I have to say that that encoder rocks. I took my friends short and by the time I was done with the dvd the short was in its 5th generation. I was thinking OH Crap it will look horrible. But WOW was all I could say. I did however render out the whole film into stills. That did take sometime but I think it saved it in the long run. Also DVD creation couldn't be more fun and challenging with architect. Rock ON VEGAS+DVD!

gota love it.

Rob:D

Yep, I agree. I am currently doing a project with lots of 13gb files, no troubles at all.

Also uncheck use the MS Codec option. that way you only use the SoFo codec, which is what you want for best quality.

You know it is funny. I cannot for the life of me find the damn option to render out one single frame into a targa. Any help or workaround will be great.

Rob:D

That's because there isn't one. However, you CAN capture a single frame to PNG or JPG.

Look at the newsletters at http://www.jetdv.com/tts. One of the issues deals specifically with capturing snapshots from video frames. If you want to use the help file, search for "snapshot".

Alex, I think by default it lists microsoft DV in the capture pull-down. Because even with 'ignore 3rd party codecs' checked and the MS codec unchecked, it's still there for me.

If someone can prove me wrong, please let me know asap.

thx for the info. To bad it's not as easy as Premiere. Also is there a way to export to image sequence?

Rob:D

Bruce:

Actually, the other way around. Use a widescreen project and use "match output aspect" instead of using the 16:9 pan/crop preset. Why? Because anamorphic widescreen DV and anamorphic widescreen DVD are the same 720x480 pixels, and very slightly wider than 16:9 (704x480 would be true 16:9). The 16:9 preset is exact 16:9, which is why you got the black bars.

///d@
Sonic Foundry, Inc.

Thanks again everyone. This is a great help. Sorry to belabor the point but just so I am completely sure I understand about the prerendering. Even with a complex sequence of clips with track motion, multiple layers and transitions if I prerender to avi and then import that back into a new vegas project I can expect little to no loss in quality?

This has been confirmed as a bug reading >4G AVI format files created from Adobe products (and possibly elsewhere). It will be fixed in the forthcoming 4.0d update.
///d@
Sonic Foundry, Inc.

Alex:

1) DV capture doesn't use a codec, it's a data transfer. "Microsoft VCR or Camera" (or whatever) is the generic name for "DV device".

2) The default Vegas settings are to use the SF Vegas DV codec. As the others pointed out, make sure "Ignore 3rd party codecs" is ON and "Use Microsoft DV codec" is OFF. These are the defaults.

You should be good to go.

///d@

There is a script to export still image sequences, to JPG or PNG. This script is called RenderImageSequence.js and is available for download from here (http://www.sonicfoundry.com/download/step2.asp?DID=435).
///d@

thx. Do you know why they don't deal with any other format other than .png or .jpg?
Rob:D

<<<-- Originally posted by Dan Measel : Even with a complex sequence of clips with track motion, multiple layers and transitions if I prerender to avi and then import that back into a new vegas project I can expect little to no loss in quality? -->>>

Correct.

I'm trying to burn a complete project to VCD in Vegas 4, but after the first tried, the VCD has no audio. I've 4 video tracks and 5 audio tracks on the timeline, but why it didn't render the audio. I don't understand it. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Vegas will read most still image formats you can throw at it. And you can easily change format once you've captured your frame (in an image editor).
I've seen a perfectly reasonable explaination from (I think) one of SoFo's Vegas team, but it's been several months, and I can't remember what it was, nor in what context it came up.

I've checked a little: .png is the best. In the words of SonicEPM: .png will result in a high quality still, with alpha channel.

Jpg is good for some things because it has a trade-off between size and quality. Tiff may be good for archiving, but Vegas will have to use Quicktime to decode it. And it does not have alpha channel in any way practical. Targa wasn't metioned in the little search I did.

thx for the info. Yah I just don't understand why they wouldn't make it easy to export still frames and save to all the formats out there. It is my only complaint with vegas. Since most of my other apps will allow for me to do everything I want.

Rob:D

Can anyone please tell me where to change the size? 320x240 seems to be the default, and i can't find my way around to change it to 640x480. Thanks!

Hey Tom, sorry i lost touch.. hope y'all are doing well.. hi to Kelly:)

Nancy

Right-click the preview screen and pick "Display at project size"

Now take the snapshot.

Cool. I'll give it a try.

Thank you so much, Edward..

I'm still having trouble getting clear frame grabs
(surfing pics.. like this one, for example)

http://www.follysurfcam.com/june03rc/redlb.jpg

even tho i use the movie mode.... I finally got a nice tripod, am using GL-2 & both Studio 7 & V V 3... must be ME!
thx
nancy

explain what you want in more detail, and I'll try and write a script to do it for you

Yes, getting GOOD snapshots is really a multi step process. It's MUCH easier in Vegas 4 as there are scripts available to do it all for you.

Here are the basics:

1. Right-click the preview to choose "Display at Project Size" will get you the full size.
2. Change "Preview" to "Best" on the preview screen.
3. Under File-Properties, change the project type to "Progressive" (or non-interlaced)

In Vegas 3, I usually simply did the first two and then de-interlaced in PhotoShop.

Look at the newsletters at http://www.jetdv.com/tts to find more information about snapshots (issue #5 to be precise).

oh. All I was questioning is why they didn't allow us to export into still frames with the option of using any format. I mainly use targa and tiff for the 3d and other video work. So I just thought it was akward for them not to offer these and other formats as options. No biggie. png should do fine. Anything is better than jpg.

Rob:D

hey thanks for the info, edward.. am reading that now..
my nephew works for sonic foundry & gave me vv3, think its time to beg for 4! it looks easy on 4...
nancy

ps. its just a good thing that surfers aren't too picky about their shots!

this question was originally intended for bill ravens in another post, yet if anyone else know then horay!

im working in vegas video 4 to take NTSC down to PAL...I
rendered as a PAL DV template and got very interpolated
results....Is there another method in doing this? or is there a certain method i shoudl take before output?

you might try -
in your project properties ( vegas - file - properties) change the deinterlace method to BLEND .. then render out to PAL - should be little smoother

Okay, let's say I want to size the video to make a box that fills half the screen. I want to keep it the entire 4:3 frame. When I use the Vegas 4 pan and crop tool to do this, for some reason, if I try to move the box around, it starts to get cut off, and disappear. I can only keep it on one side of the screen, instead of being able to move it where I want. When I try to go to the other side, it starts to crop until it disappears. What am I doing wrong? I want to be able to move it anywhere. I've tried playing with the "lock aspect ratio", "move freely", and "size about center" buttons, and still it does this. I can't use the 3d plugin pac because I recently found out that it acts on both fields of video and once, creating a "frame mode" look, and this footage is 60i and needs to remain so.

you might try setting your shutter speed to 1/500 or faster for good still photo's but it might be too much for video use ?? perhaps you can find a happy medium ( shuttter speed) somwhere that works good for video and stills

With the pan/crop tool on an EVENT you can pan across the image or crop it but not shrink the entire image or move it around the screen. If you want to move a whole shrunken image around the screen use the pan/crop on the TRACK and keyframe your movements.

I don't quite understand what your trying to explain. Though if Rob is in the right direction you might want to try the Track/motion tool- not pan/crop. Then again- I'm a complete Vegas newb!

Ed? Alex? ........anyone?!

Oh yeah. . .forgot about track motion thanks.

you also might want to think about creating a mask with another layer so you can move the videos around independently of the mask.

Rob:D

Okay, now let's say I want to crop the video after resizing it, without it filling the screen, and without losing the aspect ratio. What I mean is, if I want to narrow the frame without "squishing" the contents within, how do I do this?

Oops, I should have called it track motion. Thats the correct term.

Ok, if you want to crop an event use the cookie cutter filter or the border filter.

u could even use the free 3d plugin and resize it that way...
i find this to offer a little more variety as you can tilt the video and not have the standardish kinda pic in pic

Pan/Crop CAN work, you just have to make the "F" window very large. The clip can then be moved around on the screen. However the best/easiest way to do this is via Track Motion.

Nope, can't use the plugin pac, or this post wouldn't be here. The 3d plugin pac LE, I have learned from its author, Satish, operates on both fields of video at once. This means that it will make your 60i footage look progessive in any clip where it's used. I can't have that.

In addition, I just tried the border and cookie cutter plugins. They're not doing what I want either. I'd like to crop the sides of the video without affecting the top and bottom.

<<Okay, now let's say I want to crop the video after resizing it, without it filling the screen, and without losing the aspect ratio. What I mean is, if I want to narrow the frame without "squishing" the contents within, how do I do this?>>

First you size your image in track motion, and position it where you want it on the screen. Do it by dragging with the mouse or writing the right values in Size and Center boxes. Make sure the Lock aspect ratio is on.

Then you open event pan/crop. Make sure the Lock aspect ratio button is off. Unclick the stretch to fill frame square. Pull the sides of the image in to crop it. And that's it.

Try CROPPING the image with Pan/Crop and then resizing and positioning the image with Track Motion.

With the cookie cutter you CAN crop the sides without affecting the top. For example use the square and set repeat Y to 2 and then decrease the size bar and it will crop the sides.

Also Ed is of course right about being able to shrink the image and move it around with the Pan/Crop tool on an event. However since you also want to crop the sides and dont want to use the 3d plug I think you will want to use the cookie cutter as described in conjunction with track motion.

Hey look Ed we practically have a new Vegas forum right here...(tounge in cheek). Moo/SF/DMN and now DVinfo and of course the occasional VU action.

Hello,

does anyone know if vegas 4 takes advantage of Two processors in a system??

Mike

Yes and No.

Yes, when rendering it DOES use two processors - one for video and one for audio. However, you won't see 100% usage on both processors.

However, you can run two instances of Vegas at the same time and still get good response time with two processors.

Yeah I heard Spot mention that in the Class On Demand for Vegas DVDs. Why would anyone run two instances of Vegas simultaneously? Wouldn't that eat ram!

Multiple reasons:

1. Copy things from one project to another
2. Render one project while working on another
3. Render multiple projects at once
etc...

This is going to sound like a really big newbie question but what are "VEG" files in Vegas. Are they project files?...What, exactly, do they contain?! I saw that there are downloadable VEG files for Vegas. How would one use one?!

They are project files that contain all the info needed to make them work in a project or edit. Motion, color changes, crop/pan.track motion;whatever is needed.
You can also go to sundancemediagroup.com-register and download all kinds of veggies. I have about 30 or so just sitting in a folder waiting to go to work for me. Many of them are titling effects. Of course you put in your own titles maybe play around with the timing and motion etc but it's a lot faster than me sitting for hours trying to figure it out.
They're tools to be used!
Hope this helps,
Don

VEG files are simply project files. However, techniques can be shared using VEG files. Use generated media to create the effect and anyone can see how those effects are done. After loading the VEG file, you can add your own media as TAKES over the generated media.