BackSpiceMaster -- TUTORIAL -- How to Apply Organic or Soft PIPs

SpiceMaster revolutionizes the creative possibilities with PIP (picture-in-picture) compositions. No longer must they be limited to hard, straight-edged looks. With SpiceMaster, you can easily apply a soft or organic edge between such images. The PIP edges even can be animated for entirely new looks! And PIPs can be entirely new shapes -- from geometric to organic. Then easily apply softness, animated edge texture, dynamic borders, shadows, glows, or bevels. Virtually all effect enhancements in SpiceMaster are available for PIPs, giving you a huge range of fresh looks that previously were unavailable.

Example Images  More Examples

With SpiceMaster's keyframing, PIPs can smoothly accelerate/decelerate in motion or scale. And you can easily fly-in/hold/fly-out any PIP or organically reveal/hold/hide it.

Steps

1. Apply the SpiceMaster as transition between the clip (that will become the PIP) and an overlapping background clip, as shown below left. Or apply the SpiceMaster as effect to the PIP clip, as shown below right. If you applied the SpiceMaster as effect, be sure to also activate the alpha channel key in the PIP clip, if required by your editing software.

Timeline Timeline

2. Click Load a Pre-made Effect * button in SpiceMaster. To use or modify an pre-made PIP effect, choose any saved setting in the PIP+ or Animated PIPs folder. To build a PIP effect from scratch, choose the Basic Setup -- PIP file from the root SpiceMaster folder. Turn Switch Clips option On if SpiceMaster is applied onto the clip's tail.
* COOL TIP: To time-reverse the preset keys Control-Shift-click to choose a browser, progress or section preset.


3. Choose an iris-like spice. In the main area of SpiceMaster, click the Choose Spice button to select an iris-like spice with the shape you desire for the PIP.

Iris-like spice files are in any of the following folders of the Library: OrganicFX\Bursts, OrganicFX\HotIrises, OrganicFX\Plasmas, or Spices\Irises. Shown below is OrganicFX\HotIrises\Slatta2.

Example spice

4. Adjust the iris opening size by adjusting the keyframe value for Progress up or down.

5. Customize the PIP's edge, using any of the controls in the Edge or Depth panes. To soften the PIP edge, for example, use the Softness sliders. To animate the PIP edge, use the Texture section and activate its Motion slider. Dynamic borders, shadows/glows and bevels are also available for PIPs -- try the various presets provided in the Section Presets at the top of each effect section. In the example below, an aqua glow plus extensive All Edges softness surround the organic PIP edge.

Example Images  More Examples

You are done unless you want to customize the PIP further, such as to position it, put it in motion, change its opacity, etc. as described below.

How to Enhance the PIP

• To reposition or scale the PIP, adjust the Matte sliders in the PIP+ pane.


Matte keyframing


• To reposition or scale the image within the PIP opening, adjust the Image controls in the PIP+ pane. This can be very handy to keep a moving subject within the visible PIP area.

• To change the opacity of the PIP, drag the Opacity slider in the PIP+ pane as desired.

• To keyframe any of the above adjustments, such as to put the PIP in motion,
first turn on (click) the round Animate icon at the right of the relevant control (such as Matte). The Keyframes graph for that control will appear. Go to a desired frame for a keyframe, then do the adjustment for the control, such as setting the X to .5. Go to another frame (such as the last frame), then set different values for the control. Repeat for as many keyframes as desired.

• To try other common PIP moves, click the Section Presets at the top of the Matte section and choose a preset.

• To reveal, hold, then remove the PIP,
choose the 'Hold then reverse' Progress Preset. Then adjust the middle keyframes to set the PIP's size and hold duration.

• To reveal, hold, then expand the PIP, choose the "Hold for partial duration" Progress Preset.

• To switch which clip is used for the PIP and background
in the SpiceMaster transition, click the Switch Clips check box in the PIP+ pane.

• You also can move/scale the PIP with the motion controls in your editing software.
That can be handy if you have pre-built motion paths there that you like to use. But SpiceMaster can independently manipulate the PIP image and mask, and has bezier keyframing for silky-smooth custom acceleration/deceleration of motion or scale.


More Examples


Example Images  View movie at our web site
An organic animated PIP with a multicolor border (that pulses colors over time) frames the high-energy ski action.

Example Images  View movie at our web site
A soft glow and organic shape adds a unique touch to this PIP. SpiceMaster also allowed the runner clip to be independently zoomed within the PIP area.

Example Images  View movie at our web site
This organic PIP flies out of the eye and features a beveled organic edge, then returns to the eye. SpiceMaster enables you to precisely position such a PIP easily.

Example Images  View movie at our web site
A traditional frame-shaped PIP has a distinctive touch with SpiceMaster's edge softening. In this case, the softness is keyframed to decrease over time, using a Spices\Iris1\Frame C spice.

Example Images  View movie at our web site
If you have motion paths already available in your NLE, you can apply SpiceMaster's PIP power to that rather than using SpiceMaster's PIP controls. In the above example, a butterfly-like motion path is combined with an OrganicFX\Burst spice (with a hard shadow added for depth) to create a very unusual PIP.

 


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