Echoes Movie

Fallen Hero Video

Key Features say:

• Bring your chroma key video from any video editing software to Flash media

Stage 2 instructions say:

•Your first step to create it is to place your source clip on the timeline of any video editor. Then, drag the Chroma Key effect onto the event. In this step, you will need to create a mask file (purely black and white) from your source file.

How do you do that ???

My Video editor with Chroma key is Corel Video Studio Pro X2. It works well overlaying green screen but despite consulting manual, web forums etc. I can't find how to make it output the B/W video mask which seems to be required by Pop Video Converter. Have I missed something?

I`m concerned that when we get Iclone 4 such a file may also be needed to create the effect of the video character demonstrated by John Martin in the new 3D Video FX demo.

Can anyone help or recommend an alternative reasonably priced video editor which does have this type of output?

Geoff.

Magix is good for chroma keying and fairly reasonably priced.  They just brought out a new version, Movie Edit Pro 15 plus.  Ulead is also very good and not much higher in price. 

I'm sure you will get a wide variety of personal choices but I hope this helps

Shy

I updated to the latest Corel Video Studio (I`m a previous Ulead user) when I had a new high spec laptop at the beginning of the year. It accepted the AVCHD files from my Panasonic camcorder. It was easy to pull the SD card from the camera and put it straight into the card slot on the laptop and edit my HD footage in this program. All my Reallusion related software is also installed on this machine. My skills and budget reflect aspiring amateur rather than seasoned professional.

I don't have the very latest version, but I do have Magix Edit pro v14 plus installed on the rapidly ageing desktop computer. I've used a USB stick to transfer some standard green screen video files to see if it will output the B/W mask. It has Chroma Key and the overlays work fine but like the Corel software I cant make it output a B/W mask video. I wonder if Wizeard has the most recent version and is able to confirm if it does produce the B/W video mask file format required?

I found Adobe Premier Elements 3 was also on my old desk top machine. I think it came bundled with a version of Photoshop elements. I tried this and found in the Keying options dialogue a tick box for “Mask only” This does export the B/W mask. I've used the USB stick to get the files back on the laptop. Pop video converter did it's stuff and produced the transparent background iwidget from these files.

I see from the web that the latest version of Premier Elements is 7. However, the interface has had a make -over to make it “more user friendly”. Taking Paumanok West`s “granny” comment on board I wonder if anyone can confirm if the “mask only” option has been retained in this version? It does accept AVCHD files so it may be a suitable Video editor for use on my laptop.

I don`t have Sony Vegas so can't comment on it`s suitability for use with Pop video converter. Perhaps Wizeard could let us know if he can get a mask only output.

Any advice, comments or alternative suggestions before I spend my money would be appreciated.

Perhaps Visconti or Peter E might think it worth compiling a list on the forum of Video Editors that do/don`t export the B/W chroma key mask needed for pop video converter. Following on from my experiences today they may feel the “any video editor” comment in the Pop video converter promo blub and stage 2 instructions needs amending slightly ?

Geoff.

Cyberlink Power Director V7 does not have option to output B/W mask only in Chroma Key mode.

Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum v9 does.

Geoff.

I was looking at using Pinnacle 12 with widgetcast/popvideo.  I will try this out on the trial version.

Pinnacle Studio from 9 up has been using off the shelf backgrounds such as here:

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1329066/pinnacle_studio11_plus_chroma_key_test/

I was very interested in the presenter aspects of these packages for e-training

Thanks

Also, I was able to do it today using Pinnacle Studio 12 and the RTFX Volume 1 Plugin.  It actually keys the green out quite painlessly and then by using either the "Tint" or the "Threshold" option in the RTFX plugin, you can create the mask video.

As for Adobe Premier Elements, glad you could get it to work.  My green screen filming was not that well lit, and unfortunately I could not make it work using "Mask".  Maybe if my original was better.  Same with Premier Pro.  But Pinnacle is very forgiving for some reason and worked quite well.

http://forum.reallusion.com/Topic34830-86-1.aspx

Alley