PapaJohn - Movie Maker 2 - Editing

PapaJohn Productions

Beginners guide to custom effects, transitions and titles by using XML

Picture in Picture/ PIP Plus

This plug-in is a nice alternative to the typical title overlay with the powers to allow all kinds of overlay possibilities as well as Picture in Picture Transitions+Effects.

A large variety of PIP/ PIP Plus Transitions and Effects can be downloaded at www.rehanfx.org (if you download the demo for the 15 day trial version after the duration expires the animated effects are disabled but static effects such as borders or placing your video at different sides of the screen stays).

Example One: Placing a PIP and Changing Size & Position

This is a fun one to play around with now and then. Shown at the left is an example of the default PIP transition being used to show the reaction of the crowd as the timer reads 12:00 AM on the New Year Counter. Of course this is nice but maybe a tad small.

PIP mostly deals with the picture placement in a transition sense. Transitions use the progress value line <Param name="Progress" value="0.00" /> which effects how big the transition gets before it freezes or just to freeze it entirely. This is starting to seem very complicated and difficult considering all the changes corresponding to modifying the progress line! And all the......calm down thanks to a little movie maker know how there has been an easier way developed to figure this through.

What needs to be done is rather than using it as a transition first, we use it as an effect. Now you're probably thinking, if this is an effect how will it show on the next clip at all?! Fading would just cause the PIP to disappear, not stay fixed on the screen!!!!! To answer you clever people who recognized this issue, we still need a transition, just in a different way is all. I'll go into more detail as far as what transition later but for now here's a breakdown of what you need to do.....(this will require PIP Plus package)

First of all start by copying this partial code which you can modify to reposition/resize in anyway (this is a generic code which allows you to edit the "RectA" line and will not work till you follow the rest of the instruction):

Notice this interesting line:

<Param name="RectA" value=" 0.00, x,y,width,height" />

From the logo example on the Logos and Frames page x, y, width, and height control where and how big an effect is applied. The only difference is rather than "LogoRect" this one calls for the "RectA" param. Also, as mentioned before what is done to the size affects position as well. Don't worry about the 0.00 value.

To make things simple, here's an example code which will place the PIP on the upper right of the screen and is somewhere around 4 times the size of the standard PIP:

And you'll end up with something like this. =>

Now to finish this and overlay it on the background clip you'll need to jump ahead to the Compositing page of this section and copy the Chroma Key Code and use the Chroma Black transition. Before you insert the transition make sure your background clip is first, then your PIP after it. And there you go! A big new PIP to use! For you clever people out there this can also be used when trying to achieve the Composite Trick on the Compositing page....

Example Two: Using PIP to Place a Frame/Border

Back in the logo example I discussed how to overlay images like logos/watermarks on your footage. Though that technique could apply to placing a frame or border there is the nicer PIP Plus way ;). Now as mentioned in the first example this will require the Plus version.

You'll need to construct a frame or border image in either gif or png (jpeg not recommended due to no image transparency support).

Open up your photo editing program and select new. Set the dimensions to anything, preferably 320x240 pixels.

Next make your frame or border image and make sure you remember to erase or cut out any white background to allow the footage to show through. Then choose to save it with the any name with a .gif or .png extension and put it in your "AddOnTFX" folder (if you want to change the name or the name is incorrect in the first place change it and remember to edit the "BorderA" line of the xml with the proper name). You can test out this sample image just right click on it and say save as.

Here's the coding you'll need (this code will not work till you edit the "BorderA" line, it references to the picture you're going to use so insert the name of your image right where it says "AddOnTFX\something.png or gif", you can also change the name of the effect by editing the Effect name line):

And that's that!