Simple CNN-style captioning

Hayes81 wrote on 7/22/2004, 7:22 AM

Hi. I need to add "CNN-style" captioning to a video, where there is a solid backround border along the bottom of the screen with text continuously scrolling in from the right. I trid the scrolling plugin but wasn't able to get this effect. 1) I could have a transparent background or a solid background. A solid background causes the background video footage to be hidden. I need a background that only is as tall as the text.
2) Didn't see a way to have the text scroll continuously, all the way off the screen. I could get it to appear from the right, scrolling horizontally, but it always pauses before exiting to the left.

Any suggesions?
Thanks.

Comments

ScottW wrote on 7/22/2004, 7:36 AM

Here's one approach. Place your generated media below your main video track. I used the "Timed, Scroll Right on Frosty White" and changed things around so the credits were one line at a time, a colored background and scroll in on the right and out on the left. Then repositioned the credit so that it was on the lower third of the screen.

Then going to the video track above, used Pan/Crop to move the picture up which allowed the generated media to show thru below.

I imagine that others can suggest different methods.

--Scott

Hayes81 wrote on 7/22/2004, 8:13 AM

Thanks. I got the part about cropping the video to work. I still, however, can't get the text to scoll and keep scrolling. For example, if I have a very long line of text, it pauses or stops after the first several words have scrolled in. Is there any way to suppress that behavior? I'd like to have one set of text scroll in smoothly and off the screen smoothly without hesitating at any point, followed, perhaps, by another text object.

Thanks.

jetdv wrote on 7/22/2004, 9:37 AM

Make sure the first keyframe has the text all the way off the screen to the right. Make sure the second keyframe has the text all the way off the screen to the left. Make sure you ONLY have those two keyframes. The text will scroll onto the screen, across the screen, and off the screen.

BTW, I use the "position" tab in the text media for this purpose.

OdieInAz wrote on 7/22/2004, 4:59 PM

Here's another swizzle that is pretty easy too.

Use the top track for generated media, "Text". Type all your text on one line in the Edit tab. Don't use "Auto" for font size, but force it to something like 18. Use the placment tab and put keyframe at the start and end of the media, as per jetdv guidance. Might want to type in the vertical coordinates on both key frames to keep it scrolling level. Under properties, set background color to transparent (RGBA = 0000). Now you have scrolling text.

Next you might want a solid bar under the text as it scrolls, so set a 2nd track below the first, and insert generated media "Solid Color". It will default to frame size 720 x 480, but force it to something like 720 x 30. Pick your color. Can use gradients too. Use track motion to align the stripe under the text that you put on the top track generated media.

Under all this, say track 3 and below, put your normal audio / video. Now you have text with background that scrolls across the bottom. Copy and past, drag end points and you've bot a pretty quick and simple CNN-like scrolling feature.

Spot|DSE wrote on 7/23/2004, 2:18 AM

Hayes,
FWIW, there is a CNN-type veg on the VASST site that lays all of this out for you... http://www.vasst.com/login.htm