Track Matte Key

Step 1 — Set up your project

1. Open Premiere Pro 2026 and create a new project: YourName_Session10
2. Create a bin named: Footage
3. Import at least 2 video clips — choose clips with strong movement or texture (water, fire, city traffic, clouds, nature, people walking are good choices)
4. Set your sequence to 1920×1080, 25fps

Step 2 — Build the three-layer timeline

This is the most important step. The layers must be in this exact order:

Layer V1 — Black background

1. Go to File > New > Color Matte
2. Choose pure black (R:0, G:0, B:0) — click OK
3. Name it: Background
4. Drag it onto V1 — extend it to 15 seconds

Layer V2 — Your footage

1. Open your chosen clip in the Source Monitor
2. Press I (Mark In) and O (Mark Out) to select 15 seconds
3. Press comma (,) to insert onto V2 — do not drag
4. Make sure it covers the same time range as V1

Layer V3 — White text matte

1. Press T to select the Type tool
2. Click in the Program Monitor and type a bold word or phrase (your name, a city name, "LOVE STORY", "BANGKOK", "ADVENTURE")
3. Font: the heaviest/boldest available — Arial Black, Impact, or similar
4. Size: minimum 120pt — the bigger the better
5. Colour: white (#FFFFFF)
6. In the Essential Graphics panel, add a rectangle shape behind the text
7. Set the rectangle fill to black — it must cover the entire frame
8. The rectangle layer must be below the text layer in the Essential Graphics panel list

Step 3 — Apply Track Matte Key

1. Click on the footage clip on V2 to select it
2. In the Effects panel, search: Track Matte Key (Video Effects > Keying > Track Matte Key)
3. Drag it onto the V2 clip
4. In Effect Controls, set Matte to Video 3 and Composite Using to Matte Luma
5. Press play — your footage should now appear inside the white letterforms
6. If it isn't working, check: is your text graphic on V3? Is the background rectangle black?

Step 4 — Improve the background

1. Delete the black Color Matte from V1
2. Drag a copy of the same footage clip onto V1
3. In the Effects panel, search: Gaussian Blur, and drag it onto the V1 clip
4. In Effect Controls, set Blurriness to 40–60 — the background must be heavily blurred
5. Apply Lumetri Color to V1 — reduce Exposure to -0.5 to darken the background slightly
6. Preview: the blurred footage should sit behind the text with the sharp footage visible inside the letterforms

Step 5 — Scale and reposition

1. Click on the V2 footage clip — in Effect Controls > Motion > Scale, increase scale until the footage fills the letters well
2. In Effect Controls > Motion > Position, move the footage so the most interesting part sits inside the text
3. Click on the V3 text graphic — in Effect Controls > Motion > Position, move the text to a well-balanced position on screen

Step 6 — Animate the text reveal

Choose one of the following animations and apply it to the V3 text graphic:

Option A — Slide in from left

1. Select the V3 graphic clip
2. In Effect Controls > Motion > Position, click the stopwatch at frame 0
3. Set Position X so the text is fully off screen to the left (e.g. X: -960)
4. Move the playhead to 1.5 seconds and set Position X to the on-screen centre position
5. Right-click each keyframe > Temporal Interpolation > Ease In / Ease Out

Option B — Scale grow

1. Select the V3 graphic clip
2. In Effect Controls > Motion > Scale, click the stopwatch at frame 0 and set Scale to 0
3. Move the playhead to 1.5 seconds and set Scale to 100
4. Right-click each keyframe > Ease In / Ease Out

Option C — Opacity fade in

1. Select the V3 graphic clip
2. In Effect Controls > Opacity, click the stopwatch at frame 0 and set Opacity to 0%
3. Move the playhead to 1.5 seconds and set Opacity to 100%

Step 7 — Fade in the background

1. Select the V1 background clip
2. In Effect Controls > Opacity, click the stopwatch at frame 0 and set Opacity to 0%
3. Move the playhead to 1 second and set Opacity to 100%
4. The background now fades in while the text reveals above it

Step 8 — Shape-based matte (second exercise)

1. At the end of your title sequence, add a second section using a shape instead of text
2. In the Essential Graphics panel, draw a large circle or rectangle — fill it white, background black
3. Place this on V3 after the text graphic ends
4. Place a second footage clip on V2 in the same time range — the Track Matte Key on V2 should already apply to this section
5. The footage should now play inside the circle or rectangle shape
6. Animate the shape: in Effect Controls > Motion > Scale, keyframe from 0 to 100 over 1 second

Step 9 — Add text labels

1. Using the Essential Graphics panel, add a small text label below or above the main matte (your name, a tagline, or a date)
2. Font: Regular, White, 28pt minimum
3. This text sits separately from the matte — place it on V4 so it is not affected by the Track Matte Key

Step 10 — Final check and export

1. Play the full sequence from start to end
2. Confirm: footage is visible inside the text letterforms
3. Confirm: background is blurred and darker than the text area
4. Confirm: text animates onto screen smoothly
5. Confirm: shape matte section plays correctly
6. Total duration: 15–20 seconds
7. Save: Ctrl+S
8. Export: File > Export > Media > Format: H.264 > Preset: Match Source – High Bitrate
9. File name: YourName_Session10_Export