That glorious moment when you finish a hard mask

[Ileia]

I've only done masks in Premiere with the track matte keying effect. I know there's better ways out there but I'm really clueless... I even have after effects but I suck in after effects and working entirely in premiere feels so much easier. How ignorant am I about this? someone please put me on blast and teach me something useful

The way most people do it is to use the pen tool and go frame by frame, cutting out whatever needs to be masked. Some crazies (like Chii) use Photoshop to make lots of individual image files with an alpha channel and then just layer those over the video, one after the other. (Actually, I kid, the Photoshop way is fine, especially since I know that Chii uses Vegas and IMO Vegas is more of a pain to work with when it comes to masking compared to Adobe products).

Can you elaborate on what you mean by "the Photoshop way"? (The guide you linked to is for Photoshop...) As you explained them, both methods are frame-by-frame and those frames would obviously be laid out one after the other, so what is the difference?

[8bitcritr]

What exactly is this Rotobrush? Abd how do I get it? Is it a plugin or something or is it just in after effects?

[BasharOfTheAges]

What exactly is this Rotobrush? Abd how do I get it? Is it a plugin or something or is it just in after effects?

It's in After Effects version CS5 and up.

[CrackTheSky]

Can you elaborate on what you mean by "the Photoshop way"? (The guide you linked to is for Photoshop...) As you explained them, both methods are frame-by-frame and those frames would obviously be laid out one after the other, so what is the difference?

Doing it in Photoshop requires a few extra steps -- exporting the individual frames as image files so they can be edited in Photoshop, and then saving them one-by-one and re-importing the masked frames into the video editing program. I probably shouldn't assume that everyone does it the way I do, but I typically just use my video editor (Vegas or AE) to mask each video frame, usually adjusting the anchor points of the mask from one frame to the next rather than redrawing the whole thing.

Also yeah, the pen tool guide is for use in Photoshop, but the pen tool is typically very similar from program to program, and the principles carry over.

[Ileia]

I see. I'm aware that the pen tool can be used in NLEs, but you linked to a Photoshop guide then said "but some people use Photoshop", hence my confusion. :p

[AngelDragoon]

While I'm happy when I finish a mask most of the time, there's a point where a mask becomes so ridiculous that it just sucks all the joy out of doing any more masks after that, especially if it's in the same project

I've told my friends that masking is difficult, but I don't think they realized just how much so until I posted a screen of the last amv I worked on:


Mind you, my computer is 8 years old, runs on windows XP, and has never been updated, (so I think it has a 200gb internal harddrive that's pretty much used up). I never want to mask anything again for a loooong time. ;_;

[CrackTheSky]

I've told my friends that masking is difficult, but I don't think they realized just how much so until I posted a screen of the last amv I worked on:
Quoted Image converted to link:
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i47 ... b9f510.jpg

When it gets to that point: "Screw it, that background looks fine."

[AngelDragoon]

I've told my friends that masking is difficult, but I don't think they realized just how much so until I posted a screen of the last amv I worked on:
Quoted Image converted to link:
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i47 ... b9f510.jpg

When it gets to that point: "Screw it, that background looks fine."

That's pretty much my philosophy with every other video. In this case, unfortunately, the setting had to be a certain way, (a city background wouldn't make much sense with a desolate landscape).

[Sephirothskr]

What exactly is this Rotobrush? Abd how do I get it? Is it a plugin or something or is it just in after effects?

Rotobrush is a tool within after effects that works like this:

You literally just scribble in the center part of your mask and it automagically places its anchor points all around the edges for you. (Sometimes the edges are not perfect and needs to be cleaned up) sometimes, it literally masks the image out perfectly for you. And other times, for the more difficult masks, it'll get most of the edges, but the more complicated ones such as hair blowing in the wind, you have to do yourself. But, rather than saving each individual mask as an image like some editors do, you can literally mask each frame and rotobrush will REMEMBER what you did for each frame. Meaning, when a duplicate frame or a similar frame appears, it'll automatically mask it out just the way you want it to do it. I actually had one mask while doing the haruhi one, where the mask COMPLETELY changed within the next frame, yet rotobrush traced it perfectly.

Rotobrush is love
Rotobrush is life
All hail rotobrush

[irriadin]

I've never found masking hard, just incredibly tedious.

yus.