Slick 4

Creating your Own Mattes

The power of Matte-tastic comes when used in conjunction with your own mattes to give your videos the professional and production-house look. Some basic guidelines for mattes used with Matte-tastic.

• The ideal size of the matte is 720 X 480 pixels, the same resolution of DV video.
• Graphic files can be PICT, JPEG, GIF and Photoshop image. Video formats supported are QuickTime video files.
• If the Opacity Slider is opaque and the overlay file fills the entire area and there is not a transparent alpha channel, the original clip will not be visible.
  

Mattes can be created in any popular image editing application. Photoshop and Photoshop Elements are excellent image editing tools. And Matte-tastic can read native PSD files.

Here is a simple way to create a matte image with Photoshop or Photoshop Elements.

1. Start off by creating a new document that is 720 X 480 pixels at 72 DPI. Also, choose a transparent background.
2. Add any artwork you wish to have on your matte.
3. Check to see how the edges of your image look by placing a dark and white layer at the very back layer. Be sure not to make those layers visible when you save the document.
4. Save the document as a Photoshop (.psd) file. It is now ready to be imported by Matte-tastic.
   

There are lots of other methods to creating mattes, Please refer to documentation from your image editing application.

Note: Sometimes the matte you create will look at a slightly different aspect ratio when viewed within iMovie. For example, a square may not appear perfectly square when viewed on in the iMovie windows, This is an artifact from the way DV video is presented at a 640 X 480 resolution in iMovie. But when the project is output to tape or saved as a Quicktime movie, the proportions will be correct.