New This Article Aims to Show You How to Improve Your Lighting in the Sun for 2024

This Article Aims to Show You How to Improve Your Lighting in the Sun

Shooting outdoors is a challenge in most situations. We have to deal with the sun being overexposed or the background is too dark.

In this article, we’ll show you how to light with the sun the easiest way. These simple and effective tips can help you block the harsh sun and make it to your advantage!

1) Preparation

You may need those things to film under the harsh sun:

An ND filter for your lens
A flag to block the sun. It can be anything like a black poster.
A white poster to bounce the sunlight.
Artificial light equipment.

Now let’s see when and how to use them against the strong sunlight!

2) Direct to the Sun

If we want a specific background for our shot but our talent has to face the sun, here are some tips you can do to undermine the unflattering light or the blindness.

1. Pick up an ND filter on your lens

We use it outside so we can open our aperture to get nice blurry backgrounds without overexposing our footage.

2. Use a “flag” to block or shape the sunlight

Using a black piece of poster board works perfectly fine, hold it up to the sun. Also, remember to angle your “flag” to create harsh lines or fully shade your talent.

3. Adjust your camera to fit the environment

For example, you can change the exposure of your camera to match the talent’s face giving a more silhouette look.

3) Back to the Sun

Have you ever been filming outside only to see your talent dark in the frame with the background blown out with light? To fix the problem, the simplest way is to use a “bounce”.

By using a “bounce”, we can reflect the light from the sun to our talent. Make sure to lift the bounce and move it around to get the right amount of light on your talent.

This should give us a nice look with the sun backlighting our subject and the bounce filling in the shadows and giving us soft light on our talent’s face!

4) Artificial lighting

If we want to control our lighting better, we will want to use artificial lights in combination with the sun.

For example, weather changes. As you shot, the sun will move and make lighting challenging to keep consistent.

In that case, we can use the flag technique that we used before to block the harsh sunlight and then use our lights on our talent’s face, this keeps our lighting more consistent than if we relied on just the natural light.

Now, take a look at the comparison with all the lighting conditions we create:

Flag VS Flag & Light

Backlight VS Backlight & Bounce

Summary

If you shoot or film outdoors, you must learn how to cope with the unsteady natural light. Hope this article helps you with that and kindly leave your thoughts below.

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

How to Add Text to Video

If you are making an instructional or explainer video, you will often find that you need to add text to various sections of the video. Depending on the tool you use, the process of adding text to a video can be simple or complicated.

In this article, we will share with you the different options you have when you want to add text elements to a video project.

Add Text to a Video Online

One of the easiest ways that you can add text to any video is to use a free online solution. There are many online tools to choose from but VEED is a free solution that is easy to use and offers a wide range of features to choose from.

Here’s how you can use VEED to add text to your video;

Step1Go to https://www.veed.io/ on any browser to access the video editing tool. Click on “Upload Your Video” to open a new project. In the new project screen that appears, tap on “Upload a file” to add your video.

Step2Once the video is open, click on the “Text” tab on the left and then select the type of text you want to add to the video.

Step3Type in your text and then use the options below the text box to choose the font style, size, and color of the text. You can also use the duration icons below the text to indicate where you want the text to appear during playback.

Step4When you’re happy with the changes, click on the “Export” button at the top to save the changes and download the video.

Add Text to Video on Computer

While online tools like VEED can come in handy when you want to make simple changes to a video, you will often find that they don’t have the necessary features to customize the text in various ways. For that, we recommend Wondershare Filmora, a desktop editing suite that has a lot of useful features.

Filmora combines its wealth of editing features and a simple user interface to make it one of the most effective video editors in the market. Here’s how you can add text to any video using Filmora.

Step1Download and install Wondershare Filmora onto your computer. Open the program and then click on the “Import” button to start. You can also just drag and drop the video to the main window to open it.

Step2Once the video is open in Filmora, you will need to drag it to the timeline panel before you can start to edit it.

Step3Click on the “Titles” tab at the top to open the text and title presets that you will need to add text to the document. Filmora offers more than 200 text effects to choose from. Just double-click on one of the presents to select it and then the preview window to see it in real-time.

Step4If you like the preset that you have selected, place the cursor on the position in the timeline where you would like to add the text and then drag and drop the title track above the video in the timeline.

Step5If you would like to change the duration of the text simply drag the edge of the timeline until you get the length that you desire. Filmora also allows you to edit and customize the text. To do that, double-click on the “Title” time frame to get some customization options.

Step6Once you are happy with all the changes you have made, click on “Export” and choose an output format to save and export your video.

Add text to Video on iPhone

One of the easiest ways to edit a video on an iPhone is to use iMovie. This simple and effective solution can help you edit videos on your iPhone in numerous ways including adding text and subtitles. The following are simple steps to help you use iMovie to add text to a video on an iPhone;

Step1Open the video clip that you would like to add text to. Once the video is open, click on the Text icon from the options at the bottom of the screen.

Step2Select the style you would like to use from the list of templates.

Step3A sample text will appear on the screen. Tap on it and then select “Edit” to enter the desired text. Tap “Done” once you are done typing.

Step4To move the text to the desired location, simply tap on it again and reposition it. You also have the option to increase or decrease the size of the text as desired using the pinch motion. If you want to change the color or font, tap on the “T” that will appear below the clip and choose “Aa” to change the font or the multicolored circle to change color.

You also have numerous other options in terms of effects including text-shadow. Just tap on the “three-dot icon” to access these features.

Add Text to Video on Android

The best way to add a video on Android devices is to use third-party apps. The good news is that there are several very useful video editing apps that you can use for this purpose. In this guide, we will show you how you can add text to a video on Android using two of the most effective solution.

Using the PowerDirector by Cyberlink

PowerDirector is a video editing app that allows you to edit various aspects of the video including adding text to the video. Available on the Google Play Store, this app has a wealth of additional features that include trimming, rotating clips, and even adjusting the color, brightness, and saturation.

Here’s how you can use PowerDirector to add text to your video;

Step1Install PowerDirector on your device. Open it and tap “New Project” at the top. Select an aspect ratio depending on the video project you are working on and enter a project name.

Step2Select the video that you would like to edit from the folders that show up on the screen. The video will be added to the main timeline of the project.

Step3Select the video layer and then tap on the layer mask from the left sidebar. Select the text tab at the top and then choose the text style that you want to add to the video. Tap on the “+” button inside the style to add the text style you have selected.

Step4Type in the text that you want to add to the video on the text box and then tap on the “T” icon at the top-right corner of the text box to customize the text.

You can use PowerDirector to change the font, color, and text size or even add effects like Text shadow.

Step5When you’re done editing the video, tap on the “Export” icon at the top-right corner of the screen and choose if you would like to save the video on the device or share it via a social media app.

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

How to Zoom in Discord

Discord is the most popular platform for communication among gaming communities and even YouTubers. Discord allows users to send text, voice, and video messages. Most importantly, Discord is available for computer users, smartphone users as well as online browser users. There are times when you may need to zoom in on Discord for better readability of messages. There are different ways on how to zoom in Discord.

There could also be a scenario where you have excessive zoom in effect, and you need to zoom out for better readability. Similarly, if you have pressed the wrong shortcuts accidentally and the screen on Discord has zoomed in, you have to zoom out to bring the screen to its original state. We will illustrate how to zoom out in Discord as well for computer, smartphone, and online users.

Part 1: How to Zoom Discord on Computer

Since Discord is mostly popular among gamers, Discord desktop app is the most widely used. If you want to zoom in on Discord desktop app, you should know that the zoom option is not readily available under any menu, and there is no keyboard shortcut you can press to zoom in and zoom out instantly. Instead, here are the steps on how to zoom in on Discord.

Step1Launch Discord desktop app on your computer. Click on the Gear icon located at the bottom left corner by the side of your username.

Step2Once Settings window opens, go to App Settings section from the left side and click on Appearance option.

Step3On the right section, scroll down, and you will find three options for zooming – Chat font scaling, Space between message groups, and Zoom level.

Step4According to your requirements, you can move the slider to the right to zoom in on Discord. You can also press Ctrl and “+” keys together to zoom in. Press Ctrl and “-“ keys together to zoom out. If you want to reset the changes, press Ctrl and O keys together.

Step5Once you are satisfied with the level of zooming, press Esc key on your keyboard to save the changes.

Part 2: How to Zoom Discord Online

If you are relatively new to Discord, you are likely to use its in-browser online version before downloading desktop or smartphone app. Zooming in and out on Discord is super easy when you use Discord online. This is because almost all browsers have in-built option to zoom in and zoom out any website including Discord. Here are the steps on how to zoom in Discord online.

Step1Open your web browser and visit the official website of Discord.

Step2Click on the three-dot icon at the top-right corner of the browser.

Step3From the drop-down menu, go to Zoom option. Click on “+” icon to zoom in and “-“ icon to zoom out.

Alternatively, you can simply launch Discord on any browser and press Ctrl and “+” or “-“ keys together for zooming in and out. You get to see by how much percentage the browser is zooming in and zooming out. If you want to reset, bring the percentage to 100%.

Part 3: How to Zoom Discord on Mobile

Discord is available for Android and iOS users. For any app, the zoom feature is generally unavailable. But Discord has included zoom in and zoom out options under accessibility features for the convenience of the users. Therefore, the zoom effect will only be reflected on Discord app rather than on all apps. Here are the steps on how to zoom in and how to zoom out in Discord app.

Step1On your smartphone, open Discord app. Tap on your Profile icon located at the bottom-right corner.

Step2You must be on User Settings page where you need to find and tap on Appearance present under App Settings.

Step3Scroll down and come to Chat Font Scaling and move the slider to the right for zooming in.

There is Reset option at the bottom to cancel out the changes made as far as zoom effect goes.

Conclusion

There are going to be times when you have to adjust the size displayed on Discord for better readability. We have illustrated how you can easily zoom in and zoom out whether you are accessing Discord from its desktop app or smartphone app. Besides, you can also zoom in and out if you are using Discord web version.

Part 1: How to Zoom Discord on Computer

Step1Launch Discord desktop app on your computer. Click on the Gear icon located at the bottom left corner by the side of your username.

Step2Once Settings window opens, go to App Settings section from the left side and click on Appearance option.

Step3On the right section, scroll down, and you will find three options for zooming – Chat font scaling, Space between message groups, and Zoom level.

Step5Once you are satisfied with the level of zooming, press Esc key on your keyboard to save the changes.

Part 2: How to Zoom Discord Online

Step1Open your web browser and visit the official website of Discord.

Step2Click on the three-dot icon at the top-right corner of the browser.

Step3From the drop-down menu, go to Zoom option. Click on “+” icon to zoom in and “-“ icon to zoom out.

Part 3: How to Zoom Discord on Mobile

Step1On your smartphone, open Discord app. Tap on your Profile icon located at the bottom-right corner.

Step2You must be on User Settings page where you need to find and tap on Appearance present under App Settings.

Step3Scroll down and come to Chat Font Scaling and move the slider to the right for zooming in.

There is Reset option at the bottom to cancel out the changes made as far as zoom effect goes.

Conclusion

Track Mattes: The Ultimate Guide For After Effects

Are you wondering what Track Mattes is? In After Effects, this tool adds an invisible layer that is used to mask or reveal parts of a layer, including video, graphics, text, shapes, and images. This feature is in the arsenal of any visual effects artist or motion graphic designer.

For After Effects editors, Track Mattes can be an incredibly helpful tool for managing multiple layers and creating complex animations.

In this article, we’ll explore everything you need to know about Track Mattes. We’ll cover topics like the difference between a mask and Track Matte, finding this tool in After Effects, and its four options: Alpha Matter, Alpha Inverted Matte, Luma Matte, and Luma Inverted Matte.

Alpha Matte
Alpha Inverted Matte
Luma Matte
Luma Inverted Matte
Differences Between Alpha Channel and Luma Channel

Part 1. What Are Track Mattes In After Effects?

A Track Matte is an element used in video editing to control the opacity of a layer. Essentially, it lets you create a “hole” in a layer so that underlying layers can show through. This tool can be used with video and audio layers, which is essential for creating complex composites in After Effects.

You can use Track Mattes to generate shapes, reveal part of a layer, or keying outs. Interestingly, it remains independent of all layers in your projects, which means you can get visual effects and animations more efficiently than with the masks tool.

Moreover, Track Mattes uses Alpha or Luma channels as a layer mask to determine what parts of the layer to reveal. For instance, you can make a top layer that provides an Alpha or Luminous effect and a bottom layer consisting of the image that will be revealed or shown.

Thus, if you want to use an image to hide your video until you want to unveil it or add a picture in your text, Track Mattes will help you to shape the appearance of a layer above it.

Part 2. Differences Between A Mask And A Track Matte

In Adobe After Effects, there are two types of masking tools: Masks and Track Mattes. Both are used to hide or reveal a portion of a layer.

Here’re some key differences between a Mask and a Track Matte:

A mask is dependent on a specific layer, while the Track Matter is independent of any layer.
A mask is applied directly to a layer having an image or a video and transforms with the layers. On the other hand, Track Matte is a stationary mask applied to the composition rather than a layer.

Part 3. Finding The Track Matte Tool In After Effects

Track Matte is located by default in the Timeline Window of the After Effects interface, but if it is unavailable there for some reason, toggle the Transfer Control Pane button on the bottom-left of the timeline.

If you are still unable to find the Track Matte option, press the F1 key or do the following steps in sequence:

Right-click on the area above your layers and select “Columns.”
Scroll down and click the “Modes” option to enable it.

Track Matte mode, Preserve Underlying Transparency, and Blending Modes will be available now.

Under Track Matte’s drop-down menu, you can find four further options, two with Alpha and two with Luma. We’ll discuss these options in detail in the next section.

Part 4. All Four Track Matte Options In After Effects

After Effects provides four types of Track Matte options: Alpha Matte, Alpha Inverted Matte, Luma Matte, and Luma Inverted Matte, each has its own specific use case. But first, you need to understand what Alpha and Luma are:

Alpha: This Track Matte type uses the layer’s Alpha channel to determine the layer’s opacity.

Luma: This Track Matte type uses the top layer’s brightness to mask the bottom layer.

Let’s find out the functions of each option one by one:

Alpha Matte

Alpha Matte is an important option under the Track Matte menu, as it allows you to create a mask based on the transparency of the layer you are using it on. Like the mask, it will use any pixel above 0% opacity and can be useful for various purposes, such as creating a vignette or isolating a certain area of the frame.

Alpha Inverted Matte

The Alpha Inverted Matte option is quite the opposite of the Alpha Matte, and around the Alpha channel, it uses negative space from the above layer and will therefore use pixels with 0% opacity as it had 100% opacity.

Luma Matte

Instead of using the Alpha channel, Luma Mattes uses the brightness level or Luma channel of the upper layer to create a mask for the bottom layer.

Luma Inverted Matte

Opposite of the Luma Matte, the Luma Inverted Matte uses dark or low luminance areas of the upper layer to create a mask for the lower layer.

Differences Between Alpha Channel and Luma Channel

When altering the opacity of a layer, it may look like the brightness settings are changed. This might confuse some users, as both Alpha and Luma channels carry the same information. However, they differ in how they are used.

Alpha channel is a type of Track Matte that stores transparency information. This information determines how opaque or transparent a layer will be when superimposed over another layer.

On the other hand, a Luma channel is a video track that stores brightness information. This information is used to determine how bright or dark an image will be and is further divided into three channels, i.e., Red, Green, and Blue (RGB). Their value ranges from 0 to 255, where 0 represents the darkest value while 255 represents the brightest value.

Video – How to use Track Mattes in Adobe After Effects - Tutorial

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve discussed what Track Matte is in After Effects and how it differs from the mask tool. We also explored where to find the Track Matter option and its four options, i.e., Alpha Matte, Alpha Inverted Matte, Luma Matte, and Luma Inverted Matte. In the end, we discussed the difference between the Alpha and Luma channels to provide a clear view of the two.

Hopefully, this guide resolves your queries, and you now have a better understanding of the Track Matte tool in After Effects.

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Part 1. What Are Track Mattes In After Effects?

Thus, if you want to use an image to hide your video until you want to unveil it or add a picture in your text, Track Mattes will help you to shape the appearance of a layer above it.

Part 2. Differences Between A Mask And A Track Matte

In Adobe After Effects, there are two types of masking tools: Masks and Track Mattes. Both are used to hide or reveal a portion of a layer.

Here’re some key differences between a Mask and a Track Matte:

A mask is dependent on a specific layer, while the Track Matter is independent of any layer.
A mask is applied directly to a layer having an image or a video and transforms with the layers. On the other hand, Track Matte is a stationary mask applied to the composition rather than a layer.

Part 3. Finding The Track Matte Tool In After Effects

If you are still unable to find the Track Matte option, press the F1 key or do the following steps in sequence:

Right-click on the area above your layers and select “Columns.”
Scroll down and click the “Modes” option to enable it.

Track Matte mode, Preserve Underlying Transparency, and Blending Modes will be available now.

Under Track Matte’s drop-down menu, you can find four further options, two with Alpha and two with Luma. We’ll discuss these options in detail in the next section.

Part 4. All Four Track Matte Options In After Effects

Alpha: This Track Matte type uses the layer’s Alpha channel to determine the layer’s opacity.

Luma: This Track Matte type uses the top layer’s brightness to mask the bottom layer.

Let’s find out the functions of each option one by one:

Alpha Matte

Alpha Inverted Matte

Luma Matte

Instead of using the Alpha channel, Luma Mattes uses the brightness level or Luma channel of the upper layer to create a mask for the bottom layer.

Luma Inverted Matte

Opposite of the Luma Matte, the Luma Inverted Matte uses dark or low luminance areas of the upper layer to create a mask for the lower layer.

Differences Between Alpha Channel and Luma Channel

Alpha channel is a type of Track Matte that stores transparency information. This information determines how opaque or transparent a layer will be when superimposed over another layer.

Video – How to use Track Mattes in Adobe After Effects - Tutorial

Conclusion

Hopefully, this guide resolves your queries, and you now have a better understanding of the Track Matte tool in After Effects.

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Ai Video Editing

New This Article Aims to Show You How to Improve Your Lighting in the Sun for 2024

This Article Aims to Show You How to Improve Your Lighting in the Sun

1) Preparation

2) Direct to the Sun

3) Back to the Sun

4) Artificial lighting

Summary

How to Add Text to Video

Add Text to a Video Online

Add Text to Video on Computer

Add text to Video on iPhone

Add Text to Video on Android

How to Zoom in Discord

Part 1: How to Zoom Discord on Computer

Part 2: How to Zoom Discord Online

Part 3: How to Zoom Discord on Mobile

Conclusion

Part 1: How to Zoom Discord on Computer

Part 2: How to Zoom Discord Online

Part 3: How to Zoom Discord on Mobile

Conclusion

Track Mattes: The Ultimate Guide For After Effects

Part 1. What Are Track Mattes In After Effects?

Part 2. Differences Between A Mask And A Track Matte

Part 3. Finding The Track Matte Tool In After Effects

Part 4. All Four Track Matte Options In After Effects

Alpha Matte

Alpha Inverted Matte

Luma Matte

Luma Inverted Matte

Differences Between Alpha Channel and Luma Channel

Conclusion

Part 2. Differences Between A Mask And A Track Matte

Part 3. Finding The Track Matte Tool In After Effects

Part 4. All Four Track Matte Options In After Effects

Alpha Matte

Alpha Inverted Matte

Luma Matte

Luma Inverted Matte

Differences Between Alpha Channel and Luma Channel

Conclusion