Sony Vegas 6 Manual

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In the next example, clicking the Make Compositing Parent button () on track 3 forces the track below (at 
the same compositing level) to be rendered in 3D and composited as a 2D image.
Track 4 (green-and-gray checkerboard) now has the appearance of depth—the checkerboard tapers to a 
vanishing point—but is inserted in the composited output as a 2D image at a depth of zero on the Z axis. 
Track 2 is still rotated in 3D space.
In the next example, clicking the Make Compositing Parent button () on track 3 again forces the track below 
(at the same compositing level) to be rendered in 3D and composited as a 2D image. However, in this case, 
the 3D rotation that was applied as parent motion on track 1 is not applied to tracks 3 and 4.
In the next example, all tracks are compositing parents. The 3D track on track 2 is on top, the 2D track in 
track 3 is composited below track 2, and the 3D track in track 4 is composited below tracks 3 and 4.
Creating masks
Masks are used to create overlays, limit the effects of a filter, and to create transparent titles. In their simplest 
form, masks work by making a particular color in an image or video transparent. More complex effects can be 
created with gradients (smoothly blending transparent areas together) and by altering the sensitivity of the 
mask. 
						

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Creating image masks
You can use media generated by Vegas software to create simple masks. You can also create masks from just 
about any image file.
1.Create an image of a solid white circle on a black background in any paint program. This will be the mask.
2.Add the mask image file as an event into the top-most track on the timeline.
3.Insert a video event just below the mask track. This is the background video behind the mask and is the 
event that is masked.
4.Click the Make Compositing Child button () located in the track list of the background video (lower) 
track. This makes the lower track the child of the mask track (the parent track).
In the following example, the white circle is a BMP image file. Black is 100% opaque and white is 
completely transparent.
Masks can also be partially transparent. By using gradients and grayscale images, you can achieve smooth 
blending. Black is still 100% transparent and white is opaque, but the grays in between are only partially 
opaque.
The effects of the masks are very clear in these examples, but this is not how they would actually be used in a 
real production. Masks are commonly used to isolate a portion of the video from an effect. Masks do not need 
to be black and white, or grayscale, nor do they need to be still images.
Tip: It is best to use images that are the same size as your 
project’s frame size. You may also need to change the pixel 
aspect ratio of an image file to get it to display correctly. For 
more information, see Correcting images for DV pixel aspect 
ratios on page 226 and Modifying media file properties on 
page 239.
Masks created
using color
gradient
generated 
media events
Compositing Compositing
Child indicator
Child button 
						

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Creating video masks
You can also use video files to create masks, although the process can be more complicated than using an 
image as a mask. The key to any mask is contrast. You can increase the difference between the light and dark 
areas of a video file using video effects plug-ins.
1.Insert the video that you want to use as a mask into a video track.
2.Drag a Black and White plug-in from the Video FX window to the event to remove the color. For more 
information, see Adding a video effects plug-in on page 242.
3.Drag a Brightness and Contrast plug-in from the Video FX window to the event.
4.Adjust the Brightness and Contrast to create the 
mask. Watch the Video Preview window for a real-
time preview of the mask. Adjust the effect so that 
parts of the video are completely black (opaque) 
and other parts are completely white (transparent). 
This can often mean increasing the contrast while 
decreasing the brightness.
5.If necessary, mask areas can be inverted (reversing 
the black and white areas) with an Invert plug-in 
or by selecting the 
Invert check box in the Mask Generator window. For more information, see Using the 
Mask Generator on page 263.
After you have created the mask, place it in the highest track. Add another video event to another track 
below the mask and click the 
Make Compositing Child button () on that track. Any video that appears in a 
lower track below the Parent mask track and its Child shows through the areas outside of the mask. The 
entire setup is pictured in the following illustration.
Original color eventBlack and White  Invert plug-inBrightness and Contrast
plug-in plug-in
Mask track
Masked video
Background(Parent)
(Child) 
						

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Bézier masks
This feature is available only in the full version of Vegas software.
You can use the Event Pan/Crop dialog to create masks using Bézier curves. 
Use the controls in the Path heading on the left side of the Event Pan/Crop dialog to create masks using 
Bézier curves. Each event can contain multiple Bézier masks.
When you use a single setting for the duration of an event, you are masking the contents of the event. You 
can add keyframes to change the shape, size, or position of the mask to create an animated effect.
Creating a Bézier mask
1.From the Tools menu, choose Video, and choose Video Event Pan/Crop (or click the Event Pan/Crop button 
(
) on the event). The Event Pan/Crop window is displayed.
2.Select the Mask row in the keyframe controller. When the Mask row is selected, Bézier curve-drawing 
tools are displayed so you can create your mask. 
3.Select the Mask check box to apply the mask so you can see the results of your masking in the Video 
Preview window, or clear the check box to bypass the mask.
4.Select the anchor creation tool () on the left side of the Event Pan/Crop window and click in the 
workspace to create a mask. See the following table for a description of the tools behavior.
Tip: Right-click the curve, choose Initialize Tangents, and 
choose a command from the submenu to smooth the path (or 
portions of the path) to help you get started with your editing.
Tracks Mask Output 
						

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Editing the path
Use the tools on the left edge of the Event Pan/Crop window to edit your mask.
IconTo o lDescription
Normal EditUse to select and edit control points and tangents.
Click a point to select it, or drag to move the point.
Hold  while clicking to select/deselect multiple points.
Hold  and click a segment to select all points on the path. The pointer is displayed as a . 
Hold + while clicking an anchor point to invert the selection state of each anchor on the path. The 
pointer is displayed as a 
.
Drag a segment between two anchor points to modify the tangents on each side of the segment. The pointer is 
displayed as a .
Hold  while clicking an existing point in a closed path to show or hide the tangents. The pointer is 
displayed as a 
.
Drag a tangent control to manipulate the curve. Both sides of the tangent control move about the anchor point. 
The pointer is displayed as a .
Hold  while dragging a tangent control to split the halves of the control and adjust them independently or 
join the two halves of the control if the tangent was previously split.
Anchor 
CreationUse to create control points.
Click to create an anchor point. Drag before releasing the mouse button to modify the tangents of the new 
point.
Click the first or last point of an open path to close the path. The tool is displayed as a . Drag before 
releasing the mouse button to move the entire path.
Click between two anchor points to create a new point. The tool is displayed as a .
If all paths are closed, click to create a new path.
Anchor 
DeletionUse to remove control points.
Split 
TangentUse to adjust control point tangents. 
Click a point to display tangent controls, or click the center of a tangent control to reset it.
Drag center of the tangent control to manipulate the curve. Both sides of the tangent control move about the 
anchor point. The pointer is displayed as a 
.
Drag the point at either end of the tangent control to manipulate that half of the curve. The pointer is displayed 
as a 
. 
Hold  while dragging a tangent control to split the halves of the control and adjust them independently or 
join the two halves of the control if the tangent was previously split.
Ctrl
Alt
AltShift
Ctrl
Ctrl
Shift 
						

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Setting path options
1.Select a path with the Normal Edit tool .
2.Expand the Path heading on the left side of the window to set options for the selected path.
3.Choose a setting from the Mode drop-down list to choose the selected paths masking behavior. 
Positive — The area inside the path is visible in your video output.
Negative — The area outside the path is visible in your video output. The area inside the path is 
transparent.
Disabled — The path is bypassed.
4.Select the Anti alias box and choose Ye s or No from the drop-down list to indicate whether you want to 
apply an anti alias filter to smooth the edges of the path.
5.Select the Opacity box and type a value in the box (or click the  to display a slider) to set the opacity of 
the area inside the path.
6.Select the Feather type box and choose a setting from the drop-down list to fade the edges of the path. 
In — Feathering is applied to the inside edge of the path.
Out — Feathering is applied to the outside edge of the path.
Both — Feathering is applied to both sides of the path.
None — No feathering is applied.
7.Select the Feather % box and type a value in the box (or click the  to display a slider) to set the amount 
of feathering that is applied to the path. 
Fine-tuning masks
Depending on the source material, creating a clean mask can be a tricky exercise. There are a few tools and 
tricks you can use to fine tune a mask.
Solo the track: Click the Solo button () in the track list to isolate the masked track. This allows you to 
concentrate exclusively on the mask.
Toggle effects: Turn individual plug-ins on and off to isolate 
effects in a plug-in chain. Keep in mind that the order of the 
plug-ins in the chain is important in determining the final 
composited output.
Isolate channels: Isolate individual color channels in the Video Preview 
window by clicking the 
Overlays button (). Click the arrow on the button to 
select the specific channel to be isolated and whether to display this channel in 
grayscale only. Then click the main button to toggle the channel display on and 
off. The 
Alpha as Grayscale option isolates the alpha channel mask and displays 
it in grayscale. For more information, see Understanding the Video Preview window 
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Using the Mask Generator
The Mask Generator is a plug-in that controls the transparency of events to be used as masks when you use 
events that are not grayscale. Apply the plug-in to an event (or a track) in the same way as any other plug-
in: just drag-and-drop. The Mask Generator plug-in can be found in the Video FX
 window (from the View 
menu, choose 
Video FX).
How the Mask Generator works
The following illustration demonstrates some of the effects of the Mask Generator. The background image is 
the original mask. There are five ellipses on the mask: white, red, green, blue and an invisible alpha channel. 
Note especially the checkered ellipse in the lower left of the mask; this is the alpha channel. You can base 
the alpha channel on a color or define the alpha channel in a graphics program that supports alpha channel 
creation. Masks with alpha channels must be saved in a format that supports this method of transparency, 
such as PNG or TGA. As in this example, the alpha channel may be invisible in the actual mask.
Luminance
BlueMask track
(Parent)
Masked track
(Child) 
						

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The top-right example uses luminance to determine the transparency in the mask. The white area is 
completely transparent. Since white is made up of 100% values of red, green, and blue (255,255, and 255), 
those three colors are all 33% transparent as well. In the lower-right example, blue is the selected 
transparent index. The blue area is 100% transparent and so are all areas that have a value of 255 for blue 
(0,0,255), including white (255,255,255).
Chroma keying
Chroma keying or bluescreening is a special case of overlay transparency. A color key is a specific color or a 
range of similar colors in an image that are made transparent, allowing a background video to show through. 
The idea is to take a video subject and film it against a solid, uniform background color. It is critical that the 
color be smooth and uniformly lit with no shadows, and that the color chosen for the background not be 
used in the subject.
The most important factors in successful blue screening 
happen during shooting, well before the footage is imported 
into Vegas software. Compression of the source video is 
also an important consideration. While almost all video is 
compressed in some way, highly compressed video does not 
key well because colors can be smeared together and edges 
tend to not be very sharp.
If your source footage is good and the captured video file is 
also of high quality, color keying is an easy process.
1.Insert a video with a blue (or any solid colored) 
background into a track. This is the overlay video.
2.Insert the background video that will show through the 
blue areas into the next lower track.
Note: You do not need to set the lower track as a child track 
when using the Chroma Keyer plug-in as you would with a 
mask.
3.Click the overlay video (foreground, higher track) to select it.
4.Drag a Chroma Keyer plug-in from the Video FX window onto the overlay video. The Video Event FX 
window displays.
5.Click the down arrow to the left of the Split Screen View button () on the Video Preview window and 
choose
 FX Bypassed. This will bypass the effect of the Chroma Keyer plug-in until you are ready to view 
the effect.
Magnified area
Uncompressed video
Compressed video 
						

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6.In the Video Event FX window, click the Eyedropper 
button (
). The cursor changes to an eyedropper icon.
7.Draw (click and drag) a small rectangular selection area 
around the color(s) to key out. Although you can select 
the color range from just about anywhere, the Video 
Preview window is the best location.
Note: Other effects that can change the color of the event 
should be bypassed when using the Eyedropper tool.
8.Click the Split Screen View button () on the Video 
Preview window to restore the video effects. The Video 
Preview window shows the result of the Chroma Keyer 
plug-in.
When a subject is 
filmed against a solid colored background in a studio, you can key out 
the background color using the Mask Generator or the Chroma Keyer 
plug-in. You can select a wider range of colors using the Chroma 
Keyer plug-in, making it the perfect tool for less-than-perfect blue 
screens.
This procedure selects a small range of colors to use as a key. In the 
example above, the blue sky around the dome is far from uniform and 
it would be difficult to key it out with a traditional blue screen key. 
The color is uniform enough, however, that a range of blues can be 
selected directly from the preview image. Use the controls at the bottom of the dialog box to determine the 
sensitivity of the colors selected. Since the filter selects a range of colors, it is a good idea to try to select a 
relatively small range of similar colors. Drawing a color selection area that spans both blue and red colors 
would make very large sections of an overlay transparent. 
Tip: It is possible to use multiple Chroma Keyer plug-ins on 
a single event, keying out the blues with one and the reds with 
the other, without keying out any colors between blue and 
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