Nationalsolo

Hi Certainly VP does take its time sorting out your editing changes, particularly if the project is growing in length. The number of files in the cache also grows enormously. My PC is similar spec to yours and I find it can slow to a crawl-even stop if it is trying to do too many things at once like adding a POSITION effect to a SCALE effect at the same time. It may be linked to all the thumbnails the program has to generate to add to the timeline. Some other programs just show one thumbnail per clip and they seem to be faster. You might find that if you edit in small sections with just a few clips on the timeline and then save each section as a sequence when finished, it will work faster as this clears the timeline on saving and you can then start a new sequence with the next batch of clips from scratch. You can then add all the sequences together when you come to exporting. You could also decrease the cache contents if you go into options/disk and clear out unused files. Nat

Hi Not quite clear in your description what you find happening. In your example, are you removing 2 mins from the start of a longer clip and exporting the remaining 10 seconds? If this is the case then you should "Close the gap" left by the 2 min you removed as if you export what you think is just 10 seconds, it will, in fact be a 2 min gap followed by the bit you want. The exported clip will show 2 mins of black, blank video at the start . I just loaded up and checked out version 3.04 which worked quite normally in this respect. Earlier versions would close up the clips automatically as sections were removed but 3.xx versions don't. Just a thought... Exactly what steps are you taking when you trim your original clip to get the bit you want to export. e.g. Are you splitting and deleting unwanted sections directly on the timeline, or are you trimming a full length clip in the left preview window using the IN/OUT markers and using the green arrow to place it on the timeline? Nat

Hi Andy 2.41 is an old version of VP which doesn't have the SCALE effect which would allow you to alter the aspect ratio of your clips. Saving in 16:9 won't "desquish" your video either as the image will simple remain the same but in a 16:9 frame. You can alter the AR with programs like virtualdub but you might be better off downloading the current version of VP which is 3.74...... http://www.nchsoftwa...opad/index.html ....and paying for it as it seems the export function is disabled in the trial version if you don't do this. (Try it anyway: There are links to 2 versions of 3.74 vpsetup.exe and vppsetup.exe which may be different in this respect. Better still download one of the earlier trial 3.xx versions which do have the export activated but with limited output formats as well as the SCALE effect. This is Borate's link to VP 3.04 which may work for you: http://hevanet.com/h...psetup_3.04.exe Nat

Hi Instead of using the subtitle option, (which I find a bit finnicky,) why not simply add text to the sections you require and adjust the position and duration to suit and keep the font the same for all of them. (Use the POSITION effect) At the end of the day WYSIWYG. As far as the aspect ratio is concerned, select what you think looks best. If you want the same aspect ratio for all the clips and are not bothered about losing some of the edge in 4:3 then use the CROP effect forced to 16:9 and tick the "Fill cropped Area" box. Any titles / ST you make will then preview correctly Nat.

Hi With a single line text, leave a gap sufficient for the italic word/s. Set the position and justification and add the text frame (image) to the 1st overlay track (Video Track 2). Pull out the track so it has the desired duration. Create you italic text image using the same font size/position etc. and place it onto the next overlay track (Video Track 3). Drag it out so it has the same duration as the normal text image on Video Track 2. Preview the line up. Adjust the gap in the normal text if necessary. Apply the POSITION effect to the italic text image and in the effects preview window drag it about so it fits into the gap you left in the normal text. Note: Italic text requires a slightly larger space for the equivalent normal text, and some adjust may be required depending on the font chosen. If you use several lines of normal text and want to insert several italic words, leave gaps as described above for each word and create a separate text image for each italic word. Add these to separate overlay tracks and adjust the position of each using the POSITION effect.. It's easier to do this than try to creat a single italic line with all the words spaced out and hope to make that fit. e.g. http://i.pictr.com/dgd1v18lyt.bmp Nat

Hi Sundowner Yes, You've got that working OK You can download the latest version of VP - 3.74 at Borate's link to the NCH VP page. http://www.nchsoftware.com/videopad/ Click on the first download link next to the little Windows flag. Nat

Hi Just to add to Borate's reply, note that using CROP will do what it says, your PIP will be cropped so you will lose some of it, but with CROP you can also drag the result about the frame to position it. SCALE will retain all the image in your PIP but in version 3.36 the SCALE values are metric for the width or height values (e.g. 50% is entered as 0.5) but a bug prevents you from entering the values per se you have to increment them with the up/down tabs. The preset box lets you scale to some usefull values though (like Quarter Screen). In version 3.74 the values are entered as % . If you use SCALE you can't drag the result about so you will also need to use POSITION to position the PIP to where you want it. Nat

Hi Is this an actual FADE, or is there a SILENT one second at the end of the clip? If there is a VP generated fade you will see a black line running along the centre of the soundtrack and then sloping down diagonally at the end. What type of video clip are you editing? I see this effect with both MPEG4 and MPEG 2 clips. Nat

Hi Oops! Sorry, forgot there was a BORDER effect! . ...Well you have two ways to accomplish it now. and, Yes.. add the border first, then reduce the image size with SCALE. Note You can add the border to the clip after it has been placed on the overlay track, but do this first before you scale it down in size otherwise the border gets left behind. Nat

HI You can also use the SCALE effect to reduce the inset image as well as the blank coloured frame size. http://pictr.com/?v=vgqs44jnga.jpg Tracks are the same as Borate describes.... Video Track 1......Main video Video Track 2......Frame Video Track 3......Insert video. Nat

Hi This discussion group really deals with problems etc. associated with Videopad. Try the Soundtap forum you may find what you want there. http://nch.invisionz...um/27-soundtap/ But check back here all the same as somebody may have an answer. It seems there is a Mac version... http://nch.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/12011-soundtap-mac-version-wont-install-driver/ Nat

Hi If you add a couple of clips to the timeline followed by a copy of one of them that you pasted back into the media list (even though it copies as same name(2) , then the project loses the copy file when reloaded. In fact, only the sound track is copied in the project. The clip video track copy is not present. and leaves a gap. Although the copy/paste controls are present if one clicks the thumbnail in the media list, it may be an oversight or perhaps it just refers to the sound track. Changing the name of the copied clip in the media list makes no difference either. Note you have the ST (muted) under the missing frame sections. "If it makes a difference, I have taken more than one clip from the same video and posted it in the timeline. How i did this was by copying the video in the Video Files window and pasting it there again.. then renaming the file in that same window... and selecting a different section...hence u see (13-1) in there. same file, but different sections were taken." This is why you have a problem. The correct way to insert a duplicate clip is simply to select the same clip again from the media list. There is no need to make a copy of it. If a different section of the same clip is required then it should be re-selected from the media list and edited in the left hand clip preview pane again using the IN/OUT markers. (Or directly edited on the timeline if placed there.) You must re-select the same clip from the media list over and over again and use the IN/OUT markers to create numerous re-edits. The re-edited clip can be added each time to the sequence line by clicking the green down arrow. After each addition, the geen arrow becomes inoperative but reselecting the clip again for the next edit brings it back. Nat

Hi This has been brought up before. Once you have selected a section from a clip using the IN/OUT markers followed by the green arrow, you can't make another selection from the same clip except by reloading it from the media list...thats why the green arrow becomes unavailable. presumably VP only rtecords the positions for the markers once and then resets them when another clip is selected. (Even the same clip.) So..Just select the clip again from the media list when it will reappear in the preview window and the green arrow will also reappear. The IN/OUT markers will remain in their original position (so you could, if you want add the same selection over and over again) you just need now to readjust them for the new selection and click the down arrow again. Borate's suggestion is the usual way as per old type film. You could even place the whole clip on the timeline and split it once at the end of the your first selection and then select and drag the left end of the right hand bit along to the right up to the point where your second selection starts. Handles will appear when you hover the mouse over the split and a yellow box will show how far you have shortened the section. Then click and close the gap. Nat

Hi RGone Note: You can add text to the timeline without a videoclip already there. It's just that the white text entry window appears but doesn't open up like in the earlier versions and without a clip to trigger the text entry neither does the "A". VP presumably sees it as a blank image. However, you can type your text into the box which will enlarge normally and use the >> button on the right to access the hidden controls with the font/text attributes. The text can be added to any track and will appear with a black background. There is no need to have any videoclip on the sequence line. It's just that the controls work slightly differently when the timeline has some clips already present and earlier versions of VP (3.6x) show an expanded text window straight away on clicking the "Add Text" tab but no "A" until the text is dragged to the timeline or unless the timeline already has an image there. (confusing isn't it?) But it works! Nat

HI Martyson "May want to have him get his video on the timeline first (in your last post)." I agree.... But....You can create a text image and have text without having a clip on the timeline just by clicking the "Add Text" tab. The difference is that VP sees this simply as adding an image..(like a blank".) As such it doesn't post up the "A",... just the green down arrow. Neither does it add the Text image to the overlay track. But once you realise there is the >> button for the attributes...... BTW. The solo text image appears with a black background. On the other hand , if you add a clip/image to the timeline first then "Add Text", VP puts up the "A", as well as a thumbnail in the media list and a thumbnail on the overlay track at the cursor position. But I agree with you. RGone's difficulty is that he mistakenly clicked the "Add Text" before adding a clip/image to the timeline, or so it seems from his images and then didn't realise that the white box was for typing his text into. I haven't seen the video tutorial for this but it might be misleading and the help is not much help either in this repect.. Takes time to learn all the ins and outs Nat

Hi The ? help page in VP 3.74 doesn't actually doesn't give much detail with regards "Adding Text". per se.... Vis... Text Clips Create a text clip one of the following ways: Select Clip -> Add Text. Click the Add Text tool bar button. Right-click in a clip and select Add Text. Type in the clip name and the contents of the text then click Add. The attributes of the text (font, size, color, etc.) can then be modified in the clip preview. RGone.....Check my instructions a couple of posts back.... With reference to you commented images... Image 1 OK..you have version 3.74 Image 2 Yes..Clicking the Add Text button adds a blank ("preview looking file") to the bin and opens the "Pop Up" No text will appear at this stage as you haven't added any. But you will have the "A". Your image doesn't have the "A" as you have clicked the media list thumbnail ("the preview looking file") which simply previews the text image as an "image" The white text box remains for editing (see my post) but in your image there is no text to edit. The attributes would have in this situation to be accesed from the >> button on the right. Image 3 No..You do not need to click the text clip. Your text box is already present.It came up in the "Popup". It is the white square below the preview pane between the play button and the green down arrow. That is where you enter your text. (The green arrow is only there as you have clicked the media list thumbnail as though you were going to edit the text.) Image 4 You only need to click the text clip or the thumbnail when you want to edit your text later after entering it or after placing it on the timeline. Image 5 Clcking the thumbnail and choosing "Properties" just brings up details of the clip/image. You can't add text here except information notes you may want to make regarding the clip/image like reminders. Image 6. There is still no text entered. (Note the white box is empty) The text you entered "THIS IS A TEST TEXT CLIP" is simply a note you have entered in image 5 as information about the clip. Now....read my post through, click the white box and enter your text........ the rest should fall into place. Nat

Hi This should clear up your problem. In version 3.74... Put your image/video clip onto the timeline. Click the "Add Text" button on the toolbar. This will place a blank text image into the media list window and also onto the overlay track. You will also see an empty white box appear under the left hand preview pane. This is the edit box for your text. Left click this box and it will enlarge with a flashing cursor at the top and you can enter your text. As you type your text it will appear in the preview pane with the currently selected font and the current default text position. It will also appear in the preview image both in the media list and the overlay timeline. Clicking on the "A" button which has appeared at this point will open a properties window for your font where you can change font/colour/size/position/scrolling etc. Any changes will be reflected in corresponding changes to the text in the thumbnails and the preview pane. Note that if you select to scroll your title , the text, being off screen at the start, may not be present in thumbnails and what is seen in the clip preview screen also, will reflect where the preview cursor is. Clicking outside the white box will finalize the text into the text thumbnails . (Note: the text behaves like an image.) You can add the text image as many times as you wish to the timeline/overlay track in the normal way and at any point you choose and adjust it in the same way as any image or video clip. To edit the text, select (left click) the text image in the media list or the text clip on the timeline. It will preview in the left hand pane. Being text, the white box will open again displaying the text which you can edit. Changing the text will change any duplicate text images added in the timeline. Note: If you have clicked the media list thumbnail the "A" button will not appear, being replaced with a green down arrow. However to the right of this is a right pointing chevron arrow which, if clicked will open the properties window for the text. If you have clicked the timeline image the "A" will be shown in the normal place and you can edit the text and access the attributes as before. Hope this helps. Nat

Hi I don't think the Ken Burns effect was ever incorporated into VP.as an automatic item. (Not after V2.41 anyway) With slide show presentations you should add all your slides to the timeline in the order you want them to play and then add the Pan effects manually as described in the posts above,between them. (Using the Crop effect, forcing a particular AR and zooming to fill the frame,) You can adjust the speed of the effect used by simply altering the length of time the individual clips (Images) are displayed for. You can do this by switching into storyboard mode and altering the time value beneath each thumbnail. In fact it is probably quicker and easier to use storyboard mode for still image slideshows. Nat

Hi If, after a crash you selected to discard the auto saved project in error and hadn't created a backup of your project , i.e.used Save project file as (a .vpj file,) I think you may have lost it. The lesson from this is to save repeated copies of the project as you work and Save project as... with a different name from time to time in order to have several copies at different stages. Nat

Hi "Is there a feature that would allow me to pin a feature in a frame and add adjacent text that would follow the pinned feature as it moved, for a period of time ... or until the feature went off frame?" Whereas you can't automatically setup VP to follow a moving feature within a clip, you can, with some patience achieve something similar with an overlay text or .gif image and the Position effect. In general though, it works best if the target object in the frame moves at a constant speed and a straight line. As an example:- Imagine you have a clip showing a boat moving across a lake, or a car/person moving across the frame and you want to put a ring around it as it moves Add the clip to the timeline. For this example I am going to make the "ring" from a large text "O", although you could create a marker of your own choice and shape from a transparent background .gif image created in a third party image program. You can alter the size of the .gif image using the Scale effect. In this exanmple adjust the "O" in size using the font size setting so it covers the size of your "Target" Place the "O" clip (it is an image clip) onto the overlay track (videotrack 2) and pull it out to match the duration of the main clip. Place the red cursor line at the start of the timeline so you can now see the "O" superimposed on the main clip in the preview window. Of course it won't line up yet. Select the overlay track, and select the Position effect. Check you are at the start of the clip and In the effects preview window you can grab the "O" and drag it about so that it outlines your "Target" Click all the green cross to fix your first keyframe (The start position of the movement for your "O") Now scroll the clip along using the red cursor line in the effects preview window to another point in the sequence and then drag the "O" along to again mark the "Target" . Click the green crosses again to fix another keyframe. You can do this as many times as necessary to fix the "O" on the tarket where direction or speed changes. If the motion of the target is steady and straight you would only need two keyframes, one at the start and the other at the finish of the clip. Be patient as it may take VP a few seconds to generate the extra images each time you move the overlay. So-Wait for VP to generate all the frames and then "Apply" the effect. You should see when the whole clip is played, your target enter the frame outlined with the "O", move across the frame continually outlined until the end of the clip. Note you can use the effect to move the "O" out of the frame on either side provided it is smaller than the actual frame.. If things are not quite as you want when you review it, you can easily amend the effect. There are many ways you could use this idea but this is just an outline you can experiment with. If you want to accurately track a target that moves about at different speeds and directions you need to fix your first keyframe and then step through your clip a frame or two at a time using the <> tabs in the effects preview window and adjust your "O" after each step to keep the target framed. Further keyframes will automatically be created with adjustment as the red cursor line moves past the previous little keyframe block. Nat

Hi If you are using the version of VP that had the original problem. Images and text behave in the same way. If the last item on the timeline is an image (or text) it will play in the preview but won't be exported. As I mentioned above, the way around this was to add a further blank image or a further blank text to the timeline. All the later versions of VP (currently up to version 3.73) are correct. Nat

Hi "... I know that I position the cursor near the end of #3 then "PLACE ON SEQUENCE AT CURSOR", but that always seems to split either #3 or #4, resulting in an extra clip of 1 or 2 frames" That's because you are placing the cursor "near" the end of a clip. The cursor won't "jump" automatically to a join between clips and consequently this results in a splt and insertion which can be a few frames out. What you should do is... With your two (or more) clips on the timeline, grab your new clip from the media list and drag it down to the timeline (don't release it). Now as you drag it right or left along the timeline the end of the yellow clip delineation box will "Lock onto" any join between clips it passes over. Release your new clip at the point (the join) you require. The clip will neatly insert itself between the clips in question. No gap is created unless you decide to delete the inserted clip afterwards. Nat

Hi Hope it stays OK. "Version 3.73 is a BETA version" Where does it show which version is a Beta version?" Extreme top right of the screen in small letters. As yours is a paid for licenced version it may not appear now, and, as you say exporting is activated. Nat

Hi "...can I get incremental versions free 2 months after my initial purchase (per my first post)? The details supplied under the FAQ point 1 would suggest not. . Version 3.73 is a BETA version so I presume noone will want to pay for it until any bugs are ironed out. Particularly as the export section is non functional for any option as it stands. Nat

Hi "I think it would be faster to use the keys vs the mouse to do a lot of cuts." I am pretty sure this would not be the case as you would still have to use the mouse to set the red line cursor to the points where you require to split. A further two clicks (Select and Delete) to remove a section would take no time compared with selecting and pressing a keyboard shortcut.. Note that In version 3.73 clicking the timeline (above the timeline) and dragging the cursor left or right will outline a section of the sequence and followed by clicking the red Delete cross on the toolbar will delete it. This is even quicker. Currently you can only mark one section for deletion at a time with this feature, but I could envisage the possibility of being able to make multiple selections (i.e. multiple edits) and then multiple deletes of those selections (with gap closures) with a single click of the Delete button. An enhancement to suggest possibly? Nat