Soft-edge vignette frame for type?
 

Does anyone know how to scroll a list of titles or names (vertically) within a "vignetted" window? I don't want to see the words enter or exit at the edge of the 1440 x 1080 frame - instead, they should only be visible within an area with the approximate dimensions of 90% title safe. The edges of the vignette window should be soft. But most importantly, the vignette window border should be transparent/invisible.

I tried doing what I know; I created a text media event, entered the type, and set up the travel of the type in the text timeline. Then I tried using the "Sony Border" effect, but the soft edge was TOO soft. So I tried using pan/crop to make the type window smaller than the project background, but that didn't work - it either (a) shrank the type but kept the hard edge of the frame or (b) magnified the size of the type.

Does anyone know of another way to do this? Thanks!

Sam

Drop a cookie cutter on it and feather the edges.

Thanks for the quick response Ed - your advise is truly appreciated! I'm not familiar with using the cookie cutter. Can you tell me a little more about it?

Sam

Sam, apply it to whatever you wish, then play with the settings. Feather the border to your desire...there isn't much to it. Try it out then come back and let us know how it worked for you. You almost have to play with it to understand it, as with any effect.

And Sam, just in case you were as confused by it's name as I was when I first met it, it literally is called "Cookie Cutter" in the FX list.

Then, as Jeff said, play around. It is relatively limited but does still have many things it can accomplish with some clever thought.

Hope this helps,

Thanks Ed, Jeff and Craig -

The cookie cutter did just what I needed, although it's disappointing that you can't change the shape of the cut beyond the preset geometric options.

As always, I appreciate your wisdom!

You can create your own cookie shape by going into Pan/Crop and selecting "Mask."
Do this on a solid background of whatever colour you need. Using the "pen" item, click and draw the shape you want until all the points are joined up and the mask is created, then apply the "negative" mode switch.
Place your titles on a lower track, add "feather" to the mask and you'll see the titles in the opening. You can use this mode for any number of effects...