AV News 194 - November 2013
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In your 'objects panel' you will now see a
new object, a 'Mask Container' and
underneath that a 'Mask (Rectangle)'.
On screen the mask will appear as a grey
checker-board centre square with soft
edges, revealing your underlying image around it.
Let's make the mask shape a bit more rectangular. Select the 'Mask
(Rectangle)' and while holding down the shift key, use the bounding box
handles of the mask to pull the sides in a bit. Precision is not required, you
can always come back and fiddle with the size later.
Now add your second image. To do this make sure that the 'Mask Container'
is selected by clicking on it in the Objects Panel, to give the words a blue
background. Go to your 'Add image' icon (top left) and chose your image to
add.
Your second image is now pasted onto the
mask, like the design on the Venetian
Mask. This new object will also have been
added inside the 'Mask Container'.
You will probably want to adjust things to make the effect as you want. There is
every chance of getting in a mess here, so I find it very useful to think of what I'm
trying to do in terms of the Venetian mask.
To change the position/size of the image on the mask, make sure that the
image name is selected in the 'Objects panel' and then adjust as normal.
To change the shape/size of the mask, make sure that it is selected in the
'Objects Panel'.
To move/size the whole mask
container (think of our physical
Venetian mask) select the 'Mask
Container' and adjust that.
This example uses some 3D
transformation as well on the mask
container.
Another thing you might want to adjust
is the 'blurriness' of the edges of the
mask. That was set when we originally
created the mask. To return to that
original dialogue box, select 'Mask(Rectangle)', then the 'Properties' tab.
You should see a 'Mask' file name box and by clicking on the 'open folder'
button, you will return to the mask creation dialogue. In that dialogue, try
changing, for example, the width of the blur.
As with all these things, at first it seems a nightmare, if you got lost, just click
on the 'Mask Container' name in the 'Objects panel' and press DELETE and start
again. However, if you try it out a few times, it will gradually get more familiar and
can become a quick way of blending a second image to a slide.
I said in the first article that I hoped to get round to adding text and control
buttons this time. It looks like we have run out of space, so, I'm afraid that you will
have to wait until the next article for those aspects.
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