Movie effect I just can't do

[zorza]

Hi. First of all let me say that I have already tried the search, but have failed to find the solution.

What I intend to do is: Have a conversation with my self.

Explaining... I wanna shoot a video where I am having a conversation with myself. Of course, I understand I must shoot 2 videos with the camera still on a tripod. One of me will be on one chair, and the other me will be on another chair. So, the space betwen us is comon. I can not use the transparency, or the background of one image will show on the other image. I have made something using the crop tool, and showing only the part of the video that I want. The problem is that I end up with the bottom overlay track in top of the other, showing only the part of the video that I want, but, plus a black bar on the other side, where I wanted the other video showed up...

If you did understand me, can you please show me some light??

Thanks

Zorza

[Roberto]

HI,

I have just doen something similar with me playing guitar with myself: http://www.vimeo.com/10320472 (or YouTube, just search for "Roberto Colombo" and "Swingy Boogie").
I tried both the Crop and the Chroma (in this case, you should pre-render teh left or right half one video, covering the part you do not want to show with a solid color, and then "removing it with Chroma effect).
In both the case the result was unsatisfactory.
What I used in the video in th elink above is NewBlueFx Video Essentials III.
There is one effect that does exactly what you are looking for.
Note: in my video there is some tonality color change between the two halves, because playing the guitar parts without mistakes and exactly in Sync was a fight against the sunset )
Also, I had to move away the camera from the tripod to download the 1st half, so the two parts actually are slightly not 100% matching in space.Nevertheless, if you just want to speak, this can be probably done in a shorter time then what it took to me to record the two parts (I am a bad guitar player and it takes time to me to record a almost flawless take...), so, you will probably get a perfect back-light match.
NewBlueFx applied a discount for VS X3 new users, so, maybe you can get this plug-in for a reasonable price.

Obviously, if you find another way, without the need to buy this plug-in, just let us know

[Accolades]

Maybe a split screen effect is what you are after?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l00H_b5QFeg

[Roberto]

Accolades, this way, if the 2 video halves represents are just the left and right side of the same background, it appears a vertical lines between the 2 halves,
I just used NewBlueFx Video Essential II, which works pretty fine and has not this problem (except for the back lights...): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRwsATajS7c

[mitchell65]

Accolades, this way, if the 2 video halves represents are just the left and right side of the same background, it appears a vertical lines between the 2 halves,
I just used NewBlueFx Video Essential II, which works pretty fine and has not this problem (except for the back lights...): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRwsATajS7c

I think this is one of the very best examples of this technique I have seen - congrats. Even the very slight background difference could be edited with just a very slight tweak with the brightness filter, but few would notice the difference if you hadn't pointed it out.

[Accolades]

Hi,

Looks good to me...

You probably notice more on VideoStudio wher the crop/join has taken place but after uploading/converting for you tube tis hardly noticable.

Unless of course you point it out.

[sjj1805]

Seemed perfect to me, I only noticed when I viewed it for the second time that there is a brilliant stereo effect also, with the left guitar coming out the left speaker and the right guitar on the right. Even more impressed than the first time I viewed it.

[Roberto]

Thanks to everybody for the nice words!!! )
Few days after I put the video on YT, I experimented other techniques to reduce the L-R color difference, which, as I explained, it is due to the fact that I was not able to take the right-side recording before the sun started to reduce its sunshine... tough job to play in sync and without too many mistakes ...otherwise the color would have been perfectly matched.
One way is to take a snapshot of any part of the video, create a short video from the snapshot, adding as an overlay, and cropping it to the central part only.
Then, I can apply some average/blur effect to this cropped parts in order to smooth the wall color difference and then setting a medium transparency to this new overlay.
Other experiments gave good results as well but... c'mon... I have already some beautiful comment on my YT channel and I did not want to loose them by replacing the video

[Ron P.]

Roberto, that is an outstanding video, using a split-screen!! I've also noticed where you claim you don't play guitar very well. Sorry to tell you this, but just like Lays potato chips, I couldn't watch just one. I viewed about all that you have up there. I've played guitar in the past, and boy do I wish I could have mastered it as well as you. Some of the cover-tunes you play by Bon Jovi, are some of my favorites by them, and you do them no harm.

Well I'm going to stop bragging about you, as I don't want your head to get too large, and can't get through the door..

[Roberto]

Thanks Ron!

[Roberto]

Some of the cover-tunes you play by Bon Jovi, are some of my favorites by them...

Ron, here is a new one, just churned out... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Krd9oVnw4HY

[Ron P.]

Thanks Roberto, Wanted Dead or Alive, just love that tune!!

[sankarz]

Here is what I did. I've added some lighting in the editing to overcome few shadows I can not avoid while shooting, but I just used a very simple trick. The procedure is
1.drag the first video to time line and second clip to the overlay
2.open paint ( or gimpshop, any image creator will do) and draw a rectangular box ( which should be half the size of the page) and fill it with black color. Save it with .png extension (jpg also works but png is a good option).
3.In VSX3 click on the overlay clip . Now in the preview window right click + select fit to screen.
4.click on the overlay clip again and click options in effects panel. now select the attributes tab + Mask and Chroma Key > select Apply Overlay Options
5. You will see image files to apply masks, now click on "+" and locate the png file you created and see the majic

[Darryl]

Nice to see you found a way to do this without having to go out and buy a plug in that costs about as much as VSX3, in the first place. Good job.

[sankarz]

@darryl
If one can deal with those fine details ( for ex: the line shadow on the microphone in the video) this trick really saves money.