Looking for advice on an efficient way to populate empty dialog bubbles

Hello everyone, first time posting.  I tried to do a search, but couldn't find anything that seemed to really fit with my current situation (totally possible I just was looking with the wrong keywords).

For reference:  I am currently using Sony Movie Studio 13 to make the video and GIMP to do my image manipulation.



So anyway, I am trying to create a video using static comic book images.  The idea I have in my head is to zoom in on and pan the camera between the sequential panels while simultaneously populating text into empty dialog boxes to simulate a dynamic conversation. 

I have the original pages scanned as PNGs and then a second set of the same images with the dialog removed.  I was originally thinking that there may be a way to overlay the two images with the original in the back and the edited one on top and then gradually allow the background image to "bleed" through into the foreground in a piecemeal fashion to "fill" the dialog bubbles, but I am not sure if that's really possible or, if it is, easily accomplished. 

I have already thought of two ways that I know would get the desired effect:

1) Start with the unedited images and add multiple white box layers to cover the existing text and then adjust the opacity for each of the "covers" as needed to reveal the text.  Or...

2) Start with the edited images and then use the text options in Movie Studio to just rewrite the dialog into the boxes as needed.

However, both of these methods are extremely time consuming and would probably drive me nuts before I even get close to finishing the project so I was hoping that maybe someone out there would have a more elegant solution.


I am pretty noobish when it comes to video editing, but I am trying to learn tricks here and there. 

If there is any tool already available that will allow me to "easily" achieve my desired effect please let me know.  Thanks in advance!

Hello and welcome!

I use the same setup and just completed some composites. Headaches and compositing go hand in hand. It's tedious work but that is the nature of editing. I'd go with the second option you mentioned, but instead of opacity, you could use wipes to create a more dynamic reveal. Ultimately you should pace yourself. I find that I can work on compositing until it either stumps or frustrates me. Then I do something else and come back to it. It just flat out takes time.

Since you have scans, you'll most likely need to use the stamp or eye dropper tools to match the not quite white text boxes. Video, especially HD, is brutal on making compositing look good.

Not what you were probably looking for, but at least you know someone who shares your compositing situation

Out of curiosity, what is your project you are working on?

*sorry for spelling phone is horrid to type in at times

DigModiFicaTion said:

Hello and welcome!

I use the same setup and just completed some composites. Headaches and compositing go hand in hand. It's tedious work but that is the nature of editing. I'd go with the second option you mentioned, but instead of opacity, you could use wipes to create a more dynamic reveal. Ultimately you should pace yourself. I find that I can work on compositing until it either stumps me I frustrates me. Then I do something else and come back to it. It just flat out takes time.

Ace you have scans, you'll most likely need to use the stamp or eye dropper tools to match the not quite white text boxes. Video, especially HD, is brutal on making compositing look good.

Not what you were probably looking for, but at least you know someone who shares your compositing situation

Out of curiosity, what is your project you are working on?

Click to expand...

It's going to be frustrating if that really is my best option.  At least I don't need to worry about using the eye-dropper since I am doing a purely black and white manga that doesn't have colored text boxes.

I am working on Berserk.  The anime adaptations are just so poor when you compare them to the source material that I wanted to test the waters to see if there was some interest in watching a video of the manga presented dynamically with some minimal atmospheric music/sound effects.