Software for erasing in Video?

[DecimusMxms]

Whats a good software for erasing elements in a video clip? Like I want to erase people in the background. Please help! Tnx!

[extremyks]

Sounds easy to do but in a moving pictures with at least 29 frame per second... it's a hard one unless you have the skill and hardware to do it.

You could employ effects to remove say unwanted parts in the picture, like black bars, or even do a region soft/blur focus to lessen the attention to other subject in the video.

[DecimusMxms]

Tnx Mike but I've heard that rotoscoping is the technique used for erasing in video. Is this true? What software does this?

[extremyks]

Originally posted by DecimusMxms
Tnx Mike but I've heard that rotoscoping is the technique used for erasing in video. Is this true? What software does this?

Yap its one of those post-production technique. I remember a classic program for mac called RotoDV.

Commotion Pro for OS X can also do the job. As the reviews says, it's like having Photoshop and AE in one software.

Apple Shake may form part of your tools should you decide to do it seriously.

[bagwis]

Rotoscoping is quite hard and very tedious if you do it in our consumer machines. Of course, the more money you pay, the easier it would get (maybe the Quantel Henrys?). But still, most perfectly executed rotoscoped materials are the ones you do frame by frame, and not by any automated shortcut in a program. Adobe After Effects is one of the cheapest way to do it, but I must warn you, as Mike did, you have to do it frame by frame. And 1 sec is 29 frames. A minute of rotoscoped materials would mean around 1,800 frames.

We usually see rotoscoped materials in merchandising plugs on TV (a lot in ESPN), OBBs, etc. Meaning we work with existing video materials, rather than conceptualize, shoot, then edit. If you have the time and the extra budget, you might want to use chroma keying and reshoot your materials in green or blue background.

Any suggestions, jofab?

[Edited on 7-29-2004 by bagwis]

[DecimusMxms]

Guess I'll have to do better in shooting next time... You guys were so helpful.
THANKS!