Video effects for a horror/thriller trailer

[owiseone61755]

I'm working on recutting a trailer as a different genre and I was wondering how to do a couple of effects.  How do you do the white flash on the screen(not a dip to white transition but in the middle of the clip) and the flash that shows a negative of the original image like you see in some horror/thriller trailers?

[cvid01]

One way to do it is to use Titler, make a full screen white box, put it on the timeline for 1 or 2 frame with opacity from 100% to 0 from beginning to end of "title". Use as many frames you need to make the flash. Play with it. The white box title should, of course, be on a track above the video upon which you wish to have a white flash.

[owiseone61755]

Great, I'll try that.  How about the flash where the people in the frame look like negative images of themselves?

[Ann Bens]

For the flash use the Levels effect: keyframe gamma and white input.

[Kevin-Monahan]

Ann Bens wrote:

For the flash use the Levels effect: keyframe gamma and white input.

Hi Ann,

Your method seems a lot simpler. LOL. Bill has a way too? Just goes to show you that there are always several ways to create an effect. Inverting RGB color channels is at the heart of this effect. There are subtlties in each one. You have to choose the one that makes the effect you have in mind the best.

Cheers,

Kevin

[joe_bloe_premiere]

Just goes to show you that there are always several ways to create an effect.

Here are some free transition plugins that can be useful for flashes, etc.

http://www.filmimpact.net/downloads/

[owiseone61755]

Awesome!  Thank all of you guys! 

[the_wine_snob]

Wow, that ought to keep you busy for a bit - lots of ideas to work with!

Happy editing,

Hunt

[owiseone61755]

These look cool but they aren't free.  It looks like the evaluation copy has a watermark which makes them unusable for me.

[Kevin-Monahan · Accepted solution]

Hi owiseone,

Here's how I would construct the effect.

1. Create the "negative image" effect.
   1. Apply the Invert effect: Video Effects > Channel > Invert
   2. Try different Channel Options. I chose "Lightness."
2. Desaturate the colors on the negative image.
   1. Apply a Fast Color Corrector
   2. Take Saturation down to 0.
   3. Adjust the Input Levels slider to taste
3. Make the effect flash on and off with the original clip by using the Strobe effect, or by manually adding the effect to Add Edits.
   1. First, do the following
      1. Copy paste the clip to V2.
      2. Remove effects from the clip on V1.
   2. Do either of the following to the clip on V2:
      1. Apply the Strobe Light effect: Video Effects > Stylize > Strobe Light and adjust parameters to taste.
      2. With the Razor tool or the Add Edit keyboard shortcut, create splices that are several frames long, create them either the same length, or random durations. Delete portions of the clip between the add edits.
4. Play back the effect and adjust parameters until you're happy with the effect.
   1. Set up a range to play In to Out
   2. Enable Loop Playback
   3. Adjust parameters in any of the effects as they play In to Out.

Hope that helps!

Kevin

[the_wine_snob]

Along with a Title w/ a white Filled, full-screen Shape, you could use a Color Matte w/ white, for however many Frames you feel is right.

For the "negative," look at the Invert Effect. Do not have the latest version of PrPro on this laptop, but it was under Video Effect>Channel. In the little Effects query box, type in invert, to find it on your version.

Good luck,

Hunt