BCC+ Composite

Category: BCC Key and Blend

Effect Name: BCC Composite

The BCC+ Composite filter, part of the BCC Key and Blend category, layers a foreground over a background using a matte with the ability to add drop shadows. To create realistic composites, Color Correct, Blur, Grain and Transform controls are provided. Composite also lets you manipulate the matte using grow, shrink and blur tools. Another crucial feature in creating seamless effects, Composite’s edge blending allows for color correction, blurring and controlling the opacity of the foreground images’ edge.

Working with the Filter

FX Editor and Presets

• Use the FX Editor to load or save presets for reuse.
• To load a preset: Open the FX Editor, select a preset from the Presets panel, and click Apply to return to the host application.
• To save a custom preset: While in the FX Editor, click the Create Custom Preset icon in the parameter list, enter a preset name, and click Done. Additionally, a custom preset can be saved from the main menu bar by selecting File->Save Preset.
• To import custom presets from another drive: While in the FX Editor, select File->Import Preset from the main menu bar.

Effect Controls

Mocha Mask and Track

Continuum effects include integrated masking and matte tools that allow you to restrict the effect to specific regions of the image.

• Mocha masks: used to create custom spline masks. Mocha also includes Matte Assist ML and Matte Refine ML, which use machine learning to generate and track masks.
• Pixel Chooser: used to generate geometric shapes, gradients, or mattes based on channel, luma, or color-based selections. Additionally, an AI depth map generator, and an AI-powered face detection model allow for precise control of masks and mattes.

For more information, see Mocha and Pixel Chooser.

Compare Mode

The Compare Mode is used to view the filtered result alongside the original source layer. Several split-screen and side-by-side display options are available.

For more information, see Compare Mode.

• View: Allows you to set the viewer to display various outputs for the effect.
  • Output: Shows the default look of the filter on the image.
  • Matte: Displays the matte used in the effect.
  • Edge Matte: Displays the edge matte used in the effect.
• Opacity Sets the opacity of the foreground element.

Color Correct Group

• Hue:Used rotate the hue of the image.
• Saturation:Used to increase or decrease the color saturation of the image.
• Brightness:Used to increase or decrease the brightness of the image.
• Contrast:Used to increase or decrease the contrast of the image.
• Gamma:Adjusts the gamma of the image. The gamma adjustment leaves the white and black points the same and only modifies the values in-between. Positive values lighten the midtones, negative values darken the midtones.
• Temperature:Sets the color of the image to be either warmer or cooler. Dragging the slider to the right makes the image cooler (bluer) and dragging the slider to the left makes the image warmer (redder).
• Cyan/Magenta:Adds either Cyan or Magenta to the image. Dragging the slider to the right makes the image more magenta and dragging the slider to the left makes the image more cyan.
• Red:Adds or subtracts red from the image.
• Green:Adds or subtracts green from the image.
• Blue:Adds or subtracts blue from the image.

Blur Group

• Blur:Sets the overall blur amount.
• Blur X:Controls the blur amount along the horizontal axis.
• Blur Y:Controls the blur amount along the vertical axis.
• Blur Gang:Links the Blur X and Blur Y parameters.

Transform Group

Crop

The image can be cropped by adjusting the various Crop parameters.

• Top: Crops the image from the top down.
• Bottom: Crops the image from the bottom up.
• Left: Crops the image from left to right.
• Right: Crops the image from right to left.

Corner Pin

The image can be corner pinned by adjusting the Corner Pin sliders as well as dragging the four points on the corners of the screen.

• Upper-Left: Controls the X and Y position of the Upper Left Point.
• Upper-Right: Controls the X and Y position of the Upper Right Point.
• Lower-Right: Controls the X and Y position of the Lower Right Point.
• Lower-Left: Controls the X and Y position of the Lower Left Point.

• Position: Sets the position along the x/y axis.
• Position Z: Sets the position along the z axis.
• Scale X: The horizontal scale.
• Scale Y: The vertical scale.
• Scale Gang: The Scale X and Scale Y slider values can be ganged together. When enabled, the scale parameter will not display individual X and Y parameters.
• Tumble: Tumbles the image along the x axis.
• Spin: Spins the image along the y axis.
• Rotate: Rotates the image.
• Shear X: Skews left and right.
• Shear Y: Skews up and down.
• Anchor X: Defines the point on the X axis around which position, rotation, scaling or shearing takes place.
• Anchor Y: Defines the point on the Y axis around which position, rotation, scaling or shearing takes place.
• Anchor Z: Defines the point on the Z axis around which position, rotation, scaling or shearing takes place.
• Camera: Sets the camera position along the x/y axis.
• Camera Z: Sets the camera position along the z axis.
• Filter: Determines the filtering method applied to the image.
• Box: A standard box blur.
• Triangle: The Triangle filter is not the highest quality, but fine for scaled images.
• Quadratic: Quadratic is like triangle, but more blur with fewer artifacts. It offers a good compromise between speed and quality.
• Cubic: Cubic is the default filter in Photoshop. It produces better results with continuous tone images, but is slower than Quadratic. If the image contains fine details, the result may be blurrier than desired.
• Catmull-Rom: This produces good results with continuous tone images which are scaled down, producing sharp results with fine detailed images.
• Gaussian: Gaussian lacks in sharpness, but is good with ringing and aliasing.
• Mitchell: A good balance between sharpness and ringing, Mitchell is a good choice when scaling up.
• Sinc: Keeps small details when scaling down with good aliasing.
• Filter Softness: Blends the filtering method back into the image.

Grain Group

• Enable: Enables the grain parameter sub group.
• Monochrome: When checked, the grain is monochrome. In this mode, only the Red Size, Red Amount and Red Softness sliders are active. Since the grain is monochrome, only one slider is needed.
• Size: Sets the size of the grain. The larger the Size setting, the larger the grain will be.
• Red Amount: Sets the intensity of the red grain.
• Green Amount: Sets the intensity of the green grain.
• Blue Amount: Sets the intensity of the blue grain.
• Softness: Sets the softness of the grain. Normally, only minor softness adjustments are necessary, usually between a value of 0-1.
• Response Position: Defines the portions of the image where grain will be added. A low Position value places grain in the darkest image values, while a high Position value places grain in the brightest areas.
• Response Range: Increases or decreases the area where grain is added to the image based on the value of the Position slider. A low Range value indicates a narrow range of values, while a high Range value indicates a large range of values.
• Response Minimum: Sets the minimum level of grain that is always added to the image. A Position value of 0 and a Range of 80 is typical of standard film, with grain applied to the entire range except the brightest whites with black being the most affected.
• Animate: Enable/disable animation in the grain. When enabled the grain will randomly animate to create a noise effect.
• Random Seed: Adjusts the randomness of the animation.

Matte Group

Note: Input Is Premultiplied. In Nuke, the Composite filter needs to know if the input image is premultiplied.

• Input: Selects what image to use for the matte.
• After Effects / Premiere Pro: Choose the layer/track to use as the matte if you don’t have an embedded Alpha channel or if you want to use an Alpha channel from another clip.
• Avid: When working with three tracks, the matte comes from the top track. When working with two tracks, the top track must contain a Matte Key (RGB+Alpha image) and it’s embedded alpha channel is used for the matte.
• Final Cut Pro: Click the drop zone to the right of the Input parameter, choose a clip, and press Apply Clip below the Viewer.
• Motion: Drag the image to be used as the matte source and place it onto the drop zone to the right of the Input parameter.
• OFX: Assigning the matte input requires an OFX host that supports auxiliary inputs. Consult the host documentation for instructions on how to assign an auxiliary input as this will vary by host.

Note: In most hosts, the Alpha channel comes from the RGB+Alpha foreground clip.

• Use: Chooses the channel from the matte input to use in the Composite.
• Alpha Channel: The Alpha Channel is used for the matte in the composite.
• Red Channel: The Red Channel is used for the matte in the composite.
• Green Channel: The Green Channel is used for the matte in the composite.
• Blue Channel: The Blue Channel is used for the matte in the composite.
• Luminance: The average luminance of the RGB channels is used for the matte in the composite.

Note: The Use parameter is not available in Avid Editing Systems. When applied to a Matte Key, the Alpha Channel is used, otherwise it uses the luminance of the RGB channels.

• Invert:Inverts the luminance values of the matte.

Note: Depending on what is black and white in your matte, you may need to toggle Invert to off.

• Shrink/Grow: Shrinks or grows the matte. Negative values shrink and positive values grow the matte.
• Blur X: Sets the matte blur along the horizontal axis.
• Blur Y: Sets the matte blur along the vertical axis.
• Blur - Gang: Links the blur x and blur y parameters together.
• Black Clip: Blacks in the matte are made blacker by increasing the value of the slider. As the slider value increases, more values are clipped to black.
• White Clip: Whites in the matte are made whiter by increasing the value of the slider. As the slider value increases, more values are clipped to white.

Drop Shadow Group

Note : The Drop Shadow group on Avid Systems has been truncated to “Shad”.

• Enable: Enables the drop shadow features.
• Color: Sets the color of the drop shadow through the use of a standard eyedropper or color picker. The default color is black.
• Opacity: Sets the opacity of the shadow.
• Blur: Sets the softness of the shadow.
• Transform: The Transform Group parameter list is also available to adjust the position, rotation, shear and crop for the drop shadow.

Edge Group

The Edge parameters allow you to color correct or blur only the edge of the foreground. You can also mix the edge of the foreground with the background. This is very helpful for seamlessly integrating 3D elements as well as dealing with aliased mattes.

• Size: Determines the size of the edge matte.
• Hue: Rotates the hue of the image.
• Saturation: Adjusts the saturation of the image. Positive values saturate, negative values desaturate.
• Brightness: Adjusts the brightness of the image. Positive values brighten, negative values darken.
• Contrast: Adjusts the contrast of the image. Positive values increase contrast, negative values decrease contrast.
• Gamma: Adjusts the gamma of the image. The gamma adjustment leaves the white and black points the same and only modifies the values in-between. Positive values lighten the midtones, negative values darken the midtones.
• Temperature: Sets the color of the image to be either warmer or cooler. Dragging the slider to the right makes the image cooler (bluer) and dragging the slider to the left makes the image warmer (redder).
• Cyan/Magenta: Adds either Cyan or Magenta to the image. Dragging the slider to the right makes the image more magenta and dragging the slider to the left makes the image more cyan.
• Red: Adds or subtracts red from the image.
• Green: Adds or subtracts green from the image.
• Blue: Adds or subtracts blue from the image.
• Blur X: Sets the edge blur along the horizontal axis.
• Blur Y: Sets the edge blur along the vertical axis.
• Blur - Gang: Links the blur x and blur y parameters together.
• Opacity: Mixes the foreground back to the background, but only in areas of the edge matte.
• GPU Rendering:Specifies how the effect is rendered.
• Default: Uses product-wide default of 16 bit half-float GPU rendering.
• 16 Bit Float: Manually force 16 bit half-float GPU rendering.
• 32 Bit Float: Manually force 32 bit full-float GPU rendering.
• Disabled: Forces CPU rendering.