Nationalsolo

Hi

That stacking of multiple tracks (i.e. dragging them up from track 1 to, say, track 6) ought to have automatic scrolling. In practice you can only drag them up to the limit of the tracks that are visible and that can be complicated by having the topmost visible track full. Cut/Paste is better. Perhaps if the right click menu offered a choice of placements or "Move to overlay track" it would be better still

Nat

Hi

Making areas of an overlay image transparent using masks.

Obviously this is much easier using a static image, and Borate's example really explains the principle and there's not a lot to add..but numerous transparent areas can be produced using the Polygon mask

• Place the clip/image that requires to have the transparent areas on Video Track 2
• Place the clip/or image that is to have areas revealed on Video Track 1 In this example I have a Green blank image  on Track 2 and a Red blank image on Track1. The aim is to make "holes" in Video Track 2 so Video Track 1 shows through
• 
• In order to better monitor the result switch into Dual Previews in Options/Display. At this point none of Video Track one can be seen
• Select Video Track 2
• Click the FX for the overlay clip/image on Video Track 2 and then the Polygon Mask (The second button at the top of the Effect window) This will place a red rectangle on the clip preview window.
• ........
• 
• Drag the rectangle sides or corners to outline the area required. I have left this one rectangular but virtually any area can be outlined. Undocking the clip preview pane will allow added precision to the points of the mask.
• 
• Tick the Mask Inside box
• Add a Transparency effect and set this to 0% Opacity. The masked area will now become transparent and that area on Video track 1 will now become visible.
• You can now adjust the points and re-position the mask to better reveal the desired detail in Track 1
• ...
• 

For another masked area..

• Click the Polygon mask button again. Another rectangle will appear
• Check Mask inside. Add another Transparency effect  Adjust the outline.

Numerous transparent areas in Track 2 can be made in this way.

Hope this helps

Nat

Hi

An approach I have seen used is to have individual players in a fixed area of the screen. Assuming each clip is the same AR (e.g. 16:9) here is how an example of 16 players can be done

• Place each clip consecutively on Video Track 1
• Select all the clips
• Scale all clips to 0.25 (for a 4 x 4 matrix)
• Click the FX for the first clip and Add Split Screen effect to all clips with matrix of 4 x 4 (use the button at top of the effect screen to add effect to all selected clips)
• Now Click the FX for each clip in turn and allocate each to a box.
• Place each clip on separate track one above the other. (This is the phaffiest bit!)

Each of the 16 clips will now appear and play  in a separate box. A bit like this....

This example uses images but video clips will work the same way. Our orchestra is currently preparing something similar with 15 boxes (I think) with the conductor in the top middle box. The other clips (players) will change according to which part of the piece ("Over the Rainbow") will be playing at that moment. It won't be this software however but VP can do it.

Nat

Hi

A full colour image....No.

You could try the Temperature effect for a limited range of tints or depending on the channels available Colour curves effect. Again, these will not be vivid and will be just tints. For a more intense colour used in a VERY ABSTRACT WAY.....

• Load the B/W clip to Video Track 2 and apply a green screen effect for one of the grey shades.
• Slice it up into short segments
• Split it into very short clips and pick  a different grey shade for each section
• Now put several short blank clips on track 1 each blank being a different colour.
• Place a very short transition between the blank image clips in various ways.

Try it and see what you get.................but VP can't colorize a B&W clip.

Nat

Hi

Always regularly Save  Project As while you work. (at least  do a Save Project) This ensures that you have a .vpj file that will enable you to re-install the project if things don't work out. having done this you can safely reload the program from the original setup.exe file. It's always a good idea to keep the exe file in a dedicated folder.

Nat

Hi

If you are not using the latest version (8.32) then hanging at 99.5% during export may be due to the fact that you have a reversed clip somewhere in the timeline. Check this out.

Save the project and then try again after clearing the cache

You could download the latest version and see how that performs.

https://www.nchsoftware.com/videopad/versions.html

Obviously save your original setup.exe file and your license code somewhere safe.

Nat

Hi

I'm not sure how VP deals with interlaced files  but I have to assume that interlaced videos/clips like the avi you uploaded are automatically de-interlaced by VP in the same way as VLC can do this automatically (if the option is set). WMP here still leaves the clip interlaced and at the presumably native AR  of 720 x 576. Are you saying that at your end WMP de-interlaces the clip?

"........goal is to export this clip to a 1024x576 deinterlaced format with a correct aspect ratio (which plays without interlaced in Windows Media player)........"

That should be simple.... although 1025 x 576 is not 16:9

• Load the raw  avi clip to VP It will display at 16:9 and will be de-interlaced automatically.
• Export in the required format with Resolution set at Auto Match Content (1024 x 576)

Mp4 export is de-interlaced at plays in VLC  correctly. The mp4 does not play in WMP here.

The .avi export at 1025 x 576 (TV Wide)  plays in VLC correctly as well as WMP correctly.

In effect, after exporting from VP the clip has been de-interlaced and shows no combing.

I've asked NCH if de-interlacing is performed automatically on such clips. (VP 8.32)

Nat

HI

The avi clip  is 720 x 576  but display is stretched to 16:9 and is interlaced. It  plays OK in VLC when Video/De-interlace is switched to Auto or On and De-interlace mode is set to Auto.

Windows media doesn't deinterlace this clip and retains the 720 x 576 display.

VP de-interlaces this clip so it should export OK.

Nat

Hi

We would require more detail regarding what you mean by "Fake camera movement" . You can Pan and Zoom the image but only within the existing image frame.Certain effects like Rotation and flip can be applied. Checkout other Motion and Transform and some of the Artistic effects.

Nat

Hi

Your project downloaded and previewed OK in VP 8.32

It exported also OK with the default mp4 1920 x 1080 HD settings but there was a noticeable  pause in the export at the points where each overlay image was encountered (judging by the export time values.)  These overlays were 1899 x 1065 pixels ... a rather unusual AR compared with the video clips on either side. It suggests that  these pauses occurred  because VP had to process each of these images to fit the default export settings of  1920 x 1080 HD causing a CPU usage of 100% and consequent slowdown at these points. I would suggest that all clips/images be incorporated as far as possible at the same AR.

In contrast to your findings and Borate's observation the exported mp4 played perfectly in VLC. I can't explain the difference. I can only suggest that it may be a codec problem and to load the K-lite codec pack and see if that makes any difference

Nat

Hi

Version 8.32

Unless you close them before shutting down VP then either (or both) preview screens will remain in their undocked size when you reopen VP even if you have deleted the data on shutdown and start a new project on reopening VP.

This is true even if you restart your PC. Opening VP will still show one of both undocked preview windows.

Nat

Hi  HappyLife

Version 8.23. 

It seems that if you reverse a normal speed clip (100%) clip it previews OK but the export stops at 99.5% 

Also changing the speed to 50% and reversing the export stops it at 49.5%  (Hmmmm 1/2 )

Not only that as if you a change of speed to a reversed clip the export shows a still frame for the duration of the speed change.(or part of it.)

Also, changing speed to 200% and then reversing shows a black window (not 16:9 )for Sequence Preview.

I have reported this . The latest version may have been fixed.

Nat

Hi

LOL I use it as it comes.......But after running your .avi it crashes now with a message to send a report... although it then plays the clip.

So dunno....   I shall re-install it.

Nat

Hi

AFAIK VP gets it fonts directly from the "Fonts" folder. They obviously must be there as you say they appear in the font list but

Do the fonts show up in the list as A FONT...........

If they do and are selected do they show up in the text editor correctly?

What version of VP are you using and which fonts did you install?

Tested a new font here just now.  Loaded the ttf file from the website and dropped it directly into the font folder.

Opened VP and the font (Typewriter-Remington-Riviera)  was present in the list; could be used.....

 and could be exported.

I am using Version 8.23

Nat

Hi

"... Also with the zoom I loose a big portion of the content. Not sure What you are trying to do. .."

I cannot see why that should happen. As the project you sent (at least at my end ) is a 1024 x 576 .avi clip   and consequently  has  an AR of 16:9 . Adding a zoom (full frame) fixed at 16:9 probably wasn't needed but should result in exactly the same export AR. It was just to swap your Auto AR effect for one which does the same thing.  Removing your Auto AR effect had no effect on the clip in fact. As it stood It exported OK and looked reasonable..... This is a frame from the exported mp4 as seen in VLC....

This exported mp4 looked reasonably acceptable considering it may have been stretched before it was uploaded.

HOWEVER playing the downloaded  avi file in VLC showed evident interlacing of the image.....

A Portion of this frame  enlarged.......

So IMO it's not a VP problem.  In VP both preview and export were reasonably de-interlaced.

When you say you lost a big portion of the content, were you 16:9 zooming into a 720x576 clip. If you did that you would lose some of the image...(but zoom would leave it full frame.)

At the end of the day the result exported as an mp4 looked OK. The fact that the letterbox was activated is a default setting and made no difference in this case as letterboxing a 16:9 clip results in a 16:9 output. (If you get my drift. )

BTW  Your downloaded file contained only two items.....C&N220080519-18.54.47.avi and the vpj file.

Nat

Hi

Have you tried emptying the cache file?  What size and format are the  clips that you are adding and how long is the project?

Nat

Hi

I perhaps should have mentioned that if you want to zoom back out to full frame before the end of the clip and remain zoomed out then just create another full frame keyframe before the end of the clip. Note also that you can move the keyframe markers on the graph screen to re-position the  zoom and also at any time during editing you can add new markers by clicking  the graph line/s at intermediate places, or altering the zoom rectangle at any cursor position. Monitoring the rectangle position in Clip Preview and, at the same time monitoring the actual effect appearance in the Sequence Preview  window. Clicking the markers a second time will allow you to remove them.

Nat

Hi

Try this..

• Record a Clap (say three claps) and place this on the audio track before the start of the backing
• Group them
• Start playing audio and then Record your video
• Clap in time to the claps on the backing track. and when the backing starts to play you start to sing.

You will now have a backing sound Track with audible signals (claps) at the start and a video of you singing with claps (or visible signals) at the start. As these will be prominent peaks on the audio backing track it should be reasonably easy to line the audio and video  up.

You could for example  trim your singing video to the third clap (or exactly to one of the peaks while it is in the bin. Line up the red cursor on the timeline with the selected sound peak. You can then load the trimmed video to the cursor. The selected clap from on each track will be lined up should then ensure that the remainder is in synch.

Nat

Hi

The letterbox will be 16:9 so it shouldn't cause a problem

I simply took out your AR effect and used Zoom with AR fixed at 16:9. This exported at 1024 x 576 TV Wide.(16:9)   (with letterbox) and it looked fine.

Nat

Hi

AFAIK you can't create a gradual speed change  from say 100% to 300%  in a single clip. You can only change the speed of the clip as a whole.

If you just want to change the speed of a section of a clip....

• Split the clip where the speed change is to start
• Split the clip where the speed change is to end
• Select (right click) the segment between the splits and Change Clip Speed from the menu The section will then show the speed alteration.

As mentioned there is no control to change the speed gradually, it is all or nothing.

You could however split a clip multiple times and increase/decrease  the speed of each segment by a small even amount and this would achieve a progressive speed change.

Nat

Hi

You need to use the Zoom effect with key frames.

• Click the FX at the start of the clip and select Zoom from the list. This opens the Effects window for Zoom with a graph pane on the right. In the Clip Preview window it places a rectangle around the full frame. This rectangle has handles on each side and in each corner.
• 
• If it is not already there move the red cursor line to the start of the clip
• Check you have selected the correct AR (Normally use 16:9)
• Click the small Green plus sign with the red line above the graph area. This will set the first keyframe. (Full frame)
• Play the clip (or move the effects cursor line) to the point where you want to start zooming in and click the Green Plus again. This sets a second keyframe. (Still Full frame)
• Play the clip (or move the effects cursor line) to the point where you want maximum zoom.
• In the Clip Preview window adjust the zoom rectangle to outline the area of the enlarged frame. As you have stipulated to keep the AR 16:9 the dotted rectangle will remain the same AR.
• Click the green plus to set another key frame.(Zoomed in)
• 
• If you have Dual previews set up in Options/Display, you can monitor the effect.
• If you want to remain zoomed in for a time then slide the cursor (or play the clip) to the point where you want to zoom out.
• Create another keyframe (zoomed in)
• Slide the cursor all the way to the right hand side (or play the clip to the end) and adjust the zoom rectangle back to Full frame.
• Click  the green plus again to create another and final keyframe (zoomed out) Your graph will now look something like this......with keyframe markers at every change.........
• 

Your clip should now play full screen for a short time, Zoom in and stay zoomed in for a short time and then zoom out back to full screen.

The speed of the effect overall and for each step depends on the length of the clip and positions chosen by you to place the key frames.

Hope this helps

Nat

Hi

".....This problem only happens when I add overalys. ...."

That should not happen 1920 x 1080  is AR of 16:9 and will fill the screen. You should export using the same settings as your raw clips.

When you go to the Export Video/VideoFile  screen, after setting file name and destination folder and export file type , set the resolution to Auto match Content....  The resolution of 1920 x 1080 will automatically be set by VP

The logo will (or should) then be seen as overlaid in the sequence preview, and export as previewed.

Nat

Hi

Your settings seem way over the top for this clip...

• Exposure effect +10 (I presume you mean a setting of 1.0
• Colour Adjustments ......... Brightness=30   Contrast = 10   Gamma = 1......

Which produces a result that  is identical to  your screenshot.

Please try just either Auto Levels   or just   Exposure effect of just 0.5

Nat

Hi Phil

Brilliant! 

Nat

Hi

If you still can't correct the exposure with the Exposure effect (Value should be set at around 0.25 - 0.5) then try applying the Auto levels effect.

Original

Exposure effect at 0.5

Auto Level effect

Nat