Producer lets you create a layer (solid or gradient) that you can then resize, change the opacity of, and even give a vignette to or to blur (to take the hard edge off the layer). You then move this layer to beneath your caption. The whole purpose is to change the contrast between the image and the caption so the caption becomes easier to read.
Also, you can add an adjustment layer (make it all white), make it the correct size to fit to the caption (a combination of the pixel dimensions and then changed zoom settings. Either just bigger than the caption or a "ribbon" running across the screen, as in a lower 3rd - for instance). Now, between changing its opacity (changing the opacity of the AL adjusts the opacity of the AL itself, not the image. To soften the hard edges of the AL, you'll need to add a vignette, located in layers | Editing | Vignette. The other settings impact all images below and directly under the confines of the AL itself.). With the blur setting you can blur the image below the adjustment layer but only for the area underneath the adjustment layer itself (gives the effect that Debbie noted with the masked blurred image idea). The thing too is that the color of the adjustment layer can be changed using the colorize feature . . . and that will affect the color of the image immediately below the adjustment layer. This is an all Producer option without the need to rely on outside programs to create these simple effects.
Like Debbie said, adding an outline and a shadow to the caption can also help the viewability of the caption against its background. Typically, this border and shadow are not the same color as the caption. You'll want high contrast. So, a white caption with a black border and a black, 50% opacity shadow. Or, a black caption with white border and 50@ opacity white shadow, for instance.
Black or white captions are the most common because they represent the extremes for contrast to the background (watch TV commercials). Any other color should compatible with the color scheme of your show theme. Have fun!
Dale (the other one!)
Last edited by
im42n8 on Fri Mar 04, 2011 5:50 am, edited 3 times in total.