Placing a realistic
shadow or glow along a SpiceMaster effect's edge is easy. Such depth effects can:
create the illusion of one image growing, flowing or eroding above another
simulate thickness in an image (a powerful way to add depth);
emphasize the dynamic edge of a spice effect or custom matte;
create fresh PIP (picture-in-picture) looks;
add a keyframable shadow to titles, graphics and backgrounds.
You can control several shadow qualities: shadow style, opacity, softness, color
and depth. All but shadow style are keyframable.
More
examples
More about shadow/glow techniques are below:
How to Apply a Shadow
How to Change the Shadow's Strength, Depth or Angle
How to Change the Shadow/Glow Color
How to Apply a Glow
How to Vary a Shadow/Glow During the Effect
Tips
How
to Apply a Shadow
In the Shadow/Glow > Style submenu, select Under
1st clip, Under 2nd clip, or Border
Only. The Border Only option only appears
if a Border is also visible.
Under 1st clip creates a "cutaway" effect that shows
the 2nd clip under the first clip. Under 2nd clip flows the second clip over the background image. Border
Only floats a border over the images.
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Under 1st
clip |
Under 2nd
clip |
Border only |
How
to Change the Shadow's Strength, Depth or Angle
To adjust the shadow's strength, adjust the Softness and Opacity sliders. A soft, partially transparent
shadow offset to the lower right and fairly deep is SpiceMaster's initial default.
To alter the shadow's position or angle, drag in the Shadow Offset Handle, watching the preview until you achieve the desired depth
and angle.
To make exact adjustments, enter values (from -1.0 to +1.0) in the text box. An X,Y value of 0,0 is no offset.
How to Change the Shadow/Glow Color
SpiceMaster's initial default shadow color is black, but any color is possible,
such as a bright color for a glow, white for special lighting effects, or a scene
color for an abstract visual effect. SpiceMaster provides two ways to change the
color:
To match the shadow or glow to a color in your scene, expand the Color control, click the Eyedropper , then click in the VEGAS
preview (as shown below) -- or anywhere else on your monitor! Or choose a color
in the standard VEGAS's color control.
How to Apply a Glow
You can create glows easily by applying a soft shadow with a bright color, then
eliminating any offset (thus centering the shadow). To center the shadow for
a glow effect, enter a value of 0,0 in the Shadow Offset text box.
To adjust the glow's style, choose Under 1st clip to create an inner glow, or Under 2nd clip to create
an outer glow. If a thick border is in the effect, Border
Only can visibly glow in both directions around a border.
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Under 1st
clip |
Under 2nd
clip |
Border Only |
To adjust the glow's strength, adjust the Softness and Opacity sliders. Typically, high values for both
will be most useful. To adjust the glow's color, use the tips described above.
How
to Vary a Shadow/Glow During the Effect
Shadow keyframing can add terrific dynamics to a shadow or glow.
To smoothly change colors during the effect, for example, keyframe Color over time. To make a shadow appear as if it is coming from a single light source
or subject in your scene, keyframe the Offset over
time. To pulse
a glow, keyframe Opacity and/or Softness over time.
To
vary a shadow or glow over time, click the Animate icon next
to a Shadow/Glow slider you want to vary.
The keyframe graph for the above control will then appear. Go to a desired frame that you want to set a value for and drag the slider. To add more keyframes, repeat as desired.
To keyframe Color over time, first click on the Animate icon next
to the Color control.
The keyframe graph for the above control will then appear. Go to a desired frame that you want to set a value for, then use the Color control to set the qualities
of the new keyframe. To add more keyframes, repeat as desired.
Tips
To access useful presets, click the Section Presets button at the top of the Shadow/Glow section.
A hard shadow that is only slightly offset can add the illusion of thickness
to a flowing image or effect.
Shadow/Glow
Examples
View
movie at our web site
A blue glow around an organic iris effect complements and shapes the color balance
effect that eventually fills the image.
View
movie at our web site
The sunset shot is revealed with a drop shadow to add definition to the organic
flowing form. Note that the second clip (and its shadowed edge) increase in opacity
during the effect -- all done in SpiceMaster.
View
movie at our web site
A drop shadow under the powdery border effect adds depth to the transition.
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