Nationalsolo

Hi

As a test using VP 8.45 I have just set up a project with 103 video clips with a total duration of 40 minutes. I have added different 100 S/T using the subtitle feature. There were no hangups and the project did not rebuild with each addition.

"......For some reason the original project is getting altered when I add in subtitles. Meaning the size and length of the scenes are being changed. I don't know how, but when I view the project, sans subtitles, it views differently from when I have them put in.
Is that at all possible? ...."

Subtitles do not interfere with the underlying clips and I cant see how they can change the length of the clip or alter its size.

Are you, in fact using the S/T feature or are you adding text images?

Nat

Hi

• Un-link the audio (if it is linked.)
• Split the Video track in question at the start of the unwanted section by using one of the options of the down arrow menu associated with the scissors tab under the Sequence preview window
• You can now place the red cursor line on the split and step forwards (or  backwards) using the I<  or >I buttons under the preview window. (Frame at a time)
• When you have the cursor line in the correct position, (at the end of the unwanted section,) Split the track again
• Zoom in (or swap to Storyboard mode) and delete the section isolated between the splits
• Keep zoomed in and then drag the RH clip with the Ctrl key pressed to re-position it

Nat

Hi Lee

It's not clear from your description how you are trying to construct your long video or how you are using the 20 second or minute clips? Knowing what you are aiming for and what you have at the start to do it with may give a clearer idea of how you might proceed.

Nat

Hi

 If you change things using the All subtitles option the changes affect  all the subtitles so all become justified or colored according to the settings in the parameter window.

If you select the entries to change to the new setting whilst pressing the Ctrl key these will highlight and get changed if you use the Selected subtitles option...The un-selected will remain as they were.

.

However selecting several clips and changing just a single value may be a bit more complicated if they have differing values otherwise..

e.g. Select all the ones requiring a color change..change color then select the ones in that group that require different justification...and so on. Can't think of an alternative apart from selecting them individually.

Nat

Hi B

Yes, that jumps along the S/T timeline area OK from S/T (end) to S/T (end) but if you have, say, a slide show of 100 images and want to S/T each one there is no facility to step to the start of the next image clip position. There are no II<  or  >II  buttons to do this. Which I thinks is an oversight. Further the  thumbnails are so squashed up that you can't even guess where each one actually starts as there are no clip markers ("bar lines") even when zoomed in.

Nat

Hi

"....Of course, you can point the cache to any suitable location. ..."

I keep mine on the desktop where it's quick to find and open simply by minimizing the VP window. You can also delete all the contents here if required to fully clear it.

Nat

Hi B

You learn something new every day!   Retrospective S/T!  As I said, I'm not a YT buff but thanks for that info.

From max's point of view he need not invoke the clip or sequence preview screen at all.

• In S/T window move red cursor to Start position
• Enter S/T and then move Blue bracket to End  position. The S/T extent is highlighted in the thumbnails.  You can also set these IN/OUT positions by directly clicking the brackets beneath the preview screen with the cursor set
• Click the Add sign to place S/T into the list. This clears the highlighted area.
• Move Cursor to next Start position and repeat the same steps

The drawbacks are that the existing S/T do not remain highlighted on the thumbnail track beneath the preview window when you click the Plus tab.. You can only see them highlighted individually by clicking them on the list. The other drawback which I think is a rather major one, is that although the complete timeline is present under the preview pane (allowing for the fact you can +/-  to show more/less of it) you can't step through it clip by clip. It's either Start or End of the timeline or frame by frame.

Nat

Hi B

Absolutely not, it would export as any of the usual Video formats.... but not being an avid YT buff how do you use the SRT or SSA file that you can save via the VP  S/T module  in the context of a YT video?  I have loaded SRT files into a project in VP to obtain S/Ts  in that project, both for real and test purposes.  Am I right in assuming then that one can upload an SRT file to add to a video already on YT?

Nat

Hi

Unless things have changed since the audio problem was reported in 8.56 I would keep to the 8.45 version.

Nat

Hi

You can stipulate which track (or tracks) you want to split if you use the options down arrow to the right of the Split scissors that are present under the Sequence Preview screen. Other Splits act on all the timeline tracks.

Nat

Hi

"...That's a lot of work to go to......"

Oh! OK...Just thought it might have been simpler.

I've only used YT a few times each time for a complete project or a test clip but I am intrigued as to why you want to upload the S/T to YT as a separate file?  

Even using my suggested  way of adding S/T you can easily Hide Video Track 1  on Output and export just the texts as a separate file.,

Nat

Hi

The simplest way is not to create a bin Sequence but to....

• Create and edit your timeline
• Select (or group) the clips you want to insert
• Copy the selected clips
• Move cursor to the chosen insert point
• Right click the clip and then select Paste (insert)

The selected clips will be inserted at the cursor point.

Another  way (clumsy) might be  to ...

• Create your first timeline of edited clips.
• Click the + that follows the words Sequence 1 X   This creates a sequence of the timeline and clears the tracks
• Open the sequence bin and transfer Sequence 1 to the timeline.
• You can add Sequence 1 as many times as required, an insert/edit  just like a clip 

You could also.. (More  clumsy)

• Create the timeline
• Save the project (vpj 1)
• Create the sequence
• Save the project (vpj 2)
• Load vpj 1
• Import the clips from vpj 2  (Menu/File/Import clips from Another Project)

Note: These options load ALL the clips again PLUS the Sequence clip .

Nat

Hi Max

You may find it easier to use simple text images adjusted in font size and frame position to create the subtitles. Timeline  position can then easily be set against the different image clips as each text clip will be on Track 2. Use dual displays to monitor the result.

e.g........

Nat

Hi bob

 Pan & Zoom are all or nothing and act on all the clip, you cannot stop it at any particular point apart from the end. This particular effect was conceived as a Ken Burns effect principally to enhance slideshows.

If you want control over the extent and duration of this type of image movement  you need to use the Zoom effect. The rectangle here can be moved as well as resized making the effect a pan and zoom with the added advantage that you can stop it at any point within the image.

Note also that Effects only work on single clips but some effects (like Zoom ) CAN be fairly easily  made to continue into a second or subsequent image clip. (although TBH I am not sure what you expect to see apart from each image zooming/panning) Anyway, here is how you can zoom from one clip to another which doesn't require you to export first or create sequences..

• Set up dual previews in Options/Display as this makes it easier to monitor things
• Place all the images on the timeline as per a side show
• Click the FX for the first image and select Zoom
• In the graph side of the  zoom properties window move the red cursor line to the start of the clip (LHS)
• Set the AR and adjust the the zoom rectangle to enclose the required start area.
• Create a keyframe.
• Slide the effect cursor line to the end of the clip (RHS)
• Readjust the rectangle to enclose your mid zoom area.
• Create a second keyframe. (In effect you have simply done a Pan and Zoom.)
• Now note down the position values in the zoom effect's parameter window.
• Close the window
• Click the FX on the next image clip
• Select Zoom effect and adjust the red cursor line to the LHS
• Enter the values you just noted and set the same AR (Nothing should actually alter with the values). The next image will zoom into where the previous image finished.
• Create a keyframe
• Move the cursor line to the RHS (or the end point of the zooming action)
• Adjust the zoom rectangle to the outline the final area
• Create another keyframe

Your zoom (and pan) should start on the first image and continue onto the second image.

If the second image it different to the first image then it will still just look like a zoom so I am not sure what you are aiming at. Nevertheless that's how you can do it.

As mentioned , you can stop the effect at any point by setting the keyframe before the end of the particular image clip and the current parameters will remain in force until the clip ends.

 You CAN split an image clip into several if you want but why not just add the image several times Their durations (which default to the global setting in Options)  can easily be adjusted by dragging their ends in and out or by right clicking and selecting Change Duration

Nat

Hi ben

Downloaded your project  Igazu2.  This loaded OK to VP version 8.45 and once cached previewed OK. Didn't notice anything untoward with the zooms and pans. (Perhaps a missed cross fade at 1:15.69  and  1:24.9 ??) but otherwise it previewed OK.

Although the images used were 4032 x 3024   I exported the project  as an mp4 1920 x 1080p HD   H264 High quality variable 45fps.

The export had no problems and the playback with VLC was perfect. I didn't notice any fuzziness in the zooms or any of the distortion you mentioned. To my mind there was no obvious problems with this.

Nat

Hi

What is the resolution of the images that appear blurred when zoomed?

Nat

Hi

• Switch into Show dual previews in Options/Display  This makes it much easier to monitor what might be happening.
• Your text clips should be on an upper track..(by default Video Track 2)  and a clip will also be present in the image clip bin. They should not have other clips above them on the timeline. If there are clips above on a higher track then the text will not be seen as upper tracks play over lower tracks.
• If text clips appear correctly on the upper track with nothing above them, drag the red cursor line along the timeline and check what appears in the Sequence Preview window when the cursor line passes through the text clip. If everything is correct then WYSIWYG.   e.g..............

Nat

Hi Tom

Your project failed to play correctly on my Vista machine in VP 8.56 which is a Beta version which I am currently looking at. This seems to be due to a major bug linked to the sound tracks and  which has been reported.   Switching back to Version 8.45 your  project loaded and played just fine here. Looks and sound OK. As generated by your upload an export here did take some time but the result was excellent

The only minor quibble is that your singers don't all appear on screen at the same moment.   which I am sure was the intention. Checking out the individual clips it's  probably because some were moving their heads/stooping/looking down etc right up to the point of actually singing.  It's a good idea if,  with these things if each participant starts filming and then pauses for a several  seconds (say, 5 - 10s even) ...composed and ready to go ....and then starts singing to the audio. It then  gives the editor some composed footage to line up everybody's  audio and split all the tracks in the few seconds before they start. Now with clips grouped you can have them all fade in and out together.

I thought that was great and very stirring!

Nat

Hi

TomH

Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit SP2
Intel Core 2 Duo CPU E4500@ 2.2GHz, 2.0 GB RAM
NVIDEA GeForce GT 730.

Nothing particular running in the background and it handles 5 mp4 1080 clips with sound with no apparent problems.  (In the first exports for the multiscreen project each column had 10 clips, (i.e. used 10 Tracks, but still seemed to be OK)  It was necessary to wait until all the tracks had cached  and then checking the preview before  each export. Each original clips were only about 30 seconds duration as this project was in the nature of an experiment so longer clips on my machine might possibly stutter.

Stacking Sequences........ Not sure why that didn't work for you, but it depends what you mean by "Sequence" The definition of sequence when referring to VP is misleading IMHO as it refers to the whole of the timeline contents and also the clip that is created of the timeline and stored in the "Sequence" bin.

OK..That IS a sequence but even though you might consider it a single clip,  in relation to the 100 multiscreen project) it  still references the 10 original clips (or the 20 original clips)  and stacking 5 of these means that VP is essentially still trying to handle 100 tracks!

Exporting the timeline  however, condenses the tracks into just one clip. In this last version (for reasons I won't go into) the default name becomes "Sequence (x)" which is confusing when he contents of the Sequence bin are also called "Sequence (x)" 

So, If you are using the bin sequences for your stacking that might be the reason you are having preview problems. Try exporting the timeline and you will then only have a single stand alone clip

If you find mpeg4 clips are causing a problem have you tried converting them to mpeg2?  I used to do this regularly when using early versions of VP and found that I rarely had Building Preview problems and the clips were much clearer and brighter..

The cache retains clips from all previous work, even when that work has been exported and even after VP is closed. The "unused" files are all the files apart from everything not in the current project. Retaining current files in the cache means that a project will load to VP  and assemble more quickly than from an empty cache. Even if the cache is empty VP will load a project, but has to search for the files in the locations saved with the vpj file which can take longer.

Nat

Hi

Check out this for a start....  http://nch.invisionzone.com/topic/25627-using-mask/

However, this is not quite the same as your problem as it shows the set up for a  fixed image (s). Masking a moving image or object  that has a complicated and moving outline can only be done successfully if it was filmed against a green screen. Also, if you have only one clip then although you can mask out yourself from it (provided you don't move) you would need a separate clip of the moving background without yourself on which to place your masked image.

Nat

 Hi

The largest layout for the Split Screen effect is a matrix of 5 x 5 meaning the maximum number of clips is 25, each clip being on a separate track. This number of tracks along with any effects/fades/transitions etc.  can mean VP can struggle to preview. With multiscreen becoming popular I looked into ways of getting more clips to display without VP getting bogged down. 100 clips can be displayed in a 10 x 10 layout without using a split screen and all will play smoothly (at least on my old Vista machine they do.)

The basic idea is to load the first 10 clips into VP. Scale them all to 0.1 and then using the  Position effect arrange them one under the other at the left end of the frame......

For each of these tracks the Horizontal position value is -45  The vertical values for each clip to line up under each other are...

• -45
• -35.3
• -25.6
• -16
• -6.25
• 3.57
• 13.2
• 22.7
• 32.4
• 42.3

With the first 10 clips lined up and playing Export the clip  (Default name Sequence 1)

Repeat for the remaining clips doing 10 at a time. This can be done relatively quickly if you select all the tracks and then set the Scale (0.1) and Horizontal position (-45) for the first clip and then  Append the chain effect to all the other selected clips in one go. Then simply set the vertical positions for each track from the above list.

You will now end up with 10 exported clips  (Sequence 1 to Sequence 10) each having 10 images  one under the other on the left as shown above.

In order for VP to run without undue struggling we need to reduce these to 5 clips.

• Open VP and load Sequence 1 and Sequence 2
• Place Sequence 1 on Track 1 and Sequence 2 on Track 2
• Add a Position effect to Track 2 and set the Horizontal value at 10 and Vertical to 0  Both columns will now be visible...
•  
• 
• Check all the clips play and Export the timeline. Let's call it "A"
• Repeat the procedure for the remaining 8 exports, a pair at a time and you will finish up with 5 videos. (Each having 20 clips like the sequence preview above named  e.g.   A;  B;  C;  D; and  E

To create your 100 video clip multiscreen  load all 5 clips to VP. Place them  on separate tracks and then apply the Position effect to each track to move each successive clip to the right and so revealing the one underneath. Use the following Horizontal positions from Track 1 to Track 5. to do this.. (Vertical for each is 0)

• 0
• 20
• 40
• 60
• 80
• The result is all five tracks visible at the same time , each with two columns of 10 clips ,   making 100 clips playing at the same time.....

Since VP,  in this last step has only 5 clips to render it doesn't struggle in the preview as it might do with 100 clips and 100 tracks. At the most there are only 10 tracks at the outset and even on my old slow machine it seemed to cope with ten 1080 16:9 mp4 clips.

Users might find this an useful way of generating larger multiscreen presentations than the 5x5 split screen and where individual clips with Scale and Position might struggle.

Nat

Hi

Please start a new thread with a new subject as the old contents do not relate to the current version of VP . This thread is 3 years old.

Nat

Hi Tom

Is this the style of thing you are after?

This is an  result using a 5 x 5 (VP maximum) split screen with a scaled vertically scrolling text in the middle of the "U"

The text doesn't overwrite the clips if scaled correctly.

You may already do so but it's a good idea to set up dual previews  in Options/Display

This example uses 10 Tracks - background image on Track1, 8 singers and the text on top. With 16 - 48 singers VP might struggle and the project might require some adaptation.

Nat

HI

That could be relatively straightforward using the Split screen effect. However a  2 x 4 or 4 x 2 layout would fill the frame, leaving no space to see the background image, unless the clips are made smaller using the incorporated split screen scale  option    By mixing the layouts for each track (e.g. using a 5 x 3 layout) the individual boxes could be mixed in a similar way to this...

Obviously you would attempt to arrange them so your lyrics are visible. (Use dual displays to make this easier)

Unless the clips are very big (e.g. 4K) I don't think you would need to initially reduce them if you are only working with 8 or so.

An alternative  would be to  Scale and Position  each clip individually on the background image. The program would need to do more work during preview but this approach gives more scope with the layout and would work best with your initial smaller number of clips. The 16 - 48 clips project would need a different approach IMHO. But come back when you get to this stage if you have problems

Nat

Hi

"......i'm using 8.55, it also cuts a line from other clips on the left and displays on the right ...."

In fact the "line" was a sliver from the same clip but transposed to the right side.In some situations it showed up as a green line. Trouble was it exported. But as I mentioned it was corrected immediately it was reported.

The corrected version works fine here.

Nat