Nationalsolo

Hi Anybody have any ideas of how to get a smooth zoom effect with V3.02. It was fine with 2.41. I can only see the crop effect with which to do this. i.e. set levels with first frame (full screen) Move cursor in the effects window to end of clip reduce rectangle to finished size. Set end levels. The result DOES zoom, but looks like I have St Vitus' Dance!! (and that's with a static image!!) as the borders judder in and out. It seems even worse with a moving image. What was wrong with leaving the zoom effect as it was implemented in V2.41 ????? This gave smooth effects whatever the length of the clip. Nat

Hi Borate Just reloaded 3.02 to see if my suggestion works. You are correct, it doesn't in this version but your idea does, however....why not do it this way........simpler and quicker.. Put first clip on track 1 Put second clip on track 2 and drag it back to overlap clip 1 by a suitable duration (say 3 seconds or so). Set opacity for clip 2 to 0% (it's now an overlay) Use the level controls to bring the opacity back to 100% after the 3 seconds. i.e. fix the 0% position at the start with first marker then 3 seconds later (use the seconds indicator along the top) pull the line up to 100% and leave the second marker. No need for a blank clip or a crossfade as when clip 2 reaches 100% clip 1 is automatically cut off. Result...perfect crossfade. Furthermore you can add the next clip (clip 3) to track 1 again as to fade it into the sequence all you do is pull it back under the end of clip 2 and then call up the opacity for clip 2 and add another change.....100% down to 0% 3 seconds from the end. Nat

HI The method I suggested does work in VP2.41 but you have to have enough of each clip pulled back to make the dissolve so that still images don't appear. Another method which works in this version although you have no control over it is to simply place the second clip on the overlay track, make it full size and central, then adjust it along the track to where it requires to start. By clicking the overlay fade button, this second clip (the overlay) dissolves in (and out) correctly but the length of the effect cannot be controlled, it lasts about a second. Another useful thing with the earlier version (which it seems you can't do in V3) is that you can move (decentre) the transitions with respect to the join so that either of the clips can have more of the effect allocated to it. (Just drag the ends of the yellow effect bar about) I've not used V3 enough to have tried this overlay idea out, but it may be a bit useful if my original suggestion doesn't work. Nat

Hi Andrewandrew Just tried to reply to your other post but must have clashed as I couldn't upload. My comment is that using the earlier version (2.41) I have never experienced your 1-2 hour "Building Preview" problem and my hardware is similar to your own. When simply splitting or adding/inserting clips there should be virtually no delay. For example, I have just completed a 30 min DVD of around 150 short clips cut and adjusted to fit a musical soundtrack and with numerous transitions. Apart from when adjusting the title overlay (when "Building Preview" appeared for 10 seconds or so,) I experienced no delays at all. In fact in many ways I prefer V2.41 to version 3.01/2 which, to be fair, I have only tested with short (3-5 min) trial videos to see how the various functions differed. If there is this delay just for a simple insert or split or transition and things remain unusable until VP has created your alteration then something is definitely wrong. However, if are you refering to 1-2 hours to render your finished movie, then it may well take 2 hours or more for a 45min film to be converted to a completed avi. I suggest you try the earlier version to see if the problem persists, then at least you will know if it is the program version or your hardware. Nat

Hi again Just been reviewing your clip repeatedly and find it behaves differently each time I run it. It starts OK looking through the glass at the man beating time and then cuts to the smiling girl on the phone. On some plays this then freezes for a couple of seconds before continuing and the sound stutters..Sometimes it plays OK to cut to the wall of lights.This then stops for a couple of frames then jumps to the people in the crowd without a dissolve which I know is there. On several occasions the crossfade here played partially. The soundtrack jumped repeatedly as well I stepped through the clip virtually a frame at a time by dragging the play bar along and it was actually all there so I may have a problem with either my connection speed or Quicktime player. As you are seeing something similar Is this a possibility at your end?. It might be interesting to see the same raw edit rendered from VP as an 720HD avi (or similar) just to see how it plays. Nat

Hi Borate Just shot some moving traffic ...Just to check what I wrote. (Version 2.41). I usually convert to MPEG2 for other reasons but checked the effect this time with raw MPEG4 clips. End to end the untouched clips had still images of the vehicles against a movie of the opposite clip in each half of the crossfade.(Made more obvious with 6 second transition) By dragging in the ends of each clip a bit at a time and re-previewing there was a diminuation of the duration of the respective stills until when there was about 3 seconds of each clip "dragged in" the transition appeared without any stills and looked OK. There was no stuttering either. I notice with your test clip that there was also a break in the sound. I am wondering (but probably I am totally wrong) if this might be a problem associated with the multiple sequence tracks now incorporated in version 3. Not tried outputting the test though. Nat

Hi Borate This still frame effect on dissolves although annoying, can be reduced (or removed) if the ends of the two clips you are using are shortened by either dragging them them in or using the IN/OUT tabs in the left preview pane. You must "fold" (so to speak) each end under by at least half of the dissolve duration. In this way there is sufficient "hidden" clip in each section for VP to create the transition without using a still from the end of each clip to make up the required duration. If you edit by just splitting the clip/s on the timeline and removing the unwanted bit, (which is the normal "film" way of doing it) then for some reason VP has to use stills from each clip with which to create the crossfadet, (even though you can still pull out the ends of the cut clip to restore the bit you removed), Obviously if you are not editing the clips then VP has no alternative but to do it with stills. If you play with this a bit you will see what I mean. Try using shots of moving traffic for each clip. Obviously it's not a problem if you are creating a slideshow as the images are static, even if zooms and pans are used, VP makes a perfect crossfade. I think it has been done this way so as to keep the joined clips the same total length, whether you have added an transition or not and irrespective of its duration. With other editors where you create dissolves by dragging one end over the other the combined clip length shortens depending on the duration of the transition created . With VP you can set any duration for the transition (provided the clips are long enough of course) without altering the edited length. That's where the stills come in. If you have sufficient "trimmed off" footage from the ends of each clip available, stills are not required. Nat

Hi All your images/clips should be of the same aspect ratio. eg 4:3 16:9 etc, The resolutions are less important as it is simply a case of the higher the better. Due to the different shapes of your clips/images some will have borders on the left and right, (vertical images) others at the top and bottom (squarer images), as initially ALL the image area is included in the default 16:9 VP frame. I am not sure about version 3.0 as I have gone back to using V2.41 for several reasons, but if I remember correctly the controls are very similar similar. In version 2.41 you use the the crop (or, see below...zoom) effect but should realise that in order to get the same aspect ratio for all your clips/images you will naturally have to lose some parts of your images.(sides or top/bottom) Assuming you want everything to fill the VP frame (16:9) then proceed as follows: Put all your clips/images on the timeline and then go through them one at a time as follows.. Activate the clip by right or left clicking it.(It will turn blue and preview on the right.) Left click the "Effects" tab and select the "Crop" effect. Your clip/image will appear on the left of the screen with a red rectangle on it having 8 adjustment points. For the moment ignore these. Below the image where it says "Keep proportions", select the16:9 option. (you can use 4:3 if most of your clips are old TV or film format) The red rectangle will now change to the maximum possible sized 16:9 aspect ratio. (Note that if your image was already 16:9, you will see no change) You can now adjust the position of the red rectangle by dragging it (normally up/down) so it contains the part of the image you want. Note that you can also resize the rectangle by dragging the sides and corners in or out without changing its aspect ration and in effect zoom into a portion of the image. The enlarged area will still occupy the full VP screen.image This is NOT however, a movie "zoom", just a selective enlargment of your image or clip. Obviously you would need to do this for all the clips/images on the sequence in order to remove the "bouncing" effect you are seeing as everything on the sequence would now be the same aspect ratio. If, instead of "Crop" you select the "Zoom" effect, then you will see two images on the left, The first image of a clip (top), and last image of the clip.(below) Again, select the 16:9 option from the options underneath the images and adjust the rectangles (now 16:9 ratio) to reflect the position/size of the start and end of your zoom. As with crop, the VP frame will remain full. This is a very useful function in fact to impart motion and interest to an otherwise static slideshow generated with VP as the speed of the effect can easily be altered by varying the duration of the slide. Hope this helps Nat

Hi I am pretty certain that you can't change the colour of the green bar. However, and at least on my screen, it is easily seen and adequately wide. (V2.41). I agree that in v3 it is not so noticeable. Nat

Hi Not sure about version 2,12 but similar to Borate's useful reply refering to Version 3.0, in 2.41 if you want a watermark of sorts, you can add a text overlay, position it where you want. Set your font to, say, Ariel and then make the outline white (right hand "A")and the letters black (lefthand "A") (But you can experiment easily enough) Move the Opacity slider to about 1/4 along the track to suit requirements and then drag the overlay out to extend the length to what you want. The "watermark" will remain in view for the whole clip without obscuring the film. Nat

Suite... "Is there one??? Well not without messing in the registry it seems, but by unloading the codec pack and then re-running it I can de-select all the video formats so none show as thumbnails, and by un-ticking the Windows explorer setting "Always show icons, never thumbnails" everything is back to normal. (Just in case anybody has problems like this) Nat

Hi Were your project files (.vpj files) created with an earlier version of VP and are you trying to open them with Version 3.0/1 VP? If this is the case then they probably won't work as NCH say the versions are incompatable in this respect. And, as you say, you seem to have no files listed.. This the .vpj notepad output for a VP Version 2.41 project with a single still .bmp image called "Mars" It's on the sequence line for 10 seconds. No overlays, no soundtrack and no transitions. .....i.e. a very simple project. The file path for this image is: C:/Users/NS/Pictures/PLANETs/MARS/Mars.bmp The Notepad output from the .vpj project file is: version=5 hindex=15 folders=0 files=1&relativepath=0 h=13&type=2 &path=C%3A%5CUsers%5CNS%5CPictures%5CPLANETs%5CMARS%5CMars.bmp&duration=10000&stereoformat=0 clips=1 h=14&hfile=13&hfolder=0&name=Mars%20-%20Clip%201&in=0&out=10000 sequenceclips=1 h=15&hfile=13&hfolder=0&name=Mars%20-%20Clip%201&in=0&out=10000&htransition=0&heffect=0 transitions=0 effects=0 subtitleclips=0 overlayclips=0 sequence=15 tracks=3 name=Audio%20Track&mute=0&solo=0&left=0&right=0&index=0&samplerate=44100&channels=2&soundprocesschain=0 name=Soundtrack%201&mute=0&solo=0&left=0&right=0&index=1&samplerate=44100&channels=2&soundprocesschain=0 name=Soundtrack%202&mute=0&solo=0&left=0&right=0&index=2&samplerate=44100&channels=2&soundprocesschain=0 soundclips=0&relativepath=0 bookmarks=0 The significance of some of the values can be worked out, but extracting the pathways for numerous clips/images etc from such a printout would be a pain. Nat

Hi If you loaded and kept the original vpsetup.exe file for your earlier version (and not simply run it from a website), then unistall the version you are currently using or drag all the NCH VP folders to the dustbin including any desktop shortcuts. Now re-load and run the old vpsetup.exe file. I have done this several times whilst trying out V3.0/01 and it seems to work OK. Nat

Suite.... On my system running Vista, this does seem to have been the cause. Having re-set Windows explorer to show only icons instead of thumbnails VP edits the clips with no problems.... Just done a 30 min video with the same clips and there were no stoppages or delays. The problem now is to find a Windows setting that lets me see thumbnails for images but icons for movie files... Is there one??? Nat

Hi Just a thought..... Do your video files show as a thumbnail or an icon when you open a folder? I have recently activated the K-Lite codec pack and opted to show all the mpeg files as thumbnails, as it is easier to see which is which. It may be just a coincidence but with a folder full of clips it takes quite a time to to display them and VP just pretty well stops when a couple are loaded and edited. The processor usage now goes up to 100%. Nat

Hi Well..Submit an error report and revert to version 2.41. Nat

Hi Borate I agree with your audio crossfade suggestion which I think may work in Version 3. However in 2.41 you can't overlap video tracks as there is only one, and you can't simply overlap the soundtracks without unlinking or copying at least one of them, in which case precise synch afterwards will be lost. In 2.41..This is one way to do it,.. Put the two clips on the sequence line. In the media list window, right click the second clip and "Save the audio track as a separate file" Right click the soundtrack of the second clip on the sequence line. Select "Adjust clip volume" and click the "Mute clip" option. Now drag the copy soundtrack down to soundtrack 1 Add the fade out for the soundtrack of clip 1 (Right click the soundtrack and select "Fade out") Add an equal fade in for your copy sound on soundtrack 1 (Right click the soundtrack and select "Fade in") Now drag the copy on soundtrack 1 so the fade-out and fade-in portions overlap. The sound tracks will now dissolve from one to another.......but after the join the sound will be out of synch.... so... Grab the left end of the right hand film clip and drag it to the right. As it moves along it is shortened and it's soundtrack (muted) will move with it. Stop when the soundtrack for clip 2 lines up exactly with the copy on soundtrack 1. It should now be back in synch. (Zoom in if you want VERY exact synch) If you now want to add a crossfade to the join then this must be of equal length to the fade-in but.... NOTE: You have created the sound dissolve with only one of the clips (The right hand one) and this starts before the join and finishes at the join whilst your film crossfade overlaps the join! You can now add the crossfade if you need to which appears as a yellow bar over the sequence line and equally spread over the join.. Now in version 2.41 (but not 3.0) you can grab and drag the left hand end of the yellow bar along to the start of your sound dissolve and then drag the right hand end along to the end of the sound dissolve. The crossfade should now match the sound dissolve and afterwards remain in synch. It might be better to make the crossfade slightly longer in practice. You need to try this with a couple of clips to see how it works. Nat

Hi Don't think it will answer the specific save problem ... Download and install the K-Lite codec pack. http://www.codecguide.com/ Worth a try at any rate. Nat

Hi Provided you have kept the Setup file for version 2.41 on your PC (or memory stick) then you can revert back to this version, although, as I understand it (as I have not tried it) a project (.vpj file) saved from version 3.0/01 will not load into version 2.41. Just remove all the NCH folders that refer to Videopad (or use the deinstallation program) and then re-run the setup.exe file for version 2.41. If you haven't kept the original compressed setup.exe file then you will have to re download it. (save it...don't just execute it) It should be OK as I have done this several times. Nat

Hi Marcuse In VP2.41... To edit using the IN/OUT markers is not too complicated.... Set VP to Timeline mode. Add your clip to the media list. You can edit it from here if you wish as follows... Left click the name of the clip on the list and it will appear in the left hand preview pane with thumbnails below it. Beneath the line of thumbnails you will see a green bar with the clip times marked on it. Play the clip by clicking the grey triangle and when the red cursor line reaches the point where you want the clip to START click the RED flag button. This will set the IN point and all the green bar to the left of this point will turn white. The cursor line however will continue to move. When it reaches the point where you wish the clip to finish, click the BLUE flag button. This will set the OUT point and all the remaining green bar to the right of this point will turn white. The clip section now marked by the green bar will be your new edited clip. You will probably find it easier to DRAG the red cursor line to your desired places instead of playing the clip. Whichever way you do it, you can adjust the IN OUT points buy dragging the cursor and re-clicking the respective flag button. Once you are satisfied with your selection you can click the downward pointing green arrow (Add clip to sequence) to add your edited clip to the sequence line. In the preview pane you will still see your clip but now with the IN/OUT markers showing. (The green arrow will have disappeared). You can now, if you wish, drag these red and blue markers in/out in the preview window to adjust the length of the actual clip as seen on the sequence line. The green bar will lengthen or shorten accordingly. You can also edit the clip if you have already placed it on the sequence by simply dragging the cursor line to your start point and splitting the sequence. (Using the Split button on the left) Select the left hand portion of the clip, (goes blue) and then right click and select menu option to remove it. Move the cursor line to the point where you want the clip to finish and split the sequence once more. Select the right hand, unwanted section and remove it in the same way. You will now be left with your shortened clip. If the "ends" are not exactly where you want them you can recover the chopped off bits by simply dragging the ends of the edited clip out a little. (Or drag them in to shorten the clip more). Note...By placing the cursor on the ends of the clip you will see it change to vertical lines at which point you can drag. You will soon find, in fact that one split made just before your start point will suffice as the clip/s on the squence line can now be shortened etc. by selecting them and then dragging the ends in/out. Note that once a split has been made the red/blue markers will appear in the left preview pane and will move as you drag the ends of your clip. (You can also move them manually as described above) You can monitor pretty exactly the start/finish points in the right hand preview pane. Hope this helps. Nat

Hi I can't say what your problem is with V3 but it is a Beta version although the few films I have edited with this version when trying it out have been created O.K., I still prefer VP2.41 I have re-edited many super 8mm films copies with VP2.41 You could download this version and have another go....However, I think VP3 is much the same as 2.41 as far as the saving to your PC so you may have the wrong settings. There should be no problem with VOB files. Steps I use are.... If your clip plays OK in preview then click the "Save Movie" button and select "Computer/Data" In the drop down window, enter the destination and name for your clip Click the down button for Preset and select HD720 (Up to you here but this is OK for me) File format will be .avi Resolution will be 1280 x 720 - HD 720p Frame Rate will be 25 (TV PAL) ..but select NTSC from the menu if appropriate.(Preset will return to "custom" in this case) Now click the "Encoder Options" button. Select either H264 (Native) (Which is the default and which I use and plays with the VLC player and Irfanview but only plays sound with WMP)....or MPEG4(Native) which should play with Windows Media Player. Ignore the Video Compression Settings Sound Compressor should be MP3 (Native) Sound Format 44100 Hz, 320 kbps, Stereo Click OK to return to the Video Output Setup screen Click OK to save your sequence to your designated folder. For me these have worked in V3.0 Nat

Hi (Version 2.41) The first point is your use of the word "Pan". You can easily make an overlay (image or clip) Scroll from one side of the screen to the other so that it appears to come in from right or left,pass across the image/movie showing on the main screen, (the background) and leaving on the opposite side. But "Pan" implies that your viewpoint moves across the image, not that an image moves across an image. "Pan" does not involve the image moving off the screen. Adding a scroll to an overlay is simple as you just click the scroll option and select the direction from the list. You can easily set a Pan of a clip or image where it doesn't exist by using the Zoom effect.... Activate the clip on the sequence by clicking it and then the effects button. This opens two images of the clip on the left of the screen. In the top effects image, reduce the size of the red rectangle and move it to your proposed start position. Do the same with the second lower image to select the finish position. (Obviously you can't pan an image or clip without reducing its width as you have to reveal a section and hide a section as the pan proceeds.) Align the start/finish heights if required. Playing the effect will produce the pan. You can also retain/alter the correct aspect ratio by clicking one of the options below the two images. It's a very useful option for use in slideshows to add variation to otherwise still images.. Now, If you want the overlay to Pan then you will need to save the clip you created above as an avi and then reload it as an overlay. Adjust it to full size, add fade, and position it relative to your sequence clip. It should now fade in, play (pan its image) and fade out. Obviously they must both have the same aspect ratio, and the overlay should be positioned centrally. You can, of course add scroll to the panning overlay if you wish or have it smaller in scale.. Nat

Hi Sorry, I have no connection to NCH. I just use the program (v2.41) a lot and help out where I can...even if I am sometimes wrong. I have tried v3.0 but didn't like the multiple tracks much and found some features didn't work correctly (at least to my mind) so I have gone back to 2.41 which does most of what I want with no problems. Now....You can solve your problem with the non-appearence of the "Save as a new clip" button if you click the "Toggle Media list style" button which is the icon with the little blue arrow at the right hand end of the box immediately above the media list window. This should replace the button as well as the IN/OUT markers. Sounds like 3.0 is causing you problems Nat

Hi I am sure you know all of this however...... If you are using VP version 2.41 with a clip in the media list window and an empty sequence,... Left or right click on the clip name and It will appear in the left hand preview pane. Beneath the main image is a bar containing thumbnails of the clip and beneath this a green bar displaying the time points of the clip, the red cursor line and the IN/OUT markers as red/blue arrow heads.The red marker is at the extreme left and the blue marker at the extreme right of the green bar, although this may not be visible unless you scroll the preview pane to the right. The length of green bar indicates the active clip length. If you haven't moved the IN/OUT flags the whole length will be green. Below the green bar are the Prev frame/Play/Next frame/Goto Start/Goto End buttons. Moving the right of this group you should see the IN/OUT time value boxes and next to these the buttons for setting the position of Red/Bue marker flags. Clicking either of these moves the relevant flag to the cursor position. Note: If, by chance you have clicked these in succession without moving the red cursor line between clicks, then BOTH markers move to the cursor position (ie the same position) and in effect you will have no clip. If this is the case the next button along which is the "Save as New Clip" button will be inactive.There must be a length of usable clip showing...i.e. with a green bar. To the right of the two flag buttons is (or should be) the "Save as a new clip" button which looks like a couple of film frames with a yellow star on it. If your clip is showing some green bar, then this button will be active and clicking it will create a copy of the selected clip length in the media list window. Using the Green down arrow will add the length to the sequence. If you scroll the window right there is a zoom control for the preview. I don't think there is a setting that eliminates the "Save as a new clip" button entirely, although I have a niggly feeling it was mentioned some time ago on the forum. Anyway hope this helps. Nat

Hi I still prefer to use use v2.41 but in V3 you can reduce the height of the sequence lines and this will allow you to drag the preview screens a little larger. However most video editing software have small (well, smallish) preview screens. I assume this is because they have to be able to produce all the editing steps that you have created (e.g. zooms, cuts, fades etc) at a fast enough rate to look correct and to do this the data is quickly compressed. If the preview image was large, the compressed result would be quite blocky. Remember, you are NOT viewing a rendered movie at this stage. By reducing the size of the preview pane, the compressed data can run correctly and look reasonable. If You view your sequence in Preview mode (using the "Preview" option) you will see your sequence in a much larger window but, as I said, the image (being presumably compressed and so running at a reasonable speed) will be more pixellated. It seems that the detail you want to monitor is quite small. You could try using Virtual Dub to initially preview and possibly cut your clips as you can view them in a single (or double) window and enlarge this to 100%(or more) Always worth a try. Nat