MEP Split screen effect using Section, Size/Position

browj2 wrote on 10/23/2014, 3:39 PM

This tutorial shows how to create a split screen effect with 2 videos, one on the left, one on the right, with each the full height of the screen. Of course, some of the video image will be lost because the window size for each video does not have the same proportions as the original video clip. You can zoom in on the video clip using Effect - Section and then position the section on the screen using the Effect - Size/Position. This can be extended to more than 2 videos.

The tutorial shows how to position by dragging the video clips around on the screen and resizing them using the handles of the clip. Alternatively, and for more precision, the numbers in the dialogue boxes can be used or modified.

Tutorial 03 Split screen effect_1280.wmv

Comments

mattbiz wrote on 11/23/2014, 4:39 PM

Hi. Thanks for the video.
Is there a way to do the same thing, but using Camera/Zoom rather than section, or alternatively to use camera-zoom in conjunction with this? So far all my efforts at doing this have failed. In PowerDirector it is trivial to do, and I would have purchased that software already if it wasn't so buggy.
Thanks
Matt Brown

browj2 wrote on 11/23/2014, 7:14 PM

Hi Matt,

This method uses section and zoom under Size/Position. I could not find a way to use Camera/Zoom and maintain the split screen properly. Camera/zoom is a movement effect that moves the frame, creating the impression of camera movement or zoom. It overrides the split screen part. Remember that the top image, that is the one sitting on top (track 2) is the one that shows up first. When you use Section, free proportions and make the box smaller than the frame, you are effectively zooming in.

To split the screen you have to define the section that you want to see, and if Full screen is checked for the Section, when you go to Size/Position, the box or section that you created will fill the screen. Then you move it to the left or right so that you can see the image that is below, i.e. on track 1. Again, a Camera/zoom would override this.

Did you look at the other tutorial to see how to do the same thing using a mask? Even with that method you can't use Camera/zoom or it will have some strange effect that will likely expose the underlying image. Thus if you want a zoom effect on the image on track 3, you have to use key-framing and Size/Position. You can use Camera/zoom on the image on track 1, as it stays below the mask, but the effect will not likely be what you want. It's best to use keyframing and the zoom under Size/position.

tonytoes wrote on 12/4/2014, 2:19 PM

great video thanks