Is there a way of isolating/ removing the head of an actor in an original/background video and superimpose a head eg a png file. Although I can superimpose a" new" head with the original still there it looks messy as I can't always cover the underlying image. What i want is to see only the new head on top (in the foreground) and not any of the underlying actors head.Hope this makes sense.
I am using Movie edit pro 2013 and windows 7
Hi. You could try this: The new head you wish to use should be taken against a PLAIN GREEN background - a medium tint of green is best - and then positioned in the appropriate VIDEO OVERLAY track. When you have done this,use the CHROMAKEY (GreenScreen) effect on it. Adjust the effect as needed and this will remove the green background and leave just the head,with a transparent background. Move it and alter the size/position as required. You could even prepare this image first,by opening it in a photo-editing program that can remove the green background,like selecting the green area with a Magic Wand or suchlike,and deleting that area. Then export it as a TRANSPARENT PNG and use it in MEP. Doing it first this way,you could also use Erase,to shape the neck area better to fit. Hope this may help! Ray (Tooley)
PS> Once you have tried this,you could try using the "Video Level" (Transparency) slider on the Background video.
Hi
If the head you want to replace is moving in the background video then you will have to resort to Keyframe animation to maintain the substitute head in the correct position and size.
John
Thanks for all your help.
I've done the keyframe animation with a PNG image via photoshop( head only) almost frame by frame but while there is an image underneath and I'm trying to cover that image it is not always successful and looks "amateurish" to say the least eg with part of the head underneath appearing at times. Ideally I would like to somehow get rid of that part of the underlying video eg the head so there is nothing poking up here and there. I've tried enlarging my image to cover it but if you then have to add slight rotations etc to follow the original it often doesn't work.
I've tried "attach image to screen" but the tracking accuracy is not good and end up doing it frame by frame anyway.
Video transparency would probably work well if I could get rid of or blur/fade just a small area of the screen on the original video eg the head. That's really my aim so I've then got my new image only on top of the "headless" body underneath.
Thanks again for the prompt replies. Really appreciate it
AA4362,
You might be able to get what you want by combining two effects -- pixelate (or better simply blur) the background face and then overlay ;your foreground head. I think there is not way to completely eliminate any background head showing, but at least it would be soft focus and less obvious.
The pixelate/bluring has been covered many time here eg:
http://www.magix.info/uk/size-position.knowledge.871479.html You still need to have key frame animation of the alpha mask that determines where your background is sharp and where it is blurred but it will be the same curve as for you overlay head so you can simply do a copy >> paste.
You'll end up with a stack of tracks:
Regards,
Carl