Vegas Video discussions from 2004 (Q1Q2)

[Peter Jefferson]

hmm.. ive always used blended fields, and sometimes on extreme slow mos it DOES give me combing distortions even in avi...

now i havet really used interpolation due to the fact that im working strictly with DV, and fel taht using the same routine would give me the rawest image...

now im of two minds as interpolation offers a nicer blend (for still anywyas (apart from progressive) now i have tried this an di really dont have the time to make test recordings to see which i prefer..

what do YOU prefer??

what do u think would offer the best moving blended field image with zero artifacts?

thanks in advance for any responmse

[Douglas Spotted Eagle]

Zero artifacts is a pipe dream, simply by nature of 4;1;1 footage. Blended provides a better deinterlace, there is quite a thread on this in the film look forum.
But it's all opinion. Build a 20 second clip of fast motion, slow motion, stills, and normal DV, and run it in both. It will take all of 5 minutes. Then you'll have your own experience and thus your own informed opinion.

[Douglas Spotted Eagle]

It's a Music Merchants show, NAB for the music industry. It's similar in size to NAB, with a lot more people. It's also a lot crazier. I've only been doing NAB for 10 years, so can't comment on it's growth or changes. NAMM, I've got photos of from every year.
Anyway, it's just great seeing music videos being edited in AE, FCP, etc. Apple and Pinnacle have 2 of the largest booths on the show floor. Of course, so did Logic and Steinberg, which is where both apple and pinnacle have taken over. Apple is also really pushing the hell out of Garage Band, which is the same as Acid Style, a 69.00 app.

[Ian Stark]

This gets weirder, Rob.

I just got another segment finished (which I wanted to do before I spent too much time experimenting with the original problem project).

I thought that I would do a first render at 100Kbps as that was safe on the previous project. But NO! As I speak it has been sitting there at 99% for about five minutes. The time remaining indicator is at zero.

How very strange.

I had a quick look in Task Manager and the vegas process has 99% of the CPU. Cancelling the render seems to do nothing and the only exit is by terminating the process.

So, my problem is not limited to one template.

STOP PRESS : I just tried rendering it at 256 and it worked fine.

I'm confused! And of course now I wonder if there is something amiss with my pc.

[Ian Stark]

I'm using the cookie cutter on a track of video which has a talking head (mine). I want just the mouth to remain and this is then laid over stills of an Action Man doll to give the impression that it's talking. (In case anyone is vaguely interested in why on earth I would want to do this, I am making a spoof internal training video for a customer, set in an imaginary badly run business, with action dolls as employees. Work with me on this . . .)

OK, I've had some success so far and the results are pretty funny (I used Photoshop to create various facial expressions on the Action Man - eyebrows raised, eyes closed etc).

The problem is that the talking head I'm using for the mouth keeps moving around the frame. So, I've worked with cookie cutter keyframes and with track motion and the end result is (mostly) OK; ie the mouth stays where it should on the dolls face.

However, it is taking the best part of half a day just getting the keyframes right on each 90 second segment and I can't really afford to spend that much time.

So, my question is am I going about this the right and most efficient way? Is there a better way in Vegas? Or are there any other tools I could use.

I'm not entirely clear on anything beyond basic masks, but is there any way to create a dynamic mask that follows the shape of the mouth based on it's colour? I'm quite willing to wear bright lipstick if that will help (although my wife may be concerned. Again.)

Thanks in advance of any suggestions.

Ian . . .

[Michael Estepp]

Does anyone know if you can add web links to a DVD menu in DVD architecht?

Michael Estepp

[Gints Klimanis]

I've done WM9 in Vegas 4 at various bitrates, including those you mention. I have not encountered a lockup, although my source material has always been DV25 AVI files.

[Don Donatello]

for faster results ( as long as it takes to play clip) ) you would use a track motion tool. you put a mark on the mouth and hit play and it tracks the mouth . now you can either steady it ( so it doesn't move around the frame ) or you can apply the movement to another clip/layer/object so it has the same tracking ... commotion and combustion i know will track it .. maybe boris red 3?

instead of putting on lipstick ..
why don't you just keep your head STILL ..
seeing how you only need MOUTH .. have somebody hold your head with their hands so your head doesn't move ...

[Glen Elliott]

I'm trying to create an effect where the footage is in b&w with only an animated strip that slides across the screen revealing the same footage in color.
I'm duplicating the clip, making the bottom one b&w, then adding a cookie cutter to the top clip to mask out all but the selection, then animating it with keyframes. It all seems to work pretty good.

I would, however, like to know if there is any way to modify the cookie cutter. I know you can choose circle or rectangle, etc etc. But is there a way I can click and drag out the shape of the rectangle. Similar to the way you can define the "show effects" area in the monitor view?
If not you can create a custom shape in Photoshop to act as the cookie cutter, or mask. How is that done exactly. Do you need to create a document at 720x480 with an alpha channel that has the mask. When you import it into Vegas all you have to do is choose the correct compositing mode to extract the alpha channel and use it as a mask?
Also what about animating the mask? I don't mean animating the "shape" of it but the location rather- just as I would the cookie cutter. Can that be done? I ask because I'd assume once the mask is over far enough to the left or right it'll effectively be off the frame thus not making all that it should beings the end of the mask is bleeding into the screen. Any/all of that make sense?

[Edward Troxel]

Glen, you may be better off if you create the mask some other way such as in Photoshop or using a black and white generated media with Pan/Crop to adjust the size. Then you'll have more flexibility than with the cookie cutter.

[Peter Jefferson]

much appreciated, i just thought someone may have a definitive answer to this question..

I'll give it a shot sometime next week

[Douglas Spotted Eagle]

I'm not sure what happened to the dates there. On my system, they show Jan 15, 2004. New scripts from others went up there today.

[Ian Stark]

Aha - looks like the "date added" date is based on the local system date. I looked at the Sundance downloads again this morning from a different pc and the date was correct. I guess the system date on my other pc is a little bit out. Like three years!!

Looking forward to digging through the new stuff!

Ian . . .

[Ian Stark]

I agree that it would be very useful to alter the shape of the masks created in cookie cutter. Even if it was just to change the proportions of, say, the rectangle, or the "flatness" of the oval. That would have been a great help with my "mouth" masks that I mentioned in another thread.

The cookie cutter is such an easy way of creating a quick and dirty mask that it seems a shame it's limited to those few (fixed proportion) shapes - many of which aren't particularly usable IMO.

As Edward says, I suppose the most flexible method is DIY with Photoshop. I really must learn how to do that . . .

[Tor Salomonsen]

Does the video and photo album have to be on the same disk? If you put a DVD or CD with files of jpg images the playe should have the option to show them auto or interactive.

Web links can be added in Vegas. Not sure if the carry through in DVDA.