Cannot apply track matte to a second layer

hi
i have a footage showing office's screen which displays some statistics, etc.
I masked out that screen and added a different footage within mask's boundaries and now the screen displays some football match instead.
Now i want to add another footage right after football footage - to imitate switching between tv channels (i guess it's also called channel surfing?). In other words, i want that screen to display a football match, then some news report, then some documentary, etc.
So i added 2nd footage to may composition and placed it under football layer (refer to printscreen)
I selected football and 2nd footage and made a precomposition. then applied Alpha matte and set track matte as parent. Did not work - only a white rectangle was displayed instead of footage.
Then i tried to duplicate track matte and placed it right above 2nd footage and set it (track matte duplicate) as parent - was thinking that each new footage may require separate track matte. did not work either...
if somebody could take a look at the printscreen and gie advise it would be awesome.
By the way, i managed to display 2nd footage by applying Alpha inverted matte and setting it as a child to track matte, but its not quite right because i have to meticulously adjust 2nd footage's size manually to fit into office screen's frame and its really hard to do

A Track Matte only works on the layer IMMEDIATELY BELOW IT. In your screen shot, you can split the original track matte layer, move it just above your 2nd footage layer, and things should be good.

Similar Messages

How to make a Track matte on a text layer??

Hi,
I have two text layers stacked one above the other. The top layer scales up and blows up to reveal the text layer down. I have tried to use the Text Layer above to the down below but it disappears and does not show any effect. The same effect shows up when I have a simple image and a text above it, as I watched a couple of tutorials on various on line resources, but does not show anything if the layer beneath is alos a text layer created in after effects.
I know I am wrong somewhere.
Please help me sir.
Thanks,
Kangana

I'm sorry, but I realyl can't picture what you are describing. Please provide screenshots of your timeline and the result and tell us more about what's involved. Generalyl it doesn't matter how you create such matte effects - they work wit hal layer types - but you may be using a specific effect, layer style or otehr feature that breaks this functionality and may requirte pre-composing or otehr techniques to compensate.
Mylenium

How to use rotoscoped layer as mask or track matte

I'm doing some work between a 3d program and after effects cs6.
Is there a way to use a rotoscoped layer as either a mask or a track matte for a different layer?
Have tried it as a luma matte without success.
DO I need to precompose anything?
Thanks for any help.

Don't use a Luma Matte. Use an Alpha Matte or Alpha Inverted Matte: the difference depends on what you want you want to see and what you don't want to see, and it's dead simple to change.

A track matte issue of perplexing dimension

I am just trying to highlight sections of a paper form in Premiere CS6 using the track matte key effect. I am trying to use a box I made in the title tool to act as the key to highlight a piece of text or an area of the form but am running into a strange problem. The box that I make in the title tool doesn't maintain it's size (and possibly position) when put on the timeline and used as the target for the track matte key. I have taken a couple of screen grabs to illustrate.
So here is a text box that I am using to highlight a line of text as it appears in the title tool.
This is what I get in the timeline. As you can see it is MUCH smaller than in the title tool and not centered.
I have tried changing the title tool dimensions to match both the timeline and the original clip dimensions, but to no avail. If I try to resize the text box by selecting in on the timeline and resizing and moving it via the effect controls window, it will not let me move it far enough to the left to compensate for it's smaller size, etc. than in the title tool. If I double click (the title box) clip to bring the title tool up then the larger size box in the title tool obscures the smaller box in the timeline and I can't adjust with any precision. And I can't get the effect to extend further left than where it is in the timeline already.
In the above timeline, video 2 is a duplicate of video 1 and video 3 is my text box. Track matte key is applied to video 2 and uses video 3 as the track matte. Then I lower the opacity of video 1 and I have the effect I want, just no control to position it where I want it. Any ideas of what I'm doing wrong?

I think I may have discovered what is happening, but it is too early to be definitive. The form is a scanned image that was cropped in photoshop and saved as a jpg. The clip is a .jpg that is non-standard timeline format. When I view properties it shows as being huge (1664x2328)....BUT, I've repositioned and resized it to show the left side of the form. The key is being applied to the (1664x2328) jpg but that jpg is on a 1280x1080 (1.5 pixel aspect raio for P2) Timeline. So when I move the .jpg form to show the left side better, the edge of the .jpg limits the edge of the key. AND, the humongous size of the .jpg is in effect shrinking the video sized text box from the titler.
So, my solution is to:
1) Import the giant jpg to the timeline and position/size it where I want it to be.
2) Export that frame from the timeline as another jpg. That gets me a .jpg at the resolution of the timeline.
3) Replace 1st jpg (on video track 2) with 2nd jpg(exported from the timeline)
4) Apply Track Matte Key and select key source
4) Make Text box and put in timeline, lower the opacity of the bottom video track and Bob's your uncle.
However, I would like to animate the giant jpg with keyframes, in order to move around on the form and then highlight areas as above but without going thru all the export/import/etc. hassle. Anyone know of an easier way in Premiere? Would an adjustment layer present all the same issues I've been having with the (non-standard size)jpg as a track matte key?
MY APOLOGIES TO PERU BOB. I had checked both the timeline size AND all the video clips size, but forgot that the forms had been scanned rather than shot in camera. Thanks Bob for making me look at all those sizes again. YOU are da bomb!

Help needed with applying a track matte

hi.
i'm trying to apply a track matte for the first time. i'm using this article http://www.adobepress.com/articles/article.asp?p=2039925&seqNum=2 as a guide but instead of only 2 footage layers i also use a shape layer - I want to create a "hole" in the top footage so that the contents of the bottom footage could be visible through it. So my layer stack has this order: 1. Shape Layer 2. Top Footage 3. Bottom Footage. On the Top Footage I applied "Alphe Matte Shape Layer" but instead of seeing a part of the Bottom Footage through the Shape Layer, the whole Bottom Footage is shown on the screen. Just to be sure, i tried to change the order of the layers and also tried Alpha Inverted and Luma mattes, but did not achieve the result i want. What is wrong with this composition?

SOLUTION: i placed the Bottom Footage above the Top Footage and selected "Alpha Matte Shape Layer 1" and got the result i wanted. So, this is the other way around of how i understand this statement: "The underlying layer (the fill layer) gets its transparency values from the values of certain channels in the track matte layer—either its alpha channel or the luminance of its pixels " . So, the underlying layer (the Top Footage in my comp) should have gotten its transparency values from a track matte above - and if the track matte above is a small rectangle (with 0% opacity) this rectangle should have cut a transparent hole in the fill layer below? Plus, on the underlying layer below a track matte there was selected "Alpha Matte Shape Layer 1" which means (correct me if i wrong) that the layer below the track matte accepts transparency information from a matte above?
In my project, only a small part of the Top Footage should have been transparent so that a part of the underlying Bottom Footage's contents could be visible. I though it to be logical to place the Top Footage above the Bottom Footage but i achieved the result i wanted with placing the Bottom above the Top.

Why do layer styles work with track mattes but not stencils?

I'm just wondering what's going on "under the hood."
-- Jeff

In addition, Track Mattes work only on the single layer above the layer with the Track Matte applied not on 20 layers.
I never said something else.
I don't agree that a stencil is a group of layers
They are. Stencils operate on comp buffers, mattes on layer buffers. It's simply tech stuff. Accept it as it is. No point in going insane over such minutia. Layer styles are pretty useless most of the time, anyway, due to how they are applied.
Mylenium

One layer as track matte for multiple layers

I have some animated text. Im using a solid as a track matte mask out the text. Instead of precomping all of my text or making multiple copies of the solid acting as a track matte I wondering if its possible to add an expression to my text layers say, in effect, use this one layer as a track matte.

Use the Set Matte effect.
http://provideocoalition.com/ryoung/story/set_matte_a_32-bpc_matte_node

Cannot isolate first layer without effecting second layer: Ai CS4

I add second layer and draw some paths, I then use Selection tool on paths but this always activates the first layer even though it is not highlighted.
The only method that seems to work is if I turn off the first layer completely using eye icon, whic is very time consuming.
I've just found out that CS5 will be released on April 12: will this address the issues that I'm experiancing, and will I qualify for free update (I bought it a month ago, but have not registered yet)?

function(){return A.apply(null,[this].concat($A(arguments)))}
The only method that seems to work is if I turn off the first layer completely using eye icon, whic is very time consuming.
You don't have to hide the Layer; you can just lock it. You can also select Enter Isolation Mode from the Layers flyout menu.
But your feature request is legitimate. Other programs provide a setting to make only the current Layer active.
JET

Continuous rasterization with contained comps, 3D layers and track mattes

I have an project comprised only of AI objects contained in comps, used with 3D and I have a problem similar to many I have seen on this forum, though I have tried every solution supplied to no avail.
At the lowest level comp are some AI layers that are animated in the comp. Call it comp A.
Two copies of comp A are in comp B, each track matted by another AI layer.
Five copies of comp B are in comp C.
Comp C is placed several times into 3D space in the main comp where a camera moves past.
All the vector layers are 3D and set to CR
All the comp layers are 3D and NOT set to CT
Without the proper settings for CR/CT, the track mattes slip all over the place (but things rasterize well).
WITH the above settings, nothing rasterizes properly (but the mattes work). The comps appear rendered at the original size of comp A, which is heavily pixelated (or blurred with quality turned up) as the camera moves past.
I have tried precomposing the track-mattes and their objects contained in comp B into their own comp (also following above settings) and got no change.
Of course, in retrospect, I could have scaled up the objects in comps A, B and C but at this point the project is in final stages and I'm wary of all the adjustments it would take to go this route (it also seems like a very wrong way to go about working with vector graphics).
Can anyone help, or is this just the way AE is? (I am fairly experienced, but < 1 year.)
Thank you for this forum.

Here's what you are probably missing. Let's set up something very simple. You have a Main Comp and a PreComp. The Main comp contains the PreComp and a Camera. The PreComp only contains single layer - TestShape that is a 20 X 20 pixel red solid and it has a circular mask applied so it looks like a dot. When you add a mask to a solid you have essentially turned that layer into a vector layer.
Let's go through a couple of things in the PreComp. Fist, scale TestShape 600% and look at the edges. They are a mess. Turn on Continuously Rasterize and they are perfect.
Look at the Main comp and scale up the PreComp layer 600% and the edges look terrible. Turn on Collapse Transformations and the edge is sharp.
Notice that I used two different terms here for the same button. Collapse Transformations only applies to layers that are compositions. It means that the items inside that composition are treated as if they were in the main comp. In other words when Collapse Transformations is applied we are scaling the TestShape layer 600% and then scaling that again 600% effectively making the layer 3600% bigger. Did you follow that? It's important.
Now let's go back to the PreComp and add a second 20 X 20 blue solid with a circular mask. Call the Blue Solid TestShape 2 and make it 3D and turn on CR. Add a camera to the comp. Now adjust the z value of the TestShape 2 layer so that the layer is about the same size as the 2D TestLayer. If the TestShape layer is scaled to 600% then the Z position of TestLayer 2 will be about 80% of the Zoom value of the camera. Now move the camera's X position just a little to the right so you have a Blue circle overlapping a Red circle in your comp. Turn CR on and off for the TestShape 2 layer to see how that works. Moving the TestShape 2 layer closer to the camera is exactly like scaling the layer.
Now return to your Main Comp. With CT turned on you should see only the blue circle. This is because CT is ignoring the camera in the nested comp and using only the Active Camera in the MainComp. Turn off CT and you'll see what you see in the Pre-comp but the edges will be soft. The only way to get the same view in both comps is to copy the camera in the PreComp and paste it in the Nested Comp.
Here's one more interesting thing that happens. If you make the PreComp a 3D layer it will multiply the position value of any 3D layers in the PreComp making camera moves an interesting but not impossible thing to deal with. In this example if you were to make the PreComp 3D it would look like the blue layer disappeared, but just move the camera back and it will show up again.
Now let's add a track matte by creating a new rectangular solid that is 1000 pixels wide and 200 pixels tall and add an elliptical mask. Scale this up 600% use it as a track matte and turn on and off CR. The results should be predictable. If you make a track matte layer 3D moving the Z position around will not effect what is matted out in the nested comp. If you had 2 3D layers in the nested comp you could not move the track matte between the two 3D layers and only mask one of them.
I hope this helps. It's a good exercise to help you understand how CT and CR work. Start throwing in effects and you'll learn more.

Spurious colours from RGB Curves and Track Matte...

Hello people of the forums.
I am working on a music video.
In a couple of places in the sequence where there are two or more visible layers overlapping with top layer/s having less than 100% opacity there is some unwanted 'extra' colours appearing which can be seen in the attached image below.
In the left image the unwanted colour appears in the center above the mans head, it is grey coloured.
In the right image the unwanted colour is the red.
All blending modes are Normal. There are Track Mattes in use. There are RGB curves being used.
As a result of trying to gather pertinent information for this post I found a cure, hahaha.
For the left images situation I found that turning the RGB curves off removed the colours, so I replaced the curves with Levels and the issue went away...
So for the right images situation I added a levels below the track matte and above the RGB curves, and the issue went away, no adjustment to the levels at all... I moved the levels from between the Track Matte and the Curves and the issue reapeared.
I will post this anyway but not as a question.
All the best
Peter

Hi Bill,
This is so weried I know how to do this where to point ect ect.
If i move the clip with the track matte on I get a crash.
I made a new seq and used same clip and it works. so I made a second clip next to it and it worked. I copyed those clips back to the old seq and it did not work...
It's been going on for a long time.. what do you know about seq setting with track mattes? do they only work well on some and porly on others.. all Ideas to find a answer.
answer to your above quest yes I am doing it right and why should I get a crash if I move the clip with the track matte on.
I think if we can answer that we will have fixed it.
over to you Bill
thanks for hanging in there.
Best
trevor

Quick Track Matte Question Please Help!

Hey there,
I'm dealing with composting 3d with live footage...
What I'm dealing with now is matching the shadows with the real footage.
After rendering the 3d I realised theres some little shadow stuff I need to adjust so I fig I would make quick fake shadows in AE using feathered masks with a slight opacity.
I came into a problem..
I'm trying to take my shadow feathered solid and only apply it to my 3d, not my live footage.
I tried putting the shadow layer over the cg and then giving the cg an alpha inverted track matte but all that did was make my shadow completly transparent.
How can I go about adding a solid over one layer and have it not affect the others? Thanks
- Mike

Pre-multiplied alpha channels often result in a bit of a fringe during this process. Just apply Effects/Matte/Simple Choker to the matte layer (duplicated 3D layer) with a value of -1 or so.
Just a footnote: this forum often witholds "Attachment" files like you posted, for virus checking. It's still not visible as I type this. If you post images using the image tool (little camera icon) it will be accessible to other forum users immediately.
Cheers.

Premiere Elements 7: track matte key video effect does not work?

I want to use the track matte key video effect to fade out some cropped video clips. So I did a test:
first track: video clip
second track: PNG file, black with white circle
third track: video clip with FX with second track (here: Video 5) and luminance
As you can see in the picture the small preview pic above the effects shows the effect like I expected: a circle with the content of the third, lowest, clip. But the large video preview shows the first clip.
What did I do wrong?
I tested other settings and track orders. No efforts.

Bill, thanks again for your help! Good tutorial. That's what I need in principle! My try was a bit more complicated ...
But I can't help. The white area stays (see screenshot top left corner). Only some of the small blurred area around the shape shines through as I could see playing around without blurring the video clip.
I used:
title with white (it is 100% white) shape and blur effect above
video clip with track matte effect and matte alpha on the title track, reversed (blur effect on whole clip like in the tutorial)
Rendering and export does not change anything.
I'm feeling a bit stupid.

Please help with a track matte

I'm trying to get the text box to fill with a black solid from within it but also for the solid to begin filling in from the white outlines and not from a center.
The way it looks is that the white outlines are animated first, making the square - then, the black solid fills in the box going inward towards the dead center.
As you can see I've created the black fill and the mask - and theoretically I know that I would have to simply animate the matte from 100 to 0, thinking that the black solid would begin filling the box the way I want it to, but it's not working. And I'm new to track mattes, and stuck with this problem. Could anyone explain what I'm doing wrong, please?
Also disregard the entire black background, this whole thing is going over footage, so all one sees is the outlines animating and the text box. Hope that clears it up.

You have your setup backwards. The matte layer goes on top of the layer it is supposed to mask and the matte is assigned to the fill layer...
Mylenium

Video cropped with track matte changing size on export?

Hi there!   I have a layered video with a background image for sidebars.   I used a white square as a track matte to crop out some of the central video.
Now, the odd thing is that the footage is cropped more heavily in the exported file than it is in my premiere previews.
Because it's showing up perfectly fine in the previews, I'm finding it very difficult to troubleshoot the problem through trial and error.   What could be causing this discrepancy between previews and my exported footage?
Edit: Actually, now that I'm looking at them next to each other, the colors are kind of messed up too. Is that related?
Message was edited by: Christopher Jacob

I have apparently fixed the problem.   If anyone else happens on a similar issue, I selected the matte layer and changed it's size through the motion effect.   I shrank it down and then brought it back up to the correct size.   For some reason after that it exported correctly.   Yay!

Make transparent text in after effects without track mattes

Hi, I would like to make some trasparent text where one could see the video underneath the text. I am using several videos that I have positioned and edited already in Premiere Pro CS6, and I would like to import a video file with the transparent text After Effects into Premiere Pro. The reason I want to use AF instead of the title maker in PP is that the text expands 4000% and I cannot make text that large in Premiere Pro. Any advice is appreciated.
thank you,
Robert
After Effects CS6
Premiere Pro CS6

I do not want to use a track matte because I have multiple videos underneath the text which are already edited nicely. If there is a workaround without track mattes, I would appreciate any advice on doing that. Thank you.

Cannot apply track matte to a second layer

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for