QUESTION: I am trying to take a scene (in this case 24 seconds long) and place a solid color over the whole scene but with the opacity adjusted down so that I can put text on top of that.
That is, I need a solid color over the whole scene and be able to
adjust the opacity of the solid color so that the original scene can show
through. I know this is not difficult but I am sitting here and not figuring
it out. Help Please !!
ANSWER: You could create a scene of the same length (24-seconds) and then add that to the Storyboard and use Double Exposure (Transitions menu) to adjust the opacity (transparency) to your tastes.
Here's another option - using just the Title Menu
- Add your scene to the Storyboard
- In the Title Menu, select an appropriate title effect. For example, 'Through Fading Pages' would allow the color & title to fade on/off. Add that selected Effect to the Storyboard
- To add the colored background, click on 'Graphics' button
- Left click to add check-mark behind 'Choose background'. This _should_ bring a color or graphic to your full-screen (maybe even covering up your scene entirely).
- If it's not full-screen, left click on 'TE' at bottom right
- Left click on 'Boxes', Left click on 'Extended'
- Left click on 'max. size' which should spread color/graphic to entire screen (if you only wanted graphic to cover a portion of your video scene, this is also where you would adjust the size/position)
- Left click back on the 'TE'
- Left click on 'Graphics' and left click on 'Choose background'
- The Casablanca Image Pool opens ...for a plain, color background - set 'Product' to Bogart SE (Smart Edit folks select 'Smart Edit').
- Set Type to 'Monochromatic'
- Left click on top left box, left click on 'Colorize' - set up the color you wish for your background color.
- Adjust the Alpha slider to a number less then 100 (this controls the opacity of your color). Left click Ok two times.
- Left click 'TE' and set up your desired font attributes (font, size, color, style, etc).
- If you find you desire more or less transparency, click back into Graphics - Choose background - Colorize and adjust the Alpha slider.
I know that's a LOT of steps... but I wanted to be thorough. Once you are comfortable with this, it can actually be done quite quickly (challenge me to do so next time you see me at a workshop :) )
