I'm new to video editing. With my still photos, I can use Photoshop to edit out skin blemishes and "blank out" a face that shouldn't show in my photos. Is there a way to do that with video also, since the picture is constantly moving? If this is possible, what software would you recommend I buy?

[limblee]

download a trial of Adobe Premier Pro, before you start the trial join Adobe and search their knowledge database and forums for tips on how to do what you want.

Trial is (if I remember correctly) only 30 days. Quite expensive as well.

Good luck

[senu]

Originally Posted by PakWaan

I'm new to video editing. With my still photos, I can use Photoshop to edit out skin blemishes and "blank out" a face that shouldn't show in my photos. Is there a way to do that with video also, since the picture is constantly moving? If this is possible, what software would you recommend I buy?

Apart from cost, Adobe Premiere Pro isnt exactly newbee friendly,.So if you do download it.. try and learn what you need to do quickly before the trial period ends!

FWIW it is possible to blank out a face for a short length of video . That does take some learning but I would think editing out any facial blemishes in video is not an option

I imagine it is possible to do it ( masking a face) with Premiere Elements as well, that costs considerably less.. but either way there is a bit of learn a learning curve

All in all Most of the budget video editing software probably has a means to "mask out a face" but they way to do it would be different

[jaymac]

As said premiere elements is possibly one to go for. More than adequate for what you need and the support forum is first class Forget PRo unless you have several hundred quid to spare and elements can do most. An excellent book to go with it is .premiere Elements in a snap covers what you are after and loads more . Written by the guys who are anchormen on the forum
http://www.adobe.com/support/forums/index.html

[redsox_mark]

I agree with Senu that blanking out a face is fairly easy, but removing a blemish probably needs more specialist software.

The general technique for dealing with the movement (as the face moves around) is "keyframing". So you create a mask for the face, then at various points you move that mask around and add a "keyframe". The editor fills in the gap between the keyframes, and moves your mask around (follow the face).

As a face is relatively large this isn't hard to do. In theory the same technique could be used on a small blemish, but you would have to keyframe many more frames and be very accurate.

I believe software like Adobe After Effects can track a point... so you can automate this... but I've not used this, and it is expensive...