Pinnacle HOLLYWOOD FX User Manual

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Pinnacle Systems, Inc. 280 N. Bernardo Ave Mountain View, CA 94043 www.pinnaclesys.com

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Revision A - English

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LICENSE AGREEMENT........................................................3

TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................5

INTRODUCTION..................................................................9

What is Hollywood FX?..................................................................9

Hollywood FX Levels...................................................................10

Before You Start..........................................................................11

Installing Hollywood FX...............................................................12

Licensing and Registration..........................................................13

Customer Support.......................................................................14

GETTING STARTED ..........................................................15

Pinnacle Studio...........................................................................16

Pinnacle Edition and Liquid .........................................................19

Adobe Premiere..........................................................................22

Avid AVX....................................................................................25

TUTORIALS .....................................................................29

Transitions & Options..................................................................29

Transition+.................................................................................33

MultiWindow FX..........................................................................35

PINNACLE ONLINE ...........................................................39

TROUBLESHOOTING ........................................................41

PERFORMANCE ............................................................... 43

CPU Speed, Bus Speed, and Memory ...........................................43

Graphic Card Drivers...................................................................43

Preview Performance ..................................................................43

Final Rendering Performance.......................................................44

ADVANCED TUTORIALS....................................................45

Keyframe Editing with Envelopes Plus PRO......................................45

Flight Path Editing Plus PRO ...........................................................49

Creating New FX from Existing FX PRO .........................................54

Warp Plugins PRO ........................................................................59

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3D Text Generation PRO ............................................................... 62

REFERENCE GUIDE ..........................................................63

THE HOLLYWOOD FX DIALOG ...........................................65

The Hollywood FX Dialog............................................................ 65

The Control Panel....................................................................... 66

The Monitor Panel ...................................................................... 71

The Item Panel............................................................................ 73

The Envelope Editor Panel Plus PRO ............................................... 73

The Buttons Panel...................................................................... 73

THE FX CATALOG.............................................................75

Organizing FX ............................................................................ 75

BASIC OPTIONS ...............................................................77

Easy Flight Controls ................................................................... 77

Easy Lighting Controls ............................................................... 78

Easy Options Controls................................................................ 78

ADVANCED OPTIONS PLUS PRO .............................................81

Shadow Controls........................................................................ 81

Trail Count................................................................................. 82

Motion Blur Controls................................................................... 82

Hold Times................................................................................. 82

MEDIA OPTIONS ...............................................................85

Media Selection.......................................................................... 85

Preview and Trimming Plus PRO ..................................................... 86

Information ................................................................................ 86

Playback Control........................................................................ 86

Cropping Controls Plus PRO........................................................... 87

OBJECT OPTIONS PLUS PRO..................................................89

Object Hierarchies...................................................................... 89

Select File…............................................................................... 90

Positioning Controls................................................................... 90

Morph & Dissolve ....................................................................... 91

Parent Object............................................................................. 92

Object Flags............................................................................... 92

SURFACE OPTIONS PLUS PRO ...............................................93

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Texture Options..........................................................................93

Color Options .............................................................................94

THE ENVELOPE EDITOR PLUS PRO......................................... 97

The Single Value Envelope ..........................................................97

Multiple Value Envelope ..............................................................98

The Envelope Window.................................................................98

The Envelope Buttons .................................................................99

Key Type Controls.....................................................................100

Keyframe Controls ....................................................................100

Spline Controls.........................................................................104

PLUGINS PRO .................................................................. 105

Managing Plugins......................................................................105

Filter - Blur................................................................................107

Filter - Chroma Key ...................................................................108

Filter - Luma Key.......................................................................109

Filter - Directional Wipe.............................................................110

Filter – Edge Wipe.....................................................................111

Filter - Gradient Wipe.................................................................112

Warp – AlphaParticles...............................................................113

Warp – Displacement Map..........................................................115

Warp – Explode.........................................................................116

Warp – Peel...............................................................................118

Warp – PolyShrink .....................................................................120

Warp – Ripple ...........................................................................121

Warp – Swirl.............................................................................123

Warp - Twist ..............................................................................124

EXPORT HFZ PRO ............................................................ 125

IMPORT 3D PRO ............................................................... 127

3D TEXT PRO................................................................... 129

THE SETTINGS DIALOG .................................................. 131

Preview Settings .......................................................................131

Edit Settings.............................................................................132

Render Performance..................................................................133

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Thank you for purchasing Hollywood FX. Hollywood FX gives you an incredible collection of 3D transitions that you can quickly add to your video productions, and customize completely for your needs. This chapter will introduce you to Hollywood FX, provide instructions for installation and give contact information for customer support.

This is a general guide to using Hollywood FX. If you received Hollywood FX as part of a complete Pinnacle Systems’ solution, then you should first read the Hollywood FX chapter in the guide that came with that solution.

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Hollywood FX is an incredible collection of real 3D transitions and effects that you can add to any video production. Hollywood FX works as an integrated plugin to your video editing software (host application). Hollywood FX is:

• Real 3D. Hollywood FX uses OpenGL to provide hardware accelerated, high quality 3D rendering.

• Easy To Use. Simply drag-and-drop Hollywood FX into your timeline like any other transition. The Hollywood FX dialog will appear and you can select a transition, change your options, or customize an effect.

• Organized. Transitions are organized into convenient categories with icons that let you find the transition you want quickly.

• Convenient. With every transition you can change the flight direction, lighting, shadows, shine and antialiasing with the click of your mouse.

• MultiWindow Excitement. Hollywood FX supports unlimited video sources to create multi-layer 3D composites. Create cubes with different video sources on each side, and much more.

• Expandable. Additional theme packs of 3D transitions are available through Pinnacle Online at hollywoodfx.pinnaclesys.com, and Hollywood FX PRO lets you share your own creations with other users.

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There are three levels of Hollywood FX:

• Basic. Includes 100 transitions and simple control over flight direction, lighting, shadows shine, motion blur, trails, and antialiasing (Basic for Pinnacle Studio includes 16 sample transitions and limited control).

• Plus. Enables 188 additional transitions (288 total) plus advanced control over lighting, light direction, shadows, shine, motion blur, trails, antialiasing and more. Plus lets you customize any transition with full keyframe editing of flight paths, object shape (morphing) and transparency of objects.

• PRO. Enables 96 additional transitions (384 total) and gives you complete control over all 3D rendering options. Pro provides a complete suite of 3D tools to create your own 3D transitions and effects:

o Complete keyframe editing of all object, surface, light and

camera attributes in a full 3D editing environment.

o Includes a suite of image filters including: Blurs, Directional

Wipe, Edge Wipe, Gradient Wipe and Luma and Chroma key.

o Includes a powerful suite of 3D warp plugins including:

Alpha Particles, Displace, Explode, Peel, PolyShrink, Swirl and Twirl.

o Adds an incredible 3D text generator that lets you create

amazing 3D text fly-ons.

o Import your own 3D objects (Lightwave 5 format) to create

completely unique 3D effects.

o Share your customized effects with others by exporting a

simple self-installing compressed file that contains the effect and all objects and images needed for that effect.

You can easily and instantly upgrade between these levels over the Internet at Pinnacle Online or purchased packaged upgrades from your video reseller.

This is a complete guide for all levels of Hollywood FX. Sections and features that are available in Plus and Pro are marked with Plus PRO and

features are only available in Pro are marked with PRO .

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Before getting started with Hollywood FX you should have a good working knowledge of your Windows system. You should be able to use the mouse to select menu options and should understand and be able to use the common controls.

You should also be thoroughly familiar with your video editing software. You should be able to use clips in the timeline and understand how to add and modify transitions and filters.

Throughout this document we use the term FX to refer to the transitions and effects in Hollywood FX. This term generically describes the following types of transitions and effects:

• Transition. These are standard A-B transitions, where one video source transitions into a second.

• Transition+. These are also A-B transitions; however, they may have additional video channels that can be mapped with video. For example, the FlipOver FX features the first video source flipping over like a card to reveal the second video source. There is a third video source that is visible in the background as the “card” flips over.

• MultiWindow. These effects are not transitions at all. Instead, windows of video may fly on or off the screen into various positions while playing your video.

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If Hollywood FX was included in a Pinnacle Systems’ solution, it will be installed automatically with that product, and you can skip this section.

Before installing Hollywood FX, verify that you have the correct minimum requirements:

• PC compatible computer with at least a 300 MHz (Intel Celeron/Pentium II, or AMD Duron/Athlon class processor)

• Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows ME, Windows 2000, or Windows XP.

• 64 MB RAM (more may be required by your video editing software). For multi-window effects, 128 to 256 MB (or more) is recommended.

• At least 200 MB Hard Disk space.

• 16 or 24 bit display adapter. 3D OpenGL accelerator recommended.

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F Insert the Hollywood FX CD into your CD-ROM drive. The Main

Installation menu for your software will appear.

F Select Install Hollywood FX. The Language Selection dialog will

appear.

F Select your preferred language then click Ok. The Serial Number

dialog will appear.

F Enter the serial number that came with your software (it normally can

be found on the first page of this guide or on the CD-ROM sleeve). Enter the serial number exactly as shown, including dashes, then click Ok.

F Click Next to continue. The Setup Path dialog will appear. F Normally you should accept the default path for installation. Do not

select your non-linear editor’s plug-in path for installation; the installer will automatically install the files needed into your non-linear editor’s folders. Click Next to continue. Hollywood FX will be installed on your system.

F After installation, the LicenseTool dialog will appear. You have the

option to register online immediately (see Licensing and Registration).

F After installation, you may be required to restart your system.

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The License Tool

Registering your software gives you access to important benefits including current updates, support, upgrade promotions, and information on exciting new products from Pinnacle Systems.

Hollywood FX Basic and Plus do not require registration, but will continue to remind you until you have registered your software.

Hollywood FX PRO is copy protected, and users must register within 90 days to continue using the software.

When you register a Hollywood FX product, you will receive a permanent keycode that fully enables Hollywood FX on a particular computer and stops the registration reminders.

You can register from any Internet-enabled computer by connecting to hollywoodfx.pinnaclesys.com. If you do not have your own Internetenabled computer, you can register from any computer that is connected to the Internet (from a Library or Internet café for example).

If you reformat your system drive and reinstall the operating system or move Hollywood FX to a new computer, you will need to get a new permanent keycode, which you can do quickly at hollywoodfx.pinnaclesys.com.

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Pinnacle Systems is dedicated to providing the best products and the best customer support.

For fastest support, point your browser to www.pinnaclesys.com/support.

Please note Pinnacle Systems cannot provide support for using your nonPinnacle video editing software. You should first make sure you fully understand the operation of your other software before calling. You should also look through the Readme file and the Troubleshooting section of this guide before contacting customer support.

Instant Online Support: www.pinnaclesys.com/support

Phone (North & South America): 1-317-577-8788 Austria & Switzerland = +31-411-619-919

Belgium = 0902-88-101 France = 0836-687-512 Germany = 0190 510 083 or +31 411 619 577 Italy = 02 754 19 604 Netherlands = 0900 202 8 202 Scandinavia = +31 411 619 069 Spain = 91 375 4511 United Kingdom = 0640 701 111

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This chapter provides quick-start documentation for each video editor (host application) that Hollywood FX plugs into. For each host application, the basic procedure is described for adding and modifying Hollywood FX transitions and filters, as well as hints and tips specific to that video editor. After reading the section describing your video editor, you should continue to the tutorials in the following chapter.

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Hollywood FX transitions can be applied between video clips and titles within Pinnacle Studio 7 and higher.

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To use Hollywood FX, first prepare two video sources into the storyboard.

Two video clips ready with a Hollywood FX transition in the storyboard

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F Make sure the Transitions tab in the Album is visible. F Select the Hollywood FX For Studio group from the drop down menu. F Drag the desired transition to the storyboard or timeline between the

two video clips.

The Hollywood FX for Studio transition group

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F Go to the desired transition in the storyboard. F Double-click on the transition block. The Transition Toolbox should

appear.

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F You can quickly reverse the direction by checking the Reverse check

box.

F You can also type in a specific duration for the effect. F If you have Hollywood FX Plus or PRO, you will see the Edit button.

When you click the Edit button, the Hollywood FX dialog will appear, letting you choose a specific transition, and change options for your transition.

The Studio Transition Toolbox where you can edit your selection.

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You can use Hollywood FX to fly titles on and off over video and creating incredible results.

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F Start a new project F Switch to timeline view in Studio. F Add a video clip to the Video track on the timeline. F Now drag a title from the Album into the Title track, and adjust the start

and end time of the title so that it starts slightly after the video starts and ends before the video ends.

The title and video ready for Hollywood FX

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F Make sure the Transitions tab in the Album is visible. F Select the Hollywood FX For Studio group from the dropdown menu.

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F Drag BAS-Page Peel from the album (when you stop the mouse

pointer over an icon, the effect name will appear) into the timeline at the beginning of the title.

F Adjust the length of the transition as desired.

Hollywood FX flies the title on

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F Close the toolbox if it is still open. F From the Hollywood FX For Studio group in the Transition Album,

drag and drop PLS-Warp into the timeline at the end of the title.

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Hollywood FX Basic for Studio includes the 16 effects in the Hollywood FX For Studio effect group. The additional HFX effect groups contain effects

that are available by upgrading to Plus and Pro. You can try out these effects, but each one is rendered with a watermark that indicates which level of HFX is needed to fully use that effect. You can instantly upgrade to Plus or Pro through Pinnacle Online at hollywoodfx.pinnaclesys.com. When you do so, the watermarks will be removed.

Hollywood FX flies the title off

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The Hollywood FX effects can be found under PlugIn Transition FX and Plugin Clip Fx folders under the Edition.FX tab in the Project window.

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Before adding a Hollywood FX transition, prepare two video sources on the A and B tracks of the timeline, so that there is some overlap between the two video clips.

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F Click on the Edition.FX tab in the Project window, then double-click on

the Plugin Transition FX folder, and the Pinnacle group.

F Drag Hollywood FX from the Project window into the timeline, between

the two video clips.

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the title will fly on

A Hollywood FX Transition in the timeline

F Double-click on the transition block or Right-click on the transition and

choose the Edit... command from the popup menu.

F The Hollywood FX dialog will appear, letting you choose a specific

transition, and change options for your transition.

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You can modify a transition that is already in the timeline, changing the selected effect or any options at any time.

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F Double-click on the transition block or Right-click on the transition and

choose the Edit... command from the popup menu.

F The Hollywood FX dialog will appear, letting you choose a specific

transition, and change options for your transition.

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Hollywood FX can also be used as a filter on a graphic, title, or video clip. Hollywood FX is great for flying on or off titles over video.

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F Start a new sequence and drag a video clip into the first video track. F Select a title, and drag that same title three (3) times into the timeline,

on the video track immediately above the video clip you dragged into the first track.

The first copy of

over the video clip.

will simply be overlayed on the

The Timeline, ready for a Hollywood FX Filter

The last copy of

the title will fly

offscreen.

The second copy of the title

video clip.

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F In the Project window, click on the Edition.FX tab, then double-click on

the Plug In Clip Fx folder.

F Drag the Hollywood FX 4.6 Filter from the Project window into the

timeline on top of the first copy of the title.

Click on this icon

to display the Hollywood FX

dialog.

Hollywood FX Filter added to first title clip

F Double-click on the asterisk (*) icon on the title clip to display the

Hollywood FX dialog.

F Click on the Domino effect in the first row of the FX Catalog. F Click on Basic Options in the Control panel on the left. F Check the Reverse Flight checkbox (this will make the effect fly on

instead of fly off).

F Click Ok to close the Hollywood FX dialog.

After background rendering is complete, you can playback the sequence and see the title fly on with the effect selected.

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F Drag the Hollywood FX 4.6 Filter from the Project window into the

timeline on top of the last copy of the title.

F Double-click on the asterisk (*) icon on the title clip to display the

Hollywood FX dialog.

F Select the Dive Off effect from the first row of the FX Catalog. F Click Ok to close the Hollywood FX dialog.

When background rendering is complete, you can playback the sequence, and you will now see the title fly on, hold, then fly off.

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Hollywood FX appears in the Pinnacle Folder in Adobe Premiere. If it does not appear see Troubleshooting for more information.

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Before adding a Hollywood FX transition, prepare two video sources on the A and B tracks of the timeline, so that there is some overlap between the two video clips.

Two video clips ready for a Hollywood FX transition

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TToo aadddd aa ttrraannssiittiioonn ttoo tthhee ttiimmeelliinnee::

F Make sure the Transitions window is visible. If not, select Transitions

from the Windows menu.

F Drag Hollywood FX from the Transitions window into the Transition

track of the Construction window so that it is between the two video clips (the transition should automatically snap to fill the time between the two clips.

A Hollywood FX transition in the timeline

F Double-click on the transition block. The Hollywood FX dialog should

appear.

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The Hollywood FX dialog lets you choose a specific transition, and change options for your transition (and will be described in full detail later).

F Click on Dive Off in the first row of icons in the FX Catalog. F Click Ok to close the Hollywood FX dialog. F Render that section of your project in Premiere to see the results.

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You can modify a transition that is already in the timeline, changing the selected gradient or any options.

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TToo cchhaannggee aa ttrraannssiittiioonn iinn tthhee ttiimmeelliinnee::

F Double-click on the representation of the transition in the Transition

track to display the Hollywood FX dialog.

F Make your changes in the Hollywood FX dialog then click Ok to close.

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Another way to use Hollywood FX is as a Filter. As a filter you can perform multi-layer transitions within Premieres timeline. One great use of Hollywood FX as a filter is to use it to fly titles around over video clips and other transitions.

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F Start a new project. F Place a video clip on Video 1A F Create a title and place two copies of it in Video 2 as shown in the

picture below.

Two copies of the title placed above the video clip

F Right-click on the second title in the timeline and select Video Options-

>Transparency from the popup menu.

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F In the Transparency Settings dialog change the key type to Alpha

Channel, click Ok.

Premiere’s Transparency Dialog

F From the Video Tab, drag and drop the Hollywood FX 4.6 filter onto

the second title.

The Hollywood FX 4.6 filter

F Now click the Setup button next to the Hollywood FX in the Effect

Control panel (the name of the specific effect selected will be listed); the Hollywood FX dialog will appear.

Access to the Hollywood FX dialog from the Effect Controls palette

F Click on the Domino effect in the first row of icons in the FX Catalog. F Click Ok to close Hollywood FX. F Save and render the Premiere project to see the results.

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Avid’s AVX plugin structure allows for flexibility with Hollywood FX. Hollywood FX can be used as a single image filter, a transition, or for MultiWindow effects directly within the timeline. The following sections describe the process for using Hollywood FX in Avid AVX compatible products.

AAddddiinngg AA HHoollllyywwoooodd FFXX TTrraannssiittiioonn

To add a Hollywood FX transition to the Avid timeline, first add two video sources that you want to transition between, and trim as necessary to create time for the transition.

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F Open the Effect Palette (Ctrl-8). F Select the Pinnacle Hollywood FX group from the left side of the

F Drag 02 Sources – Transition from the right side of the Effect Palette

F Once dropped into the timeline, switch to Effect Mode (so that the Effect

TToo aadddd aa ttrraannssiittiioonn ttoo tthhee ttiimmeelliinnee::

Effect Palette.

into the timeline, between the two video clips.

Editor window is open, and click on the small button icon to the left of 02 Sources - Transition.

Hollywood FX in the Avid Effect Palette

The Hollywood FX dialog will appear, letting you choose a specific FX, and set the options for rendering that FX.

CChhaannggiinngg aann EExxiissttiinngg TTrraannssiittiioonn

You can modify a transition that is already in the timeline, changing the selected FX or any options.

HHoollllyywwoooodd FFXX UUsseerr’’ss GGuuiiddee

Click here to display the

A Hollywood FX transition in the Avid Timeline

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TToo cchhaannggee aa ttrraannssiittiioonn iinn tthhee ttiimmeelliinnee::

F Switch to Effect Mode. F Click on the plugin icon in timeline. F Click on the button to the left of 02 Sources - Transition in the Effect

Editor window.

F Make your changes in the Hollywood FX Selection dialog.

Hollywood FX dialog.

Hollywood FX in the Avid Effect Editor

AAddddiinngg AA HHoollllyywwoooodd FFXX FFiilltteerr

Hollywood FX can also be used as a filter for a single video source in Avid AVX compatible products.

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TToo aadddd aa ffiilltteerr ttoo tthhee ttiimmeelliinnee::

F Open the Effect Palette (Ctrl-8). F Select the Pinnacle Hollywood FX group from the left side of the

Effect Palette.

F Drag 01 Source - Filter from the right side of the Effect Palette into the

timeline, on top of the video you wish to filter.

F Once dropped into the timeline, make sure the Effect Editor window is

open, and click on the small button icon to the left of 01 Source Filter.

The Hollywood FX dialog will appear, letting you choose a specific FX, and set the options for rendering that FX.

CChhaannggiinngg aann EExxiissttiinngg FFiilltteerr

You can modify a filter that is already in the timeline, changing the selected FX or any options.

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TToo cchhaannggee aa ffiilltteerr iinn tthhee ttiimmeelliinnee::

F Switch to Effect Mode (opening the Effect Editor window). F Click on the plug icon that represents the filter in the timeline.

GGeettttiinngg SSttaarrtteedd

F Click on the button to the left of 01 Source - Filter in the Effect Editor

window.

F Make your changes in the Hollywood FX Selection dialog.

AAddddiinngg AA HHoollllyywwoooodd FFXX MMuullttiiWWiinnddooww EEffffeecctt

Avid’s nested track capability makes it simple to use Hollywood FX’s MultiWindow effects in your projects.

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TToo aadddd aa MMuullttiiWWiinnddooww ttoo tthhee ttiimmeelliinnee::

F Open the Effect Palette (Ctrl-8). F Select the Pinnacle Hollywood FX group from the left side of the

Effect Palette.

F Drag XX Source - MultiWindow which matches the number of sources

in the effect you will use from the right side of the Effect Palette into the timeline, on top of a piece of video in timeline which will serve as the backdrop of the effect. For example, if you wanted to create the Box6srce effect, you would drag the 07 Source effect onto your video clip.

F Once dropped into the timeline, make sure the Effect Editor window is

open, and click on the small button icon to the left of XX Source MultiWindow.

F The Hollywood FX Selection dialog will appear. Select the effect you

wish to use and set any rendering options, then click Ok.

F Next, double-click on the plugin icon in the timeline to open up the

nested tracks.

F Switch to Source/Record mode or Trim mode, then drag additional

video clips into the nested tracks. The nested track number corresponds to the Source number in HFX.

Hollywood FX in the Avid Effect Editor

TTuuttoorriiaallss

TTrraannssiittiioonnss && OOppttiioonnss

This tutorial will take you through the basics of selecting a Transition FX and setting Effect Options.

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TToo pprreeppaarree ffoorr tthhiiss ttuuttoorriiaall::

F Set up two video clips in your host application and add Hollywood FX

as described in Getting Started.

F When the Hollywood FX dialog appears, you are ready to begin.

The Hollywood FX dialog is organized into panels. The first panel is the Control panel, which is the central control for working with FX. Selecting items in the Control panel brings up different Item panels on the right side of the dialog. The second panel is the Monitor panel that displays the preview of the current FX. Finally, the Item panel changes to show different options for the selected item in the Control panel.

The Hollywood FX dialog

SSeelleeccttiinngg AAnn FFXX

When the Hollywood FX dialog is displayed, you will immediately see the FX Catalog (this is displayed when the current FX name is selected in the Control panel). The FX Catalog has two major controls. The FX Group

popup list at the top of the page allows you to select one of the many groups of FX. Below the FX Group list are the icons for each FX in the group. For this tutorial you will select an interesting transition called Ball Split. This FX is in the Basic Shape Transitions group.

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TToo sseelleecctt tthhee BBaallll SSpplliitt FFXX::

F Select Basic Shapes from the FX Group popup list.

HHoollllyywwoooodd FFXX UUsseerr’’ss GGuuiiddee

preview continuously as

Play entire FX

Jump to first

Step forward

F Click on the Ball Split FX icon.

When you select this FX, hints and tips for that effect appear at the bottom of the FX Catalog panel.

TThhee MMoonniittoorr PPaanneell

Whenever you make changes in Hollywood FX, the preview window in the Monitor panel is updated. Try dragging the slider directly below the preview to view different frames of the preview.

Press loop play to

you work.

Press again to stop

preview.

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TToo ttuurrnn oonn ccoonnttiinnuuoouuss ppllaayybbaacckk ooff tthhee pprreevviieeww::

F Click on the Loop Play button below the preview window in the Monitor

preview once.

frame.

Step backward one frame

Jump to the

last frame

one frame

panel.

BBaassiicc EEffffeecctt OOppttiioonnss

Hollywood FX gives you quick and easy control over many FX options. You can create new and exciting results without having to re-keyframe the entire FX.

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TToo vviieeww tthhee BBaassiicc EEffffeecctt OOppttiioonnss::

F Click on the Basic Effect Options item in the Control panel.

EEaassyy FFlliigghhtt OOppttiioonnss

You can quickly change the flight path of an object in useful ways using the Easy Flight controls.

The Effect Options panel selected

TTuuttoorriiaallss

··

RReevveerrssee FFlliigghhtt::

F Click on the Reverse Flight checkbox. Watch the changes in the

preview.

F Click on the Reverse Flight checkbox to clear it.

Watch the preview now. You will see that instead of the first video source flying off and revealing the second video source, the second video source will fly on and cover the first video source.

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FFlliigghhtt PPaatthh::

F Click-and-drag the Flight Path dial so that it reads 45. Watch the

preview.

F Click on the Rotate Object checkbox so it is checked. Watch the

preview.

F Click-and-drag the Flight Path dial so that it reads 90. Watch the

preview.

F Click-and-drag the Flight Path dial so that it reads 0. You can also use

the arrow keys to change the dial by one degree increments.

The Flight Path dial rotates the entire flight path of the 3D objects in the FX, giving you a different result quickly and easily. When you change the Flight Path, it does not rotate the object itself. Checking the Rotate Object checkbox will cause the object itself to rotate and “follow” the new path.

NOTE: Some FX were not designed to be compatible with Easy Flight options. So this feature may be disabled for those effects.

EEaassyy LLiigghhttiinngg

Lighting, shadows and shine add incredible 3D realism to an FX. By default all of these features are turned on. Try turning them off to see the difference it makes.

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TToo ttuurrnn ooffff LLiigghhttiinngg,, SShhaaddoowwss,, aanndd SShhiinnee..

F Click on the Shine checkbox to clear it. Notice that the glossy shine

disappears.

F Click on the Shadows checkbox to clear it. Notice that the shadow

disappears.

F Click on the Lighting checkbox to clear it. Notice that the 3D ball is no

longer shaded.

F Click on Shine, Shadows, and Lighting to turn back on all of these

features.

In addition to being able to control which lighting features are used, you can also control the light direction. By default, light comes from the top center of the 3D “world”. When you adjust the light direction, it automatically adjusts the shine and shadow position as well.

HHoollllyywwoooodd FFXX UUsseerr’’ss GGuuiiddee

··

LLiigghhtt DDiirreeccttiioonn::

F Click-and-drag the Light Direction dial so that it reads 90. Watch the

PPlluuss PPRRO

preview.

F Click-and-drag the Light Direction dial so that it reads 180. Watch the

preview.

F Click-and-drag the Light Direction dial so that it reads 0. You can also

use the arrow keys to change the dial by one degree increments.

Changing the light direction to 180 degrees gives a very unique, almost sinister appearance.

EEaassyy OOppttiioonnss

The Easy Options controls let you adjust special rendering features of the 3D engine.

Render Type

Normally objects with curves are rendered with smooth surfaces. You can use the Render Type to change to faceted or wire surfaces.

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RReennddeerr TTyyppee::

F Click on the Flat radio button under Render. Notice that the object no

longer appears smooth.

F Click on the Wire radio button under Render. Notice that the object is

now rendered as a wireframe rather than a solid object.

F Click on the Smooth radio button under Render to return to smooth

solid rendering.

Antialiasing

Because of the low resolution of video, sharp edged 3D effects will often exhibit blocky stairstepping along the edges of objects. Antialiasing eliminates much of this problem. Hollywood FX includes three methods of antialiasing (however the preview generally only displays edge antialiasing.

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AAnnttiiaalliiaassiinngg::

F Click on Web/CD under Antialiasing and notice how the edges of the

3D ball are smoothed.

F Click on Video under Antialiasing to switch to scene antialiasing. This

generally will not change the preview, but during final rendering full Scene antialiasing will be used.

The additional checkboxes and advanced shadow controls are described in more detail in the Reference Chapter.

When you are ready, click Ok in the Hollywood FX dialog to exit, then render your project to see the results.

TTuuttoorriiaallss

TTrraannssiittiioonn++

In the previous tutorial you worked with a Transition FX which had only two video sources. In this tutorial you will use a Transition+ FX that performs a transition, but has additional video sources you can use.

NOTICE: Avid AVX users will want to follow the directions in the Host Applications section for setting up Transition+, since Avid provides special features for Transition+.

When you are finished with this tutorial, you will know:

• How to use a Transition+ FX with extra video sources.

• You will also learn some of the features on the Settings dialog.

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TToo pprreeppaarree ffoorr tthhiiss ttuuttoorriiaall::

F Set up two video clips in your host application and add Hollywood FX

as described in Getting Started, creating a two second transition.

F When the Hollywood FX dialog appears, you are ready to begin.

SSeelleeccttiinngg tthhee TTrraannssiittiioonn++

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TToo sseelleecctt tthhee ttrraannssiittiioonn::

F Select Wipes and Fades from the FX Group popup list at the top of the

page.

F Click on the FlipOver icon. F Click the Play Once preview button on the Monitor.

Watch the preview. Notice that while the video is flipping over, you can see black in the background. There is a backdrop that is currently not visible, because no video source has been mapped to it. We will now map that 3rd video source.

MMaappppiinngg AA VViiddeeoo CClliipp ttoo SSoouurrccee 33

Now add a video clip to Source 3 so that the background is no longer black.

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TToo aadddd aa vviiddeeoo cclliipp ttoo SSoouurrccee 33::

F Click on the Host Video 3 media item in the Control panel.

F Click on the Select File button in the Media Options panel. F Using the file requester, select a video clip to use for Source 3. F Click on the Play Once button in the Monitor window.

HHoollllyywwoooodd FFXX UUsseerr’’ss GGuuiiddee

You have selected a new video source and should be able to see it in the background as Source 1 flips over to Source 2. You should also make sure the field interpretation is correct for this video.

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TToo cchhaannggee ffiieelldd IInntteerrpprreettaattiioonn::

F Click on the Interpret popup, and select the proper field interpretation

for your video. For most video capture cards you will select Interlaced – Upper First or Interlaced – Lower First.

While correct interpretation is not important in the preview, it will be important for final rendering. If interpretation is not set correctly, the video in the background will playback incorrectly (it will jitter rather than playing smoothly).

The Media Options panel selected, field interpret shown

From now on, when you select a video file, the Interpret value will be defaulted to the last option selected. You will only need to change Interpret if you select a single image file, or video captured using a different video card.

TTuuttoorriiaallss

MMuullttiiWWiinnddooww FFXX

The final type of FX in Hollywood FX is the MultiWindow FX. MultiWindow FX do not perform a transition from one video source to another. Instead, they feature multiple video windows that fly on or off screen in various ways. For this tutorial we will use the Flip 4 effect and we will reverse it, so that we have four video windows that fly on, and play over a backdrop.

NOTICE: Avid AVX users will want to follow the directions in the Host Applications section for setting up MultiWindow FX, since Avid provides special features for MultiWindow FX.

When you are finished with this tutorial, you should know:

• How to select video sources for a MultiWindow FX.

• How to use Hold at Start and Hold at End.

PPrreeppaarree ffoorr tthhee TTuuttoorriiaall

MultiWindow FX are designed differently from Transitions. In a MultiWindow FX, the Source A video from the host application is always used as the backdrop video. This makes it easy to layout the timeline so that you can have the backdrop video continue before or after the FX.

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TToo pprreeppaarree ffoorr tthhee ttuuttoorriiaall::

F Start a new project. F Place the video you want to use as the backdrop on you’re A video

track, so that it starts at the beginning of the project, and runs for about five seconds.

F Place a second video source on the B video track, so that it starts about

one second into the project, and has a duration of about three seconds.

F Insert a Hollywood FX transition between the two clips so that the

transition is from A to B.

This video will be the backdrop for

This video will be mapped to the top left video window.

The Hollywood FX transition in Premiere, ready for a MultiWindow FX

the FX.

HHoollllyywwoooodd FFXX UUsseerr’’ss GGuuiiddee

SSeelleeccttiinngg tthhee FFXX aanndd SSeettttiinngg OOppttiioonnss

For this tutorial, you will select an effect called Flip 4, where four video sources fly off over a backdrop video. We want the video sources to fly on, so we will reverse the FX.

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SSeelleeccttiinngg tthhee FFlliipp 44 FFXX aanndd sseettttiinngg ooppttiioonnss::

F Select Multiwindow Effects from the FX Group popup menu. F Select Flip 4 from the FX icons. F Click on the Effect Options item in the Control panel. F Click on the Reverse checkbox. F Click on the Play Once button in the Monitor panel.

Notice that the A video source plays in the background, and the B video source is mapped to the top left video window. We will now select video clips for the three remaining video windows.

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TToo mmaapp tthhee aaddddiittiioonnaall vviiddeeoo ssoouurrcceess::

F Click on the Host Video 3 media item in the Control panel. F Click on Select File in the Media Options panel. F Select a video clip using the file requester. F Click on the Play Once button to see the preview with the new video

source.

F Click on the Host Video 4 media item in the Control panel. F Click on Select File in the Media Options panel. F Select a video clip using the file requester. F Click on the Host Video 5 media item in the Control panel. F Select a video clip using the file requester. F Click on the Play Once button in the Monitor panel to see the preview.

Because you set up the default Interpret value in the previous tutorial, you should not have to change it for each video source you selected above.

UUssiinngg HHoolldd AAtt EEnndd

PPlluuss PPRRO

The way the FX is currently set up, the four video windows will fly on screen, and as soon as the last one is on screen, the FX will end, and all of the video windows will disappear. Instead of this, we would like the video windows to remain on screen for a longer time while they play video. The Advanced Options panel has two sliders, Hold at Start and Hold at End, that allow you to quickly change the amount of time spent on the first and last frame of the FX. This is exactly what we need.

TTuuttoorriiaallss

Hold Time controls and how it affects the timeline

The last position will

hold for the final 30%

of the total time

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TToo cchhaannggee tthhee HHoolldd aatt EEnndd::

F Click on the Advanced Options item in the Control panel. F Drag the End slider (under Hold Times) to 30%. F Click the Play Once button in the Monitor panel to see the preview.

Now all of the video windows will fly on during the first 70% of the total FX time, and will hold at their final position for the last 30% of the total time.

Now exit the Hollywood FX dialog and render the FX to see the final results.

PPiinnnnaaccllee OOnnlliinnee

When you register Hollywood FX online to get your permanent keycode, you will also receive a userid and password for Pinnacle Online, where you can purchase and instantly download upgrades and add-on packs of FX.

To use Pinnacle Online you will need a web browser (like Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher), and a connection to the Internet. Simply connect to http://hollywoodfx.pinnaclesys.com. Follow the instructions there to access and use your Pinnacle Online account.

TTrroouubblleesshhoooottiinngg

This section provides a list of common problems and their solutions. If you can’t find an answer to your problem in this list, or in the ReadMe file that is created during setup, then contact Hollywood FX customer support for more help.

Hollywood FX does not show up in my host application.

During installation Hollywood FX will attempt to find all compatible host applications and install the proper plugin files for that application. If Hollywood FX does not show up, try copying the files listed below from the Host Plugins folder (in Hollywood FX) into the folder listed.

Host Application Plugin File Copy To Folder

Pinnacle Studio 8 Studio\Hfx4.dll Studio 8\Plugins Pinnacle Edition/Liquid Edition\HfxEdt46.vfx

EditionFilter\FlHfxEdt46.vfx

Adobe Premiere 6.0 Premiere6\Fx-

HfxP646.prm Premiere6Filter\FlHfxP646.prm

Avid AVX AVX\HfxAvx46.avx Symphony\AVX_Plug-Ins or

Edition\Plugins\Transitions Edition\Plugins\Filter

Premiere 6.0\Plug-Ins\Pinnacle Premiere 6.0\Plug-Ins\Pinnacle

Xpress\AVX_Plug-Ins etc.

My video editor crashes when I try to use Hollywood FX.

This usually indicates a conflict with your 3D graphics card. You should download and install the very latest drivers for your graphics card.

I never get a rendered transition, I just get the Hollywood FX Logo.

This indicates that Hollywood FX was not able to use OpenGL to render the effect. Check the following items to resolve this problem:

• Check to make sure the files Opengl32.dll and Glu32.dll are in your Windows\System folder (Winnt\System32). If they are not present, Windows 95 users should download the OpenGL libraries from the Support area of the Hollywood FX website. Windows 98, NT, and 2000 users should check their operating system installation, and reinstall any service packs.

• Make sure you are using the very latest drivers for your graphic display card.

HHoollllyywwoooodd FFXX UUsseerr’’ss GGuuiiddee

• Click on the Settings button in the Hollywood FX dialog and try changing the Render Type to OpenGL Software Engine. If it is already set to OpenGL Software change it to Portable Software.

When I select video or images in the Media Options panel I get a white object instead of video.

Generally this indicates you have run low on memory. If you are doing MultiWindow effects with more than 3 video sources, you should have a minimum of 128 MB of RAM (with at least 256 MB highly recommended). If you are using images you scanned in, you should lower the resolution of those scanned images.

I get color/brightness jumps at the start and end of my effect.

This is normally because the rendered effect is being recompressed while the surrounding video is not. Many non-linear editors have an option to Recompress Always or to turn off Smart Rendering. If your non-linear editor does not have a Recompress Always option, you can usually solve the shift by adding a Brightness/Contrast filter to both the incoming video and outgoing video clips, but leave the Brightness/Contrast settings unchanged. This will cause the video to be recompressed, but not changed.

PPeerrffoorrmmaannccee

Hollywood FX uses OpenGL, which is the industry standard 3D graphics language for high performance high quality rendering. Over the past few years the 3D accelerators and their OpenGL graphics drivers have improved dramatically, however there are still times that the graphics drivers cause incompatibilities with Hollywood FX. For this reason, Hollywood FX defaults to software-only rendering for the highest degree of compatibility, at the cost of slower previews and rendering.

This section describes the steps you can take to improve 3D rendering performance. You should only try these changes once you are familiar with Hollywood FX and have successfully rendered some effects in your projects.

CCPPUU SSppeeeedd,, BBuuss SSppeeeedd,, aanndd MMeemmoorryy

Your system configuration can make a dramatic difference in performance. By upgrading your CPU to a faster speed, upgrading to a new motherboard that has a 133MHz (or faster) bus, and by increasing memory to 256MB or more, you can dramatically improve the performance of Hollywood FX, whether you have a 3D graphic accelerator or not.

GGrraapphhiicc CCaarrdd DDrriivveerrss

The most important aspect to 3D performance from your graphic accelerator is the driver software you are using. You should regularly check your graphic accelerator manufacturer’s website for updated drivers. Here are the website addresses of the most popular graphic cards.

3D-Labs (Wildcat, Oxygen) – www.3dlabs.com ATI (Radeon) – www.ati.com Matrox (G450, Parahelia) – www.matrox.com/mga Nvidia (GeForce, Quadro) – www.nvidia.com

PPrreevviieeww PPeerrffoorrmmaannccee

Almost any good 3D accelerator will dramatically improve the performance in the Preview Monitor window. You must enable OpenGL Hardware in the Preview Settings to benefit from your accelerator.

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TToo eennaabbllee aacccceelleerraatteedd pprreevviieeww rreennddeerriinngg::

F Click on the Hollywood FX Settings button at the bottom of the

Hollywood FX window.

F In the Preview Settings area, select the OpenGL Hardware Engine

from the Preview Type dropdown menu.

HHoollllyywwoooodd FFXX UUsseerr’’ss GGuuiiddee

F Click OK to return to the Hollywood FX window and try the new

settings.

If you encounter problems with the preview after enabling on-screen rendering, you should immediately return to Hollywood FX Settings and select the OpenGL Software or Portable Software Engine.

NOTICE: It is recommended to perform test these rendering changes using the Easy FX editor that you can launch from the Start Menu.

Final Rendering Performance

FFiinnaall RReennddeerriinngg PPeerrffoorrmmaannccee

The most recent 3D accelerator cards (Radeon from ATI and GeForce from Nvidia) have made dramatic improvements in texture loading performance, which is critical to Hollywood FX rendering performance. If you have a recent graphics card and the newest drivers, you may see anywhere from 2X to 5X improvement in rendering times if you turn on acceleration for final rendering.

To enable acceleration for final rendering, you must change to Hardware rendering.

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TToo eennaabbllee aacccceelleerraatteedd FFiinnaall RReennddeerriinngg PPeerrffoorrmmaannccee::

F Click on the Hollywood FX Settings button at the bottom of the

Hollywood FX window.

F In the Render Performance area, select the OpenGL Hardware

Engine from the Render Type dropdown menu.

F Click OK to return to the Hollywood FX window and try the new

settings.

If, after making this change, your effects do not render properly, you should immediately return to Settings and change the Render Type back to OpenGL or Portable Software.

AAddvvaanncceedd TTuuttoorriiaallss

Before following these tutorials, you should fully read and understand the previous portion of this guide.

KKeeyyffrraammee EEddiittiinngg wwiitthh EEnnvveellooppeess

This tutorial demonstrates the way you can keyframe any option in Hollywood FX to create advanced results.

Hollywood FX uses the term Envelope to describe a set of keyframes that describe how an option’s value will change over time in Hollywood FX.

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PPrreeppaarree ffoorr tthhee TTuuttoorriiaall aanndd SSeelleecctt tthhee FFXX::

F Create a new project in your host application. F Add two video clips and create a two second transition between them. F Add Hollywood FX as a transition between the two video clips. F From the Hollywood FX dialog, select the Tumble 2 transition in the

Flying Windows group.

The Envelope Editor is normally hidden when you first begin using Hollywood FX (to keep life simple).

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TToo ddiissppllaayy tthhee EEnnvveellooppee EEddiittoorr::

F Click on the Envelope Editor button at the bottom of the Hollywood FX

dialog.

PPlluuss PPRRO

The Envelope Editor Button

The Envelope Editor will appear. We are going to modify the Tumble 2 transition by making the tumbling video dissolve as it tumbles into the distance. We will do this by creating an envelope for the object’s Dissolve option.

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SSeelleecctt tthhee OObbjjeecctt aanndd OOppttiioonn::

F Click on the SoftFB 1 object in the Control panel. F Click on the Dissolve slider in the Object Options panel so that it is

highlighted.

Notice that the word Dissolve under the slider is highlighted in green. This is an indicator that it is the current option that can be modified in the Envelope Editor. Whenever you select a control that can have an envelope in Hollywood FX, it will be highlighted in green.

HHoollllyywwoooodd FFXX UUsseerr’’ss GGuuiiddee

the keyframe at

Hollywood FX makes it extremely easy to create envelopes by simply clicking and dragging in the envelope window. We want to create an envelope for dissolve that makes the object disappear over the entire length of the transition.

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TToo ccrreeaattee aa ssiimmppllee eennvveellooppee::

F Click-and-drag in the envelope window at 100% in time, and 100% in

value. Drag the keyframe you create all the way to 100% value and release the mouse.

Click here to

create your first

A second keyframe is

created automatically at

time 0%

The envelope after creating the first keyframe

keyframe.

Notice that there are two keyframes (indicated by blocks). The one at 100% is the one you created. The keyframe at 0% is created automatically, since all envelopes in Hollywood FX must at a minimum have keyframes at 0% and 100%.

Also notice that the preview and the current time slider at the top of the envelope window both moved to 100%, and that the keyframe at 100% is highlighted in red to indicate that it is the current keyframe.

The way the envelope is currently designed, the value of Dissolve will remain 100% for the entire effect. What we want is for the value to start at 0%, so lets change the first keyframe.

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TToo cchhaannggee tthhee ffiirrsstt kkeeyyffrraammee::

F Click-and-drag on the blue block that represents the keyframe at time

0%.

F Drag the blue block to the bottom of the envelope window (value 0%).

Notice the Dissolve slider (in the Object Options panel) while you are dragging. Its value is “tied” to the current envelope.

F Release the mouse button.

Click and drag

time 0%.

The first keyframe is adjusted

AAddvvaanncceedd TTuuttoorriiaallss

Now our envelope will work correctly, causing the object to dissolve over the entire length of the transition. Try playing the preview to see the results.

Let’s add one more keyframe to this envelope, so that the object becomes transparent more quickly. We will create this key in a different way.

··

TToo ccrreeaattee tthhee nneeww kkeeyyffrraammee::

F Drag the current time slider at the top of the envelope window until it is

at 50%.

F Now drag the Dissolve slider in the Object Options panel up to 90%.

After creating the new keyframe

The new keyframe is created automatically when you change the value of Dissolve. This shows how the original value slider for Dissolve and the Envelope Editor are tied together. This feature makes it extremely easy to create keyframes for any value in Hollywood FX.

Before concluding this tutorial, lets play around with some of the other envelope controls. First, let’s move quickly between the keyframes in this envelope.

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TToo mmoovvee bbeettwweeeenn kkeeyyffrraammeess::

F Click on the Prev button in the Envelope Editor. The current time slider

(and preview) will move to the keyframe at 0%.

F Click on the Next button in the Envelope Editor. The current time slider

will move to the keyframe at 50%.

F Click on the Next button. The current time slider will move to the

keyframe at 100%.

F Finally, click on the Prev button to return to the 50% keyframe.

Using the Prev and Next buttons can quickly get you to the keyframe you need, especially when you have keyframes close together and one of them is hard to select by clicking on it with the mouse.

Now, let’s save our current envelope to disk. If you create an interesting envelope that you might want to use again, you can save it to disk.

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F Click on the Save… button in the Envelope Editor. F Type tutorial for the filename in the file requester.

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F Click Ok in the file requester to save the envelope.

Now let’s say we don’t really like having the keyframe at 50%, so we will get rid of it.

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TToo ddeelleettee tthhee ccuurrrreenntt kkeeyyffrraammee::

F Click on the Delete button in the Envelope Editor.

The keyframe at 50% disappears, and the envelope returns to a straight line between 0% and 100%.

If we decide we don’t want the envelope at all (we want to return to a single value for the entire duration of the FX), then we can remove the envelope.

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TToo rreemmoovvee tthhee eennvveellooppee::

F Click on the Remove button at the top of the Envelope Editor.

The envelope will disappear, and the Dissolve slider now controls the dissolve value for the entire duration of the FX.

For our final trick, let’s load back in the envelope we saved above.

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TToo llooaadd aann eennvveellooppee::

F Click on the Load button in the Envelope Editor. F Double-click the tutorial file in the file requester.

Our envelope is back. Exit the Hollywood FX dialog and try rendering the FX with the dissolve envelope.

Remember, envelopes can be created for almost any value in Hollywood FX. If a control is highlighted in green when you use it, that means you can control that value with an envelope and create exciting results.

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FFlliigghhtt PPaatthh EEddiittiinngg

You can edit the paths of any 3D object to create unique results. A set of tools on the Object Options panel along with the Envelope Editor give you complete flexibility to create new flight paths for objects. In this tutorial we will take the Ball Backup FX, and create a new path so that the ball bounces up and down on the screen. We use the term path to mean the envelope for an object’s position, rotation, and scale.

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F Create a new project in your host application. F Add two video clips and create a two second transition between them. F Add Hollywood FX as a transition between the two video clips. F Select the Ball Backup transition in the Basic Shapes group. F Click on the Sphere object in the Control panel.

The Positioning group should be highlighted in green, indicating that object positioning is currently being edited in the Envelope Editor. In the case of path editing, each keyframe of the envelope (or path) indicates the position, rotation and scale of the object at that time in the FX. Hollywood FX then automatically determines the positioning of the object between each keyframe, so that the object moves smoothly from the position at one keyframe to the position at the next keyframe. Let’s start by looking at the keyframes in the Ball Backup FX.

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The picture above shows each keyframe in the Ball Backup FX. For each keyframe you can see the position, rotation and scale values, as well as a camera preview and a perspective preview of the FX at that time. You can follow along yourself by using the Next and Prev buttons in the Envelope Editor, and using the View buttons in the Monitor panel to switch between camera and perspective view.

At the first keyframe, the object is not morphed, and is positioned at 0, 0, 0 on the X, Y, and Z axis. It is not rotated at all (0, 0, 0), and is scaled at 100% of normal size (1, 1, 1).

At the second keyframe, the object is moved down a small amount along the Y axis (-0.123) and farther away from the camera (-0.37 along the Z axis). The sphere object is also scaled smaller (0.39, 0.39, 0.39) in all directions.

The third keyframe continues the object’s movement away from the camera (-1.36 on Z), and is smaller again (0.25, 0.25, 0.25 for scale).

In the fourth keyframe, notice that the sphere is rotated 118 degrees around the X axis, and has moved offscreen.

In the last keyframe, the object has been scaled so small it is no longer visible, and is far offscreen.

We are going to create a path where the sphere moves away from the camera, then bounces up and down. We will begin by removing the current path.

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TToo rreemmoovvee tthhee ccuurrrreenntt ppaatthh::

F First make sure the current time slider is at time 0% (so that the first

keyframe is highlighted).

F Click on the Remove button to remove the path envelope.

By first making sure we are positioned at time 0%, the object will be left at its fullscreen size and position when we remove the envelope this will make it easy to start a new path.

Try playing the preview now. The object still morphs into a sphere, but it doesn’t move anywhere. We are now ready to make it move the way we want it to.

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F Click on the Create button in the Envelope Editor

Two keyframes get created, both with the object at the fullscreen position. Hollywood FX must always have at least two keyframes (one at time 0% and one at time 100%) in a path, so it creates the second keyframe automatically. If you play the preview again, you will notice that nothing has changed. Since our two keyframes are at the same position, the object still does not

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move. Let’s change the 100% keyframe so that the object will be in its final position. You will actually move and adjust the sphere object by clicking and dragging in the preview window, so read the following directions very carefully.

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TToo cchhaannggee tthhee llaasstt kkeeyyffrraammee::

F Click the Next button in the Envelope Editor, so that the 100% time

keyframe is selected.

F Click on the Scale tool button in the Object Options panel. F Click-and-drag in the Monitor window to interactively scale the sphere

object. Drag to the left until the object is about one quarter its original size (you can watch the scale values and stop scaling when the scale values reach about 0.25).

F Click on the Move tool button in the Object Options panel. F Click-and-drag in the preview window to interactively move the sphere.

Move the sphere towards the top of the preview until it is offscreen.

F Click on the Perspective button in the Monitor panel to switch to

perspective view.

F Right Click-and-drag in the preview window to move the sphere along

the Z axis. Move the mouse up until the object on the screen moves all the way behind the backdrop video object, and the shadow is no longer visible.

F Click the Camera button in the Monitor panel to return to camera view.

Now if you play the preview, you will see that the sphere simply shrinks and disappears towards the top of the screen.

How your keyframes should look after modifying the last keyframe

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new keyframe is created

Now we will create two more keyframes for the top and bottom of our bounce (then we will use the Envelope Editor’s copy function to duplicate the bounce). First let’s create the top of the bounce.

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TToo ccrreeaattee aa nneeww kkeeyyffrraammee::

F Move the current time slider to time 10%. F Click on the Scale tool button in the Object Options panel. F Click-and-drag to the left in the preview until the object’s scale values

are around 0.25.

F Click on the Move tool button in the Object Options panel. F Click-and-drag up in the preview until the object is at the very top of the

preview.

The

automatically at the current

time when you change the

positioning.

Notice that a new keyframe was automatically created for you as soon as you began changing the object’s positioning. This eliminates the tedious process of manually creating keyframes that some programs require. You simply move the current time slider to the time you want, and begin editing. Now, create the bottom of the bounce.

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F Move the current time slider to 20%. F The Move tool should already be selected in the Object Options tab, if

How things should look at the top of the bounce

not, click on it.

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F Click-and-drag down in the preview until the object is at the very bottom

of the preview.

Right now, at the bottom of the bounce, the keyframe is set to move smoothly through that time, so it won’t look much like a bounce. Let’s change that by making the spline curve to perform a bounce instead of a smooth curve. We will use the Presets feature in Hollywood FX.

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TToo mmaakkee tthhee ccuurrrreenntt kkeeyyffrraammee aa bboouunnccyy kkeeyyffrraammee::

F Click on the Presets dropdown in the Spline Control group at the

bottom of the Envelope Editor.

F Select Bounce from the list of presets. This will adjust the Tension,

Continuity and Spline values for the current keyframe to create a bouncy motion.

Now we have a single bounce, but we would like the sphere to bounce again and again. We will use the copy function to easily reproduce our bounce. We will copy two keyframes that are at 10% and 20%, and paste them so that we have a new bounce from 30% to 40%.

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F Click on the Copy button in the Envelope Editor. F Type in 9 for Start and 21 for end (this makes sure we get the

keyframes even if they aren’t exactly at 10% and 20%).

F Type in 30 for paste. F Click Ok.

The keys at 10% and 20% will now be duplicated, and you should have a second bounce at 30% and 40%. Let’s make one more copy, this time of our original bounce, and the first copy we made.

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F Click on the Copy button in the Envelope Editor F Type in 9 for Start and 45 for End. F Type in 50 for Paste. F Click Ok to make the copies.

Now you will have four bounces before the object flies off screen. Try playing the preview to see the results.

Before leaving, you might want to save this path for future use.

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F Click on Save… in the Envelope Editor. F Type the name bouncy as the filename in the file requester.

When you are finished try rendering your creation in your host application.

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CCrreeaattiinngg NNeeww FFXX ffrroomm EExxiissttiinngg FFXX

The easiest way to create new FX is by changing an existing FX to meet your needs rather than starting from scratch. In this example, we will take the Flyoff FX and replace the flying window with a morphing shape, plus we will use an image filter plugin to dissolve the shape in an exciting way.

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F Create a new project in your host application. F Add two video clips and create a two second transition between them. F Add Hollywood FX as a transition between the two video clips. F The FlyOff transition should already be selected. F Select the SoftFB 1 object in the Control panel.

The first thing we want to do is replace this simple flat window with a more interesting shape. We will choose a Large Cylinder shape to replace the flat window.

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TToo rreeppllaaccee tthhee FFllaatt WWiinnddooww ((SSooffttFFBB 11))::

F Click on the Select File button in the Object Options panel. A file

requester will appear.

F In the file requester the Objects folder within Hollywood FX should be

the current folder (if it is not, make it so).

F Open on the 07 - Basic Shapes folder. F Double-click on the Large Cylinder.hfo file.

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The flat window has now been replaced with a large cylinder, but if you play the preview, it looks like nothing has changed. That is because we have not morphed the cylinder from its flat shape to its fully morphed cylinder shape. To do this, we will create an envelope that will change its morph to 100% during the first 10% of the FX duration.

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TToo ccrreeaattee tthhee iinniittiiaall kkeeyyffrraammeess::

F Click-and-drag the Morph slider in the Object Options panel so that it is

highlighted and its value is 0.

F Click Create in the Envelope window to create a new envelope for the

Morph value.

F Click-and-drag in the Envelope window at 10% time and 0% value (see

picture below), then drag the new keyframe up to 100% in value and let go of the mouse button.

Click-and-drag up

from here.

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Let go of the

mouse button here.

Creating the first keyframes.

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F Click-and-drag on the keyframe at 100% time. F Drag it up to 100% value and let go of the mouse button. F Click on the Linear checkbox in the Key Type group in the Envelope

Editor.

After adjusting the 100% time keyframe

We now have an envelope where the Morph starts at 0% and moves up to 100% during the first 10% of the duration of the FX. Then it stays at 100% morphed for the remainder of the FX. If you play the preview you will see the results.

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Your new morphing cylinder effect

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In a moment we will make some more changes to this FX, but lets save it as a new FX right now. If you are creating a custom FX for a specific project, you don’t need to save it. All of your customizations will be saved as part of the host application’s project file. However, if you want to use the customized FX again and again you will want to save it to disk and add it to the FX Catalog.

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TToo SSaavvee YYoouurr CCuussttoomm FFXX::

F Make sure the current time slider in the Envelope Editor window is at

10% time (the current preview frame will be used as the icon for the FX, so we want a nice time for the icon).

F Click on the Save FX button in the Control panel. A save file requester

will appear.

F The current folder in the file requester should be Flying Windows. F Click on the parent folder button to move up one folder to the Effects

folder.

F Click on the Create a New Folder button to create a new FX group.

Name the new folder Custom FX.

F Double-click on the Custom FX folder to open it. F Change the filename to cylinder1 as the filename for the new FX and

click Ok.

After a few moments, the FX Catalog will appear with your new Custom FX group and your cylinder1 FX icon visible.

Your new morphing cylinder effect saved in a custom group

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AAddddiinngg aa FFiilltteerr PPlluuggiinn

Now, let’s make our cylinder do a cool dissolve over time using the Gradient Wipe plugin. Hollywood FX includes a number of plugins for filtering media video and for warping 3D objects.

The Gradient Wipe plugin uses a grayscale gradient image to dissolve a Media item using the “shape” of the gradient as the shape of the dissolve.

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F Select the Host Video 1 Media item in the Control panel. F Click on the Plugins… button in the Toolbar. F Double-click on Gradient Wipe in the list of plugins that appears.

The new plugin will be added directly below (and indented) the Host Video 1 Media item, and the Item Options panel will change to show the Gradient Wipe options.

The Gradient Wipe Options

We will now select a gradient image and set some options.

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F Click on the Select Gradient… button. A file requester will appear. F Change the current folder to the Hollywood FX\Images\gradients

folder (this should be the default).

F Double-click on the Clouds1.tga file. F Make sure Tie transition amount to effect transition is checked. F Change the Softness slider to 80. F Change the Border Size slider to 30. F Click on the Border Color button and select a yellow color from the

color requester.

Try playing the preview. Now the cylinder looks like its being eaten away by acid as it flies off screen. Rather than tie the transition amount to the FX duration, you could have keyframed your own transition amount to have the

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object partially dissolve then reappear, and you could envelope softness, border size, and color to create a more dynamic and interesting dissolve.

Same cylinder, now with gradient wipe

To conclude this tutorial, save your modified FX one more time.

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TToo SSaavvee YYoouurr CCuussttoomm FFXX::

F Make sure the current time slider in the Envelope Editor window is at

40% time (for the icon).

F Click on the Save FX button in the Control panel. A save file requester

will appear.

F The current folder should already be Custom FX and the filename

should be cylinder1.

F Click Ok to replace the FX we saved earlier with our current changes.

When you are finished try rendering this FX in your host application to see the final results.

As you can see, by modifying existing FX and using plugins you can create dramatic and exciting new FX.

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WWaarrpp PPlluuggiinnss

Hollywood FX includes a number of 3D plugins called Warps. These Warps mathematically change the shape of a 3D object and can be keyframed over time. This tutorial will demonstrate the use of one of the most common Warp plugins called Peel. Unlike more limited effect software, Hollywood FX allows you to attach a Peel to any object (not just a flat plane) and allows you to attach multiple peels to the same object.

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PPrreeppaarree ffoorr tthhee TTuuttoorriiaall aanndd SSeelleecctt tthhee FFXX::

F Create a new project in your host application. F Add two video clips and create a two second transition between them. F Add Hollywood FX as a transition between the two video clips. F Select the Specialty Effects group from the FX Catalog F Select the Warp Template FX from the Specialty Effects group

The Warp Template FX contains a high-polygon object, ready for use with Warp Plugins.

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TToo aattttaacchh tthhee PPeeeell PPlluuggiinn::

F Click on the High Mesh 1 object in the Control panel. F Click on the Plugins button in the Toolbar. F Double-click on the Peel plugin in the Plugin Selection dialog that

appears.

You should immediately see that the object has peeled. By default, the Peel time is keyed to the total transition time, and the direction of the Peel is tied to the Flight Direction spinner (under Effect Options). This makes it simple to quickly add a Peel to an effect. Most plugins work this same way, providing default options that make it easy to quickly get the results you want.

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Peel Options

Let’s try making some options changes to see what they do.

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TToo mmooddiiffyy PPeerrcceenntt ooff ppeeeell ccoommpplleetteedd aanndd AAnnggllee ooff PPeeeell::

F Clear the Tie transition amount to effect transition checkbox. F Clear the Tie peel direction to flight direction checkbox. F Change the Angle of Peel spinner to –45 and the Percent of peel

completed slider to 50.

Angle of Peel of –45 and 180

The Percent of peel completed controls how far the peel has progressed. This can simply be tied to the total transition time, or can be keyframed individually to create interesting effects, like partial peels. Now let’s play with the Peel Radius.

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TToo mmooddiiffyy RRaaddiiuuss ooff tthhee PPeeeell::

F Move the Radius of Peel slider back and forth to see the result. When

finished, leave the Radius at approximately .25.

Radius of Peel of .10 and .50.

Finally, there is a checkbox that controls whether to perform a roll (which is the default) or to actually peel without rolling.

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TToo PPeeeell iinnsstteeaadd ooff RRoollll::

F Click on the Peel instead of roll checkbox.

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Roll and Peel

Now lets quickly create an interesting keyframed effect where the peel spins around the object as it peels.

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TToo ssttaarrtt kkeeyyffrraammiinngg tthhee AAnnggllee ooff PPeeeell::

F Clear the Peel instead of roll checkbox. F Check the Tie Transition Amount to Effect Transition checkbox. F Move the Angle of Peel spinner to 0. F Move the current time slider in the envelope window to 0%. F Click on the Create button in the Envelope Window to create a

keyframe at time 0% with the Angle of Peel currently at 0.

You have now created the first keyframe, with the angle starting at 0 degrees.

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TToo ccoommpplleettee tthhee kkeeyyffrraammiinngg::

F Move the current time slider in the Envelope Window to 100%. F Move the Angle of Peel spinner to 180 degrees.

You have now created the second keyframe, and if you play the preview you will see the object peel as it flies off, and the peel rotates around the object.

Remember that plugins in Hollywood FX can be combined. You could attach a Ripple at the same time the object is peeling, or even attach a second peel to the same object.

Two Peels attached to the same object

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33DD TTeexxtt GGeenneerraattiioonn

Hollywood FX includes an easy-to-use 3D text generator. This feature is best used within the Filter format of Hollywood FX. It allows you to create text that is extruded in 3D with bevels. You can assign different colors to the sides, face and bevel edges of the text. You can also generate the text as a single block or with each letter being it’s own separate object. This tutorial will demonstrate the use of 3D text in its most common uses. Unlike more limited effect software, Hollywood FX allows you to attach a warp plugin(described earlier) to 3D text, so you could even explode your text or have it surface wipe away (see plug-ins tutorials).

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PPrreeppaarree ffoorr tthhee TTuuttoorriiaall aanndd SSeelleecctt tthhee GGeenneerraattee TTeexxtt::

F Create a new project in your host application and put one clip in the

timeline so that it can have a filter attached to it (Video 2 in Premiere), and make sure it is set for Alpha Channel transparency.

F Add Hollywood FX as a filter and bring up the Hollywood FX dialog for

the filter.

F Within Hollywood FX click the Blank FX button on the Toolbar. This

will start a new FX from scratch where we will add our 3D text.

F Click the 3D Text button in the Toolbar F Choose a font you like by clicking Select Font, then type in WOW! In

the text box.

F Click Ok.

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The Reference section contains a complete description of the controls in the 3D Text generator.

3D Text Interface and resulting text

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Item

panel changes to

Monitor

preview that lets you

Buttons

Control

Envelope Editor

envelopes for individual

The Hollywood FX dialog gives you quick and easy access to all of your 3D transitions, and lets you quickly change rendering options and edit flight paths and other attributes of FX. This chapter describes the Hollywood FX dialog and all of its controls.

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The Hollywood FX dialog is made up of a number of panels. These panels group together the different features of Hollywood FX so that you can quickly and easily select effects and make changes.

The panel lets you select items to be changed.

The

panel is where you work

with keyframes for

flight paths and

options.

panel

The

provides an instant

see changes immediately.

panel

The

provide options for the

selected item in the

Control panel.

The

buttons to accept or cancel

changes, and to display the

Settings and About dialogs.

panel provides

Click here to open or close the Envelope

The Hollywood FX Dialog

Editor.

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Click on the current FX

Catalog and select a new

Click on Effect Options to

change video sources in an

from

flight paths and rendering

options for each 3D object

change texture mapping or

sort media, and save a new

TThhee CCoonnttrrooll PPaanneell

The Control panel is the central control for the Hollywood FX dialog. It contains items to select the current FX, set options for the FX, and edit individual media items and objects. When you click on one of these items, the Item Panel on the right side of the Hollywood FX dialog changes to show the options for the selected item.

change options like

lighting, shadows, shine,

motion blur, and more.

Click on the Camera item

to edit Camera position,

FOV and Ambient Lighting

When additional Lights

have been added, select

this to edit them.

name to display the FX

If you have added a 2D

plug-in, select the plug-in

icon to edit it’s attributes.

Click on Media items to

FX. Media can come

the host application or

from video or still image

files.

FX.

Click on Object items to

change objects, alter

in an FX.

Use these buttons to

remove or clone items,

FX to disk.

The Control panel

Click on Surface items to

colored surfaces.

If you have added a 3D

plug-in, select the plug-in

icon to edit it’s attributes.

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MMoovvee UUpp//MMoovvee DDoowwnn……

Click either of these buttons to change the rendering order of objects. The feature is particularly useful for effects you design that have a keyhole or transparency need.

Examples of effects using this technique are: Spotlight and 00HFX in the Video & Film group. In order to create the illusion of a disk keying through source one, we need to have it rendering before source one.

Try turning off the effect by selecting the Simple Disk object within the Spotlight effect, then click the Move Down button. When you click this button, the disk will no longer cut a hole in the rendered video.

The unique nature of this feature would be to create some 3D text and set the surface opacity on the face of the text to 0.001. Then have that text sorted above Source 1 video in the objects list. This will cause the face of the text as it passes by the screen to key out and show the background source 2. Take a look at the “Wow” effect example in the ‘Words and Icons’ group.

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Spotlight Effect: Showing keying style wipe resulting from sorting object layers

Keying Text example, a common broadcast effect

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RReennaammee……

Click this button to rename an item in the Control panel (you cannot rename the FX or the Effect Options items). When you click this button, the rename dialog will appear, letting you type in a new name for the current item.

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The Rename dialog

CClloonnee……

Click this button to copy the current item. Only Media, Object, and Plugin items can currently be cloned. When you clone a Media or Plugin item, the new cloned item is created immediately, and you can change its options. When you a clone an Object, the Clone dialog appears, letting you create multiple clones, and adjust the position and media for each new clone. See the Advanced-Tutorials guide for a complete tutorial that shows how the Clone tool can be used to create incredible effects quickly and easily. Within the Clone dialog you will find the following controls.

• Clone Count. This is the number of clones of the current object

• Distance. Each clone can be offset a certain distance from the

• Rotation. Each clone can be rotated around any axis by entering a

• Scale. Each clone can be scaled as it is created by entering a scale

• Clone Surfaces and Media. When this is not checked, the clones

• Create New Media For Each Clone. When this option is selected

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that will be created.

previous clone. You can enter values for the X, Y, and Z axis. This makes it easy to create a set of clones that are all placed at different positions from the original.

rotation amount for X, Y, or Z.

amount (between 0 and 1) for the X, Y, and Z axis.

will use the same surfaces and media as the original object. With this option checked, clones for each surface and media will be created for each object clone.

Hollywood FX will create a unique new Media item for each clone created, using a different host track for each surface. Use the

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Starting Host Track control to set the first host track used by the clones.

• Starting Host Track. When Create New Media For Each Clone is selected, you can enter a starting track number to use for the clones. The clone tool will begin by using the track number entered here, then increment the track for each successive clone.

The Clone dialog

DDeelleettee

This button will delete the current item from the FX (only Media and Object items can be deleted). Media items can only be deleted from an FX if they are not used by any Surfaces (so you must first reassign the media for any surfaces or delete any objects that use that media before deleting the media itself).

SSaavvee FFXX……

Click on this button to save a new FX to disk and add its icon to the FX Catalog. A file requester will appear letting you select a folder and type in a name for the new FX. You must create the new FX within a subfolder of the Effects folder for its icon to appear properly in a group within the FX Catalog (see the FX Catalog chapter for more information on organizing FX). The icon created for the FX will match exactly what is currently scene in the preview, so set the preview slider appropriately to create a useful icon.

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TToooollbbaarr

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The Toolbar is an area of buttons allowing for incredible functionality. You can create any of the following.

• Blank FX. Select this item to start a new FX from scratch. The new FX will be named Untitled until you save it with a new name.

• Plugin. Click this to add a plugin to the current element. If a Media item is currently selected, a list of Filters will be displayed. If a 3D object is selected, then a list of Warps will be displayed. Doubleclick on the plugin you want to add. Individual Plugins are described in detail below.

• 3D Object. Click this to add a new 3D object to the current FX. A file requester will appear, letting you choose from the 3D objects available to Hollywood FX. These are found within the Objects folder within the Hollywood FX folder. All objects have a .hfo extension.

• Null Object. Selecting this item creates a new Null Object in the scene. Null objects are not rendered, but are used to create motion hierarchies and as reference positions for certain plugins.

• File Media. Selecting this lets you create a new Media item and select the image or video file immediately. A file requester will appear letting you select a media file, then the new Media item will be created, and you can modify its options.

• Host Media. This lets you create a new Media item using a video track from the host application. A requester will appear with the available host tracks.

• Light. This allows you to add a spoint, point or fill light to enhance a composite.

• Export HFZ. This button allows you to package up your custom effects for easy sharing with other users. This is described in full detail below.

• Import 3D. This button allows you to import 3D objects from other modeling programs. This is described in full detail below.

• 3D Text. This allows you to generate a 3D text object. You control extrusion, beveling and surface attributes. This is described in full detail below.

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move back and forth

of the preview.

Change camera views

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Click this button to play

the entire preview one

time.

Click this button to start

and stop looping playback

of the preview.

The Monitor Panel provides a preview of your chosen FX and options. The preview is generated on the fly as you make changes. A number of controls are provided to adjust the preview itself.

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The looping playback button starts and stops looping playback of the preview. When the button is pressed in, the preview will playback continuously. You can continue to change options or select a different transition while the preview is playing.

while editing flight

paths.

Use this slider to

through the frames

Use Skip and Step buttons to jump to start or end of the

preview and single

frame step.

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Click the single playback button to play the entire transition one time. This is useful when you’ve made some changes and want to see the entire effect quickly.

Step forward one frame or step backward one frame.

Jump to the beginning frame of the effect or to the last frame in the effect.

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The preview slider lets you manually move to any frame of the preview. Simply move the slider back and forth to see different frames of the preview. If the preview is playing (either the looping playback is selected, or the single playback was just pressed), you will not be able to use the preview slider.

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Normally, the preview shows the view from the camera in the FX. The camera view is what is used for rendering the actual FX. Sometimes, particularly when editing an object’s flight path, you will want to change views to see the FX from a different angle. These buttons allow you to quickly change views.

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The Item Panel changes to display options for the current selection in the Control panel. The different Item Panels are discussed in the following chapters.

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The Envelope Editor is used for advanced keyframe editing of object flight paths and option envelopes. This panel is discussed in detail in the chapter titled The Envelope Editor.

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Along the bottom of the Hollywood FX dialog are buttons that provide a number of functions.

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If you haven’t yet registered and entered your permanent keycode, you can click on this button to display the registration information dialog, and register online instantly, or enter a keycode your received after registering from another system. If you have already registered, click on this button to find out about upgrade options.

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As you make changes, you will see an Undo button appear, letting you undo the last action performed. You can press the Undo button again and again to undo previous actions. The Undo button will change to show a description of what action will be undone by pressing the button.

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If you mistakenly Undo an action, you can redo it by clicking this button. Each time you click Undo, the action that was undone is added to the Redo list, letting you move back and forth through all of the changes you have made since displaying the Hollywood FX dialog.

Click on the Settings button to display the Settings dialog, which contains a number of global settings for Hollywood FX. These settings are described in detail below.

Click on this button to display the About dialog. The About dialog displays the version number, serial number, and machine id of your Hollywood FX. You

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can also quickly connect to Pinnacle Online through the Internet from the About dialog.

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Click Ok to save your changes and exit the Hollywood FX dialog. When you click Ok you are returned to your host application. Clicking the close button at the top right of the dialog has the same effect as clicking Ok.

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If you wish to discard the changes you have made since the Hollywood FX dialog was displayed, click Cancel. This will discard your current changes and return to the host application.

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on to select that

When the Hollywood FX dialog is first displayed, and whenever you click on the current FX name in the Control panel, the FX Catalog is displayed on the right side of the Hollywood FX dialog.

Select from the

different groups of

FX using this

dropdown.

If you have HFX Basic or Plus, you will see some of the icons with a Plus or Pro watermark to indicate that you need to upgrade to a particular level to

use that effect. FX are organized into groups that make it easy to find the FX you want

quickly and easily.

··

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F Click on the Groups dropdown list above the FX icons. F Use the dropdown list to select a new group. The FX icons for the

selected group will appear.

The icons for each FX in a group will help you find the effect you want.

··

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F Left-click on the icon for the FX you wish to select. The selected effect

will be highlighted purple, and the preview will be updated.

The FX Catalog

Left-click on an

FX. The current

selected FX is

highlighted in

purple.

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You can create new FX (by using the Save FX button described in the previous chapter), and you can reorganize existing FX into different groups by simply reorganize the effect files (.hfx) themselves), using standard operating system tools like Windows Explorer.

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part of the Flying Window

A list of the current groups and FX within those groups is maintained in the file effects.org within the Hollywood FX\Orgs folder. This list is updated automatically when you use the Save FX button, but must be deleted if you want to rebuild the list after reorganizing effect files.

Within the Effects folder in Hollywood FX you will find a set of folders that are in fact the groups in the FX catalog. Within these folders you will find the .hfx files that are the FX for that group. You can create new groups by creating new folders within the Effects folder, and you can move or copy .hfx files from one group folder to another. Hollywood FX only recognizes one level of folders within the Effects folder.

Remember, after making any changes, you must delete the Hollywood FX\Orgs\effects.org file so that the FX catalog will be rebuilt the next time you use Hollywood FX.

The Flying Window

Transitions group.

The FX files that are a

Transitions group.

FX file organization

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Once you have selected an FX from the FX Catalog, you can change rendering options for that FX.

··

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F Click on the Basic Options item in the Control panel

The Basic Options Panel

Hollywood FX makes it easy to quickly customize an FX to your needs with a series of simple controls.

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In most transitions, the Source 1 (A) video flies off screen revealing the Source 2 (B) video. By clicking on the Reverse Flight checkbox, Hollywood FX will automatically adjust the FX so that the Source 2 (B) video flies on and covers the Source 1 (A) video. If you have the Envelope Editor open, you will be able to see how this reverses the transition percent values.

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For most transitions, you can quickly change the direction in which the video flies off (or on) using the Flight Path dial. Simply click and drag in the dial to change the flight direction and create a very different result.

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When you use the Flight Path dial, you are changing the direction the object flies, but the object itself stays oriented in its original direction. When you

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check the Rotate Object checkbox, the object will rotate to follow the Flight Direction, often giving a more interesting result.

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Use this checkbox to turn on or off lighting in the FX. Turning off lighting will eliminate the realistic shading, but will speed up rendering.

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Use this checkbox to turn on or off shadows in the FX. Turning off shadows will speed up rendering. Having shadows on can add a sense of 3D realism to an FX. Shadows can be controlled in more detail using the Shadow Controls described below.

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Many FX have a glossy shine on the 3D objects that fly on or off screen. This checkbox controls shine. Clear this checkbox to turn off the glossy shine.

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Use the dial to change the direction of the light in the scene. You can create interesting results by having light come from the bottom of the screen instead of the top. Light Direction affects the shading, shine, and shadows of 3D objects in an FX.

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You can change the 3D rendering of the FX

• Smooth is the normal setting. Curved surfaces will have a realistic smooth appearance.

• Flat will render all surfaces as flat polygons. Surfaces that are normally smooth will have a faceted appearance.

• Wire will render all 3D objects as wireframes rather than solid surfaces.

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Some FX will exhibit aliasing (blocky stair stepping along the edge of a 3D object). Turn on antialiasing to reduce aliasing.

• Off. No antialiasing is used. Fastest option.

• Web/CD. antialiasing is slower, but provides good results for all FX.

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• Video. Highest level of antialiasing, slowest rendering.

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This checkbox will turn on realistic motion blur for an FX. Motion blur mimics the blur that is seen when objects move quickly across a camera’s view. Turning on this option will increase rendering time.

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Checking this will turn on trails. Any moving objects will leave trails behind them as they move.

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Turning on this feature will cause the rendering engine to perform advanced pixel blending, smoothing out images in the FX. This feature is especially useful when you “zoom” in on a piece of video. Pixel Blending will eliminate the normal blockiness of the zoom.

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Once you have selected an FX from the FX Catalog, you can change rendering options for that FX.

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F Click on the Advanced Options item in the Control panel

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The Advanced Options Panel

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When shadows are turned on, they can be controlled with more precision using the Shadow Controls.

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These radio buttons control the type of shadow that is generated.

• Cast. Cast shadows treat the backdrop image like a piece of paper

• Drop. When drop shadows are selected, shadows are always drawn

• Full. PRO Turn on full scene shadowing. With this option objects

that all other objects cast shadows onto. The closer an object is to the backdrop, the closer its shadow is to the object.

at a specified distance from an object.

shadow themselves and each other for the most realistic look.

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This slider controls the darkness of the shadows. The higher the value, the darker and more opaque the shadows are. The lower the value, the more transparent the shadows are. Generally a value from 30% to 50% produces a very realistic shadow.

This slider controls the distance of shadows from their objects. The greater the distance, the farther the shadow is drawn from the object. This slider is particularly useful for Drop shadows. Remember, the direction of the shadow is controlled by the Light Direction dial.

Hollywood FX lets you create soft-edged shadows. Simply increase the softness value to create a softer shadow. Note however, that the higher the softness value, the greater the rendering time.

Determines the number of trails that are drawn behind each object when trails are turned on.

When motion blur is turned on, you can control the specific look of the blur using the motion blur controls. Note: Motion blur can greatly increase rendering time.

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This determines how far the blur “smears”. This value is the percent of the total distance from frame to another in the FX. The higher the value, the longer the smear. Hollywood FX always renders an accurate intraframe blur, unlike other products which simply create a fixed distance blur.

This determines how many copies of the object are drawn to create the blur. The higher the number the smoother the blur appears. Increasing this number also greatly increases rendering time.

These controls let you hold at the start or end of an FX. This is useful on certain MultiWindow FX where video windows fly on screen, and you might want them to stay on screen for a certain time, playing video.

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This controls the hold time at the start of the FX. The value is a percentage of the total time of the FX in your timeline. For example, if you were doing a fly off transition, and set this value to 15%, then the “A” video source will stay on screen for 15% of the total time, then will fly off during the last 85% of the total time of the transition. If you have the Envelope Editor open, you will be able to see the change in the transition percent values when you adjust this slider.

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This controls the hold time at the end of an FX. The value is a percentage of the total time of the FX in your timeline. For example, if you reversed a normal transition so that the “B” video source flies on and set this value to 15%, then the “B” video source will fly on during the first 85% of the total transition time, and hold onscreen for the last 15% of the total time. If you have the Envelope Editor open, you will be able to see the change in the transition percent values when you adjust this slider.

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buttons to replace

host application, or

can have different

blanking or create

and Out buttons to trim

When you select a Media item in the Control panel, the Media Options will be displayed in the Item panel. The Media Options panel gives you the ability to map video and image files onto the 3D objects in an FX.

Usually, Source 1 and 2 come from the host application’s timeline and normally you will not remap those. The Media items are most often used to map additional video sources for MultiWindow FX, when the host application does not provide that video.

Use the Select

any Media with

video from the

video/image files

field/frame

Different

orders.

from an image or

video file.

effects with

Use the slider and In

a video source.

MMeeddiiaa SSeelleeccttiioonn

SSeelleecctt TTrraacckk

The Media Options panel

Use cropping to

remove video

interesting results.

If you wish to select a video track from the host application, you can do so by clicking this button. A list of available host video tracks will be displayed. Using this button you could repeat Source 1 or Source 2 instead of having a separate Source 3 in a MultiWindow transitions.

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This button displays a file requester, letting you select a single image, a sequence of images, or a video file. To select a sequence of images, simply select the first image in the sequence (each file of the sequence must be

Create

interesting

playback

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numbered sequentially). Hollywood FX currently supports targa, bitmap, and png images, as well as Video for Windows and Quicktime video files.

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The preview area lets you view any frame of a sequence or video file, and lets you trim that file for use in Hollywood FX.

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Use this slider to move to any frame in the video sequence. Directly below the slider is a time indicator that shows the current time of the preview frame being displayed.

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Click the In button to set the in-point of the video source. The current time shown below the slider will be used as the first frame in the FX.

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Click the Out button to set the out-point of the video source. The current time shown below the slider will be used as the last frame in the FX.

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Below the preview area you will find information about the resolution and length in time of the video source selected.

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These controls are only available when a media file is selected (for host tracks, all playback is controlled by the host application).

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When you select a video file, you should also set the Interpretation for that video file so that fields and frames are correctly rendered.

• Frames. If the video sequence consists of video frames that are not interlaced fields, then you should select this option.

• Separate Fields. If the video sequence consists of individual fields (not interlaced together into a full frame), then select this option.

• Interlaced – Upper First. This option is used when the video source consists of interlaced frames (consisting of two fields), where the upper field is rendered first in time.

MMeeddiiaa OOppttiioonnss

• Interlaced – Lower First. This option is used when the video

source consists of interlaced frames (consisting of two fields), where the lower field is rendered first in time.

• Single Image. Use this option when you are mapping an individual

image, or you only want to use a single image from a sequence of images or video file.

For most video, one of the Interlaced interpretations will be used. Generally this should be the same field order as you set in your host application. Hollywood FX will remember the last Interpret setting for each type of media.

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Use this slider to speed up or slow down playback of the selected video. At 100% the video plays back at its normal rate. Below 100% the video plays back slowly, and above 100% the video plays back more quickly than normal.

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You can create interesting results by switching the playback direction to backwards. When set to backwards, the video begins playing from the last frame and continues to play backwards until the first frame is reached.

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If the trimmed media is shorter in duration than the FX you can control what happens when the last frame of the media is reached by changing the End Behavior.

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These controls adjust the number of pixels that are cropped on each side of the video source. This is most often used to remove blanking information from captured video, but may also be used to create some unique results where you only display a small portion of a video source.

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• Stop. This is the normal case. The playback simply stops and the

last frame continues to be shown until the end of the FX.

• Repeat. In this case, when the last frame is reached, then playback

starts over from the first frame.

• Ping-Pong. In this case, when the last frame is reached, playback

switches direction (going backwards). Playback continues switching directions until the end of the FX.

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control whether

n object’s

transparency over

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When an object is selected in the Control panel, the Object Options panel is is displayed in the Item panel area. The Object Options panel gives you controls to keyframe a new path for an object or to adjust its morphing or dissolve level during an FX. Using the Object Options and the Envelope Editor, you can completely customize any FX to create an entirely new and unique result.

These buttons

the selected

tool will work

along each axis.

Replace the

current object

with any other

object file.

Select one of

these tools to

interactively

adjust position,

rotation and

size in the

Monitor window.

Types of Objects

Adjust a

shape and

time using these

sliders along with

the Envelope

Editor.

There are two types of objects in Hollywood FX. A null object is a special object that is invisible and is used only to position and control other objects (see Object Heierarchies below). A null object is represented in the preview window by a white cross, and in the Control panel by a blue ball with a cross in it.

A normal object is one that has rendered polygons and is usually visible in the FX. This is represented by a blue ball icon in the Control panel.

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Hollywood FX is a true 3D animation system and uses object hierarchies to create complex multi-object movements. An object hierarchy is when one object is the child of another object. When the parent object moves, the child object moves with it. In the Control panel you will often see an object’s icon indented directly below another object. This indicates that the indented object is the child of the object above it. You can change the hierarchy by changing the parent object for any object.

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Scroll Parent Null

invisible null object that is used to

control the movement of all of the

(

Stick, Stick, and Scroll

The

pieces of the wooden scroll

An example of an object hierarchy in the Scroll2 FX

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Hollywood FX lets you replace an object in an FX with any other object on disk. Click on Select File…, then select one of the object files (.hfo) within the Objects folder in the Hollywood FX application folder. After replacing an object, you may need to re-keyframe the Morph value for that object to get proper morphing results from the object.

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The positioning controls are used to quickly keyframe new flight paths for an object in the FX. You can simply move the preview slider to a particular time in the FX, then use these controls to move an object, and you will have created a new path. For more advanced keyframing of paths, you will use these controls together with the Envelope Editor.

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These tool buttons let you select a tool to use in the Monitor panel. When one of these tools is selected, you can click-and-drag in the Monitor panel to interactively edit the position, rotation, size, and pivot point of the selected object. These tools are also affected by the Axis buttons described below.

• Move. When the move tool is selected, clicking-and-dragging with the left mouse button in the Monitor panel will let you move the object along the X axis by moving left and right, and along the Y axis by moving up and down. Using the right mouse button, you can move the mouse back and forth along the Z axis by moving the mouse up and down.

• Rotate. When the rotate tool is selected, clicking-and-dragging with the left mouse button in the Monitor panel will let you rotate the object around the Y axis by moving left and right and around the X axis by moving the mouse up and down. Clicking-and-dragging with the right mouse button will rotate the object around the Z axis.

• Scale. When the rotate tool is selected, clicking-and-dragging withi n the Monitor panel will resize the object along all axis simultaneously. If you want to scale the object along a single axis, hold the Shift

is an

OObbjjeecctt OOppttiioonnss

key while clicking-and-dragging. The left button controls scaling along the X and Y axis, while the right mouse button scales the object along the Z axis.

• Pivot. The pivot tool lets you adjust the pivot point of an object.

The pivot point indicates the point in space that an object rotates around. Moving the pivot point can create entirely new results when rotating an object. The pivot point is indicated by a light blue X shape for the selected object. Use the left mouse button to move the pivot point along the X and Y axis. Use the right mouse button to move the pivot point along the Z axis.

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The buttons labeled X, Y, Z along the top of the Positioning controls are used to limit a tool to specific axis. For example, if you only want to move an object along the Z axis, then you can make sure that the X and Y buttons are not pressed. Simply click on a button to change between pressed or not pressed. The current tool will only affect an object along the axis whose buttons are pressed.

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For each tool, there are also text fields where you can enter a specific value for each axis rather than using the interactive tools in the Monitor panel. These fields will change to show the current values when you are using the interactive tools.

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This button will resize the selected object so that it will exactly match the original fullscreen video (without changing its position along the Z axis). You should also set an object’s Morph percent to zero if you want the video to show full screen properly.

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This button will move the selected object along the Z axis so that the object will exactly match the original fullscreen video (without changing the size of the object). You should also set an object’s Morph percent to zero if you want the video to show full screen properly.

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Many of the 3D objects in Hollywood FX can change shape from the original flat screen video to a unique 3D shape. This slider is used to control that

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shape change. At 0% the object is not morphed at all (and usually will be flat). At 100% the object is fully morphed into its final shape. Anywhere in between, the object will be partially morphed between the original flat shape and the final shape. Use this slider along with the Envelope Editor to create interesting new shape changes. For example, with the Small Cylinder FX, you could have the object morph back and forth between flat and cylinder to create a flapping FX.

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This slider lets you adjust the transparency of an object. At 0% the object is completely opaque. At 100% the object will be invisible. Use this slider with the Envelope Editor to create interesting results like dissolves or fade-ins.

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This dropdown lets you change the parent object of the current object. You can create advanced object hierarchies by attaching objects to other objects. This dropdown will list all other objects in the FX, as well as a <None> option if you don’t wish to have this object attached to any other object.

When an object has a parent, then the object will always follow the parent’s positioning. If the parent moves or rotates or resizes, then its children also move, rotate or resize. The child can also have additional movements, but they are always relative to the parent object. To better see how parenting works, check out the Advanced-Tutorials guide.

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These flags control special capabilities of each object.

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If checked, this object will cast a shadow. If cleared, the object will not cast a shadow.

SShhaaddooww RReecceeiivvee

This flag is intended for full-scene shadowing which is not currently implemented.

TTrraannssiittiioonn OObbjjeecctt

If checked, the current object is considered to be a transition object. Only transition objects change their flight path when the Flight Direction or Rotate Object (Effect Options) is changed. When you create your own FX, you will normally make sure that any objects that fly on or off the screen are set to Transition Object, while the background object and any other objects that remain still have their Transition Object flag cleared.

SSuurrffaaccee OOppttiioonnss

Surfaces describe the color and texture properties of polygons in an object. A surface can describe a simple color or can indicate that a Media item is to be mapped on the object. An object may have multiple surfaces (for example the stopwatch object in the Clockers FX has a surface for the gold colored watch and a separate surface for the area that is mapped with video.

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Use these tools to

interactively adjust

texture mapping in the

Monitor window.

Surface Options

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MMeeddiiaa

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If a surface has video mapped onto it, then it is associated with a Media item. This dropdown lets you change the current Media item used for the surface, or select <none> so that no video is mapped on the surface and only the color options are used.

These buttons determine which axes will be affected when one of the texture adjustment tools is selected. If the button is pressed, that axis will be affected, otherwise it will be locked and not changed by any interactive editing in the Monitor window.

These texture adjustment tools let you create interesting effects by changing how media is mapped onto the polygons of an object. Click on any of the tool buttons to activate that tool, then click-and-drag in the Monitor window to adjust the values for that tool. You can also manually enter values for position, rotation or scale by entering values into the text fields.

• Move. When selected you can move the mouse up-and-down to

adjust the Y position of the texture and move the mouse right-and-

PPRRO

Select a Media

item to map to

this surface.

Control the basic color

properties of

the surface

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left to adjust the X position of the texture. You can create interesting results by moving a texture across an object (keyframe the position over time).

• Rotate. Use the left mouse button to rotate on the X and Y axes. Use the right mouse button to rotate around the Z axis. Rotating a texture can create some very unique results.

• Scale. When selected you can move the mouse up-and-down to adjust the Y scale of the texture and move the mouse right-and-left to adjust the X scale of the texture. Using Scale you can shrink or grow the texture on the object. Use this along with Width Repeat and Height Repeat to create interesting infinite zoom effects.

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These control whether a texture (media item) is repeated across an object when the texture itself does not cover the entire object. You generally use Width Repeat and Height Repeat together with Scale. Try turning on Width Repeat and Height Repeat, then scale the texture so it is very small. You will soon see multiple copies of the texture across the face of the object instead of one copy.

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Click this button to return the Position, Rotation and Scale values for the texture to their default values. This will quickly return the texture to its normal, original mapping on the object.

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If checked, this surface is double-sided, and both the front and back of the polygons in the object are visible. If cleared, only the front side of each polygon is drawn. This option is used both for textured and color-only surfaces.

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If checked, the polygons of this surface are drawn with a smooth appearance. When clear, the polygons are drawn flat and have a faceted appearance. This option is used both for textured and color-only surfaces.

This RGBA value determines the base color of the surface. It is only used if the Media item is set to <none> (a color-only surface). You can enter individual vales for the Red, Green, Blue, and Alpha channels individually in the edit fields (the values must be between 0 and 1), or you can click on the

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Base Color button to display a color requester and select a specific color. Adjusting the Alpha channel below 1 will create a semi-transparent object.

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This slider determines how transparent a surface is. The highest value of

1.000 is completely opaque, while the lowest value of 0.000 is completely transparent. This will only make the surface transparent and not the entire object, unless the entire object is a single surface. If your object has multiple surfaces and you want the entire object to fade out, then use Dissolve in the Object Options.

A surface can have a specular shine on it (a bright spot that makes it look glossy). This value determines the color of that specular shine. It is used along with the Shine Spot value which determines the size of the specular shine spot. Normally, for a glossy appearance, this value should be set to 1, 1, 1, 1 (pure white), but you can use any color to create interesting results. You can enter individual vales for the Red, Green, Blue, and Alpha channels individually in the edit fields (the values must be between 0 and 1), or you can click on the Base Color button to display a color requester and select a specific color.

This slider along with the Shine color determines how glossy a surface looks. The higher the value, the tighter the specular spot (and the glossier the surface looks). With a smaller value the spot is spread out and the surface looks less glossy. At 0, no Shine is drawn for the surface.

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This RGBA value determines the luminous color of the surface. It is only used if the Media item is set to <none> (a color-only surface). You can enter individual vales for the Red, Green, Blue, and Alpha channels individually in the edit fields (the values must be between 0 and 1), or you can click on the Base Color button to display a color requester and select a specific color. When a surface has a luminous color, it looks like it is emitting that color of light. It will no longer be shaded based on light direction. This can be useful to create effects like neon tubes.

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envelope window to create

The first ruler shows the total time of

The Envelope Editor is used for advanced keyframing of flight paths and individual options in Hollywood FX. When you first use Hollywood FX, the Envelope Editor is hidden to keep things simple. When you are ready to begin using the Envelope Editor, open it by clicking on the envelope button at the bottom of the Hollywood FX dialog.

The Envelope Editor is used to create keyframes for whatever control is currently active in the Hollywood FX dialog. The current control’s name is highlighted in green to indicate that it is the current control, and that the Envelope Editor can be used to create keyframes for that control.

There are two basic types of envelopes.

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When you are working with a single value in Hollywood FX (like Morph percent), then the envelope editor will show that value over time, and will let you edit the envelope by clicking and dragging in the envelope window.

Any key can have values

curve through it, go

straight, or jump

immediately from the

previous key’s value.

the FX, the second ruler shows the

Transition percent, which is affected

by the Reverse, Hold at Start, and

Hold at End options in Effect Options.

Use the current time

slider to move to a new

frame in the FX. This

works like the preview

slider, but is more

Adjust the spline curve

through a key using

these controls.

When you click and drag in the envelope window, it will at the same time automatically adjust the current control. When you adjust the current control, that will affect the envelope window.

Next and Previous keyframe buttons.

Click and drag in the

and adjust keys.

accurate.

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frames for the current

You can quickly save and

the current envelope.

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When you are editing the flight path of the object using the object tools, you are actually adjusting keyframes for the position, rotation and scale simultaneously for a keyframe. In this case, the envelope looks a little different. Instead of showing the actual value, it simply indicates where keyframes are in time. You edit the values for those keyframes using the tools in the current Item panel.

load complete

envelopes, or remove

Create, Delete, Copy,

Shift and Scale individual

or ranges of keys.

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The Envelope Window displays the current envelope and lets you quickly click and drag to create new keyframes for an envelope.

Key

path are shown as blocks

in the timeline.

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At the top of the envelope window you will find the current time slider. Like the preview slider, it lets you move back and forth to different times in the FX. Left-click and drag the slider back and forth to move it. As you move it, the preview slider in the Monitor window will move also. If you move the time over a keyframe, that keyframe will be highlighted in red to indicate that it is the current keyframe.

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At the top of the window is the Time Ruler. The Time Ruler shows the total time of the FX. This is controlled entirely by changing the duration of the FX in your host application. The timecode used in this ruler can be adjusted in the Settings dialog.

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All keyframe information in Hollywood FX is stored as percent values of the total transition. This allows Hollywood FX to handle true intraframe editing,

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easily scale to any duration, be reversed and to control Hold at Start and Hold at End quickly and easily.

Normally the values in this ruler run from 0% to 100% coinciding with the Time Ruler above it. However, this can be affected by certain Effect Options settings.

When the Reverse Effect checkbox is checked in Effect Options, the transition % ruler is reversed also, running from 100% to 0%.

Adjusting the Hold values (Start and End), will adjust the starting and ending point of the transition in relation to the total duration of the FX.

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The envelope is displayed in the envelope window. For single value envelopes, the range of values is displayed to the left of the envelope window. By clicking and dragging in the envelope window, you can create and modify keyframes.

If you click on an existing keyframe, the current time slider will move to that time and the keyframe will be selected. If you are editing a single value, then you can drag up and down to immediately change the value at that keyframe.

If you click in the window where there is no keyframe, then a keyframe will be created at that time. If you are editing a single value, you can drag the keyframe’s value up and down. If you are editing a multiple value envelope, then the key will be created using the current values.

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This button lets you save the current envelope to disk. When you press this button, a file requester will appear and you can type in the name to save this envelope as. Normally you should save all envelopes in the Envelopes folder (the default) so that you can find them again easily. This is useful when you might want to reuse a complex envelope in a different FX or for a different value. For example, you might create a complex bouncing ball path that you could save to disk and load later in an FX with a different shaped object.

Click this button to replace the current envelope with a previously saved envelope. A file requester will appear letting you select a previously saved envelope. Only envelopes that have the same range of values can replace an existing envelope. So you could use an envelope you saved for an object’s Morph as an envelope for an object’s Dissolve value since they both have a range from 0 to 100. But you couldn’t use that Morph envelope for Flight

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Direction, since Flight Direction requires an envelope that uses values from 0 to 360 degrees.

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This button will remove the current envelope. Once removed, changing the current control will change it for the entire FX, rather than for the current time’s keyframe.

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When the current time is on a keyframe (the keyframe block will be highlighted red), you can use these radio buttons to control the type of keyframe at that time.

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When Spline Curve is selected, the envelope will be a smooth curve through the keyframe. You can adjust the curve through the keyframe using the Spline Curve controls (described below).

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The envelope will be a straight line to the current keyframe.

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When this is selected, the value will remain at the previous keyframe’s value until the exact moment of the current keyframe, then it will jump to the new value. This is great when you want an object to disappear at a specific point in time. You can set up an envelope for the object’s Dissolve value where the first keyframe is 0%, and the second keyframe is a Value Jump keyframe to 100%. This will guarantee that the object will disappear instantaneously rather than fading out over time.

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This button lets you copy a range of keyframes from one time to another. When you click this button, the Copy Keys dialog appears.

The Copy Keys dialog

100

Pinnacle HOLLYWOOD FX User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual