Patent US 4,698,666

A method and apparatus is disclosed which provides for the placement of a border video signal around a selected object in a video image. A video image of the selected object is first inserted into a video image of a selected border video signal in a video mixing process by use of a key signal defining the selected object. The key signal is further processed to transform the step transitions associated therewith between the zero and full insert states into non-step transitions. The transformed key signal is thereafter used to control a subsequent mixing of the resulting image of the selected object inserted into the video image of the border video signal with a background image to produce a composite video image.