Layering video and moving around screen

[3hitsaday]

I'm using a few different programs, Adobe Premiere, Aftereffects, and Pinnacle studio 9.

None seem to be able to move the layers around but just default to center screen.

More specifically, I have a clip in .avi and I want to drop a few animated .gifs on top. Adobe is the only program that reads the transparency and doesn't show a black or white box background. However, I cannot move the gif anywhere except center screen

Aftereffects allows me to move the gif around the screen, but only in 10 second blocks, but the .gif is not transparent and the opening frame is like a bad thumbnail.

Pinnacle doesn't even support .gifs.

So, should I convert the .gif to flash, small .avi, or does anyone know how to manipulate where objects appear on the viewable screen in Premiere?

[guns1inger]

After Effects can do this with it's eyes closed and both hands tied behind it's back. I suspect that Premiere wouldn't find it much harder.

What you need to do is read the manuals/help files that ship with the software. It's all in there. Here are a few terms to kick you off - scale and transform

[rsgars]

Seems like this should be a simple matter of using Motion Effects in Premiere. Like gins1inger said, read the manual and or check the Adobe site for tutorials.

[Cornucopia]

guns1inger, you took the words right out of my mouth! 8) (Although, I would have said "asleep and blindfolded")...

Scott

[3hitsaday]

I have premiere pro 7.0, and i don't see the motion effects.

I can move it in after effects, no problem, but the animated gif is messed up. It isn't transparent, the gif has a white box background, and it doesn't play the gif correctly. It jumps around, like it misreads the thumbnail, then goes into the animation.

So, it looks fine in premiere, but is the motion effect a plugin i need to get or where specifically is it?

[guns1inger]

RTFM, or at the very least, bookmark this site

http://www.wrigleyvideo.com/videotutorial/

There probably isn't a tutorial to do exactly what you want to do, but the technique you need is used is several of them. Watch and learn.

[wingnut]

I'm no expert on the packages being discussed here but if you have a package that will convert an animated gif to avi you could then try importing the affected clip as avi and see if this resolves your issue. I know the animated gif package that comes with Paint Shop Pro 7 (dont know about later versions) can do just this..

Cheers

[3hitsaday]

Alright, i'm going to revise my question here and try to use AfterEffects since it will move the .gifs around the screen like I want...

Why does premiere properly show the .gif animation with the tranparent background while aftereffects shows the background in white?

Is there a way in aftereffects to toggle the transparency on/off?


I've tried converting them to avi, but the freeware i had, movies13, didn't work. I'll try paint shop pro which has a .gif to .avi converter.

[guns1inger]

Perhaps you need to use one of after effects keyers to remove the background correctly, or import it in another way ?

[rsgars]

Alright, i'm going to revise my question here and try to use AfterEffects since it will move the .gifs around the screen like I want...

Why does premiere properly show the .gif animation with the tranparent background while aftereffects shows the background in white?

Is there a way in aftereffects to toggle the transparency on/off?


I've tried converting them to avi, but the freeware i had, movies13, didn't work. I'll try paint shop pro which has a .gif to .avi converter.

I'm not an After Effects expert and I'm a little confused about all the issues you mention (for example I only know of Premiere Pro 1.5 and Premiere Pro 2.0), but it seems as far as the background you are getting hung up on the wrong thing.

Try creating the effect in After Effects and don't worry about the background. Now import the effect into Premiere. Put the video that you want as the "background" in video track 1. Put After Effects effect in video track 2, directly over the video in track one. You may have to use the keying effects in Premiere to make the video in track 1 show through properly.

If you don't understand the basic terms I am using, or where to find things like Motion Effects or Keying Effects in Premiere, then I agree with those who say you need to learn the basics of the program before asking us how to create a specific effect. There are lots of sources for tutorials, like the Adobe site itself, Wrigley Video, Creative Cow, Total Training. Becoming proficient in Premiere takes some effort.