863 CHAPTER Correcting Video Files and Adding Artistic Effects IN THIS CHAPTER Changing the color and tone of a video Using videos as Smart Objects Correcting a video layer using filters Cloning and healing within a video file T he basics of improving your video files by correcting lighting and color, adding artistic effects, or cloning and healing inside of them is not much different than making these changes to an image file. The tools themselves are the same, and the effects they have on video files are identical to the effects they have on image files. The difference lies in how you want the effects applied to your video; they can be applied to the entire file, to a portion of the file, or to an individual frame. This chapter demonstrates different methods of application and gives examples of instances where you would use each one. Adding Fill or Adjustment Layers to Correct Tone and Color of Video Layers Color correction can enhance almost any photo. Videos are even more susceptible to environmental lighting problems that need correction. When it comes to color correcting a video layer, you can use the Image menu to change the video frame by frame, or you can create a Fill or Adjustment layer that affects the entire video layer. Unless you are creating a special effect or animating a color correction, you want to skip the tedious process of color correcting frame by frame. 38_584743-ch27.indd 86338_584743-ch27.indd 863 5/3/10 10:50 AM5/3/10 10:50 AM Part VIII: Working with Video and Animation 864 Cross-Ref This chapter assumes you know how and why to apply adjustment layers in Photoshop. In Chapter 13, you can learn about the individual Fill and Adjustment layers and what they can do to correct not only photos but videos as well. n On the other hand, color corrections are individual to the image you are working with. They are different than filters in this respect. You can sharpen (to some degree) a video file arbitrarily over the entire file and probably not be disappointed with the results, but if you adjust the levels of a video file that contains a combination of lighter and darker images, you will find that the overall results are horrible. As you color correct, you want to carefully split the video layer into sections that consist of similar areas in color and tone. Splitting video layers into several individual layers to color correct them with Fill or Adjustment layers that are also full layers is a tricky process. You have layer organization to worry about, of course, but you must also consider the effects of the Fill or Adjustment layers. Because these layers are not automat- ically linked to a particular video layer, by default they affect any layer below them in the hierarchy. I show you how you can add fills and adjustments to just the video layer you want to affect. A Fill or Adjustment layer is added to the Layers panel and can be placed directly over the video layer or linked with it so it affects the entire layer. You can see an Adjustment layer in its simplest use in Figure 27.1. With only one video layer in the Layers panel, the Adjustment layer affects it and nothing else. FIGURE 27.1 A Fill or Adjustment layer is a full layer in the Layers panel that affects any layer below it in the hierarchy. In addition, every Fill or Adjustment layer is created with a layer mask. If you have an area of your video file selected, the mask automatically reflects that selection. If you don’t have anything selected in the file, the mask is white, indicating that the entire file is selected. You can delete or change the layer mask at any time, remembering that it also affects the entire video file. Just like image files or vector files added to a video file, when newly placed, an Adjustment layer continues through the duration of your video file and affects all the layers below it. For instance, you can see in Figure 27.2 that even though I corrected the lighting of the Snowy Day layer, the Adjustment layer is affecting the Christmas layer as well. You can restrict the effects of an Adjustment layer by clipping it to the layer below it, changing its duration, merging the adjustment layer with the video layer, and changing the video into a Smart Object. 38_584743-ch27.indd 86438_584743-ch27.indd 864 5/3/10 10:50 AM5/3/10 10:50 AM Chapter 27: Correcting Video Files and Adding Artistic Effects 865 FIGURE 27.2 Because the Adjustment layer continues for the duration of the video file, it affects the Christmas layer as well as the Snowy Day layer it was created to correct. Clipping an Adjustment layer to the layer below it Using the Adjustments panel, you can clip the adjustment you create to a single layer in your video. This ensures that the adjustment affects only the layer it is clipped to and not any layers below it. Do this by selecting the Clip to Layer icon in the Adjustments panel, as shown in Figure 27.3. This affects the Adjustment layer in the Layers panel by adding an arrow to it, indicating that it affects only the layer below it. The layers in the Animation panel will look the same, as you can see in Figure 27.4, but the adjustment no longer has any effect after the visibility of the Snowy Day layer has turned off. Note You can’t clip a Fill layer to the layer below it, only the adjustments that can be applied and changed using the Adjustments panel. You can use any of the other methods of restricting layers mentioned in this section on a Fill layer. n 38_584743-ch27.indd 86538_584743-ch27.indd 865 5/3/10 10:50 AM5/3/10 10:50 AM Part VIII: Working with Video and Animation 866 FIGURE 27.3 Click the Clip to Layer button in the Adjustments panel to tie the adjustment to the layer below it. FIGURE 27.4 The Layers panel looks different, but the Animation panel doesn’t . Your video shows the difference, however. Adjusting the duration of a Fill or Adjustment layer When you add a Fill or Adjustment layer to your video, the duration is automatically set to the entire length of the time line. You already know that this is fairly easy to adjust; just drag the beginning and end of the layer duration bar so it is exactly as long as you need it to be, as shown 38_584743-ch27.indd 86638_584743-ch27.indd 866 5/3/10 10:50 AM5/3/10 10:50 AM Chapter 27: Correcting Video Files and Adding Artistic Effects 867 in Figure 27.5. The benefits of this method are obvious: It’s easy, it’s visible, and the layers are still viewable and editable in the Layers panel. You can take one more step to make this option even more attractive: You can group the layers. FIGURE 27.5 Adjusting the duration of a Fill or Adjustment layer is an easy way to restrict its effects to just one segment of your video file. If you have only two or three video layers that you are color correcting individually, you can probably manage the Fill and Adjustment layers in the Timeline without too much trouble, but you can see that things could really get out of hand quickly, especially if you need to create several adjustments on a single layer. The best way to work with layers is to group them. Create a new group by clicking the New Group icon in the Layers panel. Give the group a unique name, and drag the layers that you want grouped together into it, as shown in Figure 27.6. Tip When adjusting layers to precise lengths, be sure to zoom in so you can see each frame. To trim a layer to an exact location, choose Trim Layer Start (End) to current time from the Timeline menu. n Merging layers Merging a Fill or Adjustment layer with the layer or layers you want it to affect has the benefit of isolating its effects to the selected layer as well as cleaning up the Layers panel and the Timeline. The down side of this method is that merging a Fill and Adjustment layer with another layer makes the fill or adjustment a permanent change. You can’t remove it or adjust its effects. To merge two or more layers, hold the Ctrl/Ô key while selecting each one. Right-click any of them to bring up the layers menu, and choose Merge Layers. The layers take on the name and duration of the top layer in the hierarchy, in this case your topmost Fill or Adjustment layer. You’ll most likely want to rename the layer and adjust the duration. 38_584743-ch27.indd 86738_584743-ch27.indd 867 5/3/10 10:50 AM5/3/10 10:50 AM Part VIII: Working with Video and Animation 868 FIGURE 27.6 The Snowy Day layer along with the Levels adjustment layer are neatly packaged into the Snowy Day group. Adding a Fill or Adjustment layer to a Smart Object The last way to restrict the effects of a Fill or Adjustment layer to an individual layer is to turn that layer into a Smart Object. Right-click the video layer in the Layers panel, and choose Convert to Smart Object. This turns the video layer into an embedded file that you can open and change independent of other layers in the file. After you have turned the layer into a Smart Object, simply open it before adding the Fill or Adjustment layer. This method has the benefit of keeping the Layers panel and Timeline less cluttered while still retaining the full capability to adjust or remove the effects. The only downside of using Smart Objects is the extra steps required to make changes to a Smart Object file. Figure 27.7 shows two Smart Object layers placed neatly in the Timeline. One has a Black & White Adjustment placed over it, while the other has an Invert Adjustment, not because I thought the Invert Adjustment would add artistic merit to the video, but because it can be seen in a black and white figure. 38_584743-ch27.indd 86838_584743-ch27.indd 868 5/3/10 10:50 AM5/3/10 10:50 AM Chapter 27: Correcting Video Files and Adding Artistic Effects 869 FIGURE 27.7 Turning a video layer into a Smart Object has the advantage of cleaning up the Timeline while preserving the ability to make changes to the settings of a Fill or Adjustment layer. 38_584743-ch27.indd 86938_584743-ch27.indd 869 5/3/10 10:50 AM5/3/10 10:50 AM Part VIII: Working with Video and Animation 870 Note When you create a Smart Object from a video layer, the Smart Object doesn’t have an Altered Video property. As I show you later in this chapter, the Altered Video property allows you to make changes to your video on a frame-by-frame basis. To change the video frame by frame, you need to open the Smart Object and change the video layer in the embedded file. n Applying Smart Filters to Video Files You can add filters to a file in two ways: add them directly to a regular file or change the file into a Smart Object and add Smart Filters. This has special implications for a video file, because adding a Filter directly to it changes only one frame of video, causing your filter to blip in and out of existence too fast for the eye to see. To avoid having to add a filter one frame at a time, you need to change your video file into a Smart Object. When you change a layer into a Smart Object, the thumbnail in the Layers panel changes to show that the layer is treated differently. After you’ve converted a video layer to a Smart Object, you can see a difference in the Animation (Timeline) panel as well. Figure 27.8 shows the Animation (Timeline) panel after the video layer has been changed to a Smart Object. There is no Altered Video property for a Smart Object. Now this layer is just like an image or 3D layer; any changes made to it affect the entire layer. FIGURE 27.8 There is no Altered Video property in a Smart Object, even if it was once a video layer. Adding a Smart Filter to a Smart Object that is an embedded video file is no different than adding a Smart Filter to any other Smart Object. Choose a filter from the Filter menu, change the settings if necessary, and add it to your file. You can use corrective filters, such as the sharpening or blurring filters, or you can create artistic effects by applying the more interesting filters. When a filter is added to a video file that has been turned into a Smart Object, it affects the entire layer, and the filter is applied as a sublayer in the Layers panel, as shown in Figure 27.9. Now, as you play back your video, you see the filter’s effects all the way through. 38_584743-ch27.indd 87038_584743-ch27.indd 870 5/3/10 10:50 AM5/3/10 10:50 AM . skip the tedious process of color correcting frame by frame. 38_584743-ch27.indd 86338_584743-ch27.indd 863 5/3/10 10:50 AM5/3/10 10:50 AM Part VIII: Working with Video and Animation 864 Cross-Ref This. Fill or Adjustment layers. Because these layers are not automat- ically linked to a particular video layer, by default they affect any layer below them in the hierarchy. I show you how you can. layers below it. Do this by selecting the Clip to Layer icon in the Adjustments panel, as shown in Figure 27.3. This affects the Adjustment layer in the Layers panel by adding an arrow to it,