Participant

Answered

Problems with track matte key

Forum|Forum|1 year ago
January 3, 2025
3 replies
1435 views

I want to use this circle as a mask for this footage on the track below it. I’ve used the Track Matte Key effect many times to create similar looks, and this step-by-step process has always worked:

1. Create a shape to use as a mask and position it on the track above the video.

2. Apply the effect to the video.

3. Select the track where the shape is located.

However, for some reason, this method doesn’t work anymore, the size of the mask is too small and I don't know how to adjust it so that the size of the mask is exactly the size of the shape . What am i doing wrong?

Please note, I did not change any parameters in the effect control tab and I also did not change any parameters in this new properties tab that replaced the essential graphics tab

I just added this clip to my sequence which is 1920x1080 30fps and created the ellipse following the steps: graphics and titles > new layer > ellipse. And once again I'm not referring to the size of the video in the bottom track, my problem here is with the size of the mask which for some reason doesn't follow the size of the shape in the top track

Sorry if I'm being too detailed, but I haven't known how to solve this problem for a week.

Graphics

Correct answer Ann Bens

When using the track matte key you must not scale the clip.

If you do want to use the scaled clip, nest, then apply the effect to the nest.

If you want in-depending scaling of clip and shape (without nesting) use the Properties Panel > Mask with Shape.

B

bretts80531962

Participant

It's very clearly a bug. The other answers are incorrect. This problem occurs without scaling on fresh clips.

SOLUTION: Nest the video clip and apply the track matte key to the nested segment on your timeline.

Z

zvonimirmx

Participating Frequently

For me even nesting does not help...

R Neil Haugen

Legend

Then please give very specific details as to your media, effects used, sequence data, and where the Track Matte is going wrong.

It is tricky to use, no questions there. But it can be sorted.

Everyone's mileage always varies ...

P

PaulMurphy

Community Expert

This video explains how to control the order of effects when scaling videos for the Track Matte Key effect: https://youtu.be/j2speTWY87g.

J

Jose37510309km67Author

Participant

Thank you so much for your response! I watched the video several times and paid close attention, but I still didn’t understand how these explanations would apply to the case I mentioned.

What I mean is that the video offers a great explanation on how to manipulate the objects within the mask, including using the Track Matte Key effect. However, my problem is actually with the manipulation of the mask itself—the size of the mask wasn’t matching the size of the object used to create the mask. I must admit I still haven’t fully understood why this happens. Ann Beans suggested nesting the video before applying the Track Matte Key effect, and that solution actually worked! However, I confess that I didn’t understand why I needed to take that step.

V

videomc74

Inspiring

You're not alone. It's extremely frustrating. The nesting solution can work fine in some instances but if you need to do some precise keyframing of position/ scale of your source footage- for instance, you want your subject in your source footage to stay perfectly centered inside your matte layer, it's ridiculously annoying to have to jump back and forth between sequences to see the results. After messing with this for way too long and finding no good solutions besides dynamic linking to After Effects (which isn't a good solution for my current needs), this is the best workaround I've come up with: Nest your source footage, use the Track Matte key on your nested sequence and set the matte layer in the main timeline as usual. Inside your nested sequence, lay a copy of your matte layer above your source footage to use as a guide overlay and drop the opacity down if needed so you can see your footage below it. Make sure to do all of your scaling and positioning inside the nested sequence (don't touch scale and position settings in the main timeline). Then when you're done repositioning, turn your "guide" matte layer inside your nested sequence back off.

Ann Bens

Correct answer

Community Expert

When using the track matte key you must not scale the clip.

If you do want to use the scaled clip, nest, then apply the effect to the nest.

If you want in-depending scaling of clip and shape (without nesting) use the Properties Panel > Mask with Shape.

J

Jose37510309km67Author

Participant

Thank you so much for your response! The solution you provided—nesting the clip and then applying the effect—worked perfectly!

However, I couldn’t apply your last suggestion: "If you want in-depending scaling of clip and shape (without nesting) use the Properties Panel > Mask with Shape."

This is because the Properties Panel only offers the option to mask shapes created directly in Premiere. I would really like to understand how I could use the Properties Panel to accomplish the action I initially intended: masking a video using a shape or a PNG, ensuring the mask has the exact same size as the shape or PNG in question.

I must admit I’m quite confused about how the Properties Panel works, and I might not fully understand its functionality. If I’m making any mistakes, I apologize in advance.

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