How to put your own name strip over the one already burnt into the footage
Tell Vizard Agent there is a graphic underneath. It measures the buried name tag's real extent, including the soft edge and shadow that a quick look misses, sizes your nameplate to cover all of it, then measures the brightness of the strip immediately above so your own text is legible against whatever is now next to it.
What do you type into Vizard Agent?
Tell Vizard Agent what is underneath, not just what you want sitting on top of it. Asked for a nameplate, it will simply make a nameplate. Told there is an existing graphic that has to be covered, it measures that graphic first and designs to the measurement second.
Prompt
What does Vizard Agent actually do?
It measures before it designs. A graphic's visible box and its actual extent are different things: there is usually a gradient, a shadow or an anti-aliased edge beyond the rectangle you would draw, and a cover sized to the visible box leaves a line. Vizard Agent then checks what your text sits against. In the session behind this article it:
- Found where the show's name tag appeared across five vertical clips cut from one episode, and measured it at full resolution.
- Scanned the keep area for any other burnt-in graphics in the same pass.
- Placed the nameplate, then checked the bottom of the rendered frames specifically and found something still showing.
- Measured the graphic's true extent, looked closely at its edge and isolated the leftover to identify its shape, then fixed the cover and re-checked.
- Measured the brightness right above the nameplate and confirmed the text read against that strip.
- Reported the measurements it used, which saves the whole pass for the next batch from the same show.
When does this not work well?
Covering is not always the right answer. A tag that animates in and out changes size as it enters, a tag that moves won't hold one placement, and a tag over something you need means the cover costs you the shot. Semi-transparent bars tint the picture behind them, and a very tall graphic turns your plate into the frame. Reframing to exclude it may be better.
Common questions
Why does a sliver show? Because the graphic's real extent is larger than the box it looks like. Vizard Agent measures the edge too.
Should I cover it or crop it out? Cropping is cleaner when the frame allows. Vizard Agent will say.
Will the same measurement work next time? Usually, for the same show. Vizard Agent reports it so you can reuse it.