VPX9 - mask display ok, inverted in export

browj2 wrote on 12/14/2017, 1:56 PM

VPX 15.0.5.195

I have the same image on tracks 1 and 4 and a png (I also tried a jpg) mask on track 3, arrow pointing upwards. The image on track 4 has brightness down to 32, at 50 on track 1. In the image below, you can see the desired effect in the preview window with the image darkened except for the head where the mask is located. The inset at the right shows the output to mp4, and instead of showing through to the image on track 1, I get a black circle.

I opened the same mvp in MEP2018 and the export was fine, so I suspect VPX.

Did I do something wrong or is there a bug in VPX? Could someone please check VPX?

Thanks,

John

Comments

johnebaker wrote on 12/14/2017, 3:03 PM

Hi John CB

Assuming the mask image is a black and white image I cannot replicate this.

There is however, a simpler way of obtaining the highlight - the image on track 4 is not necessary - remove the image from track 4, set the mask arrow down and then reduce the mask brightness (transparency) level of the mask to the desired level you need.

HTH

John EB

browj2 wrote on 12/14/2017, 3:22 PM

Hi John EB,

Thanks for checking. I will try out your solution and also check on my laptop to see if I get the same problem.

In the meantime, I switched to the Cookie Cutter which works much better and I can feather the edges. I had tried making masks with the Xara interface, but though they are quick to make, a Xar on the timeline seems to slow things down, plus I had the same mask problem. I have a dozen of these to do as I go down the table, bringing up the first image of a video clip from each person's head to full screen before each speaks. There is probably a more artistic way, but I couldn't think of one. So, it's cookie cutter to highlight the head, bring in the head shot, speak, zoom out to gone, on to highlight the next person.

Thanks,

John CB

browj2 wrote on 12/15/2017, 11:24 AM

Update: I tried on my Surface Pro and it works fine. I tried again on the desktop in a new project and it worked ok. Went to the other project and exported but this time turned off the Anti-interlace filter - export was fine. Exported again with the filter on, bad result. Back on the Surface Pro, no difference with filter on or off. So there is some conflict on my desktop with using masks and having the Anti-interlace filter on, as far as I can tell.

The Cookie Cutter trick worked fine, but the export is extremely slow, dropping to a few seconds per frame.

I could not get your method to work and I simply forgot about the normal built-in method - select the video clip, in Effect (under something like Brightness) Load an effects mask, then connect the effect mask to the video clip in the keyframe area, etc. I tried to get too fancy. With all of the new tools, I forgot the simple ones.

John CB