Videomerge in PE7

[Bubby Grub]

Hi it's me again,
Sorry to be a pest!
I have just un-installed PE4 and installed my new version of PE7.
One thing at this stage I don't understand is the Videomerge part.
When I first made a new project and installed a series of slides one at a time or a group together, it asked me on both occasions if I wanted to Videomerge them. Then I brought in a Colour Matte and it asked the same question. I have no idea what it meant.
I have just burnt a test DVD as I like to do with a new program like this, as I could think of nothing worse than spending weeks on a project and then find out it's as bad as Pinnacle!! Anyway it worked fine and plays on all of our DVD stand-alone players.
But as I was doing the test, I put in a colour matte with a title over it and it automatically put over the Videomerge which showed in the Properties.
The background was red and the type white, but it turned the type red also, until I went into the Properties and switched from Normal to either Soft or Detailed, then the type went back to white.
I did an extra six through the test and not once did it put over the Videomerge.
I read on the Internet help that it is to blend two videos together, and from what I can gather it seems to work like a green screen effect.
Why does it appear from no where all of a sudden, and then it's OK for a while and then it reappears, but only on some backgrounds (any colour) and type.
Is there a default or something I can turn off, as it is quite annoying.
We are still working on our "tail on type" effects.
Thank you all once again.
Talk soon.

[ATR]

Bubby Grub

If you have two photos (#1 and #2), and you place photo #1 on video track 1 and photo #2 on video track #2 directly above photo #1 on video track #1, all that you are going to see in the Monitor is the photo on top, that is, photo #2 on video track 2.

The only way that you are going to see any of photo #1 in your Monitor is to create transparent area(s) in photo #2. Videomerge is a tool to create those transparencies in area of color (best if solid color). Think of it as an automatic Chroma Key Effect (in same family as Blue Screen Key Effect and Green Screen Key Effect). Essentially, these tools look for a color and then proceed to make that area transparent. Typically, the background goes on video track 1 and the image with the created transparency goes on video track 2. Many report that this new Videomerge feature of Premiere Elements 7 does a better job than the Chroma Key Effect (See Effects/Video Effects/Keying).

There are several ways to apply the Videomerge to an image in which you want it to create transparency.

1. Do nothing but drag your media to the Timeline. Videomerge analyzes the photo and make a spot decision on what constitutes and does not constitute a “solid background color”. If it decides it is detecting a solid background color in your image after you drag the image to the Timeline, you will get the message:
Videomerge
Clip being dropped contains solid background color. Do you want to apply Videomerge on this clip? Yes or No. I would just say No and apply the Videomerge later in the ways to be described. There is something wrong if it goes ahead and says Yes for you. You make the decision.

2. Right click the image on the Timeline, select Apply Videomerge from the pop up menu, open Properties, adjust Videomerge options in the Videomerge Panel.

3. Edit Mode (Orange Tab)/Effects/Video Effects/Videomerge ….apply and use Edit Effects.

Now for the issue of the Title with white text on Video Track 2 and your color (red) matte on Video Track 1. Somehow you (or something abnormal) applied Videomerge to the Title on Video Track 2. You could have gotten yourself out of that one by highlighting the Title, bringing up the Properties Panel, right clicking the Videomerge Panel, and selecting Clear from the pop up menu. The Title text was a solid white color. The black in the Title is transparency. So, when you applied Videomerge to the Title, Videomerge must have looked at the white in your text letters as a solid color and made the text white transparent, leaving you to view in the Monitor just the red of the color matte on Video Track 1.

I have not yet found a way to shut off the auto Videomerge. Just say No if you do not want to use it at that point in your project. Yes, sometimes it is difficult to explain when and if the auto Videomerge will surface consistently for a given photo. I still thinking about that one.



Please let me know if I have missed any of your question.



ATR

[Bubby Grub]

Hi,

Thanks for quick reply, after doing some playing I understand, but as you said it is difficult to explain when and if the auto Videomerge will surface, as one photo it did surface on, well I put that same photo in another test, and this time it did not surface at all. 'strange'
Anyway thanks for your help, will try not to be too much of a pest

Bubby Grub

[ATR]

Bubby Grub

Asking questions is a way for both of us to learn more.

ATR