Bluring a Mask

mjroddy wrote on 7/20/2004, 9:56 AM
Maybe this is a dunderhead question, but I hope not.
I'm putting some fireworks (make in PIllusion) into a hokey scene. I've masked off the parts where the fireworks shouldn't be seen, but those lines are razor sharp. They should have a dither of 2or3 pixels. If i apply a blur to the clip or track, the whole clip blurs, of couse.
How do I just blur the mask? make a seperate one NOT attached to the clip? like in an art program maybe?
Thanks for all advice and help.

Comments

Chienworks wrote on 7/20/2004, 10:04 AM
Most photo editing programs have a mask blur (or feather) feature built in. This may not help if you have a motion image though.

You might want to consider setting the compositing mode to "Lighten" instead of "Source". This will mix the fireworks into the video rather than replacing the original pixels with the new ones.
bStro wrote on 7/20/2004, 11:15 AM
What kind of mask are you using? If you aren't already, try using a bezier mask (click the event's pan/crop button and check the Mask box down at the lower left -- see manual or New Features document for more info). You can "blur" the edges by changing the mask's feather settings.

[Edit: You can also change a bezier mask's position and shape by key frame, in case you want to change what part of your video shows at different times.]

Rob
KingVideo wrote on 7/20/2004, 12:13 PM
Or if you have the mask on a parent track, but a gaussian blur on the mask track and child the footage...
mjroddy wrote on 7/20/2004, 1:42 PM
Chienworks: Thanks, I'm using a Vegas Mask so...
bStro: THANKS! I looked and looked - but obviously not well enough for that Feather feature. I'll go back and look again.
KingVideo: Not sure I understand. If I blur the parent track, the fireworks got blurry as well.
I think the feather will be swell, once I get home to find it (not working in Vegas here at Work).
There is hope! Thanks gang!
Fleshpainter wrote on 7/21/2004, 5:53 PM
To blur a bezier mask you have to hilight it first, ( the whole thing) then the path contros will be enabled. That's not too clearly explained in the manual.