Thank you. I think "Save To Template" is what I was looking for, as I created the other components (text, block, movement, etc) and linked them together, but couldn't figure out how to save as a user preset. I am working on a documentary which includes numerous clips from home-grown music videos. I wanted to identify them with a caption that moves in from the left containing the clip information - much the way MTV does (did?). MEP didn't have one that fit the bill - or allowed a couple lines of comment - and I wanted to make sure that every time I needed one, they were consistent in design without having to create one for every clip. I'll give this a shot. Thanks again.

@hdrechsel18

Let us know if it works for you and if it doesn't someone will try an alternative solution for you.

Hmmm...still not having much luck. The only thing I'm finding with a right click is "Save to Text Template". When I look at the composition of a stock caption template similar to what I want, it appears to be made of 3 objects. The bottom object is the text. The two above...I'm not sure, but I'm guessing this is the background (which moves in). The only identifier is "alpha"..so I'm not sure how they are built.

I tried using an object - a standard colored JPG block as a background, which I automated to move in from the left, hold while the text appears, and then move back out to the left. I then placed the text object below this (fade in, fade out, etc) - and from the looks of things, it was what I'd like. I then linked the two objects together, and saved as a text template - which I found in My Effects - so I thought this would work. But when I dropped it into my project, only the text came up - without the background. I'm wondering if I have to highlight both objects when I "save"?????. I'll give that a shot. Not ready to give up yet lol. Thanks.

@hdrechsel18

Which template?

I'll take a look and show you how it works.

In the meantime, too modify each element, ungroup them.

John CB

The caption template I've been looking at as an example, is called BLUE 2. I ungrouped each element as you mentioned, and was able to modify as needed. Thank you - I always wondered how to modify a caption. But I was hoping I could save this as a user preset. Not having much luck with that.

Hi,

Blue 2 is one of my favourites.

Like many of the animated captions, the first and second objects are actually short video clips. Look at the properties:

1. First one called Raise, is raise_box.mxv and it has a chromakey alpha effect;
2. Second one also called Raise, is raise.mxv;
3. Third is the title.

If you look at the keyframe area of each, you'll see the effect "Soft focus." I don't know where that comes from, maybe something that we don't have in MEP or VPX.

The video for this effect can be made in Xara Designer Pro X or Xara Photo &Graphics Designer as an animation. I did a few of these but never used them. I did the coloured part first, exported to mxv, then gave everything a B&W (graduated) effect using saturation to remove all colour, then exported that to mxv. Etc.

I noticed that without the alpha object, the edges did not look nice, but the alpha is basically there because the raise.mxv file is not transparent, and if you simply drag it onto the timeline, it will cover your video. Thus you need an alpha mask that is identical to the movement of the main video to make everything that should be transparent, transparent.

So, what you need to do is:

1. Create the title background like you did with the colour swatch, movement, kf's, etc.,
2. Export just this as an mxv;
3. Select everything and under Effects, Video Effects, Color, give everything -100 saturation. Now you have a gray (B&W) mask;
4. Export this to mxv;
5. Import the mxv files in a new movie, with the B&W on track 1, colour on trace2;
6. Add in your template title with effects, length, etc. to fit with the other files;
7. Give the object on track 1 a chromakey alpha effet; note the direction of the arrow in the Blue2 example;
8. Try it;
9. Select everything, right-click on the title object and select save as effect, not title.
10. Copy the 2 mxv files to the same folder as the template. In my case with VPX it is: C:\Users\Public\Documents\MAGIX\Common\Videocontent\Video Pro X\Titles\Standard

Your new template should be under My own as a ...TFX file. When you import it, it will import the 2 mxv files and create the template text.

Good luck!

John CB

@hdrechsel18

Hi.

You can only save as a preset to a single object. Not a group of objects. I didn't realise you wanted to alter an existing Template.

To do that you would have to save each one of the track objects individually as presets and give them a name plus a number 1 to 3 from top to bottom. Then the next time you needed it you would go to the template you used before and place that where you needed it and then once you had un-grouped them you could add each preset back to each track. One other way would be to make the template you made into a movie clip without the text and then add the movie clip each time you need it and then add the text separately if you wanted to alter the text each time. Presets can be found and dragged to clips from the user presets section of the templates section.

@browj2

Just noticed your reply John.

Wow! I've learnt something. I didn't know anyone could make templates.

There is a soft focus effect in MEP which is used in that template. It is a part of the sharpness effect.

Wow! Thanks - all good advice, and an advanced education for me. I'll give it all some work, and see what works best for me now that I have some pointers. I'll certainly get back to this post and let you know. Much thanks to all. I'm hoping to finish my project by year end, so I may put off any experiments until my next project, but it's something I've wanted to figure out for a while now. I appreciate the help.

@hdrechsel18

Thank you for the question.

It's taught me something as well and I will try this out for myself soon.

@hdrechsel18 @CubeAce

Hi,

A couple more points.

To shorten a lower third that has video clips, trim a piece out of the middle of the video clips where there is no animation, and shorten the title.

Conversely, to lengthen it, ungroup and either:

• Right-click on each of the video clips in turn, and insert "Still image at the playback marker," or define a range and select "Still image in range." Lengthen the Title object;
• Make 2 cuts on both clips, left and right where there is no animation, move the right part to the right, copy/drag (Ctrl drag with left mouse button) each of the middle parts to the right. Adjust or duplicate and adjust as necessary and close up the gaps. Lengthen the Title object.

Or, get BluffTitler and BixPack 31 Lower Thirds (LT). Learn, modify, create. Make sure to have no background if you just want the lower third, and export to avi with transparency, or put a green background and export normally. Import into MEP/VPX and adjust, depending on how you create the LT. Give it Chromakey green if the green screen is used. Alternatively, create a second export desaturated (B&W grey scale) and give it Chromakey Alpha in MEP.

BluffTitler LT's can be made with and without the text. If you make it without the text and create the text in MEP, then you can put the whole thing together as a template for MEP.

There are several combinations and permutations, depending on what you want and how you do it.

For anything complicated, I would rather use BluffTitler over Xara's animation, but use Xara to create things like logos or special graphics, export to png transparent and use them in BluffTitler.

There, I've almost written the text for a tutorial.

Enjoy!

John CB

@hdrechsel18, @browj2

There is also this tutorial on creating titles.

John EB

That's a good one! I don't have Xara - I use PaintShop Pro for my graphics - but I can create .png masks, only without the bells and whistles. For some reason I always thought Xara was for web design. Recently retired, maybe I'll look at it again, now that I have plenty of time on my hands for learning lol. Thank you.

@johnebaker

Hi John,

Thanks for mentioning my tutorial.

@hdrechsel18 @CubeAce

I forgot that NewBlue Titler EX and Pro also have lower thirds. I presume that you have at least one of them. You might want to take a look.

John CB

@browj2

Actually, no, I don't have either John. Maybe on my next renewal date?