Easily composite and frame one footage layer over a larger layer. Includes the ability to add and customize a colored border and drop shadow.

Picture in Picture defaults place a white-bordered bug near the comp's top-left corner. The quickest way to change the PiP placement and orientation is via the tool's seven presets.

Find them via the blue Open Dashboard... button or the Choose a Preset... button below it.

As with all other Universe tools, you can modify or create a Picture in Picture look and then save it under its own name by pressing the Save Preset... button.

Getting Started in a timeline

1. Set up at least two layers of concurrent video in the timeline.
2. Apply uni.Picture in Picture on the layer you want to be visible as the main base image.
3. Use Picture Source to choose one of the video layers to be inside the superimposed picture.

Getting Started in a compositor

1. Apply uni.Picture in Picture on the layer you want to be visible as the main base image.
2. Use Picture Source to choose one of the video layers in your composite to be inside the superimposed picture.

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Modify the Superimposed Picture

• Picture Source establishes the layer to use as the inset picture. When you first apply Picture in Picture to a layer, you'll want to pay attention to which layer is topmost in your layer stack and/or which layers are visible or hidden. For example, in the image below, we have two footage layers, a wide-angle shot of three young woman crossing a canyon bridge (visible) and a close-up shot of the woman at the group's rear. The latter clip is hidden, but if it were visible, it would fill the comp because it's topmost in the layer stack. We applied Universe Picture in Picture to the wide-angle clip. By default, the first Picture Source pull-down defaults to None, so the same footage appears in both the background and PiP insert. However, when we select the close-up clip from the pull-down menu, this is the result:
  
  
• Position lets you to reposition the center of the PiP frame on the canvas using the x and y numerical controls or the cross-hair selector. In the following example, we increased the y value to push the frame down into the comp's bottom-right corner. Note how the frame, based on the Upper Right preset, automatically skews to orient toward the comp's center. This automatic skewing may not persist as you start charging other parameters.
  
• Change the size of the superimposed image with the Scale Horizontal percentage control. Uncheck the Scale Proportional checkbox to activate the Scale Vertical control and modify the x and y sizing independently. Note that with independent scaling, you're changing the frame's outer dimensions, and everything inside the frame simply comes along for the ride. Thus, the width of your frame will stretch or contract as you resize, not just its contents.
• Rotate the image in 3D space using the Rotate X/Y/Z controls.
• Border:
  • Choose from the Border Type drop-down menu to alter the look and position of the Border stroke around the frame. For no border, choose None (shown on the left, below). Choose from Centered, Inside, or Outside (right, below) to change the frame stroke's position relative to the overlay content. In the following comparison, you can see how Outside preserves all of the overlay image's content while Inside crops the most from it.
    
  • Change the color of the frame stroke using the color picker control in Border Color.
  • Change the frame size using the Border Width slider.
  • Alter frame transparency using the Border Opacity control. Don't be surprised if values under 20 lose most of their tinting and take on more of a grayish-black tone, much like a shadow.
• Drop Shadow:
  • You can adjust the direction of the drop shadow by choosing a new option from the Shadow Direction drop-down menu. Options cover the eight cardinal and intercardinal (e.g., northwest or southeast) directions as well as None and Center. If you select West, for example, the drop shadow will "lean" to the comp's left edge.
  • Change the shadow tint with the Shadow Color color picker.
  • Shadow Scale lets you expand or contract the shadow size.
  • Shadow Softness blurs the drop shadow. At 400, the shadow can become difficult to discern. At 0, it presents hard, clearly defined edges.
  • Pull the drop shadow away from the picture using the Shadow Offset control.
  • Use Shadow Opacity to make the drop shadow more transparent.
  In the image below, see the effects of settings such as Shadow Direction: Southeast, Shadow Softness: 0, and Shadow Opacity: 50.