Saving a Style

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Saving a Style

Postby gobeck » Thu Mar 29, 2012 4:52 pm

I have created a style using 4 copies of an image each copy masked with a different mask such that each of the 4 segments of the image fly away revealing another image below. When I try to save the style (using "create" from the styles selection screen), PSP 5 saves the mask layers but not the masks. How do I get it to also save the masks which are located in the standard C:\Program Files (x86)\Photodex\ProShowProducer\content\masks folder?

Art

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Re: Saving a Style

Postby im42n8 » Thu Mar 29, 2012 5:10 pm

I'm going to go out on a limb here and make a guess that your masks are graphics vs a PSP mask. If that's the case, you have to tell PSP that the graphics in those layers are NON-REPLACEABLE.

That said, there may be reasons why you used a graphic as your mask. One of them being that you can make the desired part of the graphic opaque and the undesired part transparent ... and make the entire graphic the same aspect as the show. The 2nd being that it's easier, from a perspective, to work with an image mask that is the same aspect as the show.

But, if your mask is a simple rectangle, you might want to start testing the waters with a PSP layer. Make it the same aspect as the show and then resize it to fit the section you want to mask. If you have 4 sections, you'll have 4 masks. You might gain a bit of insight from this blog: http://fenimorephotovideos.com/blog/?page_id=164.

It's well worth studying since it will gain you insight into how to do other things you might want to do but didn't know you could do. It will give you a bit of depth you may not have considered. There are advantages and disadvantages of using graphical masks vs PSP gradient/solid color masks. However, if you're ONLY using graphical masks, you're short changing yourself (yes, I'm biased ... but I also know a considerable amount about ProShow and the various types of masks; in that category, I plead atypical.)

At any rate, change the layers to non-replaceable and then save the style again ... see what happens. :)

Dale

PS I don't know what you mean about the masks saved in the folder you mentioned. Aren't they already saved? What are you trying to do, specifically?
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Re: Saving a Style

Postby gobeck » Thu Mar 29, 2012 5:58 pm

Many thanks. Un-checking "replaceable" did the trick and caused the style to save all four masks. I was unable to find a way to create the four triangular masks each having a base of one edge of the image and all apexes converging in the center of the image. I did make the masks in PS as .png images having transparency.

Is there a way to post a screen shot or a slide in the forum to show you specifically?

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Re: Saving a Style

Postby im42n8 » Thu Mar 29, 2012 8:26 pm

While it's possible to create triangular masks in PSP, it's tough to get the angles correct if you want to cover the entire screen ... a bit PITA as far as I'm concerned (I've tried). In cases where I need "odd" shaped masks, I definitely go for the graphics route. For the simpler, rectangular stuff, I typically go for the PSP route (I have more control over certain aspects).

This link shows part of an experiment I'm having with triangular (and similar) masks (the triangle is the opaque portion of the graphic and acts as the mask). I created this test example a couple of weeks ago. It utilizes the tilt function vs unlocked xy axes. Is this similar to what you're been working on? If so, I might be able to help your effort.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_Z_11_9VEU

It's hard to tell if the elements are going INto the screen our OUT of the screen... You only know (kinda) at the beginning of the example where some points seem to move above the others while in the other example no point appears above any other. Beyond that, the effects are deceptively the similar...

Dale
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Re: Saving a Style

Postby gobeck » Fri Mar 30, 2012 6:58 am

I apologize for not acknowledging your generous sharing of information regarding masks. Downloaded and studied with thanks.

Well, you are way ahead of me!! I like your effect better but this is what I had done:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ly-ggO3rBAo

One thing I don't like about my attempt is the masking that follows as the triangular pieces recede. Yes I would be very interested in the details of your "fold out" effect.

Some of these masks I installed but others were already there possibly from styles I downloaded but this is what I was referring to above:
Image
Last edited by gobeck on Sat Mar 31, 2012 6:51 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Saving a Style

Postby cherub » Fri Mar 30, 2012 8:02 am

Forgive me for getting into this discussion, though you are here in excellent hands. :D

Why are you trying to make a style and not a transition? The tools for creating one are practically identical to creating styles, and the effect itself that you are making is suitable for a transition between slides and not just between layers.
In the Help file of Producer (press F1) you will find a very good explanation of how to make your own transitions.

If you go by the route of the transition, you must use a 16x9 image file for your mask and to insert it in Producer at Fill Screen. From the YouTube clip that you uploaded, I think that your image is 3x2 or thereabouts.

One thing I don't like about my attempt is the masking that follows as the triangular pieces recede.

Each of the four triangular masks cover a part of your image. When they go away, your second image is revealed. Why do you need yet another mask afterwards?

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Re: Saving a Style

Postby im42n8 » Fri Mar 30, 2012 1:20 pm

The example you gave looks like the triangular sections are simply sliding toward the side. Given that your triangular masks are full sized graphics, when the mask recedes the image it's masking should recede with it at the same rate. In this case, the center of the mask and the center of the image are both in exactly the same location. Assuming both are zoomed to 100% and have the same scale, the pan of one should match the pan of the other. That also means you will only have 4 layers for the original image and a 5th layer as the next image (in the simplest version).

If you want to use "tilt", you will want to use a rotation center-x of -50 for the left edges, 50 for the left edges (RC-y = 0); for rotation center-y you'll need -50 for the top and 50 for the bottom (RC-x is 0). Use those settings for both the mask and the masked. Experiment from there. You'll want the same value of rotation center for the entire motion.

Whatever motion type you use, make sure it's the same for both the mask and the image. If one is smooth and the other linear, things aren't going to look right.

Experiment from there.

As for making it a transition, set the copies of all images to source for the 1st image displayed and as destination for the 2nd image (what's being revealed). Gotta run for now. Good luck!

Dale

PS back! Your images and masks should share the same scale. I'd recommend fill frame. The rotation center is layer-centric so no matter what the size, the 50% of the image is always to the left/right/top/bottom of image center (rotation center is the point around which the layer is rotated. So, -50,0 will ALWAYS specify the left side; 50,50 will ALWAYS specify the layer's upper right corner).

This type of effect is great as a transition since it's basically so simple ... that is, it's simply revealing the next image. The advantage of it is that the current slide can be composed of many images if you want and the same thing for the next slide ... and this effect will always work the same. As a slide effect, you'd have to do lots of work to make it look the way you want with more than one image. That can get complicated. . . .

TTFN :D
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Re: Saving a Style

Postby gobeck » Sat Mar 31, 2012 7:02 am

Thank you Mona, you are correct and I will convert to a transition... just did not think of doing that!
Each of the four triangular masks cover a part of your image. When they go away, your second image is revealed. Why do you need yet another mask afterwards?

I don't and there is not one. I refer to the haze as each segment recedes.

Thank you Dale. I will experiment with your tilt tutorial as it is much more elegant.

Art & former Aurora, CO resident!

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Re: Saving a Style

Postby im42n8 » Sat Mar 31, 2012 11:33 am

There should be no haze at any time. If the mask is a grayscale, black becomes "transparent" and white reveals what's immediately below it (the item being masked). If there's any color at all in the non-white region, it'll be translated to some form of translucency. I opt to remove the black entirely and I make it a transparent region. There are some advantages, at least for me, to seeing what's below the opaque (white) region. I want to see the edges during placement ... otherwise, the darned black just hides things.

If the mask is working right, and opacity is at 100%, the opaque region is pure white, and the black region is pure black, you will have a mask that works according to this rule: Black/Transparent hides, white reveals. The haze could be coming from a region that's not completely black or completely transparent.

Dale
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