Ulead VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB User Manual

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User Guide

Ulead Systems, Inc.

September 2005

First edition for Ulead® VideoGraphics Lab, September 2005.

 2005 Ulead Systems, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or storing in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form without the express written permission of Ulead Systems, Inc.

Software license

The software described in this document is furnished under a License Agreement which is included with the product. This Agreement specifies the permitted and prohibited uses of the product.

Licenses and trademarks

All rights reserved. Ulead and the Ulead Systems logo are registered trademarks of Ulead Systems, Inc. Intel, Pentium and MMX are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of Intel Corporation. Microsoft, Windows, DirectX and/or other Microsoft products referenced herein are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Adobe, the Adobe logo, and Acrobat are trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated. QuickTime and the QuickTime logo are trademarks used under license. QuickTime is registered in the U.S. and other countries. All other product names and any registered and unregistered trademarks mentioned in this manual are used for identification purposes only and remain the exclusive property of their respective owners.

Sample files

Files provided as samples on the program CD can be used for personal demonstrations, productions and presentations. No rights are granted for commercial reproduction or redistribution of any sample files.

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Contents

Chapter 1: Getting started ................................................. 3

Understanding the basics .................................................................................... 4

Working with the Filmstrip panel ......................................................................... 6

Viewing edit windows ......................................................................................... 15

Working with frames in a project ....................................................................... 17

Customizing Video Paint .................................................................................... 21

Chapter 2: Painting........................................................... 27

Working in different display modes .................................................................. 28

Making selections ............................................................................................... 32

Working with color .............................................................................................. 37

Using the Painting tools ..................................................................................... 41

Transforming selections .................................................................................... 46

Using the Clone tool........................................................................................... 47

Using the Retouch tool ...................................................................................... 48

Recording macros............................................................................................... 50

Applying filters .................................................................................................... 52

Previewing your work......................................................................................... 53

Shortcuts .......................................................................... 57

Index .................................................................................. 61

Getting started

Video Paint is a powerful rotoscoping program that allows you to

paint directly over any frame in a video sequence. With Video

Paint, you can quickly and easily create special effects such as

lightning bolts, lasers beams, virtual sets and mattes. You can also

use the wide range of natural and particle-based painting tools to

work on single images for use in other projects, such as Web pages

and presentations.

Chapter 1

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

Understanding the basics

Video Paint allows you to select, draw, paint, and enhance each image that makes up the frames of a video sequence. Each of the frames appears as a clip in the Filmstrip panel. You can scroll through this panel to view the clip or select a specific frame to work on. When you select a frame, it opens automatically as an image in an edit window. Once an image is displayed in an edit window, you can begin to work on it, paint or enhance it using various Video Paint tools.

Video Paint's program window

VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER ONE

Standard toolbar

Filmstrip panel

Tool panel

Color palette

Save a Video Paint project

Open an image file

Open a video file

Open a Video Paint project

Create a new Video Paint project

Cut an image

Copy an image

Paste an image

View in Composite mode

View in Paint Layer mode

Redo an undone action

Undo a previous action

View in Normal mode

View in Onionskin mode

View in Ruby Mask mode

View in No Source Video mode

Production Library

Shape Selection tool

Magic Wand tool

Clone tool

Zoom tool

Painting tool

Foreground & background color

Transform tool

Lasso tool

Grabber tool

Retouch tool

Eyedropper tool

Preview bar Cue bar

Preview options

Scroll bar

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

Working with the Filmstrip panel

The Filmstrip panel displays each frame of a clip in the Video Paint workspace. At the bottom of the Filmstrip panel, there is a thin gray scroll bar which indicates the current frames in view. By dragging on this gray bar, you can scroll through these frames to see the entire contents of the clip. When you have found a frame you are interested in, click on it to display it in an edit window.

Note: You can also switch to the next or previous frame by using the Navigator or pressing the [

CTRL+RIGHT] and [LEFT] arrow keys. To go to any cues, or the first or last

frames, press the [

CTRL+HOME] and [CTRL+END] keys.

When you select a frame, blue place markers appear above and below the Filmstrip panel indicating the frame’s position. (The markers are placed to the left edge of the active frame.) The top marker indicates the frame’s position (timecode) in the current view while the scroll bar indicates the frame’s position relative to the entire clip.

Markers indicating the position of the current frame in view (top) and its position relative to the entire clip (bottom)

Adjusting the view of the Filmstrip panel

You can change the frames currently displayed in the Filmstrip panel by dragging the bottom scroll bar. Th length of the scroll bar differs depending on the number of frames in the clip and the current display unit. (The display unit refers to how many frames appear within each division. For example, at 5x each division represents five frames.) To change the display unit, right-click over a frame in the Filmstrip panel and select a size from

VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER ONE

the Display Unit submenu. In the same menu, you can also define the size of the thumbnails shown in the Filmstrip panel. Use a larger size if you are at a higher resolution or have trouble seeing the frames clearly. (To view more frames, float the panel and drag its borders to stretch it.)

Working with edit windows

When you work on an image in an edit window, you can choose to operate in one of two modes: Composite or Paint Layer. Composite mode allows you to select portions of an image (the source video) and then move or manipulate them. Once moved or manipulated, the selection becomes a floating selection area and moves up to the paint layer. By switching to the Paint Layer mode, you can then work on these new selection areas just as you would work on the video source image in Composite mode. Generally, you want to stay in Composite mode unless you need to edit specific portions of the paint layer, such as removing areas of paint no longer required in a frame.

Note: You can have any number of edit windows open at the same time, but only one per clip in the Filmstrip panel.

Saving your work

In Video Paint, the video clip you are working on is referred to as a project which you save as a special Ulead Video Paint file (UVP). UVP files do not save the source video file, just the clip information which contains a pointer to the original video file as well as a list of all the edits performed on each frame in the video sequence. This serves to keep the file size down and doesn’t force you to have to duplicate existing video files. (When you open a UVP file, you need to ensure that the source file is still present and in the same location. If not, a message box appears asking you to browse for the file.)

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

Packaging a Video Paint project

While you can save your work as a UVP file, you may also want to occasionally package it with the File: Package command. This backs up the original files, making them easier to transport as well as archive. Packaging a file saves a project as a UVP file as well as the original video or image file it references, moving or copying that file to a new location. This is especially helpful if you plan on editing the project on another machine, such as a laptop.

Note: To transfer a Video Paint project file and its source files to another PC, use the same directory structure as the original to ensure the clips are correctly loaded.

Opening files into Video Paint

To get started in Video Paint, you need to open a file into the workspace. You can open existing Video Paint, video or image files. When you open a file, Video Paint allows you to select which frames in the file to open. This ability to "partially edit" your work speeds up processing time, particularly for larger files, as you don’t have to load the many hundreds of frames that make up a video sequence. (The maximum duration for any file you open is 30 seconds.)

Note: Video Paint automatically converts any file you open into its workspace to True Color. If you want to constrain your editing to an indexed-color palette, then load the palette into the Custom tab of the Color panel, see page 38.

VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER ONE

To open a video file:

1. Click the Open Video File button on the Standard toolbar or File:

Open - Video File to open the Open Video File dialog box.

2. Click the Duration button to open the Duration dialog box. In this dialog

box, you can preview the file as well as select which frames to open.

3. If you know the timecode for the frames you want to open, enter them in the Mark-in and Mark-out spin boxes. If you do not know them, use the Preview window’s control bar to play back the video; you can then click the Mark-in and Mark-out buttons respectively to select the beginning and ending frames for the sequence you want to open.

4. Click OK. The dialog box closes and you return to the Open Video File

dialog box.

5. Click Open to place the file or selected frames into the workspace. The

first frame of the sequence automatically appears in an edit window.

Adjusting the number of open frames

If you have already opened a video or Video Paint project file and decided that you only want to work on a specific number of frames within the clip, click File: Edit Duration to select the frames you are interested in. Video Paint saves the project (if changes have been made) and then reloads it, so only the selected frames appear. (To edit frames outside of the current project, use the File: Open command and select the frames in the Duration dialog box.)

Note: If you want to work on each frame in a large video file, such as 30 seconds, first open the entire file into Video Paint and then save it as a UVP file. You can then use the Edit Duration dialog box to open specific frames without having to reopen the original video file.

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

Starting a new Video Paint project

In Video Paint, you are not restricted to working only on existing video and image files. You can create a new "empty" project which you can paint on to create your own virtual set or background matte. Once finished, you can insert the UVP file into Video Editor as part of a larger project.

To create a new Video Paint project:

1. Click the New button on the Standard toolbar or File: New [CTRL+N] to

open the New dialog box.

2. Specify the duration of the project in the Duration spin boxes as well

as its frame rate in the Frame rate combo box. You can choose from the list in the drop-down menu or enter your own.

If the project is intended to be placed into Video Editor, make sure your frame rate is equal to the frame rate of your Video Editor project. Otherwise, you may get dropped or duplicated frames.

3. Select the frame size for the project using the options in the Frame

size group box. Again, if the project is destined for Video Editor then

the frame size should be identical to the Video Editor project.

4. Click OK. The dialog box closes and a new clip is created in the

workspace, with the first frame appearing in an edit window. The color of these frames is determined by the current background color. To change their color after creation, click Frame: Film Color.

Creating a video or image file

Once you have finished working on a Video Paint project, you can create a new video or image file which merges your edits with the original source file. To create a video file, click File: Create Video File. This opens the standard Create Video File dialog box which has the same options as those in Video Editor. If you plan on using your work in a Video Editor project, insert the UVP file directly by selecting the UVP file type from the Files of type combo box in the Insert Video File dialog box. If you first create a video file and then insert it into Video Editor, you run the risk of reducing

VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER ONE

quality as the file undergoes compression twice, once in Video Paint and once more when you create the final video sequence in Video Editor.

To create an image file, click File: Create Image File. This opens the Create Image File dialog box which allows you to select the data type, file format, resolution, and size of the image. If you plan on using the image in other projects you are working on, make sure that the size is the same and, if you have to compress the file, use a format with a lossless compression scheme such as (TIF). Otherwise, use a standard format such as the Windows bitmap (BMP).

Performing Cut and Copy operations

When working on your project, you will often want to copy changes you have made in one frame to others in the video sequence. To do this, you use the Cut and Copy buttons on the Standard toolbar or the Edit: Cut and Copy commands. Copy duplicates a selected area or floating selection while Cut removes it from the image. Once cut or copied, you can paste it into the current frame or into another. When there is no selection area or floating selection, Cut and Copy works over the entire image (in Composite mode), or only edits (in Paint Layer mode.) If there are no edits, then the commands work over the entire image.

Note: You can paste image data to and from Video Paint to any other image editor such as Ulead PhotoImpact. If pasting to PhotoImpact, any mask information is retained.

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

Performing a paste operation

Once the Clipboard contains an image, either from Video Paint or any other image editor, you can paste it into an edit window. To do this, click the

Paste button on the Standard toolbar or Edit: Paste

[CTRL+V]. Images are

pasted at the same location they were cut or copied from. If the pasted image was from a frame or other image larger than the active frame, then the image is pasted at the top left corner of the current view.

Another option for pasting is the Edit: Paste - Selection Under Pointer command. This pastes the image with the center of the image anchored to your mouse pointer. Clicking anywhere within the edit window anchors the image on that particular spot. The advantage of this command is that you can position the pasted image without having to keep your finger on the mouse button, providing greater freedom of movement.

Pasting masks

When you paste an image, it contains a selection area (mask) plus the contents of the area itself (the image data). In Video Paint, you can choose to paste only the mask without any image data by clicking Edit: Paste - As Mask or Mask Under Pointer. After pasting, all you will see is the selection marquee which now selects a portion of the active image. This is useful if you wish to copy a selection area over multiple frames so that it selects the same area each time.

Duplicating changes over frames

The Cut and Copy are useful for duplicating changes from one frame to another. Often, however, you will want to duplicate changes over several frames, even over several seconds. To do this, Video Paint provides the Duplicate commands which work by duplicating your last edits. To duplicate your edits to a new frame, first select the frame containing the edits from the Filmstrip panel and then click either the Edit: Duplicate

Last Floating Selection [

CTRL+K] or Duplicate Last Paint Layer

[

CTRL+L]. Duplicate Last Floating Selection places a copy of the last

VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER ONE

active floating selection, while Duplicate Last Paint Layer copies every- thing present in the last active paint layer.

To duplicate an action over several frames, you need to perform a power duplication. Power duplication is much more flexible than the other Duplicate commands as it allows you to not only specify how many frames to duplicate over, but also the transparency for each duplication and whether or not to add an effect to each duplicated portion. You can also choose different start and end positions to have the duplicated portions move over the entire sequence.

To perform a Power Duplication:

1. If not already selected, select the frame in the Filmstrip Panel with the

edits you want to duplicate.

2. Click Edit: Power Duplicate to open the Power Duplicate dialog box.

3. Select the source you want to duplicate from the Source group box.

The Selection option duplicates the currently active floating selection or, if the selection is not floating, its mask, while Paint layer dupli- cates the entire contents of the paint layer. (If you do not have a floating selection active, then only Paint layer is enabled.)

4. Specify where you want the duplication to take place in the Apply

group box. You can choose to perform the duplication over frames appearing before or after the active frame. In the Duration spin box, indicate how many frames to duplicate over.

5. Set the Start and End frame transparency in the Start and End tabs.

(Default is 0, or no transparency.) You can also specify the X and Y coordinates from where to place each duplicated edits. By having different start and end coordinates, you can have the duplicated edits appear to move linearly over time.

6. Specify an effect to apply to the duplicated edits in the Effect group

box. (Setting the duration of the duplication to one frame disables the Effect options.)

Note: Effects are previously saved mask files that allow you to control which areas of each frame are affected by the duplication as well as their intensity.

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

7. Click OK. The dialog box closes and the active floating selection or

paint layer is duplicated over the specified number of frames. If you power duplicate over a number of frames, a message box may appear indicating that the operation has exceeded the number of frames specified in the Clear undo history for multiple frame actions option in the General tab of the Preferences dialog box (see page 21). If you select to continue, the duplication is performed but you will be unable to undo its effect. If you want to retain Undo, increase the number of frames in the Clear Undo history for multiple frame actions option or decrease the number of frames to duplicate over.

Creating a matte (frame 2) and then power duplicating it across the others

Placing cues

In Video Paint, you can place cues at any frame in a project to mark it for later editing or identification. To place a cue, click the Cue bar (located under the Preview bar of the ruler) at the appropriate location in the Filmstrip panel; a black cue marker appears. The default name of the clip, ‘ &p’, uses the timecode of the cue’s location. For example, the default name of a cue at the 12th frame would be ‘00:00:12’. To view a cue’s name once it has been placed, double-click on it. If you wish to move a cue, drag it along the Cue bar to a new location; to remove a cue drag it off the edges of the Cue bar.

Cues placed at the 5th and 7th frames on the Filmstrip panel

VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER ONE

Managing project cues

To change the name of a cue, click View: Cue Manager. This opens the Cue Manager dialog box which allows you to delete cues, rename them or select specific ones to jump to. For renaming a cue, the Rename Cue dialog box appears for you to type a name and description. To select a cue in the Cue Manager dialog box, click the timecode displayed under the Frame position button.

Note: To quickly rename a cue, double-click it to open the Rename Cue dialog box.

Viewing edit windows

Whenever you open a file, the first frame of the sequence appears in an edit window at its original size (1x). Video Paint allows you to control the size of this edit window as well as zoom in or out from the image. This helps you to see more easily the areas you are editing as well as identify areas for further enhancement.

Zooming on an image

When you edit an image, you may want to see part of it in greater detail or more of the image at a smaller size. You can do this using the View: Zoom In and Zoom Out commands, the Zoom tool, and/or the Zoom quick buttons on the Tool panel. You can view frames at any size from 1/16x to 16x the actual size.

Zooming in on an image to 3x

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

Using the Zoom tool

Use the Zoom tool when you want to zoom in on an image while at the same time controlling which part of the image is displayed in the edit window. To use the Zoom tool, select it and then click the area of the image you want to see better. The image zooms in beneath your pointer’s position. To zoom out, hold the

SHIFT key as you click. (You can also use

the Zoom slider on the Attribute toolbar to quickly zoom in and out on the center of the image.) To focus on a specific area, you can drag over the image, creating a rectangular viewing marquee, and when you release your mouse, the image automatically zooms in on the area selected. (If the viewing area is too large or the image is already at 16x magnification, the view is not adjusted.)

Notes:

• You can also press the [+] and [-] keys to zoom in and out on images, regardless

of the current tool selected.

• Pressing the [

Z] key while using another tool automatically switches that tool to

the Zoom tool. Releasing the [

Z] key then switches the tool back.

Using the Global Viewer

When an entire image cannot be displayed within the edit window, scroll bars appear allowing you to navigate around the expanded image. The Global Viewer provides an alternative to scrolling as it displays a thumbnail view of the entire active image. This thumbnail image contains a floating frame that can be moved independently around the viewer. Moving the frame automatically repositions the view of the image in the edit window. To open the Global Viewer, click the box that appears at the intersection of the scroll bars at the lower right corner of the edit window. When you release your mouse, the Global Viewer disappears.

Note: To return the image to its original view (1x), click the 1:1 button on the Attribute toolbar or View: Actual View.

VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER ONE

Using the Global Viewer to change views

Fitting an image in the edit window

When you use the Zoom commands, the image window does not change to fit the new image size. Therefore, after zooming, the entire image may not be displayed in the edit window and scroll bars appear along the window’s edge. If you wish to display the complete image within the edit window, choose one of the available Zoom commands from the View: Fit in Window By submenu. (The maximum zoom level available is determined by the size of the image and your current display mode.) An alternative to the Fit in Window By command is the Fit in Window button on the Attribute toolbar or View: Fit in Window. This automatically resizes the image to fit within the edit window at the largest possible size without introducing scroll bars.

Working with frames in a project

When you work on a project in Video Paint, you often need to control the number of frames present as well as their content. The Frame menu offers you several commands that allow you to manage frames as well as control how frames are displayed in edit windows.

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

Inserting frames

There may be times when you need to extend the length of a video or insert a new sequence into the middle of existing frames. Video Paint allows you to do this by inserting frames. When you insert frames, you increase the duration of the project by the number of frames you add. If the project becomes too large, you may find that it slows down processing time. To avoid this, insert fewer frames or use the File: Edit Duration command (see page 9) to make the project shorter.

To insert frames:

1. Select the frame in the Filmstrip panel where you want to begin insert-

ing the additional frames.

2. Click Frame: Insert to open the Insert Frame dialog box.

3. Specify the number of frames to insert in the Insert duration spin

box and then select either the Before current frame or After current frame options to determine whether the inserted frames precede or

follow the active frame.

4. Specify the content of the new frames in the Link with group box.

The Empty frame option fills new frames with the film color while the Source video option uses the frames from the source video file, starting from the position specified in the Timecode spin box. (To define this position, you can enter the timecode directly or move the slider in the Preview group box; as you move, the timecode changes accordingly.)

5. Click OK. The dialog box closes and the new frames are inserted at the

specified location.

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Duplicating frames

The Frame: Duplicate command is similar to the Insert command in that it adds new frames to the clip in the Filmstrip panel. The difference is that it fills the new frames with the same content of the frame currently displayed in the edit window. When you click this command, the Duplicate Frame dialog box opens allowing you to specify the number of frames you want to duplicate. Once you click OK, the frames are duplicated after the active frame, pushing any following frames to the right.

Deleting frames

The Frame: Delete command removes a frame or frames from your project, shortening the duration accordingly. (This does not remove them from the actual source file.) When you click this command, the Delete Frame dialog box opens allowing you to specify which frames in the sequence to remove. You can enter the timecode of the frames in the Start and End spin boxes or use the Mark-In and Mark-Out buttons on the Preview control bar.

Replacing frames

The Frame: Replace Source Video command allows you to replace the content of a frame with that of another frame from the same source video, or with an empty frame. For example, you could replace the image in frame 6 with the image in frame 32. This is particularly useful if you have inserted a number of empty frames and wish to fill those frames with others from the same clip, or replace the source video with an empty frame before opening it in a Video Editor project.

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

To replace frames:

1. Select the frame in the Filmstrip panel where you want to begin your

replacement.

2. Click Frame: Replace Source Video to open the Replace Source Video

dialog box.

3. Specify the number of frames to replace in the Duration spin box and

then specify what to replace the frames with in the Link with group box. The Empty frame option replaces the frames with the current film color while the Source video option uses frames from the source video file, starting from the position specified in the Timecode spin box. Select the Only preview source video option if you do not want the preview video to display any edits currently in the Paint layer.

4. Click OK. The dialog box closes and the following frames are replaced

with the specified content.

VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER ONE

Customizing Video Paint

The Preferences dialog box (opened by double-clicking the Status bar or

File: Preferences

[F6]) provides options for customizing certain aspects

of the program’s behavior. This is always a good place to start before you do any editing as it helps optimize Video Paint for each project and adapts the program to more closely match your work habits.

PREFERENCES DIALOG BOX: VIDEO PAINT TAB

1. Apply color filter controls how colors are displayed in Video Paint, based on the

NTSC or PAL color models. Select the appropriate option if you plan on having your video played back over an NTSC or PAL device, such as a television. If you are designing for monitor display only, leave this option clear.

2. Levels of undo/redo specifies the maximum levels of undo/redo allowed by Video Paint (up to 99). As Video Paint allocates more memory for each level of undo/redo, you may find that too high a level adversely affects performance. In such cases, restrict the level to 3-4 only. You can, of course, choose not to have undo/redo to maximize performance, but any editing performed is final.

3. Clear undo history for multiple frame actions clears the Undo history whenever you attempt to perform an action that exceeds the number of frames in the following Number of frames spin box. By clearing the Undo history, your operations are carried out more quickly as memory does not need to be reserved for undoing. However, if you clear the Undo history, you will be unable to undo any previous actions. Leave this clear if you have enough system resources to handle the memory demand for multiple actions.

1 2

5 6

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

4. Number of recently opened files specifies how many file names are stored in the Recent History list found in the File menu.

5. Title safe area margin specifies the margin percentage for displaying any titles in a video project. This is useful if you intend on sending your video out to video tape or for broadcasting, as television has a different resolution than a computer monitor and edges which are viewable on screen may disappear. As a guideline, for NTSC devices choose 12%, PAL 10%. To view the title safe area marquee, click View: Title Safe Area.

6. Return to original frame after playing returns any sequence to the first frame after it has been played (like a CD player). When clear, the sequence stops on the last frame after playing (like coming to the end of a tape in the VCR).

7. Play macro after recording plays a macro immediately after recording it. Leave this clear if you are content with your macro recording or if you want to test it yourself on another frame.

PREFERENCES DIALOG BOX: PREVIEW TAB

The Preview tab allows you to define additional memory space for creating preview files only.

1. Specify additional folders for preview files indicates which folder Video Paint can use to save preview files. The folder shown above is the folder specified in the SET TEMP statement of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Specify other folders if you have additional drives or a partitioned drive. If you only have one drive, leave the other boxes empty.

VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER ONE

2. Hard disk displays how much free space you have on your hard drive.

3. Limit hard disk usage to specifies how much memory you want to allocate just

for Video Paint’s purposes. If you are only using Video Paint and want to optimize performance, select the maximum amount possible. If you are using other programs in the background you may want to limit this to about half. If left clear, Video Paint uses your system’s memory management to control the use and distribution of memory.

PREFERENCES DIALOG BOX: MEMORY TAB

The Memory tab gives you the opportunity to specify folders to provide additional virtual memory when working with files. You can also determine how much total disk space is allocated for virtual memory as well as how much space is allocated in RAM for use by all programs.

1. Define additional folders for virtual memory allows you to specify the folder used by the programs as additional working space. For example, when you don’t have enough RAM, the programs can use extra memory from the hard disk (virtual memory) as temporary RAM. The first folder shown in the Memory tab is the TEMP folder defined by the SET TEMP statement in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. If you have more than one drive on your system, you can specify more than one temporary folder in the available entry boxes. If not, leave the entry boxes empty.

2. Hard disk indicates the space available on your hard disk. (The folder specified in the Define additional folders for virtual memory section must be located on this hard disk.)

3. Limit hard disk usage to allows you to specify how much memory you want to

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

allocate to the programs for use as virtual memory. If you want to run other programs in the background, then choose about ½ the maximum amount. To use Video Paint defaults, leave this option unchecked.

4. Limit RAM usage to allows you to specify how much memory you want to allocate to the programs for use in RAM. If you want to run other programs in the background, then choose about ½ the maximum amount. To use Video Paint defaults, leave this option unchecked.

PREFERENCES DIALOG BOX: DISPLAY TAB

The Display tab allows you to modify the way images are displayed as well as calibrate (adjust) your monitor. You should calibrate whenever you change monitor, display adapters or the environment in which you work as lighting and temperature can also affect a monitor’s performance.

1. Hi-Color dithering allows you to improve the display of True Color images when you are in Hi-Color display mode.

2. View images with a common palette displays all images using the system palette. This is only enabled when you are in 256-Color display mode and makes your work more efficient as there is no need to repaint any of the images with a new palette. This option is particularly useful when preparing CD-ROM based titles and you need to see how images appear in 256-Color display modes.

3. Ignore background quality is enabled when in 256-Color display mode and improves performance by not repainting any background images when you change views. (Do not check this option if you need to identify background images.)

4. Monitor gamma allows you to calibrate your monitor for the optimum display of images. Follow the procedure over to correctly calibrate your monitor.

VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER ONE

To calibrate your display:

1. Click File: Preferences to open the Preferences dialog box and click

on the Display tab.

At the bottom of the tab are two Grayscale squares. The top square is a checkered pattern of black and white pixels, which when viewed from a distance, looks 50% gray. The bottom square is 50% gray as your monitor currently shows it. In a well calibrated monitor, both of these squares should look approximately the same.

2. Examine the two color squares and if the two squares look different,

adjust the Monitor gamma spin box until the bottom square looks similar to the top square.

The monitor gamma value can be any number from 0.01 to 7.99. If none of the squares exactly match, try and estimate the best match. In general, your value should fall within 0.8 – 2.4; if not, try adjusting the brightness and contrast controls on your monitor.

3. Click OK. The dialog box closes and your monitor is now optimized for

displaying images in the program.

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

Painting

Video Paint’s painting tools enable you to easily touch-up and

enhance any frame in your video project. The painting tools them-

selves present a variety of functions, from the advanced Retouch

and Clone tools to the more common Paintbrush and Transform

tools.

Chapter 2

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

Working in different display modes

In Video Paint, you can choose to view edit windows in a number of different display modes. These modes make identifying your edits easier. They also provide a means for creating mattes and animations. There are four display modes to select from: Normal, Onionskin, Ruby Mask, and No Source Video, each of which can be selected by clicking their respective buttons on the Standard toolbar or choosing their corresponding commands in the View: Display Mode submenu.

Normal mode

Normal mode displays the contents of the active frame in the Filmstrip panel. This mode is best when you wish to see the actual frame and select parts of it, or to use it as a reference for performing various painting and retouching tasks.

Ruby Mask mode

The Ruby Mask mode is useful when you want to create a video or image matte that protects certain areas of an underlying video from any edits you may perform. Mattes are often used in conjunction with Video Editor. A good example of this is a "hold-out" matte that is used to remove the matte-lines that often occur around objects which have been filmed on a blue screen background.

Note: To apply the video matte, you must load it into Video Editor.

A Ruby Mask works by placing a semitransparent ruby colored layer over an image. Whenever you paint on the image, you are actually removing the mask, therefore revealing the underlying image. The advantage here is that you do not see the color of the paint as you go, which makes it easier to identify elements in the image to either cover or remove. When you change modes, the removed area of the mask is filled with the current foreground color.

VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER TWO

To create a video matte in Ruby Mask mode:

1. Select the first frame of the video you want to apply the matte over.

The frame appears as an image in the edit window.

2. Click the Ruby Mask mode button on the Standard toolbar or View:

Display Mode - Ruby Mask. A ruby film appears over the image.

3. Select a paint tool and define its attributes in the Brush panel (see page

42).

4. Start painting over the mask. The areas affected are removed from the

mask revealing the underlying image. If your painting removes too much of the ruby mask, click the Erase button in the Shape tab of the Brush panel. Now when you paint, the ruby mask is applied.

5. Select the next frame and click Edit: Duplicate Last Paint Layer.

(The paint layer from the previous frame is copied to the current frame.) Once duplicated, you can start painting on it as in the previous step.

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until the matte is complete. (If the object you are

creating the matte over does not move, then you only need to paint one frame.)

7. Change display modes to see your changes and click the Save button

on the Standard toolbar or File: Save to save the project as a UVP file.

If you are going to apply the matte in Video Editor, you need to replace the source video with a solid color so that you can better key out the background and foreground.

Painting over an image in Ruby Mask mode

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

Onionskin mode

Onionskin mode is extremely useful when you are creating animations and want to be able to see how your edits are progressing from frame to frame. It works by placing transparent layers of each successive frame you edit over its predecessors, allowing you to easily see your changes from the previous frame as you work in the current frame.

To work in Onionskin mode:

1. Select the first frame of the video you want to paint over. The frame

appears as an image in the edit window.

2. Select a paint tool and define its attributes in the Brush Panel (see page

42).

3. Click the Onionskin mode button on the Standard toolbar or View:

Display Mode - Onionskin.

4. Click View: Onionskin Options to open the Onionskin Options dialog

box.

5. Select on which frames to apply the onionskin in the Overlay combo box. Use Succeeding frames if you are editing frames to the right of the active frame (toward the last frame), or Preceding frames if you are editing frames to the left (toward the first frame).

6. Specify a value in the Number of frames spin box. The value you

enter here determines how many frames the onionskin layers appear over. In most cases a value of 3-4 is sufficient to allow you to see the path of your animation. If you lose your reference, you may want to increase this or increase the Skin transparency to make your edits more clear.

7. Define a transparency for each skin layer in the Skin transparency

spin box. This value indicates the transparency of the skin layer, and not the edits you are performing. For example, a skin transparency of 30% produces a light result as it only allows 30% of the edit to show through. The higher the value the more of the edit you can see. (Click the Preview button to test how your changes affect any existing onionskin layers.)

VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER TWO

8. Select the Show only paint layer option to have the onionskin applied

just to the paint layer. This speeds up processing time because only the edited portions have a transparency applied. If left clear, the transparency is applied to the source video plus the paint layer. (Depending on the type of video, this may produce no noticeable effect.)

9. Click OK. The dialog box closes and the settings take effect immedi-

ately.

Painting over frames in Onionskin mode

No Source Video mode

When working on an image, it can often get confusing trying to determine where the image starts and the edits end. In such cases, you can remove the image from view by selecting the No Source Video mode. No Source Video mode removes the image from the edit window and replaces it with the current background color. This allows you to easily see your edits in the paint layer only. To view the frame’s image, change back to Normal mode.

Viewing an edit window with source video (left) and without (right)

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

Making selections

In Video Paint, whenever you apply a command or use one of the painting tools, it is applied over the entire image in the edit window. To restrict the command or painting tool to a certain area of an image, you first need to create a selection. To do this, Video Paint has three selection tools that offer a wide range of options for creating both simple and more complex selection areas. Once created, a selection marquee appears outlining the selected area.

Note: In Paint Layer mode, the selection tools work by selecting the content of the paint layer and not areas on the original image. (To do this, you need to be in Composite mode.)

Understanding the selection marquee

When you create a selection, a dotted line appears around the edges of the selected area. This dotted line is called the selection marquee. The marquee can either be floating (containing image data) or non-floating, (selecting the source video). Floating selections appear in the paint layer of an image and are created whenever you:

• move a selection area,

• perform a transformation on a selection area,

• paste a selection into an image,

• click Edit: Select - Make Floating. (This command can also be

selected from the right-click pop-up menu.)

Hiding the selection marquee

Whenever you create a selection or make a floating selection, an animated marquee appears indicating the selection border. This makes selections easier to identify as well as move. If you find the marquee distracting, or you prefer to see the entire selection as is, deselect the View: Show Marquee command. The next time you create a selection or make a floating selection, the marquee is not displayed.

VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER TWO

Selecting in the Composite and Paint Layer modes

If you are in Composite mode, any selection area you create selects elements of the actual image. Moving this selection or manipulating it in any way makes it a floating selection and moves it to the paint layer. Every time you create a new floating selection, any pre-existing floating selections are merged with the paint layer. In Paint Layer mode, the selection tools behave similarly to the way they do in Composite mode, except that they allow you to select the content of the paint layer only. In this way, you can more easily distinguish your edits from the underlying image and then select them for copying to another frame for further editing.

Note: To make selection areas smoother, click the Anti-alias button on the Attribute toolbar. The next time you make a selection area, the edges blend in slightly with the surrounding background.

An added feature of selecting in the paint layer is the Shrink button on the Attribute toolbar. When you select this button, any selection you make ‘snaps to’ the edges of your edits (as long as the edits are included in the selection).

Selecting regularly shaped areas

The Shape tool allows you to select areas of an image based on a preset size and/or shape, such as a square, rectangle, circle or an ellipse. To determine the shape, click either the Rectangle or Ellipse buttons on the Attribute toolbar. (To create a square or circular selection, make sure that the Constraint button is selected.) To create a selection, drag your mouse over the image. If you want the selection to always appear the same size, click the Fixed Size button and enter the appropriate values in the neighboring spin boxes. The next time you click the image, a selection is made based on the size you defined. Using a fixed size is useful when you need to select same-size areas of an image, such as for a credit or title.

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

When you create a selection, it starts from where you first click your mouse. This is fine in most cases, but sometimes you may want it to start from the center, particularly if you are creating circular or square shapes. To do this, first click the Draw From Center button on the Attribute toolbar and then drag your mouse over the image starting from where you want the center of the selection to be.

Selecting irregularly shaped areas

The Lasso tool allows you to select an area by drawing a freehand shape. This is especially useful for selecting difficult areas, such as a person’s head or objects with a number of different angles. It operates in two ways: Dragging your mouse allows you to draw precise curved segments; clicking your mouse allows you to define straight line segments. By combining both drawing techniques, you can quickly outline selection areas that contain both irregular and straight segments. When you have finished outlining the selection area, double-click to release the Lasso and Video Paint automatically selects all image data within the bounds of the drawn selection area.

By checking the AutoSnap option on the Attribute toolbar, and then entering a value into the Sensitivity entry box (up to 10), Video Paint can help you quickly trace around irregularly shaped objects. The Sensitivity attribute works by specifying the range of contrast values that are used to define an object’s edge and AutoSnap pulls the selection area to that edge as you draw. This works best when you are tracing a bright foreground

Creating a regular selection area

VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER TWO

object against a dull background. (If you find the selection "pulls" to include unwanted areas, deselect the AutoSnap option or decrease the sensitivity.)

Note: If you make a mistake while drawing a selection area or wish to start again, press the [

ESC] key.

Selecting an area containing similar colors

The Magic Wand tool is useful when you want to select specific colors in an image. When you click on an image, any colors that fall within the values specified in the Similarity entry box are included in the selection area. This is an effective way to select large solid colored portions of an image, such as a blue screen or patches of skin and clothing.

When you use the Magic Wand tool, it operates in one of two modes, Sample by Path or Sample by Area. In Sample by Path mode, dragging your mouse over an image creates a line that calculates the largest and smallest color values of the pixels under the line (any values entered in the Similarity spin box are also included). Releasing your mouse then creates the selection based on that range. Sample by Area mode works in much the same way except that instead of taking the values of pixels under a line it includes all pixels within a selected area. This mode works best for irregular areas containing similar colors, such as backgrounds and gradients.

Creating an irregular selection area

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

Determining color similarity

When using the Similarity entry box, enter a value that you feel closely reflects the range of colors you wish to select. To help determine the color similarity range, move the Magic Wand over target pixels in the image and notice the RGB color values displayed on the Status bar. Below is a guideline on what to expect when choosing particular color ranges, (you can only select a color range between 0 and 255):

• A value of 0 selects neighboring pixels with exactly the same color

value, such as all white.

• A value of 255 selects pixels of all colors, thereby selecting the entire

image.

• A value of 50 selects neighboring pixels that have values that differ from

the pixel you click on by 50. For example, if you click on a pixel with values R25, G60, B190, neighboring pixels with values between R0, G10, B140, and R75, G110, B240 are selected.

Adding to or subtracting from a selection area

Once you’ve created a selection area, you may discover that you left out a portion of the image you wanted to include. To add to an already existing selection area, press the [

A] key and use the selection tool as you would to

create a new selection area. The area you select is added to the rest of the selection area. To subtract from a selection area, press the [

S] key and

select the part of the selection area you want to remove.

Creating a selection containing similar colors

VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER TWO

Moving a selection area marquee (mask)

Sometimes you will want to use a selection area without moving the image data it contains. For example, you may want to move a selection area to expose certain portions of an image, or to protect other portions from any effects or changes you may apply to the image. To do this, click the Move Mask button on the Attribute toolbar or use the Grabber tool on the Tool panel. Now, you can safely drag on the selection area without affecting the composite image. (The Move Mask is only active if the selection is not floating.)

Notes:

• Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move a selection pixel by pixel.

• To move a selection marquee to another frame, first copy it and then click Edit:

Paste - As Mask, see page 12.

Working with color

Before you start painting on images, you need to select the color you wish to apply. In Video Paint, you can do this in a number of ways, from picking colors out of a palette to selecting colors directly from an image. At any time, two colors are active – the foreground and background. You can see these colors as color squares at the bottom of the Tool panel with the lower right square representing the foreground color. This is the color that is applied whenever you use a paint tool. The background color acts as the default color which is used each time you create a new project. You can quickly switch between the two by clicking the Switch arrow at the top right of the two color squares.

Adding additional areas to a selection

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

Using the Color palette

The Color palette contains colors that you can apply to any image in the edit window. The way colors are displayed in the palette varies according to your selection in the View: Color palette submenu. You can display palette colors in one of four methods: Map, Wash, Swatch, and Custom. Which method you choose depends on the type of color you want as well as which color picker you are more familiar with. To select a color, click it with your mouse. The color then replaces the current foreground color. (If you already know the RGB values of the color you want, you can enter them directly in the appropriate RGB spin boxes.)

Note: When you run Video Paint for the first time, the Color palette is docked to the program window in Compact mode and shows the colors of the default method. To see all methods at the one time, deselect the View: Color Palette - Compact command. The Color palette is floated and shows each of the methods as tabs in the panel window. (This command can also be performed by holding down the [

CTRL] key

and right-clicking the Color Palette.)

Map Color Palette (left) and Wash Color Palette (right)

Swatch Color Palette (left) and Custom Color Palette (right)

VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER TWO

Selecting colors from the Color Picker pop-up menu

The Color Picker pop-up menu allows you to select a new color to replace the selected color square, or to choose from a range of Color Pickers. Each Color Picker provides a different method for selecting colors, and each is suitable for particular situations. (You can open the Color Picker menu by right-clicking over any color square in Video Paint.)

Using the Ulead Color Picker

Selecting the Ulead Color Picker command opens a dialog box which displays a continuous color spectrum. The color spectrum shows hue, or color, from top to bottom and luminance, or the amount of brightness, from left to right. When you move your mouse over any colors, their respective RGB color values are displayed at the bottom of the dialog box and the color itself appears in the left color square. If you click and hold your mouse button over a color, a saturation bar appears and allows you to select a specific color. Releasing your mouse selects the color, subsequently displaying it in the right color square.

For a more precise color selection, you can choose your color by clicking one of the colored tabs above the color spectrum. This displays a range of colors similar to the color on the selected tab. From here, you can select the exact color by clicking the desired color cell.

Note: To select a particular color, enter its RGB values in the RGB spin boxes to the right of the Color Picker window.

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

Using the Windows Color Picker

When you select the Windows Color Picker command, the standard Windows Color dialog box appears from which you can select a basic or custom color.

Selecting colors with the Eyedropper tool

The Eyedropper tool enables you to select a foreground color from colors already in an image. As you move the Eyedropper over an image, the RGB color values of the image are displayed in the Status bar and eventually change to reflect the color changes from one pixel to the next. Clicking your mouse selects the color under the pointer as the foreground color.

Note: To change which color square is active, click beneath either the foreground and background squares on the Attribute toolbar. The next time you select a color, the active color square changes.

Attribute toolbar of the Eyedropper tool

Loading and saving color tables

There may be times during your work that you find yourself continually using the same colors with which to paint. You can store these colors as color squares on the Attribute toolbar of the Eyedropper tool, or save them as a color palette file (PAL) using the Custom tab of the Color Palette. To do this, first change the color squares in the Custom tab to those of the colors you regularly use and then click the Save button to save the palette to its own file. (To change a color square, right-click it and choose a color from the available color pickers or palette.) Once a palette has been saved, you can bring it back into the Custom tab of the Color Palette by clicking the Open button.

VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER TWO

Using the Painting tools

The Painting tools in Video Paint offer an extensive variety which allow you to paint over an image using anything from a felt-tip pen to an oil brush. When you use a paint tool, the paint is applied directly to the paint layer and not the actual image itself. As such, you can work without fear of damaging the original image as well as easily copy your work over several frames.

To view the painting tools, click the Paint tool button on the Tool panel. The Brush panel opens and all the various brushes are displayed along the Attribute toolbar. To apply a paint tool, select the brush to use and then click and drag over the areas of the image where you want the paint to appear. For greater control over which areas are affected, select the area and/or zoom into the image for a better view. (To paint over several frames, see the "Duplicating changes over frames" section, page 12.)

Original image Paintbrush Airbrush Crayon

Charcoal Chalk Pencil Marker

Oil Paint Particle Drop Water Bristle

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

Specifying Brush panel attributes

When you choose a painting tool, the Brush panel displays the attributes for that tool in four folders: Shape, Options, Color, and Advanced. The current settings of these attributes are the same as they were when last selected. If you change them, you can save the new settings to the Production Library by clicking the Save button on the Attribute toolbar. The Paint Gallery of the Production Library also has a large number of paint brush presets, such as specific types of art-pencils (2B, 6H), felt-tip pens and effect brushes like fog and light. To use them as the current brush, doubleclick the thumbnail of the one you want or drag-and-drop it into an edit window.

Note: The attributes explained below indicate all possible tool options. These vary depending on the type of tool you are using.

BRUSH PANEL: SHAPE TAB

1. Height specifies the height of a brush. (You can also drag the vertical slider to the right of the preview. To keep aspect ratio, click the Lock button.)

2. Width specifies the width of a brush. (You can also drag the horizontal slider at the bottom of the preview. To keep aspect ratio, click the Lock button.)

3. Eraser Mode removes previously applied paint from the paint layer.

4. Elliptical Brush defines the shape of the brush head as elliptical. To use a

circular head, lock the width and height sliders.

5. Rectangular Brush defines the shape of the brush head as rectangular. To use a square head, lock the width and height sliders.

Brush Angle defines the angle of the brush tip, from 0 (perpendicular to the image surface) to 359 (the most extreme angle).

Soft edge adjusts the color blending along the brush’s edge, from 0 (no blending) to 100 (complete blending). The greater the soft edges, the slower your painting takes effect because Video Paint has to calculate the appropriate amount of blend with the underlying image.

2 3

VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER TWO

Weight defines how heavy the paint color is. The heavier the weight, the stronger the impression it leaves.

Distribution defines the placement of the brush bristles. The higher the value, the narrower the placement, while a lower value means a wider placement.

Random creates a random (although proportional) size variation among the bristles of a brush. The value entered here defines the percentage of variance.

Bristle Thickness defines the thickness of each bristle in the paint brush. The higher the number, the thicker each bristle and, as a consequence, the more paint it can hold.

Density defines the number of bristles the paint brush contains. The more bristles it contains, the more paint it can retain and thus the stronger the applied color.

BRUSH PANEL: OPTIONS TAB

1. Apply method determines how paint is applied to an image. Depending on the tool, you can choose one of the following:

• Always replaces the original colors with the painted color.

• Hue and Saturation applies only the hue and saturation values of the painted

color.

• Hue Only applies only the hue value of the painted color.

• Saturation Only applies only the saturation values of the painted color.

• Luminosity Only applies only the brightness and contrast values of the

painted color.

• If Lighter applies the painted color only if the painted color is lighter than the

background.

• If Darker applies the painted color only if the painted color is darker than the

background.

• Difference applies the color that is produced from the difference between the

values of the original colors and the painted color. For example, if the underlying clip is R:10 G:210 B:125 and the overlaying clip is R:30 G:100 B:100 the resulting colors when merged are R:20 G:110 B:25 – (R:30-10 G: 210-100 B: 125-100.) (Values outside of 255 are taken as absolute values.)

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

• Addition applies the color that is produced from adding the color values of the original colors with that of the painted color. For example, if the overlying frame is R:10 G:210 B:125 and the underlaying clip is R:30 G:100 B:100 then the resulting color will be R:40 G:255 B:225 – (R=10+30 G=210+100 B=125+100). (Values greater than 255 are rounded down to 255.)

• Subtraction applies the color that is produced from subtracting the color values of the original colors with that of the painted color. As in the above example, R:10 G:210 B:125 and R:30 G:100 B:100 would result in the color R:0 G:110 B:25 – (R=10-30 G=210-100 B=125-100) (Color values less than 0 are rounded down to 0.)

• Multiply applies the color that is produced from multiplying the color values of the original colors with those of the painted color and then divides the result by 255; rounding to the closest integer value for each color channel. For example, if the overlying clip color is R:10 G:210 B:125 and the underlying clip is R:30 G:100 B:100 the resulting color will be R:1 G:82 B:49 – (R=10*30/255 G:210*100/255 B:125*100/255.)

• Inverse of Multiply works in the same way as above except it inverts the resulting color. For example, if the resulting color is black, the inverse will be white.

• Pigment applies the color which is produced from blending the painted color with the original colors, much in the same way an artist creates new colors by mixing paints.

2. Freehand defines the drawing mode as Freehand. Freehand mode mimics painting by hand, applying paint as you move your mouse.

3. Straight Line defines the drawing mode as Straight Line. Straight Line mode is for painting straight lines. To paint a straight line, first click the point where you want the line to start and drag to the point where you want it to end and release your mouse. (Pressing the [

SHIFT] key constrains the line to an angle of 0º, 45º, or

90º.)

4. Connected Line defines the drawing mode as Single Line. This mode functions much like the Straight Line mode except that after a line is painted, you can select a new line segment and continue painting. Double-clicking then paints a straight line connecting the ending point to the starting point.

Note: If you make a mistake while drawing a single or connected line, or wish to start again, press the [

ESC] key.

Transparency defines how pure a color is. A transparency of 0 is pure color while

a transparency of 100 produces no color.

Wet Control defines how wet paint is when it’s applied, from 0 (the wettest) to 100 (the driest). The wetter the paint, the greater the amount of overflow.

VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER TWO

BRUSH PANEL: COLOR TAB

1. Single Color applies a single color as the brush paint.

2. Multiple Colors applies multiple colors as the brush paint. You choose which colors from the neighboring Delta Hue, Delta Saturation, and Delta Brightness options. By controlling the value of these options, you determine how much

color is applied. For example, more hue introduces more color while an increase in the saturation makes the colors appear stronger. When you paint, all the various colors are then applied producing a rainbow-like effect.

BRUSH PANEL: ADVANCED TAB

1. Pressure options determine how paint is applied for tablet devices. If you do not have a tablet device installed, these options are disabled.

2. Spacing determines how close each drop of color is applied as a percentage to the current brush size. The higher the value, the farther away drops are applied. Likewise, a lower value applies color closer together. For example, a value of 100 places each drop of color next to each other, creating a dotted line effect, whereas a value of 300 places each drop of color at a distance 3 times the size of the brush.

3. Fade-in/out mimics the consistency of paint on the specified brush type by defining how quickly it fades out or in when a stroke is made. A higher number equals a longer fade.

Note: The Brush Panel also shows the Texture tab when any of the painting tools (except for the Particle and Drop Water tools) is selected. You can choose a preset texture or load an image pattern and use it to paint over the frames in your clip.

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

Filling an area with color

Apart from painting over an image with a paint tool, you can also fill a selection or the entire image with a solid color. To do this, click Edit: Fill

[CTRL+F]. This opens the Fill dialog box from which you can select the

color to use as the fill, the degree of transparency and the way the color is applied, such as the hue only or just the difference. (For more on these, see the description of the Options tab in the Brush panel, page 50). Once you have applied the fill, you can perform many interesting effects, such as filling an entire frame with white and then painting over it with a paintbrush in the Erase mode. This removes the white from the paint layer, revealing the underlying image. (This is a good technique for creating quick video mattes.)

Transforming selections

After you’ve made a selection area, you can change its shape, size and orientation using the Transform tool. When you click the Transform tool button on the Tool panel, the Attribute toolbar changes to show each of the possible transformation options. The first, Resize, allows you to drag control points on the bounding box to distort the selection in several directions. To spin the selection, click the Rotate Freely button or use one of the other fixed rotation buttons like Rotate Counterclockwise or Clockwise. You can also flip the selection horizontally or vertically using the Flip Horizontally and Flip Vertically buttons.

VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER TWO

Using the Clone tool

The Clone tool is similar to the Paint tools except that it uses the image for its color palette. For example, you can paint onto an image with another part of the same image, or even from a second image in another edit window. This is useful when you wish to replicate an object in an image, such as creating dozens of fighter planes using one as the template, or if you want to remove areas from the foreground and replace them with the background, such as wires or props that were used during filming. When using the Clone tool, you can also choose the type of paintbrush you want to use from the Attribute toolbar. (To learn about cloning over several frames, see the "Duplicating changes over frames" section, page 12.)

To use the Clone tool:

1. Click the Clone tool on the Tool panel to select it. The Attribute toolbar

displays the available tools you can use to paint with and the Brush panel changes to show the available attributes for the selected tool.

2. Hold down the [SHIFT] key and click your mouse over the area you

wish to clone. This area is marked with a crosshair and the mouse pointer changes to the clone pointer. (You can clone from the same image or from another edit window.)

3. Move to the area on the image where you want the clone to appear and

start dragging your mouse. The crosshair changes to indicate the area you are cloning and as you paint you replace the area with whatever the crosshair passes over. (The size and shape of the area painted are determined by the current attributes in the Brush panel.)

In the Options tab of the brush panel, you can specify how the cloning point behaves as you paint with the Absolute, Frame, and Relative options. Absolute is the default mode and paints whatever the clone crosshair passes over. Whenever you release your mouse the crosshair returns to its original position allowing you to clone the same feature again. Relative allows you to clone continuously, retaining a relationship with the clone crosshair regardless of where you place your mouse. (The clone crosshair does not return to the original location

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

when you release the mouse.) This is useful if you are cloning large areas and often release your mouse and do not want to start from the beginning point. Frame is for cloning between different frames on the same clip. (To do this, first insert the file again so you now have two copies in the workspace.) Whenever you paint the contents on the target frame, these portions are replaced with whatever is in the edit window you are cloning from and is most useful for cloning areas successively over several frames. (When you choose Frame, the clone crosshair appears in the top left corner of the image and as you clone the crosshair moves to the exact same location to ensure you are cloning accurately between both the active and target frames.)

Cloning an image from a second edit window to another

Using the Retouch tool

The Retouch tools are not strictly painting tools in the sense that they do not paint over an image with a selected color. Instead, they are used to touch-up areas of an image to either enhance them, remove errors or perform special effects, such as smudging and warping. When you apply a Retouch tool, the tool uses the shape and size of the current brush each time you click your mouse. To perform the effect over a larger area, drag your mouse or increase the size of your brush. To reapply and increase the effect on a specific area, click repeatedly. (Smudging requires you to drag the tool as it smudges color from one area into another.)

To view the retouching tools, click the Retouch tool button on the Tool panel. The Brush panel opens and all the retouch tools are displayed along the Attribute toolbar. The attributes for these tools are identical to the Paint tools (see page 41) except the Options tab, which changes to display controls for refining the degree of retouching.

VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER TWO

(To learn about cloning over several frames, see the "Duplicating changes over frames" section, page 12.)

Notes:

• Confine the area to retouch by first creating a selection area.

• You need to be in Composite mode before you can start using a Retouch tool.

Once you have edited an image, you can switch to Paint Layer mode to work on just that area.

Original Colorize Pen Dodge Burn

Blur Sharpen Tonal Adjustment Smudge

Saturation Warping Smear Remove Scratch

Remove Noise Color Transform Pen Remove Red Eye

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

BRUSH PANEL: OPTIONS TAB (RETOUCH TOOL)

Dodge increases the amount of luminosity in an image, making areas lighter. Burn reduces the amount of luminosity in an image, making areas darker.

Blur blurs the edges of an image making them less distinct. Sharpen sharpens the edges of an image thereby making them more distinct. Tonal adjustment controls the amount of highlight, midtone, and shadow in an

image. Highlight works by adjusting the whitest or brightest parts of an image, while Midtone adjusts the colors that fall between the dark and light areas of an image. Shadow works by adjusting the blackest or darkest parts of an image.

Smudge smears the colors in an image as you drag your mouse. Saturation adds more intensity to colors, making them appear stronger. Clicking

the Desaturation button removes intensity from colors, making them lighter.

Warping distorts an image as you drag your mouse. Transparency determines the transparency of the paint as it is applied. Wet adds water to the paint, making it blend more smoothly with the colors of an

image. Dry removes water from the paint, making it appear more distinct from the colors

of an image. Smear controls the amount of paint overrun.

Note: The available attributes for each brush that can be modified in the Options tab vary depending on the currently selected Retouch tool.

Recording macros

Macros give you the ability to record specific brush strokes made with either the Paint or Retouch tools and use the exact same stroke order again on future frames. Macros can make common, repetitive editing tasks go much faster and far more easily as well as create "on-the-fly" animations. When you create a macro, it is stored in the Production Library and when you apply it, you have a number of options to control how it plays itself back over each frame in a video sequence.

VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER TWO

To record a macro:

1. Click the Macro button on the Attribute toolbar (for Paint and Retouch

tools only). A message box appears preparing for recording.

Note: When you record a macro, Video Paint clears the previous Undo history to help free up system resources. If you want to retain any previous edits, first save the file before recording.

2. Click OK. Video Paint centers the edit window and you can start

painting on the image.

You can paint as slowly as you like, changing tools and attributes as you go. You can also undo any actions which are ignored when you play the macro back.

3. When finished, click the Macro button again to end the recording. The

Add To Library dialog box opens.

4. Select the folder in the Macro gallery where you want to store the

macro and then enter a name for the macro in the entry line below the thumbnail image as well as a brief description in the Annotation box.

5. Click OK. The macro is now saved to the Production Library and the

edits removed from the edit window. (For applying a macro, see the following procedure.) If you have selected the Play macro after recording option in the Preferences dialog box (see page 21, the Macro Playing Options dialog box opens allowing you to specify how you want the macro to be applied.

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

To play back a macro:

1. Select the frame from where you want the macro to begin its playback.

2. Click the Production Library button on the Standard toolbar and locate

the macro in the Macro gallery that you want to play back.

3. Double-click on the thumbnail of the macro you want to play back or

drag-and-drop it into the edit window to open the Macro Playing Options dialog box.

4. Specify how many frames to play the macro back over in the Number of frames spin box.

5. Specify how the macro should play back in the Playing method group

box. Select Entire image if you want the macro to appear the same on each frame. To have the macro animate sequentially over each frame, click either the Progressive or Regressive options. Progressive starts the playback of the macro from the first stroke of the macro to the last, while Regressive starts from the last stroke to the first. If you want to determine where the macro should start playing back from (other than the top left corner of the edit window), select the Manually place top

left corner in frame option.

6. Click OK. The macro begins playing back according to your settings. If

you selected the Manually place top left corner in frame option, you need to click in the edit window image from where you want to start play back.

Playing back a macro progressively

Applying filters

The video filters in Video Paint are the same as those found in Video Editor and can be used from the Menu bar or from the Video Filter gallery in the Production Library. While they are the same in design, they do, however,

VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER TWO

differ in application. For example, in Video Paint, the filters are applied immediately to the frames in the clip, or to any frames included in the preview area, and the rendered result appears in the Paint Layer which you can then edit or paint over accordingly. (In Video Editor, they are applied to the clip only and are not rendered until you create or preview the file.) Because filters in Video Paint are rendered, you may find that they take longer to apply, depending on your system resources or the type of filter.

To apply a video filter:

1. Drag over the Preview bar in the Filmstrip panel to select the frames

you want to apply the filter to. (If you want to apply the filter to the entire clip, make no selection.)

2. Select the Video Filter gallery from the Production Library and locate

the filter you want to apply from one of the available folders. (You can also select the filter by going directly to its command in the Video

Filters menu.)

3. Drag-and-drop the filter you want to apply onto the edit window to

open the filter’s dialog box. (By double-clicking on the filter’s thumbnail, you can see a preview of the type of filter and its options.)

4. Adjust the settings of the filter as well as define any key frames and

click OK. The filter is then applied to the active clip.

Applying a Whirlpool video filter

Previewing your work

When working in Video Paint, it is a good idea to regularly preview your work to see how your project is developing. You can do this in one of two ways – by creating a preview file or by flicking through a series of frames. Previewing works in much the same way as in Video Editor while flicking works by displaying a series of frames quickly, much like flipping through the pages of an animation.

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

Performing a flick preview

Performing a flick preview is a simple process of selecting the frame from where you want the preview to begin and then clicking the Flick

Preview button on the Navigator or View: Flick

[SHIFT+F]. The preview is

then performed on the image in the edit window. Before you perform the preview, however, you need to set your flick options to determine which area of the image is previewed as well as how many frames to flick through.

Performing a flick preview

To set your flick options:

1. Click View: Flick Options to open the Flick Options dialog box.

2. Specify the number of frames to flick through in the Backward and

Forward spin boxes. The number you specify determines how many

frames are previewed when you perform a flick. Backward frames are flicked first followed by forward frames. You may want to have a few backward frames included in the flick to give you a reference as to what occurs before the flick reaches your edited frames.

3. Select the speed to perform the flick at using the Speed group box.

4. Specify the area on the frame you want to flick through using the Flick

area spin boxes or by dragging the control points in the bounding box

in the preview image. (To move the bounding box on the Preview image, place your pointer in the center and drag.)

When flicking through a specific area on the frame, it is a good idea to select the Show border option because it places a thin red border over the area being flicked making it easier to identify. If you want to flick through the entire frame, select the Entire frame option below the preview image.

VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER TWO

5. Click OK. The dialog box closes and the settings will be apparent the

next time you perform a flick preview.

Performing a preview

Apart from performing flick previews, you can also perform standard previews which create a preview file. To do this, first define your preview options by clicking the Preview Options button on the Standard toolbar or View: Preview Options. Once the Preview options have been defined, drag over the Preview bar on the Filmstrip panel, a blue selection line appears, and select the frames you want to preview. When ready, click the

Preview Selection button or View: Preview

[ENTER] to create the pre-

view.

Note: Using the Navigator, you can also step through each frame in the sequence as well as preview the entire clip by clicking the Preview button.

Managing preview files

You can quickly check on how much space your preview files occupy by clicking File: Preview Files Manager. This opens the Preview Files Manager dialog box which displays every preview file for each project you have created previews from. You can see how much disk space your preview files occupy and choose whether or not to delete them. You should delete them if they reference a project you have already deleted or no longer use.

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

Shortcuts

Video Paint has many shortcuts that allow you to access commands

and open dialog boxes without having to go through the menus.

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

File Menu

Ctrl + N Opens the New dialog box

Ctrl + O Opens the Open dialog box

Ctrl + W Closes the current window

Ctrl + S Saves an existing file

Ctrl + P Opens the Print dialog box

Alt + Enter Displays properties of the current file

F6 Displays the Preferences dialog box

Ctrl + Q Exits Video Paint

Edit Menu

Ctrl + Z Undo the last command

Ctrl + Y Redo the last command

Ctrl + X Cuts the current selection

Ctrl + C Copies the current selection to the clipboard

Ctrl + V Pastes the contents of the clipboard as a selec-

tion

Del Deletes the current selection

Ctrl + K Duplicates the last floating selection

Ctrl + L Duplicates the last Paint Layer

Ctrl + F Opens the Fill dialog box

Ctrl + A Selects the entire contents of the current frame

SHORTCUTS

View Menu

Enter Preview current project

Shift + F Begins flicking the current video

+ Zoom in

- Zoom out

Ctrl + 1 Fit in window by 1 x

Ctrl + 2 Fit in window by 1/2 x

Frame Menu

Ctrl + Home Go to previous cue

Ctrl + Left arrow Go to previous frame

Ctrl + Right arrow Go to next frame

Ctrl + End Go to next cue

Ctrl + G Opens the Go To dialog box

Esc Stops the current video from playing or flicking

Window Menu

Shift + F5 Cascade

Shift + F4 Tile vertically

Help Menu

F1 Displays the contents for Video Paint Help

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

Miscellaneous

F11 Displays the current active frame on the filmstrip

Shift + F1 Activates help button on menu bar

Shift + F10/Right mouse

click on workspace Displays the Edit menu as a floating menu

Double click on file

Title Bar Maximizes or restores current window

Double click on Toolbar

or Tool Panel title bar Closes window

Double click on

Status Bar Displays Preferences dialog box

Shift + click on Filmstrip

Scroll Bar Displays the next or previous frame in the Strip View.

Ctrl + click on Filmstrip

Scroll Bar Displays the next or previous set of frames in the

Strip View.

INDEX

Index

Autosnap ................................................ 34

Brush panel ........................................... 42

advanced tab ..................................... 45

color tab ............................................. 45

options tab ......................................... 43

shape tab ........................................... 42

Color fill .................................................. 46

Color palettes ........................................ 38

picking colors .................................... 39

saving ................................................ 40

Composite mode .................................... 7

selection areas .................................. 33

Copying

selections .......................................... 11

Creating

image sequences ............................. 11

videos ................................................ 10

Cues ...................................................... 14

managing ........................................... 15

Customizing Video Paint ....................... 21

Cutting

selections .......................................... 11

Deleting

frames ................................................ 19

Display modes ...................................... 28

No Source Video ............................... 31

normal ............................................... 28

onionskin ........................................... 30

Ruby Mask ......................................... 28

Duplicating ............................................ 12

frames ................................................ 19

Edit windows ......................................... 17

Eyedropper tool ..................................... 40

Files

creating .............................................. 10

saving .................................................. 7

Filling an area with color ....................... 46

Filmstrip panel ......................................... 6

settings ................................................ 6

Filters

applying .............................................. 52

Flicking .................................................. 54

Frames

deleting .............................................. 19

duplicating ......................................... 19

inserting ............................................. 18

replacing ............................................ 19

Global viewer ......................................... 16

Inserting

frames ................................................ 18

Lasso tool .............................................. 34

Macros ................................................... 50

Magic Wand tool .................................... 35

determining color similarity ............... 36

Moving

selection marquees .......................... 37

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

No Source Video mode ......................... 31

Normal mode ........................................ 28

Onionskin mode .................................... 30

Packaging ................................................ 8

Paint layer

selection areas .................................. 33

Paint Layer mode .................................... 7

Paint tools .............................................. 41

brush panel........................................ 42

advanced tab ................................. 45

color tab ......................................... 45

options tab ..................................... 43

shape tab ....................................... 42

Painting .................................................. 27

brush panel........................................ 42

advanced tab ................................. 45

color tab ......................................... 45

options tab ..................................... 43

shape tab ....................................... 42

paint tools .......................................... 41

Palettes

Video Paint ........................................ 37

Pasting

masks ................................................ 12

selections .......................................... 12

Power Duplicate .................................... 13

Preferences ........................................... 21

Previewing ............................................. 53

flicking ................................................ 54

managing preview files ..................... 55

Projects

new .................................................... 10

packaging ............................................ 8

rendering ........................................... 10

Recording macros ................................. 50

Replacing

frames ................................................ 19

Retouch tool .......................................... 48

Ruby Mask mode ................................... 28

Saving ...................................................... 7

Selecting colors ..................................... 39

with the eyedropper ........................... 40

Selection area

marquee

hiding ............................................. 32

Selection areas

adding or subtracting to ..................... 36

color fill .............................................. 46

color similarity ................................... 35

determining ................................... 36

composite mode ............................... 33

irregular shapes ................................ 34

marquee ............................................ 32

moving marquee only ........................ 37

paint layer .......................................... 33

shapes ............................................... 33

fixed size ........................................ 33

shrink mode ...................................... 33

transforming ...................................... 46

Shape tool .............................................. 33

Shortcuts ............................................... 57

Shrink mode .......................................... 33

Transform tool ....................................... 46

Transforming

selections .......................................... 46

Ulead color picker ................................. 39

INDEX

Video filters ............................................ 52

Video Paint program ................................ 3

basics .................................................. 4

brush panel........................................ 42

advanced tab ................................. 45

color tab ......................................... 45

options tab ..................................... 43

shape tab ....................................... 42

color fill .............................................. 46

color palettes ..................................... 38

picking colors ................................ 39

saving ............................................ 40

copying .............................................. 11

cues ................................................... 14

managing....................................... 15

customizing ....................................... 21

memory usage .............................. 23

preview options ............................. 22

video display .................................. 24

cutting ................................................ 11

deleting

frames ............................................ 19

display modes ................................... 28

duplicating ......................................... 12

frames ............................................ 19

edit window .......................................... 7

modes ............................................. 7

viewing ........................................... 15

eyedropper tool .................................. 40

filmstrip panel ...................................... 6

adjusting .......................................... 6

global viewer ..................................... 16

inserting frames ................................ 18

lasso tool ........................................... 34

macros............................................... 50

Magic Wand tool ................................ 35

opening videos .................................... 9

specific duration .............................. 9

packaging components ....................... 8

paint tools .......................................... 41

painting .............................................. 27

pasting ............................................... 12

masks ............................................ 12

power duplicate ................................. 13

preferences ....................................... 21

previewing ......................................... 53

flicking ............................................ 54

projects

new ................................................ 10

rendering ....................................... 10

replacing

frames ............................................ 19

retouch tool ........................................ 48

saving .................................................. 7

selection areas

color fill .......................................... 46

color similarity ............................... 35

composite mode ........................... 33

irregular shapes ............................ 34

marquee ........................................ 32

moving marquee only .................... 37

paint layer ...................................... 33

shapes ........................................... 33

shrink mode .................................. 33

transforming .................................. 46

shape tool .......................................... 33

transform tool ..................................... 46

zoom tool ........................................... 16

zooming ............................................. 15

Video projects ........................................ 10

new .................................................... 10

Viewing ............................................. 7, 15

Windows color picker ............................ 39

Working with color ................................. 37

Zoom tool ............................................... 16

Zooming ................................................ 15

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

Contents

Chapter 1: Getting started ................................................. 3

Understanding the basics .................................................................................... 4

Controlling the alignment of objects ................................................................ 11

Customizing CG Infinity ..................................................................................... 13

Chapter 2: Working with objects .................................... 15

Defining an object’s style ................................................................................. 16

Setting your default object style ....................................................................... 19

Creating text and shape objects ....................................................................... 19

Using the Text tool ............................................................................................. 20

Using the Shape tool .......................................................................................... 21

Using the Freehand tool .................................................................................... 22

Using the Path tool ............................................................................................. 23

Selecting and transforming objects .................................................................. 24

Selecting multiple objects ................................................................................. 25

Grouping objects ................................................................................................ 25

Layering objects ................................................................................................. 25

Moving objects ................................................................................................... 26

Transforming objects.......................................................................................... 26

Using the Envelope tool .................................................................................... 27

Adjusting shapes ................................................................................................. 28

Creating a moving path ...................................................................................... 30

Changing the shape of a moving path .............................................................. 31

Changing the size and style of an object over time ........................................ 32

Changing the speed of an object ...................................................................... 33

Timing the movement of objects ...................................................................... 34

Shortcuts .......................................................................... 37

Index .................................................................................. 41

Getting started

CG Infinity is a specialized drawing program that allows you to

create impressive titles and motion graphics that you can use in

Video Editor projects or as standalone video and image files. With

CG Infinity, you can easily produce television and film quality

opening and ending credits as well as an extensive range of both

regular and freehand graphical objects.

Chapter 1

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

Understanding the basics

CG Infinity is a vector-based drawing program dedicated to creating impressive titles and motion graphics. Once you have created a title or graphic, it becomes an object which can be resized, reshaped and redesigned without any loss in quality. A comprehensive range of drawing tools also gives you complete flexibility over your work and makes editing objects as easy as moving your mouse.

To get started in CG Infinity, you first need to create a new edit window. At the center of the edit window is a frame indicating the size of the video frames for your CG project. Everything outside the frame is part of the pasteboard area which can be used for storing objects or for placing objects outside of the frame before moving them into view. (You control the size of the pasteboard in the Preferences dialog box, see page 13.) While a CG project is video-based, the edit window displays only one view from where you perform all your work and effects. When the time to create a final video sequence comes, CG Infinity applies your edits over the appropriate number of frames to build the video file.

CG Infinity program window

CG INFINITY: CHAPTER ONE

Standard toolbar

Tool panel

Edit window

Save a CG project

Open a CG project

Create a new CG project

Cut an object

Copy an object

Paste an object

View in wireframe mode

Redo an undone action

Undo a previous action

Bring an object to the front

Bring an object forward

Send an object backward

Send an object to the back

Show the Time Control Panel

Show the Object Style Panel

Show the Production Library

Object tool

Shape tool

Freehand tool

Envelope tool

Eyedropper tool

Default object style

Adjust tool

Path tool

Moving Path tool

Text tool

Zoom tool

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

Understanding objects

Objects form the basis of your work in CG Infinity. They can be anything from text to regular squares and circles as well as freehand drawn shapes. Each object is a vector-based graphic which is created from a series of lines that form an outlined path to represent the object’s shape.

When you work on an object, you can add, move, and remove points anywhere along a line in the path. These points are referred to as nodes which, when selected, contain handles that you can drag to reshape the path. Once you have finished creating a path, you can then specify the object’s style attributes such as its color, whether or not it has a shadow and how well it blends into the background.

Starting a new CG Infinity project

Every CG Infinity project begins with defining the frame size and video properties of the project. Once created, you can begin adding text and objects, and then manipulate them with various drawing tools. When you are finished, you can create a video file of your work or insert the CG Infinity project into Video Editor as part of a larger project.

To create a new CG Infinity project:

1. Click the New button on the Standard toolbar or File: New [CTRL+N] to

open the New dialog box.

2. Specify the duration of the project in the Duration spin boxes and the

frame rate in the Frame rate combo box. You can choose from the list in the drop-down menu or enter your own.

If the project is intended to be part of a Video Editor project, make sure that both projects have the same frame rate. If different, you may get dropped or duplicated frames.

3. Select the frame size of the project using the options in the Frame size

group box. Again, if the project is intended to be part of a Video Editor project, make sure that both projects have the same frame size to prevent resampling.

CG INFINITY: CHAPTER ONE

4. Click OK. The dialog box closes and a new edit window appears in the

CG Infinity workspace.

Changing the background of an edit window

Once created, an edit window displays a solid white background. When you create a video or image file, this is the color of the background that will appear behind any objects. You can change this background by choosing a new color or by replacing it with the contents of a video or image file.

To change an edit window’s background:

1. Click View: Background to open the Background dialog box.

2. Select the type of background you want from the Background source

group box. You can select a general background color by right-clicking on the color square and selecting a color from the pop-up menu that appears. (You can also enter the RGB values for a color directly into the RGB spin boxes.) To use an existing image or video file, click on the appropriate option and then click the Select button. (When choosing a video file, you can select a specific frame to insert.) You can also choose to resize the image or video to fit the frame, or have it centered. (If you choose to resize, the image or video may appear distorted.)

3. Click OK. The dialog box closes and the background changes accordingly. To view any changes, switch to Preview mode.

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

Changing the view of an edit window

CG Infinity offers the same controls for viewing edit windows as Video Paint: these are the View commands and the Zoom tool. CG Infinity, however, adds two extra commands to help you work at full screen: the

View: Full Screen

[CTRL+U] and View: Hide Menu Bar commands.

Clicking View: Full Screen displays the edit window at the current zoom level occupying the entire screen; in its default mode, the program window and all docked toolbars and panels are hidden, leaving only your objects and any floating toolbars and panels in view. Full screen mode is very useful when you want to edit an object in as much space as possible without the distractions of the program window. Any floating toolbars or panels remain visible in this mode, allowing you to continue working on your object. (To return to the Normal screen mode press the [

ESC] key.)

If you prefer to have all the toolbars and panels present, click View: Hide Menu Bar. This removes the title and menu bars of the CG Infinity screen only, leaving all other screen elements present. (You can still use the menu commands with their keyboard shortcut keys. To return to the Normal

screen mode press the [

ESC] key.)

Viewing objects

In CG Infinity, you can view objects in one of two modes: Preview or Wireframe. Preview mode displays objects complete with all their object

attributes, such as fill color, shadow and transparency. While this provides the most accurate view of an object, it can slow down editing and processing time as CG Infinity has to continually refresh these attributes whenever you change the view of an edit window or create new objects. To speed up editing, switch to Wireframe mode by clicking the Wireframe button on the Standard toolbar or View: Wireframe

[CTRL+D]. This displays only

the path of each object and reduces processing time considerably as there is less information to handle. (To return to Preview mode, deselect the Wireframe option.)

Note: To move an object in Wireframe mode, you can only click on its path and not the area within its shape.

CG INFINITY: CHAPTER ONE

Saving your work

In CG Infinity, the edit window you are working on is referred to as a project. You save this project as a special Ulead CG Infinity file (UCG) by clicking the Save button on the Standard toolbar or File: Save

[CTRL+S].

UCG files contain all the attributes of the objects in the edit window as well as the video properties of the project. Once saved, you can load the UCG file back into the CG Infinity workspace by clicking the Open button on the Standard toolbar or File: Open

[CTRL+O]. You can also open the file

in Video Editor by selecting the UCG format from the Files of type combo box in the Insert Video File dialog box. The file opens as a clip in the Timeline displaying the same object attributes as in CG Infinity. (Any background image or video file specified in CG Infinity is not displayed.)

Creating video and image files

Once you have finished working on a CG Infinity project, you can create a new video or image file that combines the project’s objects with the current background. To create a video file, click File: Create Video File. This opens the Create Video File dialog box, which has the same options as Video Editor. To create an image file, click File: Create Image File. This opens the Create Image File dialog box, which allows you to select the data type, file format, resolution and size of the image.

Performing Cut and Copy operations

In CG Infinity, you can copy objects in a number of ways, such as using the Cut and Copy buttons on the Standard toolbar or clicking Edit: Cut and/or Copy. These allow you to duplicate objects from an edit window and then paste them into the same or another edit window. (Copy duplicates a selected object while Cut removes it from the edit window.)

Note: You can also paste the object into an image editor such as Ulead PhotoImpact. If pasting into PhotoImpact, the mask information is retained.

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

Another method to cut and copy is the Edit: Duplicate command which copies the currently selected object and makes a duplicate at the same time. The advantage of the Duplicate command is that you do not have to paste the object, therefore allowing you to quickly create copies of objects as you work. (This is ideal if you are creating temporary objects to experiment on and do not want to affect the original.)

Note: You can add an object or its style to the Production Library by clicking the appropriate command from the right mouse button pop-up menu. Once added, you can copy it to another object by dragging-and-dropping its thumbnail onto the object.

Performing a paste operation

When pasting an object, CG Infinity gives you a variety of options for controlling which attributes of the object to paste. For example, to paste the object as is, click the Paste Object button on the Standard toolbar or

Edit: Paste

[CTRL+V]. This places the object in the center of the current

view. To paste only certain attributes, such as the fill color or shadow, click Edit: Paste - Object Style. This opens the Paste Object Style dialog box which allows you to select which attributes to paste. Once you click OK, the attributes are pasted to all selected objects. (If no objects are selected, this command is disabled.)

Two other paste commands, Moving Path and Object as Moving Path, enable you to paste the moving path attributes of an object or use the path of an object as a moving path. To apply an object’s moving path to another object, click Edit: Paste: Moving Path. This opens the Paste Moving Path dialog box which allows you to select between pasting the path and/or keyframe information to the currently active object.

The Object as Moving Path command allows you to use the shape of an object as a moving path for the currently active object. For example, you could draw around a background image in the edit window frame and then paste the shape of the resulting object as a moving path for another object to follow. (For more on moving paths see ‘Creating a moving path’, page

30.)

CG INFINITY: CHAPTER ONE

Controlling the alignment of objects

When you move objects around in CG Infinity, you often want to place them in particular areas within the frame of the edit window. This is especially the case when trying to match an object with a background video or image file, such as a car or a corporate logo. To do this, CG Infinity provides guides and rulers that help you accurately place and move objects.

Displaying rulers

Rulers provide you with a consistent reference point in the edit window that identifies the location of objects. To display the rulers, click View: Rulers. Horizontal and vertical rulers appear along the top and left side of the edit window. They take their measurement in pixels with the base reference point (X=0, Y=0) at the top left corner of the frame in the edit window. You can reset this reference point by dragging the intersecting ruler lines from the Base Point button at the corner of the rulers to any position in the edit window. This is especially helpful if you have zoomed in on an object and want to reset your ruler at a new view.

Note: Double-clicking the Base Point button repositions the base point to the top left corner of the edit window frame.

Displaying grid and guides

To better position objects, it is a good idea to display the grid as well as use guidelines within the edit window. The grid is a pattern of points that appear whenever you click View: Grid. The grid points make it easier to align objects and position them. You can also change the color of grid points as well as the distance between each for greater flexibility and control.

VIDEOGRAPHICS LAB USER GUIDE

Guides are reference lines that you pull out from either the horizontal or vertical rulers. When you pull out a guide, it appears as a dotted line which you can use to mark certain areas within the edit window. You can have any number of guides which can be easily repositioned by dragging on them. To remove a guide, drag it off the edge of the edit window using the Object tool.

Customizing the grid and guides

The default color for grid points and guides are red and blue respectively. Depending on your background, as well as the color of your objects, you may want to change these to make them easier to identify. To do this, click View: Grid & Guide Options to open the Grid & Guide Options dialog box. Here you can specify the color for both the grid points and guidelines as well as control the horizontal and vertical spacing between each point in the grid. If you want your objects to "snap to" grid points or guides, select the Snap to distance option and specify the range within which a snap should occur. For example, a range of 5 pixels pulls an object to a grid point whenever it is placed within 5 pixels of that grid point’s position.

Notes:

• "Snap to" works on the rectangular area of an object’s bounding box and not the

path of the object itself.

• For objects to snap to grid points and guides, you need to first select the Edit:

Snap to Guides and Snap to grid commands.

Aligning objects

While the above methods allow you to accurately place objects within an edit window, you may also want to align a group of objects so that they appear along the same horizontal or vertical plane. To do this, CG Infinity provides the Edit: Align command which opens the Align dialog box. Here you can select to position objects vertically in columns or horizontally in rows. You can also specify to have the objects appear to the left, center or right of each other.

CG INFINITY: CHAPTER ONE

Customizing CG Infinity

To better work with CG Infinity, it is important to customize the program’s behavior with the Preferences dialog box (opened by doubleclicking the Status bar or clicking File: Preferences

[F6]). This dialog box

has three tabs: CG Infinity, Memory, and Display.

PREFERENCES DIALOG BOX: CG INFINITY TAB

1. Apply color filter allows you to control how colors are displayed in CG Infinity, based on the NTSC or PAL color models. Select the appropriate option if you plan on having your video played back on an NTSC or PAL device such as a television. If you are designing for monitor display only, leave this option clear.

2. Levels of undo/redo specifies the maximum levels of undo/redo allowed by CG Infinity (up to 99). As CG Infinity allocates more memory for each level of undo/ redo, you may find that too high a level adversely affects performance. In such cases, restrict the level to 3-4 only. You can of course choose not to have undo/ redo to maximize performance, but any editing done is final.

3. Number of recently opened files specifies how many file names are stored in the Recent History list found in the File menu.

1 2

3 4 5

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4. Title safe area margin specifies the margin percentage for displaying any titles in a video project. This is useful if you intend on sending your video back out to video tape or for broadcasting as television has a different resolution than computer monitors, and edges which are viewable on screen may disappear. As a guideline, for NTSC devices choose 12%, PAL 10%. To view the title safe area marquee, click View: Title Safe Area.

5. Object movement defines how far an object moves when you use the arrow keys to adjust its position.

6. Object selection method defines how objects are selected with the Object tool. Inside selects objects that fall within the marquee of a new selection and Touch

selects objects that are touched by the marquee of a selection area. In most cases, use Touch as it allows you to quickly select objects without having to draw a selection over its entirety. Inside is useful if you have a lot of overlapping objects and only want to select a specific one without affecting any others.

Working with objects

The power of CG Infinity lies in its ability to create and manipulate

objects. Using a wide range of drawing tools, you can easily create

these objects by tracing over existing images, drawing your own

shapes or using the Text tool to create impressive titles and text

effects.

Chapter 2

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Defining an object’s style

When you create an object, it takes its form from the path or shape you draw and its appearance from a number of attributes which make up its style. These attributes are defined in the Object Style Panel which you can view by clicking the Object Style Panel button on the Attribute toolbar or by right-clicking over a toolbar and selecting the Object Style Panel command. The panel has three tabs: General, Color, and Shadow. By experimenting with the various options available, you can quickly learn the types of effects and results you can create using CG Infinity.

OBJECT STYLE PANEL: GENERAL TAB

1. Line Width defines the thickness of a line when applied to an object. You can enter sub-pixel values up to 1/10

of a pixel. The line is centered over the path,

with half appearing on the outside, half on the inside.

2. Anti-aliasing smoothens the edges of non-rectangular objects by blending the areas with the background. This is particularly useful for text objects. Leave this clear if you want a sharp edge such as with square or rectangular objects.

3. Transparency controls how transparent an object appears. The first option, Normal Transparency, provides an even transparency over the entire object

based on the value entered in the neighboring Transparency spin box. A value of 0 has no transparency and 100 full transparency. The second option, Gradient Transparency, controls an object’s transparency based on the pattern indicated in the neighboring gradient square. The darker the area, the less transparent the object while the lighter the area, the more transparent the object. To change the gradient pattern, click on the gradient square to display the Gradient Transparency dialog box. Here you can control the start and end values of the gradient as well as the pattern, either linear or bidirectional. (A value of 0 is white, full transparency and 100 is black, no transparency.) To toggle between applying a linear or bidirectional gradient, click the Gradient Style button at the bottom of the dialog box. You can also change the direction and extent of the gradient by dragging on the sample image.

CG INFINITY: CHAPTER TWO

4. Soft Edge blends the edges of an object with the background. This option is useful if anti-aliasing does not create a smooth enough edge for some objects.

5. Line Caps defines how the ends of lines are drawn; you can choose between Round, Square or Flat. (Depending on the size of your object, you may not be

able to see any obvious change.)

6. Line Joints defines how lines meet; you can choose Round, Bevel, or Miter joining. (Depending on the size of your object you may not be able to see any obvious change.)

OBJECT STYLE PANEL: COLOR TAB

1. Fill color determines how an object is filled. The first option, None, applies no fill to an object making it clear. The second option, Color, fills an object with a solid color which you choose by right-clicking the color square or by selecting it from the Color Palette, or with the Eyedropper tool. The third option, Gradient, fills an object with a special gradient pattern. To choose the gradient, click the color square to open the Magic Gradient dialog box and select a gradient from one of the available methods. The final option, Texture, fills an object with a special texture pattern. To choose this texture, click on the color square to open the Magic Textures dialog box and select a texture from one of the displayed thumbnails.

2. Fill type specifies how to apply the fill. The first option, Even-Odd Fill, toggles between filling the entire object or only areas which do not overlap. When not selected, the fill is applied to the entire object, otherwise the fill is only applied to areas where there is no overlap. (If the object does not have any overlap, then the fill is applied to the entire object.) The second option, Fill Precedence, toggles between applying a fill to overlapping areas or entire areas of an object. When not selected, the entire object is filled, otherwise any areas of objects which overlap are filled, leaving exposed areas untouched.

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3. Line color determines how the line of an object is filled. The first option, None, applies no fill to an object’s line making it clear. (If you do not select a color or style, then the line width specified in the General tab has no affect.) The second option, Color, selects a solid color to fill the line with. To choose the color, rightclick the color square or select the color using the Eyedropper tool or the Color palette, keeping the [

CTRL] key held down as you click. (If you don’t hold down the

[

CTRL] key, you will be changing the Fill color instead.) The third option, Gradi-

ent, fills the line with a special gradient pattern. To choose the gradient, click the

color square to open the Palette Ramp Editor dialog box and select a pattern from one of the available methods. Once you have selected a pattern, you can determine its direction with the neighboring three directional buttons, Along, Out-

ward, and Symmetrical. Along applies the fill evenly along the line while Outward applies the fill from the inside out. Symmetrical applies the color from

both the inside and outside edges towards the center.

OBJECT STYLE PANEL: SHADOW TAB

1. Shadow options determine the type of shadow to apply to an object. The first option, None, does not apply any shadow while the second option, Drop, applies a drop shadow. You can specify the position of the shadow in the X and Y spin boxes as well as control its transparency and the amount of soft edge in the Transpar- ency and Soft edge spin boxes. The third option, Glow, applies a shadow to an object so that it appears evenly on all sides. You can specify the color of the shadow as well as its intensity in the Options group box. (The greater the intensity, the farther out the shadow extends.) You can also set the transparency and the amount of soft edge in the Transparency and Soft edge spin boxes. The final option, Extrude, applies a shadow so that it comes out from an object. You can specify the position of the shadow in the X and Y spin boxes as well as choose between a solid or gradient color. If you choose a gradient color, you can change it by clicking the color square to open the Palette Ramp Editor dialog box. You can also choose to have the shadow extrude away in horizontal layers or along in vertical layers.

Note: To change the color of a shadow, right-click on the color square or select the color using the Eyedropper tool or the Color palette, keeping the [

SHIFT] key held

down as you click.

CG INFINITY: CHAPTER TWO

Setting your default object style

Whenever you create an object, it takes its initial style from the current default as indicated by the graphic at the bottom of the Tool panel. You can change this default at any time by right-clicking it and choosing the Prop- erties command. In the Properties dialog box that opens, you can specify the new defaults. To use an existing object’s style as the default, first select it and then click the Set As Default Object Style command from the right mouse pop-up menu. The graphic in the Tool panel changes accordingly to reflect the new style. (You can also change the default style by dragging-and-dropping a style directly from the Style gallery in the Production Library to the graphic on the Tool panel.) If you wish to apply the default style to another object, first select the object and then choose the Use Default Style command from the right mouse pop-up menu.

Creating text and shape objects

CG Infinity is designed specifically for creating various text and shape objects. The Text tool is ideal for producing impressive opening and ending credits as well as flashy text effects. The Shape tool creates regular shapes such as squares and polygons while the Path and Freehand tools enable you to draw your own objects and even trace over existing images.

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Using the Text tool

The Text tool in CG Infinity allows you to use any font currently installed on your system to create a text object. Once created, you can control the spacing between letters in a word as well as the spacing between lines of text. You can also edit the text at a later time, even after changing its shape and style.

Note: If you want to edit a text object on another machine, that machine must have the same font installed. If not, the text uses your system’s default.

To create a text object:

1. Click the Text tool from the Tool panel. The Attribute toolbar changes

to display the various font characteristics you can choose from.

2. Select the font you want to use as well as any other font characteristics

such as size, bold and italics. You can also specify the alignment of the text as well as the kerning and leading.

Note: Kerning decreases the amount of space between letters in a word making it appear tighter while leading affects the spacing between words on different lines. The default 100% uses the font’s own leading with lower values decreasing the space and higher values increasing the space.

3. Click the edit window where you want the text to appear and start

typing in your text. (To add a line, press the [ENTER] key.)

If you are including a lot of text, such as credits, drag your mouse to create a text bounding box. When you type your text, it wraps to the edges of this bounding box.

4. Change to the Object tool or click outside the text area to place the

text as an object.

Creating a text object

CG INFINITY: CHAPTER TWO

Using the Shape tool

In CG Infinity, you can create both regular symmetrical shapes, such as squares and circles, as well as more complex polygons and stars. You can use these shapes to block out sections of a background image or video, as a background for text, or to create a variety of special effects.

To create a shape object:

1. Select the Shape tool from the Tool panel. The Attribute toolbar

changes to indicate the various shapes you can choose from as well as how the shape is created.

2. Select the shape you want to use from the Attribute toolbar and then

select the drawing options for creating that shape.

There are three options you can choose from to control the way a shape is drawn. The first, From Center, creates the shape from the center moving out. If not selected, the shape is created from the top left corner down as you draw. The second option, Equal Sides ensures that the sides of the shape are all of equal length. If not selected, you can draw a shape with variable width and height. The final option, Fixed Size, allows you to specify the exact width and height of an object in the neighboring Width and Height spin boxes. (Selecting this option disables the Equal Sides option.)

Another option, Sides, is only available for the Polygon and Star shapes and controls the number of sides present in these shapes. Star also has an additional option, Pointiness, which controls the length of each star cone in relation to the core of the star. For example, a value of 0 would produce no star cones, only the star core. A value of 50% would produce half star cones and half star core while 100% would produce only star cones with no star core.

Note: You can change the pointiness of a star object by holding down the

CTRL+ALT keys as you drag. Dragging inward increases the pointiness while

dragging outward decreases it. (The size of the star remains unchanged.)

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3. Click on the area of the image where you want the shape to appear and

drag. As you drag, the shape takes its form based on the specified attributes. (If you choose a fixed size, the shape is drawn immediately.) Once you release your mouse, the shape is created as an object.

Note: If you draw an object and then hold down the [SHIFT] key, you can adjust the object equilaterally. If you hold down the [

CTRL] key, you can adjust the object in

one direction only.

Creating a variety of shapes with the Shape tool

Using the Freehand tool

The Freehand tool allows you to create any kind of shape you want by allowing you to draw it with your mouse. This is particularly useful for tracing over elements in a background video or image file, such as a person’s head or a corporate logo. Once you have finished drawing your path, CG Infinity then places nodes in positions on the path, where necessary, to maintain the accuracy of the shape you have drawn.

To create a freehand object:

1. Select the Freehand tool from the Tool panel. The Attribute toolbar

changes to display the options for drawing a path.

2. Move to the edit window and begin drawing the shape you want to

create or trace.

CG INFINITY: CHAPTER TWO

As you draw, a line appears in the edit window which follows your movements. To draw continuously, keep your mouse button down as you drag. If you release the mouse button, you end a segment. You can then choose to end the path or create a new segment by clicking in another area of the edit window. When you create a new segment, it automatically connects to the end of the previous segment.

Note: If you make a mistake while drawing, press the [ESC] key to start again.

3. Click the Close or Open Path button on the Attribute toolbar to end

your shape. (Close Path draws a line connecting the ending and starting points of your path, while Open Path leaves it as is.) A red line appears following the path you have drawn. CG Infinity uses this line to determine how many nodes to place on the resulting path. To have the line more closely follow your own, increase the value in the

Accuracy spin box on the Attribute toolbar.

4. When you are satisfied with the accuracy of your path, switch to the

Object tool or click outside the area to place the shape as an object. (If

you chose an Open Path, you need to specify a line width and fill color in the Object Style Options panel to see the path clearly.)

Using the Path tool

The Path tool is similar to the Freehand tool with the exception that it allows you to create shapes based on a series of straight or curved lines. You can manipulate these lines as you draw them or come back to them at a later time for further adjustments.

To create a path object:

1. Select the Path tool from the Tool panel. The Attribute toolbar changes

to display the options for drawing a path.

2. Select the type of path you want to draw from the Attribute toolbar.

You can choose between drawing in straight lines or curved line segments by clicking the appropriate button on the Attribute toolbar. (You can switch between linear or curved segments as you draw depending on the type of path you are trying to create.)

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3. Move to the edit window and begin drawing the shape you want to

create. Each time you click your mouse, a node is placed in the edit window and a line segment is automatically drawn connecting the two nodes. If you selected the Add Curve option, two handles appear on either side of the node allowing you to stretch, pull and turn the curve. (You can come back later to edit these nodes and handles using the Adjust tool, see page 28.)

Note: If drawing in straight line segments, you can hold down the SHIFT key to restrict the line to movements of 15º intervals.

4. Click the Close Path button on the Attribute toolbar to end your shape.

CG Infinity automatically draws a line connecting the end of the last segment to the beginning of the shape, filling it with the currently specified fill color. If you want to leave the shape open, such as for creating lines, click the Open Path button on the Attribute toolbar. This fills the line of the shape only, leaving the contents clear. (To view an open path, you need to specify a line width in the Object Style Options panel.)

Selecting and transforming objects

Once you have created an object, you can move and manipulate it in a variety of ways. The easiest is with the Object tool which allows you to select objects and then move and resize them anywhere within the edit window. In CG Infinity, you can select a single object or multiple objects, group them, or place them on top of, or behind, others. To select an object, click the Object tool on the Tool panel and then click the object you want to select. (You need to click a portion of the shape, such as the line or filled area. This may not be so easy for open shapes with small line widths. In such instances, increase your magnification or the line width.)

Notes: You can also select an object by dragging a selection marquee over it. Depending on your settings in the Preferences dialog box (see page 13), you have to drag over the entire object or simply touch one of its edges.

CG INFINITY: CHAPTER TWO

Selecting multiple objects

You can select multiple objects by holding down the [SHIFT] key as you click each object. The bounding box changes each time to encase all the selected objects. Once selected, you can move them as one or resize them equally. If you change an object style, the new style is adopted by all the objects, regardless of their original settings. (You can also select multiple objects by dragging a selection marquee over each one.) To remove an object after selecting it, hold down the [

SHIFT] key and click again. (You

can only deselect objects in the reverse order that they were selected.)

Grouping objects

If you selected multiple objects, you can group them together so they act as one. Once grouped, you can move the objects together as well as duplicate them to make additional copies. Grouping objects is especially useful at the end of a project when you have layered them in their final positions. To group objects, select them and then click Edit: Group. To ungroup them, select the grouped object and then click Edit: Ungroup.

Layering objects

An important part of working with objects is being able to layer them on top of and behind one another to create a variety of effects such as shading and transparency. To control the layering of objects, CG Infinity provides several commands in the Edit menu as well as options on the Standard toolbar. For example, you can send an object behind another by clicking the Send Backward command or, if there are several objects, send the object to the bottom of the others by clicking the Send to Back command. To place objects in front of others, click either the Bring Forward or Bring to Front commands.

Notes:

• To move an object quickly through the layers, use the direction arrows on the

Standard toolbar.

• All new objects are placed above existing objects.

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Moving objects

Once an object is selected, you can move it by dragging it with the Object tool. Apart from moving an object with your mouse, you can also move it

using the Position spin boxes on the Attribute toolbar. When you view the Position spin boxes, they show the current horizontal and vertical position of the selected object respectively (All measurements are in pixels). You can enter in new values to move the object accordingly. This is very useful if you are working with various layers of objects and you want to move one by a fraction of a pixel, such as when creating shading effects.

Transforming objects

In CG Infinity, you can transform an object using the Object and Envelope tools. When you transform an object, you can adjust its shape and rotation

as well as resize it so that it fits better inside the edit window frame. Transforming works by dragging the handles on the bounding box of a selected object. Depending on the type of transform you are performing, these handles appear either on the sides and corners of the bounding box or just the corners. (To manipulate the actual path of an object you need to use the Adjust tool, see page 28.)

Using the Object tool

The Object tool provides five options on the Attribute toolbar for resizing and rotating an object. The first option, Resize, allows you to drag on the nodes of a bounding box to stretch and pull an object. (If you want the object to change its size proportionally, hold down the [

SHIFT] key as you

drag.) To rotate an object, select the Rotate option. As you rotate, the degree of the rotation is displayed in the Rotation Angle spin box at the end of the Attribute toolbar. For finer adjustments, you can use this spin box or enter in the degree of rotation directly. You can also reposition the rotation circle, found in the middle of the object, to determine where the center of rotation is, such as the top left corner or right side. (To return the rotation circle to the middle, click the Reset Rotation Center button next to the Rotation Angle spin boxes.)

CG INFINITY: CHAPTER TWO

Note: To resize an object, you can click a button or enter the new dimensions for

the object in the Width and Height spin boxes on the Attribute toolbar. (These spin boxes are useful when you need to make accurate adjustments to an object’s size such as to 1/10th of a pixel.)

Using the Envelope tool

The Envelope tool differs from the Object tool in that it works by providing a shape which you fit an object into, rather than having an object define its own shape. This is particularly useful for text objects whose shapes take their form from a particular font. By changing the envelope of the text, you have much greater flexibility over how the text is warped and distorted. For example, you could make the text appear as a wave or have it bend in three dimensions.

To change the envelope of an object:

1. Create a text object and then select the Envelope tool from the Tool

panel. A bounding box appears around the text with nodes on the sides and corners.

2. Select a method to control the envelope from the Envelope method

combo box on the Attribute toolbar. You can choose between four types: Fit Shape, Fit Length, Horizontal and Vertical. (The result of each of these methods may differ depending on the size and font of your text.)

Original image Resizing Rotating

Slanting Perspective Distorting

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3. Drag one of the nodes of the bounding box to change the shape of the

envelope. Control handles appear which allow you to further control the curve of the envelope.

4. Keep dragging the nodes and control handles until you have a shape you

are happy with.

Adjusting shapes

Whenever you create an object (other than a text object), its shape is defined by the path you draw. Once created, you can come back to this path and change it using the Adjust tool. The Adjust tool is particularly useful if you have traced an object or created your own freehand drawing and need to modify it so that it better takes the shape you want.

To adjust a path:

1. Select the Adjust tool from the Tool panel. The Attribute toolbar

changes to display the options for adjusting a path. Nodes also appear on the path of the selected object. (You cannot adjust the path of a text object.)

2. Select the Adjust Path button (if it is not already selected) and click

any node on the path of the object. The node changes to black to indicate it is active and control handles appear on either side of the node.

Changing the envelope of a text object

CG INFINITY: CHAPTER TWO

3. Change the shape of the path by dragging the node or one of the

control handles. Dragging the node repositions it while dragging a control handle changes the curvature of the path around the active node and between the preceding and following nodes. You can control the behavior of these nodes as well as their directions by choosing one of the node options on the Attribute toolbar. In all, there are five options you to choose from:

Curve Segment changes the curvature of a path between the preceding, following and active nodes.

Line Segment changes the shape of the path to straight line segments beginning from the preceding node to the active node.

Symmetric Node changes the curvature of the path between the preceding, following and active nodes, keeping the control handles fixed in a linear path and equal in length. (This button is active only if the Curved Node option is selected). This option is best for performing general changes to a path’s curvature.

Smooth Node changes the curvature of the path between the preceding, following and active nodes, allowing you to change the length of the control handles independently from each other (they still remain on a linear path). Use this option for greater control over the curvature with respect to the preceding and following nodes.

Cusp Node changes the curvature of the path between the preceding, following and active nodes, allowing you to move one control handle at a time. This is useful when you want to change the curve on one side of the path without affecting the other.

4. Keep dragging nodes and control handles until you have a shape you are

happy with.

Notes:

• To add a node, click anywhere along the path of the object with the Add Node

button selected from the Attribute toolbar. To remove a node, click the node with the Remove Node button selected.

• You can make a path closed or opened by clicking the respective buttons on

the Attribute toolbar.

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Creating a moving path

An integral part of your work in CG Infinity is adding motion to your objects. This is done using the Moving Path tool which allows you to specify a path for an object to follow within the edit window. You can then position objects so that they move across the screen, either in unison or at different intervals. You can even perform various special effects such as fades from one color to another as well as changing the size and rotation of an object as it travels over time. Being a path, you can also adjust it just as you would the path of any object in CG Infinity, providing for extremely fine and accurate movements.

Notes:

• Any moving path you create takes its time from the duration specified in the

Properties dialog box, opened by clicking File: Properties.

• To delete a moving path, select the object with the Moving Path tool and then

click Edit: Delete [

DELETE]. (If there is no moving path, the object is deleted.)

To create a moving path:

1. Position the object where you want it to start its movement and then

select the Moving Path tool from the Tool panel. The Attribute toolbar changes to display the various options available and Start and End nodes appear on the selected object.

Note: Selecting the Moving Path tool should open the Time Control Panel. If it does not, click the Time Control Panel button on the Standard toolbar to display it. (If the Moving Path tool is not the current tool, it is automatically hidden.)

2. Click the End node and drag it to where you want the moving path to

end.

3. Click the Play button on the Time Control Panel to see how the

object moves. (It is best to do this in Wireframe mode as it speeds up the playback considerably.) To adjust the path’s position or shape, drag on the Start and End nodes.

Notes:

• Depending on the type of path, you may have to click twice before being able

to move a Start or End node.

• To view a moving path at anytime, click on it with the Moving Path tool.

CG INFINITY: CHAPTER TWO

Creating a moving path

Changing the shape of a moving path

In CG Infinity, there are two ways in which you can change the shape of a moving path: with the Moving Path tool or by assigning the path of an object as a moving path. To change the shape using the Moving Path tool, you need to select it with the Moving Path tool and then drag the moving path as you would if adjusting an object’s path. The Attribute toolbar has the same options as the Adjust tool (see page 28). To create greater movement, you can add nodes anywhere along the path and edit them as you would with the Adjust tool.

To assign the path of an object as a moving path, first select the object and then copy it. Now select the object you want to move and click Edit: Paste Object as Moving Path. The path of the copied object now appears in the center of the selected object as a moving path. This is useful if you want an object to follow the shape of a particular feature, such as stars following the outline of a corporate logo.

Changing the shape of a moving path (left) and pasting an object as a moving path (right)

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Changing the size and style of an object over time

Using the Time Control Panel, you can make an object change its size over time as well as perform other effects such as fades and color transitions. This is done through the use of key frames that you place at strategic positions throughout the moving path. By changing the attributes of an object at each key frame, you cause it to change over time.

To change an objects size and style over time:

1. Select the object you want to change with the Moving Path tool. The

moving path of the object appears.

2. Move the Preview slider in the Key frame Controller to the frame in

the path where you want the object to change. The object moves to that frame position on the moving path.

3. Click the Add Key frame button on the Time Control Panel. A key

frame is added to the Key frame slider.

4. Change the style and size of the object using the Object Style Panel as

well as the resize buttons on the Attribute toolbar. If you are changing the style, any changes to the fill color options produces a fade effect from one to the other, as long as two fill colors are of the same type, for example, going from a gradient fill to another gradient fill. If the types are different, no fade occurs and the style changes only at the second key frame position.

You can also control the transparency of the object as it moves over time by adjusting the control points in the Fade graph. Moving a control point upward makes the object more transparent: downward less transparent.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to add more key frames. (To edit an object at an

existing key frame position, you must first make it active by clicking on its key frame in the Key frame slider.)

6. Move the Preview slider to the start or click on the Start Key frame

button to return the object back to its beginning position.

7. Click the Play button to see how the object moves and changes over

time. (To see changes in an object’s style, you need to play the moving path in Preview mode, not Wireframe.)

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