Image Blending

[keithnut]

I would be grateful if anyone could give me some advice.
I am trying to blend in a jpeg and or 2nd avi image into the main avi file.

I am using Virtualdub to produce the mainstream Video file which I save as an avi but vd doesn't seem to have any blending capabilities.
I have a video showing just sea and sky with a few thin clouds. It is a Music Video of about 4mins length. What I would like to do is to blend a jpeg/bmp/gig image or a part avi file of the composers face to fade in for a few seconds in the sky then fade out again. I've searched high and low for something that will alow me to do this but to no avail.

I have tended to use Open Source stuff but I'm prepared to pay up to about $100 for a GUI App that will allow me to get this effect.

Any suggestions gratefully accepted

[guns1inger]

I believe the latest versions of virtualdub may be able to do this, but I haven't used it for this type of effect. Other free alternatives include WAX2, Jahshaka and ZS4

[manono]

AviSynth's Overlay command combined with the Dissolve filter can do it fairly easily:

http://avisynth.org/mediawiki/Overlay
http://avisynth.org/mediawiki/Dissolve

A hundred bucks, you say? Heck, send it to me; I'll do it.

[WishMaker]

I haven't done what you're asking, but I've done something else, which was to create a sort of "mask", that
covered the entire area. But I don't see why you can't do what you're asking by modifying what I did.

I made a .bmp (and as far as I know only .bmp files will work)
The .bmp file was the same size as my video 320x240. (it covered the whole video)
Make your .bmp smaller. Experiment with the size.
When you're in VD, choose the logo filter.
It should give you an option to position the logo. (in your case your logo is your .bmp file/picture)
Then, to make it appear like it's fading in and out, I would use the click on View, then check the Curve Editor to
make the effect change over however many frames you want.

It's been a looong time since I did mine, so I might be missing a step, which might be you might have to
choose blend as a filter and then look up and choose View, then curve editor.
When using the curve editor, you shift+click to make "effect points" and then I think it's Ctrl+Click (left) to make them disappear.

My computer is doing something else right now, so I can't test this out at the moment. It will be about 8 hours
before it's free for me to test this method, which I might like to use sometime. If by that time, I come back and
see you have I will be more than happy to try out what I tried to explain and come back with a better
"how to". In the meantime, maybe someone here could fill in what I've left out. Also, I have no idea how
to do this with anything other than a .bmp.

[keithnut]

Thanks to all who have kindly given me some help with this. Just after reading the first two replies, I lost my system and just got it all back.

There are some interesting looking Apps which I will try tonight and also give the advice given working with Virtualdub a try.

This advice has taken me a step nearer a solution and I will certainly post my results When I get somewhere with this effect.

Once again Thanks to you all