Drawing Free-Form Geometries			Adding a Split Screen
Chapter 15, Secondary Colour Grading

Topics on this Page:

Moving Axes

Adjusting Tangents and Vertices

Transforming Geometries

Applying Softness to Geometries

Blurring Geometries

Setting the Colour and Opacity of Geometries

Once you finish drawing a basic or free-form geometry, you can modify its shape, position, and appearance. You can:

• Reposition axes.

• Adjust tangents and vertices.

• Apply transformations.

• Apply constant or variable softness.

• Apply a blur filter.

• Adjust the colour transparency.

Hint: To modify the geometry's parameters without the colour correction being visible, right-click the geometry's layer number button. To re-display the colour correction, right-click the button again.

Moving Axes

An axis can be moved from its default central position within the geometry. This affects how a geometry will behave when you scale or rotate it.

• Press Alt, right-click the axis, and drag it to another position.

Adjusting Tangents and Vertices

Adjust the shape of a geometry by manipulating its tangents and vertices. You can:

• Modify the position of vertices and tangents.

• Add and remove vertices and tangents.

• Break tangents.

In the Player, you can move vertices and tangents to adjust the shape of a geometry.

1. If you are working with a basic shape, right-click it in the Player to convert it to a free-form geometry.

2. In the Secondaries menu, enable Move.

   

3. Do any of the following:

   • To move a vertex, drag it in the Player.

   • To move multiple vertices, drag from anywhere on the screen without vertices. Then draw a selection box around the vertices you want to move and drag them in the Player.

     Hint: To deselect multiple vertices, click away from the selected ones.

   • To modify the shape or curve of a side, move the adjacent tangents. Drag a tangent handle to change its position.

You can add and remove vertices from a geometry. When you add or remove a vertex, the curve is redrawn according to the change of shape.

1. If you are working with a basic shape, right-click it in the Player to convert it to a free-form geometry.

2. In the Secondaries menu, enable Add Pts or press A.

   

3. In the Player, move the mouse over the mask border of the geometry you want to modify.

   The current position on the geometry is highlighted.

4. Click the geometry where you want to add a vertex.

   The vertex is added to the geometry.

1. In the Secondaries menu, enable Del Pts or press D.

   

2. In the Player, move the mouse over the mask border of the geometry you want to modify.

   The current vertex on the geometry is highlighted.

3. Click the highlighted vertex.

   The vertex is deleted from the geometry. The shape of the geometry is adjusted according to the change.

You can separate two tangent handles (break the tangent) and move them separately. You can also repair broken tangents.

1. To break and move a tangent handle, Ctrl-click the tangent handle and drag it.

2. To repair a broken tangent handle, Ctrl-click it.

Transforming Geometries

You can apply transformations to change the position and size of a geometry. You can:

• Move geometries.

• Rotate geometries.

• Scale geometries.

1. In the Secondaries menu, enable Move or press T.

   

2. In the Player, drag the axis of the geometry you want to move.

3. To lock the geometry to the X- or Y-axis when you move it, you can drag from the arrowheads of the X- or Y-axis.

   

• Do one of the following:

  • In the Player, right-click the axis and hold down the right mouse button while dragging.

  • In the Secondaries menu, enable Rotate or press Z. Then, in the Player, drag the axis of the geometry you want to rotate.

  

1. In the Secondaries menu, enable Scale or press X.

   

2. In the Player, drag along the axis of the geometry in the direction you want to scale.

   Drag the:	To scale the geometry:
   X-axis	Along the X-axis.
   Y-axis	Along the Y-axis.
   Global Scale axis	Along the Z-axis.

   
   

   Hint: You can drag the Z-axis to scale a geometry in any transformation mode--in Rotate, Move, or Scale mode.

Applying Softness to Geometries

You can increase and decrease the softness range to soften the edges of geometries. You can set the softness of the mask edge using:

• Constant softness

• Variable softness to vary the softness range for different parts of the mask

You can apply a constant range of softness to the edge of a geometry on a secondary. You can apply constant softness to the inside or outside of the mask border. You do not need to convert a basic shape to a free-form geometry in order to apply constant softness.

1. Do one of the following:

   • In the Player, select a geometry.

   • From the Axes list, select a geometry or its axis.

   

2. In the Secondaries menu, do one of the following:

   • To apply softness to the inside of the mask border, enable In, and then drag the Softness slider. Drag right to increase softness. Drag left to decrease softness.

   • To apply softness to the outside of the mask border, enable Out, and then drag the Softness slider. Drag right to increase softness. Drag left to decrease softness.

   

   The softness level set by the Softness slider is applied to the geometry.

You can apply variable softness to the edges of one or more geometries to customize the softness at different parts of the mask. Variable softness has two softness borders, one inside and one outside the mask border. It also includes inner and outer softness vertices for each regular mask vertex.

You can customize the softness at different parts of the mask by adjusting the distance of each softness vertex from the mask border--you set a softness value based on each vertex in the shape.

Variable softness can only be applied to free-hand geometries, or to basic geometries that have been converted to a free-form geometry.

1. Do one of the following

   • In the Player, select a geometry.

   • From the Axes list, select a geometry or its axis.

   

2. In the Secondaries menu, enable Variable.

   

   Softness is applied inside and outside the mask border.

3. Drag the Softness slider. Drag right to increase softness. Drag left to decrease softness.

   

   The softness level set by the Softness slider is applied to the geometry.

4. Drag the vertices and tangents to adjust the shape and vary the softness at the edges of the geometry. See Adjusting Tangents and Vertices.

Blurring Geometries

You can apply a Gaussian blur to soften all geometries on the current secondary layer.

1. In the Secondaries menu, click a Secondary button to enable it.

   

2. Drag the Blur slider. Drag right to increase the blur. Drag left to decrease the blur.

   

Setting the Colour and Opacity of Geometries

You can adjust the colour and opacity of a geometry.

If you are applying only one geometry or several non-overlapping geometries to a secondary, modify either the colour or opacity to adjust the matte--in this case, colour and opacity will have the same effect on the image. If you are applying several overlapping geometries to a secondary, modify both colour and opacity to adjust the matte--colour will set the intensity of the colour of the geometry, whereas opacity will set the transparency, creating a blend between the overlapping geometries.

1. Do one of the following:

   • In the Player, select a geometry.

   • From the Axis list, select a geometry or its axis.

   

2. In the Secondaries menu, drag the Opacity slider to adjust the transparency of the mask.

   

   The Opacity slider defines the blend between overlapping geometries. A value of 50% is a 50/50 blend. A value of 100% shows the exact colour of the geometry. A value of 0% shows what is behind the selected geometry.

3. To set the intensity of the colour of the geometry, use the Colour controls:

   • Click B to set a colour value of 0% (black).

   • Click W to set a colour value of 100% (white).

   • Drag the Colour slider to set a colour value between 0% and 100%. A value of 50% means the area is 50% grey.