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Step 1: Create an adjustment layer
In the Project panel, click the New Item button at the bottom and choose Adjustment Layer. Click OK in the dialog that appears. Then drag the adjustment layer onto your timeline, above the clips you want the glass effect to blur. Whatever is underneath it will be affected by the effects you add next.
One click with Mako: the free Mako panel adds an adjustment layer over the selected clips, at the playhead, on the first free track, in one click. Get Mako for free
Step 2: Blur everything behind the glass
Open the Effects panel, search for Gaussian Blur and apply it to the adjustment layer. Select the adjustment layer, open Effect Controls and increase Blurriness to around 100, or whatever looks right for your footage. The whole picture goes soft for now. In a later step you will limit the blur to your glass shape.
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Step 3: Add noise for a frosted texture
Real frosted glass has a fine grain, and the blur alone looks too smooth. Search for Noise in the Effects panel and apply it to the same adjustment layer. In Effect Controls, set Amount of Noise to about 7 and turn off Use Color Noise, so you get neutral grain instead of colourful speckles.
Step 4: Draw a rounded rectangle
Pick the Rectangle Tool from the toolbar, or any other shape you like, then click and drag in the Program Monitor to draw it. The shape lands on its own video track above the adjustment layer. Open the Essential Graphics panel and drag the corner roundness up until the corners look soft. This shape will define where the frosted glass appears.
Step 5: Limit the blur to the shape with Track Matte Key
Search for Track Matte Key in the Effects panel and apply it to the adjustment layer. With the adjustment layer selected, go to Effect Controls and open the Matte menu under Track Matte Key. Choose the video track that your shape sits on, for example Video 3. The blur and noise now only show inside the shape, and the rest of your picture is sharp again.
Step 6: Duplicate the shape to tint the glass
To give the glass a colour, you need a second copy of the shape below the adjustment layer. First, move the adjustment layer and the shape up one track so there is a free track between them and the background. Check that the Track Matte Key still points to the right track, since moving the shape changes its track number.
Now hold Alt (Option on Mac) and drag the shape down to duplicate it, dropping the copy below the adjustment layer. Your timeline should read, from top to bottom: the shape, the adjustment layer, the copied shape and then the background.
Step 7: Change the colour, opacity and shadow
Select the copied shape and open Effect Controls or the Essential Graphics panel. Click the Fill swatch to pick a colour, then lower the Opacity a little so the blurred picture shows through. Choose any colour you like, and a light white or grey gives the classic frosted look. You can also turn on Shadow to lift the glass off the background. For a softer shadow, try lowering the shadow opacity and increasing the blur.
Tips
- Layer order matters. The matte shape must sit above the adjustment layer, and the tint shape below it.
- Keep the noise subtle. A small amount reads as frosted glass, while a high value looks like a broken TV.
- Works on video too. Replace the coloured shapes with a clip, a talking head or a map and place a glass panel over it for titles or lower thirds.
FAQ
Why does the whole picture look blurred?
The Track Matte Key is probably missing or pointing at the wrong track. Select the adjustment layer and check that Matte points to the track that holds your shape.
Can I animate the frosted glass panel?
Yes. Animate the shape's position or scale, and the blurred area follows it because the adjustment layer uses the shape as its matte.
Do I need an adjustment layer for the effect?
Yes. An adjustment layer applies the blur to everything below it, which is what makes it look like glass. Applying the blur straight to the shape would not blur the footage behind it.
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