blending black edges in premiere

[Im4schools]

I am wanting to place a photograph on a blue background. I don't mind the black edges, but I would like to blend the black edges and corners so that you can't see the edges and corners so obviously. The cookie cutter with a black background works perfectly on the black background because, needless to say, you can't see where the black starts and stops. Even when you crop and feather heavily, you still see the rectangular shape of the photograph on the screen.

Thank you!
Sherry

[ATR]

Sherry,

I want to make sure that I am not misunderstanding you, so could you clarify:

1. What software are you in? Your title says Premiere. Is that Premiere Elements and what version? The mention of Cookie Cutter is throwing me and making me think Photoshop Elements instead of Premiere Elements.

2. Photoshop Elements is the real photo editor of the pair, Premiere Elements being the video editor. I would think that you could best get this photo into shape in Photoshop Elements before it gets to Premiere Elements.

3. Depending on your answer and if this is a just for Premiere Elements project, we could talk Video Effects/Transform/Edge Feather (not sure how much that would help) or Track Matte.

Let us start from there and see if we can work this out.

ATR

[Im4schools]

Thank you so much for your response. Sorry for the gaps in my post. I am working with Photoshop Elements5.0 and Premiere Elements 3.0. Here is what I am trying to accomplish within Premiere Elements, but with the help of Photoshop:

I have a picture that I have overlaid on top of a blue and yellow backdrop. I have edited the picture in Photoshop with a square crop cookie cutter effect and used a black bacground. My vision is to elimiinate the square corners and straight lines in the photograph so it is not so..well, square looking in my video. When I saved my picture in Photoshop and viewed it on my video you can see where I used the feathered edges but I still had the straight lines and square corners of the picture. I want the part of the picture that I thought I cropped in Photoshop to show as cropped in my video. I want that part of the picture to just simply disappear.

I may have just made a mess of my description but if you have any insight I would love to hear it!

Thank you!
Sherry

[Im4schools]

Well, after a few days of experimenting, posting my message and reading your message, ATR, two second after I posted my reply to you I had a brainstorm and it worked! I'm soooo excited. I went in and cropped with no background, saved it, went into my video and WOW it blends right into my background. I would still like to know what you would have replied because your way could definitely be useful. Thank you!!!

[Barb O]

Well, I am not ATR, but I would have said to save the photo with a transparent "background" in a format that supports transparency (like PSD) - and it seems like that is exactly what you did.

[ATR]

Sherry,

I like that feeling when a plan comes together. Congratulations. I do not want to mess with a good plan, but these blending edges sent my mind wondering in different directions. Just edit out what is TOO much in what is to follow. Probably what you have done may be the quickest and easiest.

As for the original question…I have understood that to mean that you are using the Cookie Cutter Tool in Photoshop Elements to achieve interesting border effects when the photos get to Premiere Elements where you then supply your blue background. As you have already found out and BarbO has alluded to, the trick is to maintain the transparency with the Save As in psd format. If you did anything other than that and got results, it would be interesting to know.

One of the Threads posted recently that hit on that issue of psd save and transparency was:
http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25532

Now is when I detour, sort of…

What about making your own borders, using Track Matte techniques instead of the Cookie Cutter? First, you create a black and white image in Photoshop Elements, save it (psd is OK), and import it into Premiere Elements.

This black and white image could be a Cookie Cutter shape that you customize with feathering, etc. Or, you use the Rectangular Marquee Tool with a lot of feather of the selection as you head to your white center and black background. Remember that Black is going to hide, White reveal.

In Premiere Elements the black and white image would go on Video Track 3, your photo on Video Track 2, and your Background on Video Track 1. Once you get them in place, go to Video Effects/Keying and drag the Track Matte Key into your photo on Video Track 2. THEN, go over to the bottom of the Properties Panel where you will now see a Track Matte Panel. There set Matte: Video 3 and Composite: Matte Luma.

You can be real creative in Photoshop Elements with these Mattes, with or without the Cookie Cutter Tool. One interesting idea came out of the following link.

http://www.boomacademy.co.uk/downloads/pdf/tips/10%20Cutting%20holes%20in%20video.pdf

It suggests how to blend two images (could be videos or stills) in Premiere Elements using Track Matte, the same idea as above. But, instead of a white shape with a black background, your image is a black and white gradient created in Photoshop Elements that you use on Video Track 3.

Other idea to play with is the use of the Chroma Key in Video Effects/Keying. You can create transparent areas in your photos for other images to show through.

I had better stop here. Good job in working through your project.

ATR