I make the text the size I want it. However, I scroll the text using the Positioning tab on the text generated media. That seems to work quite well.

Render from Bluff as uncompressed AVI with alpha channel. Then you can just drop it into place. I describe the process in a previous version of BluffTitler in vol 2 #8 of my newsletters (http://www.jetdv.com).

This may be related to the answer of your question:

Vegas does not use the Directshow subsystem for codec management because of reliability issues with Directshow. Fully implemented codecs for Windows work with Vegas.

Depends on exactly what you're looking for. If you want the letters themselves to appear to be on fire, you probably should use something else. If it can be fire behind the letters, Vegas can handle it. If you want fire inside the letters, Vegas can handle it.

Assuming the process in VMS Platinum is similar to the full version of Vegas...

There should be TWO capture programs, an "internal" one and an "external" one. SD cameras use the External one. Sounds like you're trying to use the Internal one.

If you checked the box to ALWAYS use this one, you'll need to go to Options - Preferences and change that.

I'm not sure I followed all of that but it sounds like you simply need the logo on track 1, the other two on track 2, and overlap "A" and "B" as need to create a crossfade. If you need a different transition than a crossfade, just drop that into place.

Now... On track 1, use Pan/Crop to change the size of the logo at the proper time to give the look you want.

I'm working on my demo finally, after [cough] [cough] years, and I had an idea for my titles. I wanted to text morph, similar to what you can do in Flash.

Can Vegas do this, for example, morph TITLE in 'x' font into TITLE in 'y' font?

Well... you have the standard dissolves you could use to dissolve from one to the other. Using some transitions may look more like morphing than others. However, there's also the tools from www.debugmode.com which includes WAX and WinMorph.

Well... you have the standard dissolves you could use to dissolve from one to the other. Using some transitions may look more like morphing than others. However, there's also the tools from www.debugmode.com which includes WAX and WinMorph.

Awesome site. Thanks

Well... you have the standard dissolves you could use to dissolve from one to the other. Using some transitions may look more like morphing than others. However, there's also the tools from www.debugmode.com which includes WAX and WinMorph.

Thanks Ed, I'll give this a whirl.

Thanks Edward --

Downloading their basic (free) encoder from their site now. Was wondering though what the best encoder for that platform might be --

RealVideo does have an encoder they sell -- more features, etc. Seems like that would be the best, but wonder if apps like Canopus ProCoder would be better...

Thanks --

I am looking for the software to provide a way to spice up photo montages...I am especially interested in cubes to which I can add photos on each side that will spin away, and other similar 3D effects...

I run Vegas 6.0c

There's a Cubes transition:
http://www.endor.demon.co.uk/

Plus, Vegas with the 3D Track Motion can do this. Here's a couple of sample VEG files:
http://www.vegasusers.com/vegshare/search?string=cube&type=full

The cube plug-in you referred me to is nice...especially for free! I'll check out the link you posted now...

Hi, thanks for the reply, Edward. But I don't think that is going to work for what I need.

I don't want A to simply transition to B in a crossfade. I want the B footage to appear inside the solid color logo (using chroma keying, maybe), so the solid color is used as a chroma key for the footage, perhaps. And as the logo zooms in, the B footage overtakes the A footage on the screen.

How would I do this?

Don't you have to change the properties of the avi inside vegas for the alpha channel to be recognised?
From the bluff site:
Vegas does not automatically recognize the alpha (transparency) channel in the AVI files. When you right-click on the clip in Vegas and choose Properties you can set the Alpha Channel. In Vegas, there are 3 choices for how to handle alpha channels:

* Straight (unmatted): this option does not seem to work.
* Premultipled: this option works somewhat, but there are blue edges and things are not looking quite right.
* Premultipled (dirty): this option works the best, maybe perfect.

http://www.outerspace-software.com/import.html

I had this one job where I did not have time to render so I bought the a DVD/HDD, the eltax DVR-555 with 160GB HDD for SEK 4000 / USD 500.

The unit has a DV-in plug on the front, and the manual says "Select DV source by pressing the DV button on the remote". After looking at the remote for several minutes, and checking with a friend, we had to accept that there was no DV-button on the remote.

Other than that, it works fine.

http://www.eltax.com/eltax/index.php?item=10&id=11124

/magnus

Can u enlighten me how do I go the fire inside the letters?? Thanks!

Yeah thanks guys. I think Edward's idea is good. I think yr method has the least distortion.

In my quest for 3D effects to add to my photo montages, I have been recommended 3D Arsenal by Toasterdudes...anyone used it?

Ahhh... now I see:

Use the techniques talked about in Vol 3 #1 of my newsletters (http://www.jetdv.com) (Ways to Split Screen which is, essentially, what you are doing) and Vol 2 #5 (Text Compositing Reprised which is the same basic idea - white logo on transparent background instead of a text generated media)

It is quite possible that you might have to right-click the title event, choose Properties, go to the second tab, and change the alpha mode. It's been a while since I've done it.

The technique for getting text inside the text is described in Vol 2 #5 of my newsletters. Quickly, you can just put the text on track 1, the video to appear inside the letters on track 2, and then change the mode of Track 1 to "Multiply (Mask)". If you put more video on a track below, that will appear outside the letters.

I rendered a 15 min. montage in Vegas6. Playback in Vegas is fine. Playback of MPEG2 through Windows Media Player is fine. Load the file into DVDA and the images in the montage are slightly out of focus. Just enough to become unacceptable. Any suggestions?

Anyone know where to find the DSE downloadable video tutorial that shows how to place markers in the Vegas timeline to time photo transitions using the spacebar and hitting it to the beat of the music?

Please disregard this careless post...I figured out how to place markers....thank you

This sounds stupid to me, but here's what I wanna do--

I wanna take a stereo audio file, and kill one of the channels. I don't want it to be mono, I still want it to be stereo, but with either the left or right channel blank. For some reason, I can't figure out how to do this in Vegas or Sound Forge.

I have been requested to do this for voice over purposes, so if it sounds inane, that's why I'm trying to do this. Trust me, this is the way the guy wants it, so that's set in stone.

Sean/Edward,

I am also working on putting together a clip that features text burning. However, the flames need to "emit" from the surface of the text and then grow wider and larger than the text characters. I would like to use stock footage of fire from Artbeats or the like as most of the generated stuff looks fairly poor, but I am having difficulty in determining how to composite the source footage with the text. In reality, Vegas may not be the right tool. If not, what is?


Lance Spratt

Blufftitler has an option which isnt really wat I'm looking for but u sound like u r attempting to just that. Check it out :)

How about if you right-click the audio, choose "Combine" for the type, and then pan it left or right? This would give you BOTH channels on either the left or the right with the other channel blank.

Project burned out of DVDA just fine. Still don't quit understand why, when viewing/editing projects in DVDA mainframe, image quality appears less than that of Vegas quality? Being a Newbee, it's probably something silly that I have overlooked.

Project burned out of DVDA just fine. Still don't quit understand why, when viewing/editing projects in DVDA mainframe, image quality appears less than that of Vegas quality? Being a Newbee, it's probably something silly that I have overlooked.

Ok, gotcha.

And render it back out as stereo. Brilliant! Thanks.

Previews in both Vegas 5 or 6 and DVDA 2 and 3 do leave something to be desired. I have found the best way to preview is thru an EXTERNAL monitor either NTSC or even a small TV. Pass thru FW to the monitor or TV and use the PREVIEW ON EXTERNAL MONITOR button. Part of it is framerate and part is just the look of MPEG on a computer screen. Once you've rendered to MPEG 99 times out of 100 the project will look just fine once burned to DVD.
Don

Here's a question for "da pros"

I'll be purchasing a laptop for on-the-go editing during free time at work, etc.

I figured I'd place captured files on an external FW hdd.

If I'm editing on the laptop and then get home and do more editing, or adding effects, on the desktop can I simply transfer the veg files over to the desktop and continue editing as long as the external hdd has the same drive name on both machines? (ie: drive E: video work)

Thanks for your input.

sincerely,


ian

Hi Ian

I use Adobe Premiere Pro and load all my projects onto external hard drives, usually on my laptop... as long as all the project files are on the external drive it shouldn't be a problem.

I often do what you're suggesting.. simply plugging in the hard drive via the USB ports. It's a simple job to link media in Prem and edit on the desk top...

Regards
Gareth

Thanks Gareth,

Any Vegas users like to chime in on this one? :-D

sincerely,


ian

Yes you can. It's definitely easier if the drive has the same letter on both machines but even that isn't a requirement. Just keep everything for that project on the external drive and all should be fine (but you might want to backup the important files to the local drive(s) too.)

Just wondering if anyone uses these RAM burners to save projects for later editing. The only thing I found is their 4x speed is a big down fall. I really haven't used mine since harddrives got so cheep. Thanks!!!

May not be a loss!! I was wanting to post a ? on this subject of montageing anyway. Does Vegas give you the ability to do slideshows like Adobe After Effects??? Hopefully it's a little easier. Thanks

Kim,
In Vegas rendering, the CPU does the work. It doesn't use the video card (unfortunately) to speed up the process.
Hope this helps.
Ken

Ken, are you saying Vegas needs some help in rendering or are you like me using a fairly high-low end video card in hopes of faster rendering... Just wondering :)

May not be a loss!! I was wanting to post a ? on this subject of montageing anyway. Does Vegas give you the ability to do slideshows like Adobe After Effects??? Hopefully it's a little easier. Thanks

Depends on what you mean by "slideshows".
Like a lot of folks here, I've done several photo montages and Vegas makes it very easy. In addition, there are numerous add-on programs that help to automate a lot of it.

Take a look at vol 1 #8 and vol 3 #3 of my newsletters. They show how to add variety to slideshows in Vegas.

In the past, I have used my USB 2.0 drives to capture DV and edit from. I recently upgraded my computer to a Dual Core AMD 3800 board. In both Vegas and Premiere Pro 1.51, I get sudden freezes when acquiring the DV footage. I don't seem to run into that same problem when I use Pinnacle Studio 10 to capture. Anyone else having the problem. The whole system will freeze, and I have to shut down the system by switching it off.

Chris Barcellos

I would like to edit selects onto an external 250GB hard drive or two for a project. Then send the selects on the drive to the editor. Will my 2.5Ghz P4 with 1GB of RAM be up to this task?

Any recomendations on the best portable firewire drives people have been using sucessfully lately?

Many thanks in advance.

Jim

vegas does not use teh GFX card for rendering whatsoever UNLESS your using a plugin (like the new Magic Bullet suite) which utlises the openGL grunt of the GPU to proces said material.

apart from that the questions been answered

Thanks I will do that!!! I have been messin with the demo version of Vegas and I am liking it more and more. I ment montages. Must be the Texan commin out again--->sorry ;)

Hi Chris, Good to see someone I kinda know here. I had read that if you shut one of the cores off in bios (I guess! I can't remember if there is a program that comes with the motherboard or not) it might help... Might be wrong. I have had nothing but trouble with my AMD64 locking up on burning to DVD in PPro.
(:I might have another dv cam here soon. I got a second chance on a GL2 :)

I used to use a laptop as a 2nd system. P3-650Mhz with 256 meg Ram-and a 120 meg FW HDD. It rendered slow but it worked like a champ.
Just make sure the external harddrive is firewire not USB. I've heard many many horror stories of using USB and losing the signal between the drive and the computer. (only relating what I heard)

Don

Hi Chris, Good to see someone I kinda know here. I had read that if you shut one of the cores off in bios (I guess! I can't remember if there is a program that comes with the motherboard or not) it might help... Might be wrong. I have had nothing but trouble with my AMD64 locking up on burning to DVD in PPro.
(:I might have another dv cam here soon. I got a second chance on a GL2 :)

Thanks John, I'll check it out. Did you see that on DVInfo.net ?

Congrats on GL2. I will curious to see how you compare the two rigs once you are shooting both. By the way saw all that heavy equipment you work with-- wow !!! Some awesome booms there :)

Chris Barcellos

Sean, are you thinking of something like Cool 3d?Where the text itself is on fire.