Nationalsolo

Hi You could save your video to your PC in another format e.g avi and then convert it with a third party program. avi to GIF converter. http://www.commentca...lecharger-Array This one is free and does work but unless you buy it you are left with a watermark. There must be others out there that don't do this, but this was the first one I came across so I'll have another look. Nat

Hi If you are talking about the DVD generation with VP then I think there may be a bug there. I find it will produce a DVD but VP wont stop the disc turning and then one has to abort the procedure. When this is done you get a message saying you have aborted and that a DVD could not be created. In fact it was! So it may be worthwhile to try the disc (or explore it) anyway. If however you mean that the DVD procedure crashes then I would suggest you save your project to your PC as an avi or wmv file and then create your DVD with a third party program such as Windows DVD maker or the freeware DVD Styler both of which will allow you to create menus. http://www.dvdstyler.org/fr/ Nat

Hi It seems that the VP .ssa generating program will only recognise single line subtitles when you save the .ssa file. Even though you CAN enter multiple lines AND they seem to appear on the preview it may be a bug. If the list of subtitles is subsequently saved as an .ssa file and then reloaded back to your project only the first line of each subtitle will appear. This the reason that "Oceans apart" (enter) day after day" will only show as "Oceans apart" even though it appears initially on the screen as two lines. If you use a third party .ssa file generator such as Sub Station Alpha you cannot generate multiple line subtitles even though there is sufficient space shown in the text entry box. Pressing the "Enter key" to obtain a new line will simply enter your text. (In fact the .ssa file image only has single line text boxes) The fact that VP WILL allow this AND display them but it won't allow you load them is possibly a bug. The answer to this is to only use single lines of subtitle. Interestingly if you DONT load your subtitles from a saved .ssa file then the multiple lines that VP show in the preview save to your movie..... Nat

Hi If you want to remove a section from the centre of a clip which you have on the sequence track then the simplest way is to drag the red cursor line (or play it) to the start of the section you want to remove and then cut the track by clicking the button with the scissors. Wait for the green bar finish regenerating the clip. Now move the red cursor line along to the end of the section you want to remove and click the scissors a second time. Wait for the green bar to regenerate the clip Now right click the section you want to remove so it highlights and select "Delete selected clips(s)" This now leaves a gap in the sequence. Right click the gap and select "Close gap" This joins the end sections of the clip together. Note: if you are using more than video track 1 that you should set to split only video track 1 by clicking the little down arrow to the right of the scissor button and then the option "Video tracks", followed by "Video track 1"..........Job done! You could also cut the clip at any point in the unwanted section and then drag the "Cut line" to the left and right to create the gap. Delete the gap as above. The first method is probably easier as you can monitor your clip better Nat

Hi I have just been doing some tests comparing each of the versions and for this I simply created a short slide show with just images. (As I thought it might run/load faster.) For the tests I created a test project which consisted as follows..... 88 jpg images loaded to the media list of which 19 were added to the sequence line. Each of these 19 images displayed for 5 seconds with a total film length of 1min 26 seconds There were 18 transitions I then created a .vpj file which I tested in the following manner. The .vpj file was loaded to VP first with an empty cache folder and the loading time found along with the number of cache files generated and the size of the cache folder With the cachefolder now filled, VP was shut down, restarted and the .vpj file then reloaded. The cache file in each case consequently only contained data from the project in question. Result for Version 2.41 Film length on sequence line............................................................1 min 26 seconds Time to load project (.vpj file) from scratch (empty cache) .............27 seconds Time to load project (.vpj file) with a filled cache..... ........................2 seconds Number of cache files generated......................................................177 Cache volume................................................................................... 88 Megs Note these last two values remained constant after repeated loadings of the project to VP Result for Version 3.04 Film length on sequence line............................................................1min 26 seconds Time to load project (.vpj file) from scratch (empty cache) .............1 min 50 seconds Time to load project (.vpj file) with a filled cache..... ........................3 seconds Number of cache files generated......................................................313 Cache volume...................................................................................177 Megs These last two values increased every time the .vpj file was loaded. The first loading resulted in 313 files The second loading resulted in 419 files The third loading resulted in 549 files The fourth loading resulted in 605 files (400+ megabytes!) Conclusion VP 3.04 is decidedly slower to load if the cache has to be filled first and in this instance took about as long as the actual film. With a previously filled cache both versions seemed to take about the same time but this may not be representative of a longer project than the one tested here. The other main differences was the size of the cache file generated. It was smaller in version 2.41 but even after multiple loadings of the same .vpj file to VP the cache size and content didn't alter. In version 3.04 the cache file was much larger (probably since different thumbnails had to be generated e.g in the media list window) however it continued to grow, doubling every time the project was reloaded. i.e, every time the .vpj file (the same project file) was loaded ALL the files were regenerated in the cache for some reason which therefore doubled in size each time . WHY???? Why did VP need to recreate the cache each time..There had been no changes to the project and the data presumably remained the same. It means that if you work on a project for some time, reloading the vpj file each time to continue working on it, the cache will become enormous! Nat

Hi You can't turn off the cache as far as I am aware as it is an intregal part of the normal operation of VP. The cache file is required to store a list of, and apparently, copies of the clips you have selected from your PC and placed on the media list. It also stores the generated thumbnails for the clips that are displayed on the sequence line as well as data related to transitions, splits etc. These data remain in the cache file when VP is closed down. The green progress bar shows that this storage process is under way and further changes to the sequence is prevented until it is complete. You can normally review your clips up to the point where the green bar is moving, but if it trys to play past this point you get the "Generasting Preview" message. As you work, VP also creates a temporary project file containing the data required to rebuild your project in the event of a crash. The project file however can be saved in a more permanent fashion by the user as the vpj file. Although the vpj file can reassemble your project without the cache folder, it takes a lot longer as it has to visit and load up all the clips from the folders where they are stored on your PC, reassemble the cache file and then your project. If the cache file is already present the process is much faster. It may be that, as version 3.04 has more video tracks etc. all of which can have their individual thumbnails lines, split positions, transitions and other data, the generation of the cache is far more complex and indeed, it can contain, even for a moderate project, hundreds of files. It could also be that the algorithm used to generate these data is not particularly efficient now, although it may have worked OK in version 2.41. (Just a thought.) Nat

Hi If your audio was attached (linked) to to video it should have moved back as you add frames/clips to the start of the sequence line. But this does not happen in version 3.04 In fact, IMHO it causes problems. What you should have done is to add your images to the overlay track first and then drag the sequence line along to the right, in which case the audio stays attached and both video and audio can be moved together. As you have it at the moment it's a bit awkward. You can drag the image clips up to a higher video track and then right click on the space you have made and then select to close it. This apparently puts the video and audio together again but you can't drag them both to the right as mentioned above since the gap reappears (even though you haven't unlinked them!) Neither can you leave the gap and drag the sound track along per se as it behaves as if it IS linked and just pushed the already spaced out video along further. SO....What you have to do is.. Grab the image clips and drag it/them up to the upper video track. Right click the main sequence clip and unlink the audio. Drag the audio along to the right so it synchs again with the video. Right click the video again and restore the audio. Now your intro images should play before you main sequence line. Nat

Hi Dougie If you haven't already done ir try downloading and installing the K-lite codec pack. http://www.codecguide.com/ Nat

HI Has anybody used the VP 3D option available in version 3.04? I have presented numerous 3D PC slideshows of Red/Cyan anaglyphs created on the PC from twin digital cameras (left/right) and also anaglyphs generated on the PC from black and white stereooptocon Victorian stereo cards of which I have quite a lot. (Bit of work involved there!) The former work in clour, the latter in black and white. I originally projected colour 35 mm slides using polaroid glasses and twin polarised projectors or viewed them direct with a Brewster type twin slide viewer (which is best way....a bit like Viewmaster) but with the aquisition of a PC I started converting left/right digital images to Red/Cyan anaglyphs (which are full colour but for technical reasons are not as good as directly viewed slides.) So...How is the VP 3D option actually meant to work??? With twin mounted video camers I can generate two clips...one left the other right. But as a simple test I have tried using two stero images as follows... I have loaded individual left and right full coloured digital images via the 3D anaglyph option and get a Red image and a Cyan image on the media list. So far, so good. I have to presume these are from the red channel for the first and the green+blue channels for the second.and correspond to the pre anaglyph images that I generate on my PC. On the PC I combine these two images by colour addition to produce the coloured anaglyph. How is this done in VP? In fact...Is this the way to use 3D with VP or does one use special 3D video? I have looked at the individual frames of the Red (or Cyan) clip generated on VP and each frame is the same...it isn't R/C/R/C/R...etc. or C/R/C/R/C.......etc. So..How are they combined? I can add one clip to the sequence and the other to the overlay track but how does one combine them by addition? Any ideas? Nat

Hi As you add clips from the media list to the sequence line VP writes the data to the cache file and the auto generated project file and creates thumbnails at regular intervals along the clip. The progress of these events is shown by the green bar moving along the sequence as the preview is generated. Every time you make a change to the clip/s on the sequence line the data is re written to the cache and the green bar is regenerated. Adding transitions between the clips generates an orange progress bar over the joins . A problem associated with version 3.02 was that the procedure seemed to take a long time and editing was not possible while the preview was being regenerated. In version 3.04 (still a beta version) the process has been speeded up somewhat. Nat

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Hi Never tried that! Much better! ......err ....Now can we have the old Zoom back into version 3.04 please? Nat

Hi You don't say what version of VP you are using. In 2.41 you can drag the red cursor to as near to the value you can as shown in the little window to the right of the camera icon. Now to adjust you click the upper < or > button under the right preview pane. At first this may not enable you to precisely set the frame you want to get a snap of as the increments may be too large. So zoom in using the mouse scroll button and try again. The more you are zoomed in the smaller the incremnts will become. You will eventually find the zoom level that will enable you to pinpoint the required frame. I shall have to load up V3.0x to check it works in the same way. Nat

HI Try DVDStyler. It's free, open source, allows your own images and menus and music...and at least tells you whether your proposed project will fit and you can see your project before you burn it. http://sourceforge.n...ects/dvdstyler/ Nat

Hi ad101867 I can't comment on the skin tones but with reference to the jumpy playback...This is something that I get on normal video I have shot and is most obvious when the motion of the subject is from side to side of the frame, or the the camera is panned. Every few seconds during playback, both in VP and in a finished DVD, the moving object - like traffic, (I have to presume ALL the action in fact ) freezes for just a fraction of a second before continuing. It gives a slightly stop/start motion to moving objects. Is this what you are experiencing? I have recently had a close look at some test clips in slow motion and have noticed that where the frame appears to freeze there are in fact two images on the screen, one frame being held up. After doing some tests today I have a feeling that this may due to the framerates chosen, either for the conversion to MPEG2 or for the VP rendering. My original clip was 30 fps and I convert at this rate, but the VP rendering for the PAL system (like mine) is 25 fps. When I just tested selecting the NTSC framerate of 29.97 the output does seem better. I am going to rerun the same jumpy clip with VP set at 30 fps and see if it improves. I don't know what framerate VP uses when it renders to DVD. Later... Well, It seems better. In future I will select 30 and not take the VP default and see how we get on. Nat

Hi The vpj file is a data file that the program uses to reconstruct your project on the sequence line. It has no bearing in the output (rendering) time Once assembled on the sequence line you can output it in various ways and formats. The length of time taken to do this depends on several factors. The length of your film is probably the main one. The bitrate chosen; the output frame size. Reducing these can shorten the rendering time but can affect the quality. If you want the best result though you will have to put up with a delay. As an example a video of say, an hour saved to DVD can take several hours to render.(At least on my PC) Nat

Hi Use the method I describe here... (6th reply) http://nch.invisionz...er-in-purchase/ This gives 4 videos on an empty sequence background but you you should find it easy to adapt it for your particular needs. Nat

Hi Obviously the full length of the clip you have inserted is the maximum length of film you have to juggle with. However you can make it play for longer by simply altering (reducing) the speed it plays. This, of course would make it play in slow motion. A small reduction in speed however, may go unnoticed and give you enough extra time in the sequence for your purpose, particularly with a longer clip in which a small reduction in speed would give a proportionaly larger increase in playing time. Another way to lengthen a clip is if there is a section or sections that are stationary. By stationary I mean a section with virtually no movement but not a still image. (But see below.) You could split these off, duplicate them and then reinsert them so doubling the length of those sections, a very short crossfade would serve to disguise the joins. In a similar way to that outlined in method 1, you could split off the stationary bits of and then alter their speed after reinserting them. This will add length to the section with a minimal effect. With a stationary section you can reduce the speed quite a lot without much being noticed. (50% reductions will double the playing time for the clip concerned) Alternatively you could set the red cursor line to a suitable frame in the stationary section and then click the camera icon to take a still photo and then insert this into the sequence. This could then be lengthened to play for as long as required. Being a still image, of course it would be more noticable in the general movie. If you have edited the clip using the IN/OUT markers then you could re-establish the full length of the clip by altering the markers, or pulling out the ends of the clip in the sequence line but this may result in you adding back an unwanted section you previously eliminated (the reason why you trimmed the clip in the first place.) A final resort would be to simply insert another unrelated clip. These are basically the only options you have. Note that in v2.41 it is quite easy to split and insert clips. In v3.0x you can add any inserts to the higher video tracks (overlays) and adjust their positions and starting/ending opacity levels and durations for any crossfades deemed necessary. These overlays will overwrite the main track so you can see how they join in. The main sequence length however, will not have changed so you will need to use the scissors icon to cut the main sequence and then pull the right hand section along to a point just before your insert finishes.Now the whole sequence will have been lengthened by the length of your inserted clip. Nat

Hi In version 3.04 Use File/Record/Narrate. This will bring up a Narration window with the Start/Stop and mike level monitor. If you think this is too small then click the Screen expand button in the top right hand corner. This gives an image about 75% the full screen size.....that should be large enough for most people. But full screen ....No is the short answer. In version 2.41 you are stuck with the smaller Narration video window with no way to enlarge it. Nat

HI Borate is right....in V3.04..... Load your 4 clips to the Media list. Drag your first clip to video track 2 and click the yellow star. Set the scale % to 0.5 Set Position x% to -25 Set position y% to -25 Drag your second clip to video track 3 and click the yellow star Set the scale% to 0.5 Set Position x% to 25 Set Position y% to -25 Drag your third clip to video track 4 Set the scale% to 0.5 Set Position x% to 25 Set Position y% to 25 Drag your fourth clip to Video track 5 Set scale%% to 0.5 Set Position x% to -25 Set Position y% to 25 You will now have 4 clips playing simultaneously on the screen...one in each corner. If you want them to move to reveal others behind you could add more clips to further video tracks and use the motion effect to make any of them move/rotate or you could change their opacity to make them fade away......even make them fade in/out in turn... Note that all the sound tracks will also play so you may want to mute these. Hope this helps Nat

Hi "Is it possable to have multiple videos spliced together with multiple screens in one video?" You can certainly do something like this in version 2.41 and probably also in v3.0x however, I would have to load that version to check but I am pretty certain it's possible in a similar way as in to 2.41. In v2.41 you add supplementary video clips (no need to splice) to the overlay track, alter their size and position, put them end to end or overlap them, fade them in/out (no control over the fade though); alter opacity and scroll them in different directions. In version 3.0x you additionally use motion effects to zoom and rotate the overlays as well as have more control over the effects. Nat

Hi Dougie I have done several videos of my orchestra playing using double soundtracks and double videos. The "roving" video being cut into the main sequence and synched to the main soundtrack. I have had no problem synching these in. I used the fixed camera soundtrack as the main recording. All the inserted clips were muted after synching.I usually just line up the soundtracks by eye having enlarged the sound wave form line, and then play the two tracks together to check there is no echo. Worked OK. I found lining up easier to do in v2.41 since the waveform was easier to see, it wasn't just chopped in half and then turned upside down to produce a "pseudo" dark blue/light blue track as in v3.0x. Nat

HI Vlad You cannot stretch your film as this would deform the image. (i.e. squash it) and VP will not allow this.The image (the picture) will stay with the same aspect ratio as the original. However, if you want widescreen (16:9) and eliminate the side bars, you should crop your image to widescreen (16:9). This means you will lose some of the picture from either the top or bottom (or both) depending on how you position the orange rectangle in the setup for the "Crop" effect. VP will now fill the frame from side to side without any distortion or side bars. Nat.

Hi This seems to ba a problem of the original clip and not anything VP has introduced as your subtitles etc. remain steady whilsts the borders of the clip behind judder. There is certainly a lot of camera shake but this should give jumping borders. Were the juddery borders present when you previewed your clip on VP at the start? I would suggest that you reload your original clip and run the VP stabilizer option on your clip. i.e. Right click on the clip in the Media list window and select "Stabilize video(s)" If the filming was unsteady then the stabilizer plugin will improve things greatly as regards the image but probably not for the borders. Load the stabilised clip to the sequence and check it now looks steadier even though the borders will probably still jump. Follow this by using the Crop efect, cropping the edges of the clip progressively until the juddering stops.I think you will find the sides OK but the top and bottom will need to be taken out a bit. If you want to keep the same aspect ratio you will lose some of the sides. If you slect 16:9 and centre the orange frame you will only need to reduce the top and bottom a bit to eliminate the judder. Now replace your Title and subtitles. Nat

Hi I would suggest that you save your video first as an .avi to your PC using one of the HD formats presets and either H264 (Native) or MPEG4 (Native) under the encoder options with sound as an MP3 (Native) If you then use a 3rd party DVD maker such as Windows DVD maker or DVDStyler it should play OK. Nat