Tutorial: Watermarking your vid

[permetaform]

A watermark (also called a bug or a logo) is really, really easy to make in Virtual Dub (free download available here).

1) Get your vid as a .avi video clip

For Windows Movie Maker: Save as "High quality video (NTSC)"
For Premiere: Default, "Export Movie"

[do you know of other video editing programs? please comment!]

2) Make a watermark

example:

Black will be transparent, White is opaque, Grey is translucent...

3) Finished making your watermark?

- Open VDub
- Open vid (.avi file)
- Go to Video
- Go to Filters...


- Pick Add
- Pick Logo (then then configure it to look pretty much like this...)

4) Save the vid, and the watermark should be there...

How to save the vid in DivX

DivX
- for Windows
- for Mac
- VLC player (for multiple formats and platforms)
ALL DOWNLOADS ARE FREE.

How to fix size/ratio issues in Virtual Dub
Hint: for DivX, small aspect ratio = 400-600 kb bitrate, large = 800~1300 kb bitrate. In other words, bigger size = higher bitrate.

Comments

[permetaform]

=) no problem! I squealed all over AIM when I first discovered it...

[tanacawyr.livejournal.com]

Do you know if I can do this to an already finished vid and choose "direct stream" to add the WM to it?

[permetaform]

er?? I've re-written the tutorial again, is that what you mean?

I just uploaded my finished vid (in huge .avi format) into VDub and then watermarked it and then compressed it for distribution...

[tanacawyr.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, I don't have the room to export a raw avi routinely, so I put a codec on my vids straight out of Premiere. The only time I make a raw avi is if I'm going ot show a vid at a con -- and with a 40Gig hard drive, it's a squeeze.

As a result, I was wondering if I could put a watermark on the vid without starting with a raw avi, or without putting a codec on it twice if I can't start with a raw avi. Upon reflection, I don't think it'd be possible. :-P

[permetaform]

oh! you can watermark in Premiere too...just make a title. (create>new>title...or something like that. It's under Files) I normally find that too annoying tho, because it means re-rendering everything back into green. Unless, that is, you don't render at all? I have a 40Gig harddrive too...tho most of my vids-in-progress are movies...and I barely have any songs on it...

[heresluck]

You definitely can't direct-stream it; you can only direct-stream if you're not using any filters, and the watermark involves using a filter.

You could certainly export the vid from Premiere as an .avi using a codec (Huffyuv, Panasonic DV, etc) and then tweak it in VDub and save a DivX (or other) version; I do this all the time for web exports anyway, since the original export is usually much too dark for good online viewing. (I *could* change the levels in Premiere, but my computer's so slow and cranky that giving Premiere too much to do usually means Blue Screen Of Death; VDub's faster and more stable.)