I am trying to join several mpeg2 clips into one large mpeg2 clip. Can I do this quickly without Vegas re-rendering all the clips?

Thanks,

Chris

I think it would be interesting to have a section specificaly on film-look techniques. Seems to be one of the more common questions here.

You'll have to use a program such as TMPGenc. Maybe VirtualDub.

Here's my input. I prefer to work through an exercise for each major function of the software. Identify the function, describe how it can/should be used, then take the reader through a step-by-step exercise. Areas that I would like to see covered are: color correction, audio noise reduction, music creation, multi-camera video track setup, fancy titling, use of FX's and plug-ins (3D for instance). For a special chapter, recommend equipment for sound recording for the new videographer with a very modest budget and maybe some outlines for shooting weddings (checklist, shots to get, script for editing, etc. I'd like to use this book as a reference manual next to my editing machine that I could tab for quick reference to the best way to accomplish a function. I've read a lot of software books but the ones I use most are the ones that have a step-by-step procedure for how to do a specific thing. Sure would like that for Vegas. Thanks for asking and looking forward to anything Spot puts out. I have his last book and re-read it often to get parts that I missed. Good stuff! Keep it coming.
Randy

There also seems to be a freeware program called MPEG2Cut (http://mitglied.lycos.de/darkav/download/MPEG2Cut-1.15.rar)
that claims to be able to join them. Even the source code (http://mitglied.lycos.de/darkav/download/MPEG2Cut_Source-1.15.rar) is
available for it.

For TMPGEnc follow this route: File > MPEGTools > Merge&Cut

First of all I always like a book if it has some reference quality. Ie,
you can go back to it when you are looking for some answers.

That being said I like some more insights into combining various
filters and whatnot to create a new effect and learn what all
those powerful things can do COMBINED!

Like there was once a tip to slow the footage down and add
some motion blur I think to get some total new look. Etc., you
get the idea.

I think color correction is important and all of the MAJOR filters.
Also animation perhaps and audio tools.

I'd like to see something similar in concept to the The Photoshop 7 Wow! Book.

Michael,
The Photoshop WOW! Book is similar in design, but we won't have color in this one. We want to keep the book low-cost. But you've got the closest idea.
Thanks everyone for the input! I had no idea this forum had grown so large and was here!

Michael, Thanks for posting the link. There are actually nearly 100 tutorials on our Sundance site, plus nearly 200 veg files and scripts. We don't have forums or anything like that, just training materials that stem from our VASST training tours.
http://www.sundancemediagroup.com/help/kb gets you to the Vegas training materials.
http://www.sundancemediagroup.com/help/kb/ulead gets you to the Ulead training materials. Lots on Cool 3D Production studio and DVD Workshop up there.

That's great, sounds like a continuation of the 4th DVD in your set where you started showing how it all worked together.

If it's feasible, I'd also pay extra for a DVD with you giving an overview or walk-through of the different projects & sections in the book.

Either as a supplement to the book or as a separate DVD product.

I'll second what Rob says about info on combining effects and filters.

Ive been trying to figure out what the "trimmer" function actually does, and im stumped.

What does it to?

When I first started using Vegas, I wondered the same thing. I would pull my clips in and chop them up (trim them) on the timeline.

I then figured out that by using the trimmer, you can pull in footage from EXPLORER or your media bins direct to trimmer. Select frames/segment you want, right click Add media "F"rom cursor or Add media "To" cursor. You can select video track or audio track or both. It's more efficient.

And you can save your markers with the footage, so next time you open it they are still there.

Yeah . . The Trimmer! - It is very useful. Depending on the project I'm doing and where I'm at in the project I use the trimmer to select a clip from the t/l, open in trimmer, "sweep" over the near enough section/piece I want and copy both back to the t/l. I use it as a Quick 'n Dirty way to get out that which I want. It's fast and furious. What this means for me is that I can have the t/l section untouched - I don't fiddle about with what's up there - and have a separate clip in the trimmer to spend time on getting what I want. I do a lot of "cutaways" using the audio of one clip to keep going while the second - trimmer piece - is used as the cutaway. Yes the Regions are excellent, but use the Explorer Window to search for these regions.

As I said, it depends on the project. I don't believe using technology unless I need it. If it don't feel easy, I don't use it. IF it makes my life easier, then okay!

Hope this helps,

Grazie

I did a search, here and there...
It all led me to a post in other forum explaining how to do it using Acoustic Mirror, and here is what is says:

---- >>>> (From Creative Cows)
Name: DSE
Date: Dec 1, 2002 at 05:43 gmt
Subject: Re: DSE - Acoustic Mirror

1. Save a chunk (less than 12 seconds) of ambient space with no speaking/ other noise from the avi file, as a wav file. In other words, extract 12 seconds or less worth of ambience where there is no talking. Longer/smoother sections are best, but can't exceed 12 seconds. I don't know why

2. Open the file you want to fix in forge or Vegas. Select all areas you want to fix..

3. Duplicate the 'bad' track, or use MIX in Forge after doing the next steps. Invert the phase

4. Open Acoustic Mirror, browse for the wav file you created. Apply it to the media you want.

5. Hit "preview" in Forge's MIX, or just play in Vegas. Start to adjust the blend of the wet and dry sound til you hear a decent blend of ambience.

6. You may need to shift the track exactly one waveform so that when track one is going up, track two is going down at the same time. .....
---->>>>>>

Now, maybe it´s my english, or just I´m plain dumb... but I don´t get the step number 3. Exactly when do I invert the phase?

And about number 6, well.. that one´s over my head... anyone care to explain to a slow person?

I´ve tried the process (not sure if doing right) and I don´t seem to get any good results at all.. (I guess not doing it right)...
I´m actually getting better results playing with the EQ... but I´d still want to know If I can Improve or makeup a little more those horrible echoes..

Please tell me what I am doing wrong!

I captured interlaced video and set all the project properties and options to de-interlace and progressive scan. I even rendered out to progressive scan and the footage still looks interlaced!

The bottom of the preview screen indicates "P" so I know that it accepted my settings by why in the world does it still look interlaced when I watch it on a monitor? I'm using Vegas 4.0e upgraded from the Sony website.

your original clips are interlace.
you want to make them progressive.
you rendered the clips in Vegas by clicking on CUSTOM then put field order to NONE (progressive) ...
and now when you view on computer monitor you still see interlace artifacts on edges.

try a small test .. in the project properties ( file- properties) look to see which deinterlace method it is using .. you want to use BLEND ... now render , remember to change the filed order to none (progressive)

I did use blend, as opposed to interpolate, right? I did use blend because somebody else said to do that as well. No such luck. I believe the three choices are BLEND, INTERPOLATE and INTERLACE, right? You don't think there's something wrong with the software, do you?

OK try another test - right click on the the clip ( video track) in Vegas TL - properties - check the box "reduce interlace flicker "

Hello folks, Im editing a music video and there are these bright white spots on the walls in the background. Is there any way to blur them out, or turn them dark green( the background color) The tricky part is that the singer moves infront of it at times. I have a jpeg showing a good example, but I dont know how to post it on here.

Michael Estepp

Is the color unique enough that you could use the Secondary color correcton to change it's color?

the color is bright white, its in a dark green wall in the background.

I think step 3 is just copying the 12 seconds to fill the same
length as your main audio track. Then after that he inverts the
track (I think in Vegas you do this: right-click on the audio track
and go down Switches and choose Invert Phase).

He is probably inverting it so to cancel out those samples in
your main track or something.

I think step 6 is basically to change the phase difference between
the tracks (which should happen if you move one in the other
direction than the other) to try and increase the cancellation.

That would be my guess from reading this all, but I ain't exactly
an audio guru so I also notified a friend of mine to take a look
at this thread.

I will give that a try. Thank you. I'll let you know if it works.

Rob thanx for answering.

Since I posted I´ve been doing a lot of reading and even more of trial and error, and I´m getting much better results.

The 12 second sample is to be used on the Acoustic Mirror Plugin.. that, I think I´ve got cleared.

So step number 3 is duplicating the track I want to fix (the one with the bad echo), but my questions are:

Exactly when, and to which sound do I invert the phase?

But let me know what your friend tells you, since I might be having to fix a lot of sounds from a comedy night in a bar that doesn´t has a line out to plug my minidisc ?¿?.. and the echo is like being in a cave....

You will have to find some ways to mask those areas but be careful to not mask out the people when they walk in front of them.

Hello, Im making a DVD with a music video, and I want to include a high end photo album. Has anyone done this and has a procedure or template they would like to share?

Michael Estepp

Just as a word of light caution, I once copy/pasted one of my own posts from the forum you refer to, I was threatened with copyright violation since they own copyright to what you post there.

>>>>>>>>>

On to the important stuff; for step 3, you make a copy of the bad track, and in Vegas, paste it/duplicate it below the original. Then invert phase. In Forge, you'd paste it in to the Clipboard after inverting phase.

You are inverting the original audio, so you've got 2 copies of the audio. One is original, the other is copy of original with inverted phase.

As far as moving by a wave form/sample...it's a matter of zooming in deep, seeing where the wave goes up and down on the two files. They should be going up and down at exact opposites since you've inverted the phase. then slide the inverted sample so that it is going up exactly when the original is going up. It takes some playing to get the blend just right.

Better thing to do in the end is record it correctly, if you can. If you are in a club where there is no line out, then stick a mic in front of the pa speakers and run a line back to the cam. Drop a lav on the floor in front of the stage. Do anything to get the audio right before you record, rather than "fix it in post."
Fixing in post is a lame CYA way of saying "I didn't take the time to figure it out before I did the gig." Sometimes bad stuff happens, but if you know there will be a problem in the future, fix it before it's a problem, because no matter what, you won't be able to make it perfect later.

Keep in mind, the ear is far more picky about what it hears than the eye is about what it sees.

I would probably just create it in Vegas and add it to the DVD as a movie.

<<<-- Originally posted by Douglas Spotted Eagle : Just as a word of light caution, I once copy/pasted one of my own posts from the forum you refer to, I was threatened with copyright violation since they own copyright to what you post there.
-->>>

Man... I didn´t know that
I´ll make sure to paraphrase next time... It´s not like I´m publishing a book here...
Does DVinfo has copyrights of what we post here too??

Anyways.. thanx for answering... I´ll give it another try tonite and see how good can it get to sound..

Since this audio is for a Comediant Promo Video... and I´m using clips from 3 different clubs..
I found out that giving a little reverb to the "good recordings", evens out the difference of sounds and the bad recording doesn´t sound that bad...
I know that´s just subjective perception... but Is this OK?
I mean, fixing the more I can the bad sound to match the good sound.. and then fix the good sound to match the bad?


<<<-- Better thing to do in the end is record it correctly, if you can. If you are in a club where there is no line out, then stick a mic in front of the pa speakers and run a line back to the cam. Drop a lav on the floor in front of the stage. Do anything to get the audio right before you record, rather than "fix it in post."
Fixing in post is a lame CYA way of saying "I didn't take the time to figure it out before I did the gig." Sometimes bad stuff happens, but if you know there will be a problem in the future, fix it before it's a problem, because no matter what, you won't be able to make it perfect later.
-->>>

Well, you are completely right... and now that I know that club I know what to do next time in that club...
But I´ll probably be doing a lot of club shooting, most out of town, and this comediant guys are not very time aware... and we allways are late... and I only have one mic... and I´m only one person.. and sometimes it´s not possible to put the mic in a good spot...
So, as much as I dislike fixing in post, I´m pretty sure I´d have to do it a few times more before I can afford more equipment, and an assitant.

More than reverb, you'll find that applying compression at around 3:1 will help a LOT in getting a more even and consistent sound. You'll need to prank with the settings. Depending on your NLE, you can download a number of free compressors that are acceptable, and can buy a huge number of them from various manufacturers like Sonic Timeworks or WAVES for both Mac and PC.
Reverb will help fill in the gap. Think of it this way. When you shoot really sharply contrasted lines with nasty shadows, you'd probably use a touch of blur to smooth the image, right? Reverb is doing just that. A compressor on the other hand, won't blur, but will diminish the shadow while keeping the subject a little more tight.
Try cutting some midrange frequency in the 300-500 hz range too. That should make a whopping difference, that's where most of the smaller club rooms tend to be honky.
As far as recording it right, if you've only got one mic, run it as CLOSE to the source as you can. I often say, "Mics are like hand grenades. It's a proximity thing. The closer it is to the target, the better it does it's job." Visuals don't suffer the effects of distance as much as audio. We don't 'see' delayed images, but we surely hear delayed audio, plus all it's reflections in a room. Getting the mic closer to the source will minimize reflections, achieve a more direct sound, and clean up the overall image MUCH better. A little lav can easily be dangled from the ceiling of the club near the PA system, taped to the floor near the performer, put at the mid point on the PA speaker itself, between horn/tweeter and driver/woofer. Don't put it over either one directly or you'll really be unhappy.
Run and gun audio is tough, especially if you don't have the gear. A good shotgun would be quite valuable here too, but mount it on a stand rather than a camera. You'll have more control and less wash noise.
I dunno that DVInfo presses the copyright of your post issue. I'd sorta doubt it. Chris isn't a control freak.

I found that you can add a photo album simpley by right clicking on the menu and clicking "add photo ablum" Now the templat they have is timed... 5 second intervals before it switches to the next picture. I would Like to have it be a manual change via remote... maybe with a little arrow at the bottom. Is it possible to do that and if so, is it possible to have audio loop in the background?

Michael Estepp

Hey, thanx for the info.. now I´ll be doing some more experiments... It looks like I won´t be standing from this desk in a while.

Just for sharing... That club where I got the bad audio... I just heard it is a reformed old place where they kept wine to mature (don´t know the name for that). And I´m using the word "reformed" very loosely here.
That´s the kind of echo I have in there.

Rooms with parallel walls will have standing waves where the echos meet themselves and re-inforce or cancel each other out. This boosts or attenuates certain frequencies.

From Jay Rose's posts on dv.com's audio forum, here is a good way of fixing it:
Use a paragraphic equalizer to boost a narrow range of frequencies. You want to find the frequencies where the standing waves are. Sweep through the frequencies and once you've found them, set the EQ to attenuate and adjust so you don't get distorted sound.

That's pretty much what DSE said, except that you boost EQ first to find the frequencies you want to attenuate.

Removing echo is one thing audio programs aren't good at, so try to get good sound in the first place. Try to get closer to the sound source (the comedian or even the speakers) to reduce echoes. I'm not sure how a shotgun will do. Shotgun mics have very bad off-axis response and the echoes will sound distorted and do weird things to your sound.

I take exception to the title of this thread. :-) (My nickname is Spot for those who don't know me)

What about color sampling the area around the dot, using the color sample as either a solid color from the generator, or using a gradient that would give you some room to maneuver the blending, then keyframe this mask to move along with your subject? You can post a link to an image....that would help a lot.

Douglas,
Your the "welcome" Spot, not the "unsightly" one! :-)

I have to do this occationally with glass doors that are opened and closed when shooting with lighting setup outside. I duplicate the video event and use pan and crop to shift it so that the replacement spot is over the place to be replaced. (Use a lower opacity on the top clip to position.) Then I add a cookie cutter with feathered edges to only show the replacement portion of the top video. This is analogous to using the stamp tool in Photoshop to "paint" a portion of the picture from another section.

Even when following a moving target on the opening door, it is pretty quick to do. This will be similar to the singer walking in front of it. I would probably use a pan and crop keyframed generated gradient as an alpha mask to wipe the replacement spot on and off as the singer walks by. You also may find it easier to use a spot of video that has no singer in it and either slow down, or duplicate, so you don't have to deal with the replacement spot being wall sometimes and singer other times.

How do you simulate
- analog video dropouts
- film dropouts
- tv signal dropout / instability

in vegas video? Are there scripts available to do this?

These can be very useful when simulating tv, hidden cameras, in sci fi etc. and are an easy way to add motion and ambience in many other cases.

Thank you.
-- Andre

All those things you are asking for are there as filters already. You don't need a script. There are some presets, and there is a lot of tweak ability in each of the plugs.
The TV simulator is quite good, my tutorial on creating a "star wars-like hologram" uses it.
The Film FX tools in Vegas are all keyframable, allowing for as much or as little grain, jitter, dust, grit, hair, scratch etc that you'd like to have.

Hello,

There is a website, where people upload their short films, experiments etc.. done in Vegas.. I lost some of my favorites and do not remember what the URL was ?? Anyone??

Thanks,
Mike M.

There's audio sharing, video sharing, and VEG sharing at: http://vegasusers.com/

Hello,

Thank you Edward..Thats it..the site i was looking for..

Mike Moncrief

Adorage Magic PC Volume 7

Volume 7 delivers extraordinary and impressive animations as well as professional compositings for transitions, PiP effects and splitscreens. Hundreds of high quality Flag animations and transitions, Globe animations (with target stop possibility), new particle- and Light effects and many more flexible usable Tricks are included in this package.

Note: If older volumes have been installed and after that Volume 7 have been attached, all effects of the older volumes and of course the volume 7 effects are useable without limitations.

http://www.adorage.de/gb/produkte-00000049-00000015.html

I also made my Lady X episode (http://www.ladyxfilms.com/theater/e14/episode_14.shtml) with Vegas if you're interested...

Here's a first.
I'm in my 26th year at NAMM. That should tell you how old I am.
This is the FIRST YEAR in the history of NAMM that video has been presented for editors. And, what's serendipitous about it is that
Adobe, Pinnacle, Final Cut Pro, and Ulead are all within about 20 feet of each other, with Sony being about 200 feet away from all that, with a couple other small video-related offerings very near by. WAVES has a new IR convoluted reverb plug that is totally revolutionary that will have major impact/benefit to location recorders. Lotsa video stuff this year, and it's a first.
I feel vindicated; the audio guys have been predicting this for years. The video folks have been poo-pooing it and saying it will never happen. Now all 5 'bigger' companies in the vid biz show up at the same time, and since I have some inside knowledge, I know it happened entirely innocently. Hilarious.
Rudy Sarzo, playing live in the Sony booth, is a huge draw for ACID and live recording in Vegas, too.

WOW, John Meyer just deluged the Sundance site with a host of new scripts, some of which are very creative. Check em' out.
http://www.sundancemediagroup.com/help/kb
Thanks, John

Hi. I wondered if anyone else has had a problem trying to render using the Vegas 4 wmv 9 template at 256Kbps?

I had a recurring problem where the render of a two minute segment stopped three times at 73% and froze up Vegas.

At first I thought it might be an issue with something illegal on the timeline but when I tried rendering at 100Kbps and again at 1Mbps it went ahead smoothly.

Any thoughts?

Ian . . .

Yeah thanks John, the Audit for event levels and Audit for blank gaps are pure gold!!!

Thanks, they all look great and I look forward to tinkering. I had no idea there was such a wealth of scripts available.

One question - when you say John has "just added" these scripts, is there a reason why they are shown on the site as having been added in December 2001?!

Thanks again for the link.

Ian . . .