special effect

soccer0926 · #1 (**permalink**) 01-11-2007, 12:05 AM

hey everyone

I was wondering how you do the special effect where you take a picture of someone cut out their mouth and replace it with a moving on so it looks as if the picture is talking. I have done a ton of google searches and cant seem to find the thing I'm looking for. Any help would be great thanks. If it helps I use Magix Movie Edit pro 11 and Corel PSP.

Andy Lockwood · #2 (**permalink**) 01-11-2007, 08:54 AM

Damn, this post really has me scratching my head..... A while ago, I had a free, off a magazine cover program that did exactly this, and very well too. All you did was import the image, type in the text and mark the keypoints of the mouth, it did the rest for you, exporting as an AVI. BUT..... I'm buggered if I can remember the name of it. I'll have a look tonight on my home PC and see if it's still installed and let you know the name if it is.

Alan Mills · #3 (**permalink**) 01-11-2007, 12:06 PM

If you can getr s/w to do it Andy's way then "top hole!".

the cheap and easy way would be as follows...

Film your subject or get your face still.

If it's a still, then cut a hole in it using Photoshop so that the area around the mouth is an alpha channel i.e. see-through. remember th efeatehr th eedge though so the join graduates.

Film someone else talking. Do this at the same scale and make sure they don't move their head about.

place the clip of the persopn talking on layer one of your video editor then the still on layer two. The mouth will be seen through the hole cut into the original still image and yuou'll get whnat you are aiming at.

If your original is a clip rather than a still image then you'll need to do some masking to show the talking mouth through.

Andy Lockwood · #4 (**permalink**) 01-11-2007, 12:22 PM

Did a bit of Googling and this was the one

Quote =

"Create and control a virtual cast of live talking characters ready to deliver an animated vocal performance for your video, web, mobile or messaging projects. Just a single photograph, recorded or imported audio, combined with transitional effects, animated illustrations and expressive emoticons, and CrazyTalk's powerful facial morphing animation technology is all you need to begin creating speaking actors, virtual guides, and digital hosts adding perfect personalities to any multimedia experience."

http://www.reallusion.com/crazytalk/

This is the one I used. I imported a photo of Billy Fury and had him talking pretty realistically. Not bad since he died in 1983.

Hope this helps.

Alan Mills · #5 (**permalink**) 01-11-2007, 12:42 PM

Interesting stuff Andy, Wanna post the link again in Pimp-the-Link? Will be easier to find latere on if it's there.

Andy Lockwood · #6 (**permalink**) 01-11-2007, 01:00 PM

Sure thang.

Tony A · #7 (**permalink**) 01-11-2007, 01:25 PM

There’s always an old standby if you don’t want the expense of software:

http://www.wrigleyvideo.com/videotut...sthrustill.htm

Mark W · #8 (**permalink**) 01-11-2007, 02:40 PM

I have never used that cut the mouth out trick but i have seen it produce some very funny videos - one to try one day.

soccer0926 · #9 (**permalink**) 01-11-2007, 10:21 PM

thanks for the links the crazy talk is a little expensive considering i just a high school student. Just thought I'd play around with teh idea for a video project im doing.

irishmark · #10 (**permalink**) 01-12-2007, 11:34 AM

Sorry for the repost of a link but I just finished this:

warning: contains lots of swearing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4pa8hyf_QA

I did this using after effects.

The process in brief.

#for each head I cut the head out of photo in photoshop.
#I then duplicated each head twice giving me 3 versions of the head.
#The bottom layer i mad a colour overlay of black.
#the next layer i cut out the mouth shape
#for the top layer i resleected the selection, inversed it and ut out everything but the mouth shape.
#I then brought it all into after effects and animated the mouth