FCP drop shadow for subtitles?
 

Hello. We recently got a G4 with FCP 3. We previously used Premiere on a PC.

Learning curve not impossible but I cannot figure out how to get drop shadows or anything 3D-ish to work with the Boris 3D titler. I do everything I am supposed to, click "apply," but they do not apply!

Tried all the manuals I have and the Boris website. Still no hints.
We are trying to do subtitles and are having problems getting a font and color legible over all backgrounds and are hoping 3D will do the trick...

Thanks. Got great advice on another forum recently and hope you can help me here!

Hello Again, Jane.

The (Boris) "3D Title" effect has several tabs on it's pop-up control panel. The bottom tab controls the drop-shadow for the titling.

Hi Ken -
Drop shadows...
Yes, I go to the bottom tab. I pick the color, the opacity, the distance, the angle, etc., etc. I click "apply." But the shadow is not applied. I save. I render. Still not shadow. How is it that I can figure everything else out but not this?
Jane

Jane,
That all sounds like you're in the right place.

Did you also make sure to click that tiny check-box at the left side of the panel to activate the settings? (I've missed that one before, so I speak from personal humiliation.) Also, it's not obvious that you have to select the text (in the preview portion of the panel) in order to apply the settings to that text.

Ken -

Yes, personal humiliation re: the little check box.

So that is solved, but I still haven't figured out how to apply changes once I have put a title on the timeline, and I'll have to teach myself how to mass-produce subtitles (I assume I save a "favorite" and then past in the text) but I am on my way.

Will FCP 4 have better titling options? I was surprised at the limited choiced in FCP 3, like, I can't make a little translucent box around the subtitles the way I can in Premiere...

Let me know if you have premonitions.

Thanks again,

Jane

Glad to hear of your success, Jane!

Yes, apparently FCP 4 will expand its titling facilities. Here's the scoop from Apple.

BTW, for a set of inexpensive but very useful titling plug-ins, look at the CHV Plug-In's. You can extablish text-based templates and just re-use them.

It might do the trick for you.