hi can anyone help please? I amtrying to split the screen into four equal quarters (4 clips, 4tracks) with a black frame so that it looks like a contact sheet. Then (ha ha) one clip expands to fill the screen. I've read Premier Elements for Dummies but no matter what I do I cannot resize the four clips to equal quarters of the screen and how do I get a black contact sheet style frame around them? Do I have to make one in photoshop elements and superimpose it or is there a quicker way? This has driven me mad for a couple of days. ALso.....

I am trying to produce a black and white film that appears tinted with a couple of colours (like old hand tinted photos) is this possible in elements or am I being overambitious? My idea was to layer two identical tracks as I cannot export in filmstrip format to photoshop elements. is there a plug in or alternative (free or very cheap) software I can use or am I just trying to run before I can walk properly?
Thanks

All of this is perfectly possible in Premiere Elements.

You could create a contact sheet (as you put it) using the Title designer as this supports soem basic graphics. Alternatively create using the imaging software of your choice. Once you have done this place the imafe on VIdeo 1 track.

Place your video clips above this (On tracks 2, 3, 5 and 5)

For each clip (on 2, 3, 4 and 5) you will have to change the size of the image. For example to place a clip in the top left hand corner,

1. Select the clip by clicking on it.

2. From the Windows menu select Effect Controls

3. Under Fixed Effects expand the Motion bar

4. Change the position to 180 x 144

5. Change the scale to 25%

6. Repeat accordingly for the other clips remembering to change the x and y values (thats the 180 x 144 bit).

6. To grow a clip to full size you will have to set some key frames and change the values accordingly at each key frame. Try and work this one out, but if you are having difficulty, post back and we shall talk through the detail.


To make a clip monochrome (or sepia tinted),

1. Open the Effects window (Window > Effects)

2. From Image Control drag the Color Balance (RGB) onto your clip.

3. From the Effect Control window exapnad the Colour Balance bar and play about the the RGB values until you have your desired effect.


Good luck

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I don't if Elements has the "color pass" filter? Pro does. This allows just certain colours to remain - I don't know if this would help?

Dan Jeffery

Thanks for replies I had to go for a long walk that night just to try and figure it out and then I saw the pip reply (thanks). I did it by laying plain black on track one for 30secs and four clips on four tracks above at 40% scale. Don´t ask me why 4 quarters should add up to 40% each but 25% of scale was too small and 40% makes four nice little contact sheet sized movies! I also tried color pass but it seems to only pick up on little bits of the color and not the entire object.... ho hum I´ll keep thinking (and walking) but meanwhile it does help having you guys to bounce off so thanks!
lacaro