transparency/cutting around film/image

scottshackrock wrote on 3/12/2004, 7:36 AM
I can't figure out how to do this.

I have some film of my head, and it fills up nearly the entire frame. You know, there is some background on the sides and top of my head.

I want to cut it in Vegas so that it is ONLY my head (not even my shoulders, etc. Just like, a "circle" around my head, but I want it fitted as close as possible to my head. Then everything but my head will be "non-existant" or "100% transperent"...do you know? hahaha.

Also, I'd like to be able to do this with photos. For example, if I have something on a white background how I want it (a .jpb or .bmp), can I just say "white=transperent" for THAT picture only?

Thanks!!

Comments

rebel44 wrote on 3/12/2004, 10:08 AM
In Vegas cookie cutter offer some form of cutting the background, but in solid form-no freehand. In most paint programs you can trace the object and paint with transparency. With still picture it is easy, but with motion could be a very time consuming. You will have to import frames by frames to paint program. Trace out and fill with transparency the import back to Vegas.
The best way (and fastest) would be to take your picture against solid color the key out the color in Vegas.
scottshackrock wrote on 3/12/2004, 10:33 AM
how do I key out the color?? haha. sorry, can't find the answer!
jetdv wrote on 3/12/2004, 11:17 AM
Chroma-key effect. (but a white background is NOT good - most use GREEN)
johnmeyer wrote on 3/12/2004, 12:07 PM
Sony,

There is a technique pioneered, I think, by a company now called Santa Cruz Networks, that would be of great use to this person, as well as many others. It was a technique that provided a way to key out any static background, based on luminescent values. I saw this work, with my own eyes, five years ago.

The way it works is that you lock down the camera and start the video rolling, and take a picture of an empty room. This image gets recorded to a key buffer. You then replace this key with whatever background image or video you want. When someone walks into the scene, the values of his/her pixels are different, not only in a given frame, but frame to frame. While the quality of the keys were not quite as good as green screen, they were pretty darn good. As I remember, there were also ways to clean it up based on temporal information. Basically, it was a luminesence key, but there was more to it than that. It really worked. As long as the background remained static and consistently lit, the key worked well.

I can put you in touch with the founder who holds the patent on the process. It would be a great addition to Vegas. They are now making their money on a really amazing multi-point desktop videoconferencing system, so they might be willing to work out a deal on this.