Adding projects together

[Uberprutser]

Is it possible to merge two or more projects? Maybe by text editing the .v[j files.

[borate]

Under Menu, click the FILE, then Import Clips From Another Project.   Locate the VPJ file for that project and iIt will appear as sequence two.

Tab over to Sequence one on the timeline.

Click the Sequences tab in the bin and add Sequence one to Sequence two.  The added sequence won't show an audio track or effects but they will be there.

[Nationalsolo]

Hi

VP can't merge projects i.e. load a second vpj file on top of an existing one, at least not in the normal sense. You can save your work as an export and load it back as  a normal video file, but that defeats the object of having the component files as separate items. As far as I know you can't combine the vpj files either.

However if you have a project set up you can save it as a template. This is a vpj file which VP can load back to add to an existing project. The template however must contain a space or spaces called Placeholder clips. Click Add Objects tab to load them. You can also reload a placeholder from the clip bin. By clicking the down arrow next to the Template tab you can save your template..(i.e. your project.) Here is the project with three Placeholders between two clips.. (If audio is involved then you should also have an audio Placeholder. This is saved as a Template and will be found in the Template folder...

Now you can clear VP and start your second project.

The caveat is that the number of Placeholders in the template should  match the number and position of clips in your new project For this SIMPLE example there are three  placeholders. So you will need to know in advance. OK it's clumsy  However this is the principle.

The new project in this example consists of two clips  (a cat and a jpg image.......

You can now click the Template tab, Select and Apply your Template

The current project (Cat and Image) are incorporated into the Placeholders in the template. The third Placeholder in this case remains empty...

The result is that your first project (template with suitable placeholders) has been merged with your current project (the two clips) to become a new current project. This is a simple example but hopefully explains the principle.

More complex merges can be done using placeholders on different tracks and interspersed in the first project depending where you want to merge stuff. This can get complicated and give unexpected results but worth playing with.

Nat

 

 

[Nationalsolo]

Hi Borate

Am I right in thinking that using the import option (which I will have to try BTW . ) results in a Sequence but not exactly the Project per se. i.e. The sequence being a complete clip and not an assembly of clips and effects etc. like a normal vpj produces. If that is the case there seems little difference from simply loading an export of the original project except that the component files are loaded.

Nat

[borate]

The imported project, on Sequence two, will have discrete clips, complete with all effects, transitions and audio just as it was when created, so there is a distinction between that method and loading a previously exported file.   The clips from the imported project will be in the bin.

But if Sequence 2 is then dropped into Sequence 1, it's much like loading a prior export.  It's now a single clip  But in this case only the video track is shown, though effects, transitions and audio will play.

HOWever, if timeline Sequence 2 is selected with <ctrl-A> then copied with <ctrl-C>, it can then be pasted into Sequence 1 at the head, the cursor or end.  It will retain all of its discrete clips, efx, transitions, and audio will display.  So, in essence, the projects are merged.

[Nationalsolo]

Hi B

Thanks. Your last paragraph is something I haven't tried. I'll give that a go as it sounds like you get a proper merge. Templates aren't really designed of course to do this.

Nat

[borate]

Did several successful tests and it seemed to do the job Nat.  One crash though.

[borate]

A little update to this dated thread...

When a sequence is dropped into another sequence, it becomes a single clip but the audio track is now shown.