Generating the matte for text enables you to work with the text independently from the underlying media and to use the text in other modules. By generating a matte, you can easily composite the text onto another clip. While creating text using a gap effect produces a similarly independent text element, generating a text matte has the advantage that you can use the text in effects that call for a front, back and matte clip. Furthermore, combining a back and matte clip with an Axis effect allows you to manipulate the text without affecting the underlying clip.

When creating a matte from text, the transparency of the text's fill attribute is handled according to the processing option selected: Process, Matte, or Both. The Process option does not create a matte, and the transparency is applied, as expected, to the text on the back layer. Selecting Matte produces a matte only, and transfers the text's fill transparency to the matte. This produces the desired result when compositing the text and its matte with a background. That is, it yields a composite image in which the text has a transparency. The Both option results in a back and a matte clip; note, however, the fill transparency is stripped from the text and once again transferred to the matte.

To generate a matte for text:

1. Create effects using the Text module, as desired.
2. From the Process box, select one of the following to process the text and/or matte of the text.

   Select:	To:
   Process	Process only the text on the back layer.
   Matte	Process only the matte of the text. The text fill transparency attribute is transferred to the matte.
   Both	Process the text on the back layer and the matte of the text. The fill transparency is removed from the text and transferred to the matte.

   The matte of the text appears on the Desktop.

In Batch, the Use Transp button determines how the transparency attribute is applied. Enable Use Transp to transfer the transparency attribute to the matte. Disable it to leave it on the back clip.