Solid-Color Backgrounds

[The One True raywood]

I'm using PE 7.  I insert a title.  It defaults to a black background.  How can I change it to white or some other color?

Thanks!

[the_wine_snob]

Welcome to the forum.

Actually, what you see as a black background, is actually a transparent background. If you place it over a Video Clip, you will see through it.

There are two ways to add a background of color:

1.) Add a color Matte, if you just want the color below and do not want any other Video to be seen. This will be below your Title, on a lower-numbered Video Track. Color Matte is created with the New icon.

2.) In Titler, create a Shape, sized to suit, and then change its color to suit. This can be a full-Frame Shape, or can be sized to only be below the Text, but small enough to let some of any Video below to show around the Shape.

Hope that this helps.

Good luck,

Hunt

[Steve Grisetti]

Also, if you click the Titles button under the Edit tab, you'll be taken to a workspace that offers a number of titles templates.

[The One True raywood]

Steve -- thanks -- I originally had only three titles there, but was

able to find a download somewhere that gave me more. But I'm not seeing

any solid-color backgrounds among them so far. Haven't checked all

categories yet.

Bill -- where do I find Titler? Meanwhile, I used the color matte

approach, and that's a solution. I do now have a solid white

background. Unfortunately, it seems to take priority over the text of

my title. So if I use the plain white matte, that's all I see. I've

tried the "bring to front" option for the text of the title (the only

place where I see a priority option), but that seems to apply only

within the title cip itself. I don't see an option to enter text

directly onto the plain white matte.

BTW, I used to participate in this forum as simply raywood, but somehow

that handle seems to have been removed from me. I dunno. Maybe I was bad.

Ray

[the_wine_snob]

where do I find Titler?

You can choose Title in the Toolbar, you can use Title in the Edit>Project Panel Toolbar, or you can Dbl-click on an existing Title to get it into Titler. The Program Monitor will turn into Titler, and you will have the special Tools down the right-hand side of it. Look for the Shapes. When created, you can click on the little palette icon, with the Shape Selected, to change the color. Then Rt-click on that Shape and choose Arrange to send it behind your Text.

Good luck,

Hunt

[The One True raywood]

Huh. I wonder if it's because I'm using the Educational Version. Of

those three options, I get into what I think you're calling Titler (it

doesn't have a Title!) only by double-clicking on an existing title.

There, the major options are Text Options, Text Styles, and Text

Animation. Or possibly I somehow turned off the window that would show

these things?

[the_wine_snob]

Ray,

Go to Window>Reset Workspace. You should have the Toolbar, running vertically down the right-side.

Good luck,

Hunt

[the_wine_snob]

Here's a look at Titler from PrE 4. Should be similar in PrE 8. Here, you can see the features and Tools.

Hope that this helps,

Hunt

[the_wine_snob]

I've tried the "bring to front" option for the text of the title (the only place where I see a priority option), but that seems to apply only within the title cip itself.  I don't see an option to enter text directly onto the plain white matte.

If you have existing Text, the Shape will appear over it. When you Select that Shape (the arrow Selection Tool), you would Arrange>Send to Back.

If you do not yet have Text, create the Shape first, then switch to the Text Tool (the T), and Click and begin typing, or drag to create a Paragraph Text Box and begin typing.

Good luck,

Hunt

[The One True raywood]

Hey, Bill, thanks for your patience. I don't know where the shapes are,

and anyway I wasn't going to use a shape. Just plain text on a solid

colored background. That's all I want.

Ray