Background Color

Max

Newbie Joined: Mar 28, 2010 22:48 Messages: 5 Offline

Solved by

Mar 28, 2010 23:09

I have this feeling that this is a REALLY basic question, but I can't figure out how to have a constant background color throughout the production. The current background is black.

I thought I could just put in a color board (with a duration that lasts throughout the complete show production); however, the color board sits 'in front of' the pictures that show up on the screen so the pictures aren't visible (the title track information shows 'in front of' the color board and you can read those). I thought I'd just be able to 'move to the back" the color board (just like you would an image or clipart in Microsoft Word), but I don't see a place to do that. Another thought was that there was a place that you could just change the background color, but I can't seem to find that.

The production is basically a sound track that has pictures that fade in and out with a text that pops in and out. There is a mpeg clip that pops in at one point.

Can anyone help with this? Thanks!

Robert2 S

Senior Contributor Location: Australia Joined: Apr 22, 2009 05:57 Messages: 1461 Offline

Mar 28, 2010 23:35

Hi Max, and welcome to the PD forum.

To answer your question, if you put the colour board as you described onto the main video track, drag it out to the length of your video. Then drop your pictures onto the PIP track, then you can resize, reposition, fade in and fade out etc etc your pictures with the colour board always being there as a background colour.

Cheers

Robert S My youtube channel====> http://www.youtube.com/user/relate2?feature=mhsn

Max

Newbie Joined: Mar 28, 2010 22:48 Messages: 5 Offline

Mar 29, 2010 16:43

Thanks for that reply Robert, but I have a complication. I've already made the video and I'm doing this after-the-fact. The video looks awesome on a computer screen (which shows the black background as black), but I also need to project it against a wall where the black background will just be a void area. I wanted to add the background in order to frame the show itself, so I decided for the projection, that I'd add color.

When I tried adding it in the background of an existing presentation's master video track, it pushes all of the other tracks down the timescale so they don't start until the color board's time ends.

Any suggestions on how to avoid that? Thanks again for the reply. Now I'm looking to cover up the mess I already made! Ha ha ha.

Max

Max

Newbie Joined: Mar 28, 2010 22:48 Messages: 5 Offline

Mar 29, 2010 16:53

Ahhh HA! I figured it out! For anyone trying to do the same, follow Robert's instruction in a previous reply, but you have to do something first! Lock all of the other tracks so they won't move, THEN drop the color board into the master track and stretch it to the desired length.

Thanks again for planting the seed, Robert!

Max

Justin

Newbie Joined: Apr 29, 2010 11:39 Messages: 2 Offline

Apr 29, 2010 13:25

This doesn't seem to be a great solution. I have the same problem but if you can't put your images in the video track then you can't use the transition effects which is what I would like to do.

Does anyone have a solution? There must be a way to change the background color. I am using v7.0

Thanks!

Justin

Max

Newbie Joined: Mar 28, 2010 22:48 Messages: 5 Offline

Apr 29, 2010 19:47

On that, I can't help as I only used fade transitions and not special effects... unless that's what you were looking for?

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at Apr 30. 2010 05:13

Dafydd B

Senior Contributor Joined: Aug 26, 2006 08:20 Messages: 11973 Offline

Apr 30, 2010 05:16

Create your video clip with effects etc and Produce it.
Return the video to PD and add it to the PiP track.
Then form the PiP to be framed as previously required.

Look at your project in sections and not a whole lump to be created in one slot. Bringing all the produced bits together at the end to complete the task.

Dafydd
[Moderator]

Just a note: I run a "tight ship" here and encourage users to be "smart and not dumb" with language use. Specific verbal diction should not necessarily be written, especially when a curse or expletive is expressed.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at Apr 30. 2010 05:19

Max

Newbie Joined: Mar 28, 2010 22:48 Messages: 5 Offline

Apr 30, 2010 07:36

I found that out as a result of using large amounts of video from a few sources. One big file referenced really made problems whereas cutting up and producing it in several spots worked like a charm.