Actually, I probably was having dinner! :-)

Yes, you have to add the border effect. Then look to the left of the word "Border" at the bottom of the FX dialog box (left of the keyframe timeline). That little triangle is one of the best kept secrets of Vegas!

Sincere thanks to people like you who discover these "secrets" and then share them with the rest of us.

Thanks guys, this little project is turning out great. I feel like I should add posters names to the associate editors credits on every project ;)

Joe,

Thanks. From a cursory glance, it looks like SynthEyes is a great program, but may represent a substantial overkill for the modest needs of my project.

As I mentioned, there are a number of worthy programs out there which we are evaluating, but I was hoping Vegas would prove to be up to the task.

Brian

Filmic motion blur
 

When I make videos for the Web, I halve the frame rate to 14.985fps to keep the file sizes reasonable. Obviously, this makes the motion jerky. My question is whether Vegas is capable of obtaining a convincing motion blur? I have tried fiddling with the motion blur length and type but in the end I still have an unconvincing sequence of superimposed frames. I am looking for streaking like you would get by increasing the exposure time.

I already know about RevisionFX's motion blur plug-in for After Effects, but I do not have the time to render the project once more just to run it through After Effects.

cineform and vegas 6
 

I've noticed vegas 6 is selling for 99 bucks. It includes the cineform codec I think but not the associated softed "connect hd". So generally, how does one use the codec without the software?

V6 comes with the codec ... so you would capture HDV thru V6 .. then you would drop mt2 clip in TL and render out using cineform codec ...

if you had connect HD - you could use it to capture HDV and at same time convert mt2 to cineform .. you have choice to keep both files or just keep the cineform ...

also connect HD can be used to convert any mt2 to cineform file .. i believe connect HD uses VFW which makes playback a little easier on processor & provided other benefits ( check cineform site)

Basic Vegas online tutorial?
 

Hi,

I'd like to train someone who has no experience in editing to use Vegas and I remember seeeing a simple very basic online free video tutorial that I thought was done by Sony but I haven't been able to find it since after a couple of days of searching.

Does anyone know where it might be? It was about 10-12 pages and covered just the real basics of Vegas editing.

Thanks.

Tony

That sounds familiar...

Did you check the download pages for the older versions of Vegas? I'm thinking V3 or V4.

Seth was right. It was Vegas 3. The tutorials (24.3 MB) are at http://www.sonymediasoftware.com/dow...p2.asp?DID=375
There's also some Vegas 5 stuff (taken from the Vegas 5 and DVD Architect 2 Seminar Series) at http://www.sonymediasoftware.com/sup...sp?prod=vegas5

Thanks very much, guys!

Problem recording sound into timeline
 

I am having a real problem here. I can record sound through my microphone (Videomic) but there is a tremendous amount of hiss and the voice levels are quite low. I have searched this and other forums in search for help without success.

I have a Realtek AC97 sound card which I understand isn't great. I don't need professional results but I am looking for something decent which I am not getting.

I am using the Mic Boost in the advance settings. The hiss disappears when it is not selected but so does the recording sound.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks

Curt

Selecting nested events
 

I am discovering the delights of nested projects while cutting a trailer. A small problem I have run into is how to select events in the nested project. Say I have multiple sound tracks and I only want to copy some of them. What is the easiest way to get to the event in the nested file from the timeline containing the trailer?

There is a very long and technical answer why you're getting all the hiss by using the mic jack on your sound card but it won't come from me because I don't know. I have a vague idea why but it's not enough to warrant me posting about it with any authority.

What I do have is a work around.

Cheap and quick work around: Talking with your team mates while playing those on-line games is a necessity. Manufacturers have made headphones with built in mics. If you want to capture just the voice audio these work, not professional but do-able. My Altec Lansing AHS515 cost $40. Test it with boost on and off but I've always had my boost on. I use it to do BTS commentary for the movies my team makes with me. Sound has always been fine for that.

Expensive and kind of worth of it: On the low end you can buy an mp3 recorder (think iRiver T30 series $150 USD) and record to that. More expensive is Sony's MZ-M100 recorder (I bought one of these and like it a lot $400 USD). Sound is only going to be as good as your microphone though. There is another one but it's more expensive than the Sony. I don't remember the name of it but I've seen pro audio guys talk about it being the best solution. The nice thing about this set up is that it's totally portable. Set it up in a studio controlled environment (think moving blankets and quiet room) or take it on location.

Hope this helps some.

Tony, you might also have him check out the "Beginner's Corner" series in my newsletters.