BW Alpha Masking Help

dannenbr wrote on 4/6/2017, 11:33 AM

I have two videos on one screen, each taking up 50% of the screen. The video on track 1 is on the left side of the screen and the video on track 4 is on the right side of the screen. (There are audio files below each video on track 2 and 5.)

I'm using this alpha mask to attempt to feather the noticeable line in the center, making it look like I have a twin, but the mask doesn't seem to be working. This is the mask I'm using. The split is at the middle, but the feathering is towards the right:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ote18wbcse6uad5/BW_Centre_feather2_alpha.png?dl=0

This is what I see when I apply the mask between the two videos:

https://postimg.org/image/o5z2whz79/

There is a very slight but noticeable line in the center of the dummy head microphone.

I am not knowledgeable when it comes to masks, so I'm wondering do I need to change the mask by making it bigger or moving one side over in a certain direction? When I use this mask there is no feathering of the line at all--there is no difference between using or not using it, so I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong.

Thank you for your help!

Comments

browj2 wrote on 4/6/2017, 1:38 PM

I answered the other post.

Try moving the mask left and right. Also check that the top of each half is at the same y value. It looks like the left side is slightly higher than the right. That may be due to the mask.

dannenbr wrote on 4/6/2017, 1:47 PM

The y values are the same. I recorded two videos with the dummy head mic in the same position, but the mic moved slightly, and this is what I'm trying to mask--the line in the middle where it looks like the mic is a little lower on the right side than it is on the left side. I'd like to blur this a bit to make it seamless to give the illusion that I have a twin. Here is what the full screen looks like:

https://s29.postimg.org/izn1ud613/image.png

I'm not sure how far and which direction to move the mask. I've played around with it many times but can't seem to get it to make any difference. Any help would be appreciated!

UPDATE: I increased the size of the video on the right and it improves the line, but you can tell it's still there:

https://s22.postimg.org/4dglb0ir5/ss2.png

I've moved the mask to the right and left but I see no blurring at all. I wonder if I'm using Movie Edit Pro incorrectly? I've given the mask the alpha chroma key...

johnebaker wrote on 4/6/2017, 2:27 PM

. . . . I increased the size of the video on the right and it improves the line, but you can tell it's still there . . . .

Looking at the both images the left video is 1 or 2 pixels higher than the right video, so you need to move the left video down or the right up ie change one of the Top values in the appropriate direction.

AFAICS the mask is in the correct position.

HTH

John EB

johnebaker wrote on 4/6/2017, 2:34 PM

@ danenbr, John CB

Your duplicate post on this topic has been closed to avoid splitting comments re your problem.

Please continue in this topic.

John EB

dannenbr wrote on 4/6/2017, 2:42 PM

Hello,

I tweaked the top values the best I could -- the images match as well as they can (the two halves of the dummy head are lined up), but the dummy head is not in the exact same position on both sides (ie it's actually closer to the camera in the left video by just a hair) I cannot tweak the values any more to make the left/right halves look perfect. I see no difference when I use the mask -- there is no blurring effect to make the seam more smooth in the center. Is there something I'm missing in Magix? This is a screenshot of the tracks:

https://s23.postimg.org/j7n339u0b/ss3.png

And again what the video looks like with the noticeable seam in the middle:

https://s22.postimg.org/4dglb0ir5/ss2.png

johnebaker wrote on 4/6/2017, 2:51 PM

. . . but the dummy head is not in the exact same position on both sides (ie it's actually closer to the camera in the left video by just a hair) . . .

In this case, using the right video, in the Effects, View/animation, Size Position dialog remove the check mark from the Maintain proportions option and then adjust the height by 1 or 2 pixels and adjust the top to align the video - with a little luck everything will line up - you may have to repeat the adjustments a few times to get the best alignment.

HTH

John EB

dannenbr wrote on 4/6/2017, 3:11 PM

I adjusted the proportions so that both sides match up, but the line is still visible due to the lighting being slightly different on both sides. Is there any way to blur this so that the two sides are more seamless? Thank you for your replies.

browj2 wrote on 4/6/2017, 3:57 PM

Can you post a screen shot of Movie Edit Pro showing the timeline with the objects, the mask selected and the effects screen open to the Chromakey screen?

dannenbr wrote on 4/6/2017, 4:08 PM

Sure.

https://s7.postimg.org/3pvg5frwb/ss4.png

Thank you.