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- About the Mattes...
-
- These mattes were created using luminosity values from the
- red channel of the original explosion. They were designed
- to give best results when used on a neutral or dark
- background. It is important to realize that the dark
- silhouetted debris that occasionally shows up has not been
- matted out. Thus, you may find that these mattes require
- additional rotoscoping to ensure that any debris in the
- scene doesn't become transparent.
-
- The mattes were not incorporated into the QuickTime movies
- as alpha channels but are provided as separate clips. This
- was done to ensure cross platform compatibility.
-
- Most non-linear digital video editing software will allow
- the user to incorporate one of these clips as a "traveling
- matte". This can be used as a mask to isolate foreground
- footage from background footage. You can have an explosion
- appear in a blue sky, a dark cave or on a field of stars.
- It really doesn't matter.
- Using mattes may not the best solution in every case. For
- example, the matte will cause the smoke of an explosion to
- disappear rather than letting it hang around and dissipate.
- Also, the lighter the background, the less realistic the
- composite will look. On a light background, you may have to
- "choke" the image to get rid of the dark halos that surround
- sparks (there are filters in Adobe After Effects and other
- editors that can help).