orizaba

Never mind the last slide. Problem occurs before that. Yes, PTE seems to refuse changing the name. Igor, is that so? Thanks.

Thanks for your detailed explanation. Problem is: in your third slide, when you say "The picture and the name are changed (Jurana)", in my case picture is changed, but name is not changed.

I am sorry but I can not understand first part of your second paragraph. Anyhow, new file has a new name given by me before the replacement, so PTE should show it after replacement.

This didn't happen before, but 1 week ago it started to happen. In Objects and Animation, using "Properties/Video/Browsing/...", when I replace a movie (PTE converted file) by another movie (PTE converted file as well), name of new file does not show. Instead, name of old file keeps showing. However, clicking "File Info", it is in fact the new file. This happens with a movie in a mask container, files size is 166 MB. Same replacements made with other files (not movies) inside or outside mask containers, work well. What can be the problem?

Xaver and Lin, Thanks very much to both of you. In fact, I do not work with PTE and other softwares for more than a year and I am somewhat "frozen"... I remember that a lot of time ago I could create transparent PNG files, but I spent 1 full day and night trying and no results. I do not work with Photoshop! I am using ArcSoft PhotoStudio 6.0, and I didn't remember anymore that here alpha channel can not be copy/paste. I think that I used Photoshop Elements Trial for this purpose. Trial is gone... Now I got it: GIMP 2.8 (100% free!) was the solution. Great software! May be equivalent to Photoshop. Better than mine. It allows copy/paste alpha channel, it even allows "feathering selection edges" which is most convenient. Thanks again. Jose

I can't remember anymore: I think it's possible to use a PNG file in order that black (or white) solid color outside main subject is transparent. Without using masks, I think. Is that so? Thanks, Jose

Xaver, Yes, I understood your method, may be it's a reasonable solution which didn't occur to me. In any case, nothing comparable with a direct and simple "negative option button", which I hope Igor can develop. Thanks and regards, Jose

Hi Xaver, Another example: I had to build "Mask 666x374" ("negative" mask) in order to show running clouds only on the borders of main subject (snapshot attached). Once built, I couldn't adjust size or blur percentage, a new one would be necessary. In this project I had to make some other negative masks, same type. A lot of work instead of pushing the "Negative option" button... Regards, Jose Negative Mask.zip

Peter, GI! Thanks. PS: GI (Got it...)

Xaver, Igor just said "negative" masks in TODO list! Hope TODO means to be worked out in the future... More flexibility always welcome, but what are you thinking about? Modifying design, for example? When you say "in many cases the new mask effects can be achieved with standard masks, as we have them today, just by changing the order of the layers" you are right only in some cases. Other cases can not be solved just by changing the order of the layers, so the need for the negative masks. I already had the oportunity to face this problem more than once and I have been forced to create my own negative masks which is a hard work mainly because they are not adjustable "in real time" concerning size and blur percentage without affecting own masking quality. Jose

Thanks Igor (assuming that "TODO" list means future improvements...! "TODO"...?) Good news! Jose

That's what I think! Why not inside PTE itself, Igor?

Thanks for explanations about 3D. Clear. Concerning "negative masks", that's a question for Igor to reply! I have no idea about eventual performance problems with opaque outside... but it seems to me that no problems at all! And such "negative" presets would avoid a lot of work to users. Regards, Jose

Yes, when I am "forced" to make my own "negative masks" (such as a simple rectangule or circle) that's what I make. For sure, I was refering to 2 more PTE presets, so avoiding such own work for these 2 simple masks. Jose

As I put it, "negative masks", not negative masks... Some 2 years ago I "explained": a mask which let pass the outside space, instead of the inside space. Got it?

Thanks very much Xaver. Who would guess? Not intuitive, at least for me (separate fields, any indication...) Yes, I just tried and it works! And this offers possibility of a lot of real nice effects, I am happy. Thanks again. Regards, Jose PS: Any idea of this kind about "negative masks"?

Igor, Are you intending to introduce (hopefuly in v7.5) "Setting up Speed Options" for 3D parameters? It's somewhat disapointing to put a Slowdown in a Zoom, for example, and if picture includes, for example, a "Rotate X", the Zoom effect ends slowly but Rotation not, which turns Rotation not useable (not a perfect combination in most cases). Again, what about "negative masks"? You already said "not now". Are you intending it for soon? Thanks.

Igor, What about masks in 7.5? ("negative" mask, as suggested before) What about alpha channel and chroma key (as recently spoken) for a future upgrade? Thanks.

Can someone confirm if a movie can not play in a mask? (PTE 7.0.5) Same movie (original MVI) plays ok outside mask. Thanks. ---------- Sorry, my mistake, of course it plays!

Hi Lin, ATLANTIS WORD PROCESSOR 1.6.5.8 (last version), US$42,00 (35,00 + 7,00 tax) Sure, insert pictures is standard. Concerning chroma key in a future PTE version: Yes, it would be useful. However, after testing several values for green, blue, black and white, and several threshold values as well (Sony Vegas video editor), my conclusion is that chroma keying is not perfect, at least so perfect as in professional cinema. I already had this idea from my amateur editing hobby using former AVID LIQUID movie editor (not supporting HDTV format). I remember I always used "alpha channel" instead of chroma key, which was a perfect solution. As you know, alpha channel is only possible with 32 bit video (8bit red, 8bit green, 8bit blue, 8bit alpha channel). Problem now is to be able to create a 32 bit video clip with alpha channel.Could Igor think on this? PTE with chroma key and alpha channel would be great! By the way: some 2 years ago I asked for a "negative" mask in PTE, remember? Another member confirmed such interest. Regards, Jose

Hi Tom, You made my day! Chroma keying? Why didn't I remember? Please download https://rapidshare.com/files/706876530/Chroma_key_sample.zipx I only regret that text color for this test was a very bad choice, and threshold could be better tuned as well. File used (movie+text) is a MPEG-2 HDV 1080-50i (1440x1080 25 Mbps) produced in my SONY VEGAS movie editor, but in the future it will be a nice and true MP4 (1920x1080) in order that movie does not loose so much quality. Atlantis is fabulous, I didn't know it, and its several sounds can be useful, as is the case! So, thanks very much for your help. Regards, Jose

Thanks so much Lin, I have just run your test and understood it quite well. However, that continuous/uniform speed (mask panning) does not seem "natural" and part of the typewriting effect is lost. It must be no-uniform at all, as it happens when we type. What about "movie masks"? Impossible? Thanks again and best regards, Jose

Hi Lin, Thanks for your time. Yes, too labor intensive, as I already thought. Based on my "specifications" (as described before), it would be nice if PTE could accept "movie masks" instead of still graphics only. This, I think, would solve the problem, as the movie mask containing complete text, would run at same time as text (WORD) itself, so such mask would let view the fonts, one by one, as they were writen. Would it be a non-sense, a movie mask? Why? I attach a snapshot made half way of the typewriting. Mask is the black fonts (complete text), text are the white fonts. If the mask was a movie, no "black spaces" would show, only the white typewriting. Here is a PTE sample of what I mean. https://rapidshare.com/files/3907723629/Sample_typewriting.zip Regards, Jose

Thanks, most useful. I would like to know if Lin Evans' process can be used according to my "specifications".

Any idea? I am testing some easy modes like recording (WM CAPTURE v6.0.4) fullscreen while typewriting text in Word. I get a MPEG-2 file, 12000kbps 25fps progressive (no audio). Text file is 161sec long but it runs in PTE in only 66sec, what is good, as I can write slowly and make no mistakes, and it runs faster in PTE. Effect is perfect. Quality is good. Only problem: I still could not find a way to "mask" this text (white fonts over black background) as I only want to see the fonts over the movie/still, not even a small black rectangular background for the text or subtitle. I tried to use the PTE rectangular mask and move it with keyframes along each font of the text: "still/go/stop&remain/go/stop&remain..." Impossible because of a very hard work and typewriting pace is not natural at all. So, any idea? Thanks.