The Compositing Mode button determines how the transparency in a video track is generated. Because lower tracks show through higher tracks, it is the compositing mode of the higher track that determines how much of the lower track shows though. The compositing mode of the lowest video track adjusts its transparency against the background.
The mode can be selected by clicking the Compositing Mode button and choosing a mode from the menu.
The following examples demonstrate how each of the compositing modes would affect two simple tracks. Track one is a generated media event with a transparent edge, and track two is a DV clip.
Drag the Level slider in a video track to control the transparency or blending of each track. Left is 100% transparent and right is 100% opaque. You can also double-click the percent to enter a specific numeric percentage
When you click the Parent Composite Mode or Compositing Mode button and choose Custom from the menu, you can use plug-ins to customize compositing.
The included Displacement Map, Height Map, and Bump Map plug-ins can create interesting lens, mirror, water, fire, and other light-bending effects.
Plug-In | Description |
---|---|
Displacement Map | Uses the parent image as a guide to offset the pixels in the composited child tracks along the horizontal and vertical axes.
The X and Y offsets are independently encoded in the image color channels. |
Height Map | Uses the parent image as a guide to make the pixels in the composited child tracks appear closer to or farther away from the viewer.
The gradient of the image in the parent track is used to determine the amount of offset for the image displayed at that location, in much the same way light bends through a lens. |
Bump Map | Uses the parent image as a guide to add texture and lighting to the composited child tracks.
The texture of the bump map is applied to the composited child tracks: light sections of the map represent high areas, and dark sections represent low areas. |