Using VEGAS Pro 15 to edit a video of the atelier iT 1/12 scale Race Queen

Use of a professional production software to edit and render hobby-related videos has long been an unchecked item in my hobby must-do-wishlist. That is, until now, courtesy of a fortuitous stumble upon an older version of VEGAS Pro on sale in, of all places, an online computer gaming platform called Steam. To skip the short backstory of what I had tried to do in my video production of the fully painted atelier iT 1/12 scale Race Queen figurine, please scroll down to the end of this blog. There you'll find my first attempt at utilizing a dedicated software to enhance a hobby-related video.  

As this was my first VEGAS Pro edited video, I had kept things as simple as I could. Working under a constrained hobby budget meant commercial plug-ins, which would've made my life easier, were out of the question. To compound matters, the VEGAS Pro EDIT 15 in my possession didn't include Boris FX Continuum, a special effects plug-in package that comes with more expensive versions. The version I have is two iterations behind the latest one available i.e. VEGAS Pro 17.

VEGAS Pro's interface was more complicated than what I was used to in the discontinued Windows Movie Maker

Lower half of the VEGAS Pro interface displays the project timeline and the various video and audio tracks

VEGAS Pro Edit 15 (Steam Edition) was used to produce the Race Queen video

In my first VEGAS Pro produced video, I had focused my effort on four key areas:
(a) an introduction that is minimalist yet captivating;
(b) call-outs that bring attention to specific areas of the project;
(c) a lower third that brings attention to my blog url; and
(d) text transitions that are in-sync with the background music.  

A minimalist introduction flags off the atelier iT 1/12 scale Race Queen video presentation

Call-outs served to highlight the work involved on specific parts of the Race Queen 

An animated lower third was also added to bring attention to my blog URL in a conspicuous manner

Scattered throughout the latter half of the video are text transitions, some of which are synchronized to music

All text and graphical effects you see in the video were generally build from scratch, with methods to implement them gleaned from free online tutorials on YouTube. And apart from simple fade-ins and fade-outs, no special movie effects were applied on the original video footage of the Race Queen herself. Such special effects are still beyond my basic video editing skills. So then, below is the video showcasing the Race Queen in a 360 degree spin-around. Please remember to choose the HD option for the best viewing option. Also click => here <= to check out my YouTube Channel.

My next video edit may involve the Millennium Falcon that I recently completed, or even some earlier projects like the RX-78-2 Gundam. By then I hope to at least add some special effects to the video and perhaps a voice-over if needed. And with that it's time for another quote. This one is from one of my favorite Formula One drivers Kimi Raikonnen ... Be yourself. If you try to be someone else, it won't work. Whatever you do, you are not going to make everyone happy.  

HQ12-02 Race Queen; atelier iT 1/12 scale resin figurine [Completed]

It has been a somewhat convoluted journey for the Race Queen, a 1/12 scale resin figurine from Japan-based atelier iT. I had actually finished painting and assembling her late last year but scarcity of hobby time meant I couldn't take any photos of the fully painted Race Queen. However, an extended stay-at-home period has allowed me to do so and post them here. Videos of her weren't included because I'm still getting to grips with the VEGAS Pro 15 software that I bought to improve my video editing options. As such a video representation of the Race Queen will be uploaded later.  

1/12 scale resin figurine by atelier iT - HQ12-02 Race Queen [Completed]

Also just a quick heads up before you proceed further into this blog. By now, you would've noticed  that a majority of the photos you see here were taken against a black background. This was done consciously in order to see if details of the black hair could stand out against a dark background. As a comparison, photos of the Race Queen were also taken against a lighter azure background (see series of photos in the last third of this blog post). Lighting conditions were kept similar for both. 

Closeup view of the atelier iT 1/12 scale Race Queen figurine against a black background

As an artistic representation of a Japanese Race Queen, I painted her in a black hair and fair skin combo

Meanwhile, her racing outfit was painted in soft pastel hues of the 2016 Pantone Color of the Year

Front closeup view of the fully painted atelier iT 1/12 scale Race Queen figurine

From the outset I had realized there was an inherent risk in painting a figurine with a combination of black hair and fair skin. This contrast in tint/shade tends to result in an optical illusion in which the skin then looks too fair and the hair too dark. Perhaps a better choice would've been brown hair and a more tanned skint tone. But I'm fairly happy with how she turned out. Of course she could've been painted better. Each figurine I complete is a step towards a realistic life-like paint job, a goal that is the holy grail in this miniature and scale model kit painting hobby of mine.

This lovely resin figurine was sculpted by Hiroki Hayashi of atelier iT

While her skin tone was airbrushed, the rest was completed by hand painting

In the closeup views thus far, the Race Queen's shots were cut off at her knees

Because I had not done a good job at the prep stage - a recurring failure of mine that continues to haunt the impatient painter in me - there were areas that I could not lay on smooth layers of paint. Can you guess where by looking at the photos here? From afar it's not too obvious. But if you look closely enough at her hands you can just about make out mold lines along her fingers. It's an easily rectifiable flaw that rears its ugly head due to my over eagerness to rush the project workflow. 

For a zoomed out view, I pulled the camera out until the shot encompassed her from head to toe

Zoomed out side profile (from the left) of the fully painted atelier iT 1/12 scale Race Queen figurine

In this case, the Race Queen's high heels are a perfect accompaniment to her attire ...

... and color-wise her shoe's were coordinated with that of her clothes for a uniform look 

Zoomed out back view of the fully painted atelier iT 1/12 scale Race Queen figurine

Even from behind, the Race Queen's pose is excellent; so much sculpted detail that's taken for granted in real life

For the moment, the Race Queen remains as a figurine painted to accompany the Scout Trooper and his Speeder Bike. Both are after all of the same 1/12 scale. Logically speaking the Race Queen would be much better suited paired with a 1/12 scale Race Car. However, I don't have any cars at this scale to pair her with. Anyway, the Speeder Bike is technically a bike build for speed so the Race Queen will still fit in well in a vignette featuring the Star Wars character and vehicle.

Zoomed out side profile (from the right) of the fully painted atelier iT 1/12 scale Race Queen figurine

Part of the reason I used a black background is to see how well the details on her black hair can be seen ...

... against a dark background, that is to see if the subtle contrast is visible in extreme conditions ... it is

Zoomed out front view of the fully painted atelier iT 1/12 scale Race Queen figurine

Adopting a traditional car show pose, the Race Queen can seamlessly slot into any 1/12 scale vehicle diorama

Another positive of the pose is that it accentuates the Race Queen's curves; in other words a proper modelling pose

To show how hues may subtly shift when placed against a different background color, I also took a series of photos of the Race Queen against a lighter azure background. I had tried to keep lighting conditions similar throughout the photo shoot. Assuming I had succeeded in doing so, the overall colors of the Race Queen seemed warmer when compared to photos taken of her against a black background. Now I do not discount the possibility that I had not kept lighting conditions as constant as I assumed because the photos were taken so long ago that I have forgotten all the details of the photo/video shoot. At the very least, I'm pretty sure camera settings were unchanged for both.

Against an azure background, the Race Queen's overall colors underwent a subtle hue shift

With lighting conditions largely similar throughout the shoot ... 

... the Race Queen's colors looked warmer versus against a black background

One key takeaway from this project was the fact that realistic skin tones can be achieved using an airbrush. While I'm still not fully satisfied with how her skin tone turned out, it's still one of the best results I've ever achieved when painting skin. It's my first time painting skin using an airbrush and lacquer paints. My previous forays have been with the traditional hand brush and acrylic paints. Airbrushing allows for extremely smooth transitions between hues. And when this is combined with the right skin color combo, the skin tone will tend to closely approximate skin as it's seen in real life.

Against the lighter background, the Race Queen was posed on a rotating display base ...

... with a series of photos taken at key posing points as she rotated 360 degrees

Details on the Race Queen's black hair seems harder to make out against a light background

Incidentally, this series of photos with an azure background was still shots taken of the Race Queen while she was rotating on a battery operated Lazy Susan display. This is the same rotating display that I usually use when taking videos of fully painted miniatures that I have completed.

Back view of the fully painted Race Queen figurine, posed against an azure background

A key takeaway from the Race Queen project was that airbrushed skin tones can look ultra realistic ...

... and this means the airbrush is now going to be my new best friend when painting skin tones

My quest for near-perfection in the painting of realistic miniature figurines is far from complete. There were so many things I could've done better starting from the Race Queen's hair, eyes, all the way down to her high heels. Ways to improve seem endless. And as I wallow in the pseudo-misery of  my own creation i.e. a never ending quest for a near-perfect figurine paint job, I will leave you with yet another quote from one of my favorite characters in the TV show Community, a certain Abed Nadir ... "You can do whatever you want, you just have to know what that is."

HQ12-02 Race Queen [WIP - Face, Boots, etc.] plus a Review of the Tamiya Modeling Brush PROII (Ultra Fine)

Almost without fail, I seem to hit pause on each and every one of my scale model figurine projects whenever it was time to paint the eyes. Inertia seems to grip me as I gather the needed courage to paint eyes at the miniature scale. In fact I had been debilitated with fearful inaction for so long that progress on the Race Queen's paint job was last made three-and-a-half-months ago. So what has changed? Up until now I've never felt I had tools that were truly up to the task of painting eyes at a miniature scale, even though they were Kolinsky Sable brushes. But that's no longer the case.     

atelier iT 1/12 scale Race Queen resin figurine work-in-progress: Facial details

Work done include her eyes, upper/lower eyelids, nose and some touch up on her lips and teeth

Metal zipper on her Race Queen outfit was also painted in this session

A key difference between the Tamiya Modeling Brush Pro II (Ultra Fine Kolinsky Sable Pointed Brush) and the existing Kolinsky Sable brushes in my collection is in its shape. The Tamiya version has a brush that is wide at its base before tapering into an ultra fine point. In contrast, the fine pointed Kolinsky Sable brushes that I currently have, unfortunately do not have a wide enough base to load up the brush with sufficient paint, which in turn prevents the brush from drying up too quickly. In addition, the wider base actually helps maintain a more stable brush point thus increasing accuracy.

Tamiya Modelling Brush Pro II (Ultra Fine Kolinsky Sable Pointed Brush)

As advertised the brush does indeed ... "maintains shape and has good paint carrying capacity".

Another pleasing characteristics of the Tamiya Pro II Ultra Fine brush is its fattened ergonomic grip. I prefer it to the usual pencil-like grip. Together with its stable sharp point and high paint carrying capacity, I found painting the eyes so much easier than before. Moreover, the extra large plastic cover which serves to protect the pointed brush tip is a welcome change from the usual small, narrow plastic piece provided by paint brush makers. For one, it reduces the chances I'll accidentally damage the brush tip when covering it as well as offer much better protection for the tip. 

Extra large plastic cover makes it easier to prevent accidental damage to the pointed brush tip

Kolinsky Sable brush is wide at the base (paint carrying capacity), then tapers down to an ultra fine tip (accuracy)

Meanwhile, the boots and nails were painted using a regular run-of-the-mill nylon paint brush. Larger surfaces do not require the pinpoint accuracy of a Kolinksy Sable brush. A regular brush does the job just as well so there is no need to add wear and tear to the more expensive Tamiya PRO II brushes, bought online for ¥1,140 from Japan-based HobbySearch. So a neutral white was added to the Pantone COTY 2016 scheme of her boots while a reddish pink was applied to her nails. I wasn't happy with the latter as awful preparatory work on my part resulted in a rough, mold-lined surface that wasn't conducive to smooth layers of paint. I need to work better and smarter at the prep stage.    

These boots are made for walking; And that's just what they'll do;
One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you

Not happy with the nails/hands at all; largely due to a badly managed preparatory process

A different background was selected for a series of photos of the Race Queen just to see how her skin tone looked against a beige background. Can't say I'm a fan of the results and instead may opt for blue as an alternative background color for the completed figurine's photo shoot. 

1/12 scale Race Queen facial details against a beige background

While her dark brown iris blended in with her black pupils as is wont in real life ...

... I had actually intended for lighter brown irises; but I'll be leaving the eyes as they are for now

After all that's said and done, there are three key areas of my hobby bugbear - painting eyes - that can be improved upon. One, a better differentiation between pupils and irises. Two, adding eyelashes to the eyes. And Three, a more realistic placement of eye lens highlights. Of course there are more areas I can work on but these three takes precedence in the coming projects. Hopefully by next week the Race Queen will have been completed with uploads of photos and a video to follow soon after. Until then, have a great week and may the point of your paint brushes always be sharp.