Pinnacle Systems NewsCutter - 2.0 Effects Guide

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Avid® NewsCutter®

Effects Guide

Release 2.0

tools for storytellers®

Avid NewsCutter Effects Guide • Part 0130-04674-01 Rev. A • November 2000

Chapter 1 Preparing to Work with Effects

Effect Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Effects Creation Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

About Real-Time and Downstream Key Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

About Real-Time Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Playing Real-Time Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Playing Complex Effect Combinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Combined Rendering of Real-Time

and Non-Real-Time Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Displaying Effects On-the-Fly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Interrupting Render On-the-Fly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

About Downstream Key Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Using the Effect Palette. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Displaying the Effect Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Resizing the Effect Palette. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Understanding the Color Coding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Displaying Effect Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Playing Effects in a Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Using Third-Party Plug-in Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Chapter 2 Basics of Effects Editing

Deconstructing Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Applying Effects to a Sequence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Applying an Effect to a Single Transition or Segment . . . . . . . 34

Dragging an Effect from the Effect Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Double-Clicking an Effect Icon in the Effect Palette . . . . . 36

Applying an Effect to Multiple Transitions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Applying an Effect to Multiple Segments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Deleting Effects in a Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Deleting a Single Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Deleting Multiple Transition Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Deleting Multiple Segment Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Using the Fade Effect Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Working with Transition Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Types of Transition Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Applying a Dissolve Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Using the Effect Palette to Create a Dissolve Effect . . . . . . 45

Using the Quick Transition Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Using the Quick Transition Button to Apply

Effects to Multiple Transitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Understanding the Graphical Display in the

Quick Transition Dialog Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Adjusting the Effect by Dragging. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Repositioning the Effect with the Alignment Buttons . . . . 56

Creating a Dissolve in Trim Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Sizing the Effect to Fit the Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Trimming a Transition Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Creating Motion Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Rendering Considerations When Creating Motion Effects . . . 59

Rendering and Rerendering Existing Motion Effects . . . . . . . . 61

Understanding Motion Effect Type Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Creating a Freeze Frame. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Controlling a Freeze Frame with a Single Button or Key . . . . . 66

Creating a Rolling Clip That Freezes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Creating a Variable Speed Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Creating a Strobe Motion Effect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Creating Mosaic Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Using the Effect Editor with the Mosaic Effect . . . . . . . . . . 75

Chapter 3 Customizing Effects with the Effect Editor

Opening the Effect Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Customizing the Effect Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Understanding the Effect Preview Monitor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Understanding the Tracking Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Displaying the Safe Title and Safe Action Guidelines . . . . . . . 85

Moving an Enlarged Image in the Effect Preview Monitor . . . 86

Changing Position in an Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Replacing an Effect in Effect Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Using the Effect Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Effect Editor Buttons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

About Effect Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Using Parameter Sliders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Using Parameter Enable Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Using the Other Options Button to Access Parameters . . . . . . . 96

Adjusting a Color Parameter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Using the Eyedropper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Using the Windows Color Dialog Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Using Keyframes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Adding a Keyframe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Selecting a Keyframe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Moving a Keyframe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Changing a Keyframe’s Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Copying and Pasting Keyframe Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Deleting a Keyframe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Manipulating Effects Directly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Defining Motion Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Moving the Image Directly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Resizing a Foreground Image by Dragging Handles. . . . . . . . 107

Using an Effect Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Saving an Effect Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Applying an Effect Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Playing an Effect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Basic Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Playing an Effect in a Continuous Loop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Playing a Preview of an Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Rendering Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Creating and Using Render Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Creating a New Render Setting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Adjusting Render Settings Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Activating a Render Setting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Partial Render . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Interrupting a Render . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Customizing Render Ranges Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Rendering a Single Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Rendering Effects at Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Rendering Effects Between IN and OUT Points. . . . . . . . . . . . 122

ExpertRender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Rendering Effects by Using ExpertRender. . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Modifying ExpertRender Results. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Considerations When Using ExpertRender . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Examples of ExpertRender Behavior. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Example 1: Nested Effect with Dissolves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Example 2: Titles with a Dissolve Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Managing Effect Media Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Understanding Effect Media Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Revealing Effect Media Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Deleting Effect Media Files from a Bin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Chapter 4 Creating Layered and Nested Effects

Creating Key Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Using the Chroma Key Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

About the Chroma Key Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Creating a Chroma Key Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Creating a Luma Key Effect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Creating a Matte Key Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

.Using the Color Effect to Prepare a High-Contrast Image . . . 145

Working with Imported Graphics and Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Editing with Imported Matte Key Clips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Editing with Imported Master Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Nesting Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

Expanding Nested Effects in the Timeline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Creating a Simple Nested Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Nesting a Matte Key Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Submaster Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

Applying the Submaster Effect to a Multilayered

Sequence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

Using the Submaster Effect with a Series of Short Clips . . . . 159

Collapsing Layers into One Submaster Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Performing a Video Mixdown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

Chapter 5 Creating Titles and Graphic Objects

Creating Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Downstream Keying of Titles and Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Opening the Title Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

Understanding the Title Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Understanding the Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

Using the Selection Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

Setting Up the Drawing Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Installing Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Previewing Titles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Using Title and Action Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Using Safe Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Selecting a Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Using a Video Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Updating the Video Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Creating a Color Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Using the Alignment Grid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Displaying a Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Snapping to a Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Bringing the Title Tool to the Foreground . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Working with Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

Creating Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

Copying and Pasting Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Resizing Text Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

Repositioning Text Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

Editing a Text String . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

Formatting the Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

Selecting Text for Formatting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182

Setting the Default Text Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Selecting a Font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Changing the Font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

Changing the Point Size. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

Making Text Bold or Italic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

Justifying the Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

Kerning the Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Adjusting Leading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

Creating Graphic Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

Drawing a Square or Rectangle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

Drawing a Circle or Oval. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

Drawing a Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

Selecting Line Attributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

Rounding Corners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

Selecting a Line or Border Width . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

Adding Arrowheads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

Changing Arrowhead Size. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

Creating Rolling Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

Page Count Limits for Rolling Titles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

Using Auto Size Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196

Setting Up Text Formatting for Rolling Titles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197

Typing the Rolling Title Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197

Resizing the Width of a Rolling Title . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

Scrolling Through a Title. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

Going to a Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199

Adding Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200

Deleting Additional Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200

Formatting Rolling Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

Selecting Colors and Setting Transparency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

Adjusting the Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202

Blending Two Colors in an Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203

Using the Title Tool Color Picker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

Adjusting the Transparency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

Blending Transparency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206

Working with Shadows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

Applying Shadows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

Adjusting Shadow Color and Transparency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

Adjusting Shadow Softness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

Setting Shadow Softness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210

Adjusting Shadow Softness On-the-Fly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

Viewing Shadow Softness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

Creating a Glow Effect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212

Manipulating Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

Basic Manipulation Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

Layering Text and Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214

Grouping and Ungrouping Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214

Locking and Unlocking Objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

Aligning Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

Distributing Objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218

Saving Titles and Title Styles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

Matching Resolutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220

Saving a Title and Exiting the Title Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

Saving Multiple Titles in a Session. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

Using the Fast Save Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

Saving a Title with Fast Save. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224

Viewing Fast-Saved Titles in a Bin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224

Rendering Fast-Saved Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224

Revising a Title in a Bin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

Saving and Recalling Title Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

Saving a Title Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227

Recalling a Title Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228

Confirming Function Key Mapping of Title Styles . . . . . 229

Applying Title Styles to Text Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

Managing Title Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

Creating and Using Title Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

Creating Title Templates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

Using Title Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232

Exporting a Title as a Graphics File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233

Chapter 6 Editing with Titles

Workflow for Editing with Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235

Guidelines for Working with Titles and Title Media. . . . . . . . . . . 235

Downstream Keying of Titles and Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235

Restrictions of Downstream Key Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236

Converting Downstream Key Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

Restrictions of Non-Downstream Key Titles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238

Playback Capabilities of Title Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240

About Title Clips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

Displaying Title Frames in the Bin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

Editing a Title into a Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

Setting Marks in Rolling Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

Splicing or Overwriting a Title into a Sequence. . . . . . . . . . . . 243

Dragging a Marked Title into a Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246

Dragging an Unmarked Title into a Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248

Trimming the Duration of Rolling Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249

Removing Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Replacing Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251

Fading a Title. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251

Adjusting Title Effect Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

Revising a Title in a Sequence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253

Replacing Fill Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256

Rendering Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259

Re-creating Title Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259

Troubleshooting Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261

Title Does Not Display over Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261

Downstream Key Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261

Wrong Title Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262

Chapter 7 2D Effects Reference

2D Effects Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263

Global and Keyframeable Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264

Acceleration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265

Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266

Border . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267

Color Effect Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

Luma Adjust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

Luma Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

Luma Clip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271

Chroma Adjust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272

Color Style. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273

Color Gain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275

Crop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276

Downstream Key. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277

Foreground . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278

Key Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279

Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280

Secondary Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281

Spill Suppression. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282

Matrix Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282

Mosaic Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284

Feathering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284

Mosaic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285

Motion Effect Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286

Freeze Frame Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286

Variable Speed and Strobe Motion Parameters . . . . . . . . . 288

Plug-in Effect Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290

Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291

Scroll Position V. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292

Scaling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293

Transition Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293

Transition Effect Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294

Transition Effect Duration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294

2D Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295

Blend Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296

Dip to Color. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297

Dissolve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298

Fade from Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

Fade to Color. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300

Picture-in-Picture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301

Superimpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

Box Wipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303

Bottom Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304

Bottom Left to Top Right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305

Bottom Right to Top Left . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306

Left Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307

Right Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308

Top Bo x . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309

Top Left to Bottom Right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310

Top Right to Bottom Left . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311

Conceal Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312

Bottom Left to Top Right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313

Bottom Right to Top Left . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314

Bottom to Top . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315

Left to Right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316

Right to Left . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317

Top Left to Bottom Right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318

Top Right to Bottom Left . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319

Top to Bottom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320

Edge Wipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321

Horizontal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322

Horizontal Open . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323

Lower Left Diagonal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324

Lower Right Diagonal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325

Upper Left Diagonal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326

Upper Right Diagonal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327

Vertical Open . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328

Ve r ti c a l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329

Image Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330

Color Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331

Flip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332

Flip-Flop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333

Flop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334

Mask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335

Mosaic Effect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336

Resize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337

Submaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338

Key Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338

Chroma Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339

Luma Key. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340

Matte Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341

L-Conceal Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342

Bottom Left . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343

Bottom Right. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344

Top Left . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345

Top Ri gh t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346

Matrix Wipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347

Grid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348

One-Way Row. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349

Speckle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350

Spiral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351

Zig-Zag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352

Motion Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353

Freeze Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353

Variable Speed and Strobe Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353

Peel Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354

Bottom Left Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355

Bottom Right Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356

Bottom to Top . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357

Left to Right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358

Right to Left . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359

Top Left Corner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360

Top Right Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361

Top to Bottom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362

Push Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363

Bottom Left to Top Right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364

Bottom Right to Top Left . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365

Bottom to Top . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366

Left to Right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367

Right to Left . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368

Top Left to Bottom Right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369

Top Right to Bottom Left . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370

Top to Bottom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371

Sawtooth Wipes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372

Horizontal Sawtooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372

Horizontal Open Sawtooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373

Vertical Open Sawtooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374

Vertical Sawtooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375

Shape Wipes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376

4 Corners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377

Center Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378

Circle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379

Clock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380

Diamond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381

Ellipse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382

Horizontal Bands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383

Horizontal Blinds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384

Vertical Blinds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385

Spin Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385

X Spin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386

Y Spin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387

Squeeze Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388

Bottom Centered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389

Bottom Left . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390

Bottom Right. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391

Bottom to Top . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392

Centered Zoom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393

Horizontal Centered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394

Left Centered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395

Left to Right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396

Right Centered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397

Right to Left . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398

Top Centered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399

Top Left . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400

Top Ri gh t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401

Top to Bottom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402

Vertical Centered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403

Title Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404

Comparison of Similar Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405

Appendix A Using AVX Plug-Ins

Installing AVX Plug-Ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407

Locating the AVX_Plug-Ins Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409

Upgrading AVX Plug-ins and Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410

Assigning Multiple Tracks in Plug-in Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411

Using AVX Plug-in Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412

Accessing an AVX Custom Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412

Custom AVX Controls in the Effect Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413

Troubleshooting AVX Plug-Ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414

Plug-in Does Not Appear in the Effect Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414

Plug-in Does Not Load. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414

NewsCutter Cannot Render the Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414

Blank Effect Icons in the Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415

Missing Effect Categories in the Effect Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415

Index

Tables

Table 2-1 Playback Capabilities of Motion Effects . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Table 3-1 Effect Editor Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Table 3-2 Render Settings Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Table 5-1 Toolbar Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

Table 5-2 Title Object Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196

Table 6-1 DSK and Non-DSK Title Playback Capabilities . . . . 240

CHAPTER 1

Preparing to Work with Effects

NewsCutter offers many effects that you can apply to your sequences. This chapter describes concepts you should understand before you begin creating and editing effects into sequences.

• Effect Types

• Effects Creation Tools

• About Real-Time and Downstream Key Effects

• Using the Effect Palette

• Playing Effects in a Sequence

• Using Third-Party Plug-in Effects

Effect Types

Much overlapping occurs between the various types of effects you can create, as well as the methods used to create them. Your system offers four basic effect types.

• Transition effects (dissolves, wipes, and so forth) are applied at the cut point between two video clips that are on the same video

track (that is, the same video layer). For more information on creating transition effects, see Chapter 2, “Basics of Effects Editing

and Chapter 3, “Customizing Effects with the Effect Editor.”

• Segment effects are applied to an entire clip or group of clips. There are two types of segment effects:

-A single-layer segment effect, such as the Mask effect, is

applied to a segment on one video track. Single-layer segment effects use one stream of video. For more information on creating single-layer segment effects, see Chapter 2, “Basics of Effects Editing” and Chapter 3, “Customizing Effects with the Effect Editor.”

-A multilayer segment effect, such as the Picture-in-Picture

effect, is applied to the top layer or a middle layer of segments that contain two or more video tracks that will be played simultaneously. For more information on techniques for creating multilayer effects, see Chapter 4, “Creating Layered and Nesting Effects.”

• Title effects are created with the Title tool and edited onto their own layers in a sequence. For more information on techniques for creating and editing title effects, see Chapter 5, “Creating Titles and Graphic Objects” and Chapter 6, “Editing with Titles.”

• Motion effects (freeze frame, variable speed, and strobe) are created by manipulating the playback characteristics of a clip of footage. For more information on techniques for creating motion effects, see Chapter 2, “Basics of Effects Editing.”

Effects Creation Tools

The following chart presents the basic tools used to create effects.

Sources of effects:

Effect Palette

Apply transition and segment effects directly to tracks.

Effects editing in default editing mode:

Motion Effect dialog box

Title tool

Title and motion effects appear first as clips in the bin.

Edit effect clips into the Timeline.

Effects adjustment in Effect mode:

Effect Preview monitor: Allows you to preview an effect, manipulate keyframes, and manipulate wire-frame representations of the effect.

Effect Editor: Allows you to adjust effect parameters.

About Real-Time and Downstream Key Effects

Many effects are real time, which means you do not have to render them before you play them. Other effects require rendering before you can play them back at full speed. You can preview effects that are not real time before rendering.

Titles and graphic elements imported with an alpha channel display as downstream key (DSK) effects. DSK effects play in real time. See

“Downstream Keying of Titles and Graphics” on page 235.

About Real-Time Effects

A real-time effect is an effect that you can apply to a sequence and play without having to render it first (rendering takes time and disk space). A real-time effect has a small orange dot within the effect icon in the Timeline. Effects that must be rendered have a small blue dot within the effect icon in the Timeline. Effects that might need to be rendered have a small green dot within the effect icon in the Timeline. For more information, see “Understanding the Color Coding” on page 27.

Playing Real-Time Effects

You can create a sequence that has any number of real-time and non-real-time effects. The following maximum capabilities for NewsCutter determine the playback of real-time effects:

• You can play one segment effect at a time.

• You can add a maximum of one additional DSK title or graphic. The DSK Title effect can be either a static title or graphic.

• You can add and render a Dissolve effect between adjacent segments containing real-time segment effects, and the track will continue to play in real time.

The following sequence demonstrates the maximum real-time playback capabilities of the system.

DSK Title effect

Nested Mask effect

Color effect

Playing Complex Effect Combinations

If your sequence contains a combination of effects that exceeds the real-time playback capabilities of the system, you can achieve successful playback by using the following additional techniques:

• Render some or all of the effects. For more information, see

“Rendering Effects” on page 113.

Consider rendering transition effects such as the Dissolve effect or wipe effects first; they take less time to render than titles or segment effects. The ExpertRender option can help to identify which effects NewsCutter needs to render to achieve real-time playback. This option can minimize rendering and improve playback. For more information, see “ExpertRender” on page 124.

• Use the Submaster effect to reduce the amount of rendering. For more information, see “Submaster Editing” on page 157.

• Perform a mixdown of video tracks. For more information, see

“Performing a Video Mixdown” on page 162.

If your sequence contains multiple short clips with multiple real-time effects or images with a high level of complexity, you might exceed the capacity of the hardware to play these in real time, even if these effects would not normally exceed the real-time playback capabilities of your

system. This results in Video Underrun error messages. In this case, render some of the intermediate effects before playing the sequence.

Combined Rendering of Real-Time and Non-Real-Time Effects

The combination of real-time and non-real-time effects on the same video track can show different results, depending on when you render the non-real-time effects:

• If you render non-real-time segment effects after you apply a real-time transition effect, the sequence plays in real time.

• If you render non-real-time segment effects and then apply a real-time transition effect, the transition effect plays as a cut.

Displaying Effects On-the-Fly

The Render On-the-Fly option allows you to play back real-time effects and preview non-real-time effects frame by frame, immediately after applying them.

To display effects immediately during effects editing:

t Choose Render On-the-Fly from the Clip menu.

Interrupting Render On-the-Fly

Using Render On-the-Fly can slow down your editing of a sequence. If you are compositing and then change the frame you are monitoring, the system automatically renders the single frame.

Instead of waiting for the system to finish rendering, you can interrupt Render On-the-Fly. Interrupting Render On-the-Fly interrupts only the rendering of non-real-time effects.

To interrupt Render On-the-Fly, do one of the following:

t Drag the position indicator in the Timeline.

While you are dragging, the sequence appears in the Source/Record monitor as it would if Render On-the-Fly were not selected from the Clip menu.

t If you click in the Timeline and the system begins to render,

quickly move to another location in the Timeline. This interrupts the rendering process until you release the mouse button.

About Downstream Key Effects

By default, NewsCutter creates all titles using its DSK capabilities. Graphic elements imported with an alpha channel are also created as DSK clips.

Downstream keying allows you to add uncompressed titles or graphics over multiple streams of compressed media and continue to play the sequence in real time. You see the real benefits of downstream keying during editing of Title Effect clips into sequences.

For information about editing with DSK titles, including descriptions of various restrictions and playback capabilities, see Chapter 6.

Using the Effect Palette

The Effect Palette is a window that lists all the effects available on NewsCutter. Other effects that are available on your system depend on what third-party plug-ins you might have installed. You select transition and segment effects from the Effect Palette.

The left side of the Effect Palette displays a scrollable list of effect categories that includes the following standard categories as well as categories for any third-party plug-ins you have installed.

The effect categories list also includes open bins when those bins contain effect templates or other kinds of effect files.

•AVX Sample

•Blend

• Box Wipe

• Conceal

• Edge Wipe

•Image

• Key

• L-Conceal

•Matrix Wipe

•Peel

•Push

• Sawtooth Wipe

•Shape Wipe

•Spin

• Squeeze

The right side of the Effect Palette shows a list of the individual effects that are available for the currently selected effect category. Each effect has its own effect icon. Effects that are or might be playable in real time appear with a color-coded dot.

Displaying the Effect Palette

To display the Effect Palette:

You can also display the Effect Palette by pressing Ctrl+8 on your keyboard.

Scrollable list of effect categories

1. Choose Effect Palette from the Tools menu.

The Effect Palette opens.

2. Click an effect category on the left side of the Effect Palette to select it and display effects in that category on the right side.

Resizing the Effect Palette

Blend effect choices

You can resize the Effect Palette to display more effects when a particular category includes a long list of icons.

To resize the Effect Palette:

t Click any corner or side of the palette, drag the palette to the size

you want, and then release the mouse button.

Understanding the Color Coding

Effect icons in the Effect Palette and in the Timeline display color-coded dots to help you determine whether an effect is real-time or non-real-time. After opening the Effect Palette, you will notice that:

• Real-time effects are preceded by an orange dot. These effects take advantage of fast rendering.

• Real-time effects that might not be playable in real time due to their position in a sequence or the options available on your system are preceded by a green dot. These effects take advantage of fast rendering.

The Submaster effect has a green dot in the Effect Palette. Other effects might show a green dot in the Timeline, based on the complexity of the sequence.

• Non-real-time effects have no dot in the Effect Palette. In the Timeline, the effect icon contains a blue dot until you render the effect.

When you edit a non-real-time effect into a sequence, the effect icon appears with a blue dot in the Timeline, which indicates that you must render the effect to play it in real time. After you render the effect, the effect icon appears in the Timeline without a dot.

All color-coded dots disappear in the Timeline when you render effects.

A real-time effect might not be playable in real time for a variety of reasons involving the complexity of the sequence and the real-time effects capabilities of the system. For more information, see “About

Real-Time and Downstream Key Effects” on page 21.

Displaying Effect Templates

Effect templates allow you to save the parameters of an effect to a bin and use them again to create or modify other effects.

In addition to displaying all the standard effects, the Effect Palette allows you to view and access effect templates stored in open bins. The names of open bins containing effects appear in a list below the effect categories.

To view the effect template:

1. Open the bin containing the effect templates.

2. Choose Effect Palette from the Tools menu.

The Effect Palette opens.

3. Click the bin name below the effect category list to view the effect templates in the bin.

Effect category list

Bin name containing effect templates

Effect templates

For example, in the preceding illustration, the bin named Effects contains a series of effect templates using the Picture-in-Picture, Mask, and Superimpose effects.

The Effect Palette also displays other effect files, such as matte key clips and titles.

Whenever you open or close a bin or whenever you drop an effect into a bin, NewsCutter automatically updates both lists. Once a template appears on the right side of the Effect Palette, you can apply it as you would any other effect.

Playing Effects in a Sequence

Some effects in NewsCutter are non-real-time, which means you must render them before you play them. You can preview non-real-time effects frame by frame by using Render On-the-Fly, as described in

“Displaying Effects On-the-Fly” on page 23, or you can play the

effects after rendering them explicitly. For more information see

“Rendering Effects” on page 113.

You can also use Play Preview in the Effect Editor to preview effects before rendering by using their outline form. An effect’s outline is a

wire-frame representation of the effect’s position, scale, and path of motion. See “Playing a Preview of an Effect” on page 112.

Using Third-Party Plug-in Effects

You can use third-party plug-in effects to add new effects to NewsCutter or to update existing effects. Third-party plug-in effects are compatible with the Avid Visual Extensions (AVX AVX is a cross-platform software architecture designed to allow software effect modules to be dynamically linked with a host application such as an Avid editing system.

After you install third-party plug-ins, the effects appear in the Effect Palette in their own category (usually the name of the plug-in vendor). Individual effects all have a plug icon. The plug icon also appears in the Timeline when you apply a third-party plug-in effect. After you create an effect, you can save it as an effect template and reapply the template to other transitions or segments in your sequence. Effect templates also appear in a special section at the bottom of the Effect Palette.

™

) standard.

For more information on AVX plug-ins, see Appendix A.

CHAPTER 2

Basics of Effects Editing

This chapter explains how to create basic transition and single-layer segment effects, including motion effects.

• Deconstructing Effects

• Applying Effects to a Sequence

• Deleting Effects in a Sequence

• Using the Fade Effect Button

• Working with Transition Effects

• Creating Motion Effects

• Creating Mosaic Effects

Deconstructing Effects

Breaking down existing effects into their basic elements provides one good way to understand how NewsCutter builds effects. By learning how the various pieces fit together, and how NewsCutter allows you to manipulate them, you can begin to construct new effects from these building blocks.

The sequence depicted in the following screen image contains a series

of effects that cover all the basic techniques — from simple dissolves to nested layers — described throughout Chapters 2, 3, and 4 of this guide.

Layered background elements

Layered foreground elements

Imported title elements set in motion with a wipe effect

In the PDF version of this guide, available on the Avid NewsCutter Online Publications CD-ROM, you can double-click the following image to view the entire sequence.

The following Timeline for this sequence includes both transition and segment effects applied horizontally, vertically, and nested within video tracks. The callouts summarize deconstructed elements and list the sections of this guide that describe them in more detail.

Deconstructing an effects sequence

Imported graphic used as a wipe:

See “Working with Imported Graphics

and Animation” on page 145.

Effect template applied repeatedly to crop and position foreground images on V2:

See “Applying an Effect Template” on

page 110.

Nested segments add more layers to the foreground track:

See “Nesting

Effects” on page 150.

Submaster segment, created from collapsed layers, forms the background on V1:

See “Submaster Editing” on page 157.

Title graphics imported as Matte Key effects:

See “Working with Imported Graphics and Ani-

mation” on page 145.

Keyed titles are faded in and out: See “Using

the Fade Effect Button” on page 43.

Dissolve sequence forms the foreground on V2:

See “Applying an Effect to Multiple Transitions”

on page 37 and “Working with Transition Effects” on page 44.

Various effect parameters adjusted throughout to soften, distort, or position images: See “Using the

Effect Editor” on page 89.

Applying Effects to a Sequence

This section explains how to apply an effect to a sequence in the Timeline. You can apply an effect to:

• One transition or segment on a single video layer

• Multiple transitions or segments on a single video layer

• Multiple transitions or segments on multiple video layers

The effect type (transition or segment) determines where you can place the effect in the sequence. For an explanation of the effect types, see “Effect Types” on page 18. For information on each individual

effect, see “2D Effects” on page 295.

After you apply an effect, the next step is to adjust the effect’s parameters. To understand how to adjust the effect parameters, see

“About Effect Parameters” on page 93.

Applying an Effect to a Single Transition or Segment

This section describes how to add a single transition or segment effect to a single video layer by dragging an effect from the Effect Palette or by double-clicking a segment or transition.

You can also apply several of the most common transition effects, such as the Dissolve effect, by clicking the Quick Transition button. For more information, see “Using the Quick Transition Button” on

page 46.

Dragging an Effect from the Effect Palette

To apply an effect to a single transition or segment:

For information about editing a sequence, see the Avid NewsCutter User’s Guide.

1. Create a sequence in the Timeline, using standard Avid editing procedures.

2. Choose Effect Palette from the Tools menu.

For an explanation of the Effect Palette, see “Using the Effect

Palette” on page 24.

3. Click the effect icon in the Effect Palette, drag it to the segment or transition in the Timeline, and release the mouse button.

The effect icon appears in the Timeline as shown in the following example.

Drag the effect icon from the Effect Palette to the sequence.

Effect icon

Double-Clicking an Effect Icon in the Effect Palette

If you apply a segment effect, one segment at a time is highlighted as you drag the effect within the Timeline. If the effect is a transition effect, one transition at a time is highlighted as you drag the effect within the Timeline. Some effects are both transition and segment effects; when you drag such an effect within the Timeline, both transitions and segments are highlighted.

To apply an effect to a single segment:

1. Create a sequence in the Timeline, using standard Avid editing procedures.

2. Choose Effect Palette from the Tools menu.

3. Click either the Extract/Splice-in button or the Lift/Overwrite button.

4. Click the segment to which you want to add the effect.

5. Double-click the effect icon in the Effect Palette.

The effect icon appears in the Timeline.

To apply an effect to a single transition in Trim mode:

1. Create a sequence in the Timeline, using standard Avid editing procedures.

2. Choose Effect Palette from the Tools menu.

3. Click the transition where you want to add the effect.

4. Double-click the effect icon in the Effect Palette.

This procedure for adding a transition effect works only in Trim mode. See

“Creating a Dissolve in Trim Mode” on page 57.

Applying an Effect to Multiple Transitions

To apply an effect to multiple transitions:

1. If there is not already an effect on one of the transitions, add a transition effect. NewsCutter allows you to perform this procedure only if one of the transitions already has an effect on it.

2. Click the Effect Mode button in the Other tab of the Command palette to open the Effect Editor.

3. Click the transition effect described in step 1.

4. If the Effect Editor is blank, click the Effect Editor to display the information for the transition effect.

5. Click above the Timeline and begin dragging to activate a selection box. Continue to drag down and either to the left or right to include additional transitions in the selection.

Pointer selection box

6. Release the mouse button when you have lassoed all the transitions you want.

The transitions that you selected are highlighted, and the position indicator moves to the first transition.

7. If the transitions where you want to apply the effect are not contiguous, Shift+click any transition to deselect it.

8. Open the Effect Palette, and double-click the icon for the effect that you want to apply to the transitions.

The effect appears on the highlighted transitions in the Timeline.

If the sequence does not have enough incoming or outgoing media to apply the transition effect, a dialog box appears. For more information, see “Sizing the Effect to Fit the Media” on page 58.

Applying an Effect to Multiple Segments

You can apply an effect to multiple segments on the same video layer or on multiple video layers in a single step. The following procedure describes selecting multiple segments in the same video layer. You can also use this procedure to select segments on multiple layers.

You cannot apply effects to multiple segments while in Trim mode.

To apply an effect to multiple segments:

1. In normal editing mode or in Effect mode, click above the Timeline and to the left of the leftmost segment that you want to select, and begin dragging to the right and down to activate a selection box.

2. Continue to drag the selection box to the right until you lasso the rightmost segment that you want to select.

Pointer selection box

3. Release the mouse button.

NewsCutter highlights the segments you selected.

4. If the segments where you want to apply the effect are not contiguous, Shift+click a segment to deselect it. You can also Shift+click to add one or more segments.

5. Open the Effect Palette, and double-click the effect’s icon to apply

the effect to the segments.

NewsCutter applies the effect to the highlighted segments in the Timeline.

Deleting Effects in a Sequence

You can delete transition effects from a sequence in the Timeline at any time. You can delete segment effects from a sequence in the Timeline at any time except when you are in Trim mode. Use the following procedures to either delete a single effect from a sequence or delete effects in multiple segments.

Deleting a Single Effect

To delete a single effect:

1. Move the position indicator to the Timeline segment containing

the effect’s icon.

The track containing the effect is selected.

2. If multiple tracks contain effects at the same position in the Timeline, select only the track where the effect to be deleted resides.

In this example, only track V1 is selected.

If you delete a segment effect and the segment contains a transition effect, the transition effect will be deleted also, because the

transition effect resides “on top of” the segment effect. If necessary, you will have to reapply the transition effect.

3. Delete the effect by doing one of the following:

t If the Effect Editor is not active, click the Remove Effect button

in the Tool palette.

t When the Effect Editor is active, select the effect and press the

Delete key.

t In Trim mode (for transition effects only), either press the

Delete key or click the Remove Effect button.

The effect is removed.

When you delete an effect from a sequence, NewsCutter does not delete the

associated media file. To delete the effect’s media file, you must manually remove it from the drive. NewsCutter operates this way so that you will be able to undo the deletion of an effect or undo the change you made to an effect. To delete an effect’s media file, see “Managing Effect Media Files” on

page 133.

Deleting Multiple Transition Effects

To delete multiple transition effects:

1. Shift+click each transition effect you want to delete.

2. Click the Remove Effect button, or press the Delete key.

You must be in Effect mode for this procedure to work. For more information on editing in Effect mode, see “Opening the Effect Editor” on page 82.

Deleting Multiple Segment Effects

To delete multiple segment effects:

1. Click either the Extract/Splice-in button or the Lift/Overwrite button below the Timeline.

2. Shift+click each segment that contains a segment effect you want to delete.

3. Click the Remove Effect button, or press the Delete key.

Using the Fade Effect Button

You can use the Fade Effect button to fade segment effects quickly and easily. A dialog box appears that allows you to enter the number of frames to fade up and fade down.

The Fade Effect feature automatically creates keyframes for the effect. You can access the keyframes in the Effect Editor.

To fade one or more segment effects in a sequence:

1. Make a selection in the Timeline by doing one of the following:

t To fade a single segment effect, move the position indicator to

the segment.

t To fade multiple segment effects, click either the

Extract/Splice-in button or the Lift/Overwrite button below the Timeline; then Shift+click the segments.

2. Click the Fade Effect button in the FX tab in the Command palette.

The Fade Effect dialog box appears.

3. In the Fade Effect dialog box, type the number of frames to fade up and fade down, and click OK.

You can immediately view the Fade effect by playing the segment or segments.

Working with Transition Effects

You apply a transition effect to the cut point between two clips on the same video track. You can adjust the alignment and duration of a transition effect. Depending on the specific effect, other effect parameters might also be available.

Types of Transition Effects

Transition effects are included in all effect categories in the Effect Palette, except the Image effect category. For an explanation of the transition effects in each effect category, see Chapter 7.

Applying a Dissolve Effect

One of the most common transition effects is a dissolve. NewsCutter has three methods for applying the Dissolve effect:

• Select the Dissolve effect from the Effect Palette. For more information, see “Using the Effect Palette to Create a Dissolve

Effect” on page 45.

• Click the Quick Transition button in the Tool palette. For more information, see “Using the Quick Transition Button” on

page 46.

• In Trim mode, use the Transition parameters to create a dissolve. For more information, see “Creating a Dissolve in Trim Mode”

on page 57.

Using the Effect Palette to Create a Dissolve Effect

To apply a Dissolve effect by using the Effect Palette:

1. Create a sequence in the Timeline by using the standard NewsCutter editing procedures. For information about editing a sequence, see the “First Edits” chapter of the Avid NewsCutter User’s Guide.

2. Choose Effect Palette from the Tools menu.

3. Click the Blend category.

4. Drag the Dissolve Effect icon to the transition in the Timeline, and release the mouse button.

The Dissolve Effect icon appears in the Timeline.

If the sequence does not have enough incoming or outgoing media to apply a transition effect, a dialog box appears. See “Sizing the Effect to Fit the

Media” on page 58.

Using the Quick Transition Button

You can also click the Quick Transition button to create a transition. This button allows you to apply the following transition effects without using the Effect Palette:

• Dissolve

• Fade to Color

• Fade from Color

• Dip to Color

You can choose to add the same transition effect to multiple transitions at the same time by marking IN and OUT points in your sequence that select all the transitions to which you want to apply the effect. When you click the Quick Transition button, the Quick Transition dialog box will contain a check box for Apply to All Transitions (IN -> OUT). For more information, see “Using the Quick Transition Button to Apply

Effects to Multiple Transitions” on page 50.

To create a transition by using the Quick Transition button:

1. Move the position indicator to the transition in the Timeline.

2. Click the Quick Transition button in the Tool palette.

The Quick Transition dialog box appears.

The dialog box includes a graphical display of the outgoing media and incoming media, with the effect icon applied to the transition. For more information, see “Understanding the Graphical Display

in the Quick Transition Dialog Box” on page 54.

3. Choose a transition effect from the Add pop-up menu.

For an explanation of individual effects shown in the menu, see

Chapter 7.

When you choose a color transition with Quick Transition, the default color is black. You must enter Effect mode to choose another color. For more information, see “Using the Effect Editor” on page 89.

4. Select the transition duration by doing one of the following:

t Type the duration in frames in the Duration text box.

t Click either the left or the right edge of the Dissolve Effect icon

and drag it to change the duration. For more information, see

“Understanding the Graphical Display in the Quick Transition Dialog Box” on page 54.

The graphical display changes — the size of the effect icon gets smaller or larger, and the numbers in the Duration and Start text boxes change — to reflect the new duration.

5. Adjust the effect’s alignment relative to the cut point in one of the following ways:

t Choose an alignment from the Position pop-up menu to have

the effect end at the cut point, center on the cut point, or start at the cut point.

t Choose Custom from the Position pop-up menu, and then

type a number in the Start text box to specify how many frames before the cut point you want the effect to begin.

The system automatically selects the Custom option in the Position pop-up menu when you click in the graphical display.

t Click inside the effect in the graphical display, and drag it to

position the effect with respect to the cut point.

t Click one of the alignment buttons below the graphical

display.

For more information on the graphical display options, see

“Understanding the Graphical Display in the Quick Transition Dialog Box” on page 54.

The system positions the effect, updates the graphical display to show the new position of the effect, and updates the value in the Start text box.

If you select an alignment for which there is not enough media, the system comes as close as it can to the alignment you requested.

6. Click Target Drive, and from the pop-up menu choose a drive on which to store the effect if you choose to render it.

The Effect Source Drive is the drive where the media files on the outgoing shot of a transition reside.

7. (Option) If you have IN and OUT points marked in your sequence, the Quick Transition dialog box contains a check box for Apply to All Transitions (IN -> OUT). Select this option to apply the same effect to all transitions between the IN and OUT points. Deselect this option to apply the effect only to the transition to which you have moved the position indicator.

8. If the effect you selected is real-time, select Skip Real-Time Effects to prevent real-time effects from being rendered.

9. Do one of the following:

t To add the effect without rendering it, click Add.

t To add the effect and render it, click Add and Render.

NewsCutter adds the effect to the selected transition in the sequence, or, if you selected Apply to All Transitions (IN -> OUT), the system adds the effect to all transitions between the IN and OUT points.

Using the Quick Transition Button to Apply Effects to Multiple Transitions

You can select multiple transitions by marking IN and OUT points. Then apply an effect from the Quick Transition dialog box to all the selected transitions at once.

To apply an effect to multiple transitions by using the Quick Transition button:

1. Mark IN and OUT points around the transitions to which you want to apply the effect.

2. Make sure that the Record Track buttons in the Track Selector panel are selected for the tracks to which you want to add the effect.

3. (Option) If you want to see a particular transition in the graphical display of the Quick Transition dialog box, move the position indicator to that transition.

The graphical display in the Quick Transition dialog box always shows the transition closest to the position indicator. When you are defining an effect to apply to multiple transitions, the positioning details of any one transition might not be useful since you need to create an effect that will fit all the transitions. However, you might want to choose one transition as a model. For example, you might use the transition with the least amount of handle as a model. If your effect fits that transition, it should fit all the others you have selected.

Apply To All Transitions check box

4. Click the Quick Transition button.

The Quick Transition dialog box appears.

5. Choose a transition effect from the Add pop-up menu.

For an explanation of individual effects shown in the menu, see

Chapter 7.

When you save a Dissolve effect template into a bin named Quick Transitions, the effect template appears in the Add pop-up menu. See “Using an Effect

Template” on page 108.

6. Select the transition duration by doing one of the following:

t Type the duration in frames in the Duration text box.

t Click either the left or the right edge of the Dissolve Effect icon

and drag it to change the duration. For more information, see

“Understanding the Graphical Display in the Quick Transition Dialog Box” on page 54.

The graphical display changes — the size of the effect icon gets smaller or larger, and the numbers in the Duration and Start text boxes change — to reflect the new duration.

7. Adjust the effect’s position relative to the cut point in one of the following ways:

t Choose an option from the Position pop-up menu to have the

effect end at the cut point, center on the cut point, or start at the cut point.

t Choose Custom from the Position pop-up menu, and then

type a number in the Start text box to specify how many frames before the cut point you want the effect to begin.

The system automatically selects the Custom option in the Position pop-up menu when you click in the graphical display.

t Click inside the effect in the graphical display and drag it to

position the effect with respect to the cut point.

t Click one of the alignment buttons below the graphical

display.

For more information on the graphical display options, see

“Understanding the Graphical Display in the Quick Transition Dialog Box” on page 54.

The system positions the effect, updates the graphical display to show the new position of the effect, and updates the value in the Start text box.

8. Click Target Drive, and from the pop-menu choose a drive on which to store the effect if you choose to render it.

The Effect Source Drive is the drive where the media on the outgoing shot of a transition resides.

9. If the effect you selected is real-time, select Skip Real-time Effects to prevent real-time effects from being rendered.

10. Select Apply to All Transitions (IN -> OUT).

11. Do one of the following:

t To add the effect without rendering it, click Add.

t To add the effect and render it, click Add and Render.

This adds the selected effect to all the transitions between the marked IN and OUT points on the selected tracks in the sequence.

If there is not enough incoming or outgoing media material to apply the effect to a transition, a dialog box appears. For more information, see “Sizing the

Effect to Fit the Media” on page 58.

Understanding the Graphical Display in the Quick Transition Dialog Box

The graphical display of the transition effect that appears in the Quick Transition dialog box allows you to control the length and position of the effect with frame accuracy simply by dragging. You can also quickly reset the position of the effect by using the three alignment buttons.

Features of the Graphical Display

The following illustration shows the graphical display in the Quick Transition dialog box.

Frames of incoming media available for the effect

Outgoing media

Handle on incoming media

Transition effect

Alignment buttons

Handle on outgoing media

Frames of outgoing media available for the effect

Incoming media

The graphical display shows the following:

• The outgoing (A) and incoming (B) media for the transition to which you are applying the effect. The amount of handle that is available for each piece of media is clearly indicated both as a darker area on the graphic itself and as a number of frames.

• The transition effect that you are applying. The display shows the effect icon and indicates the length and position of the effect in relation to the media.

• Three alignment buttons. These buttons appear when you choose Custom from the Position pop-up menu or click in the graphical display. They allow you to quickly reposition the effect so that it

either ends at the cut point, is centered on the cut point, or starts at the cut point.

The system draws and scales the graphical display so that it always represents the relative size and position of the transition effect in relation to the media. For example, in the illustration above, the effect is 30 frames long while the outgoing handle is 20 frames long. The effect is therefore shown 50% longer than the outgoing handle.

Adjusting the Effect by Dragging

You can control the length or position of the transition effect by dragging in the graphical display.

To adjust the length of the effect:

1. Do one of the following:

t To adjust the length of the effect without changing its start

point, move the pointer over the right edge of the effect.

t To adjust the length of the effect without changing its end

point, move the pointer over the left edge of the effect.

The pointer changes to a resizing arrow.

Resizing arrow

2. Do one of the following:

t Drag away from the effect icon in the center to lengthen the

effect.

t Drag toward the effect icon in the center to shorten the effect.

The graphical display and the Duration text box update to reflect your adjustment. If you are dragging the left edge of the effect, the Start text box also updates to reflect the changed start point.

To adjust the position of the effect:

1. Move the pointer inside the effect.

The pointer changes to a hand.

2. Drag the effect to adjust its position with respect to the cut point.

The graphical display updates to show the new effect position, and the Start text box updates to show the new number of frames before the cut point.

You cannot drag an effect beyond the ends of the handles on the media because the system cannot create a transition unless both incoming and outgoing media are available for every frame of the transition. You also cannot drag an effect beyond the cut point.

Repositioning the Effect with the Alignment Buttons

You can use the alignment buttons to quickly reposition the effect so that it either starts at the cut, is centered on the cut, or ends at the cut. The buttons have the same effect as the Ending at Cut, Centered on Cut, and Starting at Cut commands in the Position pop-up menu.

Centered on CutEnding at Cut

Starting at Cut

To reposition the effect with an alignment button:

t Click one of the following buttons:

• Ending at Cut, to have the effect end at the cut point

• Centered on Cut, to center the effect on the cut point

• Starting at Cut, to have the effect begin at the cut point

Creating a Dissolve in Trim Mode

You can create a Dissolve effect in Trim mode by using the Transition parameters displayed in the Effect Editor and in the Source/Record monitor.

To create a Dissolve effect by using the Transition parameters:

1. Click a transition in the Timeline while in Trim mode.

2. In the Transition Effect Duration box in the Effect Editor or in the Source/Record monitor, type the dissolve’s duration.

Transition Effect Alignment button

Transition Effect Alignment pop-up menu

The Duration setting above the Source/Record monitor determines the duration format (for example, seconds:frames). For more information, see the “Working in Trim Mode” chapter of the Avi d NewsCutter User’s Guide.

Transition Effect Duration box

This adds the Dissolve effect at the transition and a Dissolve effect in the Timeline.

3. Click the Transition Effect Alignment button, and select the effect’s position relative to the cut point from the pop-up menu.

For an explanation of the Transition Effect Alignment pop-up menu selections, see “Transition Parameters” on page 293.

Sizing the Effect to Fit the Media

When you select a transition effect from the Effect Palette and not enough source media exists to apply the effect, the Insufficient Source dialog box appears.

The dialog box shows a graphical display that indicates whether the source that has insufficient material is Media A (outgoing footage), Media B (incoming footage), or both.

To automatically size the effect to fit the media:

t Click Size to Fit.

NewsCutter sets the duration of the effect to fit the available media. If you have selected an alignment, NewsCutter attempts to preserve it.

To change the alignment or duration of the transition effect, see

“Creating a Dissolve in Trim Mode” on page 57.

Although the graphical display in the Insufficient Source dialog box is similar to the graphical display in the Quick Transition dialog box, you cannot adjust an effect by dragging in the Insufficient Source dialog box.

Trimming a Transition Effect

NewsCutter lets you do the following:

• Trim a transition effect, using the standard transition trim procedures. For more information, see the “Working in Trim Mode” chapter in the Avid NewsCutter User’s Guide.

• Customize a transition effect, such as changing the fade color. For a description of how to change effect parameters, see Chapter 3.

Creating Motion Effects

A motion effect, applied to a clip in the Source/Record monitor, allows you to alter the playback characteristics of the clip. Motion effects include Freeze Frame, Variable Speed (such as slow motion or fast motion), Reverse Motion, and Strobe Motion effects. You can also combine Variable Speed and Strobe Motion effects in a single clip.

NewsCutter creates a motion effect by creating a new clip in a bin. You then edit the clip into your sequence using standard editing techniques.

Rendering Considerations When Creating Motion Effects

Some motion effects play in real time, and some require rendering before they will play. When you first create a motion effect that requires rendering, you can render immediately or create an unrendered version that you can render later in your workflow.

NewsCutter creates motion effects using one of four different types — Duplicated Field, Both Fields, Interpolated Field, and VTR-Style. The Duplicated Field and Both Fields types enable some motion effects to play in real time; the Interpolated Field and VTR-Style types always require rendering. You choose motion effect types based on the quality

you need for the final motion effect, the rendering time that each type requires, and the media with which you are working (some types are useful only when you are working with two-field media).

and their compatibility with different types of media, see “Motion Effect

Parameters” on page 286.

NewCutter allows you to preview some kinds of unrendered motion effects in real time even if they require rendering for final playback. NewsCutter cannot preview other kinds of unrendered motion effects; these effects will play as filler until they are rendered. Tab l e 2 - 1 provides a summary of playback capabilities for motion effects.

Table 2-1 Playback Capabilities of Motion Effects

Effect Playback Capability Preview Capability

Freeze Frame (all types) Real-time Real-time

For more information on motion effect types, including their relative quality

Variable Speed effects — forward slow motion — created by using the Duplicated Field or Both Fields type. (Use a value between 0 and 100 in the % speed text box of the Motion Effect dialog box.)

Variable Speed effects — forward slow motion — created by using the Interpolated Field or VTR-Style type. (Use a value between 0 and 100 in the % speed text box of the Motion Effect dialog box.)

Real-time Real-time

Non-real-time Play in real time as

Duplicate Field motion effects until rendered

Variable Speed effects — fast motion and reverse motion (all types). (Use a value over 100 or a negative value in the % speed text box of the Motion Effect dialog box.)

Non-real-time Play back as filler

(black image) until rendered

Table 2-1 Playback Capabilities of Motion Effects (Continued)

Effect Playback Capability Preview Capability

Strobe Motion effects (all types) Non-real-time Play back as filler

(black image) until rendered

Strobe Motion effects combined with Variable Speed effects (all types)

Non-real-time Play back as filler

(black image) until rendered

Rendering and Rerendering Existing Motion Effects

In certain situations, you might need to render or rerender existing motion effects. To do this, follow one of the procedures described in

“Rendering Effects” on page 113.

Information about the type and render status of motion effects appears in the Timeline in the same form as that used for other effects. Each motion effect type has a distinct effect icon, as shown in the following illustration.

Duplicated Field Motion Effect icon

Both Fields Motion Effect icon

Interpolated Field Motion Effect icon

VTR-Style Motion Effect icon

Color-coded dots appear on Motion Effect icons to indicate whether they require rendering. The following illustration shows several typical examples of Motion Effect icons in the Timeline.

Rendered VTR-Style motion effect (no dot)

Unrendered Both Fields motion effect (orange dot

— plays in real time)

Unrendered Interpolated Field motion effect (blue dot — plays as a Duplicated Field motion effect until rendered)

If you use the ExpertRender™ feature, ExpertRender correctly identifies motion effects that require rendering.

When you render motion effects, NewsCutter checks the Motion Effects Render Using option in the active Render setting. If the Motion Effects Render Using option is set to Original Preference (the default setting), the system makes no change to the type of motion effects when it renders them. If the Motion Effects Render Using option is set to a specific motion effect type, NewsCutter changes all motion effects to that type when it renders them. This option is particularly important for controlling the look of motion effects when you are working with two-field media.

Whenever NewsCutter changes the motion effect type during rendering, a message appears in the Console, providing information about the change. For more information, see “Creating and Using

Render Settings” on page 114 and “Understanding Motion Effect Type Changes” on page 63.

The following is a list of the circumstances in which you might need to render or rerender motion effects.

• You need to render any motion effect that requires rendering for successful playback if you did not render that effect at the time you created it. This kind of effect appears with a blue dot in the Timeline until it is rendered.

• You might need to render a motion effect so that it will play successfully in a complex sequence even if that effect would not normally require rendering. (Motion effects that display a green

dot in the Timeline might not play back in real time under some circumstances.) For more information on the overall real-time playback capabilities of your system, see “About Real-Time and

Downstream Key Effects” on page 21.

• You might need to render or rerender motion effects when you edit them into a sequence and perform trims or apply transition effects. If an effect that was previously rendered (no colored dot in the Timeline) or that previously played in real time (orange dot in the Timeline) changes in such a way that it requires rendering, it will appear with a blue dot in the Timeline. Only those parts of the Motion Effect clip that have been changed by your editing require rendering. You can see which parts of the motion effect require rendering by using the Render Ranges command in the Timeline Fast menu. For more information, see “Customizing Render

Ranges Display” on page 118.

Understanding Motion Effect Type Changes

Whenever motion effects in the Timeline are rendered or rerendered, the system uses the Motion Effects Render Using option in the active Render setting to define the motion effect type for the new versions of the motion effects. For example, you might start a project using single-field media and the Duplicated Field type for motion effects. Later, you might rerecord the media at a two-field resolution, set the Motion Effects Render Using option in the active Render setting to VTR-Style, and submit the whole sequence for rendering. By doing this, you create new motion effects that are higher quality and that can play with the two-field media.

Changes to motion effect types are permanent changes to both the Motion Effect clip and its associated media. You can return to the old motion effect type only by rerendering. To avoid unnecessary rerendering, make sure that the Motion Effects Render Using option in the active Render setting is set to the motion effect type you need.

NewsCutter writes a message in the Console whenever it changes the type of a motion effect during rendering. You can check these messages to verify the changes that the system has made to your motion effects. Motion Effect icons in the Timeline also change to reflect the new motion effect type.

Creating a Freeze Frame

A Freeze Frame effect is a still image, based on a chosen frame from a clip, that continues to display for the duration that you choose. When

combined with the original clip, the footage plays and then “freezes” and holds on the frame that you specified.

To create a Freeze Frame effect:

1. Open a clip in the Source/Record monitor.

2. Cue the clip to the frame that you want to freeze.

3. Choose Freeze Frame from the Clip menu.

A pop-up menu appears.

4. Choose Two Field Freeze Frames, and then choose one of the following:

• Using Duplicated Field — NewsCutter creates the effect using

a single field. This option reduces the vertical resolution of the image by one-half, resulting in a lower quality image. If the footage contains motion, however, this option can be useful in eliminating any jitter in the image caused by motion between the two fields.

• Using Both Fields — NewsCutter uses both fields to create the

effect. This option is especially useful when there is little or no motion in the footage since it preserves all vertical resolution.

• Using Interpolated Field — NewsCutter creates a second field

for the effect by combining scan line pairs from the first field in the original media. This might result in a slightly softer look to the freeze frame.

The chosen option becomes the default until you choose another option.

5. Choose Freeze Frame from the Clip menu, and then do one of the following:

t Choose a preconfigured duration.

t Choose Other and type a custom duration in the dialog box;

then click OK to enter the new duration.

A dialog box appears, prompting you to choose a drive for the freeze frame media.

6. Choose a drive from the pop-up menu, and click OK.

A new clip appears in the Source/Record monitor and in the current bin preceded by a Motion Effect icon. The new clip has the original clip name followed by the letters FF.

Controlling a Freeze Frame with a Single Button or Key

You can map the Freeze Frame command to a button or key. The system remembers the duration of the freeze frame and the option for two-field media if appropriate. After you have mapped the command, you can create a freeze frame of the same type and duration simply by clicking the button or pressing the key.

To map the Freeze Frame command to a button or key:

1. Choose Freeze Frame from the Clip menu, choose Two Field Freeze Frames, and then choose one of the following:

• Using Duplicated Field — NewsCutter creates the effect using

• Using Both Fields — NewsCutter uses both fields to create the

effect. This option is especially useful when there is little or no motion in the footage since it preserves all vertical resolution.

The Command palette opens.

2. Select Menu to Button Reassignment.

3. Do one of the following:

t To map to a button, click a blank button in the Tool palette.

t To map to a key, click a blank key in the Keyboard palette.

4. Choose Freeze Frame from the Clip menu.

5. Do one of the following:

t Choose a preconfigured duration.

t If you want to type a custom duration when you create a

freeze frame using the button or key, choose Other.

NewsCutter maps the Freeze Frame menu command to the button or key.

6. Close the Command palette.

Creating a Rolling Clip That Freezes

One common use for freeze frames is to create a segment that plays normally and then freezes, either to superimpose text information or to add emphasis to the end of a sequence before fading.

To create a rolling clip that freezes:

1. Edit the clip into the sequence.

2. Mark an IN point in the sequence at the frame where you want the freeze frame to occur.

3. Create the Freeze Frame effect from the source footage as described in “Creating a Freeze Frame” on page 64.

4. Click either the Extract/Splice-in button or the Lift/Overwrite button below the Timeline to edit the freeze frame into the sequence at the previously marked IN point.

When you play the sequence, the footage plays full-motion and then freezes at the chosen frame.

Creating a Variable Speed Effect

Variable Speed effects involve changing the rate of playback to achieve fast-motion or slow-motion effects. NewsCutter creates slow-motion effects by duplicating frames in the original media. It creates fast-motion effects by eliminating frames from the original media.

To create a Variable Speed effect:

1. (Option) If you require a fixed duration for the clip based on a segment in the sequence, mark the segment in the Timeline with IN and OUT points.

2. (Option) If you want to use only part of the source clip for the motion effect, mark IN and OUT points in the Source/Record monitor.

Variable Speed option

3. Click the Motion Effect button on the Source/Record monitor.

The Motion Effect dialog box appears.

4. Select the Variable Speed option.

5. Specify the play speed for the Variable Speed motion effect in one of the following ways:

t Type a number of frames in the Frames text box.

t Type a frame rate in the FPS text box. To indicate reverse

motion, enter a negative number for the play rate.

t Type a percentage of the current play rate in the % Speed text

box. To indicate reverse motion, enter a negative number for the percentage.

t Select the Fit To Fill option to automatically set the Variable

Speed parameters so that the duration of the motion effect will match the IN to OUT duration marked in the Source/Record monitor.

When you set one of these, all values change to reflect the specified play rate.

6. (Option) If Original Preference is set as the Motion Effects Render Using option in the active Render setting, select one of the following four available options:

• Duplicated Field — NewsCutter creates the effect using one

field.

• Both Fields — NewsCutter creates the effect using both fields.

• Interpolated Field — NewsCutter creates a second field for the

effect by combining scan line pairs from the first field in the original media.

• VTR-Style — NewsCutter creates a second field for the effect

by shifting selected video fields of the original media by a full scan line. This technique is similar to that used by high-quality professional video decks when playing footage at less than normal speed.

For more information on these options, see “Motion Effect Parameters” on

page 286.

7. (Option) If a specific motion effect type is set as the Motion Effects Render Using option in the active Render setting, NewsCutter automatically selects that type in the Motion Effect dialog box, makes all other types unavailable, and displays the Ignore Render Setting check box. If you want to override the Render setting, click the Ignore Render Setting check box, and then select one of the four options described in step 6.

8. Complete the effect by doing one of the following:

t Click Create to create the new clip and close the dialog box. If

you have more than one bin open, another dialog box appears, asking you to select a bin for the effect.

t Click Create and Render to render the clip — creating new

media files — and close the dialog box. If you have more than one bin open, another dialog box appears, asking you to select a bin for the effect.

t A new clip appears in the Source/Record monitor and in the

current bin. The clip has the original clip name followed by the frame rate in parentheses. You can then edit this clip into your sequence as you would any other clip.

Creating a Strobe Motion Effect

Strobe motion results in a stuttering effect during playback of a clip. You determine the degree of the “stutter” when you create the effect.

Strobe Motion option

You can also combine the Strobe Motion effect with the Variable Speed effect. For more information on the Variable Speed effect, see “Creating a Variable

Speed Effect” on page 68.

To create a Strobe Motion effect:

1. (Option) If you want to use only part of the source clip for the effect, mark IN and OUT points in the Source/Record monitor.

2. Click the Motion Effect button on the Source/Record monitor.

The Motion Effect dialog box appears.

3. Select the Strobe Motion option.

4. Specify the update rate in frames for the Strobe Motion effect. For example, a rate of 5 causes every fifth frame to be held for five frames before updating in the Strobe Motion effect.

5. (Option) If Original Preference is set as the Motion Effects Render Using option in the active Render setting, select one of the following four available options:

• Duplicated Field — NewsCutter creates the effect using one

field.

• Both Fields — NewsCutter creates the effect using both fields.

• Interpolated Field — NewsCutter creates a second field for the

effect by combining scan line pairs from the first field in the original media.

• VTR-Style — NewsCutter creates a second field for the effect

For more information on these options, see “Motion Effect Parameters” on

page 286.

6. (Option) If a specific motion effect type is set as the Motion Effects Render Using option in the active Render setting, NewsCutter automatically selects that type in the Motion Effect dialog box, makes all other types unavailable, and displays the Ignore Render Setting check box. If you want to override the Render setting, click the Ignore Render Setting check box, and then select one of the four options described in step 5.

7. Complete the effect by doing one of the following:

t Click Create to create the new clip and close the dialog box. If

you have more than one bin open, another dialog box appears, asking you to select a bin for the effect.

t Click Create and Render to render the clip — creating new

media files — and close the dialog box. If you have more than one bin open, another dialog box appears, asking you to select a bin for the effect.

You must render a Strobe Motion effect to play it back in real time. If you do not render a Strobe Motion effect when you first create it, the effect will play back as filler until you render it.

A new clip appears in the Source/Record monitor and in the current bin preceded by a Motion Effect icon. The new clip has the original clip name followed by the word Strobe and the number of update frames in parentheses.

Creating Mosaic Effects

The Mosaic effect utilizes many of the tools and parameters common to other effects, but it also includes several features unique to this effect:

• Feathering parameters

• Mosaic parameters

• Z-rotation tool

• Reshape tool

• Bring Forward and Send Backward buttons

The Mosaic effect allows you to obscure part of an image, such as a face, by distorting the pixels into a tile pattern within a defined area.

Using the Effect Editor with the Mosaic Effect

The Mosaic effect is a non-real-time effect. When you have finished creating a mosaic in a segment, you must render the effect to play it in real time.

For more information on working with the Effect Editor, see “Using

the Effect Editor” on page 89.

The following illustration identifies the different sections of the Effect Editor that are available when you apply a Mosaic effect to a segment and enter Effect mode.

Play Loop button

Acceleration parameter

Feathering parameters

Mosaic parameters

Reduce and Enlarge buttons

Selection tool

Z-rotation tool

Reshape tool

Bring Forward and Send Backward buttons

Rectangle tool

Oval tool

You control the Mosaic effect by using the following parameters in the Effect Editor:

• Acceleration – Adjusts the effect’s speed from one keyframe to the next when the mosaic object moves within a segment.

• Feathering – Adds soft edges to a mosaic object. Modifying the outline can make an object stand out from or blend into the background.

• Mosaic – Controls the overall appearance of the object area, allowing for varying degrees of distortion.

The following buttons appear on the right side of the Effect Editor for the Mosaic effect.

Button Description

Play Loop button Plays back a transition or a segment effect in Effect mode.

Reduce button Decreases the magnification of objects in the Effect Preview

monitor.

Enlarge button Increases the magnification of objects in the Effect Preview

monitor.

Selection tool Selects an object so you can change its parameters, move it, or

delete it. With the Shift key pressed, selects multiple objects.

Z-Rotation tool Rotates an object around the Z axis.

Reshape tool Reshapes objects by manipulating anchor points at locations

where new curves begin or straight lines intersect. Inserts additional control points.

Bring Forward button Brings an object one layer forward on the screen.

Send Backward button Sends an object one layer backward on the screen.

To create a mosaic effect:

1. Choose Effect Palette from the Tools menu.

2. Click the Image category.

3. Click the Mosaic Effect icon, drag it to a segment in the sequence, and release the mouse button.

4. Click the Effect Mode button in the Other tab of the Command palette to enter Effect mode.

The Effect Editor opens.

Wire frame outlining mosaic object

5. Click either the Rectangle tool or the Oval tool.

6. Click in the Source/Record monitor and drag to create an object.

A wire frame outline of the object appears, and the default Mosaic effect appears in the Effect Preview monitor.

To modify the attributes of a mosaic object:

1. Click the Selection tool, and select the object you want to change.

2. Use the sliders in the Feathering parameter category to adjust the appearance of the outline of the object:

• The Hor (horizontal) slider extends the mosaic to the

surrounding pixels along the X axis.

• The Vert (vertical) slider extends the mosaic to the

surrounding pixels along the Y axis.

Clicking the Fixed Aspect button locks the horizontal and vertical sliders so that they move in unison. This controls how smoothly the effect blends with the background image.

Clicking the Anti-alias button reduces the jaggedness of the edges of the mosaic.

3. Use the sliders in the Mosaic parameter category to adjust the appearance of the mosaic distortion:

• The Opac (opacity) slider controls how prominently the

mosaic appears against the background image. A value of 0 makes the mosaic transparent; a value of 100 makes it fully opaque.

• The Hor (horizontal) and Vert (vertical) sliders lengthen each

tile within the effect along the X or Y axis, respectively. They control the coarseness of the mosaic.

The Mosaic Visible button toggles the effect on and off in the Effect Preview monitor.

4. Use the Z-rotation and Reshape tools to customize the shape of the mosaic object:

• Z-rotation allows you to rotate the object around a Z axis by

manipulating the resize handles.

• Reshape allows you to create an irregular object by moving

the resize handles individually.

Left-hand resize handle selected

The Bring Forward and Send Backward buttons apply to segments with two or more mosaic objects when the objects overlap. You use the buttons to define which object appears closer to the viewer.

5. Drag the center handle of the object to match the mosaic to the movement of the image in the clip. NewsCutter automatically adds a new keyframe each time you drag the object to a new position.

CHAPTER 3

Customizing Effects with the Effect Editor

After you have created an effect and have applied it to a transition or segment in your sequence, you can adjust its appearance and operation by changing its effect parameters in the Effect Editor. This chapter explains how to use the Effect Editor to adjust effect parameters.

• Opening the Effect Editor

• Customizing the Effect Display

• Changing Position in an Effect

• Replacing an Effect in Effect Mode

• Using the Effect Editor

• Using Keyframes

• Manipulating Effects Directly

• Using an Effect Template

• Playing an Effect

• Rendering Effects

• Managing Effect Media Files

Opening the Effect Editor

After you add an effect to a sequence, you must open the Effect Editor to change the effect’s parameters. Opening the Effect Editor

transforms the Source/Record monitor into the Effect Preview monitor.

To open the Effect Editor:

1. Move the position indicator to the effect’s icon in the Timeline.

2. Click the Effect Mode button in the Other tab of the Command palette.

NewsCutter opens the Effect Editor and displays the values for the current effect. At the same time, NewsCutter transforms the Source/Record monitor into the Effect Preview monitor.

Effect Preview monitor

Effect Editor

Timeline

If the Effect Editor is blank, click an effect icon in the Timeline and then click in the Effect Editor.

Customizing the Effect Display

You can adjust the appearance and functionality of various aspects of the Effect display by resizing windows and images, by displaying tracking information, or by displaying guidelines for the placement of effects and titles, as described in this section.

Understanding the Effect Preview Monitor

The Effect Preview monitor displays the selected effect in the sequence

where the position indicator is located in the Timeline. The effect’s position bar, located directly below the Effect Preview monitor, represents only the selected effect, not the entire sequence.

Effect Preview monitor

Effect’s position indicator (blue line)

Effect’s position bar

Keyframe Pop-up scale bar

for expanding the position bar

Tracking information

Length of effect

Current position in effect

sure that you have selected the Record Track Monitor button in the Track Selector panel. If a black frame appears in the Effect Preview monitor, the position indicator might be at a location in the Timeline where an effect has not been applied to the sequence.

Understanding the Tracking Information

The two boxes above the Effect Preview monitor display the length of

the effect in seconds and frames and the current position in the effect’s position bar. If you are working with two-field media, the current position display indicates the field that appears in the monitor. The current position display ends with .1 for the first field of a frame and

If the effect you expect does not appear in the Effect Preview monitor, make

with .2 for the second field. These boxes replace the name of the sequence that appears in this position in the Source/Record monitor.

Displaying the Safe Title and Safe Action Guidelines

Many effects can utilize the outer edges of the viewing screen area. If you are editing material that will be viewed on screens with more limited viewing areas, such as standard televisions, you can use the Safe Title and Safe Action options to provide visual guidelines in the Effect Preview monitor that replicate the actual viewable area on a standard television screen.

For example, you can use the Safe Title option as a template for the area in which you want the effect to operate. In this way, you can avoid the appearance of the effect floating off into a nonviewable area of a standard television screen.

To display the Safe Title/Action guidelines, do one of the following:

t Click the Grid button in the Tool palette.

t Click the Grid button in the Effect Editor.

t Choose Safe Title Area/Global Grid from the Object menu when

using the Title tool.

Two outlined boxes appear in the Effect Preview monitor. The inner box is the safe title area. All text and objects should remain within the inner box. The outer box is the safe action area for video display.

Safe title area

Safe action area

To display the safe title and safe action areas in the Source/Record monitor:

t Click the Grid button in the Tool palette of the Source/Record

monitor.

Moving an Enlarged Image in the Effect Preview Monitor

You can use the Enlarge and Reduce buttons in the Effect Editor to zoom in or out on an image in the Effect Preview monitor. This allows you to view parts of an image in detail or to view parts of effects and effect controls that extend beyond the limits of the standard-size image. For more information, see “Effect Editor Buttons” on page 89.

When you use the Enlarge button to increase the size of the image in the Effect Preview monitor, you cannot view the entire frame all at once. When you are creating an effect that requires great detail, you can reposition the enlarged frame in the monitor to view the sections that need your attention.

This feature applies only to an enlarged image in the Effect Preview monitor, not to a standard-size or reduced image.

To move an enlarged image within the Effect Preview monitor:

1. Click within the boundaries of the Effect Preview monitor.

2. Press and hold Ctrl+Alt.

The pointer changes to a hand.

Zoom ratioPointer

3. Drag the hand in any direction to reposition the image within the Effect Preview monitor.

Changing Position in an Effect

To change your position in an effect, do one of the following:

t Drag the position indicator in the effect’s position bar.

t Type the timecode in the same way you do when you are editing a

sequence. For more information, see the “Viewing and Marking Footage” chapter of the Avid NewsCutter User’s Guide.

The type of timecode you enter (master timecode or absolute timecode) depends on the tracking information you are displaying. The position information boxes above the Effect Preview monitor update as you change position.

Replacing an Effect in Effect Mode

While in Effect mode, you can replace an existing effect.

To replace an effect:

1. Choose Effect Palette from the Tools menu.

The Effect Palette opens.

2. Click an effect category.

3. Do one of the following:

t Click the icon for the new effect on the right side of the Effect

Palette, and drag the icon to the Timeline. To replace an

existing effect, move the new effect’s icon on top of the existing effect’s icon.

t Click the icon for the new effect on the right side of the Effect

Palette, and drag the icon to the Effect Preview monitor.

t Select the effect in the Timeline, and double-click the new

effect’s icon in the Effect Palette.

4. Set the applicable effect parameters in the Effect Editor.

Some effects cannot replace other effects. For example, some segment effects, such as the Mask effect, cannot replace transition effects. In addition, two-layer effects, such as wipes, cannot replace three-layer effects, such as matte keys.

Using the Effect Editor

The Effect Editor contains the buttons and parameter controls that you use to adjust effects. Effect Editor buttons control the effect adjustment process. Parameter controls allow you to set values that define the appearance of an effect. The following sections explain how to access and use Effect Editor buttons and parameter controls.

Effect Editor Buttons

This section describes the buttons in the Effect Editor. Not all buttons apply to each effect. If a button is not applicable, it does not appear in the Effect Editor for that effect.

Triangular opener

Add Keyframe button

The following illustration shows the location of buttons within the Effect Editor. Ta b l e 3 - 1 describes each button in detail.

Other Options button

Reduce button

Enlarge button

Play Loop button

Play button

Render Effect button

Play Preview button

Outline/Path

Grid button

Transition Effect Duration box

Transition Effect Alignment button

Table 3-1 Effect Editor Buttons

Button Location Description

Triangular opener Left side of Effect

Editor

Other Options Inside some

parameter categories

Reduce Right side of Effect

Editor

Enlarge Right side of Effect

Editor

Play Loop Right side of Effect

Editor

Play Right side of Effect

Editor

Click to display or hide the parameter category. A downward-pointing triangle displays the parameter category; a right-pointing triangle displays only the parameter name.

Click to access additional parameters for some effects, including access to the Windows

Color dialog box for color selection. For more information, see “Using the Other Options

Button to Access Parameters” on page 96.

Click to reduce the size of the image in the Effect Preview monitor.

Click to enlarge the size of the image in the Effect Preview monitor.

Click to play back the current effect repeatedly in a loop. Click again or press the space bar to stop play. Real-time and rendered effects play at full speed; unrendered effects play at single-frame rate.

Click to play the effect from the current position

in the effect’s position bar. Click again or press the space bar to stop play. Real-time and rendered effects play at full speed; unrendered effects play at single-frame rate.

Add Keyframe Bottom of Effect

Editor

Play Preview Bottom of Effect

Editor

Click to create a keyframe at the current position of the position indicator in the effect’s position bar.

Alt+click to delete the selected keyframe.

Click to play back a wire-frame preview of an unrendered effect.

Table 3-1 Effect Editor Buttons (Continued)

Button Location Description

Render Effect Bottom of Effect

Editor

Outline/Path Bottom of Effect

Editor

Grid Bottom of Effect

Editor

Transition Effect Alignment

Transition Effect Duration box

Bottom of Effect Editor

To display an effect’s parameters in the Effect Editor:

1. Move the position indicator to the effect’s icon in the Timeline.

2. Make sure that the Record Track button for the track that contains the effect is selected in the Track Selector panel.

Click to render the current effect.

Click to display a wire-frame path to illustrate the movement of an effect from the first keyframe through the last keyframe.

Click to display the Safe Title and Safe Action guidelines.

Click to open a pop-up menu with options for selecting the alignment of a transition effect relative to the cut point.

Click in this box to type a duration for the transition effect other than the duration displayed.

3. (Option) If you are not already in Effect mode, click the Effect Mode button in the Other tab of the Command palette.

The name of the effect and its icon appear at the top of the Effect Editor and the parameters that pertain to the effect appear in the Effect Editor.

The Effect Editor opens.

Effect name

Other Options button Triangular opener

Parameter category

Slider used to adjust parameter

This example shows the Grid effect parameters.

About Effect Parameters

Effect icon

Transition parameters

Effect parameters are values that define the appearance of an effect. For example, you can set parameters that control the size and position of a Picture-in-Picture effect.

Not all effect parameters apply to all effects. Parameters that do not apply to an effect do not appear in the Effect Editor for that effect. To determine which parameters pertain to an effect, refer to the effect’s description in “2D Effects” on page 295.

If the position indicator is not on an effect’s icon in the Timeline, or if the track that contains the effect is not selected, then the Effect Editor is blank.

A number of parameters apply to many effects, such as parameters affecting size, position, or foreground level (transparency). You can adjust these parameters once for the entire effect, or you can use the Effect Editor along with keyframes to change the effect parameter over time. Other parameters can be adjusted only once for the entire effect, regardless of keyframe selection. For more information, see “Global

and Keyframeable Parameters” on page 264.

The Effect Editor groups parameter controls in categories. For example, the Border parameter category includes all the controls that you can use to define the color and appearance of an effect border.

Several types of parameter controls might appear for a particular effect:

• Parameter sliders

• Parameter Enable buttons

• Parameter options that you select from Fast menus

• Additional parameters that you access with the Other Options button

• Color parameters that you can select using the eyedropper and the Windows Color dialog box, as well as by using sliders

For reference information on all effect parameters, see “2D Effects

Parameters” on page 263.

Using Parameter Sliders

Parameter sliders allow you to adjust effect parameters that have a range of possible values. For example, use the Level slider in the Foreground parameter category to adjust the degree of opacity of the foreground material on a scale from 0 to 100.

To activate a parameter that has a slider:

t Click the slider.

When you activate a slider, it changes to pink.

Parameter’s slider

To move from one slider to the next slider:

t Press the Tab key.

To change the value of a parameter that has a slider, do one or more of the following:

t Move the slider with the mouse.

t Type a new value using the numeric keypad, and, if you entered

fewer than three digits, press Enter.

t Use the Left Arrow or Right Arrow key to change the value by –1

or +1.

t Press the Shift key and use the Left Arrow or Right Arrow key to

change the value by –10 or +10.

Using Parameter Enable Buttons

Some parameter categories contain parameter Enable buttons. These buttons control parameters that can either be on or off but cannot be adjusted over a range of values. For example, the Fixed Aspect parameter Enable button controls whether the aspect ratio of an image is maintained when you adjust one of its dimensions.

Parameter’s numeric value

To turn a parameter on or off by using a parameter Enable button:

t Click the Enable button.

Enable buttons are pink when the parameter is active and gray when the parameter is inactive.

Using the Other Options Button to Access Parameters

Some effects have additional parameters that control their operation. For example, the Grid effect has additional parameters in which you set the number of columns and rows in the wipe. When an effect has additional parameters, the Other Options button appears next to the effect name or in a parameter category.

To use an effect’s additional parameters:

t Click the Other Options button next to the effect name or in a

parameter category.

A dialog box appears in which you set the additional parameters.

You also use the Other Options button to use the parameters for third-party plug-in effects, for the Windows Color dialog box in the Title tool, and for other effects that allow you to change color parameters.

Adjusting a Color Parameter

You can change a color parameter or select a key color by using the eyedropper or the Windows Color dialog box instead of the Hue, Sat (saturation), and Lum (luminance) sliders.

Other Options button

Using the Eyedropper

To select a color by using the eyedropper:

1. Position the pointer over the Color Preview window to activate the eyedropper.

2. Click the eyedropper, drag it into the Effect Preview monitor, and release the mouse button on the color you want to select from the video image.

The parameter’s numeric values are updated, and the selected color appears in the Color Preview window.

Using the Windows Color Dialog Box

Eyedropper Color Preview window

The Windows Color dialog box is a standard application that ships with the Windows NT operating system.

To open the Windows Color dialog box:

t Click the Other Options button in a color parameter category.

The Windows Color dialog box appears.

Default choices

Custom colors palette

Color|Solid box

Currently chosen color

Color matrix

Color slider

Color selection text boxes

To use the Windows Color dialog box:

1. To choose a color from the Basic colors palette, click the color you want.

2. To specify a custom color, do one of the following:

t Click in the color matrix to choose a color, and then drag the

color slider to adjust the amount of white and black in the color.

t Type numerical values for each color component in the color

selection text boxes.

The new color is displayed on the left side of the Color|Solid box. The right side of this box displays the solid color closest to the color you have specified. You can choose the displayed solid color by double-clicking the right side of the box.

3. When you are satisfied with the color, click Add to Custom Colors to add it to the Custom colors palette.

4. To choose a custom color from the Windows Color dialog box, click the color you want.

5. Click OK.

The Windows Color dialog box closes, and the color is applied to the parameter in the Effect Editor.

Using Keyframes

A keyframe is a point in the effect at which you can set parameters.

Modifying an effect’s parameters at various points causes the effect’s appearance to vary as it plays. For example, you can add keyframes to a Picture-in-Picture effect and change the position parameters for each keyframe to add movement to the effect.

Keyframe indicators appear as triangles in the position bar of the Effect Preview monitor when you select an effect and the Effect Editor is active. You adjust keyframe parameters by using the Effect Editor.

Starting keyframe Ending keyframeSelected keyframe (pink)

By default, NewsCutter always provides the starting and ending keyframes of an effect. These keyframes are selected by default, and thus any parameter changes are constant throughout the effect. By using techniques for adding, deleting, moving, selecting, and deselecting keyframes, you can begin to change the appearance and operation of the effect over time by applying parameter changes to specific keyframes.

Adding a Keyframe

You can create a keyframe at any point in the effect’s position bar.

To create a keyframe:

1. Click the position in the effect’s position bar below the Effect Preview monitor where you want to add the keyframe.

The position indicator moves to that frame.

2. Do one of the following to add a keyframe:

t Click the Add Keyframe button either in the Effect Editor or in

t Manually adjust a parameter in the Effect Preview monitor

Selecting a Keyframe

You can select a single keyframe or select multiple keyframes at the same time. A keyframe indicator changes to pink when selected.

the FX tab of the Command palette.

(segment effects only). For example, when you click a handle on an effect outline and drag to resize or reposition it, NewsCutter automatically creates a new keyframe.

To select one keyframe:

t Click the keyframe indicator in the effect’s position bar.

To select multiple keyframes:

t Shift+click the keyframe indicators that you want in the effect’s

position bar.

To select all keyframes in the effect’s position bar, do one of the following:

t Press Ctrl+A.

t Press and hold Ctrl+Alt, and click one keyframe indicator.

100

Pinnacle Systems NewsCutter - 2.0 Effects Guide

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Contents

Tables

Preparing to Work with Effects

Effect Types

Effects Creation Tools

About Real-Time and Downstream Key Effects

About Real-Time Effects

Playing Real-Time Effects

Playing Complex Effect Combinations

Combined Rendering of Real-Time and Non-Real-Time Effects

Displaying Effects On-the-Fly

Interrupting Render On-the-Fly

About Downstream Key Effects

Using the Effect Palette

Displaying the Effect Palette

Resizing the Effect Palette

Understanding the Color Coding

Displaying Effect Templates

Playing Effects in a Sequence

Using Third-Party Plug-in Effects

Basics of Effects Editing

Deconstructing Effects

Applying Effects to a Sequence

Applying an Effect to a Single Transition or Segment

Dragging an Effect from the Effect Palette

Double-Clicking an Effect Icon in the Effect Palette

Applying an Effect to Multiple Transitions

Applying an Effect to Multiple Segments

Deleting Effects in a Sequence

Deleting a Single Effect

Deleting Multiple Transition Effects

Deleting Multiple Segment Effects

Using the Fade Effect Button

Working with Transition Effects

Types of Transition Effects

Applying a Dissolve Effect

Using the Effect Palette to Create a Dissolve Effect

Using the Quick Transition Button

Understanding the Graphical Display in the Quick Transition Dialog Box

Adjusting the Effect by Dragging

Repositioning the Effect with the Alignment Buttons

Creating a Dissolve in Trim Mode

Sizing the Effect to Fit the Media

Trimming a Transition Effect

Creating Motion Effects

Rendering Considerations When Creating Motion Effects

Rendering and Rerendering Existing Motion Effects

Understanding Motion Effect Type Changes

Creating a Freeze Frame

Controlling a Freeze Frame with a Single Button or Key

Creating a Rolling Clip That Freezes

Creating a Variable Speed Effect

Creating a Strobe Motion Effect

Creating Mosaic Effects

Using the Effect Editor with the Mosaic Effect

Customizing Effects with the Effect Editor

Opening the Effect Editor

Customizing the Effect Display

Understanding the Effect Preview Monitor

Understanding the Tracking Information

Displaying the Safe Title and Safe Action Guidelines

Moving an Enlarged Image in the Effect Preview Monitor

Changing Position in an Effect

Replacing an Effect in Effect Mode

Using the Effect Editor

Effect Editor Buttons

About Effect Parameters

Using Parameter Sliders

Using Parameter Enable Buttons

Using the Other Options Button to Access Parameters

Adjusting a Color Parameter

Using the Eyedropper

Using the Windows Color Dialog Box

Using Keyframes

Adding a Keyframe

Selecting a Keyframe