How to Spotlight a Player in a Video

Achieve the spotlight effect with digital video magic.

If you've recorded a great game featuring a star player, there may come a time when you want to use the video to spotlight that player's great moves. To do this, you can enlist the help of Final Cut Pro's mask shape and keyframe tools, which allow you to create a spotlight effect with very little fuss.

Instructions

1. Drag your video clip to the Final Cut Timeline.

2. Click on the filmstrip icon below the Viewer and select "Slug" from the drop-down menu. This will create a black slate in the Canvas; drag and drop the black slate from the Canvas over the clip on the Timeline.

3. Select "Effects" from the menu in the top left window of Final Cut Pro, and then select "Matte," and then "Mask Shape." Drag the Mask Shape text icon onto the black slate on your Timeline.

4. Double-click on the black slate on the Timeline to load it into the Canvas, then click "Filters" from the Canvas menu. Select "Oval" from the Shape menu within the Filter selections. Then click the "Invert" checkbox. Adjust the Horizontal and Vertical Scale sliders to adjust the shape of your oval to your needs.

5. Click on the top line of black slate on the Timeline, and drag from top to bottom to adjust the opacity of the black slate. Drag the line to about halfway down. When you release the cursor you should see be able to see more of the video around your oval. Adjust the opacity by moving the line until you see enough of the background video to meet your needs.

6. Navigate back to the Filters tab and click the "Center" selection. That will create a small crosshair on your image in the Viewer; drag the crosshair until you move the oval over the player you want to spotlight. When you do this, make sure your playhead is at the beginning of the portion of the video that you want to begin spotlighting; by setting keyframes, you can get your spotlight to move.

7. Click the keyframe button next to the "Center" tab in the Canvas.

8. Move your playhead forward to the place where you want your spotlight to end.

9. Click the "Center" button in the Viewer, and then drag the crosshair to match up to where the player has moved in the video. Then click the keyframe button next to the "Center" tab in the Canvas once again.

References

• Los Angeles Final Cut Pro User Group: Tutorial: Mattes and Masks
• Apple: Final Cut Pro 7 User Manual: Using Masks to Replace or Modify Alpha Channels