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Changing a Movie's Shape with a Video Mask

You can change the shape of a movie from rectangular to other shapes using a video mask. In combination with a media skin; you can "skin" a movie so that it plays in a non-rectangular region (for example, a movie could play from within a ship porthole), and then use a mask to restrict the movie's shape to the desired playback region.

Use a graphics program to create the mask and save it as a QuickTime-compatible file (for example, BMP, GIF, JPEG, or PICT). The mask should be a black shape on a white background. The movie appears through the black shape.

To add a video mask:

  1. In QuickTime Player, choose Window > Show Movie Properties.
  2. Select the video track you want to assign the mask to, then click Visual Settings.
  3. Drag the mask file to the Mask well in the Properties window, or click Choose to select the file.