split screen on a diagonal and with soft transition in multicam?

Dave Kitabjian wrote:

"Most importantly: place the second copy BELOW the primary storyline, instead of above."

1) Luis, please indulge a newbie with what might be a stupid question. Are you saying to put an entire copy of the multicam clip below the main storyline, or just blade+option+drag down there on an as needed basis, when I want to mask+split?

If you only need that mask/split in a portion of your timeline, you don't need to have a copy of the whole multicam clip. You can just option-drag that bladed area.

2) Second question: you advised putting the temporary split BELOW the primary storyline, but other people are suggesting putting it ABOVE. I guess it could work either way. But I'm trying to understand the relative advantages. Does the graduated effect work better one way vs. the other?

You could do it either way, but the choice impacts where and what you mask.

I assumed that for the most part you would be working with the "normal" angles, and at times you'd want to show two angles.

If you wanted to, for example, show a different angle as a "PiP" (Picture in Picture, say scaled down and on one corner), then you'd have to put that extra copy above the storyline.

But to show two side by side, you could either:

a) put the extra copy above, and apply a mask to it; or

b) put the extra copy below, and apply a mask to the primary

I just felt that the latter would look "cleaner". But as long as one understands it, either is fine.

Also: there is an other option, which is really worthwhile if you use this combined view a lot.

Make a separate project with the two angles combined throughout. Export and reimport.

Then add this combined video as yet another angle to your multicam.

This way, the final project can use a single multicam, and you can cut between the three angles, say A, B, and A/B

(On reflection, I think this is what was done in the video you showed.)

That video you linked to works for that particular scenario, but really does not lend itself to generalization.

Basically, it uses the Multicam as a way to synchronize the clips, but does not do any cutting and switching between angles.

The principle of having more than one copy of the same Multicam clip is sound ("sound" as in "good", not as in "audio" :-)).

For the situation that you describe, I think you need only TWO copies of the multicam.

Most importantly: place the second copy BELOW the primary storyline, instead of above.

This will make everything much easier. If I understood correctly, you want usually one angle, and at times two.

To make the second copy show through, you only need to apply a Graduated Mask, and perhaps a little transform to the top clip.

Presumably you have a Multicam cut that you're reasonably happy with and you just want to add the split screens? There are many ways but probably the simplest way is to select and option-drag up the section of the Multicam that you want to use as a split, right click and change the video angle and then crop or mask part of that clip the underlying clip will show through. You'll maybe need to move and position the individual clips but you can get as creative as you like (opt-drag another copy and have a 3rd split perhaps?)

You could use key framing to move or fade in/out the clips of use one of the many built-in effects.

When you get to the clip you want to split-screen, hold the Option key while dragging it above itself. This will make a copy. Switch it to the angle you need, then mask, etc. Very simple, very fast, I do it with music videos often.

Dave Kitabjian wrote:

Thanks for the tip!

"hold the Option key while dragging it above itself. This will make a copy. Switch it to the angle you need, then mask, etc. "

Does this work as expected with Multicam? Do you have to split the multicam clip so that only that portion is dragged and copied?

Sure, if you usually want just one angle, and only on some part are combining two angles, you can blade the multicam, like any other clip. Then option-drag just that part.

No, you don’t have to split it - just click on the portion you need and opt-drag it.

Incidentally, the new clip retains all the multicam properties, so you can cut and switch angles within it, and more.

This seems to work fine, good job. I don't think you need to move them below. Changing the stacking order would mean applying the masks differently (you need to mask whatever is on top so you can see through to the clips placed below) but it does not seem to have a special benefit.

It is just a matter of preference at this point.