The Videonics Video TitleMaker is a video title generator (U.S. suggested retail 
price $445-895, depending on the model) that generates smooth, high-quality 
titles. It has advanced features such as borders, over a million colors, title 
styles of various sorts, etc. Colors and patterns can be applied separately to 
letters, outlines, background, and borders. 

Use the built-in demo script as both an example of many of the features as well 
as a starting point. As in computer programming, it's sometimes easier for the 
first-time programmer to begin with an example rather than from scratch. The 
demo has many novel ideas incorporated. As described in the manual, pressing 
command-shift-COPY or command-shift-MOVE copies the demo into main memory. 

This one is extra cool: The "Magic Dust" effect. You've seen it in the demo: 
The letters roll up the screen and a sparkling trail of stardust falls below 
the moving letters. It's really a clever trick invented by Videonics' David 
Hurley. 

* Create your titles and add several lines of titles following them. These 
additional lines can be any old letters. Set the background to black. Make 
the real titles white and the rest of the lines black (so they are now black 
letters on the black background). 

* Now select all the titles, using MARK START and MARK END and set them to 
have an outline pattern of twinkling stars and black color. Set the page to 
scroll at a medium speed (try 4). The black letters will not be visible but 
their outlines, scrolling by, will look like falling glitter. 

Combine transparent and solid patterned backgrounds for an elegant effect. 
Choose a patterned background such as the twinkling stars. Set the 
video/solid slider about halfway. Define the letter color and background 
to the same settings but set the slider to solid (no video). Make the 
outline letters an unpatterned white. Many interesting variants of this 
are possible. 

One of the most-asked questions: How do I make a page of titles appear, 
then disappear; then have the next page come and go; etc. 

* There is a simple trick (it's explained well in the TitleMaker 2000 and 
3000 manuals, not so clearly in the TM-1 manual). Create s blank page 
between your title pages. Simply press New Line to create a new page. Don't 
enter any text. Choose "VIDEO" as your Background Pattern. 

* With these empty pages separating your titles, you can make a page come 
and go. Each time you press PLAY, the page transitions from the titles to 
the empty page, so the titles disappear. The next time you press PLAY, the 
black page gives way to the new page. 

* This works with pages of infinite duration (the PLAY key triggers the 
next page) or with pre-set duration times (in which case the progression 
of pages happens automatically. 

Add elegance by changing the title spacing. Try placing several space 
characters between each letter for a widely spaced look. 

You can preview effects and styles by pressing DEMO while you are in the 
selection menus. Whatever you have highlighted will be displayed for you 
so you can see what it looks like. 

Here's a way to achieve a form of animation. In the "Crunch" effect, 
invented by Videonics' Dave Hurley, some text appears and alternately 
expands and contracts to create a pumping or pulsating effect. 

* Create a page that contains some text: Center the text on the page and 
set the EFFECTS IN and EFFECTS OUT to simple cuts. Set page duration to 
0.3 sec. 

* Duplicate the page. Change the text so it is spaced wider, either by 
adding a space between each pair of letters or by using the letterspacing 
option in the FONT STYLE menu. 

* Duplicate these two pages a number of times and PLAY them. The wide and 
tight versions of the titles alternate, creating the pulsating effect. 

* Experiment with changing colors, adding more or less space, and changing 
duration times. 

* Also: Use wipes and transparent patterned backgrounds to add interest. 
The demo shows some examples. 


Thanks to an eBay auction by an unknown seller for providing these tips.