3d bug logo

October, 2001

How to Create a 3D logo "Bug."

The following "technique" can be found in the DV Companion from Intelligent Assistance.

Commonly seen as 'station branding' on television, transparent logos are treated so they appear to be raised on the surface of the image. The effect is a combination of 'edge lighting' and displacement. -

The graphic is most easily prepared in Adobe Photoshop or other image editing application. PSD files are best for importing to Final Cut Pro.

Inside Final Cut Pro we separate out the 3 layers to individual Clips and add the Highlight and Shadow over the image(s) in the Sequence. The Highlight uses Add Composite mode; the Shadow Subtract Composite mode. The Object is used as a Displacement Map to move pixels in the image.

Preparing the Logo in Photoshop

Open the Logo in Photoshop and scale it to the size and position required.

IMPORTANT: If working in DV remember to prepare the logo in square pixels ahead of scaling to non-square pixels.

Tip: Use the Canvas size to change the pixel size of the overall image to the square pixel equivalent if the Logo is not already at right size. This avoids changing the shape of the Logo.

Duplicate the Logo twice, so there are 3 copies in the file.
Name the Layers "Object"; "Highlight" and "Shadow"
Select the Highlight layer and offset it 2 pixels left and 2 pixels up from the starting position. (This example uses 2 pixels for a 2 pixel "deep" extrusion. You can use any number.)
Select the Shadow layer and offset it 2 pixles right and 2 pixels down from the starting position.

Note: the Highlight to the top left will simulate a raised logo, reverse the positions of Highlight and Shadow to indent the logo.

Select the Object layer and the select the content of the layer as a Selection.
Select the Highlight Layer and delete the Selection - this will leave a 2 pixel wide outline for the highlight.
Select the Shadow Layer and delete the Selection - this will leave a 2 pixel wide outline for the shadow.

In turn select the Highlight and Shadow layers and use the Output White Level of the Levels Control to make the Highlight and Shadow a mid gray.

Select the Object layer and use Levels to make it fully white.
Scale to the non-square pixel size and save as a layered Photoshop document (.psd).

Importing the Photoshop file and separating the Layers

Import the Photoshop file as a Sequence.
Open the Photoshop Sequence by double-clicking on it.
Select all Layers in the Sequence and drag the Clips to the Browser or a Bin. This will create separate Clips for Highlight, Shadow and Object.

Compositing the Highlight and Shadow

Edit the Highlight and Shadow Layers over their background footage. Extend the Clips for as long as you need the logo to appear.
Change the Composite mode of the Highlight Clip to Add.
Change the Composite mode of the Shadow Clip to Subtract.
Adjust the Opacity of the Highlight and Shadow Clips until the logo takes on a realistic 3D look.
Set the Shadow to approximately 75% Opacity
Set the Highlight to approximately 80% Opacity

Displacing the Object

Add the Displacement Video filter to the Video footage.
(The Displacement Filter is found in the Video Filters' Distortion category.)
Open the Vide Clip with the Displace Video Filter applied into the Viewer and open the Filters Tab for the Clip.
Drag the Object Clip to the Map Image well in the Displace Filter's Controls.

Set the Settings to:

Luma Scale to the default of zero;
Horizontal Scale to 2;
Vertical Scale to 2.

Tip: The Horizontal and Vertical Scale should be set to the amount of offset applied to the Highlight and Shadow in Photoshop.

Philip Hodgetts is the author of the DV Companion 2 and co-developer of the Intelligent Assistance approach to "What you want to know, when you want to know, how you want to know." Philip has had his own video production company since 1980 and worked on everything from long form documentary to corporate video to national TV commercial (Australia) with a strong emphasis on education and training video production.

He fell in love with Non-Linear Editing the first day he saw an Avid MCXpress, and purchased a Media 100 in late 1994. His first exposure to Final Cut Pro was at NAB 1998 when the alpha version was on limited display and immediately recognised its potential. His first Final Cut Pro job was a TV commercial that was on air in PAL the week Final Cut Pro 1.0 was released. FCP 1.0 did not officially support PAL.

His current major project (apart from updating the DV Companion, extending the Companion concept to other software and building a new website) is editing a long form documentary with 40 hours of source tapes in Final Cut Pro across the Pacific. Editing in LA with a Producer making revisions in Sydney by sending Project files by email.

You can purchase DV Companion by clicking HERE
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