Masking video editing is the process of hiding or obscuring certain elements in a video clip. This can be done for aesthetic purposes and is often used to remove unwanted objects or blemishes from the footage. Masking can be accomplished using a variety of methods, including rotoscoping, chroma-keying, and motion tracking.
Part 1. What is Masking?
Masks are a feature of editing software that allows you to choose a particular portion of the video or utilize video overlays to hide, duplicate, reveal, or change your footage. The mask is the portion of the video you've chosen to pick, either with a template or a custom frame. The mask then becomes isolated, and you may modify it as desired to produce your intended effect.
Masks may be used to do some fantastic things with your videos. You can clone people or objects, overlay several pictures, create glitch effects, blur faces out, etc. Masks add a lot of excitement and color to videos, making them more dynamic, enjoyable to watch, and professional. It can draw attention - and keep it!
Different types of masking
There are three primary types of masking: rotoscoping, chroma-keying, and motion tracking.
- Rotoscoping: Rotoscoping is the process of manually tracing an object in a video frame by frame to create a mask. This can be a time-consuming process, but it allows for very precise control over the masked area.
- Chroma-keying: Chroma-keying is a type of masking that makes use of color to isolate a particular area of the frame. For example, this is often used to remove a green or blue screen from the footage, but can also be used to isolate other colors.
- Motion tracking: Motion tracking is a masking technique that allows you to track the movement of an object in a video clip. This is often used to add special effects, such as explosions, to a video.
Part 2. Top 8 Video Editor with Useful Masking
1. Wondershare Filmora
Wondershare Filmora is an easy-to-use yet powerful video editor that provides a full range of masking features, from simple presets for beginners to professional-grade tools for advanced users. It also includes a Chroma Key (Green Screen) feature for background removal.
Secure DownloadSolution 1: Standard Masking (Shapes & AI Masking)
For most common masking tasks, Filmora offers intuitive video masking tools that are easy to master.
- Shape Mask: Pick a preset shape and adjust its position, scale, rotation, and feathering directly in the preview or settings.
- AI Mask: For complex objects, switch to the "AI Mask" tab. Use the Smart Brush to highlight your subject — Filmora will automatically create a clean outline for you.
Solution 2: Advanced Masking for Moving Objects with the Mocha Filmora Plugin
For challenging shots where an object twists, turns, or changes perspective, manual keyframing can be difficult. For these tasks, Filmora integrates the industry-leading **Boris FX Mocha** engine. This allows for professional planar tracking and rotoscoping directly inside Filmora.
2. Final Cut Pro X
Final Cut Pro X is a proficient video editing software with powerful masking tools. It allows you to create custom masks or isolate objects in your footage.
How to Create a Mask in Final Cut Pro X
With little effort, the Shape Mask tool allows you to make a mask in any shape on the continuum, ranging from an ellipse to a rectangle.
The Shape Mask is a simple mask that may be changed to editable control points in order to create complex bespoke masks (converting it into a Draw Mask).
Tip: Use the search bar and type "shape" for quick access.
- Drag the effect onto the clip in the timeline.
- Double-click the effect thumbnail in the Effects Browser.
3. Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe Premiere Pro is a professional video editing software with a wide range of features and precise masking controls. It allows you to create custom masks or use the built-in rotoscope tool to isolate objects in your footage quickly.
How to Create a Mask in Premiere Pro
Do you understand how to construct a mask in Adobe Premiere? Shape tools and pen tools may be used to make the Adobe premiere mask.
By Using Shape Tools
- Select the shape tool you'd like to utilize from the Tools panel.
- Then, create a mask by drawing a shape on the video clip in the Timeline.
By Using Pen Tools
- Click the pen tool icon in the Tools panel.
- Click and drag to draw a path around the object you wish to isolate.
- After drawing your path, click the "Mask" button in the Tools panel.
4. Avid Media Composer
Avid Media Composer has a comprehensive masking feature for video editors of different levels. You can either use the built-in masking tools or make your own one.
Masking in Avid Media Composer
In the Masking Effect window, you can choose to either create a new mask or use an existing one.
- Select the "Create Mask" option and then click on the "Draw Mask" button to create a new mask.
- This will open up the Draw Mask window, where you can draw your mask using the various tools provided. To apply the mask, simply click the "Apply" button.
If you want to use an existing mask, select the "Use Mask" option and then choose the mask you want to use from the drop-down menu.
5. Sony Vegas Pro
Sony Vegas Pro is a professional video editing software with robust masking tools. The interface of the editor may looks complicated for beginners, yet once you get familiar with it, you will be amazed by what you can achieve with the Vegas Pro.
Masking in Sony Vegas Pro
- Drag the clip from the Explorer or Project Media windows and drop it on the timeline. Then, look for another video that is quite distinct from the first.
- Drag it to the timeline below the first video event. A new track will be created. Place the original event directly beneath the video occurrence.
The Video Preview window does not display the second video because it is covered by the first video, which resembles one photo sitting on top of another in a stack. So to view the lower clip, we'll need to add a mask.
6. Magix Movie Edit Pro
Magix Movie Edit Pro is another video editor that is great for adding masks to your video. It is famous for its ease-of-learn and stable rendering. When it comes to masking, it is also quite powerful.
Masking in Magix Movie Edit Pro
They let you apply special effects to only certain parts of a video. You may dramatically improve the aspect of your movies with this Magix Movie Edit Pro Plus feature.
When you apply color effects to the software's template, it appears that you can only use color effects.
To add additional effects to specific portions of the shot, simply import an image and apply the Alpha Mask property from the Chroma Key menu. Then you must duplicate the video section and place it on a lower track, while keeping the alpha mask picture in between the two videos (click the graphic above for a visual guide).
7. Studio
Studio is a pro-level video editing software. It is preloaded with pro-caliber tool and premium effects to help you create the videos you want. We will show you how to apply masking in Studio in the following paragraphs.
Masking in Studio
Select the clip you want to overlay your media on, then click the ‘Mask' button on the editing toolbar. After that, open the mask creation window by clicking 'Create Mask.'
- First, click "Create Panel" to create a video mask panel.
- To make a panel, use the panel of tools on the left side of the preview window. They'll only be shown in your video when you add assets later if they're inside this panel.
- To access the media selection possibilities, click on the ‘Asset' tab of the mask creation window. To discover the picture or video you want to include in your panel, go through your imported files by selecting 'Select media.' After that, select the media to be included in your panel video mask and hit 'Apply.'
- Use the left-hand slider or the resizing box in the preview window on the right to change the size and placement of your media in your panel video mask.
- To adjust the 3D position of your panel video mask, go to the ‘3D' tab of the mask creation window.
8. CyberLink PowerDirector
CyberLink PowerDirector has recently enhanced its mask & blend feature to help you create artistic scenes. If you are interested in the feature, you can try it out.
Masking in CyberLink PowerDirector
- Drag and drop a photo from the media room into track 2 of your timeline, then drag the background image into track 1.
- Then, go to the Quick Settings menu (press the Menu button at the bottom of your screen), select Cloud Print from the drop-down menu, and then select your photo. Then open up the design interface by selecting Mask Designer from the drop-down menu.
- You may select from a variety of templates in the Mask Designer. If you want to make your own mask shape, the Mask Designer has three alternatives for you to create new mask types.
- Create an image mask - You may use any picture or video, and it will be resized to fit the shape.
- Create a text mask - Enter the text you'd like to appear in your photo. Then, go to the left side of the panel under Font/Paragraph on the left side for font style, size, and other options. To alter the text mask itself, go to the preview window and resize it on the left panel.
Part 3. Masking Videos to Perfection Using Wondershare Filmora
As learned from the discussion above, mask video editing serves many benefits to a content creator. Filmora offers masking facilities in both mobile and desktop versions. Explore the following sections to learn about these versions in detail:
Secure DownloadUsing Filmora on Desktop For Video Masking
The desktop version of Wondershare Filmora is efficient in masking your content and executes the process in two ways. You can mask the video manually to add a personal take on the editing. This tool also provides an AI Smart Masking facility to users looking for automated video masking. The manual technique allows you to select from a list of practical shapes and mold your mask accordingly.
As for the AI-powered masking, it autodetects the humans in your videos and isolates them from the rest of the frame. This technique is ideal for people looking to create ads for their products or creators looking for a different take on content creation. Follow the guide below to learn how to use this face mask video editor:
Exploring the Filmora App for Effective Masking
Users looking for quick video masking can use the Filmora App and have their video editing on the go. The manual mask video editing facility allows you to add personal efforts for a flawless look. You can avail of the exciting shapes and adjust them over the size of the object that needs to be masked. For a subtle blending of the mask, users can change the blur and create a professional look.
Conclusion
Maybe you want to add a picture-in-picture effect, or maybe you want to replace the background with a new image. Whatever the reason, it's easy to do with most video editing software. We've shown you how to mask videos in eight different editors in this article. So now you can get started creating your own custom videos!
