Edit Well: Final Cut Studio Techniques from the Pros

Chapter 9. Using Masks and Mattes in Final Cut Pro

<authorgroup>KEVIN MONAHAN</authorgroup>

At the very heart of video effects creation, you’ll find masks and mattes. Masks and mattes give you the power to shape and blend clips to form wholly new images, more commonly known as composites.

Mattes Vs. Masks

You may be wondering, “What’s the difference between a matte and a mask?” The answer is “Not much.” Mattes and masks both have the same effect: They create and control the areas of transparency in a clip. But there are two crucial differences between these two features:

• A matte is most commonly a filter that controls areas of transparency within a clip. These filters define areas of transparency with parameters such as sliders and point controls. ...