264 The Digital Filmmaking Handbook, 4E

Effects and Titles

Most editing applications come packed with all types of fancy transitions and wipes. However, for a dramatic feature, you probably won’t want to use anything more complex than a crossdissolve. (Just think of those tacky wipes and iris transitions in Star Wars, and you’ll see what we mean.) However, if you’re working on a project that’s more stylized, or on a commercial or corporate presentation, fancy transitions might be necessary.

Because transitions are notorious for quickly falling in and out of fashion, don’t let the presence of the “wipe du jour” play too much of a role in your purchase decision—it might look tired by the time you’re up and running. Instead, look for software that has a good practical effects package: color correction, internal titling, motion effects, and compositing. And if you’re really serious about special effects, look for software that integrates easily with dedicated effects applications, such as Adobe After Effects.

Types of Effects

Nowadays, even the cheapest editing package includes a mind-boggling number of effects. In fact, sometimes the cheaper the software, the more effects you get! Nevertheless, all effects fall into one of the categories discussed next.

Transitions

Transition effects create a bridge from one shot to another. The most often-used transition is the cross-dissolve. Others include various wipes, pushes, page turns, and white flashes, to name only a few. If you’re planning on using lots of these, look for software with plug-in support and keyframing (see Figure 12.10).

Figure 12.10

The effects editor showing luma keying and keyframes in Final Cut Pro.

Image Enhancement Effects

There’s a limit to how much you can improve poorly shot video, but your editing software should offer some control over the brightness, contrast, saturation, and hue of your footage (see Figure 12.11). A lot of editing packages now offer elaborate color correction tools. These are especially useful if you are planning to finish your project using your editing software.

Figure 12.11

Color correction in Final Cut Pro.

Motion Effects

One of the most basic video effects is the ability to freeze, slow down, or speed up a shot. If you’re going to do lots of motion effects, look for software that lets you specify a variable frame rate from 0% (freeze frame) to 3000% (the maximum that most programs will allow) so that you can do speed ramps.

Compositing

Compositing tools are used for everything from complex titling and video collage to sophisticated special effects, including virtual sets and locations. The compositing tools offered by most editing applications (alpha channel compositing, luma keying, chroma keying, and matte keying) are good enough for creating simple composites, but they lack the precision and control needed for serious special effects.

3D Effects

Another hot property these days is the ability to move a video layer in true 3D space. Used primarily for fancy transitions and simple effects, the feature filmmaker will find little use for these effects. If you want to create true 3D objects and environments, you’ll be better off using a specialized 3D animation application.