What is this called?

[Drabaz]

So I really want to know how to do this for future videos, but I have no idea how to. And not knowing what it's called doesn't help when I'm searching for tutorials online. It's basically having atleast 2 layers in one frame, but the layer on top doesn't have a background so that you can see the layer under it. If you guys don't understand what I mean, I included a frame from another persons' video (Phenomenon) for visual aid.

At first I was using Adobe After Effects and I found a way. But while watching good AMV's on youtube and amv.org, I found that what most people use is Adobe Photoshop. Is the Photoshop way simple? I didn't know you could put videos on Photoshop.

[VegettoEX]

So what do you want to do? Make black bars that cover the layer on top, so the entire thing is equally wide-screen? Personally, I think that would be a better idea than either vertically stretching the layer underneath it to match the height.

It's pretty simple, and it can be done one of two ways:

(1) You just make a single image in Photoshop (or whatever image program you want to use, so long as you can import just one layer into your video editing program). Make horizontal black bars across the top and bottom that match the height of that image in your video. Traditionally we're looking at something like 60 and 60, reducing a 480 height a visible 360 height with the mattes. You then import the image to your video project (Premiere will ask which layer, and you pick the layer that's just the two black bars), and place it on a new video track all the way up above the rest of your video. Stretch it to match the entire duration of your video, and you're done.

(2) Just edit the video. Don't worry about anything until the end. When your video's done, take it into VirtualDub and tell it to crop the top and bottom as much as you need (you'll typically need to apply the "Null Transform" filter and then click "Cropping" on the side). You'll have a purely "widescreen" video now (which is totally fine), but if you want to add black bars in manually (which you don't really need to do), but can do it a variety of ways.

That should at least get you started. I can post up screen-shots later if it's helpful.

[Drabaz]

Hahaha sorry, no. Not exactly. Although that was somthing I wanted to ask too. It's funny because now I don't have to make another topic about that. Thanks!

Maybe it'll be easier if I use one of your videos as an example:



You know...Theres a scene of Gohan watching with mountains in the background. Then you take out the mountains in the backgrounds and put in scenes of everybody being beaten up by the Cell Jr's. What do you do to take out the mountains and outline Gohan? I also like that kind of black border around gohan durring that whole scene.

Love the video by the way.

[VegettoEX]

Sorry that I didn't get around to replying .

The Gohan shots on top are actually cut-outs that were masked within After Effects. You COULD do them all as individual frames within Photoshop and then re-import them to your timeline one after another, but for our purposes of keeping it animated (you'll notice he still shakes and clenches and stuff), moving it across the screen, and putting the drop-shadow on it, it was far easier to do it in After Effects.