The vasst website is what you need. The path is vasst.com>free resources>Project files (but you just have to sign-up before)
There are a lot of *.veg files to try.

http://www.vasst.com/search.aspx?type=1

The video is in 4:3. I just cropped it to siimulate a 16:9 look. I tried your suggestion and no luck. It just stretched the video to the full frame.

Ah! I see...
You can insert a black solid color chart (from the media generator) above your timeline in a new video track and with a duration as long as your transition is. Go to the event pan/crop tool of this chart and make two rectangle masks, top and bottom of the screen (assuming these are the black stripes that gives you the "widescreen" feeling.
This works for me in vegas6 but a can't give you the x.y numbers of the rectangle's anchors because I am in PAL and I'm not familiar with the NTSC dimensions of DV. Experiment and you'll see.

check this *.veg I uploaded to help you
www.geocities.com/stamvas1/Untitled.zip

If that's a Vegas 6 VEG file, he won't be able to open it in Vegas 5.

As Vasilis was saying, just add another video track above all other tracks and put a mask on that track. Then you won't have to worry about anything showing up in that area no matter which track it is on.

You can't do anything with the audio levels in Trimmer. It likely is you've got a mix level on the Timeline that is allowing audio to be at correct level, but level in Trimmer is the untouched, actual audio level.

is it due to limitations of wmv, mpeg2, etc. that it can't be network rendered?

if so, what use is network anyway?

Adding to the suggestions in the post Edward referred to:

4) Rescaling (one pixel rez on the timeline, rendering to a different pixel rez) is one of the applications in which choosing "best" in the rendering custom settings may help. Be prepared for longer rendering times - try a short test first to see if this helps.

5) Gaussian Blur is good, as Douglas suggested, I've also been using unsharp mask in photoshop/paintshop pro to prepare stills. Many times I have higher rez stills on the timeline so I can do moves on them. Not sure if this works as well for digital stills as it does for scans.

SB

Ok, Ill give it a try tonight. Thanks.

stupid me didn't noticed George has mentioned V5 if I had so, I would have done it in V5. sorry george.
Btw what camcorder did you shoot the video? I'd like to know cause I'm planning of buying one soon.

I shot it with a Panasonic gs-120. I'm getting my fx1 in a few weeks though....

I forget where I got this
 

On my Computer somewhere......

flicker....stuttering pictures
In VMS 6, right-click on the event (each still photo), and select "switches", then check the box "reduce interlace flicker".

One of the things I did to help alleviate the problem is to turn off 'Fast Video Resizing'. This is a check box that appears
on the Render Settings screen when you go to Make Movie (at least in Movie Studio 4). It slows down the rendering, but also
cleaned up some of the problems like you are describing.

Also check "best" in project render settings.

Eliminated it completely for me.

I was thinking of buying the same (fx1) after a long period researching but I'm not sure yet.
Good luck George!

Rendering Experiance
 

I find out how to speed up rendering time from DV AVI to MPEG 2.
After editing on the Vegas timeline is much faster encoding video to DV AVI again , and then encoding as DV AVI file to external Mainconcept encoder to MPEG DVD format( 720x576, 8000 bitrate).This will short the rendering time of the project abut double with the same quality.Using TMPGEnc encoder is the different story. How do you explain this?
I have to render 90 min DV AVI file. to MPEG (720x576, audio 224). Video bitrate calculator says to encode with about 6500 bitrate to fit on one DVD disc.But when I encode with same parametars in Vegas the final MPEG file is about 3.2Gb.Then I've try with 8000 bitrate and the final MPEG file was about 4.1Gb.
So that says that I can put 90min top quality (720x576, bitrate 8000) to one DVD disc.Question? If I have to render 60 min project, still to use 8000 bitrate as when I rendering 90 min????, because higher bitrate then 8000 I never use.But when encoding with TMPGEnc, there is no chance to render more theh 70 min with the same parametars.
So who lies here?Which encoder works corectly. Why bigger MPEG file when encoding with TMPGEnc?
Regards.

Is it possible the TMPGenc file included audio but the Vegas file did NOT? The DVDA presets in Vegas do NOT include audio - you are supposed to render that separately into an AC3 file.

Actually i found the problem in advanced internal preferences - default preview level was altered to less then 0,1 instead of 1 (so there is the way to alter the audio level in trimmer).I don't know what is the reason for this, because i never alter this prefs, only for positioning frame dock to the top and timeline to the bottom.

Vegas training and Certification-NAB'06
 

Who knows anything about the Vegas Training course and Certification Test to be held at NAB this year?

Sounds great, I just have a couple questions before I plunk down 500 bucks and miss two days of NAB.

I'd like to know who's teaching it, what the curriculum is, will it focus solely on HD, how applicable will it be to version 5?

Any chance to schedule it for Sunday/Monday rather than Tuesday/Wednesday?

fill me in,
Scott

I just called Sony Media Software and after a long wait, this is what the guy told me. The seminar is the class version of this item: http://www.sonymediasoftware.com/pro...=1003&SPID=386

The table of contents are listed there. Some of the stuff I don't know -- but I think curling up with the PDF manual might be just as beneficial to me, since I think I know over half to 3/4 of this. For beginning users, it sounds like a godsend though. There are other seminars I'd like to be at during the course time.

Not to change the thread subject, but I'm curious -- does anyone's jobs require Vegas certification? Would it be a plus, say for job hunting?

It will use Vegas 6 as the application current to Sony's releases. No, it is not solely on HD. It's the entire app. It's a certification class.

Not likely. Rooms at NAB are pricy and rare.

I'm sure you'll be hearing of other certification options in the future.
while you might know most of what is taught in the class, it's the cert that has value. Many corporations won't hire unless you're certified by a manufacturer or recognized traininer in a particular software application. It demonstrates that someone other than you says you know the software. The test isn't nearly as easy as you might think.

Audio peak/level -- a visual experience
 

I can visualize what I want to do - I just don't know exactly how to achieve it... Imagine that you're watching a video of a one person interview. I want to be able to show a real-time graphical bar showing audio peaks and levels on the screen (like off to the side, bottom or something like that) where I can still see the interviewee and the graphic/bars side by side. The only method I've been able to come up with is to video record a meter that is properly synched up even with the video -- then do a split screen to finish the effect.

I have Vegas 6.0d - and thought I'd start here to see if anybody has any ideas beyond the idea I came up with.

Thanks in advance, in a rears and cherrios...
-Michael

I guess after editing the video, you could play back the timeline while capturing the screen and then overlay the vegas meters over the video afterwards (which is basically what you said).

Many cameras can display the meters on the screen. You could possibly capture analog (but you'd get the other screen information as well.)

after effects has a plugin for this.. cant remember what its called but i think its from trapcode..

what Ed said is another option.. u can use camtasia for this and then overlay the peaking levels video in vegas without a problem.

Media Player has several bars or waves which react to the audio - you could play the audio in MP, record it, either with a screen capture app like Camtasia or shoot on LCD with casmera, then input the video to Vegas and synch with the original audio.

line drawing on maps
 

yes it sounds simple but is it. NAtress sells a filter i would love to have but it works only for final cut pro. it allows you to draw a line over a layer of video that has growth to it. so you could animate a line on a map. how can i do this...otherwise

Thanks for the advice so far -- and it looks like that confirms my initial findings.. To Peter Jefferson -- thank you so much for passing trapcode along. I checked out their website and I was very impressed with all of their effects and add-ons.. To the best of your knowledge are there any other effects-driven programs out there that work inside Vegas?? I've checked out Particle Illusion before and it had similar effect-type things you could do with it.

Regards,
-Michael

Brand New Absolute Vegas Training DVDs Available
 

Looks like the brand new VASST Absolute Vegas training DVD's are available for order now on the VASST site: http://www.vasst.com/. Great prices too. You can order one or a set. Woohoo! The samples look great. Can't wait to get them!
Randy

Prodad allows you to do this, very easily. www.prodad.de

Couldn't you do this by layering a no-line map with a lined map, then use an animated bezier mask to reveal the line over time?

Sorry. I'm not a Vegas user, so no specific instructions, but maybe the concept will help. Good luck.

Sure, you could do it this way too. ProDad is easier, but you could do it with Beziers. Or, you could create angular lines with track motion squeezed down, etc. There are probably a dozen ways to do it. Question is how fast, cheep, or good you want it.

thanks douglas this looks promising

S.O.S help, DVD from HDV
 

thanks guys for all the help so far with my?'s.. much apreciated. does anyone have a top dog way of getting my hdv footage from hc1 to a dvd the right way. seems like everything i do is uhhh not so great. I want to watch letterbox on a 4:3 tv. what are the settings you use ...i am using roxio to burn dvds. but what settings should i use for my template and render setting. i am not even messing with cineform yet till i get this correct. i need to know pixel aspect ration and frame rates to...please help i feel like i am doing something wrong and coming up with less than perfect results

particle illusion is a different beast altogether.. its a subcompositer (as i call it) as it does some really BASIC compositing... workable, but nothing al that tight. If u wanted to use PI engine with a decent compositor, id recommend Combustion, as it runs the same particle engine as PI <actually its THE particle engine of PI... Discrete just licensed it> so all ur PI emitters will work in there, BUT combustion is a super duper superior compositing program with a very steeeeeep learning curve..

as for effects, in general off the top of my head, theres Boris, Pixellan spicemaster/spicefilter/creative ease, umm.. oh theres wax, which is free, umm.. afew others littered here and there, but nothign like after effects im afraid..

Seen a cool effect done, need help
 

Hi there,
I saw on a television show, don't remember which one, but on the intro to the show, they did this cool effect with the video, where it's one video playing but they had like 8 layer boxes in different shapes that over lap each other to create that scene, I also have seen another guy who has done weddings do this effect over a shot of the brides maids. It really looks nice, and I know that the images over lap each other, I don't know how they did it, to where the images that over lap were distinguishable, there was a black out line I believe. Again it was one scene in the video but cut into boxes. Any help? Sorry if this is hard to understand a bit, but I have the image in mind, and trying to explain the image could be hard sometimes. Thank you.

Vegas Platinum Widescreen .mpg2 Rendering Question
 

I have searched the forum and found similar questions that (for me) led to "head spinning" discussions that did nothing but confuse me more.

Simply put...and regardless of down converting from the camera or within Studio Platinum...I can't find an option to render an mpg2 file in NTSC widescreen format with audio.

You can select the "NTSC Widescreen" option in project properties, but not in "Make Movie" or "Render As". I can select the "Stretch...no letterbox" option for NTSC DVD which is fine for my widescreen, but not for other displays or PC viewing. The aspect ratio is off, of course. (I'm getting away from simple). Also, when I do this, the clip aspect ratio is off when put in Vegas as well as is the icon on the DVD Architect menu.

I want to render widescreen mpg2 files with audio for archiving and burning to DVDs. I do not want them to have "built in" letterbox bars which ruins the clips for later editing, and requires me to "zoom" my apect ratio on my plasma display for viewing.

I can get the video format I want by selecting "DVD Architect NTSC Widescreen video stream", but of course with no audio.

Selecting "Burn to DVD" from "Make Movie" works great for the video format, but then I wind up with a separate audio and video file which does me no good except to use for burning a DVD with "DVD Architect" (which is a great program in my opinion).

This problem for me does not exist in Pinnacle Studio which I am switching over from. I simply render the movie and it shows fine on my widescreen in "full" aspect and my 4/3 television displays the letterbox bars and all is well.

Again, if I use the "DVD Architect Widescreen video stream" option in Vegas, I get the same desired result but with no audio.

I guess I could burn the DVD in DA, and then pull the file off of the DVD via "Import" from "DVD camcorder disk", but that is a workaround that should not be necessary.

Am I missing something here?

Jamie

Do you mean, it's all one image, but it's split up into smaller, individual rectangles, which seem to overlap each other, maybe with some shadows, etc.?

Something like this?

http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/1107/image10ud.jpg

This can be done by using multiple tracks, cropping, and track motion. Basically, you put the same video on, say, 8 different tracks, all starting and stopping at the same time. You then use the crop function to pick the parts of the image you want for each "sqaure". With a little 2D shadow in track motion. Then, for a neat effect, you can move the individual slices around and have the pcture sort of "assemble itself," if you want.

Assuming this is the kind of thing you meant.

The templates are yours to change as you see fit. Since audio and video are separate streams on a DVD the default options for widescreen video don’t include audio. But you can easily make your own template. Here’s what you do:

1. Choose File > Render As...
2. Select the "DVD Architect NTSC Widescreen video stream" template.
3. Press the Custom... button on the right
4. Select the Audio tab in the Custom Template dialog
5. Check the "Include audio steam" option
6. Place you cursor in the top Template combo box and give it a new name
7. Press the Save Template icon to save your new template
8. Press OK to apply this template to your render

You will never have to do this again. Now any time you want a widescreen render with audio just select your new custom template and your done.

~jr

David thanks! That's exactly what I was thinking. Cool, thanks for the input. 2D shadowing in the track motion, I didn't think about that.

Thanks John,

But the "Custom" button is not available at that point, it is "grayed out".

Is this because I am using "Movie Studio Platinum"? It it is, I am REALLY disappointed. To this point I have really been impressed and pleased with Vegas software.

Jamie

Edit: I actually went back and checked, all other "save as" formats allow use of the "custom" function. But MPEG-2 does not on my program (Vegas Studio Platinum 6.0A)

Ouch!, I didn’t realize that. I just checked and you are correct, the “Movie Studio” version of Vegas doesn’t support changing the MPEG templates. I have the pro version so I forgot that. (sorry) I would contact Sony support and see if they have a solution. It would seem logical that there was at least one MPEG2 template that was widescreen with audio.

~jr

Here is one "top dog" way. ;-) Go to the VASST website on the Freeware page and download DVDPrep. It was designed specifically for people who just want to make a DVD and not be bothered with what template to choose. The options should be obvious. Select whether you are NTSC (in US & Japan) or PAL (everwhere else except France) and whether you want Normal 4:3 or Widescreen 16:9. DVD Prep will take care of the rest. It will also remember your last settings so you can just push the button and go next time.

~jr