Zoom in and then return to original spot

cgarn wrote on 8/1/2005, 8:52 AM

Hi! I'm not sure how to create the effect that I want. I am doing a soccer video that has a defender getting beat. I would like to have the video stop, zoom in on the defender and then zoom back out to the original shot and then continue.

So far I have split the event and made a still shot at the split point. I can add a pan transition zooming in and tried to copy the original shot but can't make it end up at the same starting point.

Any help or thoughts are apprecitated.

Also if I just wanted to add an arrow pointing out the action how would I do that?

Thanks,
Chris

Comments

Iacobus wrote on 8/1/2005, 10:16 AM

Hi Chris,

Try this:

-Take your still shot and make a copy of that shot's event on the timeline. Access the video event properties dialog by clicking the "FX" icon for the copied event.

-Click the Pan/Crop tab. Click the "End" button in the upper right. Also click the "Show Properties" button in the upper left. Note the settings for the frame and write them down.

Now shrink the frame area and move it to the area where you'd like to focus the action in on. (Shrink it by dragging one of the corner handles inward.) Keep doing this until you're satisfied. When done, note the settings in "Position". (You might want to write these settings down.)

-Make another copy of the original frame and place it after your "zoom in". Enter the settings you got when you zoomed all the way in here.

-Next, make a copy of this event. Now reverse the process by clicking the "End" button and enter the original settings from the first event.

You can then continue on with the rest of the video track.

As far as the arrow goes, people do things different ways. Here's how I do it:

In Ulead PhotoImpact 10, I make a new composition with a total black background at a size of 720x480 pixels. I then use PhotoImpact's Line and Arrow Tool to make an arrow and then turn it into a selection. If I want, I can then fill in the selection with a color other than black.

I then save as a TIFF with the "save selection" option checked. (What this does is essentially saves anything within the selection and makes anything outside the selection transparent.)

I can then import this TIFF into Movie Studio on the "video overlay" track and place and/or zoom the arrow using the same Pan/Crop dialog under the FX icon. I can then place the arrow's event to sync with a desired part of the video.

If you don't use PhotoImpact, check your preferred image editor's online help (or manual) for details on how to save TIFF with transparency. Each editor has its own way of doing things.

HTH,
Iacobus
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gogiants wrote on 8/1/2005, 11:48 AM

For the zoom in/zoom out, don't forget that you can save and name your pan/crop settings. Look for the little floppy disk save icon. This means you won't have to write down all of the zoomed-in settings; just save them and then choose them from the list to use as your begin position for the zoom out.

Elmo27376 wrote on 8/1/2005, 12:21 PM

So far I have split the event and made a still shot at the split point. I can add a pan transition zooming in and tried to copy the original shot but can't make it end up at the same starting point.

If I am understanding you the action you want is to zoom out to the original position from the ZI position of the shot.

Do this: When the shot is in it's original position in the Pan/Zoom window click Begin. Type a name for the position like "before zoom" then click on the Floppy disk icon to save it as a Preset before the zoom in on the defender.

Put a check in the box between the words Begin and End. Zoom in to the defender and click End. Type a name for the position like "after zoom" and click on the Floppy disk icon to save it as a Preset aftter the zoom.

Add the still of the defender to the timeline.

Drag the shot from the Media Pool to the timeline (a duplicate really) and open it in the Pan/Zoom window.

Click the down arrow in the Presets window, find "after zoom" and click on it then click Begin. Put a check in the box between Begin and End. Find "before zoom" in the Preset window and click on it then click End.

That should do what you want.

Also if I just wanted to add an arrow pointing out the action how would I do that?

Save a still where you want the arrow to show.

Open a photo editing program. (I use Adobe Photoshop Elements)
Open the still you saved.
Open another window but make this one a transparent window.
Add an arrow to the transparent window in the color and size you want.
In the layers menu add a layer.
Drag the arrow to the still background for positioniing and resizing if necessary.
In the Layers menu drag the still background to the trashcan so you only have the arrow left.
Save the arrow screen as .gif and be sure it saved as Transparent.
Now you can drag it to the Overlay track on the timeline.

That should do it.

Storyman wrote on 8/1/2005, 8:09 PM

Elmo,

This is what works best for me.

Take the still photo and stretch it out to the length that you want it to be on screen (including all the zooms, pans, and static shots).

Make the slices as needed.

In the Pan tab be certain that the snap to option is selected.

Set the start and end framing. Note where the guidelines snap to along the top and left side.

Go to the next clip and set the start point to the same settings as the end point of the previous clip. You already know the rest.

The most important thing is to set 'snap to' in the pan options.

cgarn wrote on 8/3/2005, 6:18 AM

Thanks so much for the great (and quick) responses. One more question.

I know how to shrink (resize) the area for panning and zooming but I was having trouble moving the box. Everytime I tried to move it instead it wanted to rotate instead. I was trying to click on the center of the box to move it.

Was I doing something wrong?

Elmo27376 wrote on 8/3/2005, 6:31 AM

That is the right place to click; just be sure the cursor is in the center and when you press the left mouse button the cursor will change to a four way arrow.

IanG wrote on 8/3/2005, 8:09 AM

From memory, there's a spot in the centre of the frame - if you click on that the frame rotates, anywhere else and you move it.

Ian G.

Elmo27376 wrote on 8/3/2005, 2:22 PM

Sorry, IanG is correct; I goofed.

That center spot can be moved around the frame then the rotation will be around that spot.

IanG wrote on 8/3/2005, 3:06 PM

> Sorry, IanG is correct; I goofed.
I'm not and you didn't - the mistake was mine!

>That center spot can be moved around the frame then the rotation will be around that spot.

That's true, but I was wrong in saying that the frame rotates when you click on the spot - you just move the spot! If you click anywhere in the frame defined by the blue and white dotted lines you move the frame, if you click outside you rotate it.

Ian G.