you'll animate and mask the clip, so that the zoo director appears just before he begins speaking and disappears when he has finished. Importing the Video Clip Use the Import Video wizard to import the Popup.flv file. 1. Select the first frame in the Pop Up Video layer, and choose File > Import > Import Video. 2. In the Import Video wizard, select On Your Computer, and click Browse or Choose. Select the Popup.flv file in the Lesson09/09Start folder, and click Open. Click Next or Continue to proceed to the next window in the wizard. 3. From the deployment options, select Progressive Download From A Web Server. Click Next or Continue. 4. Select None from the Skin menu, and click Next or Continue. [View full size image] 5. Click Finish to import the video. 6. Use the Selection tool to position the new video just above the red bar and the sound buttons. [View full size image] To see the entire Stage, choose Show All from the pop-up menu just above the Stage 7. Choose Control > Test Movie to see the video file that uses alpha channels. Close the preview window. Professionals often film people in front of solid green or blue backgrounds, so that they can easily remove, or key, the background in a video-editing application such as Adobe After Effects. Then, the person is merged with a different background. The image of the zoo director was filmed in front of a green screen, which was removed in After Effects. 1. Shoot footage in front of a green screen. * Use a green background that is flat, smooth, and free of shadows, so that the color is as pure as possible. * Minimize the light that reflects off the green screen onto the subject. * Keep movement to a minimum for Flash video; use a tripod if possible. 2. Remove the background in After Effects. Import the file as footage into After Effects, create a new composition, and drag it onto the Composition Timeline. Create a garbage mask to roughly outline the shape and remove most of the background. But be sure the subject never moves outside the mask! Use the Color Range keying effect to delete the rest of the background. You may need to do some fine-tuning with the Matte Choker and Spill Suppressor effects. A spill suppressor removes the light that splashes onto the edges of the subject. 3. Export to FLV format Export the video file to Flash Video (FLV) format directly from After Effects. Be sure to select Encode Alpha Channel. The alpha channel is the selection around the subject. Encoding the alpha channel ensures that the video exports without a background. Adding a Drop Shadow to a Movie Clip