Setting Up the Viewports for Keying

You can customize the viewports according to your personal preference. For example, if you want to preview the key on the entire clip, use two viewports, one for keying and one to play back the animation. Or, if you prefer to work on the matte, use several viewports, one to key, one to display the matte, one to view the composite, and one to play the animation.

To set up the viewports to preview the animation:

1. Select the two-viewport layout .

The composite appears in both viewports.

2. Click one viewport to make it active, and then click the Play button .

As the clip plays in the first viewport, you can preview the key over the duration of the clip. Use the second viewport to refine the key on a single frame. As you adjust the key in the still viewport, the animation updates in the dynamic viewport.

To set up the viewports to display the matte and the key in context:

1. Select the two-viewport layout .

The composite appears in both viewports.

2. Select a viewport, then double-click the Composite operator in the Workspace panel.

The key appears in context in the selected viewport.

3. Select the other viewport, then double-click the Keyer operator in the Workspace panel.

The output of the Keyer appears in the second viewport.

4. Click the second viewport, and choose Window | View Mode | Alpha.

Now one viewport displays the matte, and the other displays the key in context. You can use the Keyer sampling tools in either viewport.

Note: The active tool is tied to the active viewport. Therefore, if you switch tools in one viewport, then switch to another viewport, a different tool may be active. You must select the tool again in the second viewport if you want to sample with the same tool from both viewports.