Tutorial: Multiple Masks and Grouping of Layers

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skiyak

Tutorial: Multiple Masks and Grouping of Layers

Postby skiyak » Thu Oct 25, 2007 9:32 am

Last night I sat down to create this and along the way, I learned a few things I didn't know (i.e. Where's the layers windows in the new Proshow redesign? Answer: You downloaded the latest upgrades for Proshow Gold, dummy!)

Anyway, there are a couple of masking techniques as well as organization and grouping of layers, and what you can do with templates you've already downloaded.

I'll be sending Mike the psh file as well as all the images etc., less the music files, so you will be able to have a complete copy to study.

I have to thank all who have participated in this forum and those who have shared templates, tutorials and their ideas, and hopefully, this will help others bring new ideas or creations to this forum.

Here's the link to the show: http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewsho ... alb=129475


wendy

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Postby newtcruiser » Thu Oct 25, 2007 12:00 pm

Wendy that is awesome..... thanks so much for sharing

Linda :lol:

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Postby Jerry Cole » Thu Oct 25, 2007 4:15 pm

Wendy,
Wow! I think my head is spinning faster than the images in the show. Very thorough explanation. Now if I can just stand up I'll be fine.
Jerry
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Postby briancbb » Fri Oct 26, 2007 12:55 am

Thanks Wendy,

I'm away for a glass of wine, and to find a program that plays in slow motion so my brain has time to take it in.

Brian

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Postby srq102 » Fri Oct 26, 2007 4:20 am

Thanks,

I'll have to save a copy of this so I can study it more while at work. You make it seem simple but I know it's not at least for me. :)

Have a nice day,
Rick G

skiyak

Postby skiyak » Fri Oct 26, 2007 9:27 am

Thanks everyone for your comments.

The best way to understand is to take each as a separate element or group of elements.

As an analogy, a girl on a balance beam does a standing single twisting back somersault on the beam. How does she get there? She first has to learn a back roll, then be able to do a standing back somersault, then later adds a twist; goes back and tries a somersault on a straight line, then on a training beam and then on the high beam. She goes back again, learns to do the twist, on a line, on a training beam, and then high beam (there's a few more steps in between). Then maybe she adds that same element to be performed on the vault or the uneven bars in some form or another.

You need to understand the basics first (masks, keyframes) otherwise it won't come. In the long run, it will make it easier and you'll be able to create things quicker (I took about two days to create my first multiple mask and it was simple -- kind of understood the masking concept but didn't understand how movement, smoothing or grouping made a difference). I'd probably be able to do that same thing in 15 minutes now.

Except for the previously shared template and masks, I had created the rest from scratch as I was building the tutorial but I had the concepts in my head on what I wanted to do. Some things didn't work as I went along and then tried workarounds to make it work. Never used the colour idea before but I knew in the past looking at templates or if I wanted to build my own that it would be easier if I could visually see my layers and in which direction each layer would go rather than go into the layers view to find out.

So start by just adding one stationery mask, then add another, and another.
Next time, you might want to add a couple of keyframes.
Next time you might want to try movement.
Get more creative, add colour, videos, rotation.
You might find that changing certain settings are best done before you add all the additional layers, sometimes it may not matter.

Make sure you make an extra copy of the slide you're working on so if you try something and it doesn't work, you can go back to where it last worked. I usually keep copies of the various slides at different points along the way.

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Postby twodoor55 » Fri Oct 26, 2007 3:38 pm

Great Tutorial, and entertaining all at the same time. Thanks for sharing that with us.
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Postby nannybear » Fri Oct 26, 2007 5:31 pm

Great stuff Wendy but now I am going for a glass of red!!! Holy a lot to take in ......hugs Jan
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Postby Camlork » Fri Nov 02, 2007 1:25 am

Great tutorial Wendy - think I'll need a bottle to take it all in. Thanks.

Ted

andy

Postby andy » Thu Dec 20, 2007 4:22 am

Wendy,
I know we are now well into Dec 2007 but I have only just seen your templates/tutorial etc….. Wow, Wow and Wow again!!
You must have put so much time into the actual creation....and just for us!

Thank you so very much for sharing your knowledge, templates and the slides with the rest of us.

andy

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Postby bob walden » Thu Dec 20, 2007 5:55 am

Wow! That was great! I think I even understand it!!

Bob W.

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