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The World’s Top Tips for

Pinnacle Studio Video Editing software

(with some Avid Liquid snippets)












NEW FX TO CREATE

NOTE: These pages currently cover HFX 4.5/6, 

and will be changed over the coming months to reflect

the HFX 5.5 interface...

Webmasters -  please provide links rather than copying the information or files on this page ... thank you!

 

The HFX Plus or Pro Editor allows an almost infinite variety of effects to be created - either by modifying existing effects, or by 'starting from scratch' using objects already supplied within the package. Currently, I'm investigating the possibility of locating a program that will enable the HFX objects to be viewed, modified and even created in the correct format. I believe Pinnacle are also considering providing a viewer.

You are strongly advised to follow the brief tutorials provided in the on-line Adobe Manual - they will give you a good grounding and introduction to the vast variety of controlling features HFX puts at your fingertips.

Apologies to PLUS users if the FX here work only in PRO - it's the version I have, and there's no way to check if they will work in PLUS (but where I know it's PRO only - I'll say so...).

CREATE NEW EFFECTS

EFFECTS FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD

See notes below for details of how to install these effects.

Click  the graphic to download

HFX PRO ONLY HI MESH object. For those who don't have it, here is the file you need, zipped up. It should unzip to about 1.2Mbytes, and be placed in the 00 Common Objects folder of your HFX Pro for Studio/Effects folder

Zipped File (155kb)

4 p-in-p fade in-out (9k) Four videos dissolve on screen in sequence over outgoing clip 1, then all fade away to reveal incoming clip 2. To use, in HFX Editor select and trim required avis (or graphic files) for Videos 3 to 6. Match Clip 2 to Clip 1 for a continuous background sequence.

HFX PRO ONLY Page peel reveal and dissolve (7k) The page peels from Clip 1 to reveal the bottom corner of Clip 3, then drops back and dissolves to Clip 2. To use, in HFX editor select suitable avi or graphic file for Clip 3. Match Clip 2 video to Clip 1 video for continuous foreground sequence. NOTE: This effect requires the HI MESH object. See above for file download (if you don't have it), and where to place it

INSTALLING THE EFFECTS ...

  • Load the effect into the folder of your choice in the HFX Effects folder.
  • Make sure all the required objects are in the correct folders
  • Delete 'Effects.org in the HFX/Org folder. Next time you open HFX, Effects.org will be re-created and the installed effect(s) will appear.

 

GENERAL INFORMATION & TIPS FOR USING HFX 5.5

 Quick tips of a general nature will appear here... check back from time to time to see what's new.

  • You can create an Envelope for any - and every parameter that can be highlighted. Select the Object's item in the Tree List - bottom left, then select the property in the Control Panel top left (eg, click on the Transparency/Dissolve scrubber to select the 'Dissolve parameter'), then clear and/or create new key frames in the Envelope window, and set the required parameter accordingly.
  • When you save an effect (Pro/Mega), make sure the Preview window is showing a suitable frame for an icon.
  • Saving an Envelope shape as a template can save you a lot of time when creating or adapting effects.

 

Where next?

[General HFX Info]       [New FX to create]     

CREATING A 'STAND ALONE' EFFECT (Using HFX as a filter)

NOTE: With Liquid Edition, HFX can be used as filters as standard. With Studio 9 Plus, a 'plug-in can be purchased to allow HFX transitions etc to be used as filters.

I expect there'll be a variety of methods suggested for creating Hollywood FX  as  'stand alone' effects rather than as transitions. The big problem (as I see it) is that, when using the video line, you need to have two clips for the effect to sit between (as if it were a transition) - and the way it stands at the moment, there will always be at least one frame 'overhanging' in each of those clips. That frame can spoil the effect. You could of course use trimmed clips each side - and extend the trims back into the 'unwanted' area, to allow for the 'inserted effect''.

You can avoid this - and the one-frame hangover - and create effects that will 'stand alone - as follows ...

  • Add a dummy title (double click the overlay line, and accept the 'nothingness' of the TitleDeko as the overlay.
  • Stretch the title so that it is longer than the length of the effect you want to create.
  • Drop in an HFX transition at the start of the dummy title (or end, up to you and how the effect is going to work)
  • Double click on the HFX transition to open the Album page, click on the Edit button on the Album page (don't try this if you don't have HFX Plus pr Pro installed!)
  • Create or open your stand alone effect.  Example - the 'Reverse video' effect.

 

Remember that anything on the title line overlays anything above it on the video line. Thus, put some (unwanted) video, trimmed to the right length, on the video line for your HFX effect to 'overlay. There'll be no 'one frame hangovers' - because you can trim as you want. And your inserted effect can start with a dissolve in - and end with a dissolve out, or any other of the transitional effects available in HFX.

Remember too that you can use this technique to create smaller, floating moving pictures over video, for a picture in picture effect.   And for reverse video...

 Where next?

[General HFX Info]       [New FX to create]    

CREATING 'REVERSE VIDEO' (HFX PRO ONLY)

This is surprisingly easy ...

  • Use the 'Stand-alone' technique described in this section. The reverse video will be created as an overlay, on the title overlay line, so follow the instructions given for that technique to create a dummy title and HFX 'transition' to it. Position the effect to align with a suitable place in your video.wp475fb739.gif
  • Open the HFX editor (from the Album), and click on 'the Blank FX button. You're going to start from scratch on this one...
  • Click on '3D Object' and select 'Flat 1' from the Common objects folder. That will also put Host Video 1 in the Media box of the Control Panel.
  • Highlight Host Video 1 in the Control panel, click on Select file in the Media Options panel, and browse to and choose the file you want to use for reverse video.
  • wpa3245495.gif
    All that remains is to trim the avi to the bit you want - keep an eye on the details under the trim viewer for the trimmed length - and make it play backwards.
    To do that, select     Backward for the direction. (Real tricky stuff, huh!). You can make it play back slower or faster, by adjusting the playback speed (note - it is a percentage), and choose what happens if there isn't enough video for the allotted time of the FX.

 

And that's it!   Reverse video, on tap!

Where next?

[General HFX Info]       [New FX to create]     

CREATING A DISSOLVE ENVELOPE FOR REPEATED USE

With many effects and transitions, it is often desirable to dissolve into or out of one of the objects being used. A picture-in-picture effect for example - the added picture would look better if it 'dissolved' onto screen, then dissolved away at the end.  The procedure to do this is very simple, and very controllable - you can arrange for the dissolves to start and end precisely where you want, as a percentage of the overall transition length.wpe2e9cfd2.gif

The first step is to select the required object from the HFX Control Panel (left side of Editor). For example, suppose you have created a picture-in-picture effect using a Flat 3 object for the overlaid picture, and you want to fade this object in at the start of the effect, and then fade it out again at the end of the effect - so that it doesn't 'jump on' and 'pop off' from the screen. In this case, you'd  go to the Control Panel Objects & Surfaces and select the Flat 3 object. Whatever object you want to dissolve in or out, select it. The selected object will be outlined in the Preview window

Next, at the right Options panel, click in the Dissolve slider. This will add a green highlight to the 'Dissolve' caption at the baser of the slider, to indicate it has been selected.

There should now be a line drawn in the Envelope window. What are about to create a 'new' envelope for a dissolve effect on the selected object.wpd26431a0.gif

You will want the object to fade in at the start of the effect, and so the next step is to make sure the start of the effect is selected (in the envelope window, the make sure scrubber-marker is at the start), then either click and drag the 'slider' of the Dissolve scale to the top, or click and drag the red 'key frame' marker in the envelope window to the top, 100% position (those red square markers are indicating key frames in the progress of the transition, where things have to start changing in some way or other). Either way - whichever you move - the other one will follow suit. You'll also notice that the selected object in the Preview window becomes totally transparent - but it is still outlined so that you can see its position.

Next, decide at what percentage of the time of the overall effect you want the object to be fully visible, and position the envelope scrubber (the triangle at the top) to that point.. Thus, if you feel that the object should be fully visible after the effect has been running for about 15% of its total time, drag the envelope scrubber to 15% and then click on 'Create' button to the left of the Envelope window. Once you have created a point - or key frame, the create button will be greyed out (as show in the screen dump below). Obviously, you can create only one key frame at any given point. The next step is to drag the red key frame marker down to the bottom, '0%' position. (You can also click on the line at the required point on the Envelope line, then drag it to the bottom, as an alternative to clicking on the Create button).

Next - unless you want a curved progression from fully transparent to fully opaque - click on the linear radio button, to straighten the line between the first two points. We're halfway there.

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Now choose the point on the time scale where you want the selected object to start fading away again (if at all, of course). Then repeat the 'Create process, to add another key frame

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Finally, select the end of the transition - the '100%' point on the transition time scale (there should be a key frame marker there already), and drag the marker up to the top, fully transparent position. If you play back the effect, you'll see your object fade in at the start, then fade out at the end.

This envelope can be a useful template for adding a fade in and fade out in a number of the effects you create - and can also be used as a template for other types of effect altogether, and so it is worth saving. You can save Envelopes with HFX Plus as well as HFX Pro.

To save it, click on the Save button in the panel to the left of the Envelope window, and give the envelope a name of your choice - FadeInOut, for example - to indicate what the envelope can be used for.

Next time you want an object to fade in or out, simply select that object, then click on Load and select the appropriate envelope shape. Bingo. Time saved.

Where next?

[General HFX Info]       [New FX to create]