Using background animated video, zoom effect, and as an overlay with perspective

This tutorial was developed by Clopin (*). Faced with the continuing requests from Studio users, I updated it to make it available to all applicants. Here is what you will be able to achieve after following this tutorial :

We will assume that you have at least Studio 10 Plus to use this tutorial. If you have Studio 10 (no plus), you may do so but additional rendering will be needed. Studio Plus, with its video track, overlay track and title track will allow us to easily achieve this small tutorial. We will also use the Pinnacle Studio RTFx standard effects: RTFX Standard Pan and Zoom, RTFX Standard Speed and RTFX Studio Plus color Keying (Chroma Key), and a plug-in JPs Effects Form Transform (0.8) which you can find on the JPs Effects site.

I suggest a little journey into space, to show you the possible applications of some of these effects:

• First, we will use the Pan and Zoom effect to create an animated video background from some pictures of star-filled skies
• Then, in order to create the movement, we will use the RTFX Standard Speed effect
• Then, with the Color Keying effect (Chroma Key), we are going to simulate the view from the inside of a spaceship
• And finally, with the JPs Effects plugins, we will create a perspective view, in the manner of a generic Star wars scroll.

Step 1: The creation of still images with a graphics program

We will need 4 or 5 images of night skies filled with stars. If you are skilled in the handling of your favorite graphics software, it is easy enough to create them from scratch. If you are devotees of astronomy you might have photos. Otherwise you can scan in magazines or find on the Internet, for example on the site NASA/ESA Hubble (with attention to the copyright notices).
It will require pictures as clear and big as possible because we are going to zoom in on the inside. 2000 x1500 pixels is a minimum. A 4:3 format is ideal, in order to use the entire picture. In a 16:9 format, the zoom will have to be adjusted. The images, once finished, will be saved in a BMP or TIFF format (in full resolution, 2000x1500 for example).

Examples of images of starry skies created in a graphics program

For the image of the spaceship, you will need to use your talents as a graphic artist. But here too, if you do not want to create the cabin from scratch, you can find images on the Internet of cockpits of aircraft or spacecraft. For the time-challenged, our Bonus Pack contains ...
It is possible to use extracts from different images to make your cockpit. Be careful not to put too many small details that might not show in the final video.
Your image will be created in 768x576 pixels if you work in 4/3, 1280x720 pixels if you work 16/9.
The windows will be filled with blue RGB (RGB or green), which will help to achieve transparency using the overlay track of Studio 10 Plus. Again, once your image is created, save in BMP or TIFF.

Step 2: The creation of the background video with Studio using still images

Open Studio. In the configuration options, adjust the duration of the transitions and titles / photos to10 seconds, it will avoid having to redefine the length of images one by one. Save the project.

Import images of the night sky onto the time-line. Switching images between small stars and other stars that are a little larger or brighter. On each image, apply the Pan and Zoom effect. Tick box "Use Keyframes" Images key to automatically create 2 Images key (one at the beginning and one at the end of each image)

Leave the settings of the keyframe 1 to zero. For the setting of keyframe 2, choose 100 for Zoom, and -10.00 for Vertical. This will give the impression of gaining altitude as you advance in space. You can optionally create the effect Zoom through JPs Effects, not used here.

There remains at the beginning and the end of the sequence, two portions not dissolved. To remove them, we must first make a record DV AVI Video Encoder of the sequence. Save as space.avi.

Open a new project, import the space.avi to the timeline. Save the project under a new name. Using the cursor, navigate through the sequence, and create a cut at the beginning and the end, then delete the part of the beginning (5 seconds before the first dissolve) and the end (5 seconds after the last dissolve).

Once these two portions are removed, we can adjust the duration of the clip that is now 30 seconds to get the desired duration. In order to fully give the impression of speed, I propose to reduce the length of the sample from 30 to 10 seconds. To do this, we will use the effect RTFX Standard Speed.

At this point, you already have a sample of the starry sky, which can be used as background video in a menu for a DVD, or as background for a generic film. In this case, creating an AVI file DV Video Encoder (possibly Mpeg2 DVD quality), and save for later use. If you're not courageous enough to carry out these steps, you can use the Bonus Pack...

Step 3: The inlay cockpit of our spaceship

Drag the image of the cockpit on the overlay track of Studio Plus. Adjust the length of the sample to the same value as the clip of the night sky.

Apply the Chroma Key effect. Choose blue screen (or green, depending on your image). If the image of the cockpit has been properly prepared, the default settings used, and with the magic of technology, the blue windows (or green) will become transparent. You are already under way for an intergalactic voyage.

Step 4: Create a generic place in perspective, in the manner of "Star Wars"

Open the titler editor. The text for the scroll can be prepared in advance, with a text editor such as Windows Notepad, and then copied and pasted into the text box of the titler.
For all the basic functions of the titler, refer to the manual or online help (F1 key) Studio.

Choose the option "Scroll up" in the options "Edit pulldown.
Using the options for text formatting, select the font (in the example, I chose "Slipstream LET"), select its size ( 40), and select center justify text. For fonts, see theBonus Pack...

Click on "Custom" to set the text color.

Click on "OK" to return to the editing interface of Studio.

The title track is still active, click on the video toolbox, and the video effects. Select "JPs Effects-Form" and then "Transform (0.8)."

In the Settings options is a "Star Wars" pre-defined, but we will change values.

Move the first adjustment (perspective y) to 100. The second adjustment (move y) will adjust the height at which the title will disappear. The value will depend on the size of the text and other settings chosen. In the example, it is -13 suitable for this text.

With other settings you can fine tune the parameters to apply the best possible effect. But for what we want to accomplish here, these two parameters are sufficient.

To define the starting point of the title, simply move the object to the right or left, then choose its duration. You can add blank lines between text and time to adjust frame rate, and it will add a number of blank lines at the end of selection so that the title does not stop in the middle of the screen before the end of the scroll. Some tests are needed to find the right combinations.

To avoid too abrupt an end to the clip, add a fade to black on each of the overlay video track.

Finally, we add some background music tailored to the style of the clip using the SmartSound tool or other music of your choice. We will let the music continue a few seconds after the clip.

Do not forget to save the project.

Now it's just a matter of selecting "Make Movie" to create an AVI or MPEG file, and to use it as a general video in another project.

(*) Clopin, your work will not have been lost, and we thank you all.
Tutorial originally published on his personal site, which is now closed. I extend a special thanks to Clopin and its clopinetteries for all that he has brought to the world of video.

Tip/Trick compiled by Le Papy / translated by Fjones52/fine-tuned by Loosecannon.