For examples of how themes work, let’s examine the included ‘50s Modern’ theme, which contains five templates: Opening, Segue A, Segue B, Segue C, Ending.

All the templates in this particular theme use the same backdrop design – an abstract, scrolling pattern. It is continuously visible except during full-frame video segments. The coloring of the pattern is set using a parameter control available for each of these templates in the Montage Editor.

Let’s take a closer look at one of the templates: Opening.

Opening: An Opening template usually starts with some sort of animation, including titles, and ends with full frame video. Our ‘50s Modern’ example follows that pattern.

The scrolling background animation runs through most of this sequence. Within the animation, two customizable captions are displayed. They are represented in the diagram below by lines on the Animation bar. Both captions are flown into and out of the frame (dark line color), with a one and a half second pause for stationary display (light line color) in between.

Just as the second caption is leaving the frame, an animated panel containing the running video subclip is launched. The video zooms to full frame by 11:18 in the template clip, and remains so through to the end (the white portion of the ‘Video’ bar in the diagram).

By default, the length of this template clip is 14:00. The embedded video clip starts at a fixed offset of 7:03 and runs to the end; its length is therefore 6:27. If your video subclip is long enough, you can lengthen the overall clip, extending the full-frame video portion. This capability is indicated in the diagram above by the arrow at the end of the ‘Video’ bar.