Creating a football highlight reel and I need to create an effect to highlight or spot shadow the player that's featured in reel.  See this done on ESPN Sportscenter all the time whether it's a Spot Shadow, a Highlight Halo, or just an Arrow Pointing over the players head.  Problem is I know very little about creating effects, so could someone recommend which one might be the easiest to apply and some tips and how to figure out how to do it?

Thank you,
Craig

Craig:

It's not too hard.  Put identical clips on V1 and V2 one on top the other.  On the V1 clip place a color correction effect and lower the gain until the image looks noticeably dark. Be sure your video monitor icon is at the V1 level at this point. Now, click the video monitor icon up to V2. On V2 place a circle shape effect and adjust to your liking.

Thanks Larry, sorry to ask but how do you create a "Shape Effect."  Tried figuring it out but I might not have all the effects you have, or maybe I'm have them and I'm just a newb.

No wait, I got it... Woo HOO!

Good!

As you've probably discovered by now, the effects palette contains groups of effects on the left, and specific effects contained within each group to the right. Shop through the different groups and examine the effects contained in each. The group "shape effects" contain several available shapes, including a circle.

I'm interested in doing the same although I know where my effects are, and know how to add video tracks I just do not know the steps of adding identical clips from the same footage to the second video track, it just will not work for me, a detailed intructions would help, and its late.

Hi,

Any chance you have the Boris Continuum Complete package of effects?  There's one in there that will do this pretty easily.

If not, add the same clip to V2 like this:

1. CTRL+Y adds V2 track (if you don't already have one)

2. Load the same clip that is on V1 into the source monitor.

3. Make the same in and out marks on the clip in the source monitor as you did when you edited it onto V1.

4. In the timeline window, on the far left side, click and drag the purple square V1 icon from the source (left) side onto the purple square V2 icon on the record (right) side, then let it go.

The V1 on the source (left) side should now be across from the V2 on the record (right) side.

5. On the sequence, mark an in point at the same position as the beginning of the clip on V1.

6. Click Overwrite.

You should now have the clip in the same position on V1 and V2.

If not, let us know where the process is going wrong.

good luck,
Carl 

The clip in the source monitor should now be