446
I
F YOU’D
asked me a
few years ago
if we needed
movie editing
in Photoshop,
I’d have said
there was no
point.
But today,
all digital
cameras can
shoot video –
and high-end
cameras can
shoot very
high-quality
video indeed.
Let’s see how
Photoshop
can deal
with moving
images.
1
Here’s our starting position – a film of a glass on my
kitchen table. After a couple of seconds my hand comes
in and lifts the glass off the table and out of shot. It isn’t
Spielberg, but it’s a useful starting point. The total length is
just under 5 seconds.
6
When the hand comes in, we need it to obscure the
candle and flame. First, put them in a new group, add a
Layer Mask, and check the watch icon in the Timeline for this
layer. Paint a mask to match the shape of the thumb, then drag
through the timeline, moving the mask every few frames so
that it lines up with the position of the thumb.
7
When the glass is lifted off the table, the candle and flame
have to move with it. Check the Position watch icon in
the Timeline panel for the flame and the candle, as well as the
candle’s mask, and then move them all every few frames to
line up with the glass position: each time, a new keyframe will
be created, marking the position.
5
The reason for creating the flame elements as Layer
Effects is that these can be animated over time. Open the
Timeline panel, if it isn’t open already, and you’ll see that each
layer in your document appears here. Pop open the ‘flame’
layer controls, and click on the little watch next to the word
Style. This means that changes will be recorded. Drag the time
slider on a few frames, and change the amount of the Inner
and Outer Glows; keep repeating this half a dozen times. The
Layer Style settings will be recorded each time, indicated by a
diamond icon in the timeline. The result is a flickering flame.
2
The original movie was lit by daylight from the window,
and the result is much too blue. We can add a Curves
Adjustment Layer, just as we would with any other layer, and
take the blue out. To focus the viewer’s attention, make a new
layer above the Video Group, and paint black around the edge
with a soft brush.
Movie editing in Photoshop
15
Print and the internet
447
HOT TIP
Although we
can move layers
over time, we
can’t modify their
shape, size or
rotation. In step
6, it can be hard
to make the mask
line up with the
thumb exactly.
One solution is to
apply a feather to
the mask: when
it has soft edges,
it’s much more
forgiving.
You can animate
a layer’s position,
opacity and any
attached Layer
Styles – as well
as the position
and opacity of
Layer Masks. You
can add masks
to movie layers
as well as regular
layers.
Although we
haven’t added
text here, you can
do so – and text
distortions, in the
form of warping,
can be animated
over time.
3
Let’s make a candle to go inside the glass. We learned
how to draw candles in earlier editions of this book – see
The Romance of Candlelight in the Cut Pages folder on the
website. To make it look like it’s really inside the glass, add a
Layer Mask to it and paint out around the highlights in the
bottom of the glass.
4
Make a new layer, and draw the flame. Paint just a soft-
edged orange blob for the main shape of the flame.
Rather than painting the highlights, use Layer Effects to add
an Inner Glow in pale yellow, and an Outer Glow in a similar
orange to the flame color.
How the Timeline Panel works
Click to jump to
next/previous
keyframe in layer
Unchecked watch
icons mean any
changes will affect
the whole timeline
Drag to increase/
decrease the size of the
Timeline view
All the properties
that can be
animated are
listed here
Click to add a new
movie or soundtrack
Gray diamonds
indicate keyframes on
unselected layers
Click to make
Photoshop record
changes over time
Click to add a
transition such as
Fade
Drag to scrub
through whole
movie
Yellow diamonds indicate keyframes for
the selected layer – you can drag the
keyframes markers to refine timing
How to Cheat in Photoshop CC
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