Timecode text color and background color

johnmeyer wrote on 2/11/2004, 10:44 PM
I use the Media Fx timecode generator to create count-up and count-down clocks for sporting events (cout up for track; count down for basketball).

Question: Is there an easy way to change the text color and background color of the timer? I can sort of get what I want using invert (gives me black text on white background) in the filter chain. Similarly, I can add Color Balance and get some change in the text color. However, I haven't found any way to change the font; to add drop shadow, or to directly control the color in a manner similar to the text options.

Any hints or ideas?

Thanks!

Comments

Chienworks wrote on 2/12/2004, 4:57 AM
How about color curves? I tried putting the timecode on it's own track in an empty event and applying color curves. I set blue to off, green to bright at the high end, and red to bright at the low end. I got green digits on a red background. The invert seemed to do really weird things though. Having it on seemed to be off, yet turning it off went back to black & white with colored fringes. However, with color curves it doesn't seem necessary anyway since you can color any brightness range arbitrarily.

http://www.vegasusers.com/testbench/screenshots/chienworks-colorcurves_on_timecode.jpg
PeterWright wrote on 2/12/2004, 6:04 AM
How about having the time code on it's own track, then making that the Parent track to a track containing a generated colour? This gets rid of the TC background leaving the numbers in whatever colour you choose.

You can also apply drop shadow or Glow to the Parent track with Track Motion.

Don't know if the font is changeable though.
johnmeyer wrote on 2/12/2004, 11:57 AM
Chienworks & PeterWright:

Thanks to you both.

I had tried the plug-in approach, using one of the other color tools, and was able to get the text to change. What I hadn't thought of doing was the multiple track approach. A little roundabout, but I think that will give me a little more flexibility.

Too bad there is no way to change the font, though.

I have created and upload to Sundance, a VEG file that shows how to do a basic count up and count down timer. I'm going to post the link to that file in another post.