Page 416 - ProShow Producer Manual

416 16. Masks & Adjustment Layers

Using Motion, Editing and Effects with Masks

As you saw in the previous example, you can apply motion to masks just like
you would any other layer. Using motion on a mask is a key part of making
cool effects with masking. Even though a mask is a special type of layer, it’s
still a layer, and all of ProShow’s tools for layers apply.
Use the Motion options found under the Slide Options > Effects tab to
apply any type of motion to a mask, remembering that you can use
keyframing to control the timing of your motion. You can also use the
Adjustments under the Slide Options > Effects tab to unlock some great
potential for masking when working with grayscale masks. Since grayscale
masks work off of the levels of gray in the layer, and adjustment effects can
alter those levels using keyframes, you can create some great effects. When
working with grayscale masks, try playing with white point and black point
adjustments. With transparency masks, play with opacity and blur.

Using Videos or Animations as Masks

You’re not limited to just still images when you create a mask. ProShow lets
you mark video layers as masks. You’ll need to be very selective when
choosing what video to use. For video masks, you’ll always be working with
grayscale masks, as ProShow doesn’t currently support transparency in
video.

The best videos to use are videos which provide high contrast black and
white footage. You can find a variety of these online from many different
sources.

When you use video as a mask, be sure that you’ve set the mask type to
Grayscale. Aside from that, there’s nothing special you need to do.
Anything you can do with a still image mask can be done with a video mask.
If you absolutely need to combine animation with transparency, try using
an animated GIF file. While these files typically are low resolution, they do
support transparency.