I put an alpha channel graphic on V2 on top of a video clip on V1.   I want to add a transition (spin, swish pan, etc.) at the head of the graphic on V2 to animate the way the graphic comes onto the screen.   However, the effect also effects the bottom video layer.   I only want it to effect the graphic on V2.    Is there a way to make this work?   Thanks.

I just discovered that some transitions like Avid PlasmaWipe work without effecting the video layer below while other Avid effects like "spin" or many Boris transitions effect the bottom video layer when applied to an alpha channel graphic on the layer above.

Bump.  Anybody?

I'm not sure that you can achieve what you want without doing an intermediary mixdown. The problem is that effects like Spin work on the entire video chain (all levels beneath the one where the effect is applied).

Terry Snyder:

Bump.  Anybody?

I did a rare deep dive a while back and then posted some tutorials for Avid-only (non-Boris) Effects solutions, so I would remember them...

what you seem to be asking *might* be helped by this one:

http://community.avid.com/forums/t/184062.aspx

Hi Terry, have a look here http://community.avid.com/forums/t/79576.aspx for a video on a similiar question. You can accomplish what You want, but it's tricky. You should have old fashioned graphics with a real B&W matte, rather than a bitmap with alpha. You can roll Your own anyway: lay down the graphic file on the timeline as V1, apply the desired transition, step into the bitmap, copy the matte track, paste it to the timeline, apply the same transition; make two videomixdowns for both the "transitioned" bitmap and matte, now, assuming the background video is V1, cut the bitmap videomixdown on V2, and the matte videomixdown on V3, apply a matte key from the effect palette on V3 (You may need to invert the key in the effect editor). You can work out how to use variations on this trick to accomodate different needs, the key is to matte key (!) creating the required invredients. 

Terry Snyder:

I put an alpha channel graphic on V2 on top of a video clip on V1.   I want to add a transition (spin, swish pan, etc.) at the head of the graphic on V2 to animate the way the graphic comes onto the screen.   However, the effect also effects the bottom video layer.   I only want it to effect the graphic on V2.    Is there a way to make this work?   Thanks.

This is something Avid really needs to figure out and work on. You shouldn't have to go through major workarounds to stop a animation from affecting lower tracks. 

dew:

Terry Snyder:

I put an alpha channel graphic on V2 on top of a video clip on V1.   I want to add a transition (spin, swish pan, etc.) at the head of the graphic on V2 to animate the way the graphic comes onto the screen.   However, the effect also effects the bottom video layer.   I only want it to effect the graphic on V2.    Is there a way to make this work?   Thanks.

This is something Avid really needs to figure out and work on. You shouldn't have to go through major workarounds to stop a animation from affecting lower tracks. 

Agreed, this comes up all the time and ought to work more intuitively.

On the other hand, I just tried that recipe from my link above and it easily worked to stop a Spinning FX on a V2 alpha from affecting image on a V1 layer. 

If you step in and apply the effect in there it might do the trick for you. 

Telegram!:

Effects solutions, so I would remember them...

what you seem to be asking *might* be helped by this one:

http://community.avid.com/forums/t/184062.aspx

It never occured to me to promote the graphic to 3D Warp and move the effect around that way.  I think that would work.

Thanks.

Robert Goodman :

If you step in and apply the effect in there it might do the trick for you. 

I will give this a try as well.   I see these effects applied to titles and graphics all the time, so there must be an easy way to do it.  Maybe they are using specialized titling software with the transition effects already built in?

DStone:

I'm not sure that you can achieve what you want without doing an intermediary mixdown. The problem is that effects like Spin work on the entire video chain (all levels beneath the one where the effect is applied).

If I do a mixdown, won't the top and bottom layers both be effected?   Or if I just mix down the alpha layer without the bottom layer, will it still have a transparency?   There's something I'm missing in figuring this all out.

Just follow the instructions in my posted link above, it just works.

Spectramatte is a trip and according to the Advabced Effects guide, superior to regular ChronaKey and RGBkeyer.  to http://resources.avid.com/SupportFiles/attach/AdvancedFXGuide_4.0_8.0.pdf#page231

All you need is a solid color Blue or green masterclip. It’s a simple recipe.

if there’s an easier way, I want to hear about it!

-I could not get the submaster idea to work, btw.

—I’m not sure I want to do a pair of video mixdowns, plus eventually somehow archive them, if that’s needed to do the Matte Key workaround, even if it looks somewhat cleaner. All this trouble for a transition effect on a alpha key...

This post has been very helpful.  Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.  

Terry, turning the alpha bitmap into a matte key leads to a cleaner result than turning it into a chroma key.