Create Custom Length Preset Solid Color in Media Generator

[Edward Troxel]

Create a selection area, right-click the track in that selection area, Insert the new generated media from the pop-up menu, and it should be the length of the selection area.

[Rich Kutnick]

With all due respect to your knowledge and advice, Ed, I followed this hint–HOWEVER, this takes just as many steps and effort as I now take by dragging down the 10 sec generated media clip and splitting or dragging the event on the timeline to my desired 1 second length. I am looking for a method to create a preset as is done with other effects so that I do not have to go through these multiple steps. If creating an actual preset does not work (and why not I cannot understand), creating a script was mentioned. Since I do not know how to do this, might you offer some advice about doing this or any other method to create a 1-step process?

[Graham Bernard]

I am looking for a method to create a preset as is done with other effects so that I do not have to go through these multiple steps.

Hi Rich! – Well I can repro the issue with this. I’ve tried all the settings to get a ONE Second White without success. So I thought about this for a bit and applied and what I came up with is another setting. There is an overriding with this and that’s this:

<div class=””>

Solid Colour Inserts appear to be regarded as Stills and the Duration of Stills are set in Preferences. If I reset this to ONE Second I can get what you’re after, but then this will be true for ALL stills thereafter.

</div>

[Rich Kutnick]

Thanks for the suggestions, Graham. HOWEVER, my VP 18 has different results!

Options>Preferences>Editing

My New still image length is set at 5 seconds (300 frames at 59.940 fps). Regardless what number I set this to, my Solid Color Images all remain at 10 seconds. However, if I bring in stills (such as photo jpegs) to the timeline, they default to the number of seconds set in this Editing tab. I made 5 seconds my default time for producing video and photo montages. Whenever I change this number, the stills I drag to the timeline are this number of seconds, BUT the Solid Color stills internally generated in the Media Generator remain at 10 seconds!

So apparently your workaround does not work on my system!

BUMMER!!

[Graham Bernard]

So, you can’t even adjust the GenMed Length in Edit Prefs, then when you Insert a Solid Colour you get this 10 second? I’ve just repeated my approach and I’ve got it down to 1 sec, provided I’ve also set that Still Duration to 1 sec.

[Graham Bernard]

Well, after adjusting the actual Properties of the GenMed to 00:00:01;00 I’ve now got 1-second length GenMeds all along the Timeline. Can you see the 1-second Notches?

[Rich Kutnick]

I don’t know what the problem is, but I will tell you that having everything blurred out but one item does not show me where in the UI you are. Perhaps if you can go step-by-step exactly what you are doing with accompanying screenshots that show complete boxes I may be able to replicate what you are doing. Thanks in advance, Graham.

[Edward Troxel]

The only way I can think of to do exactly what you want would be using a script.

[Rich Kutnick]

I’m not against that suggestion, Ed. Do you have a link for how to write such a script, or does one need special training in order to perform this? Do you know of anyone who may have written one or who may have a desire to do so?

[Edward Troxel]

Here’s the code snippet to add a generated media:

//Add the Generated Media
string GenMed = “{Svfx:com.vegascreativesoftware:solidcolor}”; //Magix Solid Color

Media media = common.CreateGeneratedMedia(GenMed, “White”);

MediaStream stream = media.Streams[0] as MediaStream;
VideoEvent newEvent = new VideoEvent(start, length);
myTrack.Events.Add(newEvent);
Take take = new Take(stream);
newEvent.Takes.Add(take);

So, you would need code that determined “start”, “length”, and “myTrack”. Then just add the above code and it will be added on track “myTrack” starting at “start” for a total length of “length”. And you could modify the “CreateGeneratedMedia” line to specify a different color or even change that to a variable. but the above code will do the actual adding of the solid color generated media to the specified track.