Hi guys.
I have to make a video with some matte keys. I know i can do that in AE but want to do in Avid for learning that process.

I have to do a final timeline with a static background (a jpg) and 4 clip videos on each corner.
Those videos have to be applied a matte key for substract some zones and a little graphics just for better look on the final stage so i created a timeline named "matte" with this tracks

v1--> clip of video (blurred for avoid problems with my job)
v2--> a black and white jpg used for the matte
v3-->Matte key applied to this track
v4--> just the graphics with this own alpha channel

AFter creating this and recorded into final timeline i saw that i lost the effect after resizing clip, so i did a submaster on the "matte" timeline after mix all components.

After this, i recorded into the final timeline and this time, i could resize the submaster without loosing the effects but my problem now is that the black generated in the "matte" timeline isnt transaparent as i thought when i did that so...what are the right step?


Thanks in advanced!!

PD: We use Symphony 6.5.2 at work.

Not quite sure what you're trying to achieve here... but in any case, doesn't the matte key effect have to be applied TO the black & white jpg (and not on it's own separate layer)?

...and doesn't this matte layer have to sit above the layer it's trying to key (the graphics)?

My english isnt very good but if i understand well, as i learned, the matte key have to be applied on the 3rd track for compositing the v1 and v2 tracks and of course is above the layer that is doing the effects that is the black and white jpg.

My problem is the "final timeline" that i cant make black transparent after compositing the "matte" timeline ..

Any idea Bruno? all ideas are wellcome :)

As I said before, I'm not sure what it is you're trying to achieve, but I understand that english is not your first language.

From what I can see of your screen grabs you seem to be applying the matte key effect to filler, whereas I think you need to apply it to the clip that contains the key signal (the matte).

I think it's probably best if you look at some video tutorials that explain this.

There's one on Youtube that I found that sort of shows what I'm trying to explain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00g7KpvP1YQ

If you look at about 6 mins in, you'll see what I'm talking about.

Hello Bruno.

Just configured the matte as I could understand in the video and works fine. I dit collapse all to make a submaster and recording into the "final" timeline but now, i got another problem.... if i resize the submaster with resize/3dwarp/pip, it affects the background. How to solve this?

I dont remember to make some captures from job but i will upload tomorrow.

Thanks for helping me :)

keinan:

now, i got another problem.... if i resize the submaster with resize/3dwarp/pip, it affects the background.

You're now coming up against one of the fundemental problems in the way Avid works. Unlike other layer-based software that allows you to composite shots, when you stack certain effects on top of existing ones, it alters the layer below (ie the background). This is a well-known and often complained about limitation of MC's effect architecture, and has been the subject of many discussions here in the past.

The only way to avoid this is to 'promote' whatever effect you want to move (or re-size) - this gives you additional parameters you can adjust - similar to those parameters you'll see in the blend tool. Not all effects can be promoted, but if it can, you'll see the 'promote' button in the bottom-right of the effect's window. This only promotes the effect you've selected, so if you have two or more matte keys nested within a submaster effect, you have to promote and adjust each one. If you're trying to move/size a bunch of mattes in common, this is a real pain.

Really, if you're doing anything but simple composites, you need to use something like After Effects to do your work. Avid is simply too restrictive and lacking in features.

Thanks Bruno.

As i see, avid isnt good for that kind of jobs.

I did this effect on AE in few minutes without any problem and then imported into Avid.

Tried promoting but as you said, it cost a lot of time comparing to AE.

Question solved, i learned few good things about the matte in avid.

Thanks again :)

My pleasure.

If you really would like a way to avoid having to export/import to AE, you could try Blackmagic's Fusion compositing software and the edit connection plugin. This allows you to send your MC layers straight to Fusion at a click of a button. You can work on them in Fusion and render them back to MC's timeline as a clip without manually importing/exporting.

Fusion can take some time to get your head around (especially if you're not used to node-based compositing) but is a very powerful tool.

Yes Indeed, Avid has too many shortcomings with multiple effects, some of them can be "fixed" by creating intermediate videomixdowns, although it's a circonvoluted workaround.