26.3. Importing Video
When bringing video into Photoshop, it is automatically placed in a video layer, which you can manipulate in a whole host of ways. Read on for more information on importing video for use in Photoshop.
26.3.1. Using video layers
Video that you open in Photoshop is placed in a video layer, which is indicated in the Layers panel by a little filmstrip icon. Photoshop allows you to treat video layers just as you would other types of layers — you can mask them, apply transformations, apply blending modes, change their layer styles, and adjust their opacity. Use the painting tools to edit the video frames, and use the selection tools to restrict your edits to certain portions of the video. You can even group video layers into folders as you would regular layers.
When a movie or image sequence is brought into Photoshop as a video layer, the original file (or files) is untouched — the video layer simply makes a reference to the source material. Photoshop generally tries to maintain the link to the referenced video even if you rename the file, but despite its best efforts, the link to a video can be broken if you either delete the video file (obviously) or move it to a different location, particularly on a Windows PC. On a Mac, the link remains unbroken unless you move the source material to a different volume. To re-associate the footage with a video layer, choose LayerVideo LayersReplace Footage.
You can bring video footage into Photoshop in a few different ways. ...
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