Masking



Masking is a term that refers to both the process of cutting pieces out of a larger image, and the results of said process. It is both a verb and a noun. Many of the more complex video editing programs, such as Vegas Pro and After Effects, have some sort of masking function, wherin users can select which parts of a video clip they do and do not want to retain - if the part they want to keep includes a moving object or character, this can become very time-consuming, due to the need to make adjustments on every frame where the object moves.

Masking is a popular and extremely versatile video editing technique. It can be used to place effects behind characters, replace backgrounds, place characters into scenes they were not originally in, and even engineer entirely new scenes. Its popularity is, however, hampered somewhat by how tedious it can be.

In some video editing communities, people sometimes attempt to circumvent the tediousness of the process by placing masked footage onto a green screen and using chroma key to remove the color of the new background, allowing them to use the same masking again and again. They may even upload the masking to a website such as YouTube in order to allow others to use it as well - they may or may not ask others who use their masking to give them credit for their efforts. This is a particularly common practice in the Animash community.

See also: Overlay