One of the things I love about editing is using transitions. Editing is much more than the bells and whistles you put into it, but when I have a cool transition that can give it additional production value, I can’t pass it up (side note: picking the perfect sound effects can also really add some spice to your transitions). One type of transition I enjoy using are the overlay transitions that require the Track Matte Key/Effect to use them. In Premiere Pro, there is a way to utilize the Track Matte Key to use those transitions but there is a catch. If the matte I use from transition ends, my clip disappears. For the longest time, I’ve been trying to understand how to work around that so I don’t have to take as many steps when using these transitions. Most of the time when people have demonstrated Track Matte transitions, they tell you to delete the effect on the second of your clip. Well, I’m going to show you a quick tip to avoid that on your next project by keeping the track matte on both portions.
Track Matte Key Work Around
In my timeline, I have 2 clips stacked on top of each other. Let’s apply the Track Matte Key to the clip on Track 2.
The following steps are important to ensure that you get the desired result. Place your transition matte on Track 3. Right click on the matte and select Enable to disable it. This is done just in case your matte is making it difficult to see you video clip.
Next, go to the out point of your transition matte. Make an edit at that point on your clip on Track 2.
Select the left portion of your clip. Go to the effect controls panel. Set the matte dropdown to Video 3 and Compositing using Matte Alpha or Luma.
Right click on your transition matte on Track 3. Select Enable to re-enable it.
Now when you play through timeline, you will see the transition occur. Once it gets past the point where the matte ends, your clip won’t disappear. The reason for this is because we never designated a video track for the right portion of clip to take a matte from. It will still have the effect but act like nothing has changed. This is a useful tip for the next you deal with Track Matte transitions in Premiere Pro.
There are many places where you can get overlay transitions that require the Track Matte Key for a great price. So the next time you are in Premiere Pro and want use one of them, utilize this technique to save you some time. It’s always better to work smarter, not harder.
I’m the NLE Ninja with AudioMicro asking you to stay creative.