procedure.
- Modify the second clip to have the color effect(s) you desire for the interior of the moving box. If necessary, merge several color effects into the second clip. You do not need another copy of this color-adjusted clip to complete the procedure.
- Select a wipe for the motion of your box (up/down/left/right) and place it between the first two clips. Make sure the duration of the transition covers the entire length of the clip.
- Modify the transition envelope of the wipe like this:
- Select the first two clips and merge them, replacing the clips on the Storyboard with the merged result.
- Place the same transition between the newly merged clip and the next original clip on the storyboard.
- Adjust the transition envelope for the wipe to look like this:
- Merge the two transitions between the wipe.
- Apply T2 wipe perpendicular to the previous wipes between the merged clip and the next original. This wipe will cut the top and bottom away from the moving color band to create a box.
- To do this, your will need to set the transition envelope for the T2 wipe to a constant like this:
- The transition will be held constant in the lower half of the scale to preserve more of the vertical range of the color box than we cut away.
- Merge the clips between the T2 wipe, and you are done.
- If everything went okay, remove the spare copy of the original material from the storyboard, otherwise you may use that copy to repeat the procedure.
Moving Titles - The Basics
- Create the title. If multilayered motion is desired, (more then one title scrolling on the same clip, see below for details), white titles will work the best.
- Place a black clip from the Clips bin onto a Storyboard. Place your title on that clip and position it as you desire.
- Merge the clip and the title and place your new clip on the Storyboard.
- Place a new black clip onto the Storyboard, next to your new merged clip.
- Place a Push transition between the two clips.
Moving Titles on Clips Containing Video
It is possible to have the moving titles on a clip that contains actual video. Results will vary depending on the contents of the video clip.
The basic technique is to create your merged scrolling title clip as described and use a dissolve between it and a video clip. The dissolve should have a 50% transition envelope. When played the result will be about half of the brightness of the original.
Merge the clips and the dissolve together. The brightness and contrast can be adjusted on the new clip to bring it back to the original brightness. Sometimes a better result can be obtained by increasing the brightness of the video clip BEFORE it is merged. Experimentation will be necessary.
Moving Titles - Multiple Layers of Scrolling Titles
Several layers of titles can be scrolled at different speeds and in different directions on the same clip.
- Start by creating a basic scrolling title as described above. Merge the two clips and the transition.
- Create a second, merged scrolling title clip, with the title scrolling a different direction.
- Place the two scrolling title clips next to each other on a Storyboard and add a Dissolve transition between them.
- Go to the details mode for the transition. Adjust the duration of the transition to its maximum length. Adjust the endpoints of the Transition Envelope so that it is a horizonal line, about half way between the top and bottom.
Fig. 1 A 50% Transition Envelope
Trans Envelope
| _____________________ | ||
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | o----------------o| | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | ___________________ | | |
When the clips are played, both scrolling clips should appear on top of each other. They will appear to be about half as bright as they were originally. To restore them to their original brightness, merge the clips with the transition and then use the Details mode on the new clip and adjust the brightness and/or contrast.
© Copyright 2001 by Applied Magic, Inc.
TOP
HOME
NEWS
Deutsch"The Flying Dutchman" © 2013
TFD Video Productions & Web Design
tfdvideo@aon.at
