Autodesk Combustion 4.0 Tutorials (ENG)

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Copyright 2000 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved
This publication, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form, by any method, for any purpose. AUTODESK, INC. MAKES NO WARRANTY, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, REGARDING THESE MATERIALS AND MAKES SUCH MATERIALS AVAILABLE SOLELY ON AN "AS-IS" BASIS. IN NO EVENT SHALL AUTODESK, INC. BE LIABLE TO ANYONE FOR SPECIAL, COLLATERAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES IN CONNECTION WITH OR ARISING OUT OF PURCHASE OR USE OF THESE MATERIALS. THE SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE LIABILITY TO AUTODESK, INC., REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF ACTION, SHALL NOT EXCEED THE PURCHASE PRICE OF THE MATERIALS DESCRIBED HEREIN. Autodesk, Inc. reserves the right to revise and improve its products as it sees fit. This publication describes the state of this product at the time of its publication, and may not reflect the product at all times in the future.
AUTODESK TRADEMARKS
Discreet is a division of Autodesk, Inc. Autodesk and the Autodesk logo, 3D Studio MAX are registered trademarks, and Discreet, combustion, Render Queue, Real-Time Roto, edit, effect, flint, flame, and inferno are trademarks of Autodesk, Inc. in the USA and/or other countries.
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TUTORIALS MEDIA
Any form of reproduction, sale, loan, rental, or public exhibition of the tutorials media is strictly prohibited without written authorization from Autodesk. Additional images courtesy of La Fabrique dImages.
Title: Version Date:
combustion Tutorials 1. June 2000
toc
Table of Contents
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
This chapter includes essential information for setting up your tutorial session.
Welcome to combustion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
15
Exercise: Tour a combustion Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

This lesson is your introduction to combustion. Open a workspace and explore the options for viewing the composite. Play the clip in real time by rendering it to the RAM cache. Tour the Workspace panel and learn about layers and operators. Render the result clip as a QuickTime file.
Creating Basic Composites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
43
Exercise: Create an Animated Composite. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Import footage for a composite. Examine an alpha channel by choosing viewport views and view modes. Apply an alpha channel as a matte to an image and then animate its position and scale. Use the Timeline to modify the motion path of a layer.
Creating Composites in 3D Space. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
71
Exercise: Build and Animate a Cube. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Build a 3D cube from 2D layers. Create 12 layers and parent them to make 6 sides. Use hinging to join the six sides. Replace one layer of each side with footage. Assign visibility to the 12 layers to view individual sides. Rotate the hinged squares to make a closed cube. Animate the sides of the cube to turn it inside out.
toc Table of Contents
Animating Composites in 3D Space. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Exercise 1: Bounce the Cube . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Animate the cube you created in Lesson 3 to make it bounce off the floor. Modify the shape of the motion path to make the animation more realistic.
Exercise 2: Add Motion Blur and Light to the Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Nest the composite as a single layer in another composite. Add a Motion Blur operator to blur the motion of the layers of the cube and customize the effect. Set the reflectivity of the floor, turn on shading, and set the lighting for the scene.
Tracking and Stabilizing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Exercise 1: Apply Tracking Data to a Mask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Use a rectangular mask and a polygon mask to composite a clip of a sailboat on a new background. Use tracking to make the polygon mask follow the motion of the sailboat. Animate the shape of the polygon mask to fit the shape of the sail.
Exercise 2: Stabilize a Clip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Use the Tracker and a Stabilize 1 Point operator to stabilize a jittery clip. Use the RAM Player to compare the stabilized clip to the original jittery clip.
Precision Keying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

Exercise: Create a Composite Using the Keyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Use the Discreet Keyer to pull a key from a green-screen clip using the Channel and YUV Keyer modes. Remap the luminance of the matte using the histogram. Suppress the color spill and soften the edges of the key. Add a blur effect to match the focus of the front and back clips.
Color Correction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

Exercise 1: Color Correct Using Histograms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Use the histograms in the Discreet Color Corrector to analyze color channels in an image. Adjust gamma and gain using the Basics controls. Use the Compare tool to compare the color-corrected image to a reference image as you make the corrections.
Exercise 2: Color Correct Using the Curves Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

Use the Curves controls in the Discreet Color Corrector to analyze color and make corrections to a problematic image.
Table of Contents
Using Paint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

Exercise 1: Draw and Animate Basic Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Create the face of a cartoon character using basic Paint objects and animate their position. Import an audio file and slip it to sync with the video.
Exercise 2: Retouch a Clip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270

Remove a wire from a clip using Paint objects and cloning techniques. Use the Tracker to make the Paint objects follow the camera pan in the clip.
Working with Paint Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287

Exercise 1: Apply Effects to Selections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Use selection objects to isolate parts of a clip for applying color correction and effects. Animate the selection objects to follow the camera pan in the clip.
Exercise 2: Stacking Selections with Paint Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303

Create a composite within Paint to become familiar with the effects of moving selections and Paint objects in the Timeline stack.
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Using Text in Paint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319

Exercise 1: Animating Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Use the Text tool to add a title to a clip. Animate the opacity of the text to create a fade-in and fade-out. Animate the scaling to make the letters appear to spin.
Exercise 2: Working with Text Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336

Use draw modes to add artistic text to a clip. Animate the control points of the text. Use text selections to create text using an imported source image.
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Using Scenes from 3D Studio MAX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355

Exercise 1: Working with 3D Scenes in a Single Layer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356 Import rich pixel footage rendered in 3D Studio MAX featuring a TV set and
examine the extra data channels in the footage. Use 3D Post operators to replace the test pattern on the TV screen with other footage.
Exercise 2: Working with Multiple Layer 3D Scenes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375

Composite video footage with rich pixel footage rendered in 3D Studio MAX.
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
toc Table of Contents
Getting Started
Welcome to the tutorials for combustion. The lessons in this book introduce you to the combustion compositing and paint tools. Once you complete the lessons, you will be able to use these tools and experiment with others to create composites of your own. Before starting the first lesson, read through this introduction to ensure the tutorials media is installed, to set the required preferences, and to become familiar with typographical conventions used in the text. The only prerequisite for using these tutorials is that you are familiar with the Windows or Macintosh operating system.
Getting Started
Installing the Tutorials Media

The tutorials media is automatically installed if you used the default installation settings. From the desktop, check to see that the tutorials media has been installed:
If you are using combustion on a PC, the default path for the tutorials media is
<c:\Program Files\Discreet\combustion\Tutorials>.
If you are using combustion on an edit workstation (also a PC), you may have elected to install
combustion in <c:\Program Files\discreet logic\combustion\Tutorials>. This is the same path where you would have installed edit.
If you are using combustion on a Macintosh, the tutorials media is found in the
<combustion:Tutorials> folder where the combustion folder is at the top level of the hard drive you selected for software installation. If the Tutorials folder does not appear in the combustion folder, you can install the tutorials media without overwriting the software files by performing a Custom install from the software CD. For instructions, see the combustion Installation Guide. Once the tutorials media is installed, you will find everything you need in the Tutorials folder, including the footage, the required workspace files, and the sample .avi files for each lesson.
Conventions and Terminology

The following conventions and terminology are used in these tutorials.
Menu Selections
Menu selections are indicated by dividing vertical lines. For example, if you are instructed to choose Operators | Keying | Discreet Keyer, click Operators on the menu bar at the top of the screen, then choose the Keying sub-menu, and finally choose Discreet Keyer.
Hot Keys
combustion uses a wide array of hot keys: keyboard shortcuts that accelerate operations. For a complete list of hot keys, see the combustion Hot Key Card included in the product box. In these tutorials, hot keys appear in BOLD, SMALL CAPS TYPE. For example: 1. In the Toolbar, click the Arrow tool (or press TAB). In cases where there is a difference between hot key assignments on Windows and Macintosh operating systems, both are given. For example: 1. Choose File | Save, or press CTRL+S (Windows) or +S (Macintosh), to save the workspace.
Once this convention has been introduced in a lesson, it is shortened as follows: 1. Press CTRL+S / +S to save the workspace.
Getting Started
Tools
When a tool is referred to in an instruction, it is shown in the left margin. For example: 1. In the Toolbar, click the Arrow tool (TAB).
Set the Preferences

The combustion user interface can be customized. To ensure that the user interface elements and general behavior match those illustrated in these tutorials, you should set your preferences according to the following instructions. 1. Launch the software:
If you are using combustion on a PC, click the Start menu button and choose
Programs | Discreet | combustion. (If you made a shortcut to the software on the desktop, this is another way to launch the software.)
If you are using combustion on a Macintosh, use the Finder to locate the combustion icon and
then double-click the icon to launch the software. (If you made an alias on the desktop or added combustion to the Launcher items, this is another way to launch the software.) 2. Choose File | Preferences to open the Preferences dialog. 3. You can display the frames of a clip using frame numbers (starting from 0 or 1) or timecode. For the tutorials, use frame numbers starting from 1:
a) Click the General category under the Host heading to view the General preferences.
b) From the Display Time As list, select Frames (From 1).
Getting Started
4. In combustion, many of the properties you set when you build a composite can be animated. Set the default interpolation method for animations to Bezier:
a) Click the Animation category under the Host heading to view the Animation preferences. b) From the Default Keyframe Interpolation list, select Bezier.
Learn more about animation, keyframes, and interpolation methods in Lessons 2, 3, and 4. 5. When you import a still image into a composite branch, it is automatically assigned a duration equal to the length of the clip. However, when you open a still image as a Paint, Keyer, or Color Corrector branch, the image is assigned a duration according to the Preferences dialog. Set the Default Still Image Duration to 30 frames:
a) Click the General category under the Footage heading to view the Footage preferences. b) Click the Default Still Image Duration field to highlight the value, type 30, and then press ENTER.
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Getting Started
6. (Optional) combustion provides two color schemes: Charcoal and Platinum. Because the Charcoal interface (the default setting) is too dark for printing illustrations, the Platinum color scheme is used in these tutorials. However, the Charcoal interface is recommended because it improves color perception of video content. If you want to change the user interface to Platinum:
a) Click the Colors category under the Host heading to view the Colors preferences.
b) From the Color Scheme
list, select Platinum.
Hint: You can customize the color used in the user interface using the color boxes in the Pen Colors group of controls. 7. Click OK to apply the changes you made in the Preferences dialog. Note: The screenshots in this book are from combustion on a PC running the Windows NT operating system. On a Macintosh, the combustion user interface is the same. Also, monitors were set to 1280 x 1154. Monitor resolution affects the size of the clips in the viewports, so some screenshots may not match your screen exactly.
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Getting Started
Relinking Media
Workspaces link to their footage using absolute pathnames. Depending on where you install the tutorials media, combustion may prompt you to relink footage it cannot find. For example, if you install the tutorials media on a drive other than the C: drive, you will have to relink the footage in some lessons. To relink footage, use the following procedure on both Windows and Macintosh platforms. 1. If combustion cannot locate the footage used by the workspace you try to open, the following message appears. Click Yes to open the Open dialog.
2. combustion is trying to find the Letter_s1.png file in the ~\Lesson03 folder on the C: drive, but the folder must have been installed to another location on the C: drive, or to another drive entirely. Use the file browser to locate the ~\Lesson03 folder.
3. The Letter_s1.png file is listed in the folders contents. Click Open to relink the footage to this new destination. The other files whose pathnames match those of the Letter_s1.png files are automatically relinked. The workspace file is updated, so you do not have to save the workspace to keep the updated path. You may proceed with the lesson.
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Getting Started
Playing Movies
The tutorials media includes .avi movies of the expected results for each lesson. If you do not have enough RAM to view the result clip in real time in the viewport, play the provided movie.
If you are using a PC, double-click the .avi file icon in the lesson folder to view the movie using
Windows Media Player.
If you are using a Macintosh, double-click the .avi file icon in the lesson folder to view the movie using
the QuickTime Movie Player. You are now ready to proceed with the first lesson.
Getting More Help

For a comprehensive reference to all of the software features, see the combustion Users Guide. You can also use the Online Help system for topic-based information as well as reference information about the main interface elements. For more training and tutorials materials visit the Services page at www.discreet.com. For answers to FAQs, Technical News, and access to the Support Knowledge Base, visit the Support page.
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Getting Started
14
Welcome to combustion
Les s on 1
Welcome to combustion, a powerful compositing and vector-based paint program. In this lesson, learn the basic concepts of combustion by exploring its interface.
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1 Welcome to combustion
Overview
With combustion you create composites and Paint branches in workspaces. You can use up to four independent viewports to view your clips in different contexts. Use the menus and controls to apply effects to clips and to build animated composites. Time to complete this lesson: 40 minutes.
Exercise: Tour a combustion Workspace

The workspace for Lesson 1 contains a three-layer composite. Use this workspace to get familiar with the interface and to view how the layers of a composite are typically put together. In this lesson:
Open a workspace with a composite. Explore the viewports. Play a clip in real time by rendering it to the RAM cache. Tour the Workspace panel. Learn about layers and operators. Render the composite.
Open the Workspace

Start combustion and open the workspace for this lesson. 1. From the desktop, click Start and then choose Programs | Discreet | combustion (Windows) or locate the combustion program icon and double-click it to launch the software (Macintosh). 2. Check the combustion preferences. For instructions, see Set the Preferences on page 9. 3. Choose File | Open Workspace, or press CTRL+SHIFT+O (Windows) or to display the Open Workspace dialog. +SHIFT+O (Macintosh),
The Open Workspace dialog is a file browser with integrated search, file filtering, and display options.
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4. To open or close a folder, click the black triangle next to its name. Navigate the folder hierarchy to view the workspace files for the tutorial lessons. Use the file browser to locate and open the Lesson01 folder. This folder contains the starter workspace file for Lesson 1. Workspace files use the file extension .cws.
Note: If the dialog is in List View mode, the files and folders in the list on the right appear as text. To switch between Thumbnails and List View mode, click the appropriate button.
Hint: In combustion, you also can open projects from paint* and effect* 2.0 and 2.1. For more information, see the Opening paint* and effect* Projects tips box.
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5. Click L01_start.cws to select it and then click OK to open the workspace file. The composite appears in the viewport(s). Because the number of viewports depends on the viewport layout used in the previous combustion session, what you see on your screen may not match the illustration.
The Workspace panel displays a graphical representation of how the layers of the composite are put together. Learn more about the Workspace panel on page 26.
Opening paint* and effect* Projects

Use the Open Workspace dialog to open Discreet paint* and effect* projects from versions 2.0 and 2.1. To restrict your search in the browser to these kinds of files, select paint* 2.0 Project or effect* 2.0 Project from the Format list.
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Explore the Viewport Layouts

You can display one, two, or four viewports to view your result clips in different zoom factors and perspectives. You can also assign different contexts to viewports. Learn more about this in Lesson 4. For the moment, try out the different viewport layout options. 1. From the Viewport Layout list, select to view a single viewport.
A single, large viewport appears with a default zoom factor of 100%. The zoom factor appears at the top of the viewport. 2. From the Viewport Layout list, select to view two viewports.
The single viewport is replaced by two smaller viewports. Notice, however, that the zoom factor remains 100%. When a smaller viewport displays the same image with the same zoom factor, it shows less of the image. Notice the left viewport is highlighted, making it the active viewport.
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3. Each viewport has its own zoom factor. Click the Zoom Out button twice to view the entire image in the active viewport.
The left viewport displays the image at 50% of its actual size (360 x 243 instead of 720 x 486 pixels).
Hint: You can also zoom in on an image using the Zoom In button
4. From the Viewport Layout list, select
to view four viewports.
The image now appears in four viewports. Notice the zoomed out viewport occupies the top left of the interface. The zoom factor is still 50%, but the viewport is smaller.
Note: If you are familiar with 3D modeling applications, this layout probably looks familiar. However, the four viewports are independent displays. Although you could set them up to display 3D orthogonal views (front, left, and top), there are many other possibilities to suit your workflow needs. Learn more about viewport views in subsequent lessons.
5. From the Viewport Layout list, select
to view four viewports laid out differently.
There are still four viewports, but now three are small and one is large. Notice the zoomed out viewport occupies the top left position. Again, the zoom factor of the viewport is unchanged, but
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you see even less of the image because of the smaller viewport. However, in the large viewport, you can view more of the image in greater detail.
6. Return to single-viewport layout and restore the zoom factor:

a) From the Viewport Layout list, select
b) Click Home to return to 100% zoom factor.
Clicking Home cycles the viewport display between a centered image with a 100% zoom factor, an image fit to the viewport, and the most recent custom zoom and pan settings.
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7. To the right of the viewport is the filmstrip. By default, the filmstrip displays every frame of the image sequence vertically.
Note: If you do not see a filmstrip, choose Window | Palette | Show Filmstrip.
Navigate the clip using the filmstrip:

a) Click the minus sign button to view only every second frame.
Viewing frames at larger intervals makes it faster to navigate long clips.

b) Use the scroll bar to scroll the image sequence. c) Click any frame in the filmstrip to view that frame in the viewport(s),
making it the current frame. The current frame is highlighted in the filmstrip, and a red line marks its position along the scroll bar. You can also change the current frame by moving the red line.
Hint: There are other filmstrip display options that you can access by clicking the filmstrip menu button . For more information, see the combustion Users Guide.
8. Choose Window | Palettes | Hide Filmstrip to close the filmstrip. With the filmstrip closed, the viewport is larger. 9. Right-click (Windows) or CTRL-click (Macintosh) the viewport and choose Show Safe Zones to view Safe Action and Safe Title zones. A check mark appears next to a menu item when it is enabled. Because broadcast video usually crops the edges of a frame, the Safe Zones define safe areas for action and titles.
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Play the Composite in the Viewport

The viewports in combustion provide real-time playback of the composite at each stage of its development. Real-time playback of a clip is limited by the amount of RAM installed on your workstation. Learn how to use the playback controls to view a clip in real time. The playback controls are below the viewport. 1. Click
Current frame
(or press HOME) to go to the first frame of the clip.

Total duration
For information on the playback controls, see the Using the Playback Controls tips box. 2. In the playback controls, click the play mode button to select Ping Pong mode.
The play mode button cycles between Play Once
, Loop
, and Ping Pong
Hint: It is also possible to view only a defined range of the clip during playback. For more information, see the Playback In and Out Points tips box.
Using the Playback Controls

The playback controls have the following functions: Go to First Frame Play Reverse Go 1 Frame Forward Go to Next Keyframe
Go to Previous Keyframe
Go 1 Frame Backward
Play Forward
Go to Last Frame
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3. Click
(or press SPACEBAR) to play the clip.
The clip plays slowly at first while each frame is rendered to RAM. However, once it reaches the last frame and reverses direction, the playback rate increases to real time. In this case, you view the entire clip in Ping Pong mode. Frames are stored in RAM for real-time playback and are overwritten when you change them and play the clip again. You can view how much RAM is used by the system at any moment by looking at the RAM gauge in the lower right corner of the screen.
For more information on real-time playback and the RAM cache, see the combustion Users Guide. 4. Click 5. Click (SPACEBAR) to stop the clip. (HOME) to go to the first frame of the clip.
Playback In and Out Points

Use the playback in point (green) and out point (red) to define the range of the clip viewed when you play the clip. Drag the playback in and out points along the time bar to set the playback range. When you press play, the clip plays only between the in and out points. If you play the clip in Loop or Ping Pong mode, you view the region between the in and out points repeatedly.
In Point
Out Point
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Examine the Workspace Panel

Now that you are familiar with the viewports and the playback controls, examine the panels below the viewport. On the left side, you access the Workspace panel and the Toolbar. In the middle, you access the Controls panel and the Timeline. Click the tabs to switch between panels.
Workspace panel
Controls panel
The Controls panel is context sensitive, which means that it always shows the controls for the operator selected in the Workspace panel. As a result, the name on the tab for the Controls panel changes depending on which operator is selected. The tab for the Controls panel currently reads Composite Controls because the composite operator is selected in the Workspace panel. When an operator is selected in the Workspace panel, an arrow appears to the right of its name.
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1. Click the Workspace tab (or press F3).
The Workspace panel represents branches in the workspace. Although you can have multiple branches in a single workspace, this workspace contains only one composite branch. The composite consists of three layers:
The Fruit layer is the top layer. The Solid layer is below the Fruit layer, giving it a white highlight. The Flowers layer is the bottom layer. It is the background for the composite.
2. Also situated in the Workspace panel is the Footage Library, which lists all footage used in all branches in the workspace. Click the triangle next to the Footage Library to view its contents.
The Footage Library lists the three footage items used in the composite. The Footage Library is an easy way to keep track of and access the footage you use.
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3. Click the icon next to the Fruit layers name to turn off the Fruit layer.
The layer is no longer visible. When a layers icon is highlighted, its visibility is on. When a layers icon is not highlighted, its visibility is off. 4. Turn off the other two layers:
a) In the Workspace panel, click the Solid layer to select it.
b) Instead of clicking the layers icon, choose Object | Toggle Visibility (CTRL+T /
+T).
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Only the Flowers layer remains.
c) Turn off the Flowers layer.
No layers are visible. 5. Turn on all layers to view the composite again:
a) In the Workspace panel, drag a selection box around the three layers. b) Choose Object | Toggle Visibility (CTRL+T /
+T).
Change the Position of the Fruit Layer

The current layer of a composite is the layer selected in the Workspace panelits name is highlighted. Controls for the current layer appear in the Controls panel. For more information, see the Controlling the Current Layer and the Composite tips box. 1. Go to the first frame (HOME). Notice the Fruit and Solid layers are not completely inside the Safe Action zone.
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2. Enable Feedback. Feedback has a check mark when enabled.
When Feedback is enabled, layers and objects in the viewports are redrawn while you change their settings interactively. When it is disabled, layers and objects in the viewports are redrawn only after the setting has been changed.
Controlling the Current Layer and the Composite

Use the top three buttons in the Composite Controls panel to access controls affecting the current layer of the composite: Click: To: View controls to set the position, rotation, scale, shear, and pivot point. View controls to set the shape, depth order, and to set visibility options. View controls to set the opacity, reflectivity, and specular surface properties. Use the bottom two composite control buttons to access controls affecting the entire composite: Click: To: View controls to set the camera from which the scene is viewed. View controls to set the output video format for the composite. In this lesson, you use the Transform controls. Use the others in later lessons.
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3. In the Workspace panel, select the Fruit layer to make it current:

a) Because all three layers are currently selected, click the gray area to the right of the layer names to
deselect them.
b) Select the Fruit layer to make it current.
The name of the current layer is highlighted and an arrow indicates that its controls are displayed. 4. Because you are going to change the animation keyframes of the Fruit layer, enable Animate. Animate is red when enabled.
5. Move the Fruit layer:

a) Click the Composite Controls tab to view the Composite Controls panel (F7). b) Click Transform to view the Transform controls for the current layer.
c) Drag over the X Position field until the value is -120.
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The value is the number of pixels by which the layer is offset from the center along the X-axis. The Fruit layer is now inside the Safe Action zone.
Hint: To change values 10 times more quickly than normal, press SHIFT while dragging over the field. To change values 10 times more slowly than normal, press CTRL while dragging over the field.
6. Play the clip (SPACEBAR). Although the Fruit layer is inside the Safe Action zone, the Solid layer is not. 7. Move the Solid layer to the same X Position as the Fruit layer:
a) Go to the first frame (HOME). b) In the Workspace panel, select the Solid layer.
c) In the current layers Transform controls, click the X Position field.
The field changes, highlighting the current value.

d) Using the keyboard, enter -120, then press ENTER. Hint: You can also double-click the field to open the on-screen calculator, enter the value, then click OK.
When entering values throughout lessons, use any of the methods shown here.
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8. Play the clip (SPACEBAR). The Fruit and Solid layers move together inside the Safe Action zone.
Hint: You can also link layers by parenting one layer to another. Applying changes to a parent affects all layers linked to it. Learn more about parenting layers in Lesson 3.
9. Choose Window | Show Safe Zones, or press (SINGLE QUOTE), to turn the safe zones off.
View the Operators on Each Layer

Use the Workspace panel to view the operators applied to each layer. Operators are processes that build the composite. Any number of operators can be applied to a layer. 1. View the Controls panel for the Footage operator in the Fruit layer:
a) Click the triangles next to each of the layers.
The layer headings expand, revealing the operators used in each layer.
Footage operator Box Blur operator Paint operator
b) Examine the layers in the composite and their operators. Layer Name Operators
Fruit Solid Flowers
A Footage operator that represents the imported footage as it is used in the composite. A Footage operator and a Box Blur operator. The Box Blur operator is an effect applied to the footage. A Footage operator and a Paint operator. The Paint operator controls the vector graphics added to the layer (in this case, the text).
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c) Select the Footage operator in the Fruit layer.
As you learned in an earlier step, when you select an operator in the Workspace panel, an arrow indicates that its controls appear in the Controls panel. The name of the panel changes to that of the selected operator (in this case, the Footage Controls). 2. Examine the Footage Details to the right of the controls.
Footage Details provides a summary of the footage properties. For example, the footage for this layer is a single Portable Network Graphic (*.png) image (Duration: 1), and its resolution is D-1 NTSC (720 x 486) with a frame rate of 30 fps. 3. In the Workspace panel, select the Solid footage operator in the Solid layer. Its controls appear in the Footage Controls panel.
The footage for the Solid layer is not a graphic image, but simply a white rectangle created using the Object | New | Composite/Paint/Solid Layer command. Use this command in Lesson 3. You can use the Footage Controls panel to change the size and color of a solid layer.
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4. Select the Box Blur operator in the Solid layer.
Its controls appear in the Box Blur Controls panel. 5. Operators are processes (in this case, a box blur effect) that are applied to footage. Soften the edge of the Solid layer by setting the Radius of the Box Blur operator to 25.
Hint: You can undo changes by pressing CTRL+Z / +Z. combustion has multiple levels of undo. To set the number of levels of undo, choose File | Preferences to open the Preferences dialog. In the General preferences, enter the number of levels of Undo in the Undo Levels field.
6. The Flowers layer has a Footage operator and a Paint operator. Examine the Footage operator:
a) Select the Footage operator in the Flowers layer to view its controls.
Looking at the Footage Details, you can see that the footage for the Flowers layer is a 30-frame D-1 NTSC (720 x 486) PNG image sequence.
b) Drag over the preview to scrub the clip.
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7. Click the Back button (CTRL+[ /
+[) to return to the Box Blur Controls panel.
The Forward and Back buttons are similar to the buttons in a web browser. Use these buttons to switch between recently accessed Controls panels. Learn more about the Forward and Back buttons in subsequent lessons as you continue to work with operators. 8. Go to the end of the clip (END) and look at the viewport. At the end of the clip, the Fruit and Solid layers move to the right side of the frame, revealing text painted on the Flowers layer. 9. Examine the Paint operator and its controls:
a) In the Workspace panel, select the Paint operator.
b) Click the icon next to the Paint operators name to turn it off.
The text is no longer visible. As with layers, you can turn operators on and off.
c) Turn the Paint operator on again to view the text.
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Render the Result Composite

So far in this lesson, you viewed the composite in the viewports. Now, use the Render Queue to render the composite as a QuickTime file for viewing outside of combustion. 1. Choose File | Render (CTRL+R / +R) to open the Render Queue dialog.
The Render Queue dialog lists each output that you can render to a video clip or an image sequence. Currently, the dialog lists a single output: the final result of the composite you have been working with. You can add and queue multiple outputs from any branch in any workspace, making batch rendering sessions easy. For more information on setting multiple outputs, see the combustion Users Guide. In this lesson, render only a single output.
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2. In the Output list, select output1. The output box is highlighted when selected.
3. Set the Render Queue dialog to output a QuickTime movie of the composite:
a) From the Format list, select QuickTime. b) From the Quality list, select Best.
c) From the Frame Size list, select Quarter to output a frame size of 180 x 121 pixels.
4. Set the compression settings for the QuickTime file:

a) Click Options to open the Compression Settings dialog.
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b) In the Compressor group, select None and Millions of Colors.
c) Move the slider to Best quality.
d) From the Frames Per Second list, select 29.97.
e) Click OK. Hint: Depending on the specified file type, you can also define settings for the alpha channel and for video field interlacing. For more information, see the combustion Users Guide.
5. Set the destination for the QuickTime movie:

a) Click Filename to open the Save dialog.
b) Use the file browser to set the desktop as the destination for the QuickTime movie. c) Change the name of the file to MyLesson01.mov and then click OK.
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6. In the Render Range group, check that the entire composite is set to be rendered. The duration bar represents the region of the composite set to be rendered.
Before rendering, you can also enable e-mail notification. For more information, see the Enable EMail Notification tips box.
Hint: You can change the start and end points for the rendering process, as well as the frame step rate using the Start, End, and Frame Step fields. Click Max to reset the rendering process to the entire composite.
Enable E-Mail Notification

When you arrange long overnight batch rendering sessions, you can set combustion to notify you by e-mail when the rendering is done. 1. In the Render Queue dialog, click Preferences to open the Render Queue Preferences dialog.
2. In the Render Queue Preferences dialog, enter the required To and From addresses and the name of your mail server (SMTP server).
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7. Click Process to process the composite.
The render progress is represented by the Current Progress and Estimated Total Time bars. You can also watch each frame render in the preview window to the left of the Current Progress and Estimated Total Time bars. 8. When the rendering is complete, click Close. 9. Save and close the workspace:
a) Press CTRL+SHIFT+S /
+SHIFT+S to open the Save Workspace dialog.
b) Set a file name and directory for the workspace, and then click OK. c) Press CTRL+W /
+W to close the workspace.
10.(Optional) Go to the desktop and view the QuickTime movie you just created in the QuickTime movie player.
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Things to Remember
Choose from one of four viewport layout options. You can set zoom factors and other display options
for each viewport independently.
Play a clip once in the viewport to render it to the RAM cache. Once rendered, the clip plays in real
time until you apply further changes.
Real-time playback in the viewport is limited by the amount of RAM installed on your workstation.
Use the RAM gauge to verify how much RAM is available.
View the workspace in the Workspace panel. A workspace can contain many branches, a composite
branch can contain many layers, and each layer can have many operators.
Operators are processes applied to footage. You can turn them on and off by clicking their icons in
the Workspace panel.
When you select a layer or operator in the Workspace panel, an arrow indicates that its controls
appear in the Controls panel.
Use the Render Queue to render any output from any workspace. You can choose from many video
formats, customize compression settings, and set the frame size.
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Creating Basic Composites

Les s on 2
In a composite, two or more layers are combined to produce a single image or clip. You can scale and animate layers to customize the composite further.
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2 Creating Basic Composites
Overview
A composite is an image made by combining two or more layers. The easiest composites to build are from images with predefined alpha channels. An alpha channel is a grayscale version of the image that assigns transparency to regions of the image, revealing what is layered behind it. An alpha channel is normally associated with its own layers footage. In combustion, you can also apply the alpha channel of one layer as the matte for another. Time to complete this lesson: 40 minutes.
Exercise: Create an Animated Composite

As you learned in Lesson 1, you can animate layer properties using the current layer controls. In this lesson, learn more about layer properties and animation channels. Need Help? If you need help completing this exercise, save and close your workspace, and then open the Lesson02.cws workspace as a reference.
Set Up the Workspace

First, preview the result of this exercise. Next, create a branch and import footage to begin building the composite. 1. Check the combustion preferences. For instructions, see Set the Preferences on page 9. 2. Choose File | Open Workspace, or press CTRL+SHIFT+O (Windows) or +SHIFT+O (Macintosh), to open the Lesson02.cws workspace file in the Lesson02 folder. For instructions, see Open the Workspace on page 16. 3. Preview the result for this exercise:
Play the clip in the viewport to view the result. The clip plays slowly the first time while it caches
to RAM and then it plays in real time. For instructions, see Play the Composite in the Viewport on page 23.
If you do not have enough RAM to view the entire clip in real time, minimize combustion and
play Lesson02.avi using Media Player (Windows) or QuickTime (Macintosh). For instructions, see Playing Movies on page 13.
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The composite consists of a background image of insects, an image of a lizard, and an animated logo.
4. Choose File | Close Workspace (CTRL+W / 5. Create a branch in the empty workspace:
a) Choose File | New (CTRL+N /
+W) to close the Lesson02.cws workspace file.
+N) to open the New dialog.
b) Select composite as the branch type and then give the branch a name, for example,
MyLesson02.
c) Select NTSC D-1 as the composites resolution.
d) Set the duration to 60 frames.
e) Click OK.
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6. View the images needed for the composite:

a) Choose File | Import Footage (CTRL+I /
+I) to open the Import Footage dialog.
b) Use the file browser to go to the Lesson02 folder. c) Click Thumbnails to view thumbnails of the images in the selected folder.
When Thumbnails is enabled, images and clips in the current folder appear as thumbnail images, making it much easier to locate files.
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The final composite has four layers. Bugs.png: This image is the background for the composite.
Lizard.png: This image is placed in front of the Bugs layer in the composite. The gray region of the thumbnail is the transparency defined by the alpha channel.
Texture.png: This texture is used to generate the logo in the upper right of the frame.
Logo.png: The alpha channel of this image is applied to the texture image to produce the textured logo.
In this exercise:
Use the Import Footage dialog to import the images for the composite. Examine the alpha channel of imported footage in the viewports. Use a Set Matte operator to apply the alpha channel of the Logo.png image to the Texture layer to
create the textured logo.
Animate the position and scale of the Texture layer to animate the logo, and then use the Timeline
to customize the animation.
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Import the Images

Since you are already in the Import Footage dialog, import the required files. 1. Press CTRL and click the Bugs.png and Lizard.png thumbnails to select them. As you click each thumbnail, it is highlighted and appears in the import queue. The selections in the import queue are imported with the first selection as the bottom layer of the composite and the last selection as the top layer. As you learn in this lesson, layers can be rearranged after you import them.
Highlighted selections
Images in the import queue
Hint: Once you add the selections from one folder to the import queue, you can use the browser to locate footage in another folder and add it to the import queue.
2. Click OK to import the queued images. The viewport displays the output of the composite.
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3. Select two-viewport layout. 4. Zoom out both viewports to view the entire frame:
a) Click the left viewport to make it active. b) Click Home to fit the frame to the viewport. c) Repeat steps a) and b) for the right viewport.
Examine an Alpha Channel

The lizard image has a predefined alpha channel that is automatically enabled. The alpha channel is a channel belonging to the image file (in this case, lizard.png) that defines transparency in the image. As a result, you see the bugs behind the lizard. Examine the alpha channel for the lizard image. 1. In the Workspace panel (F3), CTRL-click the triangle next to the MyLesson02 branch to expand it.
2. View the Footage Controls panel for the Lizard layer:

a) In the Workspace panel, click the Footage operator in the Lizard layer to view its controls. Hint: If the Footage Controls panel is not showing, click its tab, or press F7. b) Click Source to view the Source controls.
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In the Footage Details, the Lizard.png image is listed as a 32-bit image. The image has four 8-bit channels: red, green, blue, and alpha. The red, green, and blue channels define the full color image and the alpha channel defines the transparent region of the image.
Because the footage is a 32-bit image, the Color+Alpha button is enabled, indicating that the red, green, blue, and alpha channels are enabled. 3. Right-click (Windows) or CTRL-click (Macintosh) the left viewport and choose Layer. In Layer view, only the output of the current layer is visible, so you see the Lizard layer over a black background.
The right viewport, which is still in Camera view, shows the composite. In Camera view, you view the result composite through a virtual camera. The cameras position and field of view can be changed and animated. In this exercise, do not change the default camera settings. The current view appears in the upper left corner of the viewport. In the viewport, you can select from 10 views including Camera, Layer, and Perspective. Learn more about the Camera and Perspective views in Lesson 3.
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4. In addition to the different views, you can also select from nine different view modes. Use view modes to monitor specific image channels. Right-click / CTRL-click the left viewport and choose View Mode | Alpha to view the alpha channel of the lizard image. The viewport displays the grayscale alpha channel of the lizard image. Black areas of the image represent complete transparency. Gray areas at the edges represent degrees of transparency. White areas of the image represent complete opacity.
The current view mode appears in the upper left corner of the viewport next to the zoom factor.
For more information on view modes, see the combustion Users Guide.
Hint: To change view modes using the hot keys, press CTRL+SHIFT+<NUMBER>. A view modes hot key number corresponds to its position in the menu. For example, press CTRL+SHIFT+8 to switch to Alpha view mode and CTRL+SHIFT+1 to return to Normal (Color + Alpha) view mode.
5. In addition to identifying which footage is used, the Footage operator controls how the footage is interpreted for the layer. For example, click Color to disable the alpha channel of the footage.
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With Color enabled, the RGB color channels are displayed and the alpha channel for the footage is ignored. As a result, the right viewport (Normal view mode) displays the lizard image instead of the composite. The left viewport (Alpha view mode) displays a white frame (no transparency). This is the stored alpha channel for the layer. In combustion, an alpha channel is automatically stored for each layer. If you import an image that does not contain an embedded alpha channel, or if you disable the embedded alpha channel, the stored alpha channel is used. In later lessons, learn how to affect the stored alpha channel using the Mask and Keyer operators. 6. Reset the viewports and the Footage Controls for the Lizard layer to their initial state:
a) Right-click / CTRL-click the left viewport and choose View Mode | Normal (CTRL+SHIFT+1).
The left and right viewports both display the lizard image.
b) In the Footage Controls panel, click Guess.
Because Lizard.png is a 32-bit image, combustion guesses that all four channels (red, green, blue, and alpha) should be used. As a result, Color+Alpha is automatically enabled:
The left viewport, in Layer view, displays the Lizard layer only. The right viewport, in Camera view, displays the full composite.
c) Right-click / CTRL-click the left viewport and choose Camera.
Both viewports display the full composite.
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Move the Lizard Layer

Using the Transform controls in the Composite Controls panel, you can move, rotate, scale, and shear layers. Move the Lizard layer to the lower right of the frame. 1. Select single-viewport layout. 2. Disable Animate to disable keyframe animation. Animate is gray when disabled.
When Animate is disabled, any changes made to the properties of a layer or operator are constant for the duration of the clip. 3. In the Workspace panel, select the Lizard layer. 4. Move the Lizard layer:
a) In the Composite Controls panel (F7), click Transform to view the Transform controls for the
Lizard layer.
b) Set X Position to 170.
c) Set Y Position to -120.
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The lizard is now at the lower right of the frame.
Import Footage to Create Two More Layers

So far the composite has two layers. To complete the composite, you must import the footage for two more layers and then rearrange the layers in the Workspace panel. 1. Open the Import Footage dialog (CTRL+I / +I).
2. CTRL-click the Texture.png and Logo.png images (in this order) in the Lesson02 folder to add them to the import queue. 3. Click OK to import the selected images. 4. Examine the Workspace panel. Both imported images appear as new layers in the Workspace panel with the Logo layer above the Texture layer. The composite now has four layers.
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5. Examine the viewport. The Logo.png image has a predefined alpha channel that defines the transparency of the layer. Behind it you see the Texture layer. The Lizard and Bugs layers are hidden behind the Texture layer.
6. You can rearrange the layer order of a composite by dragging layers in the Workspace panel. For example, change the layer order of the composite:
a) In the Workspace panel, click the Lizard layer and drag the cursor over the Texture layer. b) Release the cursor when a line appears below the Logo layer.
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The Workspace panel should look like this.
In the viewport, the lizard appears in front of the texture and behind the logo.
c) Drag the Lizard layer below the Texture layer again (it should still be above the Bugs layer).
7. In the Workspace panel, click the icon next to the Logo layer to turn it off. As you will see in the next steps, you use only the Logo layers alpha channel in the composite. For the moment, all you can see in the viewport is the Texture layer.
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Set the Matte for the Texture Layer

Although an alpha channel is associated with its own image, you can use the alpha channel of one image as a matte for another. A matte has the same function as an alpha channel (defines transparency), except it is not embedded in a specific image. Use a Set Matte operator to use the alpha channel of the Logo layer as the matte for the Texture layer, creating a logo with a texture. 1. In the Workspace panel, click the Texture layer to make it the current layer. 2. Click the triangle next to the Texture layer to view its contents. The Texture layer has a single Footage operator. 3. Choose Operators | Channel | Set Matte to add a Set Matte operator to the Texture layer. A Set Matte operator and its controls appear.
4. Although the Logo layer is off, its Footage operator is on, allowing its alpha channel to be applied to another layer as a matte. Set the Texture layer to use the alpha channel associated with the Logo footage:
a) Click the Layer box to open the Operator Picker dialog.
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b) Click the Footage operator for the Logo layer and then click OK.
Because Luminance is the selected input channel for the matte, the Texture layer is slightly transparent. 5. From the Input Channel list, select Alpha.
The alpha channel of the logo image sets the matte for the Texture layer. However, the logo image has been resized to fit the Texture layer.
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6. Crop the footage in the Logo layer so it fits the composite properly:
a) In the Workspace panel, click the triangle next to the Logo layer to view its Footage operator. b) Select the Footage operator for the Logo layer to view its controls. c) Click Output.
d) Set Cropping Top, Left, Right, and Bottom according to the following table. Set: To:
Top Left Right Bottom
-33 -208 208 33
These crop values increase the footage from a 304 x 420 image to a 720 x 486 image by adding empty space on all sides. As a result, the matte used by the Texture layer now has the correct proportions.
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Animate the Texture Layer

So far, the layers in the composite do not move. You have changed the position of the Lizard layer, but all layers remain in the same position for the duration of the clip. Animate the Texture layers scale and position to animate the logo. 1. Enable Animate to enable keyframing.
When Animate is enabled (red), keyframes are set automatically when you change values at different frames in the composite. 2. If necessary, press HOME to go to the first frame. 3. Set the scale of the Texture layer at the first frame:
a) In the Workspace panel, select the Texture layer. b) Click Transform to view the Transform controls for the Texture layer.
c) Enable Proportional to keep X, Y, and Z Scale equal. d) Set any of the Scale fields to 30%.
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4. Set the position of the Texture layer at the first frame:

a) Set X Position to -240.
b) Set Y Position to -140.
5. Go to the last frame (END). 6. Set the scale and position of the Texture layer at the last frame:
a) With Proportional enabled, set any of the Scale fields to 100%. b) Set X Position to 0. c) Set Y Position to 0.
Because Animate is enabled, setting different scale and position values for the Texture layer at the first and last frame of the clip creates an animation. combustion automatically calculates the intermediate values between the two keyframes (first and last) that you set. The motion path followed by the Texture layer appears in the viewport (as long as the Texture layer is selected in the Workspace panel).
7. Go to the first frame (HOME) and then play the clip (SPACEBAR) to view the animation.
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View the Timeline

View the Timeline to view graphical representations of the animated channels in your composite. 1. Go to the first frame (HOME). 2. View the Timeline:
a) Click the Timeline tab (or press F4). b) Click Graph to enable Graph mode.
c) Enable Context to view the channels for the layer or operator selected in the Workspace panel.
A category can contain additional categories and channels. A category is indicated by a small black triangle and a channel is indicated by a key icon. In this case, the Timeline displays four categories: Transformation, Geometry, Surface, and Operators. 3. One of the channels you animated is the Y Position channel of the Texture layer, which belongs to the Transformation category. View the Y Position graph:
a) In the Timeline, click the triangle next to the Transformation category to view its contents. b) Click the Y Position channel to view its curve.
c) Click Frame All to view the entire Y Position curve in the graph area of the Timeline.
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4. Examine the Y Position curve. A keyframe is expressed using (x, y) coordinates, where x is the number of the frame (the horizontal axis of the graph) at which the value is set and y is the channel value (the vertical axis of the graph). The Y Position curve has two keyframes joined by the animation curve. The Current Frame indicator indicates the current frame.
Current Frame indicator First keyframe Animation curve Second keyframe
(60, 0) Channel value (y)
(1, -140)
Frame number (x)
The process of calculating the values between keyframes to create the animation curve is called interpolation. This process is done automatically.
Note: In this illustration, the curve uses Bezier interpolation (the default interpolation method selected in the Preferences).
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5. Drag the Current Frame indicator and note the following:
The value next to the channel in the Timeline is updated. For example, when the Current Frame
indicator is at frame 16, the Y Position value is -104.41.
All Current Frame indicators (in the playback controls and filmstrip) are updated. The clip is scrubbed in the viewport.
Hint: Enable Feedback to view all layers of the composite while scrubbing. Disable Feedback to view outlines of the composites moving layers. For more information, see page 29.
Add a Keyframe to the Y Position Curve

Add a keyframe to customize the animation further. 1. Use the Go To Time dialog to go to frame 30:
a) Choose Movie | Go To Time or press / (forward slash) to open the Go To Time dialog.
b) Enter 30 in the Frame field, and then click OK (ENTER). Hint: To go to a specific frame, you can also click the Current Frame field in the playback controls, enter the frame number, and then press ENTER.
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2. Click Add Key to add a keyframe at frame 30.
A keyframe appears on the Y Position curve at frame 30.

Hint: You can also add a keyframe at the current frame by dragging over the value next to the channel in the hierarchy. To add a keyframe at a frame other than the current frame, hold the cursor over the curve. When the cursor changes to a crosshair ( ), click the curve to add a keyframe.
3. Use one of three methods to set the Y Position value of the new keyframe to -20:
Click in the gray area above or below the curve to deselect the curve and then drag the keyframe
at frame 30 to about -20. (If you do not deselect the curve first you move the entire curve at once because all keyframes are selected.)
Drag over the value next to the channel in the hierarchy until the value is about -20. Double-click the keyframe to open the Numerical Input dialog, enter -20, and then click OK.
The animation curve should look like this.
Tangent handles
The motion path in the viewport changes according to the new shape of the Y Position curve.
Hint: Changing the value of a keyframe in the Timeline is the same as changing a value using the Transform controls.
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4. Play the clip (SPACEBAR). The Texture layer follows the modified motion path. 5. Go to the first frame (HOME). 6. Click Overview to change the timing of the animation without affecting the channel values.
When you added a keyframe to the Y Position channel, a keyframe was added to the X and Z Position channels at the same time because the three Position channels are linked. Although keyframes are added to the X and Z Position channels at frame 30, their values are unchanged. 7. Change the timing of the animation:
a) Click the gray area in the Timeline below the keyframes to deselect all. b) Drag the Position keyframes you added to frame 50.
As you drag, the frame number and value appear in parentheses, making it easy to move the keyframe to the proper position. 8. In the Workspace panel, click the Texture layer. In the viewport, the shape of the motion path has not changed. However, the part of the motion path between the first two keyframes now represents the first 50 frames of the animation.
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9. Play the clip (SPACEBAR). The logo moves more slowly between the first two keyframes of the motion path, and then moves more quickly between the last two.
Navigate the Channels in the Timeline

When you open the Timeline, the categories and channels associated with the layer or operator selected in the Workspace panel are displayed. Navigate downwards by expanding categories and upwards using the controls to the right of the Timeline list. 1. Go to the first frame (HOME). 2. In the Timeline list, click the triangle next to the Transformation category to collapse it.
3. Click the up-arrow button to move up one level up in the channel hierarchy.
The Timeline list displays the categories for the composite, including the two layers, the Light, and Camera groups. In Overview mode, the duration of layers and operators is indicated by a gray bar. Use the scroll bar next to the list to view all categories and channels.
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4. Click the navigation menu button and choose Top to go to the top level of the channel hierarchy.
At the top level of the workspace there is a single branch for the composite.
Hint: Choose Top when you want to access channels in other branches in the current workspace.
5. In the Workspace panel, click the Texture layer to view its channel categories only in the Timeline. 6. Save and close the workspace:
a) Save the workspace (CTRL+S /
+S).
b) (Optional) Render the clip as a QuickTime movie. For instructions, see Render the Result
Composite on page 36.

c) Close the workspace (CTRL+W /
+W).
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Things to Remember
Click Thumbnails in the Import Footage dialog to view thumbnails of image files while you browse
for footage.
CTRL-click multiple image files to add them to the import queue in the Import Footage dialog. You
can add files from different folders in a single import session.
You can set viewports to display any of nine view modes. For example, choose Alpha view mode to
view the grayscale alpha channel, or Normal view mode to view the full color image.
Click Graph in the Timeline to view the animation channels as curves on a graph. Use this mode to
add keyframes and set values.
Click Overview in the Timeline to view the timing of the animation. Use this mode to change the
timing of the animation without affecting the values set at each keyframe.
Although the Timeline initially displays the channels of the layer or operator selected in the
Workspace panel, you can navigate downward by clicking the triangles next to the categories, or upward using the up-arrow button and navigation menu to the right of the Timeline list.
Rearrange layers by dragging them in the Workspace panel. Use a Set Matte operator to use the alpha channel of the footage in one layer as the matte for another
layer.
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Creating Composites in 3D Space

Les s on 3
In combustion, all composites are built in 3D space. Although the layers you import or create are 2D surfaces, you can hinge them together and then arrange them to make 3D objects.
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3 Creating Composites in 3D Space
Overview
In Lessons 1 and 2 you worked on composites with all layers at the same Z-position. In this lesson, build a 3D cube from 2D layers and then animate the sides of the cube. In combustion, you build composites by creating or importing 2D layers. However, because you build the composite in 3D space, you can hinge layers together to join them at their edges and then set the position and rotation values for the layers to give depth to the composite. You can then animate all transformation channels (for example, position and rotation) to build complex 3D scenes from simple 2D layers. Time to complete this lesson: 60 minutes.
Exercise: Build and Animate a Cube

In this exercise, build a cube by parenting and hinging solid and image layers. The front and back faces of each side of the cube are different. Animate the rotation channel of the sides of the cube to make it turn inside out. Need Help? If you need help completing this exercise, save and close the workspace, and then open the Lesson03.cws workspace as a reference.

First, preview the result of this exercise. Next, create a branch to begin building the composite. 1. Check the combustion preferences. For instructions, see Set the Preferences on page 9. 2. Choose File | Open Workspace, or press CTRL+SHIFT+O (Windows) or +SHIFT+O (Macintosh), to open the Lesson03.cws workspace file in the Lesson03 folder. For instructions, see Open the Workspace on page 16.
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3. Preview the result for this exercise:
Play the clip in the viewport to view the result. For instructions, see Play the Composite in the
Viewport on page 23.
play Lesson03.avi using Media Player (Windows) or QuickTime (Macintosh). For instructions, see Playing Movies on page 13. The clip features a cube that turns inside out.
In this exercise:
Create 12 layers and parent them to make 6 sides. Use hinging to join the six sides. Replace one layer of each side with footage. Assign visibility to the 12 layers to view individual sides. Rotate the hinged squares to make a closed cube. Animate the sides of the cube to turn it inside out.
4. Choose File | Close Workspace (CTRL+W / 5. Choose File | New (CTRL+N / properties: +W) to close the Lesson03.cws workspace file.
+N) to open the New dialog and create a branch with the following
Type: composite Name: animated cube Format: NTSC Duration: 210 frames
6. Select single-viewport layout.
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Create the Six Sides of the Cube

First, begin building a cube by creating 12 layerssix for the front and six for the back of each side. Next, make each side of the cube by parenting two layers. 1. In the Workspace panel (F3), CTRL-click the triangle next to the animated cube composite branch to view its contents as you create the layers. 2. Create a new solid layer:
a) Choose Object | New | Composite/Paint/Solid Layer to open the New dialog. b) From the Type list, select Solid.
c) Leave the solid layer untitled.
d) From the Format Options list, select
Custom.
e) Set Width to 400 and Height to 400.
f) Enable No Fields. g) Click the Background Color box to open
the Pick Color dialog.
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3. Set the color for the new solid layer:
a) Set Red to 0%, Green to 0%,
and Blue to 100%.
b) Click OK to close the Pick Color dialog.
The blue color you selected appears in the Background Color box, indicating the color for the new solid layer.
c) In the New dialog, click OK to create the new solid layer.
A blue square appears in the viewport. 4. Rather than using the same procedure to create five more layers, create five copies of the new layer:
a) In the Workspace panel, click the triangle next to the new layer to view its contents.
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b) In the Workspace panel, click the new layer to select it. c) Press CTRL+C / d) Press CTRL+V /
+C to copy the layer to the clipboard. +V five times to paste five copies of the layer in the Workspace panel.
The Workspace panel contains six layers, each of them named Layer, with a numerical tag to distinguish them. In the viewport, the new layers are at the same position.
5. These layers are for the front of the six sides. Change the names of the new layers:
a) In the Workspace panel, select Layer (1) to view its controls. b) In the Composite Controls panel (F7), click the Name field, type Blue Front, and then press
ENTER.
Hint: Another way to rename a layer is to select the layer in the Workspace panel, click it again to open its Name field, type in the new name and then press ENTER. This procedure is not the same as double-clicking a layer in the Workspace panel, which changes the active viewport to Layer view. If you switch views accidentally, double-click the composite operator to return to Camera view. Note: The numerical tags update dynamically. When you renamed Layer (1), Layer (2) became Layer (1), Layer (3) became Layer (2), and so on.
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c) Repeat steps a) and b) to rename the other five layers. Change the Name of: To:
Layer (5) Layer (4) Layer (3) Layer (2) Layer (1)
Red Front Green Front Yellow Front Magenta Front Cyan Front
6. Change the color of the footage in each layer to match its name:
a) Click the triangle next to the composite operator once to collapse its contents, and then
CTRL-click it again to expand all its contents.

b) Click the Footage operator in the Red Front layer to view its controls.
c) Click the Color box to view the Pick Color dialog and then set the Red Front layer to red. d) Repeat steps b) and c) to change the colors of the Green Front, Yellow Front, Magenta Front, and
Cyan Front layers. For more information, see the Setting Colors in the Pick Color Dialog tips box. 7. The cube you are building uses different footage on the front and back of each side. Duplicate the six layers to make the back sides:
a) In the Workspace panel, click the triangle next to the composite operator once to close it and then
a second time to view the layers. With this view you can drag a selection box around the six layers.
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b) In the Workspace panel, drag a selection box around the six layers to select them.
Setting Colors in the Pick Color Dialog

To select a color using the Pick Color dialog, you can either click anywhere in the color spectrum or use the Red, Green, and Blue fields to set channel values.
Use the table below to help you find the settings for the color you require. Result Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Red Value 100% 0% 100% 0% 0% 100% 100% 0% Green Value 100% 0% 0% 100% 0% 100% 0% 100% Blue Value 100% 0% 0% 0% 100% 0% 100% 100%
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c) Press CTRL+C / d) Press CTRL+V /
+C to copy the layers to the clipboard. +V to paste the copied layers in the Workspace panel.
e) Rename the new layers (the top six layers in the Workspace panel) to contain the tag Back. For
example, change the name of the Blue Front (2) layer to Blue Back. For instructions, see step 5 on page 62. In the Workspace panel, the composite branch should look like this.
8. When layers are parented, changes applied to the parent, such as position and rotation values, are also applied to the child. To make the front and back for each side, parent the layer-pairs together:
a) In the Workspace panel, select the Blue Back layer to view its controls. b) Select Blue Front from the Parent list.
The Blue Front layer is now the parent of the Blue Back layer.
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c) Repeat step a) and b) to parent the five other pairs of layers. In the Workspace panel, select: Set Parent to:
Cyan Back Magenta Back Yellow Back Green Back Red Back
Cyan Front Magenta Front Yellow Front Green Front Red Front
Arrange and Hinge the Sides of the Cube

Currently, the six two-layer sides of the cube are stacked on top of each other in the order defined by the Workspace panel, from top to bottom. Move the sides next to each other and then hinge them so they can be folded together to create the cube. 1. Disable Animate to disable automatic keyframing. Animate is gray when disabled.
2. By default, you work in Camera viewthe view from which the composite is usually rendered. However, you can also work in Perspective view. Right-click (Windows) or CTRL-click (Macintosh) the viewport and choose Perspective. In Perspective view, you can view the composite from any point independent of the camera. 3. Use the Perspective Zoom tool to zoom out the viewport:
a) Show the Toolbar (F2).
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The Toolbar always displays the tools for the current operator, which is indicated in the upper left corner of the viewport. In this case, you view the tools for the composite operator. The Toolbar also shows the current view in the View list.
Hint: Although in the previous step you right-clicked (or CTRL-clicked) the viewport to change views, you can also select a view from the View list in the Toolbar. Only the active viewport is affected. b) The Perspective Zoom tool is a scrubbable tool. Click, hold, and drag over the Perspective
Zoom tool until the square is about one quarter its original size. (In subsequent instructions, you are asked to scrub tools with this behavior.)
As you zoom out a small white box appears. The white box is the camera, from which you view the composite in Camera view. The white star is the light, which is also visible in Camera view.
Camera Light
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4. Arrange the sides of the cube:

a) In the Toolbar, click the Arrow tool.
b) In the viewport, click the Blue Front layer to select it.
The layer is highlighted when selected.
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c) Drag over the viewport to move the Blue Front layer to the left.
The Blue Front layer is the parent of the Blue Back layer, so moving the Blue Front layer moves both layers together.
d) Click the Cyan Front layer to select it. e) Drag over the viewport to move the Cyan layer out of the way so you can move the layers
beneath it.
f) Use the Arrow tool to select and then move the other layers to match the following illustration.
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5. Reset the position of the Cyan Front layer:

a) In the Workspace panel (F3), select the Cyan Front layer to view its controls. b) Click R to reset the X, Y, and Z Position fields for the Cyan Front layer.
Hint: Rather than trying to drag the layer back exactly to X, Y, and Z Position 0, clicking R is an easy way to reset the Position values.
The Cyan Front layer returns to its original position.
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6. Hinge the parent layers of the cube. Start by hinging the Blue Front layer to the Cyan Front layer:
a) In the Workspace panel, select the Blue Front layer to view its controls.
b) Click Layer to view the Layer controls.
c) Click the Pick button and then use the cursor to pick the Cyan Front layer in the viewport.
Hinging layers is an easy way to create 3D objects that fold or open. When you hinge two layers, they are joined along their closest common edge. This shared edge becomes the new pivot point for the hinged layer, changing its center of rotation. This makes hinging different from parenting, where the pivot points of linked layers do not move.
Default pivot point Hinged pivot point
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In the viewport, the adjacent edges of the layers are hinged. The position of the back layer follows because of the parent-child relationship.
Hint: To hinge layers, you can also select a layer in the Workspace panel, view its Layer controls, and then select the layer to which you want it hinged from the Hinge list.
d) Repeat steps a) to c) to hinge the rest of the layers. Hinge: To:
Yellow Front Magenta Front Green Front Red Front
Cyan Front Cyan Front Cyan Front Green Front
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After hinging, the six sides of the cube are joined.
Replace the Footage for the Inside of the Cube

So far each side of the cube is made from two layers of a solid color. Use the Replace Footage option to replace one of the solid layers for each side with an image. 1. In the Workspace panel, click the triangle next to the Blue Front layer and then select its Footage operator to view the Footage Controls panel.
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2. Replace the footage for the Blue Front layer:

a) Click Replace to open the Replace Footage dialog.
The Replace Footage dialog is similar to the Import Footage dialog.

b) Enable Thumbnails. c) Disable Collapse to view image sequences as separate icons. d) Use the file browser to go to the Lesson03 folder.
There are two files called Letter_s with a numerical tag. A numerical tag usually indicates an image sequence. In this case, because you disabled Collapse, you can import the Letter_s.png images separately.
e) Select the Letter_s1.png image and then click OK.
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3. Examine the viewport. You still see the solid blue side because both the Blue Front and Blue Back layers have the same Z-position. When two opaque layers are at the same Z-position, the one that is higher in the Workspace panel is visible in the viewport. For example, in the composite, the Back layers are above the Front layers, so you see the Back layers in the viewports. In this composite, however, you want to see the Back layers only from the back, and see the Front layers only from the front. Changing their order in the Workspace panel will not work because if the Front layers are above the Back layers, you will always see the Front layers in the viewport, even when you view the composite from behind. To view the layers in the proper order, you must set their Front and Back visibility options to display the appropriate side only. For more information on depth processing of layers, see the combustion Users Guide.
Using the Toggle Footage List

Use the Toggle Footage list in the Footage Controls panel to select the footage used by the Footage operator.
Select: Main Proxy
To: Use the full-resolution footage images. Use low resolution proxies of the footage images for faster interaction and lower memory requirements. For information on generating proxies, see the combustion Users Guide. Replace the footage with solid color slates for the fastest interaction and lowest memory requirements.
Solid
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4. Before changing the visibility, repeat step 2 to replace the footage for the remaining layers.
Replace the Footage in: With:
Red Front Green Front Yellow Front Magenta Front Cyan Front
Letter_e.png Letter_d.png Letter_s2.png Letter_x.png Letter_i.png
For more information on replacing footage, see the Using the Toggle Footage List tips box. 5. Disable the Front visibility option of the Back layers:
a) In the Workspace panel, click the black triangle next to the composite operator twice to view the
layers, but not their Footage operators.

b) Select any layer to view the Composite Controls panel. c) Drag a selection box around all six Back layers.
You can now use the controls to apply changes to all selected layers at the same time.
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d) Click Surface to view the Surface controls for the selected layers.
e) By default, Front and Back visibility are enabled. Click Front to disable it (it is not highlighted
when disabled). The Front Layers are now visible from the front even though the Back layers are above the Front layers in the Workspace panel.
6. Disable the backs of the Front layers:

a) In the Workspace panel, drag a selection box around the Front layers. b) In the Surface controls, click Back to disable the back visibility for the selected layers.
Before you completed this step, the Front layers were already visible because the fronts of the Back layers were invisible. By disabling the back visibility of the Front layers, the composites layers will always appear in the proper order regardless of the position they occupy in the Workspace panel.
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7. View the composite from the other side:

a) In the Workspace panel, click in the gray area to the right of the selected layers to deselect them. b) Show the Toolbar (F2). c) Scrub the Perspective Rotate tool to view the composite from the other side.
The Back layers of the composite are visible from this side.
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Rotate the Hinged Layers to Close the Cube

To close the cube, rotate the layers along their hinged edges. 1. Go to the first frame (HOME). 2. Enable Animate to enable keyframing.
3. Reset the perspective rotation to view the side of the composite with the letters:
a) In the Toolbar, double-click the Perspective Rotate tool to open the Direction dialog. b) Click Reset.
4. Rotate the Yellow Front layer:

a) In the Workspace panel (F3), select the Yellow Front layer to view its controls. b) Click Transform to view the Transform controls.
c) Set X Rotation to -90.
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The Yellow Front layer folds forward.
5. Because the Perspective Rotate tool is still selected in the Toolbar, you can change the perspective rotation by dragging over the viewport. Drag over the viewport to get a good view of the cube while you arrange the rest of its sides.
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6. To form the cube, select each layer in the Workspace panel and then set its rotation value in the Transform controls as follows.
Layer: Field: Value:
Magenta Front Blue Front Green Front Red Front
X Rotation Y Rotation Y Rotation Y Rotation
90 -90 90 90
In the viewport, the cube is closed, with its solid-layer sides exposed.
7. Drag over the viewport to view the cube from different angles.
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Animate the Cube

Animate the hinged sides of the cube to turn it inside out. To do this, set Rotation keyframes at the end of the clip for each side of the cube. 1. Go to the last frame (END). 2. Reverse the rotation values for the sides of the cube using the following values.
Layer: Field: Value:
Yellow Front Magenta Front Blue Front Green Front Red Front
X Rotation X Rotation Y Rotation Y Rotation Y Rotation
90 -90 90 -90 -90
The cube is inside out.
3. Go to the first frame (HOME) and play the clip (SPACEBAR). The cube begins closed with the solid sides out, breaks open, and closes with the letter sides out.
Hint: If you do not have enough RAM to view the clip in real time, select Medium or Draft from the Display Quality list to the right of the playback controls.
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Set Up the Camera for the Scene

So far you have been working in Perspective view. Because you usually render the composite from the cameras point of view, switch to Camera view and then position the camera to view the composite from a good distance. 1. Go to the first frame (HOME). 2. Right-click / CTRL-click the viewport and choose Camera to switch to Camera view. Because the camera is so close to the cube, all you see in the viewport is the part of the red side of the cube that fills the frame. 3. View the Camera controls for the composite:
a) In the Workspace panel, select the Camera.
b) Click Transform to view the Transform controls.
The position of the camera is 0 along the X- and Y-axes, and -680 along the Z-axis. For this composite, the camera is too close.
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4. To get a better view of the cube in 3D space, move the camera back and then raise it above the cube:
a) Right-click / CTRL-click the viewport and choose Show Safe Zones. b) Set Z Position to -3520 to move the camera back. c) Set Y Position to 500 to raise the camera.
The cube appears at the bottom of the frame, but inside the safe zones.
5. Press CTRL+S /
+S to save the workspace.
Use the result workspace you have just completed in the next lesson, where you animate the cube and then add lights, reflections, and a motion blur effect. 6. If you are not continuing with the next lesson immediately, press CTRL+W / workspace. +W to close the
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Things to Remember
Choose Object | New | Composite/Paint/Solid Layer to create a layer of solid color. Right-click / CTRL-click the viewport and choose Perspective to switch to Perspective view. In
Perspective view, you see the composite from any position, independent of the camera.
In Perspective view, use the Perspective Zoom and Perspective Rotate tools to change the perspective
from which you view the composite.
Use the Layer controls to hinge layers together. Hinging layers moves the pivot point from the center
of the layer to the side that joins it to its hinge partner.
Use the Parent list to set a layer as the parent of the current layer. Changes applied to the parent layer
are also applied to its child.
Use the Replace Footage option in the Footage controls to use different footage in a layer. For example,
work with solid layers to increase processing speed while you build the composite. When the composite is near completion, replace the solid layer with video footage.
By default, layers of a composite are visible from the front and back. Use the Surface controls to disable
Front or Back visibility to make the selected layer visible only from one side.
Select the Camera in the Workspace panel and then use the Composite Controls to move the camera
and set its field of view.
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Animating Composites in 3D Space

Les s on 4
Use the combustion animation tools to create realistic motion paths for objects. You can also apply a motion blur effect and add custom lights to enhance your animation.
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4 Animating Composites in 3D Space
Overview
This lesson consists of two exercises that continue building the composite that you began in Lesson 3. In this lesson, animate the cube, add a motion blur, and then set the lighting of the scene. In the first exercise, animate the cube to make it fall, bounce, and turn inside out just before it comes to rest on the floor. The hinged sides of the cube are already animated. Use the animation tools to set a motion path for the entire cube. A motion path is a path in 3D space that a layer follows as the clip plays. By setting a motion path for the anchoring layer of the cube, the other hinged layers follow the motion path as well. In the second exercise, apply a motion blur to the composite and set the lighting of the scene. A motion blur adds a realistic blur based on the motion of the cube from frame to frame. To light the scene, you add a spotlight and boost the ambient lighting. Time to complete this lesson: 90 minutes.
Exercise 1: Bounce the Cube

Animate the cube along a path, making it bounce on the floor before it breaks open, and come to rest on the floor as it closes. Begin by creating a basic motion path, then apply an overall rotation to the cube. Next, add keyframes to the motion path and modify the shape of the curve to make the cube bounce. Need Help? If you need help completing this exercise, save and close the workspace, and then open the L04_ex1_result.cws workspace as a reference.

First, preview the result of this exercise. Next, open an existing workspace as a starting point for this exercise. 1. Check the combustion preferences. For instructions, see Set the Preferences on page 9. 2. Choose File | Open Workspace, or press CTRL+SHIFT+O (Windows) or +SHIFT+O (Macintosh), to open the L04_ex1_result.cws workspace file in the Lesson04\ex1 folder. For instructions, see Open the Workspace on page 16.
Note: If a message appears explaining that the footage for the workspace file cannot be found, you must relink the footage. For instructions, see Relinking Media on page 12.
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play Lesson04_ex1.avi using Media Player (Windows) or QuickTime (Macintosh). For instructions, see Playing Movies on page 13. In the clip, a cube falls, bounces, turns inside out, and finally comes to rest on the floor.
In this exercise:
Import and position the floor for the scene. Animate the cube by adding keyframes to the parent layer of the cubes anchoring side. Change the interpolation method used by the Y Position channel and then modify the shape of
the curve to make the animation more realistic. 4. Choose File | Close Workspace (CTRL+W / +W), to close the L04_ex1_result.cws workspace file.
5. Choose File | Open Workspace (CTRL+SHIFT+O / +SHIFT+O) to open the workspace you completed in Lesson 3. If you did not save your workspace, open the L04_ex1_start.cws workspace in the Lesson04\ex1 folder. For instructions, see Open the Workspace on page 16. 6. Set the display options to view the composite:
a) Select two-viewport layout. b) Click the left viewport and then click the Zoom Out button to view the entire frame in the
viewport.
Hint: You can also click Home until the scene fits the size of the viewport. c) Right-click (Windows) / CTRL-click (Macintosh) the right viewport and choose Perspective.
The Perspective view is set from the previous session.
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Import, Place, and Scale the Floor

Import a layer and place it under the cube as the floor for the scene. 1. Choose File | Import Footage (CTRL+I / folder. +I) and import Checkerboard.png from the Lesson04\ex1
The Checkerboard layer appears in the default X, Y, and Z position (0, 0, 0) of the composite. It has the same position as the Cyan Front layer.
2. Move the Checkerboard layer:

a) In the Workspace panel (F3), select the Checkerboard layer. b) In the Composite Controls panel (F7), click Transform to view the Transform controls. c) Set X Rotation to 90 to lay the Checkerboard layer horizontally. d) Set Y Position to -200 to lay the Checkerboard layer at the base of the cube.
Position values for a new layer indicate the distance in pixels, on the X-, Y-, and Z-axes, from the center, or origin, of the composite (0, 0, 0). Because the cube is made with 400 x 400 pixel layers, lowering the floor by 200 pixels places it exactly at the base of the cube. 3. Use the right viewport to view the composite:
a) Make sure the right viewport is still active. b) In the Toolbar (F2), scrub the Perspective Rotate tool until you view the cube from below.
From this perspective, it is easier to see how the floor is positioned at the base of the cube. However, it is too small.
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4. Scale the Checkerboard layer:

a) In the Workspace panel (F3), select the Checkerboard layer to view its Transform controls. b) In the Transform controls, enable Proportional.
c) Set the X, Y, or Z Scale field to 950% to make it look like a tiled floor.
Because Proportional is enabled, you only have to change the value in one field to scale all values at once.
Note: Because a 2D layer has no Z depth, the changes to the Z Scale field have no effect.
5. Examine the viewports:
In the right viewport, the Checkerboard layer takes up almost the entire frame because you are
viewing it from below.
In the left viewport, the Checkerboard layer looks like the floor for the scene.
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Animate the Cube

In Lesson 3 you animated the sides of the cube. In this exercise, animate the entire cube. 1. Examine the cube as it turns inside out:
a) Click Settings to view the Settings controls for the composite.
b) Click Wireframe to view outlines of all layers in the composite.
When you scrub the clip in Wireframe object detail, combustion updates the position of the animated layers much more quickly. This is an easy way to view the animation of layers that require too much RAM to play in real time.
c) Drag the Current Frame indicator to scrub the clip.
When you scrub the clip, the anchoring side of the cube does not move. The anchoring side is made from the Cyan Front and Cyan Back layers (from the front it displays the letter i). Four of the other sides are hinged to this one, and the remaining side is hinged to one of the four sides. Use the anchoring side to animate the cube.
d) Click All Objects to restore full color display. e) Go to the first frame (HOME).
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2. Rotate and zoom out the perspective in the right viewport:

a) In the Toolbar (F2), scrub the Perspective Rotate tool until you view the cube from above and to the right (from this perspective, you can see the red, green, and yellow sides of the cube). b) Scrub the Perspective Zoom tool until you view most of the scene.
3. Right-click / CTRL-click the left viewport and choose Show Safe Zones. 4. Enable Animate to enable keyframing.
5. Set the cubes position at the first frame:

a) In the Workspace panel (F3), select the Cyan Front layer.
The Cyan Front layer is the parent layer to Cyan Back. It is also the layer to which all others are hinged. Animating the position of Cyan Front animates the entire cube. For more information on parenting layers, see step 8 on page 79. For more information on hinging layers, see step 6 on page 85.
b) Click Transform to view the Transform controls for the Cyan Front layer. c) Set X Position to 1500, Y Position to 1400, and Z Position to 1000 to move the cube to the upper
right of the scene.

Hint: To enter values into multiple fields, click the first field you want to change, enter the value, and then press TAB to go to the next field. Only press ENTER when all values have been entered. To go to the previous field, press SHIFT+TAB.
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The cube is still inside the Safe Action zone.
6. Set the cubes position at the last frame:

a) Go to the last frame (END). b) With the Cyan Front layer still selected in the Workspace panel, set X Position to -1000, Y
Position to 0, and Z Position to -425. The cube is now closer to the camera on the left side of the frame and rests on the floor. A motion path illustrates the motion of the cube from the first to the last frame of the clip.
Motion path
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7. Play the clip:

a) Go to the first frame (HOME). b) Click the left viewport to make it active. c) Play the clip (SPACEBAR).
The cube moves at a constant rate along the motion path.

Hint: To lower the amount of RAM required to render the clip, select Draft from the Display Quality list next to the Animate button. If you do not have enough RAM to view the entire clip in real time, enable Wireframe in the Settings controls and scrub the Current Frame indicator. For instructions, see step 1 on page 92.
Change the Timing of the Animation

In Camera view, the cube moves from the upper right to the lower left of the frame. In the remainder of the exercise, customize the animation. The final animation will be as follows.
At Frame: The Cube:
60 120 180 210
Hits the floor and begins to open and turn inside out. Reaches the peak of its bounce and is fully open. Closes up again, inside out, just as it comes to rest on the floor. Remains in the same place it was at frame 180.
First, use the Timeline to change the timing of the rotation of the cubes sides. 1. Go to the first frame (HOME).
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2. In the Workspace panel, select the Red Front layer.
When you select the Red Front layer, the motion path disappears. The motion path illustrates the animation of the Cyan Front layer, and only appears when the Cyan Front layer is selected. 3. View the Timeline:
a) Click the Timeline tab (F4). b) Click Overview to change the timing of
the animation without affecting the values.
c) Enable Context to view the channels of the layer or operator selected in the Workspace panel.
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4. Click the triangle next to the Transformation category to view its channels.
Notice the Y Rotation channel is the only one in the Transformation category with keyframes. This is because the position of the Red Front layer is still 0 relative to the position of the Cyan Front layer to which it is hinged. 5. Move the first keyframe of the Red Front layers Y Rotation channel:
a) Click Frame All to view the channels from the first to the last frame in the Timeline.
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b) Drag the first keyframe of the Y Rotation channel to frame 60.
As you drag, the frame number and value appear in parentheses, making it easy to move the keyframe to the proper position.
c) Drag the last keyframe to frame 180.
The Y Rotation animation of the Red Front layer now begins at frame 60 and ends at frame 180. 6. Move the keyframes for the channels of the other layers as listed below. Select the layer in the Workspace panel, expand the Transformation category, and then move the first keyframe to frame 60 and the last keyframe to frame 180.
Layer: Channel to Modify:
Green Front Yellow Front Magenta Front Blue Front
Y Rotation X Rotation X Rotation Y Rotation
7. Play the clip (SPACEBAR). The cube begins to unfold at frame 60 and is fully inside out by frame 180.
Hint: It is a good idea to save your workspace periodically. If you are having trouble producing the expected result, open the L04_ex1_a.cws workspace file and continue with the next step.
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Set the Position of the Cube at Frame 180

In the final animation, the cube comes to rest on the floor just as it closes, inside out. Move the position keyframes of the last frame of the animation (210) to frame 180. Remember that the cubes position is controlled by keyframes applied to the position curves of the Cyan Front layerthe other layers used to build the cube are hinged to this one. 1. Go to the first frame (HOME). 2. The cubes position keyframes are applied to the Cyan Front layer. Set up the Timeline to view the X, Y, and Z Position keyframes for the Cyan Front layer:
a) In the Workspace panel, select the Cyan Front layer to view its channels in the Timeline. b) In the Timeline list, expand the Transformation channels.
3. Rather than moving the keyframes independently, move the Transformation category keyframe to move them all at once. Drag the Transformation keyframe at frame 210 to frame 180.
4. In the Timeline, click the gray area below the channels to deselect all keyframes. 5. Play the clip (SPACEBAR). The cube comes to rest on the floor at frame 180.
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Set the Keyframes for the Bounce Animation

Add keyframes to the Position and Rotation channels of the Cyan Front layer to create the bounce animation. 1. Go to the first frame (HOME). 2. In the result animation, the cube rotates and falls to the floor from frames 1 to 60. Set the initial rotation values of the cube:
a) In the Workspace panel (F3), select the Cyan Front layer. b) In the Composite Controls panel (F7), click Transform to view the Transform controls.
c) Set X, Y, and Z Rotation to 25.
3. At frame 60, the cube bounces and its rotation reverses direction. Set the rotation and position keyframes for frame 60:
a) Go to frame 60. b) Set X Rotation to 120, Y Rotation to 120, and Z Rotation to 25.
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Although you have not yet moved the cube to the correct position, these keyframes define the cubes rotation at the point it hits the floor. The lowest point of the cube is the point of impact.
Lowest point
c) Set Y Position to -90.
The cube is too low. In the left viewport, you can see that its lowest corner is below the floor. 4. To help you set the correct Y Position value at frame 60, change the view in the right viewport:
a) Click the right viewport to make it active. b) In the Toolbar (F2), scrub the Perspective Rotate tool to find a perspective that shows you the
scene from below the floor.

c) Click the Magnify tool. d) Drag a selection box around the area in the frame where the corner of the cube punches through
the floor to zoom in on that area.
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From below the floor, you can see the corner of the cube.
5. Correct the Y Position of the cube:

a) The Cyan Front layer was deselected when you clicked the viewport in the previous step. Notice
the composite controls are disabled. In the Workspace panel (F3), select the Cyan Front layer.
b) Drag over the Y Position field to move the corner of the cube level with the floor. Hint: A value of -70 produces a good result.
6. After reaching the apex of its bounce at frame 120, the cube falls again and comes to rest on the floor at frame 180. Set the Y Position value for the cube at frame 120 (the apex of the bounce):
a) In the Toolbar (F2), double-click the Magnify tool to restore the previous perspective zoom in
the right viewport.

b) Scrub the Perspective Rotate tool to view the composite from above.
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c) Go to frame 120. d) Set Y Position to 1050.
The sides of the cube are open, and the cube is at the apex of its bounce. Because the Cyan Front layer is selected, you can see its motion path, which you are defining by setting position keyframes.
7. Set the rotation keyframes for frame 180:

a) Go to frame 180.
The cube is in a poor position, punched halfway through the floor.

b) Set X Rotation to -180, Y Rotation to -45, and Z Rotation to 0.
The cube lays upside down, flat on the floor.
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8. Play the clip (SPACEBAR). The clip rotates for the first 60 frames, reverses direction as it bounces up, and then comes to rest on the floor at frame 180. However, the movement when the cube changes direction as it bounces and comes to rest on the floor is not very realistic.
Hint: If you are having trouble producing the expected result, open the L04_ex1_b.cws workspace file and continue with the next step.
9. Go to the first frame (HOME).
Modify the Shape of the Y Position Channel

With Bezier interpolation, each keyframe has two tangent handles that you can use to modify the shape of the curve. In the next steps, modify the Y Position curve to produce a more realistic bounce. Play the clip after each modification to view the result. 1. View the Y Position curve:
a) Show the Timeline (F4).
Because the Cyan Front layer is selected in the Workspace panel, you view its channel categories.
b) In the Timeline list, select the Transformation > Y Position channel. c) Click Graph to view the selected channel in Graph mode.
d) Click Frame All.
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2. Change the vertical scale of the Y Position curve to work with its keyframes more easily:
a) Disable Auto Scale so you can change the vertical scale of the curve. b) Move the cursor over the gray area of the Timeline below the third keyframe of the curve. Press
CTRL and drag down to reduce the vertical scale of the curve. The point where you click the curve before dragging is the center point for the scale change.
Hint: To reset the horizontal scale of the curve, click Frame All. To reset the vertical scale of the curve, enable Auto Scale.
3. Drag the tangent handle of the first keyframe to a horizontal position to decrease the slope of the curve for the first few frames. This makes the cube begin to fall more gradually.
Hint: To loop play only the part of the animation you modify at each step, set playback in and out points. For instructions, see Playback In and Out Points on page 24.
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4. Improve the speed and direction of the bounce:

a) Hold CTRL and drag the left tangent handle of the second keyframe up and to the right. This makes the cube continue to accelerate until it hits the floor.
CTRL-dragging the tangent handle breaks the handles for the keyframe, so you can move them independently.
Hint: To reconnect broken tangent handles, CTRL-drag the tangent handle again. b) Drag the right tangent handle to the same position. The handles are already broken. Do not CTRLdrag the handles or you will reconnect them.
5. Make the cube slow down at the apex of the bounce. Drag the tangent handles of the third keyframe outward by the same amount to increase the radius of the curve, but keep tangent handles horizontal.
6. Complete the bounce animation. Hold CTRL and drag the left tangent handle of the fourth keyframe up and to the right.
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7. Play the clip (SPACEBAR). The vertical motion of the cube is good. 8. Play, save, and close the workspace:
a) Click the left viewport to make it active and then press SPACEBAR. b) Press CTRL+S /
Use the result workspace you have just completed for the next exercise, where you add a Motion Blur operator and enable lighting effects.
c) If you are not continuing with the next exercise immediately, press CTRL+W /
+W to close the
workspace.
Exercise 2: Add Motion Blur and Light to the Scene

In this exercise, add motion blur to the 3D scene you built. The Motion Blur operator samples frames on either side of the current frame and blends them together. This blending of frames creates the same effect as shooting with a camera that has a slow shutter speed. Enable light, shading, and surface reflectivity options to improve the look of the composite. You can add multiple lights of different colors and types, and adjust the reflective properties of individual layers. Need Help? If you need help completing this exercise, save and close the workspace, and then open the L04_ex2_result.cws workspace as a reference.

First, preview the result of this exercise. Next, open an existing workspace as a starting point for this exercise. 1. Check the combustion preferences. For instructions, see Set the Preferences on page 9. 2. Choose File | Open Workspace, or press CTRL+SHIFT+O (Windows) or +SHIFT+O (Macintosh), to open the L04_ex2_result.cws workspace file in the Lesson04\ex2 folder. For instructions, see Open the Workspace on page 16.
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play Lesson04_ex2.avi using Media Player (Windows) or QuickTime (Macintosh). For instructions, see Playing Movies on page 13. The clip features the cube animation you completed in the previous exercise. In addition, a motion blur effect has been applied to the scene, a spotlight shines on the cube as it comes to rest on the floor, and the floor reflects the cube.
In this exercise:
Nest the composite as a single layer in another composite. Add a Motion Blur operator to the nested composite to blur the motion of the layers that make up
the cube.
Customize the motion blur using the Motion Blur controls. Set the reflectivity of the floor. Set the lighting for the scene.
4. Choose File | Close Workspace (CTRL+W / +W) to close the L04_ex2_result.cws workspace file.
5. Choose File | Open Workspace (CTRL+SHIFT+O / +SHIFT+O) to open the workspace you created in the previous exercise. If you did not save your workspace, open the L04_ex2_start.cws workspace file. For instructions, see Open the Workspace on page 16. 6. Select single-viewport layout. 7. If you are continuing directly from the previous exercise, set the viewport to Camera view and turn the Safe Zones off.
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Nest the Composite

The Motion Blur operator has a different effect depending on where in the composite it is added. In this exercise, use nesting to create an effect based on the movement of all layers of the cube. For information on the other possibilities, see the Applying a Motion Blur Operator tips box. 1. In the Workspace panel (F3), select the composite operator.
2. To apply the Motion Blur operator to all layers of the composite, you must nest the entire composite as a single layer belonging to a higher level composite. Nest the entire composite:
a) Choose Object | Nesting to open the Nesting Options dialog.
Using this dialog, you can choose from three nesting options. Each option is explained in the dialog. For more information on these options, see the combustion Users Guide.
b) In the Composite Name field, enter blurred cube.
c) Enable Composite to nest the entire composite as a single layer within a higher level composite,
and then click OK.
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In the Workspace panel, the animated cube composite operator now contains only a single layer, called blurred cube.
3. In the Workspace panel, click the triangle next to the blurred cube layer to view its contents.
Instead of a Footage operator, the source for the blurred cube layer is the output of the nested composite.
Applying a Motion Blur Operator

Use one of three methods to create a motion blur effect:
Add a motion blur to a layer in a composite to create an effect based on the movement in the
footage. For example, add a Motion Blur operator above a layers Footage operator to blur the motion of a moving car in the shot. In this case, the sampling is made from frame to frame.
Nest a layer as a composite and then add a Motion Blur operator at the top level of the nested
composite to create an effect based on the movement of the layer. In this case, the footage used by the layer is not blurred, but the layers motion as it moves in the frame is. To improve the effect, sub-frame sampling is used to calculate the position of the layer between frames.
Nest all the layers of a composite and then add a Motion Blur operator to the top level of the
composite to create an effect based on the movement of all layers in the composite. This method also uses sub-frame sampling. Use this method in this exercise to blur the motion of the cube. For more information on applying the Motion Blur operator, see the combustion Users Guide.
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View the Output of the Nested Composite

Set the viewport to display the output of the nested composite. 1. Right-click / CTRL-click the viewport and choose Perspective. In the Workspace panel, the current operator icon is next to the higher level composite.
In the viewport, you view the composite from the previous Perspective Zoom and Rotate settings.
2. In the Toolbar (F2), scrub the Perspective Zoom tool to zoom in on the scene. The 3D scene is now a single 2D layer. The output of the nested composite is the flat image.
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3. Reset the Perspective view.

a) In the Toolbar (F2), double-click the Perspective Rotate tool to open the Direction dialog and
then click Reset.

b) In the Toolbar, double-click the Perspective Zoom tool to open the Zoom Factor dialog and then
click Reset.
Change the Output of the Viewport

Although you have nested the composite and are viewing it as a layer of the animated cube composite, you can still view the 3D scene as before. Change the output of the viewport. 1. In the Workspace panel (F3), select the nested composite operator.
2. Click the Send Up button to send the output of the nested composite to the viewport.
Hint: You can also double-click an operator in the Workspace panel to send it up to a viewport.
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In the Workspace panel, the current operator icon appears at the level of the nested composite.
In the viewport, the information in the upper left corner indicates that the output of the nested blurred cube composite operator is displayed. The operator whose output appears in the active viewport is called the current operator. 3. In the Toolbar (F2), scrub the Perspective Zoom and Perspective Rotate tools to change the perspective. You now view the 3D scene. 4. Right-click / CTRL-click the viewport and choose Camera to switch to Camera view.
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5. In the Workspace panel (F3), click the triangle next to the nested composite operator to view its contents.
The nested composite operator contains all the layers that make up the cube and the floor. 6. In the Workspace panel, double-click the higher level animated cube composite operator to make it current.
Add a Motion Blur Operator

Now that you have nested the composite inside a single layer of a higher level composite, you can add a Motion Blur operator to the single layer. Using this method, the motion blur effect is based on the movement of all the layers of the nested composite (in this case, those which make up the cube). 1. Disable Animate to disable keyframing.
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2. Add a Motion Blur operator:

a) In the Workspace panel, select the blurred cube layer.
b) Choose Operators | Blur/Sharpen | Motion Blur.
The Motion Blur has default settings that create a motion blur effect. However, because there is no movement at the first frame, you need to go to a different frame to see the effect. 3. Go to frame 59. At frame 59 the cube is moving quickly. The default motion blur settings already create a motion blur effect. The floor of the scene is not blurred because it does not move.
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4. Show the Motion Blur Controls panel (F7).
5. The Samples value defines the number of frames or sub-frame instances blended together to blur the frame. Set Samples to 10.
Samples
In the graph, there are 10 vertical green lines, each of which represents one sample. 6. The Phase value defines the direction of the blur. A value of -100 takes all samples behind the current frame; a value of 0 centers the samples around the current frame; and a value of 100 takes all samples ahead of the current frame. Set Phase to -100 to generate a motion trail behind the position of the cube at each frame.
Phase
The vertical red line, which represents the phase of the motion blur, moves all the way to the left.
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7. The Shutter value defines the number of frames over which the samples are taken. By default, the samples are evenly distributed. Set Shutter to 4 to distribute the 10 samples over 4 frames.
Changing the Shutter value does not affect the appearance of the graph. However, the width of the graph, although unchanged in appearance, now represents four frames of the clip rather than two. In the viewport, the motion blur is more pronounced.
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Customize the Motion Blur

In addition to adjusting the Samples, Phase, and Shutter values, you can also adjust the weight of the samples used to create the motion blur. By default, the weight of each sample is the same, as shown by the white line in the graph.
Weight
The heavier the weight, the higher the white line, and the less transparent the sample. However, a motion blur sample with maximum weight is still partially transparent. 1. For the motion blur samples, the right side of the graph represents the leading edge of the motion blur effect. Adjust the Weight curve to reduce the weight of the layers from the first sample to the tenth:
a) Position the cursor over the right side of the Weight curve. The cursor changes to a crosshair ( ). b) Click to add a point. c) Drag the point to a value of (20, 90).
The first coordinate defines the position of the sample relative to the shutter duration. The second coordinate is the Weight value for the sample at that position.
The Weight curve moves with the new point as you drag. The weight of the samples decreases as the motion blur samples trail behind the leading sample (in this case, the leading sample is the sample taken from the current frame).
Hint: Like the curves in the Timeline, you can CTRL-drag over the graph to change its scale.
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2. Drag the tangent handle of the point on the right down to make the slope of the curve steeper toward the leading sample than it is toward the trailing sample.
In the viewport, the weight of the samples is heavier toward the front, creating a fading motion trail effect.
3. The Motion Blur operator requires more processing time than other operators. To complete the next steps more easily, turn off the Motion Blur operator until you are ready to render the composite. In the Workspace panel, click the icon next to the Motion Blur operator to turn it off.
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Set the Lighting of the Scene

There is one default light in the scene, but you cannot see its effects because render effects are not enabled. Use the Settings for the composite to enable the render effects, and then use the Light controls to set the lighting for the scene. 1. Modify the lighting settings of the blurred cube nested composite operator to affect all layers used in the 3D scene separately. If you were to modify the lighting settings of the higher level animated cube composite, the lighting effects would affect the scene as a single, flat layer. In the Workspace panel (F3), expand the nested composite operator to view its layers.
2. Enable the render effects:

a) In the Workspace panel, double-click the blurred cube nested composite operator to make it
current and to view its controls.

b) Click Settings to view the Settings controls.
c) Enable Shading, Shadows, and Reflections so you can see the lighting effects.
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In the viewport, you see the lighting effects created by the default point light in the middle of the scene.
The render effects need processing power. It is a good idea to build your composite with render effects disabled, and enable them only when you set up lights and surface properties, and when you want to render the result.
Hint: A default light appears in the scene, but a composite can have as many lights as needed. To add a light, choose Object | New | Light.
3. Set the Reflectivity for the floor in the scene:

a) From the Current list, select Checkerboard to modify its properties.
Hint: Selecting a layer from the Current list is the same as selecting it in the Workspace panel.
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b) Click Surface to view the Surface controls for the Checkerboard layer.
c) Set Reflectivity to 50%.
In the viewport, you can see the cube reflected in the floor. 4. At the moment, the light is defined by default settings. Change the position of the light:
a) From the Current list, select Light.
The Composite Controls are context sensitive. When you select Light from the Current list, the Light button appears in the Composite Controls panel in the place of the Layer button.
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b) Click Transform to view the Transform controls for the light.
c) Set X Position to 1200, Y Position to 1000, and Z Position to -750 to move the light in front,
above, and to the right of the cube.

Hint: Because Animate is disabled, the Position values are applied over the duration of the composite. It does not matter that the viewport currently displays frame 60. With Animate disabled, you can change values at any frame without creating keyframes.
5. The default light is a point light. Change the properties of the light:
a) Click Light to view the Light controls. b) Click Spot to change the point light to a spotlight.
Because the spotlight is not pointing at any of the layers in the scene, none of the layers are illuminated and the scene is dark. 6. Set the spotlight to point to the front left of the scene:
a) Click Transform to view the Transform controls. b) Set X Rotation to 25 and Y Rotation to -90.
The spotlight points where the cube comes to rest on the floor at the end of the clip. The spotlights direction is good, but its edge is too hard and the rest of the scene is too dark.
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7. Soften the edge of the spotlight:

a) Click Light to view the Light controls. b) Set Soft Edge to 60 to soften the edge of the spotlight.
8. Set Ambient Intensity to 80% to boost the ambient light of the scene.
The lighting for the scene is good.
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Prepare the Workspace for Rendering

The composite is complete. Render the final result and then save and close the workspace. 1. In the Workspace panel, double-click the higher level composite operator to make it the current operator.
2. In the Workspace panel, turn on the Motion Blur operator. 3. Go to frame 170. The motion blur accentuates the movement of the cube as it falls to its final position.
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4. Go to the last frame (END). The light shines on the cube at the end of the clip, and the cube is reflected by the Checkerboard layer.
5. (Optional) Render the composite as a QuickTime movie. For instructions, see Render the Result Composite on page 36. 6. Save and close the workspace:
a) Press CTRL+S /
If you are using one of the workspaces provided, choose File | Save As to save the workspace with a different name for your own use.
b) Press CTRL+W /
+W to close the workspace.
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Things to Remember
In the Settings controls, enable Wireframe to view wireframe layers instead of full color. When
Wireframe is enabled, you can scrub a composite with animated layers much more quickly.
Select Bezier interpolation mode to modify the shape of a motion path. With Bezier mode, each
keyframe has tangent handles that you can use to customize the shape of the curve.
To move the tangent handles of a keyframe independently, CTRL-drag them. CTRL-drag broken
tangent handles to lock them together again.
Add a Motion Blur operator to emphasize the movement of layers in a composite. To apply a motion blur effect to animated layers, you must nest them as a single layer in a higher level
composite. In the Workspace panel, select the layers you want to blur, choose Objects | Nesting to open the Nesting dialog, enable Composite, and then click OK.
Use the graph in the Motion Blur controls to customize the effects of the Motion Blur operator. Use the Settings controls for the composite to enable shadows and reflections. Choose Object | New | Light to add another light to a composite. Use the Light controls to set the
properties of a light.
Click the Send Up button or double-click an operator in the Workspace panel to make it the current
operator. You view the output of the current operator in the active viewport.
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Tracking and Stabilizing

Les s on 5
In combustion, you can track motion in a clip to match an objects position with the tracked motion. You can also stabilize a jittery clip so it composites with its background more convincingly.
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5 Tracking and Stabilizing
Overview
Use the Tracker to track motion and stabilize images. Track motion to make an object follow a reference area in a clip. For example, to add a logo to the tail of an airplane, select a trackable feature of the airplane as the reference area. Tracking data is calculated on a frame-to-frame basis as the airplane moves across the scene. You can then apply the tracking data to the logo so that it follows the tail of the plane for the duration of the clip. Stabilize images to remove unwanted camera jitter. As with motion tracking, you sample a reference area to analyze movement in the clip from frame to frame. In this case, however, the tracking data is inverted and then applied to the clip itself, eliminating the jitter. In the first exercise of this lesson, composite a clip of a boat in a contained water basin with an open sky background to make the boat appear as if it sails the open sea. In the second exercise, stabilize a jittery clip of a truck in front of a green screen. Time to complete this lesson: 1 hour.
Exercise 1: Apply Tracking Data to a Mask

In this exercise, track the top of the boats mast to apply the tracking data to a polygon mask. The mask reveals the portion of the mast that extends above the artificial horizon. Need Help? If you need help completing this exercise, save and close the workspace, and then open the Lesson05_ex1.cws workspace in the Lesson05\ex1 folder as a reference.

First, preview the result of this exercise. Next, create a branch to begin building the composite. 1. Check the combustion preferences. For instructions, see Set the Preferences on page 9. 2. Choose File | Open Workspace, or press CTRL+SHIFT+O (Windows) or +SHIFT+O (Macintosh), to open the Lesson05_ex1.cws workspace file in the Lesson05\ex1 folder. For instructions, see Open the Workspace on page 16.
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play Lesson05_ex1.avi using Media Player (Windows) or QuickTime (Macintosh). For instructions, see Playing Movies on page 13. The clip features a sailboat on the open sea.
4. Choose File | Close Workspace (CTRL+W / 5. Choose File | New (CTRL+N / properties:
+W) to close the Lesson05_ex1.cws workspace file.
Type: composite Name: tracking Format: NTSC D-1 Duration: 30 frames
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6. Import the footage for the composite:

+I) and open the Lesson05\ex1 folder.
b) Enable Collapse to collapse image sequences. c) Enable Thumbnails to view the footage in the folder.
You see the following thumbnails. Port.png: Use the sky of this shot as the background in the composite.
Sailboat[##].png: Use this clip as the foreground for the composite. Mask out the concrete wall to reveal the sky in the Port layer.
d) CTRL-click Port.png and Sailboat[##].png (in this order) and then click OK.
In this exercise:
Draw a rectangular mask to remove the concrete wall in the Sailboat layer. Add a polygon mask to restore the top of the mast and sail clipped by the rectangular mask. Track the boat and apply the tracking data to the polygon mask so it follows the boat. Keyframe the shape of the polygon mask using its control points so it matches the shape of the
waving sail.
Position and desaturate the Port layer to make a more convincing composite.
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Mask the Concrete Wall

Use a rectangular mask to hide the concrete wall in the Sailboat layer and to view the sky in the Port layer. Draw and adjust a rectangular mask in the left viewport and view the effects of your changes on the composite in the right viewport. 1. Set the viewport display options:
a) Select two-viewport layout. b) Zoom out both viewports to view the entire frame in each. Note: For this exercise, make sure there is some empty, gray space in the viewport, outside the frame of the clip. With gray space around the frame, you can draw a mask that extends beyond the edges of the frame. c) Click the right viewport to make it active.
2. Arrange the layers of the composite:

a) In the Workspace panel (F3), CTRL-click the black triangle next to the composite branch to
expand its contents entirely. The Sailboat00 layer should be above the Port layer.
b) If the Port layer is above the Sailboat00 layer, drag the Port layer below the Sailboat layer. Hint: When you import footage, it is added to the composite in the order you select the footage. The footage selected first is the lowest layer in the composite. The footage selected last is the highest layer in the composite. c) Rename the Sailboat00 layer Sailboat.
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3. Add a Rectangular Mask operator to the Sailboat layer:

a) In the Workspace panel, select the Sailboat layer. b) Choose Operators | Mask | Rectangular Mask.
A Rectangular Mask operator appears below the Sailboat layer.
4. Examine the viewports. The right viewport displays a default rectangular mask. Notice that the active viewport contains the name of the current operator (the Rectangular Mask operator) and displays its output. When you add a Paint, Mask, or Draw Selection operator, the active viewport automatically switches to display the output of the new operator.
The left viewport displays the result composite. You cannot move the control points of the rectangular mask in the left viewport. However, you can view the changes made to the Mask operator in the context of the whole composite.
Hint: When you know you want a rectangular or elliptical mask, apply a Rectangular Mask or an Elliptical Mask operator to begin with the default mask and save time. Otherwise, apply a Draw Mask operator to draw a freeform mask.
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5. Move the control points of the default rectangular mask to mask out the concrete wall: In the right viewport, drag the corners of the rectangular masks bounding box to cover from just below the bottom of the concrete wall (to crop out the wall and the shadow it casts on the water) to the bottom of the frame. The mask must extend beyond the border of the frame, as shown below.
The left viewport displays the effect of the mask in the context of the result composite. The mask reveals the Port layer behind the Sailboat layer. The top of the sailboat, which is outside the mask, is clipped. Fix this in a later step by tracking a freeform mask to follow the sail.
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6. Set the Global Apply mode for the Mask operator:

a) In the Mask Controls panel (F7), click Modes to view the Modes controls.
b) From the Global Apply Mode list, select Replace.
The Global Apply Mode settings define how the Mask operator affects the alpha channel of the layer. Replace mode overrides the alpha channel. In this case, the stored alpha channel is completely opaque. For more information, see the combustion Users Guide. 7. Feather the edge of the rectangular mask:
a) Set Feather to 2 to soften the edge of the rectangular mask.
In the right viewport, the bounding box for the mask conceals the effect of the edge feathering. In the left viewport, however, you can see the softer edge between the two layers.
b) Look at the left viewport and press CTRL+Z /
+Z to undo the feathering of the mask to see the
subtle effect.
c) Press CTRL+SHIFT+Z /
+SHIFT+Z to redo the feathering of the mask.
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8. View the mask object in the Timeline:

a) Show the Timeline (F4). b) Click Overview.
c) Click Frame All.
The gray bar next to the Rectangular Mask entry in the Timeline list represents the masks duration. By default, the mask has a duration equivalent to the duration of the clip.
Add a Polygon Mask to Restore the Top of the Sailboat

The rectangular mask clips the top of the sailboat. To restore the top of the sailboat without affecting the rectangular mask, add a polygon mask. Although you added a Rectangular Mask operator, you can add masks of other shapes using the mask tools on the Toolbar. 1. As long as the rectangular mask is selected, changes made using the controls are applied to the rectangular mask. Deselect the rectangular mask:
a) In the Toolbar (F2), click the Arrow tool.
b) In the right viewport, click anywhere outside the rectangular mask to deselect it.
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2. Set the properties for the new mask:

a) Show the Mask Controls panel (F7). b) From the Mask Mode list, select Add to add the new mask to the current mask.
c) Set Feather to 1.
3. Draw a polygon mask around the clipped portion of the sailboat:

a) In the Toolbar, click the Polygon Mask tool.
b) In the right viewport, draw a mask around the clipped part of the sail by clicking to add points:
For the moment, the mask does not have to trace the sail exactly. Use three points to draw a
triangle around the top of the sail. Make the mask more precise in a later step.
To close the triangle after adding the third point, hold the cursor over the first point. When the
cursor changes to ( ), click the point to complete the mask.
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4. Zoom in on the polygon mask:

a) In the Toolbar, click the Magnify tool.
b) Drag a selection box around the polygon mask to zoom in on this area in the right viewport.
5. Set the Arrow tool to modify the shape of the polygon mask:
a) In the Toolbar, click the Arrow tool.
When you select the Arrow tool, four options appear: Object, Control Points, Pivot Point, and Gradient. The Object option is enabled and a bounding box appears around the polygon mask.
b) Click the Control Points option to view the control points of the polygon mask.
When the viewport is zoomed in and the controls points of the polygon mask are active, you can adjust the mask to match the shape of the sail. For more information on the other Arrow tool options, see the combustion Users Guide.
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6. Refine the shape of the mask by adding and moving controls points:
Hold the cursor over the area between control points. When the cursor changes to
a control point.
, click to add
Hold the cursor over a control point. When the cursor changes to
follow the contour of the top of the sail more closely.
, move the control point to
Hint: To delete an unwanted control point, click the control point to select it (it is filled in when selected) and then press DELETE.
Do not worry about the small yellow flag at the top of the mast or if the mask does not match the shape of the sail perfectly. Fine-tune the shape of the mask in a later step. Once you add and move the control points, the polygon mask should look like this.
7. Click the left viewport to make it active and then play the clip (SPACEBAR). The mask is static. To make the polygon mask follow the sailboat, use the Tracker.
Track the Boat

Although you can adjust the position keyframes of the polygon mask to follow the boat, it is easier and more precise to track the boat. In combustion, you can track motion in the clip and automatically apply the tracking data to the mask so it follows that motion. 1. Click the right viewport to make it active. 2. Go to the first frame (HOME).
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3. In the Toolbar, click the Object option.
Because the polygon mask is already selected, a bounding box appears around it. 4. Click the Tracker tab (F6) to view the Tracker panel. The Tracker is context sensitive. Because an object (the polygon mask) is selected in the viewport, the Tracker is set to apply tracking data to track one object.
5. Click Position to activate the Tracker for one-point tracking.
One-point tracking tracks the position of a sampled element as it moves from frame to frame. For more information on tracking, see the Tracking One or More Points tips box.
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The Tracker appears in the right viewport. The Tracker consists of a reference box and a tracker box:
The reference box contains the reference areathe group of pixels whose motion is to be tracked. The tracker box follows the frame-to-frame movement of the reference area.
Tracker box Reference box
When you activate the Tracker, the polygon mask is turned off because Hide Objects is enabled in the Tracker controls. In this exercise, turn off the Mask operator to view the footage.
Hint: Enable Hide Objects when you track an opaque Paint object or layer. By hiding the object, you see the footage behind it.
Tracking One or More Points

You can use one or more Trackers to track one or more points:
Use one-point tracking when tracking features that do not change in terms of rotation and
scaling. In this exercise, you can track the sailboat using one point because the sailboat moves across the frame and keeps a constant distance from the camera, and is always perpendicular to it.
Use two-point tracking when the element you want to track changes in terms of scale and
rotation. For example, if you have a shot in which you want to track the license plate of a car approaching head-on with camera roll, use one Tracker to track the position of the license plate and a second Tracker to track the changes in scale and rotation.
Use four-point tracking when corner pinning, for example, tracking a billboard in a shot and then
pinning a rectangular image to it.
Use five or more points to apply the tracking data to objects with five or more control points, such
as Paint objects. For more information on tracking more than one point, see the combustion Users Guide.
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6. In the Workspace panel (F3), turn off the Rectangular Mask operator.
With the Rectangular Mask operator off, you can see the entire Sailboat layer. 7. Because the Tracker samples the pixels in the reference area to establish a pattern that it can locate in the next frame, the contents of the reference area should contain a clearly defined and unique pattern that appears in each frame. Play the clip to determine the best reference area (SPACEBAR). In this clip, the small white point next to the mast makes a good reference area.
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8. Select the reference area for the Tracker:

a) Go to the first frame (HOME). b) Position the cursor in the center of the Tracker. The cursor changes to
c) Drag the Tracker until it is centered over the small white spot next to the mast. The reference box
and the tracker box move together. As you drag the Tracker, its contents are magnified so you can place it more precisely.
Hint: Be careful not to drag control points on the reference or tracker box, or you will resize it. If this happens, click Reset Tracker(s) and start again. d) To verify the position of the Tracker, enable Preview in the Tracker controls.
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9. Click the Analyze Forward button to analyze the clip.
During the analysis, the tracker box moves as the Tracker looks for a pattern that matches the reference area in each frame of the clip. The reference box stays at its initial position. As the Tracker analyzes each frame of the clip, two motion paths appear:
The green path represents the motion of the tracker box from frame to frame. The white path represents the motion path of the polygon mask from frame to frame.
Motion path of the polygon mask
Motion path of the reference area
Tracker box
Reference box
Depending on the exact reference area you define, the tracking path may be inaccurate, particularly toward the end of the clip as the mast passes in front of the vertical crack in the concrete wall.
Sailboats mast
Concrete wall
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Because these areas are so similar, the Tracker cannot distinguish between them. Because Tolerance is set to 100% by default, the Tracker always finds a match for the reference area, even if it is not the correct match. For this reason, the motion path toward the end of the clip strays off.
Change the Tracker Settings

To compensate for difficulties encountered the first time you tracked the sailboat, set the Tracker to follow the same reference area more closely. 1. You can gather better tracking data using settings more suitable to the sailboat clip. Reset the Tracker:
a) Go to the first frame (HOME). b) Click Reset Tracker(s).
The tracking data is cleared and the Tracker is reset to its default settings.
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2. Select Roaming as the reference type.
The first time you tracked the boat, the reference type was set to Fixed, which is the default setting. When the reference type is Fixed, the reference area sampled at the first frame is used throughout the tracking process. Fixed works well when the reference area remains more or less constant throughout the clip (few changes in color or brightness). It is also faster because it only samples the reference area once. With the reference type set to Roaming, the reference area is resampled at every frame. It is a slower process, but it accounts for slight changes to the reference area from frame to frame. In this case, the texture of the concrete wall in the background and the waving of the sail cause changes to the reference area. It is best to update the reference area from frame to frame. 3. Part of the reason the Tracker loses its reference toward the end of the clip is that the reference area contains too much of the concrete wall. Reduce the size of the reference area:
a) Position the Tracker over the white spot next to the mast (the same reference area you used in step
8 on page 158). In the Tracker controls, you see a magnified view of the reference area.
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b) Using the handles of the reference box (the inner box), reduce the size of the area sampled. Crop
the left side of the reference box close to the white spot to avoid sampling the concrete wall.
In this case, reducing the size of the reference area results in better tracking data. 4. Set Tolerance to 50%.
By lowering the tolerance, the Tracker looks for a closer match.

Hint: Do not lower the tolerance too much, or the Tracker may not be able to find a match at all, and no tracking data will be generated.
There are many factors in tracking that depend on the properties of the footage used. Tracking is easy with well-defined reference areas, but when the reference area is less consistent, as with the footage in this exercise, you must experiment with the Tracker controls to optimize the clip analysis. For more information on adjusting Tracker controls, see the combustion Users Guide.
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5. Click the Analyze Forward button to analyze the clip.
The reference area is maintained throughout the clip. 6. (Optional) If the tracking continues to fail, reset the Tracker and then import the tracking data from the Lesson05\ex1 folder:
a) Click Reset Tracker(s).
b) Click Import Data to open the Select Tracker Data Format dialog. c) Click Discreet Tracker Setup and then click OK.
A file browser appears.
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d) Use the file browser to locate the sailboat_track.stabilizer file in the Lesson 05\ex1 folder and then click OK.
The tracking data is applied to the polygon mask.

Hint: By importing Tracker data, you set the absolute values of the keyframes for the current active tracker. You can also import shift data to shift existing tracker keyframes relative to their current position. For more information on importing and exporting tracker data, including the sharing of tracker setups with Discreet Systems (effect, flint, flame, inferno), see the combustion Users Guide.
View the Tracking Data

At each frame, the Tracker calculates the difference between the position of the tracker box and the position of the reference box to produce X and Y shift values. Shift values are sub-pixel measurements of how far the reference area has moved between frames.The shift data is applied to the X and Y Position channels of the polygon mask. 1. Examine the new position values in the Timeline:
a) In the Timeline (F4), click Graph to enable Graph view.
b) In the Timeline list, open the Polygon Mask > Transform category to view its channels.
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c) To select the channels, press CTRL and click X Position and Y Position.
The tracking data is applied to the X and Y Position channels of the polygon mask, matching its motion with that of the tracked reference area. 2. Turn the Tracker off:
a) Show the Tracker panel (F6). b) Click Off.
Once the Tracker is off, you have committed the tracking data to the position channels of the selected object. You cannot, therefore, reset the tracking data. You can only modify the position keyframes in the position channels of the object in the Timeline.
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3. In the Workspace panel (F3), turn on the Rectangular Mask operator.
4. Play the clip:

a) Go to the first frame (HOME). b) Click the left viewport to make it active. c) Play the clip (SPACEBAR).
The mask follows the boat from frame to frame. However, because the sail waves, the mask does not match the shape of the sail as well as it should.
Animate the Shape of the Polygon Mask

Animate the control points of the polygon mask to match the shape of the waving sail. Adjusting the individual control points of the mask has no effect on the tracking data. 1. Go to the first frame (HOME). 2. Enable Animate to enable automatic keyframing.
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3. Show the tools for the Mask operator:

a) Show the Toolbar (F2).
Because the Toolbar is context sensitive, it displays the tools for the current operator. Because the composite is the current operator (its output appears in the left viewport, which is active), the Toolbar shows the composite tools.
b) Click the right viewport to make it active.
The Toolbar now shows the Mask tools. This is because the Rectangular Mask operator is the current operator for the right viewport.
Hint: In the Workspace panel, the current operator is indicated by a gray box on the left. Click the left viewport and then the right viewport to see the Current Operator indicator move between the composite and the Rectangular Mask operators.
4. Show the control points for the polygon mask:

a) In the Toolbar, click the Arrow tool (TAB). b) In the right viewport, select the polygon mask. Hint: An easy way to select the polygon mask if you cannot see it is to draw a selection box around the area where the polygon mask is.
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c) In the Toolbar, click the Control Points option (or press TAB until the option is selected).
In the right viewport, the control points appear.
5. Press CTRL and drag over the middle control point on the right side of the polygon mask to access tangent handles. With tangent handles, the shape of the mask can more closely follow the shape of the sail. Modify the shape of the polygon as much as you feel is necessary.
6. Animate the shape of the mask every five frames:
Move the control points to match the shape of the sail. Use tangent handles to follow the shape of the sail more closely.
Changes made to the shape of the polygon mask are interpolated automatically between keyframes, so modifying the shape of the mask to match the sail every five frames should be sufficient.
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7. Click the left viewport to make it active. 8. Play the clip (SPACEBAR). The mask follows the shape of the sail more closely. Next, move and color correct the background to match the foreground better.
Move and Desaturate the Background

First, use the Transform controls to match the horizon of the background with the horizon of the foreground. Next, add a Grey operator to lower the saturation of the background to match it more closely with the foreground. 1. Go to the first frame (HOME). 2. Select single-viewport layout. Because the left viewport was the active viewport, its output appears in the single viewport. Because the active viewport displays the output of the composite operator, the composite operator is the current operator. In the Workspace panel (F3), the Current Operator indicator appears next to the composite operator.
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3. In the composite, the clouds are too low. Move the Port layer:
a) In the Workspace panel (F3), select the Port layer.
b) In the Composite Controls panel (F7), click Transform.
c) Set Y Position to 110. Hint: The cropped edges of the background layer (the black bands on either side of the frame) are well outside the safe action zone and would not appear during broadcast. However, if you were to render the composite for use on the web, the entire frame would appear. To correct this problem, all you have to do is proportionally increase the Scale values of the Port layer until the black bands are beyond the edge of the frame.
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The clouds in the background are higher and the hills in the distance looks like the shoreline. The composite is more realistic.
4. The color of the sky in the Port layer does not match the water in the Sailboat layer. Choose Operators | Color Correction | Gray to add a Gray operator to the Port layer. 5. In the Gray Controls panel, set Amount to 40% to desaturate the sky.
The blue in the Background is subdued, and the composite is more convincing. 6. Play the clip (SPACEBAR). The composite is complete. 7. Save and close the workspace:
+S).

+W).
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Exercise 2: Stabilize a Clip

Stabilizing works like motion tracking. However, whereas motion tracking applies tracking data to an object or layer to follow the motion, stabilizing applies the data to the analyzed layer, shifting the image in X and Y space to eliminate jitter. In this exercise, import a jittery clip and use a Stabilize 1 Point operator to remove the jitter from the clip. Need Help? If you need help completing this exercise, save and close the workspace, and then open the Lesson05_ex2.cws workspace in the Lesson05\ex2 folder as a reference.

First, preview the result of this exercise. Next, create a branch to begin building the composite. 1. Check the combustion preferences. For instructions, see Set the Preferences on page 9. 2. Choose File | Open Workspace, or press CTRL+SHIFT+O (Windows) or +SHIFT+O (Macintosh), to open the Lesson05_ex2.cws workspace file in the Lesson05\ex2 folder. For instructions, see Open the Workspace on page 16. 3. Preview the result for this exercise:
play Lesson05_ex2.avi using Media Player (Windows) or QuickTime (Macintosh). For instructions, see Playing Movies on page 13. The clip features a truck coming to a stop in front of a green screen. The shot is already stabilized.
courtesy of La Fabrique dImages
4. Choose File | Close Workspace (CTRL+W /
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5. Choose File | New (CTRL+N / properties:
Type: composite Name: stabilize Format: NTSC D-1 Duration: 55 frames

6. Import the footage for the composite:
b) Enable Thumbnails to view the clips in the folder. c) Import the Truck[##].png image sequence. Stabilize this clip to remove the jitter.
In this exercise:
View the jitter in the footage. Add a Stabilize 1 Point operator and set the stabilize point. Use the Tracker to track the stabilize point. Compare the stabilized clip with the jittery original.
7. Select single-viewport layout. 8. In the Workspace panel (F3), rename the Truck01 layer to Truck.
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Play the Clip

Play the clip in real time to view the jitter in the imported footage. 1. In the playback controls, select Loop mode.
2. Play the clip (SPACEBAR). Once the clip plays in real time, it is easy to see that the clip should be stabilized. As with motion tracking, you must locate a good reference area. Look closely at the clip. In this clip, the crossbar on the right side of the railing is a clearly defined pattern that does not change shape or size, and it is visible in each frame. 3. Go to the first frame (HOME).
Add a Stabilize 1 Point Operator

Add a Stabilize 1 Point operator to the Truck layer and then set the stabilize point. 1. In the Workspace panel (F3), select the Truck layer.
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2. Choose Operators | Stabilize | Stabilize 1 Point. The Stabilizer 1 Point operator and its controls appear.
In combustion, you can stabilize one or two points. Use one-point stabilizing to eliminate horizontal and vertical jitter. Use two-point stabilizing to eliminate unwanted camera pan and tilt as well as jitter. For more information on two-point stabilizing, see the combustion Users Guide. 3. Set the stabilize point for the shot:
a) In the Stabilize 1 Point Controls panel, click the Stabilize Point picker.
At the center of the viewport, a target appears that you use to set the stabilize point.
b) Place the cursor over the viewport.
The cursor becomes a crosshair.
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c) Drag anywhere over the viewport to place the target over the intersecting bars of the guardrail
(you do not have to drag directly over the target). The intersecting rails provide an easy pattern for clip analysis because of the distinct shapes and high contrast colors.
d) Notice the Stabilize Point X and Y fields display the position of the target. You can also use these
fields to set the position of the stabilize point.
Note: Your values may not match those shown here.
Use the Tracker to Generate Shift Data

Once you set the stabilize point for the Stabilize 1 Point operator, use the Tracker to analyze the jitter in the clip. The Stabilize 1 Point operator uses the shift data generated by the Tracker to stabilize the clip. For example, if the stabilize point is three pixels higher in the second frame than it is in the first frame, the Stabilize 1 Point operator moves the layer down three pixels so the stabilize point occupies the same position in both frames. 1. The tracking data will be used to create keyframes for the stabilize points X and Y channels. These keyframes are generated automatically, so it does not matter if Animate is enabled.
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2. Click the Tracker tab (F6) to view the Tracker panel. Because you have just set the stabilize point for the Stabilize 1 Point operator, the Tracker is set to track the stabilize point (the Effect Point in the Tracker panel header).
3. Click Position to activate the single Tracker.
In the viewport, the tracker and reference boxes appear at the same position as the target you set for the Stabilize 1 Point operator. 4. Because the guardrail is a consistent reference area, analyze the clip with a Fixed reference type (the default setting). Click the Analyze Forward button to analyze the clip.
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After a few moments, the analysis is complete. A tracker path at the center of the tracker and reference boxes indicates the movement of the stabilize point from frame to frame. Because the motion in the clip caused by the jitter is so slight, it is difficult to see the tracker path in detail.
5. Go to the first frame (HOME). 6. Turn off the Tracker and disable the Stabilize Point picker to commit the tracking data:
a) Click Off to turn off the Tracker.
b) In the Stabilize 1 Point controls (F7), click the Stabilize Point picker to disable it.
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7. View the Timeline:

a) In the Workspace panel, select the Stabilize 1 Point operator. b) Show the Timeline (F4).
8. View the X and Y Stabilize Point channels:

a) Click the triangle next to the Stabilize Point category to view its channels. b) Click Graph to view the channels in Graph mode.
c) Click the X channel and then CTRL-click
d) Enable Context and Auto Scale,
the Y channel to select them both.
and then click Frame All.
The curves display the sub-pixel shift values required to stabilize the clip. 9. Click to view the shift values frame by frame. Notice the following:
In the Timeline list, the values next to the Stabilize Point X and Y channels change. The shift values are precise to 0.01 pixels. The Tracker analysis generates precision data that
eliminates even the slightest jitter.
In the viewport, there is a gap at the edge of the frame. The size of the gap changes according to
the amount by which the image has to be shifted to remove the jitter.
Hint: Because Shift is selected from the Mode list in the Stabilize 1 Point controls, a black border (the gap) is added to fit the image to fill the frame. You can also use Fit and Wrap modes. For more information on these modes, see the combustion Users Guide.
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Play the Clip In the RAM Player

Play the clip to view the final result and compare the result with the original. 1. Disable Animate to prevent the addition of any keyframes.
2. Go to the first frame (HOME). 3. Choose File | Render to RAM (CTRL+SHIFT+R / +SHIFT+R) to open the Render to RAM dialog.
4. When you render an operator (such as a composite) to RAM, you can compare the result of this operator with the output of another operator. In this case, compare the stabilized Truck layer (the output of the composite) with the unstabilized Footage operator. Click Select Operator to open the Operator Picker dialog.
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5. In the Operator Picker dialog, select the Footage operator in the Truck layer and then click OK to return to the Render to RAM dialog.
The output of the composite (the stabilized clip) and of the Footage operator (the jittery clip) are set to be rendered to RAM.
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6. Process the clip:

a) From the Quality list, select Best.
b) Click Process to render the clip to RAM.
After a few moments, the rendered result appears in the RAM Player. The RAM Player is a real-time player that uses the viewport area of the combustion interface. 7. By rendering the clip to RAM with an operator for comparison, you can view both clips in the RAM Player simultaneously:
a) In the Toolbar (F2), click the Compare (AB) tool.
b) Enable Split Horizontal/Vertical.
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c) In the viewport, ALT-click / OPTION-click near the point on the handrail that you used as the stabilize point.
A vertical split divides the two outputs in the RAM Player. The stabilized clip appears to the left of the split and the unstabilized footage appears to the right.
d) Play the clip (SPACEBAR).
In the viewport, you can see how the jitter is removed from the clip to the left of the vertical split. 8. Save and close the workspace:
a) Right-click / CTRL-click the viewport and choose Close to close the RAM Player. b) Press CTRL+S /
Use the result workspace you have just completed for the next exercise, where you add a Motion Blur operator and enable lighting effects.
c) If you are not continuing with the next exercise immediately, press CTRL+W /
+W to close the
workspace.
Things to Remember
The Elliptical Mask and Rectangular Mask operators open with a default mask object. Use these
masks when you know in advance that you want to apply an elliptical or rectangular mask object. Otherwise, use the Draw Mask operator.
When you add a Paint, Mask, or Selection operator, the viewport automatically displays its output
and it becomes the current operator.
To add a mask to an existing mask, select Add from the Mask Mode list. Click the Control Points option for the Arrow tool in the Toolbar to change the shape of a mask. You
can add, move, and delete control points and use tangent handles to give a mask any shape you need. You can also animate the shape of the mask.
Use the Tracker to analyze the motion of the clip. Apply the tracking data to an object to make the
object follow the analyzed motion.
When setting the reference area for the Tracker, select an area of the image with a clearly defined,
unique shape and consistent luminance through the duration of the clip.
Add a Stabilize 1 Point operator to remove horizontal and vertical jitter. Add a Stabilize 2 Points
operator to remove unwanted pan and tilt as well as jitter.
Use the Tracker to analyze the motion of the stabilize points. Make sure that Animate is enabled
during the analysis.
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Precision Keying
Les s on 6
courtesy of La Fabrique dImages
Use the Keyer to generate precision mattes and build convincing composites. Because you can animate many Keyer settings, you can even key clips with changing lighting conditions, transparencies, and shadows.
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Overview
In Lesson 2 you made a composite using an image that had a defined alpha channela grayscale channel of the image in which white represents opacity and black represents transparency. In this lesson, use the Keyer to generate a matte to build a composite. A matte, like an alpha channel, is a grayscale version of a clip that defines opacity and transparency, except it is not a channel belonging to the footage used in a layer. Instead, it is an image process stored with the layer. Learn more about the difference between an alpha channel and a matte in this lesson. To generate a matte, use the Keyer to specify a color range of the front clip to be made transparent. For example, if a front clip is shot on a green screen, use the Keyer to assign transparency to a range of green. Transparency is applied in degrees, which means some regions of the front clip will be only partially transparent, allowing for shadows and fine detail to composite realistically with the back clip. Time to complete this lesson: 35 minutes.
Exercise: Create a Composite Using the Keyer

Working with a front clip of a truck and a back clip of an expressway, build a composite to make the truck appear as though it is driving across an overpass. In this exercise, generate a matte from the front clip using the Channel and YUV Keyer modes. Need Help? If you need help completing this lesson, open the Lesson06a.cws or Lesson06b.cws workspace as a reference:
Open Lesson06a.cws to view the composite built using the green Channel Keyer mode. Open Lesson06b.cws to view the composite built using the YUV Keyer mode.
The result composite in both cases is the same, but the keying technique used to arrive at the result is different.

First, preview the first result of this lesson. Next, open a workspace with a stabilized clip and import footage to begin building the composite. 1. Check the combustion preferences. For instructions, see Set the Preferences on page 9. 2. Choose File | Open Workspace, or press CTRL+SHIFT+O (Windows) or +SHIFT+O (Macintosh), to open the Lesson06a.cws workspace file in the Lesson06 folder. For instructions, see Open the Workspace on page 16.
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3. Preview the result for this lesson:
play Lesson06.avi using Media Player (Windows) or QuickTime (Macintosh). For instructions, see Playing Movies on page 13. The composite shows a truck coming to a stop on an overpass.
+W) to close the Lesson06a.cws workspace file.
5. Choose File | Open Workspace (CTRL+SHIFT+O / +SHIFT+O) to open the workspace you completed in the second exercise of Lesson 5. If you did not save your workspace, open the L06_start.cws workspace in the Lesson06 folder. For instructions, see Open the Workspace on page 16. The workspace has one layer with the Truck[##].png footage. The footage has already been stabilized. In this lesson:
Add a Discreet Keyer operator. Pull a key using the green Channel Keyer mode. Pull a key using the YUV Keyer mode. Add a blur effect to match the focus of the front and back clips.
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Import the Footage for the Back Clip

The Truck layer is the front clip of the composite. Import the image of an expressway as the back clip. 1. Import the background footage for the composite:
+I) and open the Lesson06 folder.
b) Enable Thumbnails to view the footage in the folder. c) Import the Expressway.png image. This is the image used as the background of the composite.
2. Select single-viewport layout. 3. Set the zoom factor in the viewport so you can see the entire frame.
Add a Discreet Keyer Operator

Arrange the layers of the composite and then add a Discreet Keyer operator to the Truck layer. 1. Go to the first frame (HOME). 2. When you import footage into a composite, it is added above any existing layers in the Workspace panel. In the Workspace panel (F3), drag the Expressway layer below the Truck layer.
In the viewport, the clip of the truck in front of a green screen reappears.
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3. Add a Discreet Keyer operator to the Truck layer:

a) In the Workspace panel, select the Truck layer. b) Choose Operators | Keying | Discreet Keyer.
By default, the Keyer generates a matte by assigning transparency to the most common color in the clip. In the viewport, part of the green screen is transparent, revealing the expressway in the back clip.
In this exercise, however, generate the matte from scratch. 4. In the Keyer Controls panel (F7), click Reset All to reset the Keyer.
In the viewport, the green screen becomes completely opaque.
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Pull a Key Using the Channel Keyer Mode

When you use the Keyer to generate a matte, you have several modes to choose from:
Channel extracts (makes transparent) a preset range from the red, green, or blue channel of the keyin clip. You can also select a custom color. For more information, see the About the Key-In Clip tips box.
The color models (RGB, HLS, RGBCMYL, and YUV) customize the color range to be extracted. Luma extracts regions of the key-in clip based on the luma channel.
The advantages of each mode are learned with practice. If you cannot successfully generate a matte using one mode, try another. In this lesson, first use Channel mode and then YUV mode. 1. Set the Keyer to generate a matte using the green channel:
a) Click Key to view the Key controls.
b) Select Channel from the Keyer Mode list.
About the Key-In Clip

The Keyer generates a matte from the key-in clip, and the matte defines the transparency of the front clip in the composite. By default, the footage in the layer with the Discreet Keyer operator is used as the front clip and the key-in clip. The front and key-in clips do not have to be the same. For example, you may have a blue-screen clip that keys well, but the part of the clip that you want to keep is rotoscoped with blue brush strokes. If you use the rotoscoped clip as the key-in clip, the brush strokes are keyed out. Instead, use the rotoscoped clip as the front clip, but use the unrotoscoped, original, blue-screen clip as the key-in clip. This way, the matte is good, and it is applied to the rotoscoped front clip without affecting the blue brush strokes. To set an alternate front clip, click Setup to view the Setup controls, click the Key-In Source button to open the Operator Picker, and then select the source you want to use as the key-in clip.
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2. Select Green from the Color list.
The Keyer removes most of the green from the image using a preset range of the Green channel. You can already see what the composite it going to look like. However, there is a faint green tint over the background image, and a lot of green spill at the edges of the truck and the railing.
Hint: To remove a broader range of green, enable More to remove more green. In this case, however, the increased preset range removes too much color, so the background image shows through regions of the yellow truck.
View the Matte

The single viewport displays the result composite. When you use the Keyer, it is a good idea to change to a two-viewport layout so you can view the result composite in one viewport and use the other viewport to view the matte generated by the Discreet Keyer operator. It is easier to detect unwanted softness (gray areas in the matte that should be either white or black) while viewing the matte. 1. Select two-viewport layout. 2. Zoom out both viewports to view the entire frame in each one. 3. Both viewports currently display the result of the composite. Leave the left viewport unchanged, but change the display in the right viewport:
a) Click the right viewport to make it active. b) In the Workspace panel, select the Discreet Keyer operator. c) Click the Send Up button to view the output of the Discreet Keyer operator in the right viewport.
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Clicking Send Up makes the Discreet Keyer operator the current operator. The result is the keyed front clip as defined by the matte over an empty background.
Hint: combustion offers real-time update functionality. If you like, you can click the left viewport to make it active and then play the clip (SPACEBAR) in Loop or Ping Pong mode. With the result composite playing in the left viewport, click the right viewport to make it active, and then continue pulling the key. Changes applied to the Discreet Keyer operator in the right viewport update dynamically in the left viewport as the clip plays.
The left viewport still shows the output of the composite operator. In a composite, any layer below the keyed layer in the Workspace panel appears as the background.
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4. Right-click (Windows) or CTRL-click (Macintosh) the right viewport and choose View Mode | Alpha to view the matte generated by the Keyer. When you choose Alpha view mode for a viewport displaying a Discreet Keyer operator, you view the matte.
Note: Choosing View Mode | Alpha affects only the display in the viewport. It is not the same as clicking the Matte Output option, which affects the output of the Discreet Keyer operator. For more information, see the Keyer Output Options tips box.
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Use the Histogram to Improve the Matte

Once you specify a color range for the key, use the matte histogram to remove gray areas from regions of the matte that should be either black or white. 1. Click Matte to view the Matte controls, including the histogram.
Keyer Output Options

In the Discreet Keyer controls, click one of the Output options to determine the output of the Discreet Keyer. In most cases, you click an Output option for monitoring purposes only. For example, to view the front clip as it appears prior to any keying, click Front. Because Output options set the actual output of the matte (that is, they do not only affect the display), be sure to click Result when you are satisfied with the key. Click: To: View the front clip. When you pull a key, the matte is applied to the front clip. View the key-in clip. When you pull a key, you sample colors defining the mattes transparency and softness based on the key-in clip. View the back clip. The Back clip is the background for the composite. View the matte clip. The matte clip is a grayscale clip that defines transparency for the key. View the result clip. When you are satisfied with the key, click Result to output the keyed front clip as the output for the layer. View the Comp clip. Use this option to view the keyed front clip over a solid color background. Use the color box to set the Comp color. This is a good way to detect color spill at the edges of the matte.
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The histogram shows the distribution of luminance values in the matte. The luminance values are plotted left to right on the horizontal axis, from 0 (black) to 255 (white). The number of pixels for each value is plotted on the vertical axis. The first peak represents the gray pixels in the black area of the matte. The second peak represents the gray pixels in the white area of the matte.
2. Examine the matte: There are very dark gray areas at the top of the frame. These grays are represented by the first peak in the histogram.
There are very light gray areas at the bottom of the frame. These grays are represented by the second peak in the histogram.
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3. Adjust the luminance input of the matte to remove most of the grays:
a) Drag the black slider to the right of the first peak. All pixels with luminance values lower than (to
the left of) the slider are redefined as black (completely transparent). The luminance value at the sliders position is indicated in the field to the left of the histogram (in this example, 102).
b) Drag the white slider to the left of the second peak. All pixels with luminance values higher than
(to the right of) the slider are redefined as white (completely opaque). The luminance value at the sliders position is indicated in the field to the right of the histogram (in this example, 246). The matte is sharp, with only a small amount of softness at the edges of the composite. However, the result composite displayed in the left viewport shows green color spill at the edges of the composite, especially around the railing.
Hint: To retain a little softness at the edge of the composite, it is a good idea not to remove both peaks entirely. Position the slider slightly inside the peaks range, as shown in the illustration. Always verify the results of your adjustments in the viewports.
Suppress the Color Spill

Although you used the histogram to clean up the matte, there is still some green color spill. Use the Color controls to remove the color spill. 1. Right-click / CTRL-click the right viewport and choose View Mode | Normal to view the result of the Discreet Keyer operator. The right viewport displays the keyed front clip over an empty background. It is easier to see the amount of green spill over black than it is to see it in the result composite displayed in the left viewport.
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2. In the Toolbar (F2), click the Magnify tool and then drag a selection box in the right viewport to zoom in on the color spill around the railing.
The color spill is the thin green line at the edges of the composite.
3. Click Color to view the Color controls.
You can use the Color controls to perform color suppression and apply hue shifts, as well as adjust individual image channels. The color spectrum in the Color controls has a histogram that represents the color distribution of the key-in clip. In this case, there is a peak in the yellow part of the spectrum (the truck) and in the green part of the spectrum (the green-screen background). 4. Pick the color to be suppressed:
a) Click the color picker next to the Color Suppression Target box.
When you move the cursor over the right viewport, the cursor changes to an eyedropper.
b) Click a green pixel at the edge of the railing.
The Color Suppression Target box displays the picked color.
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5. Next, plot the same color to view a red line along the color spectrum, indicating which part of the suppression curve should be adjusted:
a) Click the color picker next to the Plot box.
b) Click a green pixel at the edge of the railing. Pick from the same area as you did when you picked
the color suppression target in the previous step so the two colors match. The Plot box displays the picked color, and a red line appears near the green area of the color spectrum showing the value of the color. At the edges of the key, the green is more brownish. As a result, it is not part of the tolerance range (it is not made transparent). 6. Suppress the color spill to improve the composite:
a) Click Supp to select the color suppression curve.
b) Drag the cursor over the point on the color suppression curve marked by the red line. When the
cursor changes to a crosshair ( ), click the curve to add a point.

Hint: A newly added point is also the selected point. A selected point on the curve is yellow and has tangent handles.
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c) Drag the new point downward until it intersects the gray horizontal line below the color
suppression curve.
While you drag the point, its coordinates are displayed next to the cursor and are updated dynamically (for example, 60, 25). The first coordinate is the color value, and the second is the degree of color suppression. A good color suppression value is 25, which is indicated by the gray horizontal line.
d) Examine both viewports.
The color spill is greatly reduced, but not eliminated. 7. Because the color you picked for suppression is one sample from a range of green, you must suppress a region of the curve around the plotted line. However, because the yellow of the truck is relatively close to the suppressed color, you must make sure that the color suppression does not affect the truck. Adjust the color suppression curve to suppress a range around the picked color:
a) Add another point on the color suppression curve to the right of the point you just created.
b) Drag the lower left point slightly to the left of the red line. Be careful not to drag the color
suppression curve too far into the yellow range of the spectrum.
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c) Drag the lower right point to a suppression value of 25, below the nearest point to the right.
d) Using the tangent handles of the four points defining the suppression range, create sharp corners
to increase the precision of the color suppression. The final color suppression curve should look like this.
8. Click Home to return the viewport on the right to 100% zoom factor, and click again to fit the image to the window.
The full range of the green spill is suppressed without affecting the yellow truck. However, the edges of the composite are still rough and should be improved.
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Soften the Edges

As you learned in an earlier step, the Matte controls contain the histogram. They also provide edge refining tools that apply subtle softening filters to the edges, producing a convincing composite. 1. Click Matte to view the Matte controls.
Shrink, Erode, and Blur are all softening filters that affect the edges of the matte. Use them independently, or together to improve the matte. In this lesson, use the Shrink and Erode edge tools. 2. Enable Shrink and set its Width to 0.5.
3. Toggle Shrink off and on to see the change applied to the edge of the key. Shrink removes pixels from the edge of the matte. It should not be used when the edge of the matte has fine detail, such as hair, that you want to preserve in the composite.
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4. Enable Erode and set its Width to 0.8.
5. Toggle Erode off and on to see the change applied to the edge of the key. Erode applies a softening filter to the edge. It is a fast, effective tool for softening a matte. 6. Click the left viewport to make it active. 7. Play the clip to see the result (SPACEBAR). 8. Press CTRL+S / +S to save the workspace.
If you are using one of the workspaces provided, choose File | Save As to save the workspace with a different name for your own use.
Generate a Matte Using the YUV Mode

You were able to pull a precise key from this clip using the Channel mode. However, this mode does not work for all clips. Now that you understand the basic workflow of the Keyer, use another mode to pull the same key. 1. Go to the first frame (HOME). 2. Click the right viewport to make it active.
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3. Click Reset All to return the Keyer to its default settings.
Hint: Reset resets the current displayed controls. Reset All resets the Keyer entirely.
4. Set up the Keyer to generate a matte using the YUV mode:

a) Click Key to view the Key controls.
b) Select YUV from the Keyer Mode list.
5. When keying using a color model such as YUV, RGB, RGBCMYL, or HLS, you must pick a color to key out from the front clip. This procedure is called setting the tolerance for the key. Set the tolerance for the key by picking an average color from the green-screen background:
a) Click the color picker next to the Key Color box.
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b) In the right viewport, drag the cursor over the green-screen background.
The Keyer calculates an average color from the colors sampled. Most of the green-screen background is keyed out. Notice also the lines that appear in the Y, U, and V channels in the Key controls. These lines represent the tolerance (the blue lines), and the softness range applied to the tolerance (the yellow lines on either side of the blue lines). The default softness range is 50 on either side of the tolerance, generating gray at the edges of the matte.
Tolerance Softness
6. Increase the tolerance to improve the matte:

a) Click the Add Tolerance color picker.
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b) In the right viewport, press CTRL and drag a selection box over the remaining green areas.
Repeat step b) until there is only color spill at the edges of the matte. The tolerance range increases as all pixels matching those sampled in the selection are included, as shown by the space between the two blue lines.
Note: Depending where you sampled for tolerance, the values for your key may not match those shown here.
7. Pick a more precise area to increase the tolerance enough to remove more color spill:
a) Zoom in on the image in the right viewport until you can see individual green pixels around the
railing.
b) If necessary, click the Add Tolerance color picker again. c) Drag the cursor over a small selection of green pixels at the edge of the railing.
The only green that should remain in the composite is a fine line of green spill around the railing. If you increase the tolerance too muchif the yellow truck is affected by your samplingundo the tolerance adjustment and try again. You can also click the Subtract Tolerance color picker and then drag over the edge of the railing to restore the edge of the matte. Toggle between Result and Matte to make sure you do not set the tolerance range too high (avoid gray areas inside the white part of the matte). 8. The tolerance range produces a good key, but color suppression is still needed and the matte needs some softness at the edges to make it more convincing. Refer to the steps earlier in this lesson to suppress the color spill and to soften the edges of the matte using the edge tools:
To suppress color spill, see Suppress the Color Spill on page 196. To soften the edges using edge tools, see Soften the Edges on page 201.
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Add a Blur Effect

Although the matte you generated using the Keyer produces a good composite, the foreground has a softer focus than the background. To match the two layers more completely, apply a box blur to the Expressway layer: 1. Click the left viewport to make it active. 2. Play the clip to view the result clip (SPACEBAR). The key is good, but the background is sharper than the foreground. 3. Select single-viewport layout. 4. Click Home to display the composite at 100% zoom factor. 5. Go to the first frame (HOME). 6. In the Workspace panel (F3), select the Expressway layer. 7. Add a Box Blur operator to the Expressway layer:
a) Choose Operators | Blur/Sharpen | Box Blur. b) Set Radius to 1.85.
Hint: Dragging over the Radius field changes the value in increments of 0.1. To change the value in increments of 0.01, press CTRL while dragging over the field.
The focus of the background matches the foreground. 8. Play the clip to view the result clip (SPACEBAR).
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9. Save and close the workspace:

+S).

+W).
Things to Remember
Choose from a number of Keyer modes to pull a key. Each mode has its own advantages, suitable for
key-in clips with specific properties.
Use the Output options to monitor the front, key-in, and matte elements of the composite or to output
a matte for use elsewhere.
Generate the matte from the key-in clip and apply the matte to the front clip. These clips are usually
the same, but do not have to be. To change the source for the key-in clip, click the Key-In Source button in the Setup controls to open the Operator Picker and then select another source.
Once the initial matte is generated, you can clean it up quickly and easily by adjusting the minimum
and maximum input values for the matte with the histogram in the Matte controls.
Use the color suppression curve in the Color controls to eliminate color spill. Use the edge tools in the Matte controls to apply subtle softening filters to the edge of the matte.
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Les s on 7
Use the Discreet Color Corrector to adjust the colors of footage. You can brighten and darken images, shift their hues, and even suppress specific color values. With this tool, match colors in a composite, improve material for keying, and create special color effects.
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Overview
Use the Color Corrector to analyze and adjust the colors in clips and images. You can shift hues, add tints, and adjust a wide range of parameters to fix color problems or achieve artistic results. The various sets of controlsColor, Basics, Histogram, Curves, and Rangesallow multiple approaches to adjusting color according to individual preference. Color correction is an art rather than an exact science, and relies on an individuals perception of color. To use the Color Corrector effectively requires judgement and instinct. As a result, there are no set methods for successful color correction. With this lesson, however, you learn to achieve consistent results. In this lesson, use the Histogram, Basics, and Curves controls to analyze and adjust color in an image. Use the Compare tool to compare the uncorrected image to a reference image as you make corrections. Time to complete this lesson: 90 minutes.
Exercise 1: Color Correct Using Histograms

In this exercise, use histograms to analyze color, and make gamma, gain, and offset adjustments to correct the problems you discover. For consistent results, make sure the colors you see on-screen are as accurate as possible. For more information, see the Optimizing the Working Environment tips box. Need Help? If you need help completing this exercise, save and close the workspace, and then open the Lesson07_ex1.cws workspace as a reference.
Optimizing the Working Environment

The conditions in your working environment can greatly affect how you perceive colors on a computer monitor. To help view colors as accurately as possible:
Minimize reflections on your monitor. Avoid working near a window. Make sure the lights in the studio are dimmed and steady. Adjust the brightness and contrast of your monitor. Calibrate the monitor using a hardware device.
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First, preview the result of this exercise. Next, create a branch to begin learning about color correction. 1. Check the combustion preferences. For instructions, see Set the Preferences on page 9. 2. Choose File | Open Workspace, or press CTRL+SHIFT+O (Windows) or +SHIFT+O (Macintosh), to open the Lesson07_ex1.cws workspace file in the Lesson07 folder. For instructions, see Open the Workspace on page 16. 3. Preview the result for this exercise. The result is a color-corrected clip of a woman against a patterned background.
4. Choose File | Close Workspace (CTRL+W / 5. Choose File | New (CTRL+N / properties:
Type: composite Format: NTSC D-1 Duration: 1 frame

6. Import the footage for this exercise:
b) CTRL-click Face_result.png and Face_front.png (in this order) and then click OK.
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7. Load each image into a separate viewport:

a) Select two-viewport layout.
Both viewports show the Face_front layer because it is the top layer in the composite.
b) Select the Face_result layer in the Workspace panel (F3). c) Right-click (Windows) or CTRL-click (Macintosh) the right viewport and choose Layer.
The right viewport shows only the selected layer: Face_result. 8. Examine the two layers. The Face_result layer is a picture of a womans face against a patterned background.
The Face_front layer is the same image but has noticeably different color tones. Color correct this layer to match the more natural-looking Face_result layer.
In this exercise:
Analyze color channels using histograms to determine how colors are distributed. Use the Compare tool to compare the source and result images while color correcting. Adjust gamma, gain, and offset with the Basics controls to fix the color problems.
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Add a Discreet Color Corrector Operator

Add a Discreet Color Corrector operator to access the Color Correction controls. 1. Click the left viewport (the Face_front layer) to make it the active viewport. 2. Select single-viewport layout. The Face_front layer is shown in the viewport. 3. Select the Face_front layer in the Workspace panel. 4. Choose Operators | Color Correction | Discreet Color Corrector. The Color Correction Controls panel appears.
Analyze the Image to Correct

It is important to analyze the image before making corrections. There are several tools available for analyzing color such as color corrector pickers, the Ranges controls, and the Histogram controls. Examine the channel values in the Face_front layer using the Histogram controls. 1. Examine the Face_front layer in the viewport. There are too many blue tones in the image. The purpose of the correction, therefore, is to remove the excess blue and make the image look more natural.
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2. Click Histogram to view the Histogram controls.
A histogram is a visual representation of how color values are distributed in an image. You can view histograms for the entire image or a specific RGB channel. For more information on histograms, see the Using Histograms tips box. 3. Click RGB to examine the histogram for all channels.
The pixels are concentrated at the left of the histogram, suggesting that the shadow areas are too prominent. To correct this problem, you will need to increase the gain and gamma of the overall RGB channel.
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Using Histograms
Color correcting an image changes the color values of the pixels, a process also known as remapping. The color values of the pixels in the source image are called the input values; the values of the pixels in the result image are called the output values. The histogram shows the color distribution of pixels for the selected channel. The color values are plotted on the horizontal axis, from 0 (black) at the left to 255 (white) at the right. The number of pixels for each value is plotted on the vertical axis.
Number of pixels
Color values Assume you want to correct an image with low contrast. Display the histogram, then examine the distribution of colors in the image using the Source color picker. Choose the pixels in the darkest areas to find the general black point in the image. In the histogram, the position of this value is marked by a yellow line.
Minimum input level
Maximum input level
Minimum output level
Yellow line
Maximum output level
Make the black point the new minimum input value (0) by dragging the minimum input level control to the right until it is level with the yellow line. All pixels with color values lower than the black point are remapped to 0 (black). Next, choose the pixels in the lightest areas to find the general white point. A yellow line appears at this position in the histogram. Make the white point the new maximum input value by dragging the maximum input level control to the left until it meets the yellow line. All pixels with color values greater than the white point are remapped to 255 (white). All other pixels are remapped between the new minimum and maximum input values. To correct an image that has too much contrast, adjust the output levels.
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4. Click Red to examine the red channel.
The red pixels are concentrated in the shadows area. To avoid losing the red in the midtones and highlights, you will need to increase the gain and gamma of the red channel. 5. Click Green to examine the green channel.
The green channel looks similar to the RGB channel, as is often the case, since the green channel has more influence on the overall brightness of an image. Because of this relationship, you will not adjust the green channel until you have changed the other channels.
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6. Click Blue to examine the blue channel.
As you determined with a visual analysis, the blue channel is the most problematic. To correct the concentration of blue, you will need to decrease the gain and gamma of the blue channel. Color correction operations should always be performed in order. For information, see the Determine the Sequence of Corrections tips box.
Determine the Sequence of Corrections

Once you have analyzed the image, it is important to determine in what sequence to make corrections. Some corrections may interfere with previous adjustments you have made, or change results that you were satisfied with. For example, you should normally not adjust saturation before applying hue shifts as a hue shift will affect the saturation value. For predictable results, perform corrections in the following sequence:
Correct the hue and/or the color balance. Correct the light and dark areas of the image using gamma, gain, offset, and contrast. Correct the saturation.
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Compare the Source and Result Images

Use the Compare tool to compare the adjustments to the Face_result layer. 1. From the Compare list, select Operator.
The Operator Picker dialog appears. 2. Select the Footage operator for the Face_result layer and click OK.
The Compare tool is now set to use the Face_result layer for comparison.
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3. Enable the Compare (AB) button.
Options for drawing comparison regions appear on the Toolbar. 4. Enable Split Horizontal / Vertical.
5. Press ALT (Windows) or OPTION (Macintosh) and click the nose of the woman to set a vertical comparison region. If you do not press ALT / OPTION when clicking, the image is split horizontally. Half of the womans face now shows the original blue image you are correcting and the other half shows the Face_result layer. You can see how the changes you are about to apply compare to the final result.
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Adjust the Gamma and Gain

Now that you have analyzed all four channels, use the information to make the necessary corrections to gamma, gain and offset. These parameters affect different tonal ranges of an image:
Gamma increases or decreases the midtones in the image. As a result, the image is darkened or
lightened but the highlights and shadows are not greatly affected. The solid black and white areas of the image are not affected.
Gain affects the brightness of both midtones and highlights without greatly affecting the shadows. Offset affects the highlights, midtones, and shadows proportionately. Both the white point and the
black point of the image are also affected.
Hint: If you are unfamiliar with the effects of adjusting gamma, gain, and offset on an image, you can experiment with values in the Basics controls before continuing this lesson. When you are finished, click Reset All to reset the values to their defaults.
Use the Basics controls to adjust both gamma and gain to correct the Face_front layer. 1. Select the tonal range to correct:
a) Click Basics. b) Click Master.
In the Basics controls, you can control the range of tones in the RGB color model affected by color correction operations.
Click: To Correct:
Master Shadows Midtones Highlights
All values uniformly across the image. The darkest parts of the image (RGB values between 0 and 85) The midtones of the image (RGB values between 86 and 170). The lightest parts of the image (RGB values between 171 and 255).
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2. You can now begin color correcting the image. Adjust the blue channel:
a) Decrease the gamma to 0.42.
b) Decrease the gain to 66.
3. Adjust the RGB channel:

a) Increase the gamma to 1.56.
b) Increase the gain to 107.
4. Adjust the red channel: increase the gain to 102.
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5. Adjust the green channel: decrease the gamma to 0.86.
6. Compare your result (left side of the viewport) to the Face_result layer (right side of the viewport). 7. Make further adjustments to the gamma and gain until you are satisfied with the result. 8. Save and close the workspace:
a) Save the workspace (CTRL+S / b) Close the workspace (CTRL+W /
+S). +W).
Hint: In this exercise, you corrected a single-frame image. However, you can also use the Basics controls to animate gamma, gain, and offset corrections in a clip. To do this, enable Animate before adjusting values.
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Exercise 2: Color Correct Using the Curves Controls

In this exercise, color correct an image using the Curves controls. In the first part of this exercise, learn how adjusting the RGB curves affects an image. In the second part, correct the image by adjusting the gamma, gain, and offset values using the Curves controls. Curves are a graphical representation of how the colors in the original image are mapped. By changing the shape of the default curve, you are remapping the original colors to new ones. With the Curves controls, you have the same control over gamma, gain, and offset as in the Basics controls. Unlike the Basics controls, however, color corrections made with the Curves controls cannot be animated. The advantages of working with curves are:
Greater control over corrections: you can add control points to the curves and adjust tangent handles
to make fine adjustments within a defined color range.
Interactivity: you can see the relationship between the shape of the curve and its effect on the image.
Need Help? If you need help completing this exercise, save and close the workspace, and then open the Lesson07_ex2.cws workspace as a reference.

First, preview the result of this exercise. Next, create a branch to continue learning about color correction. 1. Check the combustion preferences. For instructions, see Set the Preferences on page 9. 2. Choose File | Open Workspace (CTRL+SHIFT+O / +SHIFT+O) to open the Lesson07_ex2.cws workspace file in the Lesson07\ex2 folder. For instructions, see Open the Workspace on page 16.
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3. Preview the result for this exercise. The result is the clip of a woman against a patterned background again, this time corrected using the Curves controls.
In this exercise:
Practice adjusting curves and see the effects on an image. Use the Curves controls to analyze color. Adjust curves to make color corrections to a problematic image.
4. Choose File | Close Workspace (CTRL+W / 5. Choose File | New (CTRL+N / properties: +W) to close the Lesson07_ex2.cws workspace file.
Type: composite Format: NTSC D-1 Duration: 1 frame

6. Import the footage for this exercise:
b) CTRL-click Face_result.png and Face_front.png (in this order) and then click OK.
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Add a Discreet Color Corrector Operator

Add a Discreet Color Corrector operator and examine the Curves controls. 1. Turn off the Face_front layer in the Workspace panel.
You will see the effects of adjusting curves more clearly by practicing on the Face_result layer. 2. Select the Face_result layer. 3. Choose Operators | Color Correction | Discreet Color Corrector. The Color Correction Controls panel appears. 4. Click Curves to view the Curves controls.
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The color curves for the RGB, red, green, and blue channels are plotted on the graph in the Curves controls. The input color values for the source image are plotted on the horizontal axis. The output color values for the corrected image are plotted on the vertical axis.
Output values
Default curve
Input values
The default diagonal curve means that the input color values of the source image equal the output values of the result image. To make color corrections, you change the shape of the curve.
Change the curve in this range (0-85) to affect the shadows.
Change the curve in this range (86-170) to affect the midtones.
Change curve in this range (171-255) to affect the highlights.
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Adjust the Gamma

Practice adjusting the gamma by modifying the RGB curve. 1. Click RGB to select the RGB curve.
The red, green, and blue curves are still visible; however, you cannot adjust a curve unless it is selected. 2. Pull the RGB curve up to increase the gamma:
a) Click the bottom control point (0,0) and drag its tangent handle up. b) Click the top control point (255, 255)
and drag its tangent handle up.
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Examine the resulting curve:

RGB curve B A Default curve D E C
A Adjusting the gamma mostly affects the midtones. B The highlights are slightly affected. C The white point (or maximum input value) does not change. D The shadows are slightly affected. E The black point (or minimum input value) does not change.
3. Examine the result image. The midtones are lightened. 4. You can reset either a selected curve or all curves. Click Reset Selected to reset the RGB curve.
Alternatively, click Reset to reset all curves since you have not made modifications to other curves.
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5. Move the RGB curve down to decrease the gamma:

a) Click the bottom control point and drag its tangent handle down. b) Click the top control point and
drag its tangent handle down.
6. Examine the result image. The midtones are darkened. 7. Click Reset Selected to reset the curve.
Adjust the Gain

Practice adjusting the gain by modifying the RGB curve. 1. Increase the slope of the RGB curve to increase the gain. Drag the top control point to the left until the displayed values are (215, 255).
Moving the top control point to the left changes the maximum input value from 255 to 215. It has the same effect as moving the histograms maximum input level to the left.
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2. Examine the RGB curve.

RGB curve B A Default curve C
A Adjusting the gain affects the highlights substantially and also affects the midtones. B Because the maximum input level is changed, clipping occurs in the highlights. In this example,
all pixels with an input value of 215 or greater are remapped to an output value of 255 (white).
C The shadows are not substantially affected and the black point is not changed.
3. Examine the result image. The highlights and midtones are brightened, and the shadows are affected very little. 4. Click Reset Selected to reset the curve. 5. Decrease the slope of the RGB curve to decrease the gain: drag the top control point down until the displayed values are (255, 215).
Moving the top control point down changes the maximum output value from 255 to 215. It has the same effect as moving the histograms maximum output level to the left. In this example, all pixels with an input value of 255 are remapped to an output value of 215.
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6. Examine the result image. The highlights and midtones are darkened, and the shadows remain essentially the same. 7. Click Reset Selected to reset the curve.
Adjust the Offset

Practice adjusting the offset by modifying the RGB curve. 1. Move the entire RGB curve up to increase the offset:
a) Drag the top control point to the left until the displayed values are (215, 255).
b) Drag the bottom control point up until the displayed values are (0, 40).
Moving the top control point to the left changes the maximum input value from 255 to 215. Moving the bottom control point up changes the minimum output value from 0 to 40; it has the same effect as moving the histograms minimum output level to the right.
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2. Examine the RGB curve.

RGB curve B A Default curve
A Adjusting the offset affects the highlights, midtones, and shadows proportionately. B Because the maximum input value is changed, clipping occurs in the highlights. In this example,
all pixels with an input value of 215 or greater are remapped to an output value of 255 (white); the highlights are lightened.
C The minimum output value is also changed. In this example, all pixels with an input value of 0 (black) have an output value of 40; the shadows are lightened.
3. Examine the result image. All colors in the image are lightened. 4. Click Reset Selected to reset the curve.
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5. Move the entire RGB curve down to decrease the offset:

a) Drag the top control point down until the displayed values are (255, 215).
b) Drag the bottom control point to the right until the displayed values are (40, 0).
As you have learned, moving the top control point down changes the maximum output value from 255 to 215. Moving the bottom control point to the right changes the minimum input value from 0 to 40; it has the same effect as moving the histograms minimum input level to the right. In this example, all pixels with an input value of 40 or less are remapped to an output value of 0 (black). 6. Examine the result image. All colors in the image are darkened. 7. Click Reset Selected to reset the curve.
Analyze the Clip

Although you have already analyzed this image using the histogram, you can also use the Curves controls to check the distribution of color values. 1. Turn on the Face_front layer in the Workspace panel (F3). The Face_front layer appears in the viewport. 2. Select the Face_front layer.
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3. Choose Operators | Color Correction | Discreet Color Corrector. The Color Corrector Controls panel appears. 4. Click Curves to view the Curves controls.
5. Pick a color from an obvious problem area in the image:

a) Click the Source color picker.
b) Click the blue highlights on the talents face.
Red, green, and blue markers appear on the graph to show the input values of the selected color.
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The blues are too high. To correct this problem, you will decrease the gain and gamma of the blue channel.
The reds and greens are too low. To correct this problem, you will increase the gain and gamma of both the red and green channels.
Make Corrections
Make the necessary corrections by adjusting the curves. 1. Adjust the blue channel:
a) Click Blue to select the blue curve. b) Decrease the gain by dragging the top
control point to position (255, 170).
c) Decrease the gamma by moving the top and bottom tangent handles as shown.
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2. Adjust the red channel:

a) Click Red to select the red curve. b) Increase the gain by dragging the top
c) Increase the gamma by moving the top and bottom tangent handles as shown.
3. Adjust the RGB channel:

a) Click RGB to select the RGB curve.
b) Increase the gamma by moving the top and bottom tangent handles as shown.
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4. Adjust the green channel:

a) Click Green to select the green curve. b) Increase the gain by dragging the top
c) Increase the gamma by moving the top and bottom tangent handles as shown.
5. Use the Compare tool to compare your results to the Footage operator for the Face_result layer. If you need help, see Compare the Source and Result Images on page 204. 6. Practice tweaking the curves until the two images match. 7. Turn off the Compare tool: select None from the Compare list.

a) Save the workspace (CTRL+S / b) Close the workspace (CTRL+W /
+S). +W).
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Things to Remember
Always visually analyze images before beginning a color correction, taking into consideration
lighting conditions in the image as well as what you want to accomplish.
For precise color correction, analyze the distribution of colors in the clip using the color picker,
histograms, or the Curves controls.
Use the Compare tool to divide a viewport into horizontal or vertical regions to compare two layers.
For example, you can view an original and a color-corrected image at the same time, or match the colors of layers in a composite.
Use the histogram to reset the black point and white point in an image. This can make other
corrections easier.
Adjust the gamma, gain, and offset of the overall RGB channel or of the individual red, green, and
blue channels using either the Basics controls or the Curves controls. Using the Curves controls is more interactive and gives you more control than using the Basics controls, but you cannot animate the corrections.
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Les s on 8
Use Paint to add paint strokes, geometry, text, and selections to clips and images. Because Paint uses vector graphics, you can modify your Paint objects at any frame and create animations.
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Overview
In digital paint programs, there are two common types of graphics: raster and vector. The Paint operator in combustion uses vector graphics. Vector graphics are stored as mathematical descriptions of lines and curves, therefore they can be resized without affecting their quality. You can also animate the scale, position, and other attributes of vector graphics, which make them ideal for painting on clips. In this lesson, use the Paint operator to create and animate vector graphics. In the first exercise, create and animate basic objects to make a cartoon. In the second exercise, use Paint to retouch footage. Time to complete this lesson: 60 minutes.
Exercise 1: Draw and Animate Basic Objects

In this exercise, begin to work with Paint by creating and modifying objects. Also, use the Audio tools to import and sync an audio file. Need Help? If you need help completing this exercise, save and close the workspace, and then open the Lesson08_ex1.csw workspace as a reference.

First, preview the result of this exercise. Next, create a branch to begin drawing objects. 1. Check the combustion preferences. For instructions, see Set the Preferences on page 9. 2. Choose File | Open Workspace, or press CTRL+SHIFT+O (Windows) or +SHIFT+O (Macintosh), to open the Lesson08_ex1.csw workspace file in the Lesson08\ex1 folder. For instructions, see Open the Workspace on page 16.
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play Lesson08_ex1.avi using Media Player (Windows) or QuickTime (Macintosh). For instructions, see Playing Movies on page 13. The result is an animation in which a chef drops an egg on a kitchen floor.
+W) to close the Lesson08_ex1.csw workspace file.
5. To paint on a clip or image, you can apply a Paint operator to a layer in a composite, or you can open the footage as a Paint branch. For this exercise, open the footage as a Paint branch:
a) Choose File | Open (CTRL+O /
+O) and open the Lesson08\ex1 folder.
b) Enable Collapse to collapse image sequences. c) Select Kitchen[##].png and click OK.
The Open Footage dialog appears.
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d) Select Paint and click OK to open the image sequence as a Paint branch.
The image sequence is an animation of a chef dropping an egg. The features on the chef s face have not been drawn yet.
Here is how the Paint branch looks in the Workspace panel: Paint is the top-level operator containing the Kitchen footage.
In this exercise:
Create the face of the chef using basic Paint objects. Edit the objects using control points to shape the facial features. Animate the position of the Paint objects to match the movement of the chef s head. Import audio and slip it to match the action in the clip.
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Set Up the Viewports

Set up two viewports at different levels of zoom to help you see what you are drawing. 1. Select two-viewport layout. Both viewports show the Paint operator by default. 2. Show the whole frame in the right viewport:
a) Click the right viewport to make it active. b) Choose Window | Fit in Window or click Home to fit the whole frame in the viewport.
This is the viewport where you are going to paint. 3. Zoom in on the chef s face in the left viewport:
a) Click the left viewport to make it active. b) Show the Toolbar (F2). c) Click the Magnify tool and then click the chef s face to zoom in.
Draw a Filled Ellipse for the Nose

Draw a simple vector graphic for the nose of the chef. 1. Go to the first frame (HOME). It is important to be at the first frame so that the objects you draw appear at the start of the clip.
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2. Select a tool to draw the nose: click the lower right corner of the Ellipse tool.
Each of the Freehand Stroke, Rectangle, Ellipse, and Polygon tools have two modes: Stroked and Filled. Click the upper left corner of the tool to use Stroked mode or the lower right corner to use Filled mode.
Hint: You can use the Modes controls to select Filled or Stroked mode. This is useful for changing how existing objects are drawn. From the Paint Controls panel, click Modes, then select Stroked or Filled mode. You can also set an object to be drawn as a shape, a selection, or a mask.
3. In the Mode list, select Normal to draw a freehand ellipse.
There are two other modes available for the Ellipse tool:
Constrained draws an ellipse using a specific ratio. Fixed draws an ellipse of a specific size.
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4. View the Modes controls and turn on anti-aliasing:

a) Click Modes. b) Click Solid.
c) Click Paint to paint using a solid color.
d) Enable Anti-Alias to smooth the
edges of the graphics.
5. Select a color for the nose:

a) Click the foreground color box to view the Pick Color dialog.
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b) Pick a flesh tone in the color spectrum and click OK.
The selected color becomes the foreground color in the Paint Controls. 6. Click in the viewport and drag diagonally. The ellipse is drawn from its center outward.
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Edit the Nose

Because Paint objects are vector graphics, you can change settings before or after drawing the shape. Transform the ellipse so it is positioned and scaled correctly. 1. To edit an objects shape, use the Arrow tool:
a) Click the Arrow tool (or press TAB).
b) Click the Object option, if not already enabled.
A bounding box appears on the ellipse.
The Arrow tool has four options: Object, Control Points, Pivot Point, and Gradient. Learn about these options later.
Hint: To cycle through the available options for the Arrow tool, press TAB.
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2. Drag the rotation handle on the bounding box until the nose matches the angle of the chef s head.
Hint: To constrain the rotation to multiples of 45 degrees, press SHIFT while dragging.
3. You can reposition and resize the selected object using the Transform controls or by dragging the object directly in the viewport. In this step, drag the nose on the chef s face:
a) With the ellipse still selected, move the cursor over the object until the cursor becomes crossshaped ( ). b) Drag the ellipse to position it on the chef s face.
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4. Change the size and shape of the nose:

a) Drag the corner handle of the bounding box to scale the nose.
Notice how both the height and width of the object are affected as you drag.
b) Drag the handles on the top, bottom, or sides to change the shape of the nose.
Notice how dragging the side handles affects only the width (or X scale) of the object, and dragging the top and bottom handles affects only the height (or Y scale).
Hint: To scale the object proportionally, press SHIFT while dragging; to scale relative to the pivot point, press CTRL while dragging.
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c) Click Transform on the Paint Controls panel to view the Transform controls.
By adjusting the tangent handles in the previous step, you made X and Y scale changes in the Transform controls. You can also enter the values in the available fields to position, scale, rotate, or shear the currently selected object. When you drag handles in the viewport to scale an object, the adjustment is made relative to the opposite side or corner. When you change an objects scale using the Transform controls however, the adjustment is made relative to the objects pivot point.
Hint: To view the pivot point, click the Pivot Point option.
5. Click anywhere in the viewport outside of the nose to deselect the object.
Draw Ellipses for the Eyes

Draw two ellipses and create a group for the eye, and then duplicate the group to make another eye. 1. Draw an ellipse for the eye:
a) Click the Filled Ellipse tool on the Toolbar. b) Click Modes on the Paint Controls panel. c) Press D to use the default foreground and background colors: white and black respectively. d) Click in the viewport and drag diagonally to draw an ellipse.
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2. Click the Arrow tool (TAB), then position and scale the eye.
3. Draw a black circle for the pupil:

a) Click the Filled Ellipse tool. b) Press X to swap the foreground and background colors. c) Press SHIFT and drag diagonally to draw a circle.
Pressing SHIFT while drawing constrains the object proportionally. When drawing ellipses, this creates perfect circles.
d) Click the Arrow tool (TAB), and then position and scale the pupil on the chef s eye.
4. Group the two eye ellipses:

a) Select the two objects that make up the eye. To select multiple objects, press SHIFT while clicking them, or drag a selection box around the objects. b) Choose Object | Group (CTRL+G /
+G).
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5. Rename the group:

a) Show the Timeline (F4). b) Click Group once to select it, then again to open the Name field.
c) Type Eye and press ENTER.
The group is renamed Eye.

Hint: In the Timeline, click the triangle next to the group name to view the Paint objects in the group.
6. Duplicate the Eye group:

a) In the viewport, click the Eye group to select it. b) Choose Edit | Duplicate (CTRL+ALT+D/
+OPTION+D).
The duplicated eye appears directly on top of the original eye.

Hint: You can also press ALT (Windows) or OPTION (Macintosh) while dragging a group or object to make a copy, or choose Edit | Copy and then Edit | Paste.
7. Position the duplicated group as the second eye on the chef s face.
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Create a Set of Custom Colors

The chef needs a mouth. First, choose a color from a range of pinks in a custom swatch set. 1. Choose Edit | Select None (CTRL+D / +D) to deselect all objects.
Hint: Alternatively, click anywhere in the viewport where there are no objects to deselect them.
2. Click Modes on the Paint Controls panel (F7). Notice the four tabs on the far right side for selecting colors: Swatches, Mixer, Color Picker, and Sliders.
In this part of the exercise, use the Swatches panel to select a color. For more information on the panels, see the Color Panels tips box. 3. Click the Swatches tab and pick a red color for the foreground. Leave the background color white.
Note: If you do not see a red color in the Swatches panel, click the Swatches menu ( Default to show the default swatch set.
) and choose
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4. Click the Swatches menu (
) to the right of the Swatches panel and select New Swatch Set.
The Enter New Swatch Set Name dialog appears.
5. Enter lip colors and click OK. The lip colors swatch set is now saved in the Swatches menu. A blank swatch set appears in the Swatches panel.
6. Drag across the first row of the empty swatch set.
The cursor changes to a paint bucket and a gradient from the red foreground color to the white background color appears as you drag.
Hint: Click once to add only the foreground color to the swatch set.
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7. Extend the range of colors by dragging the paint bucket cursor down several rows.
8. You can delete swatches you do not need. Delete a row of swatches to remove the lighter pink colors from the set:
a) Position the cursor over the beginning of the lightest row of swatches. b) Press CTRL /
to show the scissors cursor.
c) Drag over the row of swatches to delete them.
9. From your new swatch set, click a dark pink color to select it as the foreground color. This is the color you will use for the mouth.
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Color Panels
There are four color panels on the right side of the Paint Controls panel: Swatches, Mixer, Color Picker, and Sliders. Use the panels to set the foreground color.
Swatches Panel
Use the Swatches panel to select specific colors stored in swatch sets. You can use the default swatch set, access other swatch sets using the Swatches menu ( ), or define custom swatches.
Mixer Panel
Use the Mixer panel to mix colors as you would on an artists palette. You can save and load mixing areas using the Mixer menu ( ). Click the Mix button to toggle between mixing and picking colors. When you modify or create a swatch set or mixing area, the changes are automatically saved and the colors are available for all workspaces.
Color Picker Panel

Use the Color Picker panel to select a color using the HSV color model. Click a point on the color spectrum to select a color by hue and saturation, and then drag the slider below to adjust the brightness.
Sliders Panel
Use the Sliders panel to select a color by entering specific RGB or HSV channel values. For example, in HSV, you can paint in shades of gray by setting Saturation to 0.
For more information on color panels, see the combustion Users Guide.
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Draw a Line for the Mouth

Use control points and tangent handles to draw the mouth. 1. Click the Straight Line tool on the Toolbar.
2. Select the brush in the Modes controls:

a) Click the Brushes Palette menu ( ) and choose Default.
b) Select a small solid brush.
The current brush appears next to the foreground color box.
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3. Click in the viewport and drag the line to make the mouth.
Hint: To constrain the line to multiples of 45 degrees, press SHIFT while dragging.
Animate the Mouth

As you learned in previous lessons, an animation is created whenever an attribute is changed between frames. For example, by adjusting the shape of an object at the last frame, the shape is automatically changed (interpolated) to this final shape over the length of the clip. Create an animation so the chef smiles at the beginning of the clip and then frowns as the egg drops. Use control points to edit the line. 1. View the control points:
a) Click the Arrow tool (TAB) to select the line object. b) Click the Control Points option.
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Control points appear on the line. Use control points to shape objects precisely. A straight line has two control points, which can be moved to change its length and angle.
2. Use tangent handles on the control points to change the shape of the line:
a) Press CTRL /
and drag the left control point.
Tangent handles for the control point appear.

b) Drag the tangent handle down and to the right to make a curved line.
c) Press CTRL /
and drag a tangent handle on the right control point down to complete the smile.
3. Go to the last frame (END). Notice that the mouth and the rest of the facial features disappear. This is because the objects are only drawn on the first frame. To view an object for more than one frame, you have to extend its duration in the Timeline.
Note: If the facial features appear at the last frame, the Default Object Duration in the Settings controls is likely set to All Frames. If it is set to 1 Frame, the Paint objects only appear in the frame at which they were drawn.
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4. Extend the duration of the objects to the end of the clip:

a) Click the triangle next to Line to hide its categories. b) Click Overview to view the current duration of
the objects.
c) Click Frame All to show the duration of the clip.
The duration of objects in the Timeline is indicated by horizontal bars. In this case, the bars have a length of a single frame.
d) Drag a selection box around all the objects in the Timeline to select them.
e) Press . (the period key) to extend the duration of the objects to the last frame.
The duration of each object is extended to the position of the Current Frame indicator. Use this method to extend the duration of an object to any frame of the clip.
Hint: You can also extend the duration of an object to any frame by dragging the square handle on its horizontal bar.
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5. Animate the mouth by changing its shape at the last frame:

a) Enable Animate to enable keyframing. Animate is red when enabled.
b) Choose Edit | Select None (CTRL+D / deselect all objects. c) Select the smile in the viewport.
+D) or click away from the objects in the viewport to
d) Click the Control Points option and adjust the tangent handles until the smile becomes a frown.
e) Click the Object option.
6. Go to the first frame (HOME). 7. Choose Edit | Select None (CTRL+D / 8. Play the clip (SPACEBAR). The facial features appear for the whole clip. The mouth is now animated between the first and last frames, causing the smile to change into a frown. For more information on animation using Paint, see the Animating Vector Objects tips box. +D) to deselect all objects.
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Add a Moustache
Use and customize brushes to draw a freehand moustache. 1. Go to the first frame (HOME). 2. Draw the moustache:
a) In the Paint Controls panel (F7), press D to set the default colors. b) Press X to swap the foreground and background colors.
Black becomes the foreground color.

c) Click the upper left corner of the Freehand tool to select Stroked Freehand.
Animating Vector Objects

There are many object properties you can animate, including:
Position, rotation, scale and shear The pivot point Control points Foreground and background color Opacity Draw mode and draw mode pressure Properties related to the Source mode (Solid, Gradient, Reveal, or Clone) Drop shadow
In general, any attribute that appears in the Timeline can be animated. Only a few object attributes cannot be animated, including Preserve Alpha, the Source mode itself (Solid, Gradient, Reveal, or Clone), the brush settings, and the text options.
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d) Select any brush for now as you will customize it later. e) Draw a curly moustache.
Hint: To resize the brush when using the Stroked Freehand tool, press CTRL / viewport.
and drag in the
3. Click the Arrow tool (TAB). The object is selected, but notice that the Control Points option is not available. This is because the Make Curve option was not enabled when you created the object. To edit the control points of a Stroked Freehand object, you must either have Make Curve ( enabled (when you create it) or convert the object to curves (after it is created). 4. Choose Object | Make Curve. The Control Points option is now available. 5. Click the Control Points option, and adjust the control points to touch up the moustache. Depending on the existing shape, for example, make the line more symmetrical, or stretch the moustache to make it wider. For more control point techniques, see the Adjusting Control Points tips box. 6. Click the Object option.
)
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7. Change the brush for the moustache:

a) Click the Brushes palette menu (
) and choose AirBrushes.
b) Make sure the moustache is still selected. c) Select an airbrush.
The moustache is redrawn using the new brush.

d) Select other brushes to see how each looks until you find a brush you like.
8. Extend the duration of the moustache to the end of the clip:

a) Go to the last frame (END). b) Press . (the period key).
9. Play the clip (SPACEBAR) to view the result.
Adjusting Control Points

In Lesson 5, Tracking and Stabilizing, you learned to use control points to edit the shape of a mask. Use control points to edit the shape of a Paint object in the same way. You can add, move, and delete control points, and access tangent handles to make curved lines.
To add a control point, move the cursor over the line until the cursor changes to To move a control point, position the cursor over a point until it changes to To delete a control point, click the point to select it and press DELETE.
, then click.
, then drag it.
Press SHIFT while clicking to select multiple points, or drag a selection box around the points you want to select. Use tangent handles to adjust the curves of an object. Here are some techniques for working with tangent handles:
To view the tangent handles, press CTRL and drag a point. To hide the tangent handles, press CTRL and click a point. To break a tangent handle from the other handle, press CTRL and drag it. To rejoin broken tangent handles, press CTRL and drag one of the handles. To make both tangent handles the same length again, press CTRL and click the control point to
hide the handles, and then press CTRL and drag the handles out again.
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Animate the Entire Face

When you play the clip, the chef s head moves but the facial features stay in one place. To fix this, rotate the features to match the movement of the head. 1. Group the features of the face so you only have to animate a single object:
a) Click the Arrow tool (TAB). b) Click the Object option. c) Drag a selection box around all the objects that make up the chef s face. Hint: You can also select the objects in the Timeline. Press CTRL / to select specific objects. Press SHIFT to select a range of objects, or simply drag a selection box around the objects. d) Choose Object | Group (CTRL+G /
+G).
e) In the Timeline (F4), rename the group Face.
2. Animate the Face group:

a) Go to the last frame (END). b) Use the bounding box to rotate the group until the features fit correctly on the head at the last
frame. 3. Play the clip (SPACEBAR). The head and face now rotate together.
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Add Audio to the Clip

Using the scratch-track capabilities of combustion, you can import or link audio files, and slip the audio to sync with a clip. Audio can be saved in a workspace just like clips and images. Import an audio file of a cracking sound, and then sync the audio with the egg breaking on the floor. 1. Import the audio file:
a) In the Audio panel (F5), click Browse.
b) Open the Lesson08\ex1 folder, select crack.wav, and click OK.
The crack.wav file is imported. The audio waveform for the source is shown in the Audio controls. Because this is a mono source, only one waveform is displayed.
The Audio Details shows information about the audio, such as sampling rate, format, and duration. The Level Meters below display the levels for left and right channels while the audio is playing.
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2. Play the audio file:

a) Set Volume to 60.
b) Enable Play Region.
Enabling Play Region sets the audio to play from the frame specified in the Start field for as many frames as specified in the Duration field.
c) Click the Play button.
The audio is loop played within the region defined.

d) Click the Stop button.
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3. Check how the audio and video are synched:

a) Select single-viewport layout and click Home to view the entire frame in the viewport. b) In the Playback controls, enable the Audio button to hear audio while playing the clip.
c) Play the clip (SPACEBAR).
The cracking sound is not properly synched with the egg hitting the floor.
Hint: If you do not have enough system resources to play the video and audio together in real-time, the Audio button flashes red while playing and the audio cuts out.
4. View the audio waveform in the Timeline:

a) Show the Timeline (F4).
b) Enable Waveform to display the audio waveform directly in the Timeline.
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5. Slip the audio to sync with the video:

a) Go to frame 23.
The current frame indicator moves to the frame when the egg hits the floor.
b) Press CTRL+ALT /
+OPTION and drag the waveform to slip it to align with the frame.
Note the part of the waveform extending past the end of the clip. You will not hear this part as any audio exceeding the length of the clip is not played.
Hint: You can scrub audio in the Timeline. To do this, press ALT / OPTION and drag left and right in the Timeline. The yellow looped region is played. To increase or decrease the size of the looped region, press ALT / OPTION and drag up or down on the current frame indicator.
6. Play the clip (SPACEBAR). The cracking sound is now synched with the egg breaking. 7. Save and close the workspace:
+S).

Hint: Using the Render Queue dialog, you can output video and audio together, or as separate files. For more information, see the combustion Users Guide. c) Close the workspace (CTRL+W /
+W).
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Exercise 2: Retouch a Clip

Traditionally, retouching a clip involves a method of rotoscoping where each frame is painstakingly painted by hand. In combustion, footage can be retouched by drawing on a single frame and then animating the paint strokes to follow the action. In Exercise 1, you were introduced to the basics of using Paint to draw objects. In this exercise, create and animate objects to retouch a clip. Need Help? If you need help completing this exercise, save and close the workspace and then open the Lesson08_ex2.csw workspace as a reference.

First, preview the result of this exercise. Next, create a new branch to begin working on the clip. 1. Check the combustion preferences. For instructions, see Set the Preferences on page 9. 2. Choose File | Open Workspace (CTRL+SHIFT+O / +SHIFT+O) to open the Lesson08_ex2.csw workspace file in the Lesson08\ex2 folder. For instructions, see Open the Workspace on page 16. 3. Preview the result for this exercise:
play Lesson08_ex2.avi using Media Player (Windows) or QuickTime (Macintosh). For instructions, see Playing Movies on page 13. The result is a clip of the cupola of a church where a wire has been removed using Paint.
+W) to close the Lesson08_ex2.csw workspace file.
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5. In Exercise 1, you opened footage as a Paint branch. You can also use Paint while working on a composite by applying the Paint operator directly to a layer in the composite branch. Use this second technique in this exercise to retouch a single layer in a composite. Create a composite branch and import the source material that you need to retouch:
a) Choose File | New (CTRL+N / following properties:
+N) to open the New dialog and create a branch with the
Type: composite Name: retouch Format: NTSC D-1 Duration: 60 frames

b) Choose File | Import Footage (CTRL+I /
c) Select Dome[##].png and click OK to import the footage.
The clip is a pan of a cupola. There is a wire stretching across the footage that needs to be removed.
In this exercise:
Hide a wire by drawing a colored line. Hide a wire using cloning. Hide a wire by copying and pasting an image. Use the Tracker to move the Paint objects to follow the pan in the shot.
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6. Apply a Paint operator to the layer:

a) In the Workspace panel, expand the composite.
b) Rename the Dome00 layer to Dome. c) Choose Operators | Paint.
The Paint operator appears in the Dome layer, above the Footage operator. The arrow next to the Paint operator identifies it as the current operator.
Notice also that the active viewport contains the name of the current operator (the Paint operator) and displays its output. When you add a Paint, Mask, or Draw Selection operator, the active viewport automatically switches to display the output of the new operator.
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Remove Part of the Wire Using a Sampled Color

Paint a line using a color from the sky to hide the wire on the left side of the cupola. 1. Draw a line over the left side of the wire:
a) In the Toolbar (F2), click the Straight Line tool. b) From the Swatches panel, pick a color that contrasts
with the sky so you can see the line as you draw it.
c) Select Paint.
d) Click Solid.
e) Select a medium airbrush.
f) Drag the line from the edge of the frame to the left side of the cupola to cover the wire.
2. Color the line by picking a color from the sky:

a) Click the Arrow tool (TAB) to select the new object. b) Select the Color Picker tool.
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c) Pick a color from the sky above the line.
The color of the line is changed to the selected color. 3. Enable Area Sample and drag over the sky above the line.
The line is changed to a color that is the average of the sampled values.
Hint: With the Color Picker tool, you can also press CTRL / area. and drag a selection box to sample an
Although the method shown here is a simple technique for removing the wire, once the retouch is later applied to the entire clip, a faint line may still be detected. This is because the line uses a single averaged color while there are in fact many shade variations in the sky. In the next part of this exercise, use a more sophisticated technique to remove the wire.
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Remove Part of the Wire Using Cloning

Paint another line to hide the wire on the right side of the cupola, but this time use cloning to color the line to accommodate the shade variations in the sky. 1. Click the Straight Line tool. 2. In the Modes controls, set the source mode:
a) Click Clone. b) Click the Set Position button
to pick the clone point.
3. Pick a point in the sky above the wire to the right of the church.
The color of the line will be cloned from this point in whatever direction you draw the line.
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4. Draw a line over the wire from the right edge of the church to the edge of the frame.
The clone point follows the line as you draw. The finished line is colored using a section of sky the same length. If you picked a point too far from the edge of the church, the clone point may run out of source material and leave part of the wire visible. This is easy to correct, as shown in the next step. 5. If necessary, correct the position of the clone point so that there is enough material to completely cover the wire:
a) Click the Arrow tool (TAB) to select the line object. b) Click the Set Position button again. c) Pick a new clone point closer to the church.
The color of the line is updated. While the Clone technique works well to disguise the wire, you can also achieve an excellent result using the Reveal source mode. Learn about Reveal in Lesson 10, Using Text in Paint.
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Retouch the Building Using Copy and Paste

Part of the wire is still visible as it passes over the cupola. You could touch it up using cloning to copy the top ledge. However, the top ledge is not as wide as the bottom ledge so this technique will not work. Instead, you can copy and paste sections from other parts of the building and then scale them to fit. 1. Zoom in on the church.
2. Draw a selection over the top ledge of the cupola:

a) Click the Ellipse Selection tool.
b) In the Modes controls, check that the Replace combination setting is selected.
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c) Click in the center of the ledge and drag to draw an elliptical selection.
3. Adjust the selection to fit the ledge:

a) Click the Arrow tool (TAB) to select the selection object. b) Click the Control Points option, and make adjustments to the control points and tangent handles
until the shape of the selection matches the ledge.
4. Copy and paste the contents of the selection. With selections, you can copy either the selection object itself, or its contents. To copy the contents, no other objects must be selected:
a) Click the Object option. b) Choose Edit | Select None (CTRL+D /
+D) to deselect the selection object.
Hint: To deselect an object, you can also click a part of the viewport that does not contain any objects.
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Using Paint
c) Choose Edit | Copy (CTRL+C / d) Choose Edit | Paste (CTRL+V /
+C) to copy the contents of the selection. +V) to paste the copy.
The pasted image appears on top of the original selection.

Note: Copy and Paste functions only work for still images. To use selected parts of a clip, draw Paint objects using the Clone or Reveal source modes. For more information, see the combustion Users Guide.
5. Position and scale the copy:

a) Drag the copy over the lower ledge.
b) Click the Object option of the Arrow tool and adjust the scale of the copy so that it fits over the
lower ledge.
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8 Using Paint
6. Select part of the face of the cupola without the wire over it:
a) Click the Rectangle Selection tool.
b) Draw a rectangle selection over the left half of the face where the wire does not touch.
c) Include some of the sky in the selection to help you position the copy later. To do this, click the
Arrow tool (TAB) and drag the side handle of the selection object to adjust the size.
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Using Paint
7. Copy and paste the contents of the selection:

a) Choose Edit | Select None (CTRL+D / b) Choose Edit | Copy (CTRL+C / c) Choose Edit | Paste (CTRL+V /
+D) to deselect the selection.
+C) to copy the contents of the selection. +V) to paste the copy.
8. Flip and position the image:

a) In the Paint Controls panel, b) Disable Proportional and set the
click Transform.
X Scale to -100% to flip the image.
c) Drag the image to the right half of the face and position it to cover the wire.
9. Play the clip (SPACEBAR). Notice that only the first frame is retouched. You could extend the duration of the objects in the Timeline, but there is another problem. The camera pans down in the clip and the Paint objects need to follow this movement. The best tool to use in this case is the Tracker.
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8 Using Paint
Track the Objects

Track the Paint objects so they automatically follow the motion of the pan in the shot. 1. Play the clip a few times to determine a good reference point. When picking a reference point, look for a stable feature in the clip with high contrast. Note the Retouch group leaves the image at frame 55 so pick an element that remains in the image up until that frame (for example, the ledge below the columns). 2. Group the objects so you only have to analyze tracking data once:
a) Choose Edit | Select All (CTRL+A /
+A) to select all the objects.
Alternatively, you can also select the objects in the Timeline, or drag a selection box around them in the viewport.
b) Choose Object | Group (CTRL+G /
+G).
c) In the Timeline (F4), rename the group Retouch.
3. Track the objects:

a) Click the Tracker tab (F6) to view the Tracker panel.
b) Click Position to analyze position data.
A tracker box and reference box appear at the pivot point of the group. Since there is no rotation or zoom in the shot, you do not need to enable the Scale and Rotation buttons.
Hint: If the Tracker controls are not available, select the Retouch group again.
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Using Paint
4. Pick the reference point for the Tracker:

a) Zoom out to see the entire frame. b) Go to the first frame (HOME). c) Position the cursor over the center of the two boxes and drag them to the reference point. Be
careful not to resize either box as it may affect tracking or take longer to process.
5. In the Tracker Controls panel, click the Analyze Forward button.
The Tracker analyzes the movement in the clip and adjusts the position of the group to match. When the group disappears from the image at frame 55, you can either stop analyzing as additional data is not needed, or continue to the end without any adverse effects.
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8 Using Paint
6. Click Off to commit the tracking data to the position channels of the group.
For more information on using the Tracker, see Lesson 5, Tracking and Stabilizing. 7. Play the result (SPACEBAR). The duration of the objects has been automatically extended to follow the movement of the Tracker. The wire is now removed from the clip on all frames. 8. If you notice any points where the wire becomes visible, you can make adjustments at the problem frame to fix it:
a) Go to the frame where there is a problem. b) In the Timeline, open the Retouch group folder. Note: Do not ungroup the objects to make adjustments or you will lose the tracking data. c) Select the object that is problematic and make adjustments. For example, if the line on the left
side is too thin, select Line 1 and pick another brush on the Brushes palette. 9. Save and close the workspace:
+S).

+W).
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Using Paint
Things to Remember
You can paint directly on a composite by applying the Paint operator to a layer, or you can paint on a
single clip or image by opening Paint as a branch.
Make Paint the current operator to create new Paint objects or to use any tools on the Toolbar. The Freehand Stroke, Rectangle, Ellipse, and Polygon tools have two modes. Click the lower right
corner to draw in Filled mode, or click the upper left corner to draw in Stroked mode.
Use the Object option of the Arrow tool to scale and position objects, and the Control Points option
to adjust an objects control points.
You can animate any attribute that appears in the Timeline. Always extend the duration of attributes
to see them for more than a single frame.
There are four panels for selecting colors: Swatches, Mixer, Color Picker, and Sliders. You can also
pick a color by clicking on the foreground or background color box to access the Pick Color dialog.
If the Make Curve option was not enabled when a freehand stroke or lasso selection was drawn,
choose Object | Make Curve to access control points to edit the stroke.
You can copy and paste selection objects or the contents of the selection. Deselect all objects before
copying to copy the contents.
Group multiple Paint objects to make tracking operations easier.
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8 Using Paint
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Working with Paint Selections

Les s on 9
With selections, you can paint and apply effects to specific areas without affecting the rest of the image. By arranging selections, Paint objects, and effects in the Timeline, you can achieve creative results.
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9 Working with Paint Selections
Overview
Use selections to isolate areas of an image for painting and applying effects without affecting the rest of the image. Since selections are objects, you can adjust attributes such as scale and position after they are created. The order in which selections, effects, and Paint objects are stacked in the Timeline affects how they influence each other. Selections apply only to effects and objects above them in the Timeline. However, you can move selection objects up or down in the Timeline depending on the effect you want to achieve. In the first exercise of this lesson, use selections to color correct and clean up specific areas of an image sequence. In the second exercise, use selection modifiers and the Timeline to arrange elements in a scene. Time to complete this lesson: 60 minutes.
Exercise 1: Apply Effects to Selections

In this exercise, use selections to apply effects to specific areas of an image. Need Help? If you need help completing this exercise, save and close the workspace, and then open the Lesson09_ex1.cws workspace as a reference.

First, preview the result of this exercise. Next, create a branch to begin working with selections. 1. Check the combustion preferences. For instructions, see Set the Preferences on page 9. 2. Choose File | Open Workspace, or press CTRL+SHIFT+O (Windows) or +SHIFT+O (Macintosh), to open the Lesson09_ex1.cws workspace file in the Lesson09\ex1 folder. For instructions, see Open the Workspace on page 16. 3. Preview the result for this exercise:
play Lesson09_ex1.avi using Media Player (Windows) or QuickTime (Macintosh). For instructions, see Playing Movies on page 13.
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The result is a 48-frame clip of a clock face.The tiling on the face of the clock has been color corrected but the rest of the image was not affected.
4. Choose File | Close Workspace (CTRL+W / 5. Create a Paint branch:

b) Enable Collapse to view the images as a sequence. c) Select Clock[##].png and click OK.

The Clock[##].png footage appears in the viewport. The color tiles on the face of the clock need to be color corrected without affecting the rest of the footage and the bricks need to be cleaned up.
In this exercise:
Draw and adjust selection objects to isolate part of the clock for color correction. Use Invert to select the brick wall for scratch removal. Animate the selection objects to accommodate a camera pan.
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Select the Clock Face

You need a combination of selections to select only the tiles of the clock face. First, select the entire clock face. 1. Select single-viewport layout. 2. Go to the first frame (HOME). 3. Click the Ellipse Selection tool on the Toolbar (F2).
Several tools are available on the Toolbar for drawing selections. For more information, see the Drawing Selections tips box.
Drawing Selections
You can draw selections of different shapes using the following tools. Select: Lasso To: Draw a freehand selection. When you release the cursor, a line is drawn from the first to last position of the cursor to close the selection. Select adjacent areas of similar brightness and color. Increase the tolerance to include more shades in the selection. Draw a rectangular selection. The selection is drawn from its corner as you drag. Draw an ellipse selection. The selection is drawn from its center as you drag. Draw a polygon selection. Click on the image to create control points as needed, and then click the first control point to close the polygon. Draw a text selection. Learn more about text selections in Lesson 10.
Magic Wand Rectangle Selection Ellipse Selection Polygon Selection Text Selection
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4. Make sure the selection combination is set to Replace:

a) In the Paint Controls panel (F7), click Modes.
b) From the Mode list, select Replace.
5. Click in the center of the clock and drag out to fit the tiled face of the clock inside the selection. 6. Click the Arrow tool (TAB). 7. Click the Object option and edit the selection object to fit tightly around the tiled face. You can use the handles on the bounding box to scale the ellipse, or move the object by placing the cursor inside the ellipse and dragging.
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Subtract the 12-point Star

When you draw a selection, it is combined with existing selections according to the selection combination setting in the Paint Controls panel. For example, the Replace setting causes the selection to replace all existing selections. Although the replaced selections do not disappear, they can no longer affect anything above the new selection in the Timeline. By changing the selection combination setting to Add, Subtract, or Intersect, you can combine multiple selections to select complex shapes. Next, use the Subtract combination setting to subtract a polygon selection so that only the color tiles on the clock face are selected. 1. Click the Polygon Selection tool to draw the selection around the star.
2. Set the selection combination to subtract the new selection from the first selection you drew:
a) From the Mode list, select Subtract.
The next selection you draw will be subtracted from the previous selection.
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b) Click a point of the star inside the ellipse selection.
Hint: You can set the selection combination by pressing a hot key while clicking the first point of the selection. For more information, see the Setting Selection Combinations tips box.
Setting Selection Combinations

In addition to using the Modes controls, you can set the selection combination by pressing a key as you draw a new selection. For polygon selections, press the key while drawing the first point, and then release. Press: To: Add the new selection. Subtract the new selection.
SHIFT CTRL / CTRL+SHIFT /

None
+SHIFT
Intersect the selections. Use the selection combination in the Mode list.
To change how selections are combined after they are drawn, select the selection object and change the setting in the Mode list of the Modes controls.
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3. Click around the shape of the star to draw the selection, then click the first point or press ENTER to close the polygon.
Hint: If you make a mistake such as dragging tangent handles on a new point, simply delete the point and click to draw a new one. To delete the last point drawn, press BACKSPACE.
When you are finished drawing, the star selection is subtracted from the ellipse selection. 4. Examine the Timeline (F4). Notice that the name of the selection object is appended with a minus sign (-) to show the Subtract combination setting.
A plus sign (+) is used for the Add setting, and an X is used for the Intersect setting. 5. Click the Arrow tool (TAB).
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6. Click the Control Points option and fine-tune the selection to fit the star shape. For example, drag the control point at the tip of each star-point just outside the ellipse selection.
7. Add control points to exclude the minute hand of the clock from the selection:
a) Zoom in to see the minute hand clearly. b) Click the Arrow tool (TAB). c) Move the cursor over part of the selection near the minute hand.
The cursor changes to a crosshair (
).
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d) Click to add a new control point, then drag it to the required position.
e) Add more points and adjust them to fit the shape of the minute hand.
The minute hand is now excluded from the selection. 8. Click Home to view the clip at 100%.
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Color Correct the Tiles

Now that the area is selected, increase the brightness and contrast to bring out the colors in the tiles. 1. Choose Effects | Color Correction | Brightness/Contrast. 2. Adjust the settings in the Brightness/Contrast controls:
a) Set Brightness to 10%.
b) Set Contrast to 35%.
The adjustment is applied only to the parts of the image within the selection. Note the effect is applied only to the first frameyou need to adjust the duration in the Timeline to have the effect extend over the entire clip. Since you are going to add another effect, wait and extend all the durations together.
Select the Brick Wall

Select the brick wall so you can apply a Dust and Scratches filter to improve the look. To do this, you need another combination of selection objects to protect the clock and the metal fixtures from the filter. First, select the entire clock and invert the selection to select the wall. 1. Go to the first frame (HOME). 2. Click the Polygon Selection tool. 3. In the Modes controls (F7), select Replace to set the selection combination mode. Use this setting to create a separate selection from the first group.
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4. Click outside the outer ring of the clock to start a new selection.
5. Select the entire clock face:

a) Click around the outer ring, matching the shape of the clock.
You can add as many points as you like to select the clock. However, the selection does not have to be perfect as you will fine-tune the shape next.
b) Click the first point or press ENTER to close the polygon.
6. Click the Arrow tool (TAB). 7. Click the Control Points option and fine-tune the control points as needed.
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8. Enable Invert.
The current selection is invertedeverything outside the clock face is now selected.
Hint: You can also invert selections by adding an Invert Selection object to the Timeline. Choose Selection | Invert to add the object. Learn more about this type of object later in this lesson.
Subtract the Metal Fixtures

Subtract two polygon selections from the current selection so that only the brick wall is selected. 1. Zoom out until you can draw outside of the image. This makes it easier to select the metal fixtures to the left of and below the clock. 2. Click the Polygon Selection tool on the Toolbar. 3. Press CTRL / to set the selection to Subtract and click on a corner of the fixture on the left.
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4. Release CTRL / the polygon).
and click around the fixture until you reach the first point (or press ENTER to close
The selection is subtracted from the polygon selection. 5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to subtract the metal fixture below the clock from the selection. 6. Fine-tune the subtracted selections:
a) Click the Arrow tool (TAB). b) Click the Control Points option. c) Adjust the control points as needed until only the brick wall in the image is selected.
Clean Up the Bricks

Now apply a Dust and Scratches filter to make the bricks look cleaner. Dust and Scratches identifies likely imperfections in an image by checking for brightness variations between pixels, and then uses blending to disguise them. You can also use this effect to remove extra noise in an image. 1. Choose Effects | Noise | Dust and Scratches.
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2. In the Dust and Scratches Controls panel, adjust Radius and Tolerance:
a) Set Radius to 2.
Radius controls the radius of the blending area. In general, always use the smallest number possible as higher values tend to blur an image.
b) Set Tolerance to 46.
Tolerance sets the allowable variation in brightness levels between adjacent pixels used to locate dust and scratches in an image. Increase the tolerance to remove more marks. The marks on the bricks are blended, making them look cleaner. Because of the selection, the clock and fixtures are not affected.
Animate the Selection Objects

The duration of the selection objects and effects is currently only one frame. Group all objects so they can be extended in one step, and then move the group at the last frame to compensate for the camera pan. 1. Group the selection objects and the effects:
a) Show the Timeline (F4). b) Choose Edit | Select All (CTRL+A / c) Choose Object | Group (CTRL+G / d) Rename the group Retouch. e) Select the Retouch group.
+A) to select all objects in the Timeline. +G).
2. Press END to go to the last frame and press . (the period key) to extend the duration of the group to the end of the clip.
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3. Play the clip (SPACEBAR). Note how the selection no longer matches the clock. 4. Enable Animate. 5. At the last frame (END), use the Arrow tool to move the group to match the footage. A keyframe is created at the last frame and the effects are now applied to the correct areas. 6. Check the selection at several frames in the middle of the clip to make sure it matches. In this clip, the camera pans smoothly so extra keyframes are not needed. In other cases, you can use the Tracker to track the selections so they follow the pan. For information on using the Tracker, see Lesson 5, Tracking and Stabilizing. 7. Play the clip (SPACEBAR) to see the result. 8. Save and close the workspace:
+S).

+W).
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Exercise 2: Stacking Selections with Paint Objects

In Lesson 8, you learned how to use selection objects to copy and paste parts of an image. In the previous exercise, you applied effects to specific parts of an image. Now, create multi-layered combinations of selections and Paint objects to achieve more complex effects. To do this, add and move selection objects in the Timeline stack. The Timeline stack is the list of all objects currently in the Timeline. All objects can be moved up and down within the Timeline stack. As you will learn, the order in which selections are stacked in the Timeline determines how they affect other objects. In this exercise, create a composite within Paint to become familiar with the effects of moving selections and Paint objects within the Timeline stack. Need Help? If you need help completing this exercise, save and close the workspace, and then open the Lesson09_ex2.cws workspace as a reference.

First, preview the result of this exercise. Next, create two Paint branches to begin learning about stacking selections. 1. Check the combustion preferences. For instructions, see Set the Preferences on page 9. 2. Choose File | Open Workspace (CTRL+SHIFT+O / +SHIFT+O) to open the Lesson09_ex2.cws workspace file in the Lesson09\ex2 folder. For instructions, see Open the Workspace on page 16. 3. Preview the result for this exercise:
play Lesson09_ex2.avi using Media Player (Windows) or QuickTime (Macintosh). For instructions, see Playing Movies on page 13. The result is a clip of a room with two windows and a bird flying by.
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4. Choose File | Close Workspace (CTRL+W / 5. Create two Paint branches:

b) CTRL-click Bird.png and Room.png (in this order) and click OK. c) In the Open Footage dialog, select Paint and click OK to open the images as two separate Paint
branches. 6. Set up the viewports:

a) Select two-viewport layout.
The Paint operator applied to the Room branch is shown in both viewports.
b) In the Workspace panel (F3), select the Paint operator of the top Paint branch. This is the Paint
operator applied to the Bird branch.
c) Click the Send Up button to make the selected Paint operator the current operator for the selected
viewport.
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The following footage appears in the viewports. Room.png: The image shows a room with two windows. You will add a sun and animate an image of a bird outside the window.
Bird.png: The image shows a soaring bird. You will make this bird fly by the window.
In this exercise:
Use copy and paste to add the image of the bird to the room. Create a composite by stacking Paint and selection objects in the Timeline. Add a Remove Selection object to the Timeline to change the color of the window frames without
affecting other parts of the image.
Add the Bird to the Room

Use copy and paste to add the image of the bird to the room. 1. Copy the bird image:
a) In the Toolbar (F2), click the Rectangle Selection tool. b) From the Mode list in the Paint Controls panel (F7), select Replace.
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c) Draw a rectangle selection around the bird.
d) Choose Edit | Copy (CTRL+C /
+C) to copy the contents of the selection.
The bird image is copied to the clipboard. 2. Paste the bird image into the room footage:
a) Click the viewport showing the room to make it active. b) Select single-viewport layout. c) Choose Edit | Paste (CTRL+V /
+V) to paste the bird into the room.
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3. Make the bird smaller:

a) In the Paint Controls panel (F7), click Transform.
b) With Proportional enabled, set the scale to 50%.
4. Use the Arrow tool to position the pasted image over the coffee table for now.
Create a Sun with a Lens Flare

Add a Lens Flare effect to view a sun through the window. 1. Click the Rectangle Selection tool on the Toolbar (F2).
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2. Draw a selection over the left window.
3. Use a lens flare to create the sun:

a) Choose Effects | Stylize | Lens Flare to add the effect. b) In the Lens Flare Controls panel (F8), click the Flare Center pick button.
c) Drag the crosshairs to the point shown below to set the flare center.
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d) Set Strength to 40%.
e) Click the color box and use the Color
Picker dialog to select a light orange color.
f) From the Elements list, select Central Flare Only to create a flare without any reflections.
A lens flare of the selected strength and options is added in the selection.
Position the Bird

Position the bird in the left window. 1. Click the Arrow tool (TAB). 2. Select the pasted image of the bird and drag it to the window.
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Notice that the birds wings are still inside the room. This is because the order in the Timeline affects the order in which the objects are drawn. The rectangle selection is above the pasted image of the bird in the Timeline stack, and is therefore not affecting it.
3. In the Timeline, click the triangle next to the Pasted Image object to collapse its categories. 4. Disable Context in the Timeline controls. Now when you move an object in the viewport, its categories are not automatically expanded. 5. Drag the Pasted Image object in the Timeline between Rectangle Selection and Lens Flare.
The bird is now outside the window, but behind the sun. This is because the Lens Flare object is above the Pasted Image object.
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6. Drag the Pasted Image object above the Lens Flare object.
The bird is now outside of the window and in front of the sun.
Add a Second Selection

The sun can be seen in the left window, but does not appear in the right. Add another selection to see the light of the sun in both windows. 1. Click the Rectangle Selection tool on the Toolbar (F2). 2. In the Modes controls, check that the Replace combination setting is selected. 3. Draw a selection over the right window. The selection becomes the active selection, and since it is set to Replace, it prevents any selections below it in the Timeline stack from affecting objects above. The selections below are not deactivated howeverthey still affect any objects above them and below the new selection in the Timeline stack. 4. Click the Arrow tool and move the bird between the two windows. The bird does not appear in the right window because it is beneath the new selection in the Timeline stack.
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5. In the Timeline, drag the Pasted Image above Rectangle Selection 2.
The bird now appears in the right window but not the left. 6. To correct the problem, change the combination setting of the new selection object to Add:
a) In the Timeline, select Rectangle Selection 2.
b) In the Paint Controls panel (F7), select Add from the Mode list.
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Both selection objects now affect the pasted image, and the bird appears in both windows. Note that the sun is only visible in the left window because the Lens Flare object is below the second rectangle selection in the Timeline stack. 7. To correct this problem, drag the Lens Flare above Rectangle Selection 2 in the Timeline (F4).
The sun is now visible in both windows.
Change the Color of the Window Frames

Next, change the color of the window frames. To do this, you need to deactivate the two selections so you can paint outside of them. Add a Remove Selection object to the Timeline stack to turn off the selections. 1. Choose Selection | Remove Selection.
Hint: You can also click the Lasso, Ellipse Selection, or Rectangle Selection tool and simply click in the viewport to add a Remove Selection object to the Timeline stack.
2. Examine the Timeline stack. A Remove Selection object has been added to the top of the Timeline stack. New objects added above the Remove Selection object are not affected by selections below it, so you can now draw anywhere on the image.
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The Remove Selection object is a special object known as a selection modifier. For more information on selection modifiers, see the Using Selection Modifiers tips box.
Hint: A common mistake in Paint is to draw an object that cannot be seen because of an existing selection. If you draw an object and it does not appear in the viewport, you may have an active selection that is not visible. Check to see if Window | Show Marquee is disabled, or if the selection is outside the viewable area.
Using Selection Modifiers

Selection modifiers can be added to the Timeline to modify or deactivate existing selections. These objects do not appear in the viewport. You can also manually add selection modifier objects to control the effect of multi-layered selections. There are five menu selection commands available to create them:
Invert Selection
This object inverts the active selection in the Timeline stack. If you draw a selection then choose Selection | Invert, everything in the image outside of the ellipse becomes selected. You can also use the Modes controls to invert a selection, as you did to select the brick wall in Exercise 1.
Feather Selection
Choose Selection | Feather to feather the active selection so that any effect applied fades at the edge. You can specify how much feathering occurs in pixels. You can also use the Modes controls to feather a selection.
Expand Selection
Choose Selection | Expand to expand the active selection by a specified number of pixels.
Contract Selection
Choose Selection | Contract to contract the active selection by a specified number of pixels.
Remove Selection
Choose Selection | Remove Selection to prevent the active selection from affecting any objects above it in the Timeline. A Remove Selection object is also added to the Timeline stack automatically whenever you paste the contents of a selection in order to prevent the copied selection from affecting the operation. All selection modifiers can be moved to affect different selections in the Timeline, or deleted entirely.
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3. Change the color of the window frames:

a) Click the Paint Bucket tool.
b) Set Tolerance to 15%.
The Paint Bucket tool fills adjoining areas of similar color with the foreground color. You can adjust the Tolerance to change the range of similar colors.
c) In the Paint Controls panel (F7), change the foreground color to dark brown using the Pick Color dialog or the Swatches panel.
d) Click each window frame to paint it dark brown.
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Animate the Clip

Finally, add some animation to the clip. 1. Position the bird at the beginning of the clip:
a) Go to the first frame (HOME). b) Click the Arrow tool (TAB) on the Toolbar. c) Position the bird just outside the left window.
2. Extend the duration of all objects to the end of the clip:

a) Choose Edit | Select All (CTRL+A / b) Go to the last frame (END). c) Press . (the period key) to extend the duration of the objects to the end of the clip.
+A) to select all objects.
3. Animate the bird so it flies across the windows:

a) Enable Animate. b) Choose Edit | Select None (CTRL+D /
+D) to deselect all objects.
Note: The Select None menu command deselects all objects in a Paint operator. It does not add a Remove Selection to the Timeline.
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c) Select the Bird object and move it just outside the right window.
d) Adjust the motion path tangent handles that appear in the viewport to create a curved path for
the birds flight. 4. Go to the first frame (HOME) and play the clip (SPACEBAR). 5. Save and close the workspace:
+S).

+W).
Things to Remember
Selection objects affect Paint objects and effects above them in the Timeline stack. Selection objects can be modified and deleted like Paint objects. Use the Arrow tool to move or
change the shape of selection objects.
Set the combination mode for a selection by pressing a hot key while drawing the selection, or by
selecting the mode in the Mode list.
In the Modes controls, enable the Invert button to invert the current selection. Use Remove Selection objects to stop selections from affecting objects above them in the Timeline
stack. Choose Selection | Remove Selection to add a Remove Selection object.
Selection objects can be animated. Extend the duration of the object in the clip and adjust its shape
or position at specific frames to create the animation.
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Using Text in Paint

Lesson 10
Use Paint to add striking text to clips and images. Text objects can be scaled, rotated, and reshaped like other Paint objects. You can change color, apply effects, and create text animations.
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10 Using Text in Paint
Overview
Use the Text tool to add text of a certain font, size, and alignment to a clip or image. You modify text like other Paint objects. For example, you can change color and draw mode, or add drop shadows. You can apply transformations and effects to the entire text block, to an individual word, or to specific characters. With text selections, you can form text shapes using Paint objects. Using this method, you can also expand and feather the edges of the text shapes. In this lesson, create and animate text in Paint. In the first exercise, create animated text. In the second exercise, explore text effects and selections. Time to complete this lesson: 90 minutes.
Exercise 1: Animating Text

In this exercise, add and center a title, then animate the text to create fades and spinning characters. Need Help? If you need help completing this exercise, save and close the workspace, and then open the Lesson10_ex1.cws workspace as a reference.

First, preview the result of this exercise. Next, create a branch to begin adding text to a clip. 1. Set the combustion preferences:
a) Check the combustion preferences. For instructions, see Set the Preferences on page 9. b) In the Animation category, set the Default Keyframe Interpolation mode to Linear.
2. Choose File | Open Workspace, or press CTRL+SHIFT+O (Windows) or +SHIFT+O (Macintosh), to open the Lesson10_ex1.cws workspace file in the Lesson10\ex1 folder. For instructions, see Open the Workspace on page 16.
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Using Text in Paint
play Lesson10_ex1.avi using Media Player (Windows) or QuickTime (Macintosh). For instructions, see Playing Movies on page 13. The result is a text animation of the title moving pictures. The title fades in, letters appear to spin, and then the title fades out again.
In this exercise:
Use the Text tool to add a title to a clip. Use justification and centering to align two words on separate lines. Animate text opacity to make the title fade in and out. Use scaling to animate letters so they appear to spin.
a) Choose File | New (CTRL+N / following properties:
+N) to open the New dialog and create a branch with the
Type: Paint Name: animated text Format: NTSC Duration: 60 frames
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b) Enable Transparent to create a branch with a transparent background.
Transparent backgrounds are useful when you are creating text to be used in a composite later, such as when creating titles or credits for footage.
c) Click OK.
Add Text
Use the Text tool to add text to the clip. 1. In the Paint Controls panel (F7), press D to use the default foreground color (white) for the text. 2. Set the text options:
a) In the Toolbar (F2), click the Text tool.
b) From the Font list, select Times New Roman. c) Enable left-aligned justification. d) Set the font size to 100. Hint: Use the Text Direction menu ( ) to change the direction of lines and characters. For more information, see the Changing Text Direction tips box.
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e) Select Paint as the draw mode and click Solid as the source.
f) Enable Anti-Alias to smooth the edges of the text.
3. Click in the upper left of the viewport. A flashing cursor appears. This is the insertion point for the text.
Hint: Before typing, you can change the insertion point by clicking again in the viewport or dragging the insertion point to a new position.
Changing Text Direction

Use the Text Direction menu to select the character and line directions.
Changing text direction is especially useful for writing in Asian languages. Note that combustion fully supports double-byte fonts referring to more than 256 characters.
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4. Type moving and press ENTER. The word appears in the viewport. The carriage return sets the starting position for the next word.
Spaces and carriage returns are not text objects, but are used to set the position of the next characters you type. 5. Type pictures. The full title appears in the viewport.
Hint: You can also adjust kerning and leading of text. For information, see the Kerning and Leading tips box.
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6. You can continue to modify the text until you exit the Text tool. For example, change the font to Arial.
After exiting the Text tool, you will not be able to edit the text or change any of the options. It is always a good idea to check the text and make sure you are satisfied before continuing.
Hint: Use the Size field to change the size of text before exiting the Text tool. To change the size of the text after exiting, scale the text with the Arrow tool using the Object option or use the Transform controls.
7. Click the Arrow tool or press ESC to exit the Text tool. A bounding box appears around the new text object.
Kerning and Leading

Adjust kerning (the space between characters) and leading (the space between lines) to help lay out text in an image. As with other text options such as font, size, and alignment, you must make any adjustments to leading and kerning before exiting the Text tool. Use the ARROW keys to position the flashing cursor between the characters and lines you want to adjust. Characters to the right of the cursor are affected.
Kerning
Press CTRL+LEFT ARROW to move characters to the left; press CTRL+RIGHT ARROW to move characters to the right.
Leading
Press CTRL+UP ARROW to move lines of text up; press CTRL+DOWN ARROW to move lines of text down.
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Distribute the Letters

Next, distribute and justify text groups and objects to center the title. 1. Examine how words and characters are grouped in the Timeline:
a) In the Timeline (F4), expand the moving pictures group.
When you add text, a group is created for the text block and a subgroup is created for each word separated by a space or carriage return.
b) Expand the moving group.
Each letter of the word is an individual object.
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2. Distribute moving to space out the letters:

a) Select the letter g in moving.
Hint: You can also select a single object in a group by pressing CTRL and clicking the object in the viewport. b) Choose Object | Horizontal Alignment | Right Justify.
The letter g is justified against the right edge of the frame.
c) SHIFT-click m to select the remaining letters of moving. Make sure you do not select the moving group.
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d) Choose Object | Horizontal Alignment | Distribute Centers.
The centers of the letters are distributed evenly across the word.
3. Distribute pictures to match the width of moving:

a) In the Timeline, collapse moving and expand pictures.
b) Select the letter s in pictures. c) Choose Object | Horizontal Alignment | Right Justify. d) SHIFT-click the letter p to select all the letters of pictures, but not the group itself.
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e) Choose Object | Horizontal Alignment | Distribute Centers.
The centers of letters are distributed evenly across the word.
4. Center the title in the frame:

a) Select the moving pictures group.
b) Choose Object | Horizontal Alignment | Center Justify. c) Choose Object | Vertical Alignment | Center Justify.
The title is now centered in the frame.
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Create Fades with Opacity

Now make the words fade in and out by animating opacity. 1. Extend the duration of the moving pictures group:
a) Go to the last frame (END). b) With the moving pictures group still selected, press . (the period key) to extend the duration to the end of the clip. Hint: Alternatively, you can drag the duration bar in the Timeline to extend the duration of a group and all its objects.
2. In the Timeline (F4), click Frame All to view the entire duration of the clip.
3. Animate the opacity to create a fade-in at the beginning of the clip:

a) Enable the Animate button. b) Collapse the pictures group and scroll down if necessary to see the Opacity channel for the
moving pictures group.
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c) Go to frame 1 (HOME) and drag the value to set Opacity to 0.
d) Go to frame 10 and set Opacity to 100.
4. Animate the opacity to create a fade-out at the end of the clip:

a) Go to frame 50 and click Add Key to set a keyframe with Opacity 100.
Note: If Add Key is not available, click the Current Frame indicator in the Timeline.
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b) Go to frame 60 and set Opacity to 0.
5. Click Graph to view the curve.
Because you set the interpolation to Linear in the combustion preferences at the beginning of this exercise, the fade occurs at a fixed rate. 6. Click outside of the moving pictures group in the viewport to deselect it. This removes the bounding box so you can see the result. 7. Play the clip (SPACEBAR) to see the effect.
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Make the Letters Spin

Even though this is a 2D image, you can make letters appear to spin in 3D space by animating the scale. Use this trick to make the letters of moving look like they are spinning in sequence. 1. Click Overview to view the Timeline in Overview mode again.
2. Set the first keyframe for the letter m in moving:

a) Go to frame 15. b) Press CTRL /
and click the letter m in the viewport to select it.
c) Expand moving > m > Transform and select the X Scale channel.
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d) Click Add Key to set a keyframe with Scale 100% at frame 15.
3. Set the second and third keyframes:

a) Go to frame 20 and set X Scale to -100% to flip the letter at frame 20.
b) Go to frame 25 and set X Scale to 100%.
Instead of manually adjusting the scaling for the next letter, copy the keyframes and paste them in the X Scale channel at the correct frame.
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4. Copy the keyframes:

a) SHIFT-click the first keyframe to deselect it.
b) Choose Edit | Copy (CTRL+C /
+C) to copy the selected keyframes.
5. Paste the keyframes to apply the scaling to the letter o:

a) Go to frame 20 so o starts to spin after m. b) Expand moving > o > Transform and select the X Scale channel. c) Choose Edit | Paste (CTRL+V /
+V) to paste the keyframes at the Current Frame indicator.
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6. Finally, paste keyframes for the remaining letters. Repeat steps 5b and 5c for each letter at the following frames:
a) Go to frame 25 and paste keyframes for the letter v. b) Go to frame 30 and paste keyframes for the letter i. c) Go to frame 35 and paste keyframes for the letter n. d) Go to frame 40 and paste keyframes for the letter g.
7. Play the clip to see the result (SPACEBAR). 8. Save and close the workspace:
+S).

+W).
Exercise 2: Working with Text Features

In this exercise, use draw modes and text selections to add artistic text to a clip. Need Help? If you need help completing this exercise, save and close the workspace, and then open the Lesson10_ex2.cws workspace as a reference.

First, preview the result of this exercise. Next, create a branch to work with text features and selections. 1. Check the combustion preferences. For instructions, see Set the Preferences on page 9. 2. Choose File | Open Workspace (CTRL+SHIFT+O / +SHIFT+O) to open the Lesson10_ex2.cws workspace file in the Lesson10\ex2 folder. For instructions, see Open the Workspace on page 16.
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play Lesson10_ex2.avi using Media Player (Windows) or QuickTime (Macintosh). For instructions, see Playing Movies on page 13. The result shows a 30-frame image sequence of a canal and skyline with a variety of text effects.

b) Enable Collapse to view the images as a sequence. c) Select Skyline[##].png and click OK.

The Skyline[##].png footage appears in the viewport, showing the Discreet corporate headquarters in Montreal.
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In this exercise:
Add text using different draw modes to get interesting effects. Convert text to curves so you access control points. Animate control points to deform letters so they drift downstream. Use text selections to create artistic text using an imported image of clouds.
Use Draw Modes

Use draw modes to change the look of text. 1. Add the text at the last frame to specify the final position of the animated text:
a) Go the last frame (END). b) Enable the Animate button.
You will create a text animation in a few steps that requires a keyframe to be set at the last frame. 2. Select the Text tool and set options:
a) Click the Text tool in the Toolbar (F2). b) Set the text options to Arial font, 70 point, and center-aligned justification ( ).
c) In the Modes controls, select a light green color for the text using the foreground color box or the
Swatches panel.
d) Set the draw mode to Overlay.
Overlay mode combines the current color with colors in the image to create an effect much like a tinted transparency.
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3. Add the text:

a) Click the center of the grass.
A flashing cursor appears. This is the insertion point for the text.
b) Type grass and press ESC.
The word grass appears on the clip.
4. Choose Edit | Duplicate (CTRL+ALT+D /
+OPTION+D) to duplicate the text.
The duplicated copy appears on top of the original text. 5. Extend the duration of the text objects:
a) Choose Edit | Select All (CTRL+A / b) Go to the first frame (HOME). c) Press , (the comma key) to extend the duration of both objects to the beginning of the clip.
+A) to select the objects.
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6. Animate the text by changing the position at the first frame:

a) In the Workspace panel (F3), select grass 1 and move the object in the viewport to the left side
of the grass.
A motion path is created in the viewport.

b) In the Workspace panel, select grass 2 and move the object in the viewport to the right side of
the grass.
7. Play the clip (SPACEBAR). As the text overlaps during the animation, the colors become brighter. This is because the effect of Overlay draw mode is cumulative.
Hint: Draw mode can be changed after you create text. You can experiment with different draw modes to see their effects on the text. For some interesting results, try Negative or Desaturate.
Convert Text to Curves

Add more text and convert it to curves so you can deform the shape of the characters. 1. Go to the first frame (HOME).
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2. On the Toolbar (F2), click the Text tool. 3. Set the draw mode to Luminance.
When drawing in Luminance mode, the brightness of the image is replaced with the luminance value of the current foreground color. 4. Add text over the water:
a) Click on the right side of the water and type H2O. b) Press ESC to exit the Text tool.
The word H2O appears on the water.
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5. Make the number two subscript:

a) In the viewport, click away from H2O, and then press CTRL /
and click 2 to select it.
b) In the Transform controls, enable Proportional and set either X or Y Scale to 50%.
c) In the Transform controls, drag the X and Y Position to move the 2 down and closer to the H
as shown.
d) In the viewport, press CTRL /
and click O to select it.
e) Press LEFT ARROW several times to position the letter O.
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6. Extend the duration of the text to the end of the clip:

a) In the viewport, click H2O to select the group. b) Go to the last frame (END). c) Press . (the period key) to extend the duration of the group to the end of the clip.
7. In Paint, characters are not created with control points. To change the shape of a letter, convert the text object to a curve and then use the Control Points option:
a) In the Timeline (F4), select the letters H, 2, and O, but not the group itself.
b) Choose Object | Make Curve.
Each letter is converted to curves and can now be edited with the Control Points option.
Animate the Shape of Text

Animate the control points to make it appear that the letters are drifting downstream. 1. Make sure the Animate button is enabled and you are at the last frame (END). 2. Zoom in on the text H2O to make it easier to work with the control points. 3. Click the Arrow tool (TAB) and click away from the text in the viewport to deselect all objects. 4. Press CTRL / and click the H in the viewport to select it.
5. Click the Control Points option. The control points you created when the text was converted to curves are shown.
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6. Reshape the letter H to make it look like the bottom is drifting:

a) Click on the H to add some additional control points as anchors.
b) Drag a marquee around the lower control points to select them.
c) Drag the bottom of the H to the right.
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7. Adjust the control points for the O so you have room to move the 2:
a) Press CTRL /
and click the O in the viewport.
b) Drag a selection box around the lower half of the O.
c) Drag the control points to move the lower half of the O to the right.
8. Adjust the control points for the 2:

a) Press CTRL /
and click the 2 in the viewport.
b) Drag a selection box around the top half of the 2.
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c) Drag the control points to move the top half of the 2 to the right.
d) Click the Object option, and then click outside the H2O object in the viewport to deselect it.
9. Play the clip to see the result (SPACEBAR).
Add Drop Shadows

Add drop shadows to the characters in H2O. 1. Click the H2O group in the viewport to select it. 2. In the Paint Controls panel (F7), click Shadow.
3. Click the Enable Shadow button. Shadows appear for each character in H2O. 4. You can change the distance, direction, scale, opacity, and softness of the shadows. Experiment with new values until you are satisfied with the result. 5. Click Home to show the entire frame in the viewport. 6. Play the clip (SPACEBAR) to see the result.
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Create Text with Selections

Next, use text selections to create animated text using an imported source clip. 1. Go to the first frame (HOME). 2. Set the text options:
a) Click the Text Selection tool.
b) Set the text options to Arial, 100 point, and center-aligned justification (
).
3. Add text to the sky:

a) Click in the center of the sky and type clouds. b) Click the Arrow tool or press ESC to exit the Text Selection tool.
A text selection of the word clouds appears.
The default combination mode for a text selection is Add. If it was set to Replace, for example, the first character would replace the others, and you would end up with only one letter as an active selection.
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4. Expand the selection:

a) Choose Selection | Expand.
The Expand Selection dialog appears.
b) Set Radius to 2 and click OK.
The outline of the text selection is expanded by two pixels. In the Workspace panel, an Expand Selection object is added above the clouds selection object. 5. Feather the selection:
a) Choose Selection | Feather.
The Feather Selection dialog appears.
b) Set Pixels to 4 and click OK.
The text selection becomes feathered, making it fade gradually at the edge. The feathering occurs an equal amount inside and outside the marquee of the selection (in this case, by two pixels on each side). In the Workspace panel, a Feather Selection object is added above the Expand Selection object.
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6. Use the Reveal tool to show other footage through the text selection:
a) In the Modes controls, select Paint from the Mode list.
b) Click Reveal to show the Reveal controls.
c) From the Source list, select Pick Operator.
The Select Source dialog appears.
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d) The source that you want to use is not in the workspace. Click Open Footage. e) Navigate to the Lesson10\ex2 folder, select Port.png, and click OK.
7. Draw a rectangle to reveal the port image through the text selection:
a) In the Toolbar (F2), click the Filled Rectangle tool.
b) Draw a rectangle over the text selection.
The port image is used as the source for the rectangle. Because the rectangle is above the text selection in the Workspace panel (and the Timeline), the clouds of the imported footage show through as text.
Because the port image was imported, it appears in the Footage Library.
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Animate the Text Selection

Animate the text selection and the revealed footage to create an interesting effect. 1. Extend the duration of the objects:
a) In the Workspace panel, drag a selection box to select the Filled Rectangle, Feather Selection,
Expand Selection, and clouds.
b) Go to the last frame (END). c) Press . (the period key) to extend the duration of the objects to the end of the clip.
2. Make sure the Animate button is still enabled. 3. You can set the Workspace panel to display channel information. This is useful when you want to view both channel values and layers as well as the operator controls panel so you do not have to continually switch panels as you make adjustments. Click the Workspace menu and select Show Operators and Properties.
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4. Animate the feathering of the selection:

a) In the Workspace panel, expand Feather Selection.
b) Set Pixels to 6.
The selection now becomes more feathered as the clip plays. 5. Animate the size of the text selection:
a) In the Workspace panel, expand Expand Selection.
b) Set Radius to 8.
The text selection now expands as the clip plays.
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6. Animate the clouds so they appear to move. Because the rectangle is revealing a fixed source, you cannot simply animate the position of the rectangle. To achieve the effect, animate the offset:
a) In the Workspace panel, expand Filled Rectangle > Reveal.
b) Set the Source X to 150 to move the offset point. Hint: You can also use the Reveal controls in the Paint Controls panel to change the offset, or use the Set Position button ( ) to pick a new point from the source image.
7. In the Window menu, turn off Show Marquee (CTRL+H / 8. Play the clip to see the result (SPACEBAR).
+H) to hide the text selection.
By animating the offset for the Reveal source mode, the clouds appear to move. 9. Save and close the workspace:
+S).

+W).
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Things to Remember
Set text options such as font and alignment and make any kerning or leading adjustments to existing
text before exiting the Text tool.
Press CTRL /
and click in the viewport to select a single character in a word.
Create fade-ins and fade-outs by animating an objects opacity. Make 2D objects appears to spin in 3D space by animating positive and negative scaling. Use the comma key to extend the durations of objects to an earlier frame. Select the object, go to the
frame and press , (the comma key).
You can use the Workspace menu to display channel information in the Workspace panel. To edit the shape of text, select the individual characters, then choose Object | Make Curve to create
control points for the shapes. Click the Control Points option to view the control points.
Use the Reveal tool to paint using other footage as a source. Choose Selection | Expand to expand selections by a specific number of pixels. An Expand Selection
object is added to the Workspace panel and the Timeline.
Choose Selection | Feather to feather selections so they fade gradually at the edges. A Feather
Selection object is added to the Workspace panel and the Timeline.
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Using Scenes from 3D Studio MAX

Lesson 11
In 3D Studio MAX, you can render your scene as rich pixel footage. When this footage is imported into combustion, you can replace textures on objects in the rendered scene. You can also apply effects to individual objects and composite video footage into the 3D space of the rendered scene.
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11 Using Scenes from 3D Studio MAX
Overview
There are two ways that you can use 3D Studio MAX and combustion together:
You can use a combustion workspace as a material map in 3D Studio MAX. With a combustion
map, you can include a composite or Paint branch in a material, and apply that material to an object in a 3D Studio MAX scene. You can edit the map in combustion as you work in 3D Studio MAX, so changes to the map appear immediately on the objects in the scene. Because these features are accessed through 3D Studio MAX, they are only available on the Windows NT platform.
You can import 3D Studio MAX scenes that have been rendered as a rich pixel file (RLA or RPF file)
into combustion. The imported rich pixel rendering becomes an element in your composite. The first exercise in this lesson shows how to add effects to objects in the rendered scene (for example, replacing a map on an object). In the second exercise, you composite video footage into the rendered scene. Time to complete this lesson: 90 minutes.
Exercise 1: Working with 3D Scenes in a Single Layer

In this exercise, import a rich pixel rendering as a single layer in a composite. The rich pixel rendering shows a TV set in front of two chairs. You replace the test pattern on its screen with footage from an earlier lesson and adjust the color of the TV case to darken it. Need Help? If you need help completing this exercise, save and close the workspace, and then open the Lesson11_ex1.cws workspace as a reference.

First, preview the result of this exercise. Next, create a branch and import footage to begin building the composite. 1. Check the combustion preferences. For instructions, see Set the Preferences on page 9. 2. Choose File | Open Workspace (CTRL+SHIFT+O / +SHIFT+O) and open the Lesson11_ex1.cws workspace file in the Lesson11\ex1 folder. For instructions, see Open the Workspace on page 16.
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play Lesson11_ex1.avi using Media Player (Windows) or QuickTime (Macintosh). For instructions, see Playing Movies on page 13. The clip shows a room with two chairs in front of a TV. One of the result clips from Lesson 8 appears on the TV screen.
In this exercise:
Import rich pixel footage rendered in 3D Studio MAX as a single layer. Examine data channels in the RPF footage that differentiate it from video footage. Replace a texture map on an object in the rendered scene with footage from an earlier lesson. Apply operators to objects in the rendered scene.
4. Choose File | Close Workspace (CTRL+W / 5. Create a composite branch:
b) Create a composite branch with the following properties:
Type: composite Name: TV Scene Format: NTSC Duration: 30 frames

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Import the TV RPF Footage

The files for this exercise were rendered in 3D Studio MAX as RPF files. This format can contain many extra data channels, such as Z Depth, Object ID, and UV Coordinates. Import an RPF image sequence into the composite as a single layer. 1. Select the RPF image sequence to import:
a) Choose File | Import (CTRL+I /
b) Enable Collapse to collapse image sequences. c) Select TV[####].rpf and click OK.
The Import Options dialog appears. The dialog shows that the TV image sequence contains 19 layers, which means that the rendered scene has 19 objects.
2. Enable Merged Image and then click OK to import the footage as a single layer. The viewport shows a room with two chairs in front of a TV.
Hint: You can also use the Import Options dialog to import objects into a composite as individual layers (Grouped), or as individual layers in a nested composite (Nested).
3. Play the clip:

a) From the Display Quality list, select Medium or Draft to reduce the amount of RAM required for
playback.
b) Play the clip (SPACEBAR).
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At the first frame, the TV screen is visible, but by the middle of the clip, a chair blocks the screen.
You want to replace the test pattern on the TV screen with another clip. If this scene was video footage, it would require a lot of work to replace the test pattern. But because the scene is an RPF image sequence, it is a fairly easy task. 4. From the Display Quality list, select Preview. 5. Go to the first frame (HOME). 6. Examine the TV Scene composite branch:
a) Show the Workspace panel (F3). b) CTRL-click the composite branch to expand it and display all layers and operators.
Notice that there is only one layer in the composite, even though the Import Options dialog showed that the rendered scene contains 19 objects. If you used the Grouped option to import the RPF footage, the composite would contain a layer for each object.
c) Rename the TV0021 layer TV.
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7. Examine the TV layer:

a) In the Workspace panel (F3), select the Footage operator of the TV layer.
The Footage Controls panel appears.

b) Click Source to view the Source controls.
Notice that the Merge Layers option is enabled. This option merges layers created from multiple objects in the rendered scene. This was done automatically when you imported the RPF footage as a merged image in the Import Options dialog.
Hint: If you click Replace in the Footage Controls panel to replace footage with RPF footage, it is always imported as a merged image.
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Examine the G-Buffer Channels in the RPF Footage

In addition to the color and alpha channels that are common in most rendered files, a rich pixel rendering contains additional G-Buffer (graphics buffer) channels. Use the Show G-Buffer operator to examine these extra data channels. 1. Add the Show G-Buffer operator to the TV layer:
a) In the Workspace panel (F3), select the TV layer. b) Choose Operators | 3D Post | Show G-Buffer.
The viewport turns black because the operators default setting is to display the Z Buffer and the Near Z and Far Z values are not set. For each pixel in the image, the Z Depth data channel has a Z value for the distance from the pixel to the 3D Studio MAX camera. Two uses for Z Depth are for Z-compositing (shown in the next exercise) and for 3D Post operators like 3D Fog.
Hint: In addition to the eight 3D Post operators, there are two G-Buffer Selection operators in the Operators | Selections menu.
2. Set the Far Z and Near Z values:

a) In the Show G-Buffer Controls panel, click the Far Z picker.
b) Click the upper right corner of the viewport.
The Far Z value sets the Z Depth that is represented by black in the image. Objects beyond this black point are not visible. The point you picked (about -3500) is close to the lowest Z value in the image, so you can see most objects in the room.
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c) In the Show G-Buffer Controls panel, click the Near Z picker.
d) In the viewport, click the first chair.
The Near Z value sets the Z Depth that is represented by white in the image. Z values between this white point (about -600) and the Far Z value are shown with progressively darker shades of gray. 3. (Optional) Compare the Z Buffer range at the last frame:
a) Go to the last frame (END) b) Repeat step 2 to find accurate Near Z and Far Z values at this frame.
Notice that the Near Z and Far Z values are different from the first frame. For this clip, each frame has a different Z Buffer range because the camera is moving.
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4. Three more data channels that can be set in 3D Studio MAX are Material ID, Object ID, and Node Render ID. View the G-Buffer ID channels:
a) Go to the first frame (HOME), if necessary. b) In the Show G-Buffer Controls panel, select Material ID from the Which G-Buffer list.
The scene in the viewport changes. The Near Z and Far Z values are only used when Z Buffer is the selected G-Buffer channel. With Material ID as the selected G-Buffer channel, each color that you see represents an unique material ID that was set in the 3D Studio MAX Materials Editor. In this case, only the TV screen and speakers were assigned materials that had material IDs. Later in this exercise, you use the material ID for the TV screen when you replace its texture map with other footage.
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c) From the Which G-Buffer list, select Object ID.
In the viewport, each color represents an object ID that was set in the 3D Studio MAX Object Properties dialog. In this case, the chairs, TV stand, TV case, and TV screen were all assigned unique object IDs. You use the object ID for the TV case to change its color later in the lesson.
d) From the Which G-Buffer list, select Node Render ID.
Each object in the rendered scene is shown with a different color to represent its node render ID set by 3D Studio MAX when the RPF footage was rendered.
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5. Later in the exercise, you use the UV and Normal channels when you replace the texture map on the TV screen. View these G-Buffer data channels:
a) In the Show G-Buffer Controls panel, select UV from the Which G-Buffer list.
The UV Coordinates channel shows the UV mapping coordinates used in the rendered scene. The colors represent the U and V coordinates on the objects that have textures mapped to them.
b) From the Which G-Buffer list, select Normals.
The Normal channel stores the orientation of face normals on all the objects in the rendered scene.
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6. From the Which G-Buffer list, select Transparency. The original view of the layer reappears because the Transparency channel was not rendered into the RPF footage. When a G-Buffer channel is missing, the viewport shows the RGB channels.
7. You used the Show G-Buffer operator to examine the G-Buffer data channels. Now you can delete the operator:
a) In the Workspace panel (F3), select the Show G-Buffer operator. b) Press DELETE to delete the operator from the TV layer. Hint: You can use the output from the Show G-Buffer operator for creative effects. For example, you can use the Z Buffer as the alpha channel applied to another layer with the Set Matte operator.
Replace the Texture on the TV Screen

Replace the texture map on the TV screen by using the Texture Map operator. This operator requires a few of the G-Buffer channels you examined in the previous section. In addition to an ID channel to select the TV screen object, the RPF footage needs the Normal and UV channels, and the object in the rendered scene must have UV mapping coordinates. Otherwise the operator produces incorrect results. 1. In the Workspace panel (F3), select the TV layer. 2. Disable Animate. Like other operators, 3D Post operators can be animated. Because you do not want to animate this operator, you disable Animate.
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3. Apply a Texture Map operator to the TV layer:

a) Choose Operators | 3D Post | Texture Map.
Notice that the scene darkens once you apply this operator. To understand why this happens, examine the Texture Map controls.
b) Show the Texture Map controls and examine the default settings.
By default, the Texture Map operator uses the Object ID G-Buffer channel to select the object whose texture you want to change. The Object ID field is set to 0, which means that all objects with Object ID 0 (the walls, floor and ceiling) are partially replaced with a blank, black source.
Next, select the TV screen object. Since the TV screen has a unique object ID, material ID, and node render ID (and because these G-Buffer channels were included in the RPF footage), you can select it in three ways.
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4. Select the TV screen using its object ID:

a) Click the Object ID picker to select objects in the rendered scene by the object ID assigned to
them in 3D Studio MAX.
b) Click the TV screen in the viewport.
The TV screen darkens and the rest of the scene returns to its original brightness. This is because the Texture Map operator now applies the partial replacement to the TV screen (Object ID 2) rather than to objects with Object ID 0.
368
5. Select the TV screen using its material ID:

a) Select Material ID from the G-Buffer Type list.
b) Click the Material ID picker to select objects in the rendered scene by the material ID that was
assigned to their materials in 3D Studio MAX.

c) Click the TV screen in the viewport.
The TV screen is still darkened and you can see its material ID displayed in the Material ID field (Material ID 3). You can repeat this step to select the TV screen using its node render ID.
369
6. Assign a different Footage operator to the TV screens texture map:

a) Click Layer to show the Operator Picker dialog.
You use this dialog to replace the existing texture map applied to the TV screen with other footage. Since there is no other footage in the composite, you need to select outside footage.
b) Click Open Footage to show the file browser.
c) Select Lesson08_ex1.avi to replace the test pattern with the 30-frame result clip from Lesson 8. A
copy of this file is in the Lesson11\ex1 folder.
370
Notice that the test pattern is now blended with the footage you just imported. Replace the test pattern entirely with the imported footage.
Hint: You can choose any operator in the workspace to replace a texture map. For example, if you have a second branch with a composite, you can use that composite operator as the source for the Texture Map operator.
7. In the Texture Map Controls panel, set Amount to 100.
This completely replaces the test pattern with the imported footage.
371
Hint: The Replace method used in these steps replaces the texture with the selected operator. There are additional methods that control how these two images (the texture map and the operator) interact. These are similar to transfer modes in a composite or draw modes in a Paint operator. For more information, see the combustion Users Guide.
8. Play the clip (SPACEBAR) to view the results. The TV now shows the imported footage instead of the original test pattern. Replacing the texture this way in combustion is faster than replacing it and then rendering the entire scene again in 3D Studio MAX.
Hint: Reduce the display quality if you have insufficient RAM to view the entire clip in real time.
Apply a Color Corrector to the TV Case

Apply a Color Corrector operator to darken the TV case. You can select the TV case because this object has a unique object ID in the rendered scene. 1. Go to the first frame (HOME). 2. Add a G-Buffer Object Selection operator to the layer:
a) In the Workspace panel, select the TV layer. b) Choose Operators | Selections | G-Buffer Object Selection.
The operator is added to the TV layer.
372
3. Select the TV case using its object ID:

a) In the G-Buffer Object Selection Controls panel, click the Object ID picker.
b) Click the TV case in the viewport.
Object ID 1 is selected, although no selection marquee appears in the viewport. The marquee is not displayed because you are looking at the composite using the cameras 3D view. Change the view to see the layer and confirm that the TV case is selected. 4. Change the viewport to Layer view:
a) Right-click (Windows) or OPTION-click (Macintosh) anywhere in the viewport. b) Choose Layer to switch to Layer view.
Layer view is a 2D view that shows only the selected layer. The selection marquee surrounding the TV case is now visible in the viewport.
Hint: You can also change a viewport to Layer view (or any other view) using the Views list in the Toolbar.
5. Add a Discreet Color Corrector operator to the selection:

a) In the Workspace panel, select the TV layer. b) Choose Operators | Color Correction | Discreet Color Corrector.
373
6. Darken the TV case by adjusting its color channels:

a) In the Color Corrector Controls panel, click Basics to display the Basics controls.
b) Set RGB Gamma to 0.82 to reduce the gamma of the composite RGB channel and darken
the TV case.
Hint: For more information on the Basics controls for color correction, see Lesson 7.
7. Right-click / OPTION-click in the viewport and select Camera to switch to camera view.
Hint: You can also double-click the composite operator to switch the active viewport to Camera view.
374
8. Play the clip (SPACEBAR) to view the result. Notice that the case remains dark throughout the clip, because the Color Corrector operator is applied to all frames.

+S).

+W).
Exercise 2: Working with Multiple Layer 3D Scenes

In this exercise, import a rich pixel rendering so that each object in the rendered scene is a separate layer in the composite. This allows you to apply operators to individual objects without selecting them first using the G-Buffer Object Selection operator. The rendered scene features eight spheres that revolve in a ring. Need Help? If you need help completing this exercise, save and close your workspace and then open the Lesson11_ex2.cws workspace as a reference.

First, preview the result of this exercise. Then, create a branch and import footage to begin building the composite. 1. Check the combustion preferences. For instructions, see Set the Preferences on page 9.
375
2. Choose File | Open Workspace, or press CTRL+SHIFT+O (Windows) or +SHIFT+O (Macintosh), to open the Lesson11_ex2.cws workspace file in the Lesson11\ex2 folder. For instructions, see Open the Workspace on page 16. Opening this workspace may take a few moments. If the Working icon ( lower right corner of the screen, the workspace is still being loaded. 3. Preview the result for this exercise: ) is visible in the
play Lesson11_Result2.avi using Media Player (Windows) or QuickTime (Macintosh). For instructions, see Playing Movies on page 13. The clip shows eight colored spheres revolving around a womans head.
In this exercise:
Import RPF footage so that each object in the rendered scene is a separate layer in the composite. Examine the layers to understand how they differ from video footage. Apply operators to some layers to change their color. Composite video footage into the scene.
4. Choose File | Close Workspace (CTRL+W / +W) to close the Lesson11_ex2.cws workspace file.
376
5. Create a composite branch:

b) Create a branch with the following properties:
Type: composite Name: Z Compositing Format: NTSC Duration: 15 frames

Import the Spheres RPF Footage

In the previous exercise, you imported the objects in the rendered scene into the composite as a single layer. Now import an RPF image sequence using the Grouped import mode to create a separate layer for each object in the rendered scene. 1. Select the RPF image sequence to import:
b) Enable Collapse to collapse image sequences. c) Select Spheres[####].rpf and click OK.
The Import Options dialog appears. The dialog shows that the Spheres image sequence contains eight layers, which means that the rendered scene has eight objects.
377
2. Enable Grouped and click OK to import the objects as eight individual layers. The viewport shows several spheres arranged in a circle.
3. View the RPF clip:

a) In the playback controls, set the play mode to Loop b) Play the clip (SPACEBAR).
Although there are only 15 frames in the clip, the spheres appear to revolve around endlessly. This is because the frames in the clip repeat a quarter of the spheres revolution and because of the Loop play mode.
378
4. Examine the Z Compositing branch:

a) Show the Workspace panel (F3). b) CTRL-click the composite branch to expand it and display all its layers and operators.
There are now eight layers in the composite, one for each object indicated in the Import Options dialog. If you had imported the footage using the Merged Image option, the Workspace panel would show only one layer containing all the objects in the rendered scene. The Spheres0006 object is not a layer. It is a null object that is the parent of all the Sphere layers and only contains transformation channels.
Hint: An advantage of the RPF format over the RLA file format is that it retains the names of the objects from 3D Studio MAX.
RPF versus RLA

3D Studio MAX and combustion support two kinds of rich pixel renderings. The RPF file format has the fullest set of G-Buffer channels. RLA files use an earlier format that does not support all channels. For more information on which G-Buffer channels are available in each format, see the combustion Users Guide.
379
5. Examine one of the layers:

a) In the Workspace panel, select the Sphere7 layer.
The Composite Controls panel appears. The Composite Controls are available for each layer. As a result, you can move or scale this sphere separately from the other spheres in the composite.
b) Select the Footage operator for the Sphere7 layer.
c) In the Footage Controls panel (F7), click Source to view the Source controls.
Notice that the Merge Layers option is disabled because of the Grouped import mode. If you want to change the import mode, you must re-import the RPF footage. 6. In the Workspace panel, select the Footage operator of another Sphere layer. Each sphere in the viewport is represented by its own layer and Footage operator.
Hint: Open the Footage Library in the Workspace panel to view all the Footage operators used by the Sphere layers.
380
Change a Layers Visibility

Turn off the visibility of a layer to see how it changes the image in the viewport. 1. In the Workspace panel, click the triangle beside the composite operator twice to view the layers but not the Footage operators. 2. Turn off the Sphere1 layer:
a) In the Workspace panel, select the Sphere1 layer.
b) Click the icon next to the layer to turn it off or select Object | Toggle Visibility (CTRL+T /
+T).
The sphere disappears from the viewport, but notice that part of the sphere behind it (Sphere3) has also disappeared. This is because the RPF footage only includes image data (RGB information) for the visible parts of objects in the scene.
381
3. Turn off the Sphere3 layer by clicking its icon in the Workspace panel. This creates a gap in the sphere ring in the viewport.
4. Play the clip (SPACEBAR) to see the result. As the clip loops, you can see a partial eclipse where Sphere1 travels across another visible sphere.
5. In the Workspace panel, turn on the Sphere1 and Sphere3 layers.

Hint: You can copy, paste, and rearrange these layers in the Workspace panel just like normal 2D image layers.
382
Change the Color of Four Spheres

Change the color of every second sphere using a Color Corrector operator. Because each object in the rendered scene is now its own layer, you can apply this operator to the individual layers instead of first using the G-Buffer Selection operator. 1. Go to the first frame (HOME). 2. In the Workspace panel, select the Sphere8 layer. 3. Change the color of the sphere:
a) Choose Operators | Color Correction | Discreet Color Corrector.
The operator is added to the layer and the Color Correction Controls panel appears.
b) Click Color to show the Color controls. c) Click Master.
d) Click and drag the point from the center of the color wheel to the edge of the blue.
The color of the sphere in the viewport changes from green to blue.
383
4. Copy the Color Corrector operator:

a) In the Workspace panel (F3), open the Sphere8 layer by clicking its icon.
The Color Corrector operator contains the settings that changed the sphere from green to blue. Although you could repeat step 3 for the other Sphere layers, it is easier to copy and paste this operator to the other layers.
b) Select the Color Corrector operator in the Sphere8 layer. c) Choose Edit | Copy (CTRL+C /
+C).
5. Paste the Color Corrector operator onto another layer:

a) In the Workspace panel, select the Sphere6 layer. b) Choose Edit | Paste (CTRL+V /
+V).
A second sphere in the viewport turns blue.
384
c) In the Workspace panel, open the Sphere6 layer to examine its contents.
Notice that the layer now contains a Color Corrector operator. This operator contains the same settings as the one applied to the Sphere8 layer. 6. Repeat step 5 to apply the Color Corrector operator to the Sphere4 and Sphere2 layers. Every second sphere is now blue instead of green.
7. Play the clip (SPACEBAR) to view the results. Reduce the display quality if you have insufficient RAM to play the clip in real time. As the ring revolves, the Color Corrector operator affects the spheres throughout their rotation.
385
Z Composite Video Footage Into the Scene

You can Z composite a layer into the 3D space of the rendered scene. To do this, you must enable 3D Depth for the layer with the RPF footage. The Z Depth G-Buffer channel is used to calculate where in the 3D space the regular layer should appear. Import footage, then Z composite a regular layer inside the ring of spheres. 1. Import the images of the sky and a woman:
b) Press CTRL and select Sky.png and Woman.png (in this order). Click OK to import the files into
the composite.
c) In the Workspace panel, check that the Woman layer is above the Sky layer.
The spheres are not visible in the viewport because the Woman and Sky layers are on top of the eight Sphere layers.
386
2. Set the Sky layer as the background for the composite:

a) In the Workspace panel, select the Sky layer. b) In the Composite Controls panel, click Layer to show the Layer controls.
c) Click Background to make the Sky the background for the composite.
All other layers appear in front of the Sky layer, regardless of their position in the Workspace panel. As a result, the ring of spheres appears in front of the sky but is still obscured by the womans head.
387
3. Move the Woman layer:

a) In the Workspace panel (F3), select the Woman layer. b) In the Composite Controls panel (F7), click Transform to show the Transform controls.
c) Adjust Z Position move the layer between the spheres.
Notice that the layer is either in front of or entirely behind the ring of spheres. This is because the 3D space in the RPF footage is not yet enabled for the composite.
d) Click Reset (
) above the Position controls to reset the position of the Woman layer.
4. In the Workspace panel (F3), drag a selection box around the eight Sphere layers. By selecting all eight layers, you can change the Layer properties of all the layers at once.
388
5. Adjust the Z Depth information to move the Woman layer inside the ring of spheres:
a) Click Layer to show the Layer controls. b) In the Layer controls,
enable 3D Depth.
c) Set Z Offset to 350.
With 3D Depth enabled, the 3D space in the layers with the RPF footage is enabled for the composite. The Z Offset field adjusts the offset between the Z scale in the RPF footage and the Z scale in combustion. As a result, the Woman layer appears inside the ring of spheres.
d) In the Transform controls, set Y Position to 75 to raise the spheres to the level of the womans forehead.
389
6. Move the Woman layer to explore the 3D space defined by the Sphere layers:
a) In the Workspace panel (F3), select the Woman layer. b) In the Transform controls, adjust Z Position to move the Woman layer backward along the Z axis
until it intersects some of the rear spheres in the ring (Z Position = 51).
Notice that the visible portion of the sphere changes whenever a sphere intersects the Woman layer. This is because the Z Depth value of the sphere edges is higher than the value for the Woman layer.
c) Drag over the Z Position again to move the Woman layer forward along the Z axis until it
intersects some of the front spheres in the ring (Z Position = -131).
d) Click Reset (
) above the Position controls to reset the position of the Woman layer.
Note: The Sphere layers remain 2D images in combustion. To see this, use Perspective view to rotate around the composite.
390
7. Play the clip (SPACEBAR).
The composite is complete. The colored spheres revolve around the womans head. 8. Save and close the workspace:
+S).

+W).
Things to Remember
Rich pixel footage can be imported into combustion as a single layer, as individual layers, or as a
nested composite containing individual layers.
Layers with RPF footage behave like regular layers: they can be transformed, scaled, animated,
composited with regular footage, and have operators applied to them.
Apply the Show G-Buffer operator to examine the G-Buffer channels in the RPF footage. These
channels include Z Depth, Object ID, Material ID, UV Coordinates, and Normal.
Use the Texture Map operator to replace a particular texture map on an object in the rendered scene
with other footage.
If you import rich pixel footage as a single layer, you can use the G-Buffer Object Selection or G-Buffer
Material Selection operators to select individual objects.
Enable a layers 3D Depth option to enable the 3D space for the rich pixel footage so that video footage
can be Z composited into the rendered scene.
391
392
Index
Index
Numerics
3D Studio MAX, using with combustion 356
C
camera moving 97 Camera view 52 Channel mode, keying with 190 channels categories 62 navigating in Timeline 67 viewing in Timeline 62 clips importing 46 playback in/out points 24 playing 24 cloning 275 Collapse mode 146 color changing solid layer color 77 panels 256 plotting 198 sampling 274 setting foreground 245 setting values 78 suppressing spill 198 Color Corrector adding 213 adjusting gain 221 adjusting gamma 221 adjusting offset 231 analyzing clips 233 Basics controls 220 color picker 234 comparing images 219 Curves controls 223
A
alpha channel 44 applying to another layer 55 disabling 51 viewing 51 Animate button 60 animating layers 60 mask shape 166 Paint objects 258 selection objects 301 animation adjusting animation curves 119 changing timing of 66
B
Back button 35 Back visibility button 91 background, making transparent 322 Basics controls 220 Bezier interpolation 118 Box Blur effect, adding 206 branch creating 45 selecting branch type 45 setting duration 45 brightness, adjusting 297
393
ix Index
determining sequence of corrections 217 using the histogram 214 working environment 210 Color Suppression Target box 197 combination modes Add 312 hot keys 293 Replace 292 Subtract 292 symbols 294 Compare tool 182, 218 composite control buttons 29 creating 45 Light controls 137 nesting 123 rendering 36 Settings controls 134 viewing in 3D space 97 composite operator selecting resolution 45 setting duration 45 contrast, adjusting 297 control points adding 295 adjusting 264 Control Points option 153 copying keyframes 335 layers 76 cropping footage 59 current operator 81, 127 Curves controls 223 curves, making 263
E
effect* projects, opening 18 Ellipse Selection tool 290 Ellipse tool 244 modes 244 Elliptical Mask operator 148 Erode button 202
F
Feedback button 29 filmstrip 22 footage controls, viewing 49 cropping 59 importing 46 replacing 87 Footage Details 33 Forward button 35 Frame All button 62 Front visibility button 90
G
Gain 220 adjusting 221 Gamma 220 adjusting 221 G-Buffer channels 361 Material ID 363 Node Render ID 364 Normal 365 Object ID 364 Transparency 366 UV 365 viewing 361 Z Buffer 361 Go To Time dialog 64 Graph mode 62 groups creating 251 duplicating 252 selection objects 301 Guess button 52
D
Discreet Keyer operator, adding 188 Display Quality list 109 Draw Mask operator 148 duration of objects extending to beginning of clip 339 extending to the end of clip 351 duration, setting composite 45 Dust and Scratches filter 300
394
Index
H
hinging layers 85 Histogram controls 214 Home button 21
I
importing footage 46 Input Channel list 58 interpolation 63 Bezier 118 inverting a selection 299
K
Keyer adding a Keyer operator 189 Channel mode 190 Color controls 197 color suppression 196 histogram 194 increasing Tolerance 204 Key controls 190 Matte controls 194 modes 190 resetting 189 setting tolerance 203 softening edges 201 YUV mode 203 keyframes adding 65 coordinates 63 copying 335 moving 111 pasting 335 tangent handles 119
making background 387 moving 30 parenting 79 pasting 76 rearranging in Workspace panel 55 resetting Transform controls 84 rotating 93 scaling 105 Surface controls 91 turning on/off 27 visibility 27 Lens Flare effect 307 light adding 135 changing position 136 changing properties 137 Light controls 137 List View mode 17
M
Magnify tool 115 Make Curve 263, 343 masks adding 152 adding a Mask operator 148 adding control points to 154 animating shape of 166 changing shape of 154 deleting control points 154 Freeform Mask tool 152 moving control points 154 setting properties 152 softening edges 150 matte improving using histogram 194 softening edges 201 viewing 193 see also Keyer Mode list 291 Motion Blur operator 124 adding 129 customizing 132 Phase 130 Samples 130 Shutter 131 moving a layer 30
L
Layer view 50 layers animating 60 changing color 77 changing name 76 copying 76 creating solid layer 74 default position 104 hinging 85
395
ix Index
N
naming layers 76 nesting composites 123 numerical fields, setting values of 30
O
objects animating 301 grouping 301 Offset 220 Open Footage dialog 289 opening paint* and effect* projects 18 Operator Picker dialog 57 operators turning on/off 35 viewing 32 Overview mode 66
P
Paint branch creating 304 Paint Bucket tool 315 Paint objects adjusting control points 264 animating 258 Control Points option 258 deselecting all 253 duplicating 252 extending duration of 259 grouping 251 Object option 247 Pivot Point option 250 repositioning 248 resizing 248 scaling 249 selecting multiple objects 251 tracking 282 paint* projects, opening 18 painting applying a Paint operator 272 cloning 275 color panels 256 Color Picker panel 256 Color Picker tool 273 creating Swatch sets 254 Ellipse tool 244
Ellipse tool modes 244 Filled tool mode 244 Freehand tool 262 Mixer panel 256 opening footage as a Paint branch 241 selecting brushes 257 Sliders panel 256 Straight Line tool 257 Stroked tool mode 244 Swatches panel253 parented layers 79 moving 82 pasting copied layers 76 Perspective Rotate tool 92 Perspective view 80 Perspective Zoom tool 80 Pick Color dialog 78 play modes 23 playback controls 23 in/out points 24 Polygon Selection tool 292 proportional scaling 105 pulling a key 189 see also Keyer
R
RAM cache 24 RAM gauge 24 raster graphics 240 real-time playback 23 Rectangular Mask operator 148 Reflectivity field 136 removing color spill 196 render effects 135 Render Queue dialog 36 rendering a composite 36 replacing footage 87 resetting Transform controls 84 resolution, selecting 45 Reveal controls 349 rotating a layer 93 RPF files compositing 386 enabling 3D Depth 389 importing as a Merged Image 358
396
Index
importing using Grouped import mode 377 replacing texture maps 366 selecting objects 372 using G-Buffer operator 361 viewing data channels 361
S
Safe Zones 22 sampling color 274 saving a workspace 40 scaling a layer 105 selection modifier objects 314 selections combinations 291 drawing tools 290 expanding 348 feathering 348 G-Buffer Object Selection 372 inverting 299 stacking 303 see also combination modes Send Up button 126 Set Matte operator 57 Settings controls 134 Shadows 346 Shrink button 201 solid layer, creating 74 Split Horizontal / Vertical button 219 suppressing color spill 198 Surface controls 91 Swatches menu 253 panel 256
T
tangent handles 119 breaking 120 technical support 13 text adding 322 aligning 327 animating opacity 330 animating shape 343 arrangment in Timeline 326 centering 329 changing shape of 343
changing text direction 323 color 338 convert to curves 343 distributing 328 justifying 327 kerning 325 leading 325 Luminance draw mode 341 opacity 330 Overlay draw mode 338 selections 347 spinning in 3D 333 Text tool 322 exiting 325 Texture Map operator, applying 367 Thumbnails mode 17 Timeline 62 changing vertical scale 119 channel categories 62 copying/pasting keyframes 335 displaying information in Workspace 351 Frame All button 62 Graph mode 62 navigating 67 Overview mode 66 Timeline list 67 Timeline stack 303 arranging objects in 310 tolerance setting in Keyer 203 increasing 204 Tracker 282 activating 155 analyzing a clip 159 Analyze Forward button 283 analyzing positon data 282 applying tracking data 284 Fixed reference type 161 importing tracking data 163 picking reference point 283 preview display 158 reference box 156 resetting 160 resizing reference area 161 Roaming reference type 161 setting reference type 161
397
ix Index
setting the reference areas 158 setting the tolerance 162 tracker box 156 Tracker panel 155 tracking multiple points 156 one-point 156 Transform controls 93 Transparent button 322 turning layers on/off 27
V
vector graphics 240 Vector objects, animating 262 view modes 51 viewing a composite in 3D space 97 viewport options 19 zooming 20 views Camera view 52 Layer view 50 Perspective view 80 visibility layer on/off 27 Front/Back 89
W
workspace closing 40 opening 16 saving 40 Workspace panel 26 displaying Timeline information 351
Y
YUV Keyer mode 203
Z
zooming 20
398
Acknowledgments
Lesson development: Content and illustration: Index: Editing: Review and testing: Project management: Images: Additional images: Peter Greenways Richard Gratton, Paul Bracegirdle, Justin Soles Scott Polzen Mylne Pepin Jose Belhumeur, Peter Greenways, William Lowe, Scott Polzen Beverley Stevens Jose Belhumeur, Stphane Tremblay La Fabrique dImages

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Copyright 2000 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved

Title: Version Date:

combustion Tutorials 1. June 2000

Exercise: Tour a combustion Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Creating Basic Composites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Exercise: Create an Animated Composite. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Creating Composites in 3D Space. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Exercise: Build and Animate a Cube. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

toc Table of Contents

Animating Composites in 3D Space. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Exercise 2: Add Motion Blur and Light to the Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Tracking and Stabilizing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Exercise 2: Stabilize a Clip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Precision Keying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

Color Correction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

Exercise 2: Color Correct Using the Curves Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

Using Paint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

Exercise 2: Retouch a Clip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270

Working with Paint Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287

Exercise 2: Stacking Selections with Paint Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303

Using Text in Paint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319

Exercise 2: Working with Text Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336

Using Scenes from 3D Studio MAX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355

Exercise 2: Working with Multiple Layer 3D Scenes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375

toc Table of Contents

Installing the Tutorials Media

Conventions and Terminology

Set the Preferences

b) From the Display Time As list, select Frames (From 1).

b) From the Color Scheme

list, select Platinum.

Getting More Help

Exercise: Tour a combustion Workspace

Open the Workspace

Opening paint* and effect* Projects

Explore the Viewport Layouts

4. From the Viewport Layout list, select

to view four viewports.

5. From the Viewport Layout list, select

to view four viewports laid out differently.

6. Return to single-viewport layout and restore the zoom factor:

b) Click Home to return to 100% zoom factor.

Navigate the clip using the filmstrip:

Viewing frames at larger intervals makes it faster to navigate long clips.

Play the Composite in the Viewport

(or press HOME) to go to the first frame of the clip.

The play mode button cycles between Play Once

, and Ping Pong

Using the Playback Controls

(or press SPACEBAR) to play the clip.

Playback In and Out Points

Examine the Workspace Panel

1. Click the Workspace tab (or press F3).

Only the Flowers layer remains.

c) Turn off the Flowers layer.

Change the Position of the Fruit Layer

2. Enable Feedback. Feedback has a check mark when enabled.

Controlling the Current Layer and the Composite

3. In the Workspace panel, select the Fruit layer to make it current: