TUTORIAL THREE: VIDEO PAINT 57Advanced macros: Creating a laser beam effectOne of the coolest effects you can create in Video Paint is the laser beameffect. Using the built-in macro recording capabilities, you can paint thelaser beam, record it, and then apply it progressively across an entirerange of frames. Once you've recorded a macro, you can save it to theProduction Library for later use.To create a laser beam effect:1. Open the video you want to apply the laser beam effect to. In theFilmstrip panel, click the frame where you want to start creating thelaser beam.2. Select the Paint tool you want to use to create the laser beam. In theOptions tab of the Brush panel, click the Straight Line button. Set thelaser's color in the Color tab and the brush's height and width in theShape tab.3. Click the Recording button and then click OK. The edit window iscentered in the workspace.4. In the edit window, draw the laser beam from the starting referencepoint to the ending reference point.5. Click the Recording button again to stop recording. The Add ToLibrary dialog box appears. Enter the name and annotation for yourlaser beam macro, select the Custom folder, and click OK.6. In the Production Library, select the Macro: Custom folder and findyour new macro. Drag-and-drop it into the edit window. The MacroPlaying Options dialog box opens.7. Enter the number of frames you want to apply the macro to. Select theProgressive Playing method and click OK. The dialog box closes andthe macro is applied to the clip.An example of a laser beam effect
