Matte Blend Modes are an exciting new feature added in the PVP 3.3 update. These are sometimes referred to as "track mattes" in video & image editing software. When you need one layer to show through (fill) areas outlined by another layer, use a matte blend mode. For instance, you'll be able to use a layer as a matte for an image or video on the layer directly beneath it to only show through (fill) the area outlined by the shape or text. The underlying layer (the fill layer) gets its transparency values from the values of certain channels within the matte blend mode layer — either its alpha channel, luminance (brightness) level, or white value of its pixels.
PVP3 offers three kinds of Mattes in the software and will address them below.
- Alpha Matte
- Luma Matte
- White Matte
To use the matte blend modes, there are some general rules to understand.
- The mattes cannot be enabled on Layer 1 as there would be no content below the matte to fill in and blend.
- It's best to use the same Target Set or have a Target in the same place within the Canvas on the layer you set the matte blend mode on and the layer directly beneath it.
Alpha Matte
The Alpha Matte emphasis is on reading and maintaining the alpha channel value of each pixel causing PVP to properly fill all pixels with an alpha channel value of 1 or greater. Any pixels that have an alpha channel value of 0 would remain transparent.
As an example, if there are pixels with an alpha channel value of 50, then the opaqueness of the fill content will be at 50%.
In the example below, the text & shadow with an alpha channel is being filled with the content. Notice that the shadow is filled with the content as well, but the alpha value is retained to reflect the feathering.
If you were to click Invert in this scenario, the background (blue) would become the fill for the shape & text, and the fill (red) would become the background (shown below). But if the background (blue) was not sending to the same Target Set or was cleared, the text would become black.
Luma Matte
The Luma Matte emphasis is on reading the luminance (brightness) of each pixel causing PVP to fill all pixels with a luma value of 1 or greater accordingly. Any pixels that have a luma value of less than 100 would be made transparent accordingly.
As an example, if there are pixels with a luma value of 50, then the opaqueness of the fill content will be at 50%.
White Matte
The White Matte emphasis is on reading the white color value of each pixel causing PVP to fill all pixels with the color of white. This matte does not maintain any transparency if the pixel has an alpha channel value, and rather it will make that pixel 100% opaque. If the amount of white is less than 100%, transparency will be created.
As an example, if there are pixels with a white color value of 50%, then the opaqueness of the fill content will be at 50%.
The White Matte specifically allows the ability to maintain the shadows and outline on objects, which is commonly used on text.
