Vegas Video discussions from 2004 (Q3Q4)

[Glenn Chan]

I'm trying to flip an image left to right. This comes in handy sometimes for video editing (i.e. re-using footage, getting around problems with crossing the axis). I'm sure it's something simple but it's not immediately apparent in the pan/crop controls.

[Glen Elliott]

Wow Douglass, that's big news- a huuuuuuge chain like Walmart is distributing a VASST book- awesome! Congrats.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...A3920%3A105315

[Andy Shrimpton]

Glenn:

I'm not in front of my NLE PC right now, but from memory, when I did this I used track motion, and grabbed an edge and dragged it to the other side, flipping it.

HTH

ANDY

[Gary Kleiner]

In Pan/Crop, right-click and choose Flip Horizontal.

Gary

[Rob Lohman]

It sounds like a soundcard/driver problem to me. Do you have the
latest drivers installed for it?

[Ryan Gohlinghorst]

I'm about to do a photo montage for a friend. It's for her parents' 50th wedding anniversary.

I know how to do it, but I have a workflow question. Since I'm planning on using track motion to animate the stills, I'll need to have each still on a separate track. Do you guys just animate the stills one at a time and immediately render them out, then place them together and edit, or how do you handle this?

[Edward Troxel]

Animate them with Pan/Crop instead. This will give you at least TWO benefits:

1) It will not affect the rest of the images on the same track
2) It will use the FULL resolution of the image. (You DON'T want to zoom IN on an image with Track Motion)

I always set ALL of the pan/crop changes and then render the whole thing at once.

[Ryan Gohlinghorst]

Great, thanks Edward! I appreciate the help. Pan/crop it is, then.

[Kevin Kimmell]

I saw reference in one thread about using the alpha channel or something along those lines but can't seem to figure this out. If I want to make a part of the background image clickable, do I need to create an invisible button somehow or can I "define" some sort of hot area?

Also, am I able to make areas or buttons interactive to being selected?

Thanks,
Kevin

[Hugh DiMauro]

Edward is the resident expert and has helped me on many occasions concering Vegas. His advice should always come first. However, when I create my wedding videos, I use track motion for the stills, provided that no two images will appear in the same frame. You can animate images on the same timeline as long as you set in the in and out points correctly. At one time, I, too, thought that I had to use different tracks each time I animated a still or clip. But you can animate your stills and clips as much as you like on your timeline just as long as you keep in mind that you MUST set in and out point AND once the clips and stills are set on the line, you cannot move them. I hope this explains yoru question. I love Vegas 5 and will use it for as long as they continue making it the best NLE for PC desktops.

[Glenn Chan]

Thanks Gary, that was it!

[Edward Troxel]

Hugh, I will NOT disagree that your technique will work and it is one that I HAVE applied in the past (two tracks, pictures alternate between the tracks, keyframes properly set for all images). However, do this simple test:

Place a picture (same picture) on two tracks (not overlapping so you can easily see them both)

On ONE of the images, use Track Motion. On the OTHER image, use Pan/Crop. Now Zoom in on the picture so that you are only seeing about 1/4th of the total image (i.e. tight in on a face). Which one yields the better result?

The answer will always be Pan/Crop because Pan/Crop zooms in on the total image using the full resolution of the image. Track Motion zooms in on the VIDEO FRAME instead.

[Trey Perrone]

im going to do a mask effect for an upcoming video for school...its a kids camp about media violence and sterotypes, etc.

i had the idea to use the current logo (simply letters with some rainbow looking lines over the middle) and mask the letters and have shots of diffent kids faces in each letter...this is kinda my intro to the dvd. i was even thinking about making it so that each letter plays a short vid clip of a kid in a domino effect witht he first one starting , then second, then third (and having them run like 7-10 secs each).

i normally edit in v5, but i have after effects 5.5 pro, which i never use...anyone with experience with these apps think it may be easier in v5 or AE?

[Michael Wisniewski]

Instead of using a mask on the logo, fill in your logo with the alpha channel "color" in your favorite paint program.

Then it's a breeze to do what you want to do in either Vegas or After Effects.

[Douglas Spotted Eagle]

Choose Insert>invisible button. Then link it to whatever you'd like.
This technique is shown in the VASST DVD Architect DVD. Pretty slick and quick.