Working with Masks

by **im42n8** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 6:41 am

Just some practical examples of what you can do with masks
as well as some tutorials as well showing how the slide was created.

http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewsho ... alb=135843

Dale

This tutorial set is 18m 29s long watching all the way through.
The intro is 27s (when you first open the tutorial);
Alpha Masks 1: 2:49;
Alpha Masks 2: 5:11;
Alpha Masks 3: 3:34s;
Example: 1:14;
Grayscale Masks: 3:34; and
Text Mask: 1:40.

<> Alpha Masks 1 uses alpha masks to remove part of an image or AVI to show what's underneath.
<> Alpha Masks 2 shows how to create borders and shadows around a masked image.
<> Alpha Masks 3 show examples of how alpha masks can be used (including text).
<> Example shows an example of how masks are used to create borders and shadows around an image in a way that you wouldn't ordinarily expect from a mask ... it's left up to you to figure out how it was done.
<> The Grayscale mask shows how to use black and white and shades of gray to affect an image.
<> The Text mask is a basic tutorial that shows how to use Text as a mask.

by **bigsewed** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 9:30 am

Dale...
As usual...GREAT masking tutorials...
Thanks for all your hard work and sharing generosity...
You help make us all better...
Wes

by **im42n8** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 5:31 pm

Thanx! Glad they helped! Masks seem to be something many can't seem to readily grasp w/o some help here and there!

Dale

by **dnmilikan** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 8:24 pm

Thanks again Dale for your generosity and time in preparing another excellent tutorial. Much appreciated!!!

Best,
Don

by **Carolynw** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 3:55 pm

Thanks for the great tut Dale.
I think I am slowly getting the grips of all the great things that can be done with masks but this would not be possible without help from tutorials like yours.

Carolyn

by **im42n8** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 8:26 pm

Thanx! I appreciate it!

Dale

by **GabBill** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 3:57 am

Thanx, Dale, for all your tutorials. I still have a lot to wrap my brain around.

Bill

by **im42n8** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 4:46 am

Thanx Bill! Hopefully they help flatten the learning curve!

Dale

by **Pauline Collins** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 3:36 pm

Thanks Dale for that tutorial, after watching the one on the Text and trying it, I now understand what masking is about. Well not really what it is all about but you got me off to a jump start.
Pauline

by **im42n8** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 9:27 pm

Pauline,

It takes time to really get a handle on masks (not so much time to use them tho) such that you can understand them enough to really be effective. Same goes for keyframes .... and the myriad of other capabilities offered by Producer!

I am glad I could help!

Dale

by **czali** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 5:18 am

Dale,

WOW! I am going to have to go back and watch everything later when I have time. Looks like some really good stuff.

Colleen

by **Stumpy** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 8:09 am

This is going to be a valuable show to keep going back to. Masking is the one part of Producer that i have trouble grasping.

Thanks for sharing

Stuart

by **Pauline Collins** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 11:58 am

Hi again Dale, just had a look at the rest of your tutorials. Can you tell me where I can get the masks that you used in 7, 8 and 9 - the blue elliptical one. A really nice effect.
Thanks, Pauline

by **im42n8** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 10:17 pm

Pauline,

Those masks don't exist anymore ... as far as I can tell. I created them to test the masking capabilities of Producer when it first came out with the capability.

But, this is what you can do to approximate the effect.

Using Producer, add three solid color layer layers of the same size to your slide. Just for jollies, set them up to fill the frame. For the heck of it, make the top one white, leave the next two as black (it doesn't matter what their color is as we're using them as alpha (transparency) masks ... this is just for reference sake). For the white layer, vignette it as an ellipse with type as transparent. Set the vignette size to 10.

The next layer, the black layer, down is a vignette too ... shape = ellipse, type=transparent, vignette size =25. You'll do nothing for the third layer.

Now, select an image to add to the slide and duplicate it. Put a copy between the white (lyr 1) and the 1st black (lyr 2) layers. Put the other copy between the two black layers. Layer 1 = white layer. Layer 2 = image. Layer 3 is black layer. Layer 4 is image copy. Layer 5 is black layer.

Layers 2 and 4 are set to fill frame. Zoom layer 4 to 200%. Set layers 1 and 3 as masks: alpha (transparency). Invert layer 1 mask. You now have the basics.

Layer 5 provides the black border for the "Lens." Layer 4 is the image seen through the lens. Translate the two mask layers at the same time and you move the lens across the screen. For realism you'll want to move layer 4 the opposite direction to what the lens is doing. That's the basics of it! The rest is your imagination!

What you should see is an ellipse defined by a black outline that fades toward the center of the ellipse. The 100% zoom image should be seen everywhere outside the ellipse. The 200% zoom image should be seen in the ellipse itself.

Good luck!

Dale

by **Pauline Collins** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 12:59 am

Thank you so much for that Dale. You sure went to a lot of trouble to explain and it was so easy to understand.
Tried it as soon as I read it. Really great effect. Thanks again.
Cheers Pauline

Working with Masks

Working with Masks

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