So does vegas have the worst bezier tool ever or..

dimipapa wrote on 2/20/2015, 11:03 AM
I've only had pro a few years, but during the time I only have platinum tons of people would either lambaste platinum for not having true masking or extol pro for having it.

"OMG masking dude, it doesn't have masking, that's soo disappointing!"

I don't know what it is exactly but I've found the masking a nightmare to actually use. I've never used a more finicky un-intuitive needlessly complicated bezier tool. Every image editor and now since using pro several video programs I've found to have vastly easier to use selection/masking tools.

In vegas it's like ok placing the anchor points isn't so bad unless god forbid you make a mistake and now you want to re-position one. It's like they just wont float around like you want them to. And now good luck closing the anchor chain into an actual selection, and you can just forget about doing any really complicated animation lest like icarus you fly to close to the sun.

What am I missing here? Am I crazy? I've watched tutorials, I've played around with it myself over and over trying to figure out, ok hold down this button, right click select this blah blah, but I'm just like "what's going on here?". It's so damn janky no matter what I try to do.

Any vegas masking masters here want to lend their no how or point me in the direction of the best tutorial on the subject.

Comments

Byron K wrote on 2/20/2015, 11:46 AM
I agree the bezier tool is not very intuitive. Many times I've tried to just move one point and get the curve handles or try to move the whole mask and unable to do it. Even the instructions are pretty vague:

After you create a Bézier, rectangular, or circular mask, you can use the tools in the workspace to edit the mask

Double-click the mask shape in the workspace to edit its properties:



Click the Positive Mask or Negative Mask button to choose whether you want to mask the area inside or outside the mask shape.

You can also choose Positive or Negative from the Mode drop-down list in the Path heading on the left side of the Pan/Crop plug-in.

If you want to feather the edge of the mask shape, select the Feather Inside , Feather Both , or Feather Outside button and drag the slider below the mask shape to adjust the feather amount.

You can also use the Feather type and Feather (%) controls in the Path heading on the left side of the Pan/Crop plug-in.

To move a mask, double-click the path to select it, and then drag it within the workspace.

You can also hold Alt+Shift while clicking a mask to select or deselect it.

You can also use the Position controls on the left side of the Pan/Crop plug-in to move selected masks.

To scale or rotate a selected mask, use the drag handles around the shape. Hold Ctrl or Shift to constrain movement.

Hold Shift while rotating a mask to constrain rotation to 15-degree increments.

To flip selected masks, right-click the mask and choose Flip Horizontal or Flip Vertical from the shortcut menu.

To duplicate a mask, right-click the mask and choose Duplicate from the shortcut menu (or hold Ctrl while dragging a selected mask to a new position).
ronscottcom wrote on 2/20/2015, 12:58 PM
You might find some useful tips for working with Bezier curves in this video. Jump down to about the 3 minute mark.

TheHappyFriar wrote on 2/20/2015, 6:31 PM
I've been using them since I found them (forget if they were in Vegas 3 or 4). I've found the selection can be quirky at times but I don't have any issues using them. The manual gives descriptions of what everything does.

I use the masks EXTENSIVELY and find them pretty easy to use. The best way to learn how they work is to keep using them. Experiment with the features as you're using them to learn how the settings affect your project.
Byron K wrote on 2/21/2015, 1:19 AM
"To move a mask, double-click the path to select it, and then drag it within the workspace." wtf does that mean?

It means this: To move all the points on the mask. Select the "Normal Edit Tool" above the "Anchor Creation Tool" (looks like a pen nib) while holding down Alt.

Once you've done this then you can do the other tasks in the TFM. (;

BTW, ron good video, very informative.
dimipapa wrote on 2/21/2015, 12:01 PM
Thank i've learned a few things that have helped, especially the close path bit. Lets say I am animating the anchor points individually from frame to frame, is there anyway to move them around more freely?
TheHappyFriar wrote on 2/21/2015, 2:24 PM
Not sure what you mean by "move them around more freely". How much more "free" can you get then just dragging anywhere you want?
Byron K wrote on 2/23/2015, 4:34 AM
To move individual points on the bezier mask you have to click on the "Normal Edit Tool" (Arrow above the pen nib)

If you want to add another point on the bezier mask you have to go back and click the "Anchor Creation Tool".

If you want to move or re-size all the points on the bezier mask you have to select the "Normal Edit Tool".
TheHappyFriar wrote on 2/23/2015, 5:55 AM
Never found it annoying to click on the other tools (been doing it in Photoshop/Gimp for years, plus now I can just touch the option I want), but....

with the "edit" tool selected:
*it moves stuff
*Hold ALT and it selects all points
*hold CTRL and it adds points when you move to a space w/o points. Makes a new point if you click not on a line, adds a point if you click on a line.
*hold CTRL and when move the pointer over a control point it automatically selects split tangent mode so you can adjust the curve on that point.