In the evolving world of filmmaking, new video editing features are introduced every day. These features are essential to keep the viewers glued to the video, and one of them is masking. Be it sci-fi, horror, or action, the video masking technique is being used in every movie that you watch.
Masking a video means selecting your desired part from the video or using video overlays to hide, clone, reveal, or modify your footage. This allows you to create animations in your video that look real, but it is almost hard to believe that they are not real. This article will guide you about masking in Premiere Pro.
In this article
Part 1. What Are the Practical Uses of Masking in Video Editing?
The advantages of masking include giving video clips a professional and polished look. This feature gives life to raw footage and keeps the viewers hooked to the video till the end. Because of these benefits, video masking is used in various fields of work. To name a few, some of the practical applications of masking on Premiere Pro are as follows:
1. Censorship or Privacy Protection
By blurring faces, phone numbers, and number plates, the video masking feature helps us protect the anonymity of the people in videos. Masking a video also aids in censoring profanity and 18+ content, making it watchable for a larger audience. You can hide sensitive information in the footage to be free of any legal constraints.
2. Green Screen Effects
Masking in Premiere Pro is most widely used in filmmaking and video production for animations and visual effects. By masking out the green color, you can place another clip or image and create an illusion of the object being placed in a different setting. This creates an impactful effect in the footage and makes unrealistic visuals look real.
3. Focus Pulling and Selective Effects
If you want to edit or modify just a selective part of the video, then the video masking technique is your friend. On the other hand, if you want the complete video to be modified except for a single part, you can still use the masking technique. This feature can also shift focus to and from an object, directing the viewers' attention toward the desired area.
4. Overlays
An overlay is a subtle and transparent image or a video that can be added to footage. Using the masking technique, you can add overlays to the video and create a layered effect. The overlay can either be an image, a video, a logo, or a text that can be added to your footage. Through masking in Premiere, you can give a creative look to the text in a clip with various text overlays.
5. Transitions
Video masking can be used to add smooth and subtle transitions to footage. Disparate pieces of videos are compiled together to create a bridged look. Transitions aid the audience in noticing a shift in time or location and maintain the pace and rhythm of the video. Compared to conventional transitions, video masking creates stylish and creative transitions that captivate the viewers.
Part 2. A Comprehensive Guide To Masking in Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe Premiere Pro is a top-of-the-line video management tool providing explicit features. From managing videos to audio, Premiere Pro is embedded with multiple AI-enhanced tools. Furthermore, its unique qualities allow you to set up the perfect frame-by-frame video management. However, if you are in search of how to mask in Premiere Pro, we’ve set up a guide to help you execute it:
Step 1. You need to place the clip that needs to be masked in the second track and the other clip on the first track of your video project. Once you've added both projects to the timeline, proceed to select the clip in the second track and look for the "Pen" tool in the "Effects Control" panel. Add boundaries across the area in the clip across the preview window that needs to be edited.
Step 2. While you use the handles to create a curve across your masking area, proceed to the "Effects Control" panel again. Look for the "Inverted" checkbox to invert the selected mask and use the "Mask Feather" option to manage its border.
Step 3. You can also set up a mask and track the object for a more advanced look within the mask. Select the “Stopwatch” icon adjacent to the “Mask Path” option. As it creates the keyframe, look for the "Wrench" tool, which shows the tracking options. After selecting one option, select the "Track selected mask forward" to apply tracking on the object.
Part 3. [Manual + Automated] Masking Objects in Wondershare Filmora
It is true that Adobe Premiere Pro provides a wholesome experience of masking objects; however, the provided steps show that it has its complexities. To counter this, Wondershare Filmora comes as the perfect alternative to masking instead of masking on Premiere Pro. Its futuristic features allow users to make perfect videos, assisted with AI enhancements.
Furthermore, to make video-making easier, you can utilize the ability to add different enhancements and effects across your videos with Filmstock. This ultimate resource pack library provides a diversity of effects and other elements. To understand how Filmora helps in making masking and video editing easy, look ahead into its steps:
Step 1. Add Your Video Files to Filmora
To start masking your video, create a project by selecting the "New Project" button on the home screen. As it opens the editing interface, click the "Import" button and add your video files. Place the video that needs to be masked on the second track and the other clip on the first track.
Step 2. Apply Manual or Automated Masking in Filmora
Select the second track clip and proceed to the “Mask” section in the “Video” tab. Continue to select the “Draw Mask” button and create a mask by setting up points. Conversely, you can also use the “AI Mask” option for easing the selection process. Under the “AI Mask” section, select the appropriate version of masking that you want to apply. As different objects are recognized below with AI, select to apply the masking effect.
Step 3. Change Mask Settings
You can also change the different properties of your masking object by amending the "Extend," "Blur Strength," and "Opacity" settings. Also, change the "Path" and "Invert Mask" options according to the requirements.
Step 4. Search for Effects Pack in Filmstock
You can also add different effects and other enhancements to enhance your overall video. You can get different enhancements by downloading a resource pack from Filmstock. After leading to Filmstock, search for an appropriate effects pack and select one. Click the "Download Now" button to export the effects pack to Filmora.
Step 5. Add Enhancements From Resource Pack
With the effects pack downloaded, lead to the "Effects" tab in Filmora and look for the download pack under the "Materials Pack" in the "Mine" category. Add and make proper adjustments to the available settings in your video editing system.
Step 6. Export Final Video to Computer
After concluding all edits in your video, lead to the “Export” button to open a window for exporting your video file. Set the parameters and click “Export” on the bottom to save your video file.
Conclusion
This article consulted on the basic operation of masking and its utility. From applying masking in Premiere Pro to understanding its steps, the article explains a lot. Furthermore, to enhance your masking abilities, use Wondershare Filmora and its automated system for masking videos. To assist your editing process, you can utilize the resource packs available in Filmstock.
