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  1. Banned
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    Ok, so lets say we have a video of a fireplace with a nice roaring fire going in it. And lets say that the video starts from a wide angle shot, zooms in. And lets say that the source of this is in old school 4:3 aspect ratio.

    Of course I'm saying all these things because that is the case.

    So, I had a thought. Normally I'm something of a purist, if it's in 4:3, keep it in 4:3. I'm not in favor of any kind of cropping and throwing away of a bulk of the source material. I actually got into a twitter fight with the idiot that destroyed Paul McCartney's music videos by deciding filling modern TVs is more important than keeping 1/3 of the original picture. Idiot.

    But, this does mean that I am going to have black bars on the side of my screen when viewing. Which is standard stuff, I know, and I don't have a problem with. But, if I had the option of having something there rather than nothing, perhaps something would be better, so long as I don't have to throw anything away to get it.

    So, I realized......the video, zooms in at the beginning. This means that the area of the fireplace that is outside of the sides of the shot, is in the zoom in segment. So, I could take a still shot from just before it finishes zooming in, lay out a session in vegas, put the still shot behind the video, and line up the still shot to be aligned, giving me the surrounding areas of the shot in the sides, instead of black.

    This does work out actually. Of course, the zoom in and zoom out segments of the video won't work, but....for the bulk of the video, I can have this there, and have the screen full. Of course, you can tell it's not the full shot. The one thing that stands out the most is that, the flickering of the fire in the fireplace effects the lighting, while the sides is stationary in it's lighting.


    Which makes me wonder if I"m the first to do any such thing.....is there some sort of advanced filter or plug in that would perhaps translate that lighting effect from my top video to the still behind it, to help it blend in more?


    I know, that would be rather advanced, and as usual I have a way with coming here with the most specific odd ball scenarios. But, I figured, such a thing could be possible, and perhaps someone out there has experimented with plug ins to alter existing stills or video with lighting effects that I might be able to use. A long shot, I know, but I figured I'd throw it out there and see if anyone has any suggestions or thoughts.
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  2. Member racer-x's Avatar
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    Instead of chasing this wacky idea.....why not take a widescreen picture of a fireplace or something, then overlay or mask the 4:3 fire in so that it looks like it belongs there. You'll have your full screen and won't have to do lighting adjustments.
    Got my retirement plans all set. Looks like I only have to work another 5 years after I die........
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  3. Originally Posted by Jon.G View Post
    I actually got into a twitter fight with the idiot that destroyed Paul McCartney's music videos by deciding filling modern TVs is more important than keeping 1/3 of the original picture. Idiot.
    I've done the same on occasion and I don't think I'm an idiot. Maybe I need to check....
    Mind you it's not something I'd make a habit of because doing it properly can be very time consuming. I don't just crop, I use Pan and Scan so when I'm throwing away 1/3rd of the video, it's the disposable third. The last video I did was a rock concert from a 4:3 DVD. The panning and scanning probably took me the best part of a day. Maybe longer. I'd defy anyone to watch the 16:9 version though and have the slightest idea it was originally 4:3.

    Anyhow.... that's not helping solve your problem... sorry.
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  4. Take the left edge of the 4:3 picture, flip it horizontally, blur it a lot, then overlay it with an alpha mask (mostly transparent, more transparent away from the border) over the static left border. Do the same at the right edge.
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  5. Member budwzr's Avatar
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    There are several variations of this. I see it on broadcast occasionally.

    Post #4 is the most simple and straightforward, and compositing isn't required.

    But the compositing of a texture, like fire, has to be layered. And you would need Vegas Pro. What you're asking for is you want to capture the light of the fire onto an alpha layer.

    Then crop/flip/duplicate the 4:3 video into like a doll case that opens in the middle with mirrors on the doors. Then screen the firelights on top.

    Like a roller skating rink with disco balls. Actually, even in Vegas Studio, I think you can still do a "mix". Which is not technically a comp. But you still need a luminance mask to extract the fire, and I don't think Studio has that.

    If you can see the comp in your mind first, before trying to build it, it's easier. But better off to let someone here lay it out for you. So we're waving a flag for the ubergeeks to pour in here and load us up.

    Last edited by budwzr; 26th Dec 2013 at 10:51.
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  6. Is there something special or unique about this footage? Because you can download free HD fireplace footage from places youtube, vimeo etc...

    One way you can address the zoom in /zoom out sections is by scaling the most zoomed out frame over time. There are motion tracking tools that do this (instead of manually manipulating keyframes) , but it can be done manually in vegas
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    Cool, thanks for all the suggestions. I played around with the post #4 idea a bit, but after a while decided i was putting too much time and effort into this, and figured I should just stay happy with the original as it is, 4:3 formatting and all. But, I still like the idea, and may use some free time at some point to play around with more of these things.


    The footage is unique in that it is the original definitive Yule Log, the WPIX Yule Log.
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  8. Member budwzr's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by poisondeathray View Post
    .... There are motion tracking tools that do this (instead of manually manipulating keyframes) , but it can be done manually in vegas
    "Manually manipulating keyframes" certainly sounds menacing, but it's not so bad. Start/End, and whatever tweeners.
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  9. Originally Posted by budwzr View Post
    Originally Posted by poisondeathray View Post
    .... There are motion tracking tools that do this (instead of manually manipulating keyframes) , but it can be done manually in vegas
    "Manually manipulating keyframes" certainly sounds menacing, but it's not so bad. Start/End, and whatever tweeners.

    It is bad in live action footage. A real life camera zoom isn't a perfect linear function, or even a simple curve. There are little micro jitters that will cause the composite to "break apart" if you use 2 keyframes, or even a dozen keyframes . If you want it to match the motion perfectly, you need to motion track


    Is the WPIX Yule log an American "thing" ? It's not very big in Canada . I haven't even heard of it before. I found footage on youtube. Looks very exciting, my eyes were glued

    The classics watched here are the original Rudolf The Red Nosed Raindeer, Frosty the Snowman, etc...
    Last edited by poisondeathray; 26th Dec 2013 at 13:46.
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  10. Member olyteddy's Avatar
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    OMG! I just looked up the YouTube of it and I had (have? somewhere in the basement?) a 4 hour (EP) VHS tape of that very log! Bought it at the Dollar Store for (I believe) a dollar!
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    I'll give you $2 for it, lol.

    As far as is it a "thing", well....it would be originally a New York thing, but some stations across the country carry it now, such as antenna tv. It used to run for a few hours in the evening on Christmas Eve, but now it runs in the morning on Christmas day.

    There's a website devoted to it, http://www.theyulelog.com/
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  12. Member budwzr's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by poisondeathray View Post
    Is the WPIX Yule log an American "thing" ? It's not very big in Canada . I haven't even heard of it before. I found footage on youtube. Looks very exciting, my eyes were glued
    Never heard of it, and I'm American.

    Oh, wait. That's from the 70's. My phoe paw.
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  13. Member racer-x's Avatar
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    I never heard of it either and I remember the 70s, well most of them anyway.........

    I actually made a couple of fireplace loops that can loop for eternity...
    Got my retirement plans all set. Looks like I only have to work another 5 years after I die........
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