Motion image inserter in AWS Elemental MediaConvert

In this guide, you'll learn how to set up motion graphic overlays with AWS Elemental MediaConvert. Motion graphic overlays appear in all outputs.

In the default setting for Start time, the overlay starts at the first frame of each output. In the default setting for Playback, the overlay remains on the video for the duration of the motion graphic (played once). However, you can change the default setting by specifying an overlay start time, or by setting playback to repeat. This guide shows you how.

Specify motion graphic overlay start time and playback

You can specify motion graphic overlay Start time and Playback settings instead of using the default setting. The following information shows how to specify overlay start time for a video and to repeat it continuously (loop).

In the following image, the motion graphic overlay setting is three minutes long. The motion graphic playback is set to repeat until the end of the output.

Start time settings for motion overlays

Provide the timecode for the first frame where you want the motion overlay to appear. This timecode is relative to your input timeline.

Storage management

For input overlays, Start time is relative to the input timeline. This timeline is affected by the input Timecode source setting.

For more information about the input and output timelines, and the timecode settings that affect them, see How MediaConvert uses timelines to assemble jobs. For jobs with multiple inputs, MediaConvert places the motion overlay on each input, according to the input timeline for that input. After you specify Start time once, MediaConvert applies that value to all inputs.

Tip

To simplify setup, specify Start time counting from 00:00:00:00 as the first frame, and set both of the following settings to Start at 0:

• Timecode configuration, Source, under the job-wide settings.

• Timecode source, in the Video selector settings for each input.

Playback settings for motion graphic overlays

For playback settings on motion graphic overlays, you have two options. You can set your overlay to play once through the duration of the motion graphic or to loop from the start time to the end of the output. The duration of a .mov motion graphic is built into the .mov file, which has a set number of frames and a defined frame rate.

When a motion graphic is a set of .png images, determine the duration of the overlay by how many images you provide and the frame rate that you specify. The duration in seconds is the number of frames divided by the frame rate, in frames per second. For example, if your frame rate is 30 fps and you provide 600 images, the duration of the motion overlay is 20 seconds.

For jobs with multiple inputs, MediaConvert places the motion overlay on each input at the time that you specify for Start time. Depending on what you choose for Playback, MediaConvert either plays the overlay once or until the end of the input. When you specify Playback once, MediaConvert applies that value to all inputs.

Requirements to set up motion graphic overlay files

The following table describes how to set up motion graphic overlay files.

Motion graphic file requirement	Description
File type	QuickTime (.mov) Container: QuickTime Codec: QuickTime Animation (RLE) Color space: RGBA Sequential PNG (.png) Make sure that the names of the .png files end with sequential numbers that specify the order that they are played in. For example, overlay_000.png, overlay_001.png, overlay_002.png, and so on. Pad your initial file name with enough zeros to complete the sequence. For example, if the first image is overlay_0.png, there can be only 10 images in the sequence, with the last image being overlay_9.png. However, if the first image is overlay_00.png, there can be 100 images in the sequence. Make sure that the number of images in your series matches the frame rate and your intended overlay duration. For example, if you want a 30-second overlay at 30 fps, you should have 900 .png images. Requires an alpha channel.
Frame rate	QuickTime (.mov) Use any frame rate. The frame rate that you use doesn't have to match the frame rate of the underlying video. Sequential PNG (.png) Use any frame rate. The frame rate that you use doesn't have to match the frame rate of the underlying video. Specify the frame rate when you set up the overlay.
Aspect ratio	Use any aspect ratio. It doesn't have to match the aspect ratio of the underlying video.
Size in pixels	Use any size. MediaConvert scales the motion graphic with any outputs that have video scaling.

Setting up motion graphic overlays

Motion graphic overlays apply to every output in the job. Therefore, set them up as a processor in the settings that apply to the entire job.

You can set up still graphic overlays that appear only on individual outputs. For information, see Choosing between input overlay and output overlay.

To set up a motion graphic overlay

1. Open the AWS Elemental MediaConvert console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/mediaconvert.

2. Set up your job, as described in Configuring jobs in MediaConvert.

3. On the Create job page, in the Job pane on the left, under Job settings, choose Settings.

4. In the Global processors section to the right of the Job pane, enable Motion image inserter.

5. For Input, specify your motion graphic file name. If you're using a series of .png files, provide the file name of the first image.

6. Specify values for the other fields. For more information about these fields, choose the Info link on the console next to Motion image inserter.