Stabilizing a part of a clip

[Dazzray]

I have some rather long clips from which I'll be using just small segments. I need to stabilize the parts I'll use, but would rather not have to first stabilize each entire, full length clip (takes a long time on my computer). Is there a way I can stabilize just the small segments (between in/out points) instead of having to stabilize an entire clip first? (Eg, if I could save a selected segment as a new clip, then I could stabilize that).

[borate]

Click the + sign to the right of the word "sequence" just above the timeline - at the left. That opens a new, blank sequence 2.

In the media window, click your clip and then in the preview window make your cuts, drop them onto the timeline (green downward arrow) and add the desired effect.

 

Toggle back to sequence 1 on the timeline. Just above the media window, click "sequences" to see them both. Drag sequence 2 to the timeline in sequence one, which will add it to the existing video.

Note: The sequence thumbnail in the media list may not accurately reflect the effect, but it will be okay when played.

[Dazzray]

I understand how to appply effects, but it looks to me like the "stabilize video" effect is only available as one of the options when I right click on a clip file in the media bin; it doesn't appear in the list of "video effects" with all the other effects. So it seems I have to stabilize an entire clip, which is why I want to be able to split a clip and save it as a new, shorter clip which I can then stabilize.

[Nationalsolo]

Hi

It has to be the complete clip.. You can't stabilize sections of a clip or sequences saved from a clip AFAIK.

But you can do this....... It's a bit of a rigmarole though.

 

Start with all your clip/project on the timeline.

Move the cursor to the start of the section to stabilize and split the sequence.

Move the cursor to the end of the section to stabilize and split the sequence.

Save your project as a vpj file.

 

Delete the sections to the left and right of the section you have isolated.

Close the gap on the left so the clip to stabilize is at the start of the timeline

Export the clip e.g. as an avi.(or other convenient format)

Reopen your project and add the exported file to the media list. Right click and stabilize it.

Replace when prompted to.

Mute the section of the sequence that you isolated beforehand.

Step the cursor to the first split position. ( II< or >II button)

Right click the stabilized clip in the media list and Place on sequence at the cursor position on the overlay track.

 

This does work but can take some time to stabilize. You can delete the central section and replace it with the stabilized clip instead of muting and using the overlay track.

 

Nat

[Dazzray]

Thank you Nat!

[Woodsy]

On 8/6/2015 at 5:01 PM, Nationalsolo said:

Surely it has to be one tremendous design flaw that I can't cut a piece out of a video and stabilize that piece.  Why oh Why oh Why would any V.E.designer force EVERYONE to waste so much time stabilizing HOURS of video just to get a few minutes of finished product ????   Can the VideoPad people contact me & tell me why?  Better still, can any one reading this reply to me & tell me of a V.E. that WILL let me stabilize only the bits & want, & not the whole video.  I'll buy it tomorrow & ditch VideoPad.

It has to be the complete clip.. You can't stabilize sections of a clip or sequences saved from a clip AFAIK.

But you can do this....... It's a bit of a rigmarole though.

 

Start with all your clip/project on the timeline.

Move the cursor to the start of the section to stabilize and split the sequence.

Move the cursor to the end of the section to stabilize and split the sequence.

Save your project as a vpj file.

 

Delete the sections to the left and right of the section you have isolated.

Close the gap on the left so the clip to stabilize is at the start of the timeline

Export the clip e.g. as an avi.(or other convenient format)

Reopen your project and add the exported file to the media list. Right click and stabilize it.

Replace when prompted to.

Mute the section of the sequence that you isolated beforehand.

Step the cursor to the first split position. ( II< or >II button)

Right click the stabilized clip in the media list and Place on sequence at the cursor position on the overlay track.

 

This does work but can take some time to stabilize. You can delete the central section and replace it with the stabilized clip instead of muting and using the overlay track.

 

Nat

 

[Woodsy]

Surely it has to be one tremendous design flaw that I can't cut a piece out of a video and stabilize that piece.  Why oh Why oh Why would any V.E.designer force EVERYONE to waste so much time stabilizing HOURS of video just to get a few minutes of finished product ????   Can the VideoPad people contact me & tell me why?  Better still, can any one reading this reply to me & tell me of a V.E. that WILL let me stabilize only the bits & want, & not the whole video.  I'll buy it tomorrow & ditch VideoPad.

[Nationalsolo]

Hi

"... Surely it has to be one tremendous design flaw that I can't cut a piece out of a video and stabilize that piece...."

As it stands the option to stabilize a clip is only accessed from the clip bin. This means ALL the clip in question has to be treated.

Even though you may split the clip on the timeline into separate pieces there is no option available for these segments to be treated. Even converted to a sequence and right clicked there there is no stabilize option. It has to be borne in mind that the ACTUAL clip is not split---VP is a non destructive editor. Split points etc. are in essence just stored a data points. The clip remains whole. The second thing is that the Stabilization software is a plug-in designed essentially to treat clips. I don't see another work-around except for my suggestion.

Nat

 

 

[borate]

Method one...

Select the clip and drag the scrubber (red line) to the point where stabilizing is to begin.  Note the time.

Right-clip the full clip in the bin and COPY.
Right-click in a blank area of the bin and PASTE CLIP.

Right-click the new clip (1) in the bin and STABILIZE VIDEO.
In the bin click on the stabilized clip.

Under the preview window drag the left red bracket [ to the start point noted above.  Drag the blue ] bracket to where stabilizing is to end.

Click the chevron to the right of the ADD button and OVERLAY CLIP ON SEQUENCE AT CURSOR.

Mute the audio on the track that contains the stabilized clip.

Method two...

On the timeline, split the clip at the start and end of where it's to be stabilized.

Select the newly created clip (between those splits) and drag it to the bin.  Press <ctrl-Z>

Using the <|| button under the preview window, position the scrubber at the start of the new clip.

In the bin, right-click the new clip (1) and STABILIZE VIDEO.

Click the stabilized clip in the bin.  Click the chevron to the right of the ADD button and OVERLAY CLIP ON SEQUENCE AT CURSOR.

Mute the audio on the track that contains the stabilized clip.

In this example only the segment between approximately 4 and 9 seconds has been stabilized as is evident by looking at the video borders.

[Woodsy]

Thank you - Nationalsolo Einstein and borate Einstein

But Emmanuel, NCH Customer Service Team, has sent me this. 

To cut a small clip from a long video, load it first from the sequence then use the red ribbon marker to cut the start and end of the part that you want then you can delete the other part of the long videos until you only have the short clip that you want. After that, save the video so you'll have a video file with the short clip that you want. Once it's done exporting, create a new project in VideoPad then add the short clip that you exported then you can stabilize it.

KW

[borate]

That is yet another approach.  VP offers many ways to get the results you want.  Try them all.  Personally, option two, above, strikes me as the simplest.

[Nationalsolo]

Hi Woodsy

The method suggested by NCH is the same as I suggested but is time consuming if you have lots of sections to stabilise.

@Borate.......Although method 2 isolates a section of a clip, when you drag it to the bin does VP STILL stabilise all of the "new " clip? i.e. does the process take the same time as stabilizing the FULL clip.  I haven't timed this to compare them (at the same quality) as I continually get a "Stabilization has failed" message as "There are insufficient Frames" warning. (Version 7.21) although the clip is adequately long.

Nat

[borate]

Nat,  It does stabilize the full dupe clip, but doesn't affect the original.  No errors seen in 7.22, so that may be a local resource issue?.

[Nationalsolo]

Hi Borate

The difficulty here is that whatever one does to in the way of slicing up the clip or creating copy bits, the software still stabilizes the whole clip which, from the Woodsy's point of view , is the thing that is taking up the time.So, apart from chopping-exporting-reloading I can't see a way of getting around this.

With regards to my "Failed" message,; this is with 7.21 but I  shall wipe it and reload 7.22 and see how that behaves.

Nat

 

[borate]

Yup, if time taken to stabilize is the prime concern, then the NCH approach is the way to go - though it, itself, is time consuming...

1.  On the timeline, split out the segment to be stabilized and right-click COPY it

2.  Click the + on the sequence 1 tab to create a new blank sequence and right-click PASTE (insert)

3.  Export sequence 2

4;.  Click the sequence 1 tab and use ||< to position the scrubber at the point where stabilization is to begin

5.  Import the clip newly exported clip into the bin    (If the clip is added to the end of the sequence as well, press <ctrl-Z> to delete it)

5.  In the bin, right-click the new clip and STABILIZE VIDEO

5.  Right-click on the stabilized clip and OVERLAY ON SEQUENCE AT CURSOR (or use the ADD button, as described earlier)

6.  Mute audio on the track that contains the stabilized clip

Of course, it the stabilized clip contains the entirety of the content needed it can be simply inserted into the project.

[Woodsy]

Thanx Borate,

But ... but ... but, what I can't get my head around is that I, a newcomer to V.E. and VidPad, should have had my very first attempt at editing so disastrously mangled.  I just can't help thinking that taking a bit of video, clipping out a bit that you want, and stabilizing it ready to insert it into the final video, is one of the first, one of the most basic, one of the most obvious, things that every video editer would want to do.  But with VidPad, this simple and obvious first task has landed me straight in the shit, cost me two days work, and so far has got me ABSOLUTELY NOWHERE.

I have 100 videos to stabilize and edit.  £70 and 2days work, and I haven't even got passed first post.  This is insane ...  What about all the promo liturature - intuitive, easy to use, fluid, etc, etc.  Here's the deal.  Do u know of a good V.E. - one that will allow me to actually get on with editing videos, instead of spending my time on forums discussing work-arounds.  I don't want work-arounds - I want a V.E. that works.   I'm ready to jump.  Damn the cost.  Life is too short.

[borate]

Split out the segment.  Copy it to a new track.  Export.  Import, stabilize and add to project.  Not that complex.

Review this thread:   http://nch.invisionzone.com/topic/27692-batch-mode-image-stabilization-with-videopad/

Sorry.  That's about the best we can do for you.  If you find an alternative that handles this better and provides more helpful forums then go for it!

[Woodsy]

Borate, thank u for yr time & patience.  My complaint is not against u - it's against VideoPad.   As I said before, cutting out a bit of video to keep, and stabilizing it, seems to me to be one of the most basic requirements, and should be :  1.Cut.  2. Cut.  3. Delete unwanted bits   4. Stabilize the cut out bit.   Done.   Just can't see why any video editor maker wouldn't just make it so.  It was the first thing that I as a customer wanted, and the first thing I didn't get.  Surely that simple facility is worth more than all the fancy effect they provide ???

I can use your method, btw, but saving to desktop, closing Videoapd, & starting again with the new stabilized clip takes so long.

My second problem is that it takes 50 mins to stabilize a ten min video, then another hour to wait for the sound to be added, as the clip is being 'processed'  (whatever that means.?) 

NCH Support says my comp is adequate, but I'm getting the feeling something is wrong somewhere.  Here are the specs.  Should I get a new comp ???  Cheers - Keith W

10 yr old HP Desktop

Processor  -  Intel (R) Core (TM)  iS-6400 CPU @ 2.70 GHz 2.71 GHz

Memory 8.00 GB (7.9 Useable)

64 Bit x 64-based processor

Free Disc Space - 7.27 TB

 

 

[borate]

Stabilized clips are automatically archived to a PC folder, perhaps for a future project.  Your PC's specs are capable.  It's wise to close other programs while editing.  

Once the clip has been split out and copied to a new track, export, then import. There's no need to close VP to access the archived clips and, because the clips are now but segments of the originals, they should take less time to stabilize.  But it does takes time, and you may find this to be the case with other NLEs or utilities as well.                        https://vegasaur.com/Mercalli

Sometimes, chopping up lengthy projects into parts speeds the process.  You can also explore Proxy Editing, which temporarily substitutes small files for the originals - until export.  That approach is not exclusive to VP;  high-end productions sometimes employ it.  http://nch.invisionzone.com/topic/26563-proxy-editing/

[Woodsy]

Borate, thanx.

If u say my comp has adquate spes, are u saying it's normal for a 20 minute vid to take 50 mins to stabilize, then another hour to wait for the sound to be added ? 

Is that the sort of time it's going to take always, regardless of whether I buy a better spec comp, or a more expensive V.E. ? 

Am I getting angry about something that just can't be changed much ???

Regards  Keith W

 

 

[borate]

Can't say, Keith, having little experience with multi-stabilized videos.  Someone more knowledgeable may chip in here.  Perhaps another query to NCH will lend perspective?  A brief test on a single clip in another NLE didn't impress - time or quality wise. 

As for specs:  faster is usually better as video editing is resource intensive.  A gaming-type machine - I7 late gen, 16+gigs of ram and a mid-to-high end video card won't hurt (except your pocketbook).^_^

[Woodsy]

Thanx Borate.   Tried to download yr clip but it wouldn't.

But anyway ... it seems everyone is saying I need to upgrade - so I've bought an HP Pavillion 590 - Intel i.7, AMD 550 Graffiks card, 256 GB SSHD w/ 2 TB storage.  That don't mean much to me, but it seems to include all the things I've been told I shd hv.

Second problem.  When I re-scale (to get rid of black border intrusion after stabilizing)  I find the little dotted box that appears on the video completely unmanageable - very jerky and clumsy and impossible to manipulate with the mouse.. Why oh why not have one simple resizing window that u get with windows 'Photos' and Word 'Crop'  - just so simple.  

So, I use the 'Scale' pop-up window w/ the sliders.   But ... I don't see any 'Apply' button, so have no choice but to abandon the scaling.  How do I apply my chosen scale ?

NOTE  I did look in the V.P. Scale 'Help' secton, but when I clik 'Scale' on the list, I get a blank page ... no help at all

So far, the 'intuitive and easy to use' VP is turning into a slo-mo nightmare.    Do I need more alchohol ...

Keith

[borate]

There's no need for an 'apply' button.  What you see, whether using the handles in the PV window or the sliders, is what you get.

Expect some jerkiness either way, as VP recalculates.  Move the mouse in small increments.

[Woodsy]

I don't use the mouse.  Typing numbers into the Scale - popup window - small slider number windows - I find quick, precise, and repeatable.  Am I just an awkward person .... ?

Any idea why - when I clik 'Scale' on the 'Help'  list, I get a blank page ?   

Keith

[borate]

Typing #s is good too.  Many ways to accomplish the task.  The HELP here reads "Scales (stretches or squashes) the video frame horizontally, vertically or both."

In the effects preview window one of the square handle is for vertical scaling, another for horizontal, the third for both.  Mouse-over to see which is which.