Power Mask groups
The Power Mask is a set of options for isolating the color correction that you make to a specific area in your image. The Power Mask offers two basic shapes, a rectangle or ellipse, that are defined by two points on the image. The Power Mask group includes controls to set the Width, Height, Rotation and Feather of the shape. In the Master stage, you also have a Mask Mode that sets the mask's interaction with other parts of Colorista.
There are two Power Masks, one in Secondary stage and one in Master stage. Having two Power Masks within one effect creates some useful combinations. In the Master Power Mask, there is a Mask Mode pop-up that lets you combine the two masks in some powerful ways. Even better, you can also combine Power Masks with the Secondary Keyer using its custom controls.
Secondary Mask, Master Mask pop-up
The Power Mask is turned off by default. Activate the mask by choosing a Rectangular or Ellipse type from the Mask pop-up. The color correction of that stage is automatically isolated to the default shape shown in the Preview Window of your host application. To turn off the mask shape, choose None from the Mask pop-up.
There are three Mask shape options:
Left to right, Rectangular and Ellipse masks.
Master Mask Mode pop-up
This pop-up menu has five Power Mask intersections and unions. This is a very powerful set of options as it allows you to do color correction that is traditionally very labor intensive, like applying the same correction to two faces in a two-up shot in one pass. It gives you a lot of flexibility in the way you mask.
There are six Mask Mode choices:
Secondary, Master Invert Mask checkbox
The Power Mask can either change the image inside the shape area or outside the shape area. By default, the Invert Mask switch is off and color changes only happen inside the mask. Activate the Invert Mask switch to make the color change outside the mask, effectively using the mask to protect the shape area.
Secondary, Master Center
Moves the entire mask shape up, down, left or right. This movement can also be accomplished by click-dragging the crosshair icon inside the mask shape or in the Effects control. The default location is the center of your Preview Window.
You can move the location of the mask shape by click-dragging at the centerpoint of the mask.
Secondary, Master Width
Sets the width of the mask shape. This defines where the left and right sides of the mask are drawn. You can change the Width value by click-dragging the tick marks at the left and right of the shape in the Preview Window. Alternately, use the numerical input if you want a specific size.
The default size is dependent upon the size of the clip that Colorista is applied to. It is a percentage of the image height and the image width. For example, with a DV size clip that measures 720 pixels wide by 480 pixels tall, the mask will be 20% of the width of the clip and 50% of the height, which works out to 144 pixels wide by 240 pixels tall.
Colorista 1 Note: Width replaces the Radius control in Colorista 1.
Secondary, Master Height
Sets the height of the mask shape. This defines where the top and bottom of the mask are drawn. You can change the Height value by click-dragging the tick marks at the top and bottom of the shape in the Preview Window. Alternately, use the numerical input if you want a specific size.
The default size is dependent upon the size of the clip that Colorista is applied to. It is a percentage of the image height and the image width. For example, with a DV size clip that measures 720 pixels wide by 480 pixels tall, the mask will be 20% of the width of the clip and 50% of the height, which works out to 144 pixels wide by 240 pixels tall.
Colorista 1 Note: Height replaces the Top Point and Bottom Point controls in Colorista 1.
Secondary, Master Rotation
Lets you set the angle of the Power Mask shape. Value range is 0 to 360. Default value is 0. Rotates the rectangle or circle so it can become, for instance, a diamond or oval shape. You can change the Rotation value by click-dragging the corner points in the Preview Window. Alternately, use the numerical input if you want a specific rotation value.
As you drag the four corner points, you can interactively affect the Width, Height and Rotation of the shape all at once. There is a rotation value that lets you animate the rotation of the mask shape.
Colorista 1 Note: Rotation replaces the irregular shape created by dragging the Top Point and Bottom Point controls in Colorista 1.
Secondary, Master Feather Size
Feather Size sets the amount of softness at the edge of the mask shape. This helps to create a soft-edged mask that will blend the color correction seamlessly into your image. Value range is 0 to 100%. 0% means no feather. 100% means a feather that is twice as tall and twice as wide as the mask width and height.
Feather Size is based on a percentage of the Master Height and Master Width; it is not measured in pixels like many feather controls. The default size is dependent upon the size of the clip that Colorista is applied to. Because Feather Size depends on the mask size, the feather width will increase and decrease with the overall shape of the mask.
This functionality is useful when tracking a shape that is coming toward the camera. For example, you could use a Power Mask on an actor’s face as the actor walks toward the camera. With this behavior, the mask shape gives you a very small feather when the shape is small, but as the actor moves closer to the camera, you can adjust the mask shape to match and the feather will grow with the shape automatically.
Secondary, Master Feathering Bias
Feather Bias controls the centerpoint of the Feather Size falloff. Bias lets you adjust the softness to lie more inside or outside of the mask edge. A negative value puts the softness inside the mask. A positive value puts the softness outside the mask.
Value range is -100 to 100%. The default setting for Feather Bias is 0, which means the center of the feather falloff — where the transparency is 50% — lies directly along the edge of the mask. Increasing the Bias pushes the centerpoint to lie outside the mask so that the inner shape is more solid and the outer edge is soft. Conversely, decreasing the bias will push the center of the falloff inside the mask edge and make the shape very soft on the inside area of the mask.
View Mode
The View Mode lets you see the area that the Power Mask covers.
Show Mask and Show Red/Blue Overlay are intended as preview modes. The overlay helps you keep track of the size, feather and shape of your mask area so you can better see what it is doing. This is especially helpful when your mask has a subtle effect. It won't render out red/blue, but you will typically return to the Apply mode before you render your final result.
Of course, you can keyframe and animate this mask so it follows, let's say, the face you are brightening. Do this by hand or with more automated with a tool like Motion Tracker.
There are three View Mode options:
Left to right, the Apply (default), Show Mask and Show Red Overlay options.
Preview Outlines checkbox
Preview Outlines lets you remove the yellow outline that shows the mask area when the View Mode> Apply is active. Preview is turned on by default, so the outlines are showing. Turn the preview off to see the mask edge more easily.
Colorista 1 Note: Preview Outlines replaces the Draw Outline control in Colorista 1.
Final Cut Pro Note: This switch is not available in Final Cut Pro.