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Monsieur OUXX · Fri 14/10/2011 12:10:34

It's a question about video editing.

I'm looking for the official name of a specific post-processing effect.

It's a bit like Chroma-Key (where the background is all green so it's easier to isolate the backrgound from the foreground), but in this effect, you feed the software with a still picture of the background (if you're lucky enough to have one) and then the software computes it out of each frame where the character appears and moves around. In the end, thanks to to this still frame, you've managed to isolate the foreground from the background.

the reason why I want to know the official name is to find tutorials about it. Hard ot use Google when you don't know the name of something.

Ali · Fri 14/10/2011 12:21:26

You could try "Difference Key" but I'm not sure.

TomatoesInTheHead · Fri 14/10/2011 12:28:13

"background subtraction" is a name for this at least in the scientific community, don't know about video editing though.

Chicky · Fri 14/10/2011 12:58:31

Here's a basic tutorial, it's a hard effect to get right. You're better off using it to add things behind the talent, rather than replacing the background completely. Have your actor wear something bright that will stand out against the background.

Wonkyth · Fri 14/10/2011 13:00:11

After a little Googling, I think the term you're looking for is difference matte key.
Hope that helps.

EDIT: Ninja'd by Chicky, dammit!

Although, Chicky, did you mean to have a link in there somewhere?

Monsieur OUXX · Fri 14/10/2011 13:34:20

Thanks guys!
I'll try with the terms you suggested :

- "difference key"
- "difference matte"
- "background subtraction"

Also yes, chcicky, didn't you forget the link or something?

EDIT: So far I've found tutorials on that only for expensive products such as Aftereffects and Premiere. the good new is it also seems like Blender does the job (I didn't even know it was doing video)
Nothing in Wax or VirtualDub apparently.
- Blender: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeGxm4QYfLI
- Aftereffects: http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/2/923637
- Premiere

I've also found new names to call this:

- "fixed plate" / "clean plate"

Monsieur OUXX · Fri 14/10/2011 15:46:08

It actually seems to be an advanced thing. Outside of big expensive applications I can't find anythng (except, then again, in Blender).

Ali · Fri 14/10/2011 16:22:04

Yay for blender!

I've never used this effect, I've always been worried that there'd be too much chance of the actor sharing colours/tones in common with the background. Let me know if it works out!

InCreator · Fri 14/10/2011 16:41:26

Does anyone know a good free collaborative tool?
Browser based, something like google docs, but so you can quickly drop files there or sketch or make flowcharts and share with project members?

Wonkyth · Sat 15/10/2011 02:36:29

Well, I'd say Wave, but that up and died.

Chicky · Sat 15/10/2011 03:21:55

Haha Chicky forgot the link!

Nikolas · Sun 16/10/2011 06:39:39

So...

I'm looking to make a website for my wife (an architect). Nothing too fancy in terms of what needs to work and how it needs to work. It's just a few pages about her, the services, contact info, etc...

I do NOT want to pay anyone to do it. She's got a great graphics head (being an architect) and I know how a website should be/look/feel (and prolly get some feedback from here).

What I do not know is HOW to do it. I will not programm html5 or other... no way. I know that some people base their websites into blog creating systems, but can this really work? Can someone link me to some free website creation software? (I have plenty of hosting to go around so I would only need to register the domain name)...

Thank you!

Oliwerko · Sun 16/10/2011 09:13:14

I've seen some websites done on http://www.webnode.com. It's possible to use the system on your own domain too. I don't really have any experience with it, I've just seen that it's kind of drag-and-drop thing. I think it's worth trying out.

nihilyst · Tue 18/10/2011 13:36:26

I'm looking for a movie, but I just can't find it.
Its plot involves some kind of nanobots (or just little robots) eating metal. They somehow destroy all the computers, and at the end, traffic lights go wild. In order to stop them, the protagonist uses the gameboy of his son, which is the last computer on earth or something, to hack into the nanobots' main system and stop them.
I'm afraid that's all I can remember. I've seen it here in Germany on TV a couple of years ago. Don't know if it's a production for television or for the movies.
I'd say it's a 90s film, maybe 1990 to 2001.

Anyone know that?

selmiak · Wed 19/10/2011 21:36:03

is it possible to record the audio output of my speakers with audacity? I only found tutorials that need another cable that connect the audio out with the mic in. And putting the mic next to the speakers is not preferred and truely my last choice. Any good free streamrecorders out there? But having it straight in audacity would be best

Bror_Jon · Wed 19/10/2011 22:08:59

@selmiak

Yes.

Go to edit>preferences>soundin/out and change recording to your sound card.

Edit: If you can't find your sound card in the drop down menu (and you have windows vista or 7), do this:

Go to control panel>sound>recording and right click the area with the devises and set it to "Show disabled devices".
Then your sound card should be visible as "stereo mix". Enable it!
After that audacity ought to be able to find it.

Edit edit: Also, if you want to record stereo sound, you need to change this in Audacity. You do this at the same place as where you select recording source.

selmiak · Wed 19/10/2011 23:57:07

doesn't work.
I don't have to go to preferences and stuff, as you can select the input directly from a dropdownmenu in the main window in audacity 1.3.12beta.
I already tried everything there, didn't work. So I went to win7>settings> sound>recording and tried either auxiliary (with the soundcard image next to it) and S/PDIF (with the car audio image (?) next to it) and tried all inputs in audacity. Some inputdevice settings made audacity tell me to check the sample settings of the project so I set everything in the audacity settings in preferences>quality to 16bit 41,1kHz (resp. 48kHz) and tried all input devices. Nada. Some told me to check the sample frequency again though.

While in the preferences of the sounddevice in the win settings you can check a 'listen in'. I checked that and mapped the sound to various devices, and nothing was recorded in audacity...

m0ds · Thu 20/10/2011 01:24:20

I'm trying to remember a puzzle game from the late 90's. I think you played as little blob things, flipping over tiles or something. All I remember is one of the backdrops being Mount Rushmore, or a variation of Mt. Rushmore. Can't for the life of me remember what it's called, so if anyone has a brainwave, please let me know!

bicilotti · Tue 25/10/2011 16:32:04

Back in the day I saw this peculiar watch, which used binary notation to display time.

I hope this crude mspaint will help me explain.

It was brasslike, with eight dots (divided in two halves). Each "dot" was nothing more than a thinnish cylinder, which could be "up" (i.e. in relief) or down.

Do you know if it is still in production or where I can find it? Or anything similar?

Ghost · Tue 25/10/2011 17:05:15

They are. rathergeeky.com still sells them as alarm clocks.

http://www.rathergeeky.com/

edit:
They look terribly complicated- what do you do when someone asks you the time? What do you acually SAY???

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m0ds

bicilotti

Ghost