Video Masking: How to Mask a Video

Home >
Learn >
Video Editing Tips >
Video Masking: How to Mask a Video

Last Updated: 2021. 09. 27

Video Masking is the art of video editing that target effects to a particular area, clip, or section of a video using a masking tool. You can use video masking tool to cut out some things, place, or blur some areas of the video. You can also use it to merge two or more clips in one, making it look like a single video.

We all acknowledge the impact of various video masking tools out there, but it will only be fair if we present the pioneer tool for masking videos. That’s where Premiere Pro comes in. The Adobe Premiere Pro is a video editing software app designed by Adobe Inc. Launched in 2003; the Premiere Pro has displayed quite an appealing response from A-class users like CNN, BBC.

Adobe Premiere Pro’s mask video tool comes with a 5.1 surround sound mixing feature for an augmented sound, ensuring that every clink counts. Still on the feature, there is also the plug-in architecture that facilitates safe import and export. It also has 2D and 3D supports and ensures a left and right eye movement in each character. The Premiere Pro video masking also comes with many exciting features that cannot be summarised in a paragraph.

Here in this post, we will be showing you how to mask a video with Adobe Premiere Pro with its strong video masking tools. Follow us and let’s get started.

How to Mask a Still Video Object

Step 1

Initiate the duplication through the timeline, then drag the duplicated video to the Overlay Track. This will duplicate the video. If necessary, resize the video to occupy the frame.

Step 2

Click the Overlay track video, then the Mask Creator button located on the timeline toolbar.

Step 3

Feather the mask to augment the smoothing. When you are done feathering, select 'Invent.'

Step 4

Select 'Detect movement and adjust mask to end of clip' to commence with the mask creation process. With that, you can track the object through every frame.

Mask a Video Via Shapes

Step 1

Select the video clip you wish to mask from the Timeline panel.

Step 2

Go to Video Effects > Style and select the type of effect you wish to apply to the video clip from the Effect panel.

Step 3

Drag the effect from the "Effects" panel to the video clip located in the Timeline panel to apply the effect. You can also double-click the effect located in the Effects panel area to apply.

Step 4

Open the Effect Controls panel. Click on the drop-down arrow to visit effect properties.

Step 5

Use the Pen tool to create any shapes. You can also adjust values to adjust Effect Controls panel.

Step 6

The effect will be restricted within the masked area. Go to the Effect Controls panel > Adjust mask settings to edit the mask.

Mask a Video via Free-Form Shape

Step 1

Get the video to the timeline and click the Pen tool.

Step 2

Place the Pen tool where you wish to begin the segment, then click it to define the vertex point. Please don't drag.

Step 3

When you get to where you want the segment to end, click again.

Step 4

To set vertex points for extra straight lines, you have to continue clicking.

Step 5

Press Alt+Click to end the path with a linear mask. For Mac users, you can use Option+ click on the first vertex point.

How to Create a Tracking Video Mask

Step 1

Choose a mask and select your preferred Mask Path settings located under the mask.

Step 2

Right-click on the selected mask and click "Track Mask" to start creating a tracking video mask.

Step 3

When you must have selected the mask, the panel of the Tracker automatically switches on to mask the tracking mode. You are expected to see the following control options:

a. Track backward either one frame at a time or until the end of the layer.

b. Track forward either one frame at a time or until the end of the layer.

Step 4

If your Tracker panel aren't displayed, choose a mask. Go to Animation, select Track Mask to display the panel. You can as well Track Mask from the context menu by context-clicking a mask.

Note

There are many methods to modify your position, e.g. skew, rotation, scale, and the mask's perspective.

The outcome of using a mask tracker is visible in the use of keyframes for the Mask Path property. You also have to note that the method you should use in tracking videos depends on how the mask shape matches those transformations tracked in the layer.

The Bottom Line

Understand that video masking is a perfect way to target a particular image for hiding a particular object, cutting, or blurring a particular image on the video. And you can get all these and more if you use the right video masking tool. If you find this post helpful, don't get selfish with this article; go ahead, like and share it if you find it interesting.