Step 1. Add media skin to your video movie
Video Movie
Start with a QuickTime video movie which you want to enhance with a media skin. Let’s call this Video.mov.
Media Skin
Create an image of your new media skin. Use a graphics program and create one from scratch, or perhaps scan in a photo of an actual device. This frame can be created in any file format that QuickTime supports. Let’s call this Skin.pct.
Note: Within this image, it is helpful to specify the area in which your movie will be displayed, especially if you plan to use transparency (see below). This area can be square or nonsquare. Just fill this area in with black or white.
Combine Video Movie and Media Skin
Open both the media skin (Skin.pct) and the video movie (Video.mov) in QuickTime Pro.
Add to Selection and Scale: Copy the media skin then switch to your video movie and combine them using the Add to Selection and Scale command (under the 'Edit' menu).
Note: For detailed help on using QuickTime Pro, consult the help file available under the Help menu.
Adjust Layers/Position: Open the Movie Properties window and, if needed, in visual settings adjust the Layer for each track (remember: lower numbers appear more forward) and/or use the Size and offset property to place the video track where you wish.
Tip: If you want the video to play through transparent areas of the media skin, set the video track to the background (a higher number), then modify the Graphics Mode for your Skin track to be Transparent and set the transparent color (usually black or white). Your video track will show through this area.
Save: Save your new movie as self-contained. Let’s call this Framed.mov.
Note: This example uses a static image as a media skin, but remember: a media skin simply provides a shape, or mask, to use when displaying your movie. Any visual media type can show through the mask, including motion video, and special effects, such as those possible with the QuickTime cloud or fire effects.
You can create your own movie controls using wired sprites and a wired sprite editor such as Totally Hip’s LiveStage Pro or Adobe’s GoLive.
Step 2. Add media skin to your video movie
Window Mask
Create a mask image the size and shape of your frame. This black-and-white image defines the window created when your movie plays. The image should be black where you want your window, and white elsewhere. The image can be a BMP, GIF, PICT, or any other format that QuickTime understands. Let’s call this WinMask.pct.
Drag Mask
Finally, create another mask image the size and shape of the dragable part of your frame. Typically, this would be the same as your first mask, with white areas where your text, video, and controls will appear. Again, this should be saved as a black-and-white image in a format that QuickTime can display. Let's call this DragMask.pct.
Step 3. Create text file
Using a text editor, create a small file with the syntax below (notice the references to your files).
Code:
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<?quicktime type="application/x-qtskin"?>
<skin>
<movie src="Framed.mov"/>
<contentregion src="WinMask.pct"/>
<dragregion src="DragMask.pct"/>
</skin>
Step 4. Save with a name ending in .mov
Then save as plain text, with the .mov file extension in the same location as your other files. Let's call this SkinXML.mov.
Note: Mac users, do not be alarmed when the resulting file appears as a movie instead of a text file. This is a feature of QuickTime.
Step 5. Open/Save in QuickTime Player
Open SkinXML.mov using QuickTime Pro. Save as a self-contained movie. Let’s call this Self-contained.mov.
Important
Be sure to save your movie as a self-contained movie, and distribute that version, not the XML text file. The XML text file is dependent on external files and will not Fast Start over the Internet. The self-contained version will Fast Start.
You can now put your movie on a CD, email it to a friend, or embed a link to it in a Web page.
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