Adding effects to masks

[SquaretheJon]

Hi,

I have a very simple question that I'm not able to answer. I'm trying to edit something that requires me to "isolate" a part of an image, and make it darker. So, I masked off that part I'm trying to darken, but don't know how to add effects to a particular mask. What's the technique for this?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Dreadylocks]

What I would do is create an adjustment layer and apply the mask to that instead of the clip. Then just apply your effects/grading to the adjustment layer and it will only apply to the masked part.

 

[wheatgrinder]

presuming AE I guess..

Iv developed a new technique (new to me anyway)
I use a mask on a white solid, the adjustment layer is set to use this white solid as a lumma matte. This may seem about the same as a mask right on the adjustment layer, but now you can use blur tools, and other effects on the matte layer, in short a ton more control!

I also use a rotobrushed copy of the footage as a matte layer and that works real good too!

 

[Dreadylocks]

Interesting technique, wheat. I'll have play around with that.

 

[knightly]

If you want to make a "Travel matte", that follows the scene, duplicate the original footage, use color channels and brightness/contrast + shape mattes to create a luma matte. I did this with the recent color grade sample I did for Modern Myth by isolating Artemis with a shape matte, then using the B/C to push the flesh tones to pure white and the rest to pure black. This matte (applied as a luma matte) will move with the images and makes isolating specific things quite easy.

So with 3 copies of the original: base copy, luma matte copy and correction copy, you can blend corrections with the original image in a relatively seamless way.

 

[PaulGriffith]

presuming AE I guess..

Iv developed a new technique (new to me anyway)
I use a mask on a white solid, the adjustment layer is set to use this white solid as a lumma matte. This may seem about the same as a mask right on the adjustment layer, but now you can use blur tools, and other effects on the matte layer, in short a ton more control!

I also use a rotobrushed copy of the footage as a matte layer and that works real good too!

We had footage once where there was a door open (at night) and the exterior lights were way more green than the 3200 interior. I took a layer of footage and cranked the saturation to where almost everything was a solid bright color, THEN keyed that green out and used matte choker to help the edge. That layer became the alpha matte.

Technique works goog for sky replacements and poorly lit green-screens too.

The coolest thing about AE and VFX in general is there's almost always more than one right way to do it. You get to be creative.

 

[trueindie]

If you're using AE or Premiere:
- If you have Magic Bullet Looks

You can choose 'Spot Exposure' and choose an area and then reduce or increase the exposure in that area

- if you don't have MB Looks
on AE
- create a new layer - Black
- mask out the area where you need to darken
- reduce opacity until desired level of darkness is achieved
- add feather until desired effect is achieved

That's what I would do.
good luck,
aveek