valuenyc

Can't open RECORD window until Elgato is plugged in. Opened VP first, then plugged in Elgato, then brought up RECORD. Now VP sees Elgato's audio function, but it selects the sound card. When I switch to Elgato's audio, I get Device error flashing on and off. Firing up the VCR and pressing play makes no change. When I close and re-open RECORD tho, VP switches to selecting Elgato's audio-in. But I'm not even seeing the video that's playing. Just device error message alternating with black screen. Restarting VideoPad with the VCR is still going: VP has Elgato selected for both video and audio, but just flashes device error at me. When I switch the audio device to the computer's sound card, I get the video but no audio. Now the STOP button doesn't work. I have to close the window.

When I tried to install the first, I got a message that this app could not be installed on my PC and I should contact the publisher (or something like that). The file from the second link installed VideoPad 11.6 but I didn't get far. So I did this: restart computer start VP 11.6 WITH Elgato plugged into USB port but VCR off bring up RECORD window power VCR on and press PLAY Results: This time, VP immediately recognized the Elgato audio function (I did not need to select it) but I got the following alternating / flashing: device error message and a still image from when the video started (even tho the video has continued playing). I partially retraced my steps (restarting VP with the VCR off) and saw that before I powered the VCR on, the device error message was flashing/alternating with a black screen. I don't believe I'd ever seen that before. Anyway, when I powered on the VCR and pressed PLAY, VP didn't see the video at all. Only if I switched from Elgato's audio to the computer's sound card did I see the video. But of course, no sound is recorded. (I saw a new message at the bottom of the VP window: "This recording seems to be very quiet. Please check.... " Gratifying little upgrade. 😉 ) By the way, I don't think this could matter, but FYI: Elgato apparently won't work with a USB 3.0 port, only USB 2.0. Gotta run. I'll check back before reinstalling my own copy of VP. I might require some advice on that, but I have to check a couple of things. You're welcome, I do appreciate the forum more than I can say, Jeanne

Thanks again, Borate. Makes sense and I had doubts from the get-go. Tech Support should note, however, that VideoPad DOES work with this USB device but badly. It would be better if it just didn't recognize the device at all rather than waste time with video sans audio. (I tried Debut, but it didn't get as far as VideoPad with capture, and screen recording just wouldn't do the trick. My Debut is an old version, but I decided that Elgato probably wouldn't be worth any more of my time. ) Gotta go repair my old combo unit, but you're the best 😉, Cheers! Jeanne

Borate, The computer was off overnight. So following your advice, I can't get to the record page if Elgato is not connected: "No video capture devices were detected." Connecting and turning on the VCR gets me video but not audio. Same "device error" message when I try to select the Elgato device in the audio slot. The drivers are up to date. The device comes with no software, just instructions to download software. On that page, you are given the link to download the driver. So I did that just a couple of days ago. Apologies that I didn't acknowledge or answer your second suggestion about using Elgato's MP4 in VideoPad. While they have audio and video, the files are awful--without many controls in Elgato (or info about its few options). So I was trying to experiment with whether capturing through VideoPad might help. But I think I've had it with Elgato. While thousands (literally) claim to make nifty files from old VHS tapes, everything I try is unwatchable. The only decent picture I could ever coax out of a VHS tape (for display on a new-ish flat screen) I got by converting to DVD using my old combo unit. Those DVDs look pretty good on my flat screen, whereas the original VHS recording looks terrible on the same TV and on multiple computer monitors. So I think I'm going to try to resurrect that combo unit or replace it. (What DID those combo units do that I cannot replicate?) More info than you need, but thanks so much for trying.

Borate, Thanks for that. With your help, I've now got video, but no audio. When I noticed there was also a <Analog Audio In (Elgato Video Capture)> and tried that, I got a "device error, it may be in use by another application" but it isn't. So I'm stymied. I'll watch for any further thoughts.

I've just gotten Elgato Video Capture. It takes video from a device (composite or S-video) and sends it to a USB port and then creates MP4 files. I hoped to capture with VideoPad in order to get better quality and files that can be burned to a standard video DVD. When I go through the record process, VideoPad sees Elgato; it is displayed in the CAPTURE VIDEO dialog. But I only get visual static and no audio. I see that DEVICE PORTS only includes S-video and Composite as input (along with Audio Line In)--not USB. So should this Elgato work with VideoPad? Doesn't the fact that Elgato is selected as the current device suggest that it should? The computer was powered down last night, so re-starting is a non-issue. Should I upgrade? I don't have much use for VideoPad currently and I don't want to waste time right now if support for Elgato won't be there. Thanks for any input, Jeanne Win 8.1, VideoPad Professional 8.5

Thanks, Borate. I was talking about the path for files. It is helpful to be able to change the default, but it doesn't help when you want to move a project. Anyway, I've spent too much time on this when just adapting to using the portable project would serve me better. The only downside is that VideoPad copies each shared media file to each child folder, such that if I needed to revise one of the shared files, I'd have to do it multiple times. That's not just inelegant. I'm in gray zone where I'm probably archiving and not about to change anything but I'm not 100% sure. That's fairly common for me. It seems simple (famous last words?) since the "portable project" uses relative paths. I can rename or move the folder to anywhere, but I can't do it with the main project. At least that's how it looks to me right now. I don't see the chevron, but I found the option for feedback under the FILE menu. Once again, thanks, Jeanne ver. 8.45

Is there a way to have VideoPad default to using relative paths? If not, can I make a feature request somewhere? I do know about portable projects and that is way better than nothing, but it's not quite as convenient or neat -- at least for me. For me, it would be preferable if I could count on VideoPad's using relative paths. Many thanks, Jeanne

Borate, Really invaluable, as usual. Thanks so much, Jeanne

My main problem is that I have very minimal experience with adjusting color in photos or anywhere else. So as I work with visual effects in VideoPad, I'm keeping notes diligently. My problem is with those effects where I cannot write down a number; the Color Curves effect is only represented by a curve. I've just nudged the blue curve a tiny bit, and it's just perfect. I saved as a template for sure. But I'd like to understand what I'm looking: (1) Is there some numeric quantity that my curve represents? some math expression? How does one describe this in words? (Image1 here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0abuwerosbpxyfm/AADFCxnvQE80sPQ4fnOs3L8Ga?dl=0)? What are all four corners of this grid called? (2) At first I just had the curve as in Image1. When I applied my template later, I had what look like bar graphs with the curve (the other two images). So I thought that was the amount of blue over time? or some reading of the amount of blue at the beginning of the clip? The graph doesn't look like the curve to me, but this is not my forte. (3) Anyway, no, when I go back to the same effects icon on the same clip--a SECOND later--sometimes I've only got the curve again, no graph. Why does this DISPLAY change and change again? Honest. I couldn't make this up 😉 The Help file is not too helpful here: "Remaps each color in the image or video from the original color to one defined by the color curve." Clearly, I do not understand what this says in plain English, because I cannot guess why a curve as opposed to a simple number? I'm missing something significant. And while I'm here, can anyone recommend some reading on this subject? (Hue, saturation, temperature, gamma... what am I parotting?) I did some googling but still don't feel I've got a handle on this, but I hope to ask intelligent questions going forward. Many thanks for any enlightenment while I continue trying to learn what I can the hard way 🙂 Jeanne

EDIT: I'll leave this here for the next poor soul. But it looks very much like this lavalier mic came with a defective extension cord. I cannot test it in my project at this moment, but prelim. troubleshooting suggest this. Notable that when I paid more attention, I realized that the extension cord did not fit into the phone as tightly as the mic itself. When I can test more fully, I'll report back on my theory. But I'm pretty confident at this point. Now to figure out whether the the fully functional lavalier itself does a good enough job in my context. ======================================================================================== Can anybody give some advice on getting a good mic? Suitable for a talking head video, where the subject turns to play the piano intermittently? The phone microphone is way too echo-y, and a new lavalier is insanely soft (like 1/3 or 1/4 the volume that the phone gets from six feet away (PowerDeWise, omnidirectional with Samsung/Android phone). But it is not the piano that is making the lavalier soft; it is soft from the get-go with speech only. Amplifying works pretty well but, of course, there's a low level background noise magnified to audibility. Notably, the lavalier was good enough recording a zoom meeting on a Windows desktop, but it practically disappears with the phone. Of course, I want to get this yesterday. While I don't need Hollywood-level gear, money is not the very first consideration. The problem is learning enough quickly to make a decent decision quickly. Any tips or direction to information will be gratefully accepted. Thanks for listening, Jeanne

Borate, thanks for responding so very quickly. If I'd had to try to sleep without your hotlink, it would have been awful. Nat, apologies that I was soooooo stressed last night that the minute Borate gave me the link to downgrade, I went right to it and, while I was at it, cleaned up a bunch of shareable links that I'd had lying around for no good reason. Kinda compulsive. In case there is some small misunderstanding (moot by now), you wouldn't see the green bars in the *.vpj file, only in the exported video. I have a dim recollection that I did see the white line you mention. If so, since it didn't export in a video, I guess I just ignored it. I don't see it here in ver. 8.45. I've noticed pointless effects dialogues a couple of times myself. It is certainly just a rookie mistake, possibly related to splitting a clip. But a rookie mistake in any case. You have gone above and beyond with this project. I'll try to digest all this. My main problem is that the talking head has a lamentable habit of swallowing the last words of a paragraph. Then the click came out of nowhere (seemingly). And in addition, there are occasional synch problems in an interview recorded with zoom. It's been one nightmarish day after another. And I'm new here! boo-hoo. Really, thanks to both of you, Jeanne

Again a million thanks to both of you, Borate & Nat. Nat: Correct, the green bars are NOT in the source files I've linked to the VideoPad project, only on the exported *.mp4. This is the exported video, upload-share.mp4, with the first green bar at about 1:45: https://www.dropbox.com/s/tyar3weofr6hre5/upload-share.mp4?dl=0 You'll see no green bars in the project file (upload-share.vpj). Here is the portable project file: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2ikkelknlpwvv4i/AAAVr5hiYZEwedkPVD8Rfz7Ia?dl=0. The clicks ARE in the source files. You'll find them in many of the most slender clips in the timeline, tho I have muted them. Some other slender clips have the sound amplified. Thanks so much, Jeanne

Gosh, I hope someone can help me again. I've barely done anything else for four days and now I have an awful problem. I'm rendering an MP4 video, and intermittently, a bright green bar is showing up on the right side of the window. I believe that they correspond to places where I made a very very very tiny split. I had to do it to boost the volume and, even more, to mute an annoying click. Please tell me there is a way to get rid of this. I will be studying it very carefully while watching this space every minute. Jeanne EDIT: I might add that I've had other very small fragments before and never seen this. I do believe it is a problem coming from the audio track very specifically. EDIT 2: I thought it was related to using the mute checkbox in the clip (speaker icon). So I changed that to zero, but it didn't help. This almost never happens when I amplify but it does twice in those clips. So I'm thinking the narrow clips are the problem and I'm really stuck. The clicks are just not acceptable. And it happens once in the middle of a long clip with no audio effects. That's baffling.

Apologies for not saying thank you sooner. I haven't been able to come up for air and I'm still not out of the woods. I came back to post a different question. But really, thank you so much. This is so robust, I'll have to print it out and study it. Jeanne