Controlled background blur filter

[zforray]

It has been many years since I used VS or had a need for it. Now that I have been pulled into a video project, I upgraded to the latest VS 2018.

I have a need to be able to blur out what is happening behind a speaker. A video was shot - pointed steadily at a mostly motionless speaker. While the camera was locked down to a pretty low aperture, there was motion behind her and I would like to blur out the background as much as possible. Is there a FX/filter that would allow me to apply a sort-of vignette where I can control what is in focus?

[gewb]

Are you able to upload a 5 second clip (to a site like Box or Google Drive) for us to play with?

[Scubbie]

Hello zforray,

Yes, this is something which can be accomplished within VS.

The first choice would be to use 'Track motion'. Typically you might use this to follow some advertising or a number plate which you wish to hide or to have some text or a graphic follow something on the video. There are a variety of tutorials on YouTube that can help you here.

I was looking for a method to bring just the speaker into focus and to blur out the entire background. This could be done using masks, but IMHO would be a great deal of work. Using the mask creator I would first copy the clip to two video tracks in VS. In the top one, I would use the 'Blur' FX and set it as high as possible. Next I would use the mask creator to select the background in the lower clip. This should hide the sharp background in the top layer and show the blurred background. I'm not a fan of the mask creator though. All too often it doesn't properly separate the pieces you want to keep from the bits you don't.

[zforray]

Are you able to upload a 5 second clip (to a site like Box or Google Drive) for us to play with?

Here is the link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/a27nwsn989i94 ... r.mp4?dl=0

[pepegota]

I would use Cyberlink's "ColorDirector" for something like this. You have a range of masks to close from. The background can be blurred easily.

[zforray]

I would use Cyberlink's "ColorDirector" for something like this. You have a range of masks to close from. The background can be blurred easily.

Now you tell me I should have gone with Cyberlink's products

[pepegota]

I use VS forl my work. Cyberlink Color Director for special items. I use several special programs for various things such as morphing, green screen etc.

,

[Davidk]

There's a tutorial on blurring an item - in this case, the brand logo on a boogie board - here
https://learn.corel.com/tutorials/motio ... studio-x8/
and even tho this is for X8 it's still relevant to the task you outline.

[Scubbie]

I was thinking about this last night a little more. You're probably going to utter some words, but in many respects, this is perhaps a point where having an additional camera might be useful to capture some "B footage" or just spend a little time recording when someone else is talking and record the audience then.

A simple cut-away to the audience or anyone else on the panel might be a good way to get around this kind of issue without making things too complicated. Alternatively a cut-away to an image or clip about what she is talking about (i.e. a pamphlet or scene of a building), whilst keeping the audio of the speech/talk.

The footage of the audience doesn't actually have to be recorded at the same instant as the clip shown, but it would be useful to have been recorded around the same time.