.....
i tried to include audio
but dvdarchitect doesn't seem to like the .m2v and .mpa files that are created....

...now I could import them and they seem to playback fine.
So is this a solution, a way of getting around having to change the length of the audio by 4% manually, or is it something that I'm missing?

...perhaps the 4% only was about getting the pitch of the sound right?
In that case dvdarchitect shortens the audio file to fit the videofile with the same name, right? So what is meant is that the audiofile will have the right length after I have changed 25i to 24p, but not the right pitch?

Please help. I'm trying to solve this right now; what to I have to do to sync audio and video if I have changed my video from 25i to 24p and want to burn it with dvdarchitect? The reason I ask, and not just try myself, is that it takes so much time to render my project. Better to ask you who knows!

Thanks. I'm relatively new to NLE/digital video work, so I'm guessing that I will initially have to create a layer of text first (and keyframe its movement)before using the "Spice" filter.

Yes, that's correct. The filter is called "Shine", though "Spice" has a nice ring to it.

A 3D program or plugin could also be used with careful transparency settings on extruded text. In some cases this might work better, but requires more knowledge and effort...

Regards,

Jim Arthurs

Please help. I'm trying to solve this right now; what to I have to do to sync audio and video if I have changed my video from 25i to 24p and want to burn it with dvdarchitect? The reason I ask, and not just try myself, is that it takes so much time to render my project. Better to ask you who knows!

Before going much further, can I ask why you're rendering a 24p project from 50i media? If you're in a PAL country, you know your DVD player likely can't play 24p, right? It will speed it up instead.

You don't need to do anything if you render a 24p project from your 50i timeline, just render the 24p, and render the AC3 with the same settings, and DVD Architect will take care of the rest.

I have DVD Architect installed on my Computer. When I open the "Theme" tabs - it is totally empty. When I look at the DVD architiect directory with the "explorer" tab, there is a Themes sub folder under the DVD Architect main folder, with many theme folders and files in it.

How do I get them to show in the "Themes" tab?

I appreciate the help, as I've wated over an hour trying to figure this out, so Thanks in advance for the help

The Button and Background tabs are also empty

thank you douglas! good to hear. then I'll do one file for the audio and one for video, and dont worry about sync problems.

earlier today i rendered a 24p file and my dvd could show it.
I suppose you mean that european dvd:s doesn't support "progressive scan" or?
I think that is becoming common here too.
was it that you meant?!

It should have been totally automatic.

Do you also have a _Themes folder? The _Themes folder is actually used to show the various themes. Basically, the contents of the thm files in the Themes folder are extracted to separate folders in the _Themes folder. There's a whitepaper somewhere on Sony's site explaining how themes work.

a continuation of my previous post
douglas: there is nothing in the manual whether my dvd supports 24p or not. it only says "progressive scan" nothing more detailed then that. but I found on an internetpage that it supports 480p and 576p.
so it might be that it speeds it up to 25p and that it therefore is no point in doing it 24 p then, since many other european dvdplayers are the same, was it that you meant?

thanks, thats what i need

I thought DVD players were capable of recognizing the progressive flag in the MPEG-2 stream and interpolate the PAL or NTSC video from the 24P source. Isn't this how Hollywood DVDs work?

Thanks Edward, After monkeying around with it I got them to work. Mind you, I don't know exactly what I did, but there there now, so all is good :)

Actually i have one more question.How can i insert a clip, instead of overlaying it? And how do i overlay without crosfading it with the event on the tineline?

I have been working on developing a workflow for working with HD from my Z1.

It seems as if the usual "best practices" with vegas are:
1. Download m2t from camera.
2. Create an intermediate format in AVI (usually using cineform).
3. Do post production.
4. Render from the AVI to whatever format is required.

In my case I wanted two final formats, DVD (NTSC for standard telivisions), and the best quality that I can get for viewing on computers and potentially for HD TV's when some media is available for the masses.

I was wondering if anyone had an opinion or experience with a slightly different work flow. Here is what I had in mind.
1. Download mt2 from camera.
2. Create the intermdiate format in AVI. Instead of utilizing cineform, use the latest Windows Media 9 VCM. With this format I can deinterlace.
3. Do post production.
4. Render for DVD architect, by first replacing the intermediate avi with the original mt2 in project media window in tab. I do this to get full original quality of image with interlacing (good idea?).
5. For computers / HD TV render to WMV from intermediate avi files using a CBR.

Point #2 is the one that I have been experimenting with. When I select the AVI format, for render as... I use the 1080-60i template and choose the Custmize option. From here I change the video format from Cineform HD codec to Microsoft Windows Media 9. By the way I got the encoder from:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=0c99c648-5800-4aa3-a2fe-3de948689db8&DisplayLang=en

Next I click the configure button, I make sure that the One-pass quality VBR is selected (under compression control), change my performance slider to "Better Quality", and my quality level to 100. I then go to the pre-processing tab and select the "De-intelace frames and encode.

I then render. In my tests it seems as if the resulting avi file is usable for edits in vegas, and the final rendered image is very crisp and clear when rendered to a wmv 1440x1080 file.

Also, the dvd produced for ntsc seems to look very good.

Does this seem to be an acceptable method for getting the best quality for both outputs (hd and standard ntsc) ? Or am I missing something ?

Does anyone have any experience with the de-interlace with with the WM9 VCM ?

Any other thoughts ?

Thanks for the review...

Bruce

If you have Ripple Editing turned on, you can just drag a clip between two other clips and the clip on the right will "ripple" down the timeline.

I SRCUB the piece in TRIMMER with the MOUSE > one graceful sweep of the wrist drag it up to t/l! DONE! No keyboard . .That's me! Scrub 'n Dump! Scrub 'n Dump! . . Scrub 'n Dump! - Keeps the feeling going and makes for lightning editing.

Grazie

It's not possible to have Parent and Children act like a collapsable tree is it? Like your windows explorrer. It would make it easier to navigate. Or am I missing something.

you didn't mention what format it was shot in(?)... if we assume interlaced, i'm not sure that the wmv encoder you are using(circa 2003) will encode in interlaced mode... interlaced would require vc-1, aka wmv9 advanced(??), which is not intended for playback on a non-interlaced computer monitor.

Okay, after trying in vain to post on Sony forums and exchanging a series of unhelpful emails with Sony Support, I'm going to try once more before rebuilding 4 film projects from scratch.

First, I have tried the usual - uninstalling, reinstalling Vegas, drivers etc. Second, I have been successfully creating surround projects since version 5. I have a eMu Emulator X setup audio.

THE PROBLEM:

Most of the surround projects I created in 5 are now not working in 6.0C. What occurs is that all 6 channels go the LR of the sound card. Vegas Mixer indicates correct surround channel playback but eMu mixer only show LR.

Here's where it gets weird. Close project, start a new surround project without changing anything and surround works correctly, every time. Furthermore, if you add a new track in the problem project and attempt any surround panning, you get the same problem, only LR output. 've verified and re-verified project settings are identical. Also, I have a couple of simple surround projects created in 5 that are working correctly.

There must be some data in VEG file that is corrupted or someone is mapping output incorrectly. Otherwise, the problem would happen with both files. I also confirmed that mix-down to stereo was not engaged, though curiously, engaging it on and off in the problem projects changes the sound slightly, although both are LR only.

Any help or insight would be much appreciated.

Hello, I'm a new poster to this forum.

Firstly is it OK to post queries about Movie Studio on this forum?

I just wanted to check that I've understood the info I've gleaned after doing lots of searching.

From what I understand, to make HDV editing painless on a desktop PC (in my case Althlon 64 4000+, with 2 gig ram), I capture the HDV from the camera (Sony HC1E). Pull the .m2t file into the timeline, render as HDV1080-50i intermediate .avi using the Cineform codec. For editing I use the intermediate .avi in the timeline. For exporting in HDV back to the cam using Print to HDV Tape command, I use the 1080-50i template, which creates a new .m2t file ready to send the cam. The resulting quality should be very near to the original HDV source material. Is this correct?

Regards

Graham

of course you can post questions about VMS on this forum. It's all Vegas, so it's all good.

I didn't see a question in your post, not really. You understand the workflow well, and are doing it all correctly, based on what you've written.

Thanks for the reply Douglas.

I just needed reassurance that I hadn't misunderstood anything :-)

I bought a download version of VMSP, so the HDV: What You NEED to KNow book will be sent to me by post from the States. So I'm looking forward to reading that.

I think I experienced the same problem with my Audigy, but I would have to check and I'm rather tired right now.

You can collapse individual tracks... in the top left corner, there is a little minimize icon. It's on the very very left, to the left of the numbers that indicate track #.

Otherwise I don't know of any way of collapsing those tracks like a tree.

Are you saying make all the children tracks invisible? If that's basically the question, the answer is no.

I think I experienced the same problem with my Audigy, but I would have to check and I'm rather tired right now.

Interesting - they both come from the same parent company and I know there are chip and driver parts that are similar.

Solved by a tech on Sony audio forum. Master bus routing had revertred all output to first two ASIO channels despite project settings and mixer meters indicated correct surround setup.

Are you saying make all the children tracks invisible? If that's basically the question, the answer is no.

I was hopeing I was just missing it. But I was asking if you could make the children dissapear basically. I mean I have a 19 inch, but I still find myself scrolling up and down a lot.


It would be helpfull to have the chidren dissapear..................

Hitting F11 will help a little... it'll turn off the bottom half of Vegas so you can see the full timeline.

You can also hold down the middle mouse wheel button, and mouse up/down.

And as already mentioned, you can minimize individual tracks.

Guys,

I cannot figure out in Vegas how to superimpose one clip on top of another for the length of the entire clip. I know I can cross fade part of the clip over the other, but I want the whole clip of a scrolling wedding invitation to be seen through a clip of rolling clouds. I'm stumped!

In the credits dialog, set the background color to transparent.

Is the scrolling invitation a scan of the actual invitation?

If yes, you might try the clouds on track 1, the invitation on track 2, and reduce the opacity of the clouds to the level desired.

Or are you only wanting the text from the scan?

Or are you using Generated media? If yes, use Spot's suggestion.

Can you give more details?

Thanks for the reply DSE, but I cannot seem to find the credits dialog even searching through the help files. I forgot to mention I am using Vegas 5 - maybe that makes a difference?

Sorry Edward,

We must've posted at the same time. I am using two .avi clips, captured from my PD170. One is of a wedding invitation panned top to bottom, the other is of clouds.

I want to superimpose the two together so that the clouds can also be seen with the invite.

I'd try the first method first, then.

Track 1: Clouds - lower the opacity to the desired level (play with it)
Track 2: Invitation

See if you can get a reasonable look this way.

Thanks to the both of you. After playing with it a while, it works quite well.

Can the faders on M-Audio midi keyboards be used like a hardware mixer with Vegas? What about the faders on the M-Audio Trigger Finger: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search or a midi keyboard?

I've been following this forum since I purchased VMS Platinum a while ago and have gathered a great deal of info. I also purchase your book Douglas, "Vegas 6 Editing Workshop" which combined with the info on this forum has moved me from a total newby in video editing to the point where I would like to upgrade to Vegas 6. The questions I have are:

1. Will DVD Architect Studio 3 work with Vegas6 or should I get Vegas6 +DVDA?

2. Will Spicemaster 2.5 work with Vegas 6?

Both these Programs came with VMS Platinum and would like to use them if possible.
Any thing else I should Know, or watch for?

Thanks folks,
Sandy

This is what I want: http://www.midiman.net/products/en_us/Axiom49-main.html The M-Audio Axiom 49 to use with Vegas and Acid. I've been using Vegas for a while now, but I don't know the first thing about using a hardware mixer with the program. I hope something like this would be compatible.

1. Yes, the DVD Architect version that comes with VMS would work with files created by Vegas 6 but I would still get the Vegas+DVD version simply for the additional features in the full version of DVDA (i.e. the AC3 encoder for one)

2. Yes it will.

I know the Mackie unit is compatible. You might have to manually set that one up. Look in Options - Preferences at the "External Controls & Automation" tab and in the help file or manual for that feature.

Thanks Edward, I'm always learning something from this forum!

I just skipped ahead in DSE's Vegas 6 book and that answered my question. Evidently, Vegas can work with any midi controller. I just hope I can use the faders for mixing. We'll see.

I seem to accidentally double click on a clip in the timeline on Vegas 6.0c and then I get a bar just above the timeline. The manual refers to these as "time selection range/bars." These are great for loop playback, etc, but you can't do much trimming on cuts that fall within them.

IS THERE A WAY TO DELETE, OR GET RID OF THEM?

Thanks, PK

See if
Options - Preferences - Editing - select "Collapse loop region when no time selection is present"
works for you.

Mike

I noticed while watching an outtakes reel on a commercial DVD that the bottom of the screen had several lines of text running along the bottom. Some was indecipherable but I quickly figured out that one of the lines was a text indicator of which camera the shot came from. As the scene progressed and the shots changed the text kept changing - I'm guessing the other items were scene, take etc.

This gave me the idea to try to incorporate this information into my projects; here's the concept:

I normally shoot with three cameras, oftentimes shooting the same event over several days. I then edit from the "best" single day and then pull from other days to cover the casts mistakes from the "best" days.

My Vegas projects normally have three video tracks. I'd like to add text over the very bottom of each video track showing which camera is on that track. I normally use track automation to fade from camera to camera - not cut and assemble. The net result would be that my review copies would have a constantly changing text field on the bottom indicating which camera the shot came from.

I know that I could get there by adding text to the original AVI files, rendering then and then using the "texted" AVI files to edit. The final render would require removing the camera tags and re-rendering - ugly!

It seems like the Vegas compositing tools/parent child track stuff should get me there - but I can't make it work. BTW - I'm using Vegas 5.

Any clever ideas?

to make it work, you'd need three tracks.
1. Parent with generated media mask
2. Child with text
3. Child with Media.

You'd do your fades on the Parent track. It would control the child tracks.

I understand using the compositing tool to create multi-cam, that's how we used to do it too. But I think you'd find Ultimate S, infinitiCAM, or Excalibur to be significantly faster, no? All three offer indicators of what camera is "live" during multicam editing.

...I understand using the compositing tool to create multi-cam, that's how we used to do it too. But I think you'd find Ultimate S, infinitiCAM, or Excalibur to be significantly faster, no? All three offer indicators of what camera is "live" during multicam editing.

Gotta love this forum - three minutes from question to answer - thanks Doug!

I'll try your compositing suggestions - regarding your question above (why are you driving nails with a pair of pliers? <g>), I tried Excalibur and didn't like the assemble edit method it used, too hard to go back and make changes. This may have been a function of the user (me) not being familiar enough with the tool to make it do what I wanted. I felt like I wound up editing the the markers and not the video.

Has the state of the art of multi-cam editing moved on? - by that I mean how tough is it to re-edit a project without having to start all the way over?

I'll try your compositing suggestions - regarding your question above (why are you driving nails with a pair of pliers? <g>), I tried Excalibur and didn't like the assemble edit method it used, too hard to go back and make changes. This may have been a function of the user (me) not being familiar enough with the tool to make it do what I wanted. I felt like I wound up editing the the markers and not the video.

Has the state of the art of multi-cam editing moved on? - by that I mean how tough is it to re-edit a project without having to start all the way over?

At the risk of sounding like a shill for VASST, let me say that Ultimate is great. You drop a command marker on the timeline for each camera change. To change the timing of the cut, move the marker. It's that easy. Occasionally you have to re-run part of the script to update the results, but all you care about is what camera to cut to and when.

I'm a complete beginner, and I was able to go through a three-camera shoot pretty easily. I'd say a twelve-minute set from a concert took me an hour to cut -- that's starting with the cameras sync'd, making a rough cut in multi-camera view, a second pass to refine the timing of the cuts, and a third pass full-screen to refine it a bit more.

One thing I found that amazed me was that multiple takes on the source media were kept in the individual cuts Ultimate generated. Most of the footage I was working with had been shot hand-held, so I ran everything through deshake. The raw footage and the deshaked footage were on the time line as takes; in the final cut, I could switch between the two just by changing takes. INCREDIBLE time saver!