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Alpha Mask - Solid Replace

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frank_halfwong
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Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2021 5:22 pm

Alpha Mask - Solid Replace

Post by frank_halfwong »

Hi,

I've checked the user manual and the forums and nothing addresses what I'm trying to achieve. I'm slowing transforming my visual transformations from OBS to MMV. One thing I've done was to use a wall of visuals (GIFs, videos name it) and create a "clone" of myself using multiple chroma keys. I'm trying to replicate this in MMV without any success and a lot of frustration (I'm probably not using the MMV modules correctly).

In OBS here is what I had done (SX = Scene X):

S1- Regular green chroma key to remove my greenscreen and keep only "me" on the webcam feed.
S2- I've nested S1 in S2 and using a solid color correction, I made "me" a solid green AND adding a black solid color as the background. This basically means the scene is no longer transparent, it's a solid green shape moving on a solid black background.
S3-I've nested S2 in S3 and added the wall of visuals (GIF, video file etc) in the background but this time applying a "green chroma" on S2. This way, now the background still remains black but the green color is now a transparent shape that lets the wall of visuals through.
S4- Nested S3 in S4, applying a black chroma to remove the black background. Effectively, I now have a moving shape that partially lets trough the visuals.

I'm trying a similar technique in MMV without success. I've tried playing with multiple modules (Blend, mask, layer mask, chroma mask etc.) and failed every time ; i get it to work but it's blending the color of my webcam self with the background instead of doing a "full" replace. I basically want a media input to act as a "Shader".

Is this possible in MMV?

Thank you so much!
frank
Terry Payman
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Re: Alpha Mask - Solid Replace

Post by Terry Payman »

If I've understood you correctly you want to replace your chromakeyed image with a videowall, leaving a transparent background.

Once you have extracted the alpha from your chromakeyed image, you can use it to key anything you want, leaving a transparent background, just as the chromakeyed image does.
Using greenscreen alpha to key a different image.jpg
Using greenscreen alpha to key a different image.jpg (46.24 KiB) Viewed 11458 times
Terry Payman
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Re: Alpha Mask - Solid Replace

Post by Terry Payman »

Here's a demo of the above. Is this the effect you wanted?
EDIT: Video link corrected
Terry Payman
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Re: Alpha Mask - Solid Replace

Post by Terry Payman »

An outline around the figure will substantially improve its definition in some cases. Here, the outline is transparent so can easily be filled
Adding a border.jpg
Adding a border.jpg (80.06 KiB) Viewed 11456 times
frank_halfwong
Posts: 44
Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2021 5:22 pm

Re: Alpha Mask - Solid Replace

Post by frank_halfwong »

That's exactly it, omg you are so solid ! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have so many other questions! i'll be posting more questions hopefully it helps others.

Silly question, i went on the ISF page, how do i download the module? Sorry i'm new to this

Cheers mate, you are unbelievably talented!

Frank
Terry Payman
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Re: Alpha Mask - Solid Replace

Post by Terry Payman »

I'm very glad that helped :D I'm on my phone, so this is just a quick response to keep you going forward. I have a problem with my only currently accessible PC :(

I'd attached the "Show Alpha.fs" file to a post in our previous thread. Look at the bottom of my post for the attachment.
https://magicmusicvisuals.com/forums/vi ... 549#p11011

I'd love to see what you did (and will do) with your cool compositing idea. A link to your Twitch channel would be appreciated!
frank_halfwong
Posts: 44
Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2021 5:22 pm

Re: Alpha Mask - Solid Replace

Post by frank_halfwong »

Thank you! I didn't notice the little file!

Here's my twitch link, none of the past VODs are on there, it's all on YouTube cause of DMCA; YouTube's content ID enables me to put content and redirect ad revenue to the artists which is perfect for me!

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/frank_halfwong
Youtube past VODs (all current visuals are with OBS, slowly converting everything to MMV) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsmjA3sxUEA

Do you stream or have a platform where you post your creations? Would love to check it out!

Cheers,

Frank
Terry Payman
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Re: Alpha Mask - Solid Replace

Post by Terry Payman »

I just quickly checked out your YouTube channel.
:!: :!: :!: :!: :!: Awesome! :!: :!: :!: :!: :!:

I love what you're doing with the visuals, especially with the combination of chromakey and lumakey. I'm inspired to get back to my greenscreen work! I love the quality of key that one gets from a greenscreen, where the edges can be cleanly extracted. Now that you have access to the alpha key you can easily add edge extraction to your effects kit bag eg
I'm not a performer myself, so my work is largely as a visual accompanyment to live music or dance performances when I mainly use processed live video together with images derived from the waveforms of the music. I occasionally put visuals to a piece of recorded music that I find inspiring.

Of the visuals that I post, virtually all is on my Vimeo account: https://vimeo.com/terrypayman There are a lot of my Magic experiments there, together with examples of my use of Magic for live performance.

EDIT: I corrected a problem with the video link
frank_halfwong
Posts: 44
Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2021 5:22 pm

Re: Alpha Mask - Solid Replace

Post by frank_halfwong »

Thank you so much! I've played with the plugin, here's an addon using lumakey, i've managed to remove my clothes and leave on my skin being stacked with data mask.... i'll have these modes rotate overtime!

I gota say, the more i play with MMV, it's a lot easier to create than the many nested scenes required in OBS to achieve the same thing (with more strain on the CPU/GPU).

Thanks for the video, this gives me even more ideas!!
Attachments
Movement trail on the GIF alpha
Movement trail on the GIF alpha
ScreenHunter_232 May. 12 14.34.jpg (131.73 KiB) Viewed 11424 times
frank_halfwong
Posts: 44
Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2021 5:22 pm

Re: Alpha Mask - Solid Replace

Post by frank_halfwong »

Terry Payman wrote:I just quickly checked out your YouTube channel.
:!: :!: :!: :!: :!: Awesome! :!: :!: :!: :!: :!:

I love what you're doing with the visuals, especially with the combination of chromakey and lumakey. I'm inspired to get back to my greenscreen work! I love the quality of key that one gets from a greenscreen, where the edges can be cleanly extracted. Now that you have access to the alpha key you can easily add edge extraction to your effects kit bag eg


I'm not a performer myself, so my work is largely as a visual accompanyment to live music or dance performances when I mainly use processed live video together with images derived from the waveforms of the music. I occasionally put visuals to a piece of recorded music that I find inspiring.

Of the visuals that I post, virtually all is on my Vimeo account: https://vimeo.com/terrypayman There are a lot of my Magic experiments there, together with examples of my use of Magic for live performance.
Perhaps you can get further inspired by a Twitch Legends. Her BF is a worldclass VJ! Check the video below , i think i can create the same idea of "shapes" that come from inputs i just don't know where to start in MMV but i'm certain it's possible

1- Seems to be a predrawn vector :
https://youtu.be/YVQK0As22uA?t=5672

2- seems to be a "shape" that merges with an input, a bit like when you merge an input into a "starfield" component
https://youtu.be/cnisy0KIpMg?t=670

Cheers mate!

Frank
Terry Payman
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Re: Alpha Mask - Solid Replace

Post by Terry Payman »

Glad you got it all working. I like the still frame of your effect, and expect that the moving version is even more attractive.

Thanks for the very interesting links. I'm sure that there will indeed be some further inspiration. I've only had time to skip through those videos, but it immediately struck me that your work with video processing far surpasses anything I've seen on the other DJ's videos so far, both technically and aesthetically.

The second of the links seems to use a simple mirrored feedback zoom/rotate/displace effect with some periodic modulation of the parameters. The displacement seems driven by a triangle function and the rotation by a slower sine function, with further modulation of image intensity and hue. I was going to try to emulate it, but realised that I haven't currently got ready access to any suitable greenscreen source footage to feed in. Can you give me a link to a short clip of yourself DJing with a greenscreen background, ie straight from the camera? If you could find some copyright-free drum- and bass-heavy music to include as a soundtrack that would be cool as a source to further modulate the parameters, failing which just send a silent video with you moving to a given BPM (ideally 120BPM to facilitate matters).

The first link's effect is very attractive. I don't see it as a vector. To me it looks like expanding concentic circles, each circle containing the replicated DJ. There's some feedback blended in, which gives the illusion of a spiral as the circles rotate and expand. I need to rummage/play around to see can find/make anything similar to the expanding circle effect. First thoughts are that the expanding circles might be using a shader that's built into, or for, Resolume although I'm not sufficiently familiar with that to know - I stopped using Resolume as soon as I discovered Magic which I find vastly more intuitive and generally more flexible for the work that I currently do. As all the replicants move simultaneously, the replication effect could perhaps be achieved with skillful use of Magic's "Iterator" module. It would be a good challenge. I'd be happy to have a quick try, given some suitable greenscreen footage, but I may well need to defer to those on this forum with greater maths skills.
frank_halfwong
Posts: 44
Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2021 5:22 pm

Re: Alpha Mask - Solid Replace

Post by frank_halfwong »

Thank you for the kind words. I've followed a lot of tutorials of gamer YouTubers that gave tricks for their gamer scenes and slowly generated combinations of these techniques in OBS. But when i saw MMV..... I jumped on it, and I'm converting my stuff into it and it's unlocking so many possibilities it's not even funny. i've actually made 2 other streamers buy it and a few more are considering it too.

Thanks for the analysis, I started playing with the Iterator" module (similar to a "source switcher" in OBS to cycle through component) i just can't figure out it well yet.

I can send you a greenscreen video np, I'll use streambeats so its DMCA free. How do i message you privately?

Cheers,
Frank
Terry Payman
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Joined: Sun Sep 14, 2014 8:15 am
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Re: Alpha Mask - Solid Replace

Post by Terry Payman »

I've seen you a PM on this forum with my email address.

Cheers, Terry
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