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SEPTEMBER 09, 2002 Final Cut Pro 3.0 Quick Tip #5
Keying filters are ones that take up the most processing power and thus cause your system to slow to a crawl during render times. To help alleviate this problem, always use a garbage mask around the foreground subject. No need to have Final Cut Pro performing calculations in areas that don’t really concern you, right? A garbage mask also helps you to cover up those nasty areas at the corner of your backdrop that never seem to key all the way. I use garbage masks all the time. They may take a few moments to set up, but they are a lifesaver when it comes to working with the keyer. Here are the quick steps to take to perform a key in Final Cut Pro 3.0: [an error occurred while processing this directive] Place the background layer on V1 in the Timeline and your foreground clip in V2. Apply a garbage mask from Effects>Video Filters>Matte>Four-Point Garbage Matte (you can use Eight Points if you really need too). Place the corners of the matte so only your foreground subject is showing. Here’s a tip, you can dynamically update the Canvas Window by holding down the mouse button as you drag the corner points around.  With the garbage mask in place, apply the Blue and Green Screen filter. Change the View to Matte so you can see how the Alpha channel is coming out. Another tip would be to set the Edge Feather to 0 before adjusting the Color Level, this way you know exactly what is keying and what is not. Your foreground subject should be completely white, while the background is black.  Adjust the Color Tolerance and Edge Thin to remove any fringe background colors from your foreground, and then adjust the Edge Feather to smooth everything out.  Finally apply the Spill Suppressor filter, adjust as needed, and you are done.  Hope this quick explanation of how keying works in Final Cut Pro helps during your next edit session when the client says you have to export the timeline to another application to perform a key. You can simply say "Naw, Final Cut Pro makes keying a piece of cake!" When not working deep in the labs of the DMN Central Division testing the latest and greatest software/hardware products Stephen Schleicher can be found at the local university teaching a few courses on video and web production. He can be reached at schleicher@mindspring.com. You can also visit him on the web at www.mindspring.com/~schleicher Related sites: • Animation Supplement • AV Video • Content Mastering • Corporate Media News • Creative Mac • Digital Post Production • Digital Producer • Digital Video Editing • Film and Video Magazine • Mac Supplement • The WWUG Related forums: [an error occurred while processing this directive] 
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