FX Frustration

kplo wrote on 3/29/2021, 4:11 PM

I'm on V13, but this issue exists in all versions I've checked (including V17 trial). There is no way to reverse a simple page turn/roll transition. Here is a recent setup: bottom track is a moving BG plate, top track is the incoming scene (sized to about 80% in pan/crop) I would like to peel on, not peel off as is the default. There doen't seem to be any way to reverse this transition. An online tutorial suggestion was to apply a transition envelope, but this rolls on the underlying BG as well. That might work if the incoming scene is full frame, but not when it's reduced in size. Any workarounds would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Ken

Comments

Former user wrote on 3/29/2021, 8:27 PM

@kplo

This is probably as close as you can get in Vegas. Notice you only see the page effect after it starts. The upper left stays at TV raster cut off.

Dexcon wrote on 3/29/2021, 10:46 PM

Another approach ...

Take the upper track video onto a full-sized track (i.e. pan/crop default) and add your desired page turn/roll effect to the beginning of the event. Then render the loop region containing just that event to create an intermediate. But, the render choice needs to be Video for Windows, and select the basic template for your project properties. Then go to the custom settings window accessed via 'Customize Template'. There, adjust the frame size if necessary, then go to the 'Video Format' field and change the format to 'Uncompressed', and then check the 2nd last checkbox further down that window - 'Render alpha channel '. Close the custom settings window. In the Render As window, select your destination folder and make sure that the render title is in the .avi format. Hit 'Render'.

After rendering, import the intermediate to the upper track and do your desired pan/crop adjustments. Then R click that new video event, select Properties, select the Media tab, and change the 'Alpha channel' field from None to 'Premultiplied (dirty)' or 'Straight (unmatted)' - your choice for the look, and then hit OK. Hopefully, that will achieve the desired effect.

A possible downside with this approach ... the page turn reveal starts with a fully black screen, and the activated alpha channel allows the fully black sections of the uncompressed .avi video event to be disregarded and thus display the video event on the lower track. If the upper track video event contains deep blacks in its image, those blacks might let the lower video image bleed though. If that happens, try lightening the blacks a bit via Gamma before rendering the intermediate again.

An example still frame:

This was done using Vegas Pro 18.

kplo wrote on 3/31/2021, 12:16 PM

Thanks to you both. I finally loaded up my ancient version of Boris Red, placed 2 seconds of the outgoing and incoming shots on the timeline and rendered it using the built in FX. Slight gamma shift but easily fixed in Vegas.

The FX from Vegas are very old and many could benefit from the simple option to apply them in reverse. That said, I've created many comps in Vegas that editors thought were done in After Effects. :).