Jan
12
2004
I recently did a short where I thought a blinking red light (see "Wired") might look good on an electrical control panel. But I couldn't just trip the system or set off an alarm -- my employer might not look approvingly on such actions. I figured I could probably fake it in Final Cut Pro and save myself some hassle.
This tip will work easiest on a stationary shot.
STEP ONE: Add a video track on top of your shot. This is where your blinking light will go.
STEP TWO: From the Viewer's Generator pop-up menu (the little icon with the "A" in it), select Shapes > Circle.
STEP THREE: Add the circle to your new layer of video. Trim the circle clip down to your desired length. The default should be a colored circle on black. Control-click on the new circle layer and set your Composite Mode to Screen. The Screen mode will get rid of blacks and leave you with a colored circle over your video.
STEP FOUR: Double click your circle clip to load it back into the Viewer. In the Controls tab, set your size, softness and color.
STEP FIVE: In the Motion tab set your center point to align your blinking light with the bulb (or whatever) in your video.
STEP SIX: Turn down the Opacity arrow and set yourself some keyframes for your light. Drag every other keyframe down to 0% opacity and leave the others at 100% opacity. It should look like a horizontal zig-zag.
STEP SEVEN: You should be finished. Enjoy your blinking light effect!
This tip will work easiest on a stationary shot.
STEP ONE: Add a video track on top of your shot. This is where your blinking light will go.
STEP TWO: From the Viewer's Generator pop-up menu (the little icon with the "A" in it), select Shapes > Circle.
STEP THREE: Add the circle to your new layer of video. Trim the circle clip down to your desired length. The default should be a colored circle on black. Control-click on the new circle layer and set your Composite Mode to Screen. The Screen mode will get rid of blacks and leave you with a colored circle over your video.
STEP FOUR: Double click your circle clip to load it back into the Viewer. In the Controls tab, set your size, softness and color.
STEP FIVE: In the Motion tab set your center point to align your blinking light with the bulb (or whatever) in your video.
STEP SIX: Turn down the Opacity arrow and set yourself some keyframes for your light. Drag every other keyframe down to 0% opacity and leave the others at 100% opacity. It should look like a horizontal zig-zag.
STEP SEVEN: You should be finished. Enjoy your blinking light effect!
Jan
09
2004
1
Ok, so actually my entry for WeeklyDV this week is called "Wired" because sometimes you just need a little extra juice to get you going. Yup. Extra juice.
I did this whole video, including creating the audio/song, within four hours. I edited the piece together first then brought it into Soundtrack and set some markers so I could lay down the music to the visuals. I haven't always done this but it really made a big difference (duh). The visuals needed the music to build up tension and suspense and I think it achieved that goal. The red light flashing on the control box is totally fake and done right in FCP. You can also watch it right here if you want.