Creating that "black & white exept for one color" effect in FCExpress? at DVinfo.net

Dave M. Smith · August 17th, 2005, 10:17 AM

Hi guys.

I'm editing a wedding video using Final Cut Express. I want to create that look where the entire shot is black & white except for one area of color, like a rose or a bouquet of flowers, or maybe even someone's blue eyes. I found a tutorial online on how to do it in Final Cut Pro using the Color Corrector, but my FCE is missing the "key button" in Color Corrector needed to do it in FCP. Is there any other way to make this effect happen in FCE? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Dave Smith

Nate Schmidt · August 17th, 2005, 05:17 PM

Dave, you could stack the same shots on top of each other in the timeline and desaturate the bottom one and then use the eight point garbage matte on the top colour shot. This won't work too well with complex shapes, but it might work for eyes or even the rose.

Dave M. Smith · August 18th, 2005, 07:28 AM

Nate,

Thanks for the tip. I haven't had a chance to try the garbage matte yet, but I'll give it a whirl. The object that I want to "colorize" in a particular shot is moving through the frame, so I don't know how well it work. But it's certainly a better idea than anything else I've come up with. Thanks again!

-Dave

Nate Schmidt · August 18th, 2005, 03:02 PM

If it's moving you could keyframe the matte to move...but Final Cut Express (version 2 anyway) dosen't have keyframes, so it might be just as easy to export as a still image sequence and work with the colour in Photoshop.

Boyd Ostroff · August 18th, 2005, 03:26 PM

Maybe not quite what you want, but have you looked at Joe's Filters? I think you might be able to use the saturation/colorize filter on duplicate layers to get something similar:

http://www.joesfilters.com/joessatur...ndcolorize.php

It's really a great package of filters that can come in handy for lots of things, and the price is reasonable. You can try the free demos to see if they'll work for you.

Dave M. Smith · August 19th, 2005, 06:46 AM

Nate,

Yes, I though about keyframing the matte. Actually, I'm surprised to hear that FCE2 doesn't have keyframes. I'm using version 1 of FCE and it does have keyframes. So, I'll give it a try.

Thanks,
Dave

Dave M. Smith · August 19th, 2005, 06:49 AM

Boyd,

Thanks for the link to Joe's Filters. Some pretty neat stuff. Like you said, I'm not sure it's what I'm looking for in this particular effect, but I definitely could use some of those filters for other shots I'm working on. I appreciate it!

Dave

Boyd Ostroff · August 19th, 2005, 07:23 AM

Seems like keyframes are a basic function that's needed in an editor. I haven't used FCE HD, but according to Apple's specs it has them. Would seem odd that version 2 would be the only one without them:

http://www.apple.com/finalcutexpress/specs.html

Quote:

• Keyframe animation
• Bezier curves for motion paths
• Keyframe capabilities for precise animation
• Keyframe graphs

Nate Schmidt · August 19th, 2005, 12:20 PM

Sorry, I rushed into saying that it has no keyframes without checking on the Apple site... I remember watching a demo for DH_Box
http://www.digital-heaven.co.uk/fina...gins_flash.htm (great stuff BTW) that said keyframes unavailable in Final Cut Express. Obvioulsy I was wrong, sorry

August 17th, 2005, 10:17 AM	#1
Dave M. Smith Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 36	Creating that "black & white exept for one color" effect in FCExpress? Hi guys. I'm editing a wedding video using Final Cut Express. I want to create that look where the entire shot is black & white except for one area of color, like a rose or a bouquet of flowers, or maybe even someone's blue eyes. I found a tutorial online on how to do it in Final Cut Pro using the Color Corrector, but my FCE is missing the "key button" in Color Corrector needed to do it in FCP. Is there any other way to make this effect happen in FCE? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Dave Smith

August 17th, 2005, 05:17 PM	#2
Nate Schmidt Major Player Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Welland ON Posts: 515	Dave, you could stack the same shots on top of each other in the timeline and desaturate the bottom one and then use the eight point garbage matte on the top colour shot. This won't work too well with complex shapes, but it might work for eyes or even the rose. __________________ "We've done the impossible, and that makes us mighty."

August 18th, 2005, 03:02 PM	#4
Nate Schmidt Major Player Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Welland ON Posts: 515	If it's moving you could keyframe the matte to move...but Final Cut Express (version 2 anyway) dosen't have keyframes, so it might be just as easy to export as a still image sequence and work with the colour in Photoshop. __________________ "We've done the impossible, and that makes us mighty."

August 19th, 2005, 12:20 PM	#9
Nate Schmidt Major Player Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Welland ON Posts: 515	Sorry, I rushed into saying that it has no keyframes without checking on the Apple site... I remember watching a demo for DH_Box http://www.digital-heaven.co.uk/fina...gins_flash.htm (great stuff BTW) that said keyframes unavailable in Final Cut Express. Obvioulsy I was wrong, sorry __________________ "We've done the impossible, and that makes us mighty." Last edited by Nate Schmidt; August 20th, 2005 at 07:54 AM.

August 18th, 2005, 07:28 AM	#3
Dave M. Smith Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 36	Nate, Thanks for the tip. I haven't had a chance to try the garbage matte yet, but I'll give it a whirl. The object that I want to "colorize" in a particular shot is moving through the frame, so I don't know how well it work. But it's certainly a better idea than anything else I've come up with. Thanks again! -Dave

August 18th, 2005, 03:26 PM	#5
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	Maybe not quite what you want, but have you looked at Joe's Filters? I think you might be able to use the saturation/colorize filter on duplicate layers to get something similar: http://www.joesfilters.com/joessatur...ndcolorize.php It's really a great package of filters that can come in handy for lots of things, and the price is reasonable. You can try the free demos to see if they'll work for you.

August 19th, 2005, 06:46 AM	#6
Dave M. Smith Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 36	Nate, Yes, I though about keyframing the matte. Actually, I'm surprised to hear that FCE2 doesn't have keyframes. I'm using version 1 of FCE and it does have keyframes. So, I'll give it a try. Thanks, Dave

August 19th, 2005, 06:49 AM	#7
Dave M. Smith Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 36	Boyd, Thanks for the link to Joe's Filters. Some pretty neat stuff. Like you said, I'm not sure it's what I'm looking for in this particular effect, but I definitely could use some of those filters for other shots I'm working on. I appreciate it! Dave