Free tutorial on using Overlays in Final Cut Pro


Here’s how to use Final Cut Pro to create a composition combining your footage, a Hotcakes background, a Hotcakes Overlay, and a Hotcakes Image Matte.

		1. Start FCP, and import your footage, and a Hotcakes background. We selected Champagne found on the Wedding Essentials Volume 1 Disc 1 in Folder Animations QT



			2. Import the OvalFrame.mov found on Disc 2 in the QT PNG Folder. All overlay animations with the alpha channel are found in this folder. If you use the movies found on Disc 1, they will NOT have the alpha channel embedded.

	3. Import OvalFrameMatte from the Stills & Mattes folder on Disc 2.


	NOTE: Copy all Digital Hotcakes animations the DVDs to your video hard drive before importing them.


	4. Drag your clip (we used Awesome Sunset from WE Vol 1) to V1 in the timeline. Drag the OvalFrame.mov to V2. Drag as many copies as necessary.


	5. Drag the Champagne clip to V3.

6. Click on the Effects Tab in the Browser Window. Double click on Image Mask under Matte under Video Filters to bring up the settings in the Viewer.

7. Click back on the Project Files Tab in the Browser Window to display your imported files. Drag the OvalMatte.tga file to the Viewer Image Mask window. Drop the image in the box with the ? on the Mask row.

8. Set the Channel type to Alpha.

9. From the Viewer window, drag the Image Mask to the Champagne clip in V3.

10. Render to get the following results:

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