Lately, we've seen how it was possible, by devious means, to map an image onto a text (See "Mapping an image to a text with Boris Graffiti and Studio") with the plugin Boris Graffiti. While developing this tutorial, I had my little idea... Since it was possible to map an image onto a text, we should also be able to map a video onto a text. And my desire was to create a fashionable effect, you know the letters in large extruded type that appear to be carved from a block of stainless steel and reflect a video during their displacement. You got it ? So if you're tempted by the adventure, follow step by step this new tutorial that was made according to your expectations, according to early results of our survey on page Boris Graffiti.

Step 1 : Preparation of the project in Studio

To begin you open Studio 12 (or 14) and you proceed step by step as follows :

• Drag the fourth clip of "OurFunVacation.mpg" on the video track;
• Drag again the fourth clip of "OurFunVacation.mpg" on the overlay track. This clip will be used as texture by Boris Graffiti to map your characters;
• The aim is to drag the clip placed on the overlay track to the title track.
  
  But to perform this operation, you must first remove the audio track from this clip
  (for more details see "Third Video Track with Pinnacle Studio").
• Lock the overlay track;
• Remove the audio of the clip placed on the overlay track with a right click of the mouse;

Just before removing the soundtrack of the clip placed on the overlay track, your project should look like this :

When the audio track of the overlay track is removed, drag your clip very early in the title track. You can now unlock the overlay track to get this :

To make your maping more visible, you will shift over time the 2 clips one over the other. You must cut the first second of the clip placed on the video track. Note, I said CUTTING not DELETE. You must obtain this :

Because if you remove the first second of the clip placed on the video track, the clip placed on the track title will adjust to the same length. Therefore lock the title track before removing the first second of the clip placed on the video track. You must do the following in order :

1. Lock the title track
2. Delete the first second of the clip placed on the video track
3. Unlock the title track

And you finished building your timeline. You will notice the difference of a second between the two clips. The clip placed on the video track has a second ahead of the clip placed on the track title.

Step 2 : Creation of the effect in Boris Graffiti

To enter the text :

1. you first click the button "Reset Style" to start with a basic style;
2. You select the "Text" track that will automatically be named with the captured text (You note in passing that the 3D Plane icon was changed into a 3D Extrusion icon);
3. You choose the font and size (do not take exotic fonts...). Do not worry about the color yet;
4. You enter 2 to 4 letters in uppercase. But the less letters you enter, the more you can have a large size of the characters and the better is the effect. As text, I chose "DV" but you can put any logo other known...

By default, Boris Graffiti positions the text centered in the middle of the screen. You will proceed to the positioning of the text at the beginning of the effect (The start and end key frames are created automatically by Boris Graffiti) :

1. Select the "DV" track;
2. Make sure your time slider is at the beginning of the effect;
3. Select "Position" tab;
4. Modify settings and interpolations of the values of Position X, Y and Z;
5. Modify settings and interpolations of the values of Tumble X, Spin Y and Rotate Z.

Reminder : The values can be entered in the corresponding fields or settled with the cursors.

You will now remove the video around the letters using a filter alpha on the "Background" track, the one with the video included on the title track in Studio.

1. Select "Background" track;
2. You only have one tab "Host Media" ... you will not deceive you;
3. Replace the "Key" No Alpha (Default) by Straight Alpha;
4. Check "Invert Alpha".

You can now fill the faces of 3D characters with the texture of the video.

1. Select "DV" track;
2. Select "Textures" tab;
3. Check FR (Front). In this tutorial, you will not map the video on the extruded part (EX), the bevels (BV) nor back face (BK). So the extruded parts, bevels and rear faces retain their original color.
4. We will keep the "Map Method" with its original setting which is "Clip". With this setting, the letters act as cutters who carved their faces in the video.
5. By cons you modify Scale X and Scale Y to scale video to 60% to improve the effect.

You will now give a shiny appearance to the faces of your letters.

1. Select "DV" track;
2. Select "Materials" tab;
3. In "Type", you replace the default value which is "Plastic" by "Aluminum";

You will retain the default settings of Boris Graffiti for "Aluminum", with the exception of Diffuse Intensity I suggest you spend 50 to 90 (but it is subjective...)

Let's animate the text. The animation will be done with only 3 keyframes you define as you like but here is an example.

Setting the keyframe at the beginning of the movement : The setting of this first keyframe has already been achieved roughly a little further. But you can adjust the positioning of the text at the beginning of the effect.

1. Select the "DV" track;
2. Make sure your time slider is at the beginning of the effect;
3. Select the "Position" tab;
4. Adjust possibly parameters and interpolation of values Position X, Y and Z.

Tip: You can take the text (in the middle, in the small circle symbol) with the mouse and position it with the mouse. Position X and Y values will change automatically.

Setting the intermediary keyframe, substantially in the middle of the movement :

1. Select the "DV" track;
2. Move your cursor time approximately in the middle of the effect (00:09:00). Above the buttons above the DV track, you have 3 windows :
   - "Dur" is the duration of the effect;
   - "Key" is the position of the selected keyframe;
   - "Time" is the time positioning of the cursor on the timeline;
   Tip: Instead of moving the time slider with the mouse, you can enter 00:09:00 in the window "Time" and your cursor will be positioned at 00:09:00 which allows more precise adjustment.
3. Make sure the "Position" tab is still selected;
4. Create a keyframe at 00:09:00. You can create it :
   - with the menu "Track/New Keyframe"
   - with the shortcut key CTRL+N
   - automatically when you place an interpolating X, Y or Z to a value other than "None" or "Constant".
   Then, adjust possibly parameters of interpolation and values of Position X, Y and Z. Possibly using the mouse to move the text in X and Y.

Setting the end keyframe of the effect (Recall, this keyframe is created automatically by Boris Graffiti):

1. Select the "DV" track;
2. Click the last keyframe. It will be selected and your cursor is positioned over;
3. Make sure the "Position" tab is still selected;
4. Modify settings of interpolations and values of Position X, Y and Z;
5. Modify settings of interpolations and values of Tumble X, Spin Y and Rotate Z.

Another bit of patience to deal with a last parameter and you arrive after your suffering... You'll increase the extrusion of 3D characters. By default, Boris Graffiti parameters extrusion to 5. For thicker letters, you simply pass the parameter from 5 to 7 without touching the interpolation. I think you get to change this without further explanation that the screenshot below.

Step 3 : Return in Studio

Now you may save your effect and you click the "Apply" to apply your effect in Studio and you should see this :

Step 4 : Bonus

For those who have had some difficulties getting to the end of this tutorial, you can find the file "MapVidéo.grf" available in the « Associated Files » section below. This file contains all the tracks, and keyframe parameters in detail above (with some small variations around adjustment).

Using this file:

• If you want to use the Mapper effect, copy the "Mapper.grf" file to one of your folders (eg My Documents);
• When you use Boris Graffiti in advanced mode, open this file from the menu "File / Open Settings" and the effect is immediately available, ready to be incorporated into Studio 12 or 14) by pressing the "Apply" button in the window;
• Note: Unlike the ones provided with Boris Graffiti, this .grf file does not preview or have the animation. It is therefore not advisable to copy this file into the Boris Graffiti library, as you will have neither the preview nor the animation of the effect.

For this tutorial, I used the same two clips off by one second over the time line of Studio, but you can use two clips quite different in this case you will not have to shift. Why simple when you can make complicated ?

{Thanks to saby who translated this tutorial from french to english and cross-checked it}