Avid FX Tutorials: Understanding The Tutorial Exercises

Avid FX Tutorials
Understanding the Tutorial Exercises

The following tutorial exercises provide step-by-step instructions for creating
various kinds of effects, while exploring many aspects of the Avid FX user
interface and functionality.
Each exercise builds on the steps and techniques introduced in the exercise
that precedes it. For this reason, new users should begin with the first exercise
and perform the tutorials in order. More advanced users should look over the
tutorial topics and choose tutorials that are applicable to their skill level.
These tutorial exercises are designed to be used with Avid FX. You can
perform the steps in these exercises within a host application such as
Avid Xpress Pro or within Avid FX as a standalone application, but host-
specific aspects of Avid FX (such as rendering) are not covered in these
tutorials.
The tutorials use and refer to media files, which are found in the
PracticeMedia\AvidFX folder on the Online Library.
These exercises assume you are using the default settings and preferences. You
can reset all preferences to the default settings by deleting your Avid FX
preferences file. For more information, see “Resetting Preferences” on
page 239.
See the following topics:

• Getting Started
• Exercise 1: Animating an Image Using Keyframes
• Exercise 2: Creating a Multi Input Page Turn Transition
• Exercise 3: Animating Masked Tracks in a 3D Container
Avid FX Tutorials
• Exercise 4: Filtering Selectively with the PixelChooser

• Exercise 5: Creating a Rolling Title Effect
• Exercise 6: Creating Animated Text Effects
• Exercise 7: Creating a Chroma Key Effect
• Exercise 8: Creating a Custom Scatter Wipe Effect
• Exercise 9: Creating a 3D Text Effect
• Exercise 10: Creating a Displacement Map Effect
Getting Started
To complete the tutorial exercises, you need Avid FX. If you have not already
installed Avid FX, you can do so by following the instructions in the
Installation Guide that is included with your software.
To start Avid FX from within an Avid editing application:

1. In the Avid editing application, open a sequence in the Composer monitor.
The sequence appears in the Timeline.
2. Select Tools > Effect Palette.
The Effect Palette opens.
3. Drag an Avid FX effect onto the Timeline.
4. Select Tools > Effect Editor.
The Effect Editor opens.
2
Getting Started
5. Click the Other Options button.

The Avid FX windows open.
Controls window Composite window
Project window Timeline window
To finish using Avid FX within an Avid editing application:

1. Click OK in the bottom of the Avid FX Timeline window to apply the
effect changes to the Avid Timeline and return to the Avid editing
application.
2. Render the Avid FX effect.
To open Avid FX as a standalone application:

t Select Start > Programs > Avid FX 4.5 > Avid FX Engine.
The Avid FX windows open.
3
Avid FX Tutorials
Exercise 1: Animating an Image Using Keyframes

In this tutorial, you use keyframes to animate a single video track in 3D space.
This tutorial also covers basic interpolation settings and file management.
Importing Still Image Files

To import still images:
1. Start Avid FX. See “Getting Started” on page 2.
2. Click to select the Video 1 track in the Timeline window. The track turns
blue when you select it.
Media icon 3. Press the Media icon in the track, and choose Still Image File from the
menu.
4. A dialog box lets you navigate to the file’s location. Open “Columns.pct”
located in the PracticeMedia\AvidFX folder on the Online Library and
click Open. The “Columns” image is visible in the Composite window
and the Media icon displays the icon for Still Image Files. The track is
renamed Columns.pct.
5. Follow the same steps to import the still image file “Waves.pct” into the
Video 2 track.
6. Click the Visibility icon on Columns.pct to hide that track. The “Waves”
image is visible in the Composite window.
Visibility icon
7. Click the Visibility icon again to restore Columns.pct’s visibility.
4
Naming Tracks
By default, tracks are named by their media type. For example, when you
launch Avid FX, the tracks are named Video 1 and Video 2. If you change a
track’s media to Still Image File, the track is automatically assigned the file
name. However, once you explicitly name a track, the track retains that name,
even if you change the track’s media type.
To name tracks:
1. Select the Columns.pct track and choose Track > Rename Track.
2. Type “Columns” and press Return (Macintosh) or Enter (Windows). The
track is renamed “Columns.”
3. Rename the Waves.pct track, using the following shortcut. Select the track
and press Return (Macintosh) or Enter (Windows). Type “Waves” and
press Return or Enter. The track is renamed.
Animating the 3D Plane Shape

Selecting a track displays the parameters for that type of track in the Controls
window. Parameters can be animated using keyframes. A keyframe sets
Shape icon specific parameter values for a track at a certain point in the timeline. When
you place multiple keyframes on the timeline, the program interpolates, or
computes intermediate values, between keyframe values.
Avid FX includes two types of keyframes, master keyframes and parameter

keyframes. Master keyframes appear on the Shape track. Parameter
keyframes appear on the Transformations tracks nested inside the Shape track.
You can associate multiple parameter keyframes with each master keyframe.
When you create a parameter keyframe, the corresponding master keyframe is
automatically created. In this section, you set keyframes in the timeline to
animate several 3D Plane parameters.
5
Avid FX Tutorials
To animate the 3D Plane shape:

1. Click to select the Columns track. The track already has keyframes placed
at the start and end. Because both keyframes contain the default parameter
values for the track, the effect is static (not animated).
Time Field Current Time Indicator (CTI) Keyframes
2. Move the Current Time Indicator (CTI) to frame 10 (Time

00:00:00:10). The CTI determines which frame of the effect displays in
the Composite window. As you move the CTI around the timeline, the
Composite window updates to display the frame at the new CTI location.
Because the Columns.pct is a still image, all the frames are the same.
You can either drag the CTI to the new location or type the timecode of
the new location in the Time field in the Timeline window and press
Return (Macintosh) or Enter (Windows). Make sure that the first keyframe
is not selected after you drag the CTI. Selected keyframes are red. To
deselect a keyframe, click in the track on the right side of the timeline.
3. If it is not already displayed, click the Position tab in the Controls
window.
6
4. Change the Scale X value to 60 by dragging the slider to the left. (The
Scale X and Scale Y values are locked by default so the Scale Y setting
also updates.) You could also scrub the numerical field or click the
numerical field, type 60, and press Return (Macintosh) or Enter
(Windows).
Lock Numerical Field Slider
A new keyframe is automatically created at frame 10, and the Columns

image is scaled to 60% of its original size. The keyframe uses the default
interpolation, Ease In/Out.
5. Click to select the new keyframe at frame 10. Selected keyframes are red.
6. Press the Interpolation field in the Scale X controls. Choose Hold from
the menu.(The Scale X and Scale Y values are locked by default, so the
Scale Y setting also updates.)
Interpolation Field
7. Return the CTI to the beginning of the effect, either by dragging the CTI
to the beginning or by pressing the Home key.
8. Play the sequence by clicking the Play button in the Composite window
or by pressing the Space bar.
The Columns track starts full size, shrinks to 60% size by frame 10, then
holds at that size for the remainder of the effect. Playback loops until you
press the Space bar or Play button again.
7
Avid FX Tutorials
9. To view the effect in real time, choose Preview > Preview to RAM or
press Command-zero (Macintosh) or Control-zero (Windows). The effect
plays through once slowly as it renders each frame to RAM, then plays
through in real time.
To add animation to move the Columns track off-screen and reveal the
Waves track.
1. Select the Columns track.
2. You should see red, green and blue OpenGL interactors in your
Composite window. If you don’t, press the G key or choose Preview >
OpenGL Interactors > Show Interactors. The interactors should display
arrows at their ends to indicate that you are in Translation mode. If they
don’t, press the W key or choose Preview > OpenGL Interactors >
Translation Interactor.
Disclosure
triangle
3. Move the CTI to frame 10 (Time 00:00:00:10).

4. Select the Position X track, then choose Track > New Keyframe. A
parameter keyframe appears in the Position X track at the CTI’s current
position (Time 00:00:00:10). Use the same steps to create a new keyframe
at that point in the Position Y track.
8
5. Select the Rotate Z track. This time use the keyboard shortcut, Command-
N (Macintosh) or Control-N (Windows), to create a new keyframe in the
Rotate Z track (at Time 00:00:00:10). Because the keyframes use Ease
In/Out interpolation, they appear as an “X” in the timeline. Your timeline
should now appear like the following illustration.
6. Click the CTI on the last frame in the Columns track (Time 00:00:01:00).
The keyframe turns red to show that it is selected. You may need to scroll
up.
7. Click the green interactor in the Composite window. The green interactor
moves the image on the Y-axis. Make sure you click the interactor and not
the Columns image. The shaft of the interactor turns yellow to indicate
that it is selected.
8. Drag the interactor until the Columns image is near the top of the screen.
In the Controls window, the value for Position Y updates. Stop dragging at
a Position Y value of approximately 0.
9. Click the red interactor and drag to the right until the Columns image is
offscreen. Make sure you click the interactor and not the Columns image.
The shaft of the interactor turns yellow to indicate that it is selected. In the
Controls window, the value for Position X updates. Stop dragging at a
Position X value of approximately 940.
9
Avid FX Tutorials
10. If you prefer, you can adjust the parameters in the Controls window by
setting Position X to 940 and Position Y to 0 with the default Ease In/Out
interpolation.
Rotations
Degrees
11. In the Controls window, set Rotate Z to 0 rotations, 180° by typing 180
and pressing Return (Macintosh) or Enter (Windows).
12. Return the CTI to the beginning of the effect, and play the effect or
Preview to RAM by choosing Preview > Preview to RAM. The Columns
track now shrinks to 60% size by frame 10, and undergoes one half
rotation and moves off screen by frame 30.
Time 00:00:00:10 Time 00:00:00:15 Time 00:00:00:21
13. Complete the steps in the next section to finetune your animation.
Working with Bézier Curves
The Ease In/Out interpolation (the default interpolation type) allows you to
work with Bézier curves to finetune the motion of the effect. Keyframes that
use the Ease In/Out interpolation are displayed as an “X” in the timeline. This
section describes two ways of using the bézier controls to smooth transitions at
keyframe points.
10
To work with Bézier curves:

1. In the timeline, select the keyframe at frame 10 (Time 00:00:00:10).
2. Expand the Position X track to reveal the Value curve controls for that
parameter.
Value curve controls Bézier handle Value curve
Red bézier curve handles appear at each keyframe point on the Value
curve in the timeline.
n If you do not see bézier handles in the value curve, press the interpolation
fields in the Position X and Position Y controls and choose Ease In/Out from
the menu.
Interpolation field
11
Avid FX Tutorials
3. Drag either of the handles to move them up or down or lengthen them.

The left handle controls the curve going into the keyframe, and the right
handle controls the curve going out of the keyframe.
Bézier
4. To manipulate the direction of each bézier handle independently, press the

Option key (Macintosh) or the Alt key (Windows) as you drag the handle.
Saving Settings
If you are using the Avid FX, you can use the Render Queue to render your
effect. You can also save the settings file and open it later in a host application
to render it. In this case, you save the effect you created to the Project window
and also in the Avid FX Library Browser so that you can reuse it later.
The Project window is useful if you want to experiment with multiple versions
of an effect. You can save the composition to the Project window and then
continue adjusting parameters. Later, if you decide that you like the earlier
version, you can open that version in the timeline.
12
To save your settings:

1. Choose Composition > Save Composition Copy.
A copy of your effect appears in the Project window.
2. Click the Composition and rename it “First Effect” by pressing Return
(Macintosh) or Enter (Windows), typing the name and pressing Enter or
Return again. When you finish, your Project window should look like the
following example.
3. Choose File > Save Project Copy to Library.

A dialog box lets you name and save a copy of the effect.
4. Click the New Folder button to create a new folder. Name the folder “My
Effects” and click Create.
5. Click to select the Save Preview checkbox (Macintosh) or the Thumbnail
Preview checkbox (Windows).
6. Name your effect and click OK.
13
Avid FX Tutorials
Exercise 2: Creating a Multi Input Page Turn

Transition
In this exercise, you create a Page Turn transition with different media on the
front and back faces of the turning page, and apply a filter to the effect.
Creating a Page Turn Transition

To create a page turn transition:
1. Choose Composition > New Composition. A new composition is created
in the timeline. Your last composition is saved in the Project window.
2. Press the Shape icon for the Video 1 track and choose Page Turn from the
Shape
menu. The track is automatically renamed “Page Turn -Video 1.”
3. The Composite window updates to display the new shape.
4. Rename the Video 1 track “Page Turn.”
5. Rename the Video 2 track “Background.”

6. Select the first keyframe of the Page Turn track in the timeline (Time
00:00:00:00).
14
Exercise 2: Creating a Multi Input Page Turn Transition
7. In the Controls window, click the Page Turn tab and set Offset to 0 with
Ease In/Out interpolation.
8. Select the last keyframe in the Page Turn track (Time 00:00:01:00) and set
Offset to 100 with Ease In/Out interpolation.
9. Move the CTI to the first keyframe and play the sequence to see the Offset
animate from 0 to 100, which creates the page turn.
Time 00:00:00:20 Time 00:00:00:25
Mapping Media to Front and Back Faces
Each Shape has a Multi Input mode and Single Input mode. In Single Input
mode, the assigned media is used for all faces of the shape. In Multi Input
mode, multiple face tracks appear in the timeline, each of which can be
assigned different media. You assign different media to the front and back
faces of the page turn.
15
Avid FX Tutorials
To map media to front and back faces:

1. Click the disclosure triangle to expand the Page Turn track in the timeline.
Click the Multi/Single Input icon on the Page Turn track. The icon toggles
to Multi Input mode.
Disclosure triangle Multi/Single Input icon
Separate Face tracks appear for the Front and Flap faces of the page turn.
Media icons
2. Press the Media icon for the Front Face track and choose Still Image File
from the menu. In the dialog box that appears, choose “Tall trees.pct”
from the PracticeMedia\AvidFX folder on the Online Library and click
Open.
3. Press the Media icon for the Flap Face track, and choose Color from the
menu. Select the Flap Face track. In the Color Media tab in the Controls
window, pick a color using the system color picker or the eyedropper.
4. Press the Media icon for the Background track and choose Still Image
File from the menu. Then choose “Clover.pct” from the
PracticeMedia\AvidFX folder on the Online Library and click Open.
16
Exercise 2: Creating a Multi Input Page Turn Transition
5. The page turn now has “Tall trees.pct” on the front face, solid color on the
back face, and reveals “Clover.pct” at the end of the transition.
Time 00:00:00:20 Time 00:00:00:25
Applying Upstream and Downstream Filters
There are two ways to apply a filter to a shape effect, referred to as upstream
and downstream. These terms refer to the order in which the filter is
processed in relation to the shape itself.
• An upstream filter is applied to the shape and processed before the shape
transformations occur. An upstream filter only affects one portion of the
shape, that is, one of the shape’s faces.
• A downstream filter is applied to the shape and processed after the shape
transformations occur. A downstream filter affects the entire shape and all
of its faces.
To apply a Ripple filter to the page turn at the upstream position:

t Select the Front Face track, and choose Filters > Distortion and
Perspective > Ripple to apply a Ripple filter to that track.
The Ripple track is “nested” within the Front Face track.
17
Avid FX Tutorials
The Ripple affects only the front face, and does not distort the shape itself.
This is an example of an upstream filter.
To create a downstream filter effect

1. Drag the Ripple track up into the Page Turn track. As you drag a black
line appears around each track. When the Page Turn track turns black,
release the mouse button.
Now the Ripple filter is nested inside the Page Turn track.
18
Exercise 3: Animating Masked Tracks in a 3D Container
The Ripple is now in the downstream position, and is applied after the
Page Turn transformation is applied. Therefore the Ripple distorts the
entire shape.
To save the filter effect:

1. Move the CTI to the beginning of the effect and press Play or choose
Preview > Preview to Ram to view the effect.
3. Navigate to the “My Effects” folder that you created in Exercise One.
4. Click to select the Save Preview checkbox (Macintosh) or the Thumbnail
Preview checkbox (Windows).
5. Name your effect and click OK.
Exercise 3: Animating Masked Tracks in a 3D

Container
In this exercise, you apply masks to two tracks, animate the tracks
individually, then animate them together within a 3D Container. You also
experiment with the OpenGL Interactors as well as 3D Container Renderers.
19
Avid FX Tutorials
About Masks
A mask is a section of media that contains an alpha (transparent) channel,

which is used to hide part of another image. Each Shape and Face track
contains a Mask track. When you apply a mask to an object, the object
becomes transparent wherever the mask’s alpha channel has a value of 0 and
remains opaque wherever the mask’s alpha channel’s value is 255.
Intermediate alpha channel values produce semi-transparent areas in the
object.
Any mask can be applied as either an upstream or downstream mask. These

terms refer to when the mask is processed in relation to the shape’s
transformations.
• An upstream mask is applied to the shape’s face track, becomes part of
that face’s media and is processed before the shape transformations occur.
In the following example, the mask is applied first, then the masked face is
curved into a cylinder.
• A downstream mask is applied to the shape and processed after the shape
transformations occur. In the following example, the face is curved into a
cylinder, then the mask reveals the cylinder.
20
This exercise uses only an upstream masks—that is, masks that are applied to
the shape’s face before the shape undergoes transformations. You create masks
using two methods. First, you import a PICT file. Second, you use Spline
Primitive media to create a mask within Avid FX.
Creating Multiple Tracks
You create multiple tracks for this effect. You use several different media
types, including Spline Primitive, Still Image File, Color, Gradient and Natural
Media.
To create multiple effects:

1. Press the Media icon on the Video 1 track and choose Spline Primitive
from the menu that appears. This creates a rectangular Spline Primitive
track.
2. Click the Track Selector button at the bottom of the Controls window or
press F to toggle to the Face track. The Face track is called a Path track
when you work with Spline Primitive media.
The Spline Primitive tabs appear in the Controls window.
Arrow
tab
3. In the Shape tab in the Controls window, click the Arrow tab to assign the
Spline Primitive an arrow shape. Choose Right from the Arrow Type
menu. The track is automatically renamed Arrow. Click the disclosure
triangles to close the Arrow track.
4. Press the Media icon on the Video 2 track and choose Still Image File
from the menu that appears. In the dialog box, choose “Bullseye.pct,”
click Open.
5. Click the bottom of the Timeline window to deselect the Bullseye.pct
track.
6. Click the Add Color Media button in the timeline to create a 3D Plane
track with Color media. The Face track is selected by default. The Color
Media tab appears in the Controls window.
7. Assign the track a black color. Rename the track “Black.” Click the
disclosure triangle to close the Black track.
21
Avid FX Tutorials
8. Drag the Black track to the bottom of the timeline. As you drag a black
line appears around each track. When the black line is below the
Bullseye.pct track, release the mouse button.
9. Click the bottom of the Timeline window to deselect the Black track.
10. Click the Add Gradient Media button in the timeline to create a 3D Plane
track with Gradient media.
This creates a Gradient track. The Face track is selected by default and the
Gradient tabs appear in the Controls window. Instead of adjusting the
gradient yourself, you apply a preset style from the Style Palette.
11. Choose Window > Show Style Palette or press Command-7 (Macintosh)
or Control-7 (Windows) to display the Style Palette. Click the Gradient
tab in the Style Palette.
Category menu Gradient tab
12. Choose Radial2.grd from the Category menu.

13. Double-click the AquaBlue thumbnail to apply it to the gradient track.
If your Radial category does not include the AquaBlue setting, you can
simply double-click any setting that you like.
14. Click the disclosure triangle to close the Gradient track.
15. Click the bottom of the Timeline window to deselect the Gradient track.
16. Click the Add Natural Media button in the timeline to create a 3D Plane
track with Natural media.
22
This creates a Natural Media track. The Face track is selected by default
and the Natural Media tabs appear in the Controls window. Instead of
adjusting the Natural Media yourself, you apply a preset style from the
Style Palette.
17. Click the Natural tab in the Style Palette. Choose Marble.ntr from the
Category menu.
18. Double-click the Natural thumbnail to apply it to the Natural Media
track. (This category may include several thumbnails called Natural. Just
double-click one that you like.) If your Marble category does not include
the Natural setting, you can simply double-click any setting that you like.
19. Close the Style Palette.
Your timeline should now look like the following illustration.
In the next section you apply masks to your effect.
Applying Masks to a Track

To apply a mask to a track:
1. Expand the Face track nested inside the Veined Marble track to reveal its
Mask track.
2. Drag the Arrow track into the Face track’s Mask track. You may have to
scroll down.
23
Avid FX Tutorials
3. Click the disclosure triangles to close the Veined Marble track. Rename
the track “Arrow.”
4. The Composite window displays the veined marble masked by the Arrow
spline primitive. Click the disclosure triangles to close the Arrow track.
5. Click the disclosure triangles to expand the Gradient track. Expand the
Face track nested inside to reveal its Mask track.
6. Drag the Bullseye.pct track into the Face track’s Mask track. You may
have to scroll down.
7. Rename the Gradient track “Bullseye.” Click the disclosure triangles to
close the Bullseye track.
8. The Composite window displays the Gradient track masked by the
bullseye shape.
24
9. In the next section you change the duration of your effect.
In the next section you nest your tracks in a 3D Container.
Manipulating Tracks Within a 3D Container
Placing two or more tracks inside a 3D Container preserves the spatial

relationship between the tracks. Grouping tracks inside a container allows you
to animate tracks independently (at the track level), then apply parameters and
animations globally to all the tracks within the container (at the container
level).
In this section, you animate the arrow so that it moves in from the right, passes
through the center of the bullseye, and moves off-screen in the opposite
direction.
Creating the 3D Container
To create the 3D container:

1. Shift-click to select the Arrow and Bullseye tracks.
2. Create a 3D Container, by choosing Track > New 3D Container or
clicking the Add Container button in the timeline.
The 3D Container appears above the selected track.
If no tracks are selected, the 3D Container appears at the top of the

timeline.
Setting Static Parameters
The Constant interpolation type allows you to make parameter adjustments

that remain static throughout the effect and do not create keyframes. In this
section you set the static attributes of the arrow before animating it.
25
Avid FX Tutorials
The Animate button in the lower-right corner of the Controls window lets you
quickly toggle between Constant and the default interpolation. This is useful
when you are compositing rather than animating an effect. When you want to
switch back to the default interpolation, click this button again.
The Animate button also appears in the timeline. When you click either
button, the corresponding button toggles to the same setting.
To set static parameters:

1. At the bottom of the Controls window, click to set the Animate button to
Constant interpolation.
The top button shows the Animate button in Default interpolation: the
bottom button is in Constant interpolation.
In the next section you adjust the on-screen interactors. This is easier if
your Composite window does not display the Shape outlines.
2. Press the Controls button in the Composite window and choose Shape to
hide this control. A dot appears next to this command when it is selected.
Controls button You want it to be deselected. See “Preview Controls” on page 170 for
more information.
Working with the OpenGL Interactors
Avid FX’s OpenGL hardware acceleration speeds previews. In OpenGL mode,

you do not see non-accelerated objects when you use the on-screen interactors.
Non-accelerated objects include filters, masks, bump maps, reflection maps,
cast shadows, apply modes, cropping and opacity. As you adjust the
interactors, the Composite window displays “Accelerated Draft Preview.”
When you release the mouse button, the Composite window displays all
objects. You must be in OpenGL mode to complete this section. For more
information on OpenGL mode, see “Working with the OpenGL Interactors” in
the Avid FX User’s Guide.
To work with the OpenGL Interactors:

1. Select the Arrow track and press the letter E. The on-screen OpenGL
interactors now allow you to spin, tumble and rotate the selected
track.This mode is indicated by circles at the ends of the interactors.
Dragging the green interactor spins the track around the X axis; dragging
26
the red interactor tumbles the track on the Y axis; dragging the blue
interactor rotates the track around the Z axis. If the OpenGL interactors do
not appear in the Composite window, press the letter G.
2. Drag the green OpenGL interactor to the left to spin the Arrow track.
Make sure you click the interactor and not the image. The shaft of the
interactor turns yellow to indicate that it is selected. The corresponding
Spin Y value updates in the Controls window as you drag. When the Spin
Y value is approximately –50, stop dragging. The arrow now appears to
point into the screen and away from the viewer.
3. Drag the blue OpenGL interactor up to rotate the Arrow track. The
corresponding Rotate Z value updates in the Controls window as you drag
the interactor. When Rotate Z is approximately 18, stop dragging. The
arrow now appears to point downward and to the right.
4. Click the Animate button to return it to the default interpolation.
27
Avid FX Tutorials
Using Z Space Composite
By default, objects in a composition overlap each other based on their

positioning in the timeline. Here, the arrow appears in front of the bullseye
because its track is higher in the timeline than the bullseye track.
The Renderer determines how objects within the container interact. Choosing
Z Space Composite displays the objects based on their relative depth
positioning. In other words, if the arrow moves behind the bullseye in Z space,
it is overlapped by the bullseye regardless of the position of their tracks in the
timeline. Z Space Composite allows objects to intersect, interact, and cast
shadows on one another when placed in the same container.
When Z Space Composite is chosen in a container, 3D Plane and 3D Sphere

shapes can be placed in the container. The Z Space Composite feature helps
you position and animate the arrow in Z space.
To use Z Space Composite:

1. Select the 3D Container track in the timeline.
2. In the Controls window, click the Position tab, and choose Z Space
Composite from the Renderer menu.
The tip of the arrow now appears at its actual Z position behind the
bullseye.
In OpenGL mode, you do not see non-accelerated objects when you work
in Draft Quality mode. Non-accelerated objects include filters, masks,
bump maps, reflection maps, cast shadows, apply modes, cropping and
opacity.
28
If your Composite window is set to Draft Quality, it looks like the

following example.
3. If your Composite window appears this way, press the Quality button in
the Composite window and choose High. See “Preview Controls” on
Quality button page 170 for more information.
Setting the Default Interpolation
In the next few sections you animate the objects in the container using the
Linear interpolation type, which interpolates at a constant rate between
parameter values.
Rather than setting the interpolation type every time you adjust a parameter,
you can save time by changing the default interpolation to the type you use
most often. Complete the following steps to set the default interpolation type
to Linear.
Setting the default interpolation:

1. Choose Avid FX > Preferences (Macintosh) or Edit > Preferences
(Windows).
General tab Press and choose Linear
29
Avid FX Tutorials
2. In the General tab, in the General Options section, set the Default
Interpolation menu to Linear.
3. Click OK to apply the changes and exit the Preferences window.
Animating Position Parameters
Now you animate the X, Y, and Z Position of the arrow to make it appear to
pass through the bullseye.
Animating position parameters:

1. Select the first keyframe on the Arrow track (Time 00:00:00:00).
2. Press the letter W. The on-screen OpenGL interactors now allow you to
position the selected track.This mode is indicated by arrows at the ends of
the interactors. Dragging the green interactor moves the track on the X
axis; dragging the red interactor moves the track on the Y axis; dragging
the blue interactor moves the track on the Z axis. If the OpenGL
interactors do not appear in the Composite window, press the letter G.
3. In the Controls window, drag the red interactor up and to the left until the
tip of the arrow is almost offscreen. You must press the interactor, not
simply the arrow image.
4. Select the last keyframe on the Arrow track (Time 00:00:03:00).
5. In the Controls window, drag the red interactor down and to the right until
the arrow is offscreen. Bring the arrow all the way through the bullseye
and offscreen.
6. Move the CTI to the beginning of the timeline and choose Preview >
Preview to RAM. The arrow flies in from the left, passes through the
bullseye, then moves off the screen to the right. Its apparent size decreases
as it moves farther from the viewer.
Time 00:00:01:00 Time 00:00:01:20 Time 00:00:02:10
30
Working with a 3D Model Container
When the Renderer menu is set to 3D Model, multiple 3D Extrusion shapes

can interact and intersect within a 3D container. In 3D Model, the object that
appears foremost in Z space covers objects that are farther away in Z space,
regardless of their order in the timeline. The 3D Model Renderer is similar to
Z Space Composite, but it allows you to use 3D Extrusion shapes in the
container.
However, you can include tracks that use the 3D Sphere, 3D Plane, Cylinder,
Cube, and Page Turn shapes in a 3D Container that uses the 3D Model
Renderer. When you include one of these shape tracks in a 3D Model
Renderer Container, the track is called a 3D Primitive. This means that you
can now apply 3D parameters such as Materials, Textures, Reflection Maps
and Bump Maps to two dimensional shapes. In this section you convert the
effect that you created to a 3D Primitive and apply a bump map to the arrow.
Working with a 3D model container:

1. Click to select the first keyframe in the 3D Container track in the timeline.
2. In the Position tab in the Controls window, choose 3D Model from the
Renderer menu.
3. Select the Arrow track. Move the CTI into the effect to approximately
Time 00:00:01:10, so that you can see the arrow.
4. In the Controls window, click the Bump Map tab.Click to select the
checkbox to turn on the bump map for the Front face. A Rock bump map
is added to the Natural Media that is mapped to the Arrow track.
Checkbox
31
Avid FX Tutorials
5. The examples in this section show the Bump Map parameters set at the
default. If you want, you can adjust some of the parameters. See “Working
with the Bump Map Tab” on page 346 for details.
Preview to RAM. The arrow flies in from the left, passes through the
bullseye, then moves off the screen to the right. A Rock bump map texture
has been combined with the Natural media.
Time 00:00:01:00 Time 00:00:01:20 Time 00:00:02:10
Turning on a Cast Shadow
Unlike the shadows created by the Shadow tab, the 3D Model Container’s
Shadow tab controls the shadows created by the application of the three light
sources in the Lights tab. This creates true cast shadows. Use the Shadows tab
to turn the shadow for each light source on and off, and adjust the softness of
the shadow.
To turn on a cast shadow:

1. Click to select the 3D Container track in the timeline.
2. In the Shadows tab in the Controls window, click the checkbox to turn on
the first shadow.
32
Preview to RAM.
Time 00:00:01:00 Time 00:00:01:20 Time 00:00:02:10
Animating Objects in a 3D Container
In this section, you animate the container that contains the objects that you
already animated. Animating a container animates all the objects inside it
while preserving their spatial relationship to each other.
To animate objects in a 3D container:

1. Select the 3D Container track in the timeline, and select the first keyframe
in the track (Time 00:00:00:00). In the Position tab in the Controls
window, set the interpolation for Tumble X to Ease In/Out but leave
Tumble X at the default value.
2. Select the last keyframe in the 3D Container track (Time 00:00:03:00). In
the Position tab in the Controls window, set Tumble X to 90°.
3. Select Preview > Preview to RAM. The arrow and bullseye tumble
together as the arrow moves through the bullseye.
Time 00:00:01:00 Time 00:00:01:20 Time 00:00:02:10

Animated container
33
Avid FX Tutorials
Resetting the Default Interpolation
To reset the default interpolation type to Ease In/Out:

1. Choose Avid FX > Preferences (Macintosh) or Edit > Preferences
(Windows).
2. In the General tab, in the General Options section, set Default
Interpolation to Ease In/Out.
3. Click OK to apply the changes and exit the Preferences window.
Saving Settings to the Library Browser

To save settings to the Library browser:
2. Navigate to the “My Effects” folder that you created in Exercise One.
3. Click to select the Save Preview checkbox (Macintosh) or the With
Thumbnail Previews checkbox (Windows) in the bottom left corner.
4. Name your effect and click Save.
Exercise 4: Filtering Selectively with the

PixelChooser
The PixelChooser uses the source image’s color or luma information to apply
a filter to selected pixels. For example, you can use the PixelChooser to apply
noise only to the brightest or darkest areas of an image, depending on the luma
values you set. You can also apply another image to the PixelChooser Source
track, and use that image’s channels to selectively apply the filter to the source
image.
The PixelChooser also provides region controls that apply the filter to a
specified region in the image. This allows you to apply a filter to any
rectangular or oval-shaped region, and animate the region size to create wipes
between the filtered and unfiltered image.
34
Exercise 4: Filtering Selectively with the PixelChooser
In this exercise, you apply a blur filter to selected channels using the
PixelChooser’s Channel controls. The second part of the exercise shows you
how to create a wipe using the PixelChooser’s Region controls.
Applying a Blur to Selected Channels
In this section you use the PixelChooser to blur the source image’s luma
channel to create a glow effect.
To apply a blur to selected channels:

1. Press the Media icon on the Video 1 track and choose Still Image File
from the menu that appears. In the dialog box, choose “Grasses.pct,”
click Open.
2. Delete the Video 2 track by selecting it and pressing the Delete key
(Macintosh) or the Back Space key (Windows); you do not need it in this
exercise.
3. Apply a Directional Blur filter to the Grasses.pct track by selecting the
track, then choosing Filters > Color and Blurs > Directional Blur. The
source image blurs uniformly.
n For more information on filters, see Chapter 8 of the Avid FX User’s Guide.
35
Avid FX Tutorials
4. In the Controls window, click the PixelChooser tab.

5. Within this tab are separate Region and Channel tabs. Click the
Channel tab.
Region tab
Channel tab
6. Set the Make Mask From menu to Luminance. The PixelChooser now
creates a mask based on the source image’s luminance values, using one
of three Mask Types.
7. Select the View Pixels Chosen checkbox to view the mask in black and
white. The white areas of the mask show where the source image’s pixels
will be filtered, and the black areas of the mask show where the pixels will
remain unfiltered.
36
8. Select the Invert Mask checkbox to invert the luma values of the mask.
This creates the glow effect by blurring all pixels except the lightest.
9. Set the Mask Type menu to Levels, and use the Input Black and Input
White controls to adjust the mask and eliminate most of the gray
background regions. Increasing Input Black pushes dark gray pixels to
black; decreasing Input White pushes light gray pixels to white. Set the
interpolation for Input Black and Input White to Constant.
10. Deselect the View Pixels Chosen checkbox to view the composite. If you
want, click the Basic tab and adjust the amount of blur or the direction of
the blur to finetune the glow effect.
37
Avid FX Tutorials
Wiping Between the Original and Blurred Images
In this section you animate the PixelChooser’s Region controls to create a

wipe between the original image and the blurred image you just created.
To wipe between original and blurred images:

1. Click the Region tab in the PixelChooser tab, and set the Region Type
menu to Inside Rectangle. This setting applies the filter inside a
rectangular region whose top left corner is set using the Top Left X and
Top Left Y controls, and whose bottom right corner is set using the
Bottom Right X and Bottom Right Y controls.
2. Select the first keyframe in the Directional Blur track (Time 00:00:00:00).
Set Bottom Right X to 0 with Linear interpolation.
3. With the first keyframe still selected, set Blend to 10 with Hold
interpolation.
4. Play the sequence.
The blurred region of the image wipes from left to right. Notice that you
only have to set a parameter at one keyframe to animate in Avid FX. This
is because Avid FX animates from the parameter that you set (Bottom
Right X to 0) to the default value at the last keyframe (Bottom Right X
to 640).
Time 00:00:00:10 Time 00:00:00:20
38
Using the PixelChooser Track
You can also use a separate image’s color, luma, or alpha channels to
determine how the PixelChooser filters the source image.
To use the PixelChooser Track:

1. Expand the Directional Blur track to reveal the PixelChooser Track.
2. Press the Media icon to assign the still image “Burst.pct” to the
PixelChooser Track.
3. Reselect the Directional Blur track.
4. In the PixelChooser tab in the Controls window, click the Channel tab. Set
the Make Mask From menu to Alpha.
5. Select the Use PixelChooser Track checkbox, and make sure that the
Invert Mask checkbox is not selected.
The blurred portion of the image now corresponds to the alpha channel of
the PixelChooser Track image.
39
Avid FX Tutorials
Exercise 5: Creating a Rolling Title Effect

The Avid FX Title Container allows you to easily create title rolls, crawls and
other effects with multiple title pages. The container automatically aligns and
animates the title pages so that you do not have to set keyframes in the
timeline.
You can create title pages by setting a track’s media type to Text. This opens
the Text window where you can type, edit or import text and set the font, size,
justification, color, opacity, spacing, shadows, and borders. The parameters in
the Text window are applied on a character basis, meaning that you can apply
separate styles to different characters in a track. However, the Text window
parameters do not create tracks in the timeline. Therefore they cannot be
animated.
The Style Palette allows you to save favorite styles and apply them to other
text effects. These styles can be copied and shared with other users or used on
other computers. In this exercise you create a title page then save the styles
from the page and apply them to other pages. Then you create a multi-page
rolling title using a Title Container.
Creating a Title Page

To create a title page:
1. Create a new composition and rename the Video 1 track “Credit 1,” and
the Video 2 track “Background.”
2. Press the Media icon in the Background track and choose Color from the
menu. Access the color picker by selecting the Face track and using the
color picker in the Color Media tab in the Controls window to assign the
Background track a black color.
3. Press the Media icon in the Credit 1 track and choose Text from the menu.
The Text window opens.
40
4. In the Style tab in the Text window, use the menus to set the font and size
of the text and center justify the text.
Style tab Font menu Font size menu Center Justification button
5. Click in the Text window and type “Name 1.”

6. Press Return (Macintosh) or Enter (Windows), and type “Title 1” on the
next line.
7. Select the “Title 1” text. Click the Color Fill tab to open the color fill
controls.
Color Fill tab
8. Select Color from the Text Fill list.

9. Use Style Color to assign this text a different color.
41
Avid FX Tutorials
10. Click Update to display the changes you made in the Composite window,
but do not close the Text window. Your Composite window should appear
similar to the following example.
11. Complete the steps in the following section.
Saving and Applying Styles

To use the Style Palette to save, name, and apply styles for future use:
1. Click the Style Palette button at the bottom of the Text window, and then
click the Text tab. The style you are currently using is displayed in the
thumbnail in the left column of the Style Palette.
2. To create a category for this style, click the Add Category icon. Type the
name “Credit Roll Styles” in the dialog box and click OK.
42
Add
Category
Add Style
Rename
Style
3. To add the current style to the selected category, select the Name 1 text in
the Text window and click the Add Style icon.
4. Click the thumbnail for the new style, click the Rename Style icon, type
“Name Style” in the dialog box and click OK. The thumbnail and name of
the style appear in the right column.
5. In the Text window, select the Title 1 text and click the Add Style icon.
Enter the name “Title Style” in the dialog box and click OK. The
thumbnail and name of the style appear in the right column.
To create a new text track, and apply the saved styles to it:
1. Activate the timeline and choose Track > New Text Page to create a new
text track. Rename the new track “Credit 2.”
2. Double-click the “Name Style” thumbnail in the Style Palette to apply that
style to the Text window. Then type “Name 2” in the Text window.
3. On the next line, Type “Title 2,” select the text and double-click the Title
Style thumbnail in the Style Palette to apply that style to the Text window.
4. Click Update in the Text window.
43
Avid FX Tutorials
n Because the title pages are centered, they overlap in the Composite window.
Do not reposition them now—later you will place them in a Title Container,
which automatically positions text pages.
5. Repeat steps 6 through 9 to create another text track named “Credit 3,”
containing the text “Name 3” and “Title 3.” Apply the Name Style and
Title Style to the text. Click Update and close the Text window.
Rolling the Text Pages

To roll the text pages you created by placing them in a Title Container:
1. Select the Credit 1 track and choose Track > New Title Container or click
the Add Title Container button in the Timeline. A new Title Container is
created and Credit 1 is automatically nested inside.
2. Shift-select the Credit 2 and Credit 3 tracks and drag them into the Title
Container track. Position them in the order shown in this illustration.
3. Click to select the Title Container track and in the Animation tab in the
Controls window, set the Animation Style menu to Roll.
4. Click to select the Credit 1 track. In the Page tab in the Controls window,
set the Page Header to 100 to add some space between the text pages.
Repeat this step for the Credit 2 and Credit 3 tracks.
5. Play the sequence. The three title pages are automatically positioned and
animated.
Time 00:00:00:10 Time 00:00:00:15 Time 00:00:00:20
44
Masking the Edges of the Text Frame
Now you mask the edges of the text frame so that the credit roll appears to
fade in and out at the Title Safe Area.
To mask the edges of the text frame:

1. Choose Preview > Mark > Title-Safe Area to display the title safe grid in
the Composite window.
2. Click to select the Title Container track.
3. In the Animation tab, adjust Mask Top and Mask Bottom to mask the text
at the edges at the top and bottom edges of the frame.
You may want to move the CTI into the credit roll so that you can see
what you are doing.
The examples show Mask Top and Mask Bottom values of 55, but you can
set these parameters to whatever you like.
4. In the Animation tab, adjust Blend Top and Blend Bottom to soften the
edges of the mask.
The examples show Blend Top and Blend Bottom values of 20, but you
can set these parameters to whatever you like.
45
Avid FX Tutorials
5. Turn off the title safe grid by choosing Preview > Mark > None.
6. Play your credit roll or choose Preview > Preview to RAM.
Time 00:00:01:05 Time 00:00:03:10 Time 00:00:04:10
n When you work in OpenGL mode, you do not see non-accelerated objects
when you use the on-screen interactors. Non-accelerated objects include
masks. If your masks don’t appear, make sure that you are working in High
Quality. For more information on OpenGL mode, see “Working with the
OpenGL Interactors” on page 171 in the Avid FX User’s Guide.
7. To save your credit roll in the Project window, choose Composition >
Save Composition.
8. In the Project window, click the Composition and rename it by pressing
Return (Macintosh) or Enter (Windows), typing the name and pressing
Return or Enter again.
Exercise 6: Creating Animated Text Effects

Avid FX allows you to easily create animated text effects. The Path tab allows
you to create text on a path—that is, text which wraps around a spline object.
The Spline Object media type allows you to create, animate, and edit shapes
composed of splines or paths.
46
Creating a Type On Effect

To create a Type On effect:
1. Choose Composition > New Composition to create a new effect.
2. Press the Media icon in the Video 2 track and choose Color from the
menu. Access the color picker by selecting the Face track and using the
color picker in the Color Media tab in the Controls window to assign the
track a black color. Rename the track “Background.”
3. Press the Media icon in the Video 1 track and choose Text from the menu.
4. The Text window appears. Click in the window and type “Text on a Path.”
5. Select the text and make any adjustments to the font, text color, shadow
and fill properties. The examples in this exercise use the font Monaco at
72 points, but you can use any font and size that you like.
6. Make sure that Text Wrap is set to No Wrap. This parameter is found in
the Page tab in the Text window. By default it is set to No Wrap.
7. When the text appears the way that you want, click Update then close the
Text window.
8. In the Timeline window, select the Text on a Path track.
press F to toggle to the Face track.
10. Select the Face track’s first keyframe.

11. With the Face track selected, select the Type On tab in the Controls
window. Set Text Type On to 0 with Ease In/Out interpolation.
47
Avid FX Tutorials
12. Set Tumble to 0 Rotations and 90°.

When you finish, the tab should look like the following example.
13. Set the duration of the effect to three seconds by typing 00:00:03:00 into
the Duration field in the Timeline window and pressing Return
(Macintosh) or Enter (Windows).
14. Choose Preview > Preview to RAM to preview the animation. The text
appears to type on screen one character at a time.
15. To save your effect in the Project window, choose Composition > Save
Composition.
Return (Macintosh) or Enter (Windows), typing a name and pressing
48
17. Return the CTI to the start of the effect, then choose Preview > Preview
to RAM.
Time 00:00:01:00 Time 00:00:02:00 Time 00:00:03:00
Creating Text on Path
Now you put the Type On text that you created on a motion path using the
media from the previous exercise.
To create text on a path:

1. Select the first keyframe in the Face track for the Text track.
2. In the Path tab in the Controls window, click to select the Make Path
Track checkbox. The Text Path track is a Spline Object media track which
appears just below the text’s Face track in the timeline.
Solid Arrow tool Hollow Arrow tool
Rotate tool Text tool
Oval tool Rectangle tool

Scissors tool Pen tool
Pencil tool Brush tool
Multi-Frame mode Mirror mode
Magnifying glass
Hand tool
Stroke color chip

Fill color chip
49
Avid FX Tutorials
3. Select the Text Path track in the timeline. The Tool window opens. The
Tool window contains tools which create and edit spline objects in the
Composite window.
If the Tool window does not appear, you can open the Tool window by
choosing Window > Show Tool Window or pressing Command–6
(Macintosh) or Control–6 (Windows).
4. With the Text Path track selected, select the Oval tool from the Tool
window and draw an oval in the composite window.
If you want, press the Shift key to constrain this tool to draw a circle
instead of an oval. The Shift key also constrains the Rectangle tool to
draw squares.
The Composite window updates, showing the text wrapped around the
spline object in the Text Path track.
5. Choose Preview > Preview to RAM to preview the animation.

The text should snap onto the circular spline path, appearing one character
at a time. Now that the text is in place you can animate a few parameters
in the Type On tab.
press F to select the Face track.
7. Select the Type On tab in the Controls window.
8. Select the first keyframe and set Tumble to 100, Spin to 135 and Rotate
to 300.
9. Preview the effect. The text appears to pop and rock into place along the
spline. If you cannot see the effect, try slowing down the animation by
changing its duration to five seconds.
10. Changing the parameters under the Type On tab affects each character as
it “types” onscreen. Try animating some of the other parameters and
experiment with other animation effects.
50
Composition.
Creating a Text Reveal

To create a text animation where text appears to reveal itself:
1. Choose Composition > New Composition to create a new effect. Set the
duration to one second.
2. Choose Gradient for the source media for the Video 2 track. The track is
automatically renamed “Gradient.”A gradient is a graduated blending of
two or more colors. For more information, see “Creating Gradients” on
page 185.
press F to select the Face track. The Gradient tabs appear in the Controls
window.
4. Click to select the Color Stops tab if it isn’t already selected. Leave the
Gradient at the default grayscale colors and set the Gradient Angle
to -125.
Set to -
125
degrees
5. Press the Media icon in the Video 1 track and choose Text for the source
media.
51
Avid FX Tutorials
6. The Text window appears. Click in the window and type “Reveal.” Select
the text and make any adjustments. When the text appears the way that
you want, click Update then close the Text window. The examples in this
exercise use the font Coronet at 132 points, but you can use any font that
you like. Cursive fonts work best for this exercise.
7. Create a new Spline track by clicking the Add Paint Layer button. The
track is automatically renamed “Spline Track.”
8. The Tool window opens with the Brush tool automatically selected. If the
Tool window does not appear, select the Spline track’s Face track in the
timeline and choose Window > Show Tool Window or press Command–6
(Macintosh) or Control–6 (Windows).
9. In the Composite window, using one continuous stroke, trace over the
word “Reveal” just as if you were writing. Don’t worry if you miss any of
the letters.
n If the brush stroke doesn’t appear in the Composite window, click to select the
Brush Tab in the Controls window and select the Brush On checkbox.
10. In the Tool window, select the Pen tool.

11. In the Composite window, click the brush stroke you created. Control
points appear. Use the Pen tool to make any necessary adjustments. When
you click a Control point, bézier handles appear. Drag the bézier handles
to adjust the Control point so that all of the underlying text is covered. If
you want, click the Scale button in the Composite window and choose a
larger image size.
12. To manipulate each bézier handle independently, press the Option key
(Macintosh) or the Alt key (Windows) as you drag the handle.You can
Option-click to create additional Control points.
52
13. Use the controls in the Brush tab to make the brush stroke wider. Select
the Face track, click the Brush Tab in the Controls window and set Size to
8 with Hold interpolation.
14. Drag the Spline track into the Mask track nested inside the Reveal track.
When you finish, your timeline should look like the following example.
15. Click to select the first keyframe in the Face track of the Spline Track. In
the Controls window, in the Brush tab, set the Stroke End to 0 with
Linear interpolation.
16. Preview the effect. The spline that you created acts as a mask, revealing
the underlying text so that it appears to write on to the screen.
Time 00:00:00:10 Time 00:00:00:15 Time 00:00:00:20
Composition.
53
Avid FX Tutorials
Exercise 7: Creating a Chroma Key Effect

In this exercise, you use the Chroma Key filter to key out the background of an
image and superimpose it over a new background. You also use Clean Up
Alpha to refine the matte created by the Chroma Key, and then apply
Levels/Gamma to match the foreground to the new background.
Creating the Garbage Matte
A “garbage matte” is used to discard unwanted portions of the background

before keying takes place. Using a garbage matte can produce a cleaner key
and speed processing time.
In this section, you import foreground and background media, apply the
Chroma Key filter, and create the garbage matte.
To create a garbage matte:

1. At the bottom of the Controls window, click to set the Animate button to
Constant interpolation. The top button at right shows the Animate button
in Default interpolation: the bottom button is in Constant
interpolation.You do not need to animate any parameters in this exercise.
2. Press the Media icon in the Video 1 track, and choose Still Image File
from the menu. A dialog box lets you navigate to the file’s location. Open
“Mango Green Screen.pct” from the PracticeMedia\AvidFX folder on the
Online Library. Rename the track “Dog.”
3. Press the Media icon in the Video 2 track, and choose Still Image File
from the menu. Open “Silhouette trees.pct” from the Avid FX CD.
Rename the track “Background.”
4. Click the Background track’s Visibility icon to hide the track while you
work with the greenscreen track.
Click to hide track
5. Press the Controls button in the Composite window and make sure that
Controls button Checkerboard is selected. This sets the background of the Composite
window so that a checkerboard pattern represent transparent areas.
54
6. Select the Dog track. Choose Filters > Keys and Mattes > Chroma Key to
apply a Chroma Key filter to the track.
n For more information on filters, see Chapter 8 of the Avid FX User’s Guide.
7. Select the Chroma Key track that is nested inside the Face track inside the
Dog track.
8. In the Controls window, click the Garbage Matte tab.
9. Click the Lock icon to unlock the parameter values in order to adjust the
settings independently. Adjust the Left and Top settings to eliminate as
much of the green background as possible without cutting off any of the
foreground subject. The Left value should be set to about 53, and the Top
value set to about 34.
Click to unlock parameters
55
Avid FX Tutorials
When you finish, your Composite window should look like the following
example.
Creating and Adjusting the Matte
In this section, you create and adjust a matte using the Chroma Key and Clean
Up Alpha filters.
To create and adjust a matte:

1. Click the Matte tab in the Controls window.
2. To set the Key Color (the color to key out), click the Eyedropper, then
click the green background in the Composite window, close to the
subject’s hairline.
Eyedropper
The area whose color matches the Key Color becomes transparent.
56
3. To view the matte you created, press the Channel button in the Composite
window, and choose Alpha from the menu.
Channel button
The Composite window displays the alpha channel of the keyed image in
black and white. White areas are opaque in the output, black areas are
transparent, and gray areas are semi-transparent. The matte is somewhat
crisp and mildly aliased around the edges.
4. Select the Dog track. Choose Filters > Keys and Mattes > Matte Choker.
This helps soften the edges of the matte.
Another very helpful filter often used in conjunction with the Chroma Key
is the Clean Up Alpha filter. For more information on filters, see the Avid
FX User’s Guide.
57
Avid FX Tutorials
5. To view the keyed foreground against the background, press the Channel
button and choose RGB from the menu. Then click the Background
track’s Visibility icon to restore the background.
Adjusting the Foreground Image
Because the foreground and background media were shot in different lighting
environments, you need to adjust the color and contrast of the foreground to
match the background.
In this case, the foreground appears washed out when composited against the
high-contrast background and has noise in the dark areas. In this part of the
exercise, you use a Levels/Gamma filter to adjust the foreground image.
1. Select the Dog track, and choose Filters > Color and Blurs >
Levels/Gamma.
2. Select the Levels/Gamma track that is nested inside the Dog track’s Face
track.
58
3. In the Basic tab in the Controls window, increase the Input Black setting
to increase the range of gray values that are output to black. Set Input
Black to about 10 to eliminate the noise from the dark areas.
4. Decrease Input White slightly to a value of about 225 to brighten the light
areas in the foreground and increase the contrast.
The foreground image now matches the background more closely.

5. At the bottom of the Controls window, click to return the Animate button
to Default interpolation.
Composition.
59
Avid FX Tutorials
Exercise 8: Creating a Custom Scatter Wipe Effect

Many Avid FX filters can use gradients as input media to customize an effect.
For example, the Displacement Map filter uses the luma information in a
gradient to determine how to displace the pixels in the source image.
You can use the Gradient media type to create, edit, and save still gradients to
use as media. The gradient editor can create gradients of any color or
transparency, and provides control over the midpoint, steepness, and shape of
the gradient.
In this exercise, you create a gradient to use as the Wipe Gradient in a 3D

Image Shatter transition. This effect causes shards to break off from the source
image in a wipe-like fashion and disperse. You then finetune the effect by
adjusting the shards’ shape, velocity, gravity, and rotation.
Importing a Movie File
In this section you import a movie file to use as the source media, adjust the
project size, and trim the head of the clip.
To import a movie:
1. Choose Composition >New Composition to create a new effect.
2. Set the timeline duration to three seconds by typing 00:00:03:00 in the
Duration field in the Timeline window and pressing Return (Macintosh)
or Enter (Windows).
3. Press the Media icon in the Video 1 track, and choose Movie File from the
menu. A dialog box lets you navigate to the file’s location. Open
“Water.mov,” found in the PracticeMedia\AvidFX folder on the Online
Library. Rename the Video 1 track “Water.”
4. Press the Media icon in the Video 2 track, and choose Color from the
menu.
press F to toggle to the Face track. Use the controls in the ColorMedia tab
to assign the track a black color.
6. Rename the Video 2 track “Background.”
60
7. Expand the Water track to reveal its nested tracks. Select the Face track.
The track’s Media tab appears in the Controls window.
Creating the Wipe Gradient
In this section you apply the 3D Image Shatter to a track and apply Gradient
media to the filter’s Wipe Gradient track. Then you use the gradient editor to
create a custom gradient wipe.
61
Avid FX Tutorials
To create a custom gradient wipe:

1. Select the Water track and Choose Filters > Distortion and Perspective >
3D Image Shatter. A 3D Image Shatter track is nested inside the Water
track’s Face track.
2. Expand the 3D Image Shatter track to reveal its nested tracks.

3. Press the Media icon in the Wipe Gradient track and choose Gradient.
The Gradient editing controls appear in the Controls window.
4. Drag color stop 1 on the gradient editor all the way to the left, to a value
of 0.
Drag black color stop to set start of
62
5. Click to the right of color stop 1 to create another black color stop. Drag
this color stop 3 all the way to the right, to a Position of 1.00.
Click anywhere in this area to create a new color stop
6. Drag color stop 2 to the center, to a Position of .50.
Your gradient preview should now look like the following illustration.
Creating the Scatter Wipe
The 3D Image Shatter uses the gradient you created to determine the order in
which shards break from the image. Particles break off first where the gradient
is darkest, and last where the gradient is lightest. This gradient is darkest at the
left and right edges and lightest in the center, so particles break off at the edges
first and then wipe to the center of the image.
To animate the 3D Image Shatter effect:

1. Select the 3D Image Shatter track in the timeline, and click the Particles
tab in the Controls window.
2. Set the Automate Scatter menu to Manual to override the preset
animations and animate the effect manually.
63
Avid FX Tutorials
3. Select the first keyframe in the 3D Image Shatter track (Time

00:00:00:00). Set the interpolation type for Scatter to Linear, but leave
Scatter set to 0.
4. Select the last keyframe in the 3D Image Shatter track (Time
00:00:03:00), and set Scatter to 3000. Set the Interpolation to Hold.
5. Return the CTI to the beginning of the effect. Play the effect or preview it
to RAM.
Time 00:00:00:01 Time 00:00:00:05 Time 00:00:00:10
n 3D Image Shatter can be memory-intensive. You may need to set Resolution to

Half or Quarter before previewing to RAM. Otherwise, you may not have
enough RAM available to preview the entire effect.
Press to choose Resolution
To create the scatter wipe effect:

1. Click the Animate button in the Controls window to set it to Constant
Interpolation. The top button (red) at right shows the Animate button in
Default Interpolation: the bottom button (white) shows Constant. While
the Animate button is in this position, any parameters that you change are
automatically assigned Constant interpolation.
2. Select the first keyframe in the 3D Image Shatter track (Time
00:00:00:00), and click the Scatter Wipe tab in the Controls window.
3. Set the Scatter Wipe menu to On.
4. Set the Scatter Wipe Type menu to Custom. The scatter wipe effect now
uses the custom gradient in the Wipe Gradient track.
5. Set Wipe Gradient to 1600 to increase the amount of time it takes the
image to completely break up.
64
6. Play the effect or preview it to RAM. Particles break off first at the left
and right edges, and break off last in the center of the image.
Time 00:00:01:05 Time 00:00:01:15 Time 00:00:01:25
Adjusting Particle Shape and Movement
In this section of the exercise, you work with a number of 3D Image Shatter
controls to create an effect in which long, thin particles break off from the
image, beginning at the left and right edges, and fall to the bottom of the
screen.
To adjust particle shape and movement:

1. Select the first keyframe in the 3D Image Shatter track.
2. Move the CTI to Time 00:00:01:00 by typing 1:00 in the Time field in the
timeline and pressing Return (Macintosh) or Enter (Windows). This
allows you to see the particles as you adjust their parameter values at the
first keyframe.
65
Avid FX Tutorials
3. Click the Particles tab in the Controls window. Set XY Ratio to 10,000 to
create long, thin particles.
4. Click the Rotation tab in the Controls window. You may have to scroll
over to see the Rotation tab. Set Rotate X to 5, Rotate Y to 0, and Rotate Z
to 0 to rotate the particles slowly around the X axis.
5. Click the Velocity tab in the Controls window.
6. Set Velocity to 275 to make the particles move more slowly, thereby
making them appear more dense.
7. Set the Velocity Type menu to Centrifugal to pull the particles away from
the center as they move.
66
Exercise 9: Creating a 3D Text Effect
8. Click the Gravity tab in the Controls window. Set Gravity Amount to
about 250 to increase the gravitational force on the particles as they move.
9. At the bottom of the Controls window, click to return the Animate button
to Default interpolation.
10. Return the CTI to the beginning of the effect and play the sequence or
preview it to RAM.
Time 00:00:01:00 Time 00:00:01:15 Time 00:00:02:00

In this exercise, you create a 3D Text effect using the Text window and the 3D
Extrusion shape controls. This exercise also covers texture mapping, lighting
controls and bump mapping.
n 3D Extrusion is a memory-intensive feature. For this reason it is particularly

useful to use a lower resolution and/or Draft preview mode while previewing
the effect.
67
Avid FX Tutorials
Using the Text Window to Format Text
In this section, you use the controls in the Text window to input and format
text.
To format input and format text:

1. Choose File > New Project.
2. In the timeline, set the Duration to two seconds (00:00:02:00).
3. Rename the Video 2 track “Background.” Change the track’s media type
to Color and choose a black color for the track.
4. Rename the Video 1 track “Avid FX 3D Text.” Press the Shape icon and
set the track’s shape type to 3D Extrusion. Press the Media icon and set
the track’s media type to Text.
The Text window opens.
5. Click in the Text window and type “Avid FX 3D Text.”
The illustrations use Arial at 72 points, but you can use whatever font you
like. You should pick a font that looks appropriate when extruded.
6. Select “3D” and set the font Size by entering 96 in the numerical field and
pressing Return (Macintosh) or Enter (Windows).
7. Double-click to select the word “Text” and change the size of the
characters to 122 points.
8. The Size buttons scale the size of all fonts. This is useful if your text
contains multiple font sizes and you want to scale all sizes up or down
Click to scale
equally. Click the left Size button to decrease the scale by an integer of 10.
68
9. Set Tracking to 2. Tracking affects the text globally regardless of the

selected text.
10. Select the “Te” in “Text”. Decrease Kerning to –5 to move the two
characters closer together.
11. Select the words “Avid FX.” Increase kerning to 4 to move characters
farther apart.
12. Click Update and close the Text window.
13. Choose Preview > Preview to Ram to preview the effect in the Composite
window.
By default, Avid FX assigns the default plastic material from the Materials
tab to all four sides. In the next section you adjust the materials and map
media to the text.
Mapping Media to the Faces of the Text
In this exercise, you map a PICT file to the front and back faces of 3D text and
then use an aluminum material on the extrusions and bevels. The Textures tab
assigns media to the faces of a 3D Extrusion. When you select texture tracks in
the Textures tab, the texture tracks are used instead of the material specified in
the Materials tab. You use both texture tracks and materials on the same 3D
Extrusion.
To map media to the faces of the text:

1. Select the Avid FX 3D Text track and click the Materials tab in the
Controls window.
2. Set the Face Count menu to 2. This allows you to apply the same texture
to the Extrusion and Bevel and a different texture to the Front and Back
Faces.
The Back and Bevel tabs disappear when you change the Face Count.
69
Avid FX Tutorials
3. Click the Extrusions tab on the left.

4. Choose Aluminum from the Type menu.
When you choose Aluminum, the Aluminum material parameters appear
in the tab.
5. If you want, adjust some of the Aluminum parameters. Make sure to set
their interpolation to Constant or Hold. For more information, see
“Working with the Materials Tab” on page 342.
Face Count
Menu
Extrusions Tab
Type menu
70
6. Click the Textures tab in the Controls window.
Selects the
Front Face
7. Select the checkbox for the Front Face. Do not select any other
checkboxes. This allows you to map a media file to the Front and Back
Faces. The parameters in the Materials tab are used on the other faces.
8. Leave the Map Method menu set to Clip. This maps an image directly to
the center of the face. If the image is smaller than the face, the underlying
material is visible. You can use the Position X and Position Y parameters
to reposition the image. The Scale X and Y parameters allow you to resize
the image so that it covers all of the text. You specify the image using the
Texture tracks in the timeline.
9. Expand the Avid 3D Text track to reveal the Front Texture track.
Choose Still Image File

from the Media icon.
Press the Media icon on the Front Texture track and choose Still Image
File from the menu. Navigate to “Waves.pct” in the Tutorial Files folder
on your Avid FX CD and click Open. The Waves image displays on the
front face of the text.
71
Avid FX Tutorials
Your effect should appear similar to the following image.
10. Complete the steps in the next section.
Working with 3D Extrusion Shape Controls
In this section, you use the 3D Extrusion shape controls to animate the
tracking of the text in the effect. Unlike the parameters in the Text window, the
parameters in the Controls window each have a track on the timeline and can
be animated. Parameters in the Text window act as static properties of the
effect and cannot be animated.
To use the 3D Extension shape controls:

1. Open the Preferences window by choosing Avid FX > Preferences
(Macintosh) or Edit > Preferences (Windows) and make sure that the
default interpolation type to Ease In/Out.
2. Select the first keyframe on the Text track, nested inside the Avid 3D Text
track in the timeline. In the Controls window, in the Transform tab, set the
Tracking value to 150. Tracking controls the horizontal spacing between
characters in the text. Tracking affects the text globally.
3. Move the CTI to time 00:00:01:00. Press Command-N (Macintosh) or
Control-N (Windows) to create a new keyframe.
4. In the Controls window, in the Transform tab, set the Tracking value to 0,
then set its interpolation type to Hold.
72
5. Preview the effect. The characters begin far apart, so that only the center
of the text appears on screen. As the effect progresses, the characters
move closer together. Halfway through the effect, the characters all appear
on screen, and remain static until the end of the effect.
Time 00:00:00:10 Time 00:00:00:20 Time 00:00:01:00
Working with Lighting Controls
In this section, you work with the 3D Extrusion lighting controls to create a
more dramatic effect. 3D Extrusion provides three independent light sources
that you can adjust individually to create complex lighting effects. In this
exercise, you only work with Light 1. At the default settings, the Light 2 and
Light 3 Intensity values are turned off, so they do not affect the text.
To work with 3D Extension lighting controls:

1. Select the Avid FX 3D Text track and click the Lights tab in the Controls
window. The lighting controls appear.
2. Click to select the Light 1 checkbox, if it is not already selected.
Light 1 checkbox
73
Avid FX Tutorials
3. Select the first keyframe in the 3D Avid Text track. Set Intensity to 0 with
Ease In/Out interpolation. Set Ambient to 50 with Ease In/Out
interpolation. At the first keyframe in the effect, the effect is lit entirely by
diffuse Ambient light.
4. Move the CTI to Time 00:00:01:00. With the Avid 3D Text track still
selected, create a new keyframe and set Ambient to 0 with Hold
interpolation. Then set Intensity to 200 with Hold interpolation.
74
At the second keyframe in the effect, the text is lit entirely by Light 1.
5. With the keyframe at 00:00:01:00 still selected, set Light X to 0 with Ease
In/Out interpolation. This moves the Light 1 source to the left edge of the
screen.
6. Select the last keyframe in the effect and set Light X to 640 with Hold
interpolation. This moves the Light 1 source to the right edge of the
screen.
75
Avid FX Tutorials
7. Preview the effect to RAM. The animated tracking moves the characters
together until they all appear on screen. At the same time, the diffuse
ambient light is replaced by Light 1, which points at the left side of the
screen. During the second half of the effect, the text remains still while the
light sweeps across.
Time 00:00:00:20 Time 00:00:01:10 Time 00:00:01:25
8. Complete the steps in the next section.
Creating a Bump Map
Now you replace the image mapped to the front face with a bump map. A
bump map to create three dimensional detail based on the luminance
information. The luminance value of each pixel of the image creates height,
with brighter pixels creating more height. You can create the bump map from a
procedural texture or you can use a media file. You use a procedural texture in
this exercise.
To create a bump map:

1. Select the Avid 3D Text track and click the Textures tab in the Controls
window.
2. Deselect the checkbox for the Front Face. The Waves texture is replaced
by the plastic material.
3. Select the keyframe at time 00:00:01:00 in the Avid 3D Text track. Click
the Bump Map tab in the Controls window.
4. Select the checkbox for the Front Face.
5. Make sure that the Source menu is set to Procedural. This is the default
setting.
6. Choose Reptilian from the Type menu. Reptilian creates a texture
resembling a scaly or spotted animal skin.
76
Exercise 10: Creating a Displacement Map Effect
7. Deselect the Color On checkbox. When this checkbox is deselected, the

color values of the underlying material also set the color values of the
applied bump map; the bump map only sets the luminance values. For
more information, see “Working with the Bump Map Tab” on page 346.
8. Preview the effect to RAM. The animated tracking still moves the
characters together until they all appear on screen. At the same time, the
diffuse ambient light is replaced by Light 1, which animates across the
screen. However, now the text uses the Reptilian bump map instead of the
waves image.
Time 00:00:00:10 Time 00:00:01:20 Time 00:00:01:25
9. Save your project to the Avid FX Library Browser. See “Saving Settings”
on page 12 for details.

In this exercise, you apply a Displacement Map filter to a logo, then distort the
logo based on another image’s color information. A Displacement Map
distorts the source image using the color or luma channel information of
another image, called a “map track.”
Applying the Displacement Map

To apply a displacement map:
1. Choose Composition > New Composition.
2. Set the timeline duration to three seconds (00:00:03:00).
3. Import the still media file “Avid logo.psd,” found in the
PracticeMedia\AvidFX folder on the Online Library, into the Video 1
track.
77
Avid FX Tutorials
4. Import the movie file “Fire.mov,” found in the PracticeMedia\AvidFX

folder on the Online Library, into the Video 2 track.
Your Composite window should now look like the following illustration.
5. Select the “Avid logo.psd” track by clicking the logo in the Composite
window.
6. Choose Filters > Distortion and Perspective > Displacement Map. A
Displacement Map filter is nested inside the Avid Logo track’s Face track.
By default, the Displacement Map uses Video 1 as the map track, so the
distortion is based on the soccer ball proxy image and produces the
distortion shown in the following illustration.
n The map track uses the Video 1 source from your host application for the
displacement.
78
Creating the Map Track
You replace the existing Map Track with the Fire media, so that the fire
appears to distort the logo.
To create a map track:

1. Select the Fire track by clicking the fire image in the Composite window.
2. Duplicate the Fire track either by choosing Edit > Duplicate Track or
using the keyboard shortcut Command-D (Macintosh) or Control-D
(Windows).
3. Expand the Displacement Map track in the timeline to reveal the Map
Track.
4. Drag the copy of the Fire track into the Map Track.
5. Preview the effect to RAM. The logo is distorted by the fire, and the
distortion pattern updates with each new frame of the movie.
79
Avid FX Tutorials
Animating the Effect
You animate the logo’s opacity and the distortion to make the logo appear to
emerge from the flames and finish undistorted.
To animate an effect:
1. Select the first keyframe in the Displacement Map track. In the
Displacement tab in the Controls window, set Max. Horizontal and Max.
Vertical to 30.
2. Without moving the CTI, select the first keyframe in the “Avid logo” track
in the timeline. Set Opacity to 0.
3. Select the last keyframe in the effect. Select the Displacement Map track
and set Max. Horizontal and Max. Vertical to 0.
4. Return the CTI to the start of the effect, then preview the effect to RAM.
Time 00:00:01:00 Time 00:00:02:00 Time 00:00:03:00
Adjusting the Animation
The distortion is somewhat difficult to see because the logo is still fairly
transparent when the logo is most distorted. To correct this problem, use the
Value Curves in the timeline to adjust how the distortion animates over time.
80
To adjust the animation:

1. Expand the Displacement track in the timeline to reveal its
Transformations track. Expand the Transformations track to reveal the
Displacement track. Expand the Displacement track to reveal the Max.
Horizontal and Max. Vertical tracks. Then expand the Max. Horizontal
track to reveal the value curve for the parameter.
2. Adjust the wheel control on the left to view a smaller range of values and
a more detailed curve.
3. Drag the bézier handle at the last keyframe to adjust the curve so that the
Max. Horizontal value remains closer to 30 for a longer portion of the
effect.
4. Repeat these steps to adjust the curve of the Max. Vertical control.
5. Save your project to the Avid FX Library Browser. See “Saving Settings”
on page 12 for details.
81
Avid FX Tutorials
82

Avid FX Tutorials: Understanding The Tutorial Exercises

Hochgeladen von

Dokumentinformationen

Originaltitel

Copyright

Verfügbare Formate

Dieses Dokument teilen

Dokument teilen oder einbetten

Freigabeoptionen

Stufen Sie dieses Dokument als nützlich ein?

Sind diese Inhalte unangemessen?

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Avid FX Tutorials: Understanding The Tutorial Exercises

Hochgeladen von

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Avid FX Tutorials

Understanding the Tutorial Exercises

See the following topics:

• Exercise 4: Filtering Selectively with the PixelChooser

To start Avid FX from within an Avid editing application:

5. Click the Other Options button.

Controls window Composite window

Project window Timeline window

To finish using Avid FX within an Avid editing application:

To open Avid FX as a standalone application:

Exercise 1: Animating an Image Using Keyframes

Importing Still Image Files

Animating the 3D Plane Shape

Avid FX includes two types of keyframes, master keyframes and parameter

To animate the 3D Plane shape:

Time Field Current Time Indicator (CTI) Keyframes

2. Move the Current Time Indicator (CTI) to frame 10 (Time

Lock Numerical Field Slider

A new keyframe is automatically created at frame 10, and the Columns

3. Move the CTI to frame 10 (Time 00:00:00:10).

Time 00:00:00:10 Time 00:00:00:15 Time 00:00:00:21

Working with Bézier Curves

To work with Bézier curves:

Value curve controls Bézier handle Value curve

3. Drag either of the handles to move them up or down or lengthen them.

4. To manipulate the direction of each bézier handle independently, press the

To save your settings:

3. Choose File > Save Project Copy to Library.

Exercise 2: Creating a Multi Input Page Turn

Creating a Page Turn Transition

4. Rename the Video 1 track “Page Turn.”

5. Rename the Video 2 track “Background.”

Time 00:00:00:20 Time 00:00:00:25

Mapping Media to Front and Back Faces

To map media to front and back faces:

Disclosure triangle Multi/Single Input icon

Time 00:00:00:20 Time 00:00:00:25

Applying Upstream and Downstream Filters

To apply a Ripple filter to the page turn at the upstream position:

To create a downstream filter effect

To save the filter effect:

Exercise 3: Animating Masked Tracks in a 3D

A mask is a section of media that contains an alpha (transparent) channel,

Any mask can be applied as either an upstream or downstream mask. These

Creating Multiple Tracks

To create multiple effects:

Category menu Gradient tab

12. Choose Radial2.grd from the Category menu.

In the next section you apply masks to your effect.

Applying Masks to a Track

9. In the next section you change the duration of your effect.

In the next section you nest your tracks in a 3D Container.

Manipulating Tracks Within a 3D Container

Placing two or more tracks inside a 3D Container preserves the spatial

Creating the 3D Container

To create the 3D container:

If no tracks are selected, the 3D Container appears at the top of the

Setting Static Parameters

The Constant interpolation type allows you to make parameter adjustments

To set static parameters:

Working with the OpenGL Interactors

Avid FX’s OpenGL hardware acceleration speeds previews. In OpenGL mode,

To work with the OpenGL Interactors: