Monthly Archives: January 2014

Typography Transition in Premiere Pro

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These days, typography seems to be all the craze in print, web, and video design. You see it in infographics, commercials, testimonials, and much more. One particular technique that seems to be popular among motion graphics projects is kinetic typography. This technique uses spoken word or lyrics and animates the message into an illustration. There are dozens of tutorials that show you how to pull off this technique. Tutorial author Evan Abrams shows you how to do this in After Effects below.

However, I want to show you how to do a typography based transition in Premiere using a text layer and the native compositing tools available. This transition was inspired by an Apple Motion template created by the folks at MotionVFX.

In Premiere Pro, I have two clips overlapping each other by about three seconds.

Screen shot 2013-12-07 at 4.08.13 PM

Let’s create a title layer with the name “Text Matte” in the title tool. Choose whatever font you want, but make sure it stretches out horizontally across the screen.

Screen shot 2013-12-07 at 4.05.43 PM

Duplicate the Text Matte layer twice and rename them “Text Overlay” and “Text Shadow.”

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Double click the Text Overlay layer to bring up the title tool. Change the color to taste.

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Double click the Text Shadow layer to bring up the title tool. Change the Fill to Ghost and enable Shadow. Change the shadow opacity to around 60-70%.

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In the timeline, drag a duplicate of your incoming clip to an upper track. This will be necessary for completing the transition.

Screen shot 2013-12-07 at 4.16.38 PM

Place the text layers you created in the order as shown: Text Shadow on track 3, Text Matte on track 5 and Text Overlay on track.

Screen shot 2013-12-07 at 4.17.56 PM

Select the duplicate clip on track 4. Apply the Track Matte Key to it. Make sure the matte is Track 5 and it is compositing using Matte Alpha.

Screen shot 2013-12-07 at 4.20.49 PM

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Let’s animate the Text Overlay. Change the scale to 180. Set a keyframe for position five frames from its in point with it offscreen.

Screen shot 2013-12-07 at 5.13.19 PM

Move 20 frames forward and bring the Text Overlay layer near the center of the screen.

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Move the playhead two seconds forward and move the Text Overlay almost offscreen.

Screen shot 2013-12-07 at 5.17.49 PM

Go to the second position keyframe and add an opacity keyframe with a value of 100. Move 15 frames forward and change the value to zero.

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Highlight the Text Overlay layer and copy it. Select the Text Matte and Shadow layers and Paste Attributes.

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Select the Text Shadow layer. Highlight the opacity keyframes and move them down 25 frames. Change the duration of the opacity animation to about 20 frames.

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Let’s highlight the video clip on track 5. In the Effect Controls panel, I will create a 25 frame opacity animation. It will start at 100 and end at zero.

Screen shot 2013-12-07 at 5.33.14 PM

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Let’s do the same thing to our clip on track 2, only instead of animating from 100 to zero, do the reverse.

Screen shot 2013-12-07 at 6.19.59 PM

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If you do all of that then you should have result similar to this.

This is a nice transition to use when you need your text to make more an impact on your project. There are many ways to push this further, and I advise you try to manipulate it. I’m the NLE Ninja with AudioMicro asking you to stay creative.

Sound Effects

Top 4 FCP X Training YouTube Channels

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With the release of Final Cut Pro X, the industry was shaken up and also put people in a compromising position: either embrace the new editing paradigm, or go to the other A-list NLEs. Three years later, a large group of professionals have embraced the editing software and have gone out of their way to help others understand it as well as they do. From the many discussions I have had with editors seeking training, many have said that YouTube should be the last place to look for professional training when you want to learn a new software. There is a lot of bad information out there, and if people don’t research properly, they may end up learning a technique or two that actually does more harm than help. However, there are certified and working professionals who offer high quality training on YouTube… if you look hard enough. In my search, I’ve come across a handful of individuals on YouTube who offer Final Cut Pro X training that have allowed me to look at it in a brand new light. I will provide you with a list of four channels that provide excellent FCP X training.

MacBreak Studio

This channel hosts weekly videos exploring how to get the best of Final Cut Pro X and Motion 5. Hosted by Ripple Training founders, Mark Spencer and Steve Martin, you will receive a wealth of knowledge that you can use right away on your projects. In my personal opinion, this show is what Videocopilot is to the After Effects community, but aimed at the FCP/Motion community. Many of their videos show you how to work faster and efficiently in FCP X by taking advantage of what is under the hood. They also feature intricate Motion tutorials to showcase how capable the program is when compared to other motion graphics applications. Below is an example of how FCP X users can master the Range selection tool.

I highly recommend you subscribe to this channel if you want to get more out of Motion 5 and Final Cut Pro X. You won’t regret it.

GeniusDV

Run by Master trainer John Lynn, GeniusDV provides training for not only Final Cut Pro X, but Avid Media Composer and Adobe Premiere Pro. What I like about this channel is that Jon runs through the basics of using Final Cut Pro X in a quick fashion that leaves me with more information than I originally had. The pacing and tonality in his voice allows you to learn how to use a function of Final Cut Pro X in minutes. In this video example, he shows you how to take two video clips and create an interesting face off composite.

Overall, I believe his channel is great if you need fast and efficient training on learning the basics of FCP X.

Dan Allen Films

Hosted by award winning UK filmmaker, Dan Allen, this channel provides tutorials on Final Cut Pro X from an independent filmmaking perspective. Many of his tutorials explain the ins and outs of Final Cut and Motion, but he also provides methods for getting your edits out of Final Cut Pro to send to other applications such as After Effects. Aside from workflow tutorials, Dan has done reviews on third party applications and plugins for FCP X such as those from Noise Industries and more. In this tutorial below, Dan explains how to replace clips you would send out for VFX back into FCP X.

Although Dan is young, he is a very wise and experienced filmmaker who shouldn’t be overlooked. He has a strong following with over 25,000 subscribers. Hitting the subscribe button on his page will pay off in the long run.

Web Video Chefs

Hosted by industry veterans Amani Chanel and Chip Dazard, Web Video Chefs is a strong source for editors to turn to, not only for Final Cut Pro X, but for mobile video and other video related items. On this channel, you can learn how to import various types of media into FCP X, edit mobile phone video with FCP X, and much more. I’ve picked up valuable FCP X shortcuts and tips by watching Chip and Amani’s tutorials, and I didn’t hesitate to hit the subscribe button once I saw more. The best part about Web Video Chefs is that Chip is a certified FCP X trainer, and Amani is a multi-year veteran in photojournalism and producing, so you know you will get the best tips available. In this video tutorial below, Chip shows us how to import Sony XDCam media into FCP X.

Those are four of the strongest YouTube channels to learn FCP X. Of course, there are more out there, but these channels demonstrate that you can find quality, professional training on YouTube if you know who to look for. All these channels are just a subscription away. I’m the NLE Ninja with AudioMicro asking you to stay creative.

Coremelt Complete Review

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Coremelt is a company that is headed by visual effects veteran Roger Bolton. They create plugins for Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, and After Effects. The main suite of plugins is known as Coremelt Complete. Within this suite of plugins is a collection of easy to use and intuitive tools for motion artists and all types of editors. Coremelt Complete is composed of eight categories: Gadget Essential Utilities, Pigment, Luminous Glows and Blurs, Shatter Grunge and Stylized, Delta V Grunge Transitions, TRX Filmic Transitions, ImageFlow FX, and Vee You. Each category is a toolkit that addresses miscellaneous post production needs, such as motion graphics, color grading, visual effects, and more. I’m going to provide a brief summary of some of the categories with plugins I use often in my workflow.

Luminous Glows and Blurs

These set of plugins allow you to add a variety of glows, blurs, mattes, and miscellaneous stylized effects to your footage. Some of my favorite effects are Core Glow, Plasma Ribbon, and RGB Trails. These are some of my go-to effects when I need a quick boost in style, and don’t want to spend a lot of time trying to create them from scratch.

Core Glow allows you to set separate colors for the inner and outer glow in order to create a “hot core” style of glow. It has a variety of parameters which allows the user to create a unique look of their own.

coreglow

Plasma Ribbon creates a flowing fluid stream of light with many controls for the type of twisting, colors, style of ribbon, and speed you want. This is ideal for use as a motion graphics elements like titles and lower thirds.

plasma-ribbon

RGB Trails creates ghost-like trails behind movement in the image with different lengths in each color channel. Think of it as a repeater/echo effect but across the red, green, and blue channels as opposed to the video itself.

rgb-trails

Delta V Grunge Transitions

This set of 30 transitions are motion graphic, stylized, and grunge based. They are meant to enhance and add that additional pop to your workflow. My go-to transitions are Channel Change, Random Crop, and Random Cloud.

Channel Change is a transition that applies a static and interference pattern to simulate changing channels on an old-school TV set. This transition works best when its duration last between 6-8 frames.

channelchange

Random Crop is a transition that crops your source clip down to a random size, then the target clip grows back from a random size to full screen. I’ve used this transition quite a bit in my edits. I find it to be modern and stylized all at the same time.

randomcroptransition

Random Cloud is a transition that pulls out, revealing a cloud of random arrangements of source and target clips before zooming back to target. You have the ability to control many of the parameters: diagonal, horizontal, and vertical.

randomcloud

ImageFlow FX

These are a set of predetermined photo and video animations that can be used for DVD menu backgrounds, motion graphics promos, documentary photo montage, titles sequences, and many more uses. With over 30 plugins to choose from, you will have limitless possibilities for using multiple pieces of media at once in your project. My favorites are Filmstrip, Card Flow, and Layers to Camera.

Filmstrip is a generator that creates a scrolling film strip of images in the folder, or from your timeline. You have the ability to position the film strip in 3D space using the built in controls. One drawback is that it’s not infinitely long, so modify with caution. I’ve utilized this generator when I wanted to show a scroll of client logos and other miscellaneous objects.

imagefilmstrip_strip595

Card Flow recreates the animation of the popular iTunes “Cover Flow” effect with frames, masks, and random crop options.

card-flow_595

Layers to Camera gives your images or videos the 3D animation as if the images were flowing toward the camera with a controllable depth blur effect, as well as adjustable random x, y, and z position. This is one of my favorite generators to use when I don’t want to create this from scratch in After Effects and need something quickly.

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Overall, Coremelt Complete is a Swiss army knife of effects that can take your projects to the next level. I can honestly say they are among my top five favorite third party plugin suite, and I depend on them regularly. You can try it out for 14 days yourself and see how awesome it is. I’m the NLE Ninja with AudioMicro asking you to stay creative.