VT | Using ChromaFX to modify video

Concept: Using ChromaFX to modify video color
Module: Switcher, DDR, Aura
Assets: user clips or live camera
Time: 10 minutes

Owners of the classic Video VT will remember its ability to manipulate the luminance of live or captured video streams. This effect can range from pulsing, psychedelic effects to rather subtle toning and colorization. The effect, known as ChromaFX, is also available in VT[3], so let's take a quick overview of the possibilities that await you.

There are actually two different methods to invoking ChromaFX within VT[3]: while both involve the switcher, a more spontaneous method is available by adding Aura to the mix. The first method to investigate involves the programmed FX tucked away in your DVE folder.

Launch VT, and then file bin. Go to your DVE folder and then into the 5000_OLays folder. Inside this folder are the two we'll be using today: 5100_CrmaFX and ChromaFX.

Opening the CrmaFX folder, you'll see DVE's but instead of motion icons representing motions, they instead have plain text labels. Our possibilities are quite broad here, and a partial list includes: Emboss, GrayScale, Negative, Posterize B&W, and Time Stretch.

Each of these effects is quite straight-forward. Load them into the Switcher effects bin, set a live camera or video stream on Program out, and click on an effect to load it. As you pull the t-bar downward, you will notice that the effect becomes more pronounced. This way, you can apply a small or large amount of certain effects, such as Posterize, Posterize B&W and Time Stretch. Some effects are a fixed value, such as Emboss, Negative and GrayScale, so even moving the t-bar slightly sends the video out in that mode. Time stretch is quite nice, with any motion on screen blurring. As the t-bar gets pulled farther down, the blur effect becomes more pronounced. In just a few moments, you'll see that your capabilities of producing unusual clips is a mouse-click away.

To make your clips to appear other-worldly, then it's time to experiment with the ChromaFX icon.

Launch a DDR, and in load the images found in \DVE's\5000_OLays\ChromaFX\.

Now, select the ChromeFX DVE in the switcher bin, and after placing a video stream (camera or a different DDR) on Program, select one of the colorful images (you can start with ColorLoopCFX.DVE.jpg) and begin pulling the t-bar. You’ll notice that the brightness in the video clip is affected by the colors in the palette you've selected. It does this by choosing a thin horizontal row of pixels, and modifying the brightness data with the colors in that horizontal strip. So, as you pull the t-bar on an angled gradient, one predominant color is replaced with another.

Now, for the ultimate in interactive control, you can launch Aura, and, once Aura is set to the switcher's preview row, you can begin painting and affecting the video as you paint.

These effects are exclusive to the switcher, so if you wish to add a soft time-blur or a crazed neon palette to a video for use in VT-Edit, you can play it back in one DDR, and record it back to the video drive. This just may be the visual change you need to spice up a clip or two in your current project!

If you have an idea for a tutorial, please e-mail me at vt2tutorials@newtek.com and we will get it posted! Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to check back often, as the Tutorials page continues to grow.