< Previous | Contents | Next >
Clip mattes appear listed underneath a clip in the Media Pool when it’s in List view.
A clip matte, seen in List view
Alternately, you can add a timeline matte to the Media Pool, which isn’t attached to any clip, that can be used as a key source in the Color page within any clip’s Clip grade, or within a Timeline Grade.
Timeline mattes appear as stand-alone clips in the Media Pool.
A timeline matte, seen in Thumbnail view
What Are Mattes For?
Matte files are useful for two things. Traditionally, mattes are grayscale media files that identify regions of varying opacity, with white representing solid areas, and black representing transparency. For example, exported clips from a compositing application sometimes are accompanied by one or more matte files that correspond to keys or rotoscoped mattes from the composite. By importing these matte files using the “Add as Matte” command, you can attach them to the clips they belong to in the Media Pool, so that they’re only available to the clips they’re synced to.
TIP: If necessary, you can also apply LUTs to both clip mattes and timeline mattes in the Media Pool, simply by right-clicking a matte, and choosing a LUT from the 1D LUT or 3D LUT submenus. This can be helpful for adjusting incorrectly formatted mattes.
TIP: If necessary, you can also apply LUTs to both clip mattes and timeline mattes in the Media Pool, simply by right-clicking a matte, and choosing a LUT from the 1D LUT or 3D LUT submenus. This can be helpful for adjusting incorrectly formatted mattes.
TIP: If necessary, you can also apply LUTs to both clip mattes and timeline mattes in the Media Pool, simply by right-clicking a matte, and choosing a LUT from the 1D LUT or 3D LUT submenus. This can be helpful for adjusting incorrectly formatted mattes.
However, mattes can also be used as creative tools to apply grain and texture for effect. What a matte does depends on how you connect it in the Node Editor of the Color page. These are media files that you may want to use as mattes for potentially any clip, so they can also be added to the Media Pool as a so-called timeline matte, that can be applied to any clip you want.
Adding Mattes
To use mattes, you need to add them in very specific ways.