Lens flare transition + green screen = black background?

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Level 1

8 points

Lens flare transition + green screen = black background?

Finally got into FCP X, and have a quick question, if you have time. I've got a green screen effect AND the "lens flare" transition going, and during the lens flare, the green screen background goes away and is replaced with pure black. How can I composite this together so the intended background appears during the lens flare? I've done a bunch of researching, but can't find a solution to this exact problem, so I thought I'd ask a true Final Cut Pro: out there) Thanks!

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Jun 26, 2012 9:52 AM

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Answer 1

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,809 points

Jun 26, 2012 12:30 PM in response to Bcokas

Lens flare doesn't work at the start or end of any connected clip with transparency. It needs full video overlapped for the overlaid effect.

You'd have to combine the green screen and the underlying shot into a compound clip and then transition into the compound clip. It's a little tricky because the compound will be treated as a complete piece of media, and you're have to extend it to create handles.

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Answer 2

Bcokas Author

Level 1

8 points

Jun 26, 2012 12:46 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

I'm sorry, can you walk me through "combining into a compund clip," as I've never done that.

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Answer 3

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,809 points

Jun 26, 2012 5:44 PM in response to Bcokas

You combine the connected green screen clip and the underlying clip.

The compound has no handles. You'll have to roll the edit point to the compound to give you handles for the transition and still keep the frames in sync.

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Answer 4

Bcokas Author

Level 1

8 points

Jun 28, 2012 9:06 AM in response to Tom Wolsky

Tom, I appreciate your help, but I'm a complete beginner, so I'm not following you. I've selected the green screen background and the lens flare transition together, then right click to "create new compound clip" but that totally changes the edit and I have to undo it. Also don't know how to extend/add handles. If you don't have time to walk me through this, that's fine.

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Answer 5

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,809 points

Jun 28, 2012 9:23 AM in response to Bcokas

No. You need to make a compound clip of the green screen and the underlying layer, the image it's being composited with. This creates a single clip. Then you apply the transition to the compound clip when it's in line with the other clips on the primary storyline.

It would help if I could see you timeline. Maybe you could post a screen shot.

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Answer 6

Bcokas Author

Level 1

8 points

Jun 28, 2012 10:30 AM in response to Tom Wolsky

Hallelujah! I think that worked--I combined the two clips (after removing the lens flare), which got rid of the cut between them, so I had to manually add that back in (with the blade tool) exactly WHERE I wanted the lens flare, then added the lens flare back in. Is that kind of what you were recommending? Cause it worked!

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Answer 7

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,809 points

Jun 28, 2012 10:34 AM in response to Bcokas

Sounds like it.

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