Creating a Permanent Border

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Level 1

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Creating a Permanent Border

Hi

I'm working with a bunch of still photos, creating a slideshow with the photos moving around within the frame (i.e. zooming in, panning left etc).

Basically, since the photos are of differing quality and size, I want to create a border of two black verticle strips and two black horizontal strips within the main frame, so that the photo size decreases (I'm going to be putting text over the two horizontal lines). I then want the still photo to move within this new frame, but I don't want the frame itself to move.

What's the best way to create this frame within a frame?

I've tried going through video generator/ matte/ mask shape, but the frame created does not stay true for the whole clip. any help?

macbook pro, Mac OS X (10.5.1)

Posted on Mar 12, 2008 2:51 AM

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Answer 1

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,819 points

Mar 12, 2008 2:56 AM in response to hbjonny

Use a color matte. Make it black and with the crop tool crop it to the size you want.

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Answer 2

hbjonny Author

Level 1

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Mar 12, 2008 3:28 AM in response to hbjonny

Thanks Tom

I'm finding that the quality of the stills is being hampered because I'm overlaying it with two bits of text, and four color mattes (one for the left border, one for the top border, etc).

Is there a way around this?

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Answer 3

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,819 points

Mar 12, 2008 3:32 AM in response to hbjonny

Render it and look at the output on a video monitor.

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Answer 4

Mar 12, 2008 3:36 AM in response to hbjonny

Hi

I do it in a more Paper and Clip way (amateur).

In PhotoShop I make a black photo.
Move it up one layer
Cut out a rectangle in the middle - leaving borders.
Background layer remaining but erased (square pattern)

Save as PhotoShop .psd

Import this in FCP and put it on top track.
Different layers gets there own video track so it's just to alter transparacy
if bottom layer wasn't transparent from start.

Yours Lazy Bengt W

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