Using video in mask channel, Ps CS3 Ext

SC
Posted By
Scott Cole
Jun 16, 2007
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431
Replies
4
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Closed
How does one use a monochromatic video as a mask for an RGB movie. This is extremely common in the video production world, but I’ve yet to be able to do it in Ps CS3 Extended. I’ve tried using an "alpha" or "key" movie as a clipping group for my "fill" movie, but it doesn’t pick up the various transparency levels and it shows up in the comp depending on how I adjust opacities. So my assumption is that I have to somehow place it in the mask channel for that layer.

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RobertHJones
Jun 16, 2007
Scott,

I don’t have CS3 Extended, so I can’t comment on what you can or cannot do with that. However, I would think that Photoshop would be better suited to creating or refining the matte video rather than using it to composite another video.

Using a monochromatic video as a mask for an RGB movie is normally done in either a video compositing program such as After Effects or directly in a video NLE program (Premiere, for example) using a track matte key effect and keying on either the alpha or luma of the key video.
SC
Scott Cole
Jun 16, 2007
Robert,
Very much understood. I’m asking more out of curiosity then out of need. I happen to have a full fledged linear suite (CMX, 10 digibetas, 2 IMS, SX, KScope, GVG 4000 along with a Symphony and Media Composer at my disposal at work, so I fully understand where it is best to key. There are times at home, where I don’t have any non-linear apps available where I’d like to make use of this.

Scott
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RobertHJones
Jun 17, 2007
Scott,

Glad to hear that you are knowledgeable. From your first post, that wasn’t clear. Your question makes much more sense now.

I’ve been curious about CS3 Extended myself. I’ll be upgrading from CS2 later this year and am trying to decide which way to go. From what I’ve seen so far, it appears that what you want to do is not a native capability of CS3 Ext. — or perhaps I should say that not having used the trial version, I haven’t seen anything that indicates that it is from the materials I’ve seen on the web. Maybe someone with CS3 Ext. can jump in and tell us for sure.

However, it looks like you could manually do it on a frame by frame basis, and that implies that it may be possible to write a script to do it. I would hate to say you could do it for sure without actually having the product and seeing first hand how it works. I expect that if you could write such a script, it would be a lot slower to process than in an NLE.

I do have NLE software on my home computer, so that is not something that I would be likely to do in Photoshop. But, the new video capabilities in CS3 Ext. are interesting.
JJ
John_Joslin
Jun 17, 2007
Premiere Elements is not expensive and might be the answer for a home machine.

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