highlighting something in the video?

Eigentor wrote on 9/4/2009, 8:33 AM
I want to be able to play an action scene and highlight (halo) particular person in the video. I'm using VMS9 platinum. I've tried doing it with keyframes, but that seems very difficult. I've tried putting an arrow in and trying to syncronize it in each frame, is mind boggling. Is ther an easier way?

Comments

Himanshu wrote on 9/4/2009, 3:37 PM
This question has been asked/answered several times...if you run a quick search I'll bet you'll come up with some very useful information. Good luck!
Terry Esslinger wrote on 9/4/2009, 6:20 PM
In short, if the person moves in the scene you are going to have to keyframe. Vegas does not have a pixel tracker.
Eigentor wrote on 9/8/2009, 5:53 AM
Thanks, I found
http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/forums/ShowMessage.asp?ForumID=12&MessageID=649507

This is what I want to be able to do. I tried using an "O" and keyfrmaing it, but it is very difficult moving it to sync with the person of interest.
Terry Esslinger wrote on 9/8/2009, 6:20 PM
The answer is MANY keyframes
Eigentor wrote on 9/11/2009, 6:25 AM
Ok, I tried what the thread suggested. I duplicatied the scenes on two tracks, on top of each other, then using the cookie cutter effect on one of the tracks to halo the subject. Then it says to darkening one of the tracks and lightening the other, so that you still see the surrounding. How do you lighten/darken? Is this a track effect, or a frame effect? Also it seemd like the cookie cutter effect was on both tracks, not what I want, I think.
OhMyGosh wrote on 9/11/2009, 9:18 AM
Hi Eigentor,
You can lighten or darken with many effects. 'Color Curves' or plain 'Levels' work, or you can even use 'Gaussian Blur' on the bottom layer instead of lightness/darkness to keep your subject in focus while everything else looks slightly out of focus. You can apply the effects to either the entire track, or to individual clips, your choice. When you say 'Also it seemd like the cookie cutter effect was on both tracks' do you see black everywhere other than what's in the cookie cutter shape? Let us know. Cin
Eigentor wrote on 9/11/2009, 9:45 AM
Thnaks, yes I see black every where else, just like on the other track. Where do I find "Levels" or "Color curves"?
Terry Esslinger wrote on 9/11/2009, 1:42 PM
Place video on track one (no audio)
Place same video on track two directly under video on track one. Leave audio if so desired.
Tick event fx box on video in line 2.
Choose video levels and apply.
Change levels to make it brighter.
Close fx box
Tick fx box on event track 1
Choose cookie cutter.
Choose oval or circle.
Adjust size
You should now see your video with a brighter oval wherever you placed it on your video. There should be no black areas.
Now as you progress the curser you wiull nedd to set keyframes to have the oval follow the player.
Hope this helps.
OhMyGosh wrote on 9/11/2009, 2:19 PM
If you have done everything else right, in the 'Video Event FX' window click the drop down arrow and select 'Circle,Center' or which ever you want, and that will get rid of the black. Let us know. Cin
Eigentor wrote on 9/12/2009, 12:13 PM
Ok, got it, great, I think I regained about 10 years. I think the one fundamental mistake I had made was that the border (of the cookie) was so thick as to black out the rest of the video, such that track two could not bleed through. This renews my faith in mankind.

Ok, next question, how can I set the parameters of the cookie (border, size, feather,...) for each keyframe the same, without editing each keyframe individually, such that the only difference betwen keyframes is the position? Also the attributes (linear,smooth,...).
OhMyGosh wrote on 9/12/2009, 12:25 PM
The parameters of the cookie cutter won't change unless you change them. Just make sure you are at the beginning of the clip when you apply the changes to the effect in the first place. As for the properties of the keyframes, just right click on them and have at it. Let us know if that helps. Cin
Eigentor wrote on 9/12/2009, 12:58 PM
Ok,, that "live and learn" thing got me again. So if I had set those parameters on the first keyframe, they would have remained constant on each subsequent keyframe. But once I've created all the keyframes there's no easy way to change them all at once. With the attributes I notice if I select the first keyframe and shift>select the last one, I can change all of them at once. I really appreciate your help.

And apparently I can attach the cookie cutter effect to individual scenes or to the entire track. Thanks.