Adding Motion to the Goggles to Simulate a Searching Movement

Adding Motion to the "Goggles" to Simulate a Searching Movement

By applying a motion effect to our "goggles," we can easilyand quite convincinglycreate the further illusion of someone (or something) searching through the darkness of the night using night vision technology. We'll apply a simple tracking technique using the basic key frame functionality of Premiere Elements to move the goggles view around the clip, as if the "watcher" was concentrating on finding a particular person or studying the action.

Searching in the Night with a Motion Effect

Select the Title 01 clip in the Video 2 track on the Timeline so it is active in the Monitor panel.

In the Properties panel for the Title 01 clip, click the triangle next to Opacity to reveal the effect's controls.

Set the Opacity to 35%. This will allow us to see what's beneath the goggles as we move them about.

Click the Show Keyframes button to reveal the keyframes area, and adjust the Properties panel as needed for a better view of this area.

Turn on key frame animation for the Title 01 clip by first clicking on the triangle next to Motion to reveal the effect's controls.

Then, click the Toggle animation button to enable motion effects.

Did You Know?

Premiere Elements fills in the in-between. As you add more keyframes in this way, you'll eventually have enough to cover most of the necessary movement. Premiere Elements fills in the rest of the "point A to point B" movement of the goggles without you specifically having to mark it. This process is known as "tweening," a term that comes from the animation (cartooning) world and derives from "in-betweening" when cartoonists had to draw the animation cells for the in-between motion of, say, walking or waving.

Creating the Motion

If Safe Margins aren't visible, turn them on now by clicking the MORE button on the Monitor panel and selecting Safe Margins.

Using the CTI on the Timeline, advance the clip three seconds to 00;00;03;00.

Reposition the goggles by clicking on them in the Monitor panel and moving them, or by typing these coordinates as the new Position under Motion:

• Position: 425 210

Timesaver

Each time you move the goggles, Premiere Elements adds a new keyframe for you to mark the position that moment in time.

Advance the clip to the eleven second mark: 00;00;11;00.

Reposition the goggles again by clicking on them in the Monitor panel and moving them, or by entering these new coordinates under Motion:

• Position: 330 175

Advance the clip to the 25 second mark (00;00;25;00).

Reposition the goggles one last time to:

• Position: 350 250.

When you are done, reset the Opacity for the Goggles clip back to 100%.