Resolume Forum

Hi all,

it seems that even the Resolume staff don't know that tracks mattes (video as a mask for video, which can be overlaid on other content) ARE possible within Resolume itself without any extra plugins.

You need at least 5 layers to do it (including one "background" content layer). Here is what you need (from the bottom of your composition to the top):

1. Matte shape layer(s). Start with ARGB content, or use an effect such as Auto Mask (which maps luma to the alpha channel) or the Luma Is Alpha (LIA) blend mode (requires more than one layer).
2. Content layer (use Multiply or similalr to cut out to the shape of the matte).
3. Layer Router layer. This is a kind of "flatten" layer. Set the source to "Composition" (which is your cut out content from the previous layers).
4. Background layer(s). Whatever you want the cut-out content to float above. Note that you probably want to make sure that you have something "solid" so your matte setup layers below don't show through. You can stick in a solid black layer for safety if you like.
5. Layer Router layer. This is the overlay! Set the source to the other Layer Router layer (whatever "3" is).

Magic!

I figured this out in July 2013 on a day of intense experimentation; it took a few hours to figure it out, the main trick being the "flatten" layer required to grab the cut-out content.

See https://www.facebook.com/subpixel/photo ... 79/?type=1

-subpixel

Great work, Subpixel. Thanks for sharing your solution!

You can switch the order of (1) and (2) if you like. In fact this may be preferable, supposing you may want to use multiple layers to build up the "content" for the overlay, and just one layer to define the shape.

Awesome!!
thanks for sharing

There was some uncertainty as to how to make this work in a discussion regarding this method on the VJ Union Global group on Facebook, so I set about making a more detailed example.

Explicit example

Note: layer 1 is at the bottom of the composition, layer 5 at the top. Start at the bottom and build your way up.

1 - overlay content: whatever you like.
Blend Mode = Alpha, Opacity = 1.0

2 - overlay shape: ordinary video content.
Blend Mode = Multiply, Opacity = 0.5 (full multiply)
Layer effect chain:

• Bright.Contrast - may or may not be required, depending on the clip contents;
• Colorize (Sat 1, Bright 1, Contrast 1) - to make the layer black & white only;
• Auto Mask - to make the black bits transparent.

3 - overlay result: Layer Router (found in the Browser Panel under Sources > Routing) with Input = Composition. This is a kind of "flatten" layer, or the result of the submix (of 1 and 2).
Blend Mode = Alpha, Opacity = 1.0

4 - background: whatever you want the overlay to float above. Make sure that it is not transparent if you sometimes don't want the overlay to be showing, since layers 1,2,3 will show through.
Blend Mode = Alpha, Opacity = 1.0

5 - overlay: Layer Router with Input = Layer 3 (the "flatten" layer). This is the floating overlay!
Blend Mode = Alpha, Opacity = 1.0

Notes

The Blend Mode and Opacity slider for 3 - overlay result don't really matter unless you allow the lower layers to show through layer 4.

The screenshot shows layer 2 - overlay shape in white (with transparent background) in the preview monitor. The output monitor shows this white area filled with the "kewbic flow" loop from Beeple (which is kind of blue background with wavy yellow lines).

Layer 2 - overlay shape is where you would use a live (possibly infra red) camera feed, most likely with some scale, perspective and so on adjustments to make it match the scene, to project a different texture on to a performer in front of a larger background screen.

In this example I put the Auto Mask effect chain on the layer; in practice, I find it better to place the effect chain on each individual clip in the layer so you can tune the contrast and so on for each clip. Of course, if your mask shape clips are all nice and clean/uniform to start with, a single layer-based effect chain will probably be fine.

If you have a clip (or generative content) that already has alpha transparency, you may find it best to not apply the Auto Mask effect. You can get some interesting results from layer 2 - overlay shape having dark and light sections, with the existing alpha channel defining the shape and the lightness allowing for the video content and/or a silhouette/shadow shape (down to black). Non-transparent black is just nice sometimes!

Since making up this example, I decided that a better name for layer 3 would be "submix", or something to that effect. Indeed the whole concept could be referred to as submixing. I left the names as-is to be consistent with the screenshot.

Note on buggy behaviour

While I was recreating this effect as a new composition, I ran into problems getting things to work when switching the layers 1 and 2 about (and changing their blend modes, etc, as required); it seems there is some bug (or are some bugs) that make the result somehow different despite all the relevant parameters apparently being equal. It didn't make sense, and reloading the composition (as saved) seemed to iron out some kink(s).

On this basis I recommend choosing which layer arrangement you are going to use to make the transparent overlay and stick with it.

Cheers,
subpixel.

Demonstration video:

spxl visuals - The Fruitbat - Withered Spoonage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpA5UzT1my8



A few things to note:

• This demo uses more than one layer with a copy of the overlay to implement a drop shadow and an over-layer with an outline effect.
• My Resolume license is currently installed on another of my laptops (hence the watermark).
• This clip started as a 17Mbps 1080p smart/cameraphone video of my screen (with ambient sounds, including someone asking me to turn the sound down! *update* Forgot that I dubbed the clip with the original audio file and uploaded again, so you don't get to hear the rubbish sound from before!), but YouTube video quality is pretty rubbish and makes it look much worse than the ~15Mbps 720p file I exported from a basic edit in Premiere. I don't know why YouTube bothers with 1080p and higher when even 720p looks like vomit. Perhaps they give preferential encoder treatment to preferred YouTubers...
• Note to self: create a "demo" (/similar) text/watermark layer for stuff that isn't meant to be a final product showcase.

Here's a tutorial based on subpixel's solution.

Amazing. Thanks very much Subpixel.

Using more-or-less the same kind of Composition structure, you can video-mask other effects (as opposed to separate clip content).

The general idea is to start with some content, apply an effect and a mask to it (the order you do this depends on the look you are going for and the effect you are using), start over with the content (by Layer router) and drag the masked effect back on top again (another Layer router).

Below is a quick demo with the Twitch effect.

Cheers,
subpixel.

Hello,

can someone please help me to recreate this effect with Resolume 6?

If I set the opacity of the multiply layer 2 down to 50% the Video background is not changing from white to black as it was in Resolume 5 and that example.
The Video from layer 3 which was routed to layer 5 has no alpha channel and I see only the layer 4 content.

Thanks for your help

Sven


//edit: oh la la. Got it.
When I use layer 2 with "mask mode, 1 below" it works for me. so layer 1 and 3 to 5 can stay as in the video.