Can color blur or defocus a specific area of frame? Can you track this area?
I found the color fx blur but haven't figured out how to have it only affect the inside or outside of a shape.
Re: Blur / defocus by Bob Sliga on Oct 31, 2009 at 7:07:02 pm
Yes it can in the Color FX Room.
Nodes needed are an Alpha Blend, Vignette, Blur and Output node.
Position and size the vignette to the area you want to defocus.
Attach the vignette node to the Alpha Blend's Alpha Channel. (The far right input on the Alpha Blend node.)
Attach the Blur node to the Alpha Blends Source 2 input. (middle input). Adjust the Blur parameter for Blur amount.
Connect the output of the Alpha blend to the output node.
You can use the motion tracker to animate the vignette. But be aware. There is a bug that causes the tracking information to be lost if you close the Color project. So don't use the tracker unless you plan on rendering before you close the Color project.
Or Keyframe the vignette. Probably your best bet.
To Keyframe the vignette in the Color FX room, the Vignette needs to be selected first (node will turn cyan when selected) before entering a keyframe.
If your clip is interlace you will need to de-interlace the Color effect. Not difficult using Color 1.5
Just highlight the Vignette, Blur and Alpha Blend nodes and select command C. Followed by command V to paste the nodes. Separate the node trees so they are side by side. Double click the De-interlace node twice to load 2 nodes to the desktop. Make sure the parameters tab is selected.
Position the De-interlace nodes at the top of each node tree. Connect each De-interlace node to the Blur nodes. On the first De-interlace node select even or odd checkbox depending on your footage. On the second De-interlace node select the opposite.
You will only need one vignette node so you can delete one of the nodes. Connect the remaining vignette to both Alpha Blend nodes Alpha channel.
Drag an interlace node to the bottom of the alpha blends on the desktop.
Connect both Alpha Blend outputs to the interlace inputs.
Attach the interlace out to the Output node.
Hope this helps.
Bob Sliga
Freelance Colorist & Apple Color Trainer
FC Studio 3 Color Expert
Re: Blur / defocus by Joseph Owens on Nov 4, 2009 at 12:33:27 am
Maybe Bob has a better insight into this (but possibly can't comment depending on his extroduction agreement from Apple.... ;-P) but...
my sense is that COLOR needs to create a new "blownup" resolution bitmap in order to plot the blurred extrapolation of the original media. In the same way that the geometry gets flipped in the COLORFX nodes, there is probably an offset problem with calculating the pixel coordinates from the new origin.
COLOR does not operate in the same "infinite space" that we take for granted in a lot of other applications (like SHAKE), and this is likely also the root of all its interlace woes.
Re: Blur / defocus by Bob Sliga on Nov 4, 2009 at 1:04:41 am
JPo does have a good point about the Color FX room.
It is a Progressive room and It's not very elegant or user friendly. Other apps have better blur tools, this is a fact. If you have interlace footage and enter the Color FX room to create a blur effect, and do not understand the de-interlace and re-interlace process. Your happiness will be limited. :)
But...
If you have the patience and understand what the room needs to work effectively, it can be quite powerful.
The room is not for the weak and timid.
But thats just my opinion.
Bob Sliga
Freelance Colorist & Apple Color Trainer
FC Studio 3 Color Expert
Re: Blur / defocus by Bob Sliga on Nov 4, 2009 at 12:53:20 am
Hi Jay,
If I understand you correctly, what you are seeing sounds like an old bug that was fixed for Color 1.5.
I think the work around was changing the Setup Room User Preferences internal pixel format from float to 16 bit or 16 bit to float. I don't remember exactly. it was one or the other. Are you using an ATI 1900 card?
I don't have the issue with 1.5 and my ATI 4870
Bob Sliga
Freelance Colorist & Apple Color Trainer
FC Studio 3 Color Expert
