How to overlay two clips

Skyline_UK wrote on 6/18/2022, 5:43 AM

I can't find a way to do this in Help or YT. I have two clips, one of a man talking and one of a galleon on the sea. I want to have them playing at the same time, i.e. so you see the galleon through the man talking. When I have them on different rows, one plays instead of the other. When I have them on the same line and drag one across the other the automatic fade lines appear and I don't want that, I just want the two clips to play one on top of the other. How can I do this please?

Comments

emmrecs wrote on 6/18/2022, 6:17 AM

@Skyline_UK

First, make sure you are in Timeline view. (From your description I think you are but just need to be sure!)

Place the "background" clip on track 1. (If you have audio on the clip and have selected to have audio and video on separate tracks the audio will default to track 2.)

Place the clip of the man on the next higher-numbered track, i.e., either 2 or 3, depending on whether you have the audio of the background on a separate track, as above.

Look at the video object which is the track of the man speaking. Find the marker/triangle highlighted in my screenshot below. (For this demo I have used an object on track 1, yours will be on either 2 or 3, as I wrote earlier.)

Place your cursor on the triangle, hold down the left mouse button and carefully drag it downwards. As you do the image of the man will increase its transparency (or decrease its opacity) and the image of the galleon will gradually "emerge" behind him.

However, this will make the image of the man appear somewhat "washed out" (the further down you drag that triangle, the more washed out he will be) and may not achieve exactly what you want.

To achieve full visibility of the man against the background of the galleon you will need to explore the use of Chromakey, where the man is filmed against a background of a single solid colour, most commonly Green but can also be Blue. The chromakey effect then "removes" that single colour, leaving the man standing against a fully-transparent background, through which you see the galleon.

HTH

Jeff
Forum Moderator

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Skyline_UK wrote on 6/18/2022, 6:32 AM

Many thanks! I knew it would be something staring me in the face.

emmrecs wrote on 6/18/2022, 6:35 AM

@Skyline_UK

You're welcome! Happy video editing!

Jeff

Win 11 Pro 64 bit, Intel i7 14700, 32 GB RAM, NVidia RTX 4060 and Intel UHD770 Graphics, Audient EVO 16 audio interface, VPX, MEP, Music Maker, Vegas Pro, PhotoStory Deluxe, Xara 3D Maker 7, Samplitude Pro X7 Suite, Reaper, Adobe Audition CC, 2 x Canon HG10 cameras, 1 x Canon EOS 600D, Akaso EK7000 Pro Action Cam

johnebaker wrote on 6/18/2022, 6:49 AM

@Skyline_UK

Hi

In addition to @emmrecs comment, if the video of the man has not been filmed with a Chromakey background, you can also use the Picture in Picture effect - see this example here.

John EB
Forum Moderator

Last changed by johnebaker on 6/18/2022, 6:49 AM, changed a total of 1 times.

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