Doug Graham
Forum Replies Created
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A crossfade is another word for a dissolve. The transition consists of one clip gradually becoming more and more transparent, revealing the next clip. It is generally used to denote a change in time or place, but can also be used simply for a softer, more romantic feel.
In Vegas, the easiest way to create a crossfade is to simply overlap two video clips in the same video track. The crossfade is created automatically.
Another way to do it is to put two clips in two different video tracks, with their ends overlapping. Insert a transparency envelope on the upper clip. In the overlap area, insert a node point where the outgoing clip ends. Grab the end of the transparency rubber band and drag it down to zero at the start of the incoming clip.
Regards,
Doug Graham -
Think of the tracks as sheets of paper in a stack. You can only see the top one…UNLESS the top sheet is transparent, or is smaller than the sheets below it.
As Ed says, you can “turn off” the higher tracks, letting you see what’s underneath temporarily. Or you can resize the uppper track(s) with the pan/crop tool to create a picture-in-picture effect.
You could also change the transparency level of the upper track, creating a partial dissolve. That’s generally more useful for a transition than for viewing multiple video sources, though.
Or you can “burn a hole” through the upper track by applying an alpha mask to it. All the areas that are black in the mask will be transparent, all the white areas will be opaque, and gray areas will be somewhere in between.
Regards,
Doug Graham -
Sheesh. Twenty “help me!” posts and not one follow-up or word of thanks.
Regards,
Doug Graham -
When I had the same problem, I found that I could import the video into MovieMaker, then export it in a format that Vegas could read.
Regards,
Doug Graham -
I have no idea.
Thomas, a good editor is a good editor. However, the system that one good editor prefers may not be the right one for another good editor, or the right one for you.
The only way to find out if a particular system is “right” for you…one that’s set up the way you think, and with which you can become comfortable with quickly…is to actually use it. No second party opinions really count.
Case in point: David Rennie loves Avid Liquid, and he produces great stuff with it. It took me three tries, spaced over about four years, to finally figure out a little bit of the Liquid program, and I’m still not real proficient with it. My friend Scott likes Final Cut Pro. I like Sony Vegas…but David and Scott hate it. That doesn’t mean that either program is “bad”. It just means that one suits David, one suits Scott, and one suits me better.
Get a hands-on demo of the systems on your short list, even if you have to travel to find a dealer or a helpful user. If you can’t get a demo, get an instructional video.
Regards,
Doug Graham -
Amberle,
Please see my reply to your earlier thread.
It would make it easier to help you if you stopped creating a new topic every time, and simply replied to people in an ongoing thread if you have more questions.
Regards,
Doug Graham -
I’m not surprised. Vista is full of bugs, and most current software hasn’t been fully tested with it.
Reinstall Windows XP and leave Vista alone until at least Service Pack 1.
Regards,
Doug Graham -
Additional Note:
If, when you used CTRL+Drag to shorten your video clip, the audio clip did not get shorter along with the video, you will have to repeat the CTRL+Drag step on the audio portion of the clip. Make it the same length as the video clip.
Regards,
Doug Graham -
Amberle,
1. Place your video and audio clip on the timeline.
2. Place your mouse cursor over the right end of the clip.
3. Hold down the CTRL key and the left mouse button, and drag the end of the clip to the left, making it shorter.The clip will now contain all the material of the original, but will play it in a shorter time. Everything will be faster.
However, this will NOT have changed the audio pitch. To do that,
4. Place your mouse cursor anywhere in the audio clip.
5. Click the right mouse button.
6. A window will open up with a lot of command selection choices. At the bottom of the window is the word, “Properties”.
7. Click on “Properties”. A new window will open up. This window has two tabs, “media” and “audio events”. If the “audio events” tab is not on top, click it.
8. In the Audio Events tab, at the bottom is a setting called “Time Stretch/Pitch Shift”.
9. In this area is a dialog box labeled “Method”. The default value in the dialog box is “None”.
10. Click the little arrow at the right of the dialog box. Change the selection from “None” to “Classic”.
11. At this point, additional settings will appear. Check the box labeled “Pitch Change, Lock to Stretch”.
12. Hit “OK”.Print out these steps and follow them step by step.
Regards,
Doug Graham -
There are some excellent ones by Mark and Trisha Von Lanken, Glen Elliott, and Randy Stubbs, and Hal Landen, to name a few.
Regards,
Doug Graham