Multicam editing tips in Vegas Pro 8? at DVinfo.net

Ian Slessor · July 2nd, 2009, 07:46 PM

Hey all,

In multicam editing I simply mouse-click on the track in the preview window to determine which cam I cut to.

Thing is when you click it's a hard cut unless you hold ctrl, THEN it's a cross-fade.

I looked but couldn't find any info on making the mouse-click (without the ctrl press) as the cross-fade between cams.

Any ideas? It would make things a lot quicker in my editing.

BTW. I say this because my left hand is busy with my Contour controller and I do a LOT of cross-fades so I'm constantly having to reach over and hold ctrl with my edits.

Thanks for any assistance.

ian

Jeff Harper · July 2nd, 2009, 07:57 PM

My suggestion is of no immediate help, but I would submit you try the Ultimate S multicam tool, I love it. Ultimate S is available as a free download. It's worth every penney.

Mark Stavar · July 2nd, 2009, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ian Slessor

Hey all,

In multicam editing I simply mouse-click on the track in the preview window to determine which cam I cut to.

Thing is when you click it's a hard cut unless you hold ctrl, THEN it's a cross-fade.

I looked but couldn't find any info on making the mouse-click (without the ctrl press) as the cross-fade between cams.

Any ideas? It would make things a lot quicker in my editing.

BTW. I say this because my left hand is busy with my Contour controller and I do a LOT of cross-fades so I'm constantly having to reach over and hold ctrl with my edits.

Thanks for any assistance.

ian

Ian,

I use the Contour as well. I actually have one of my buttons mapped to a 'Ctrl'. (In my case that is the bottom right - button 13) That way I can keep my hands in place -- one on the Contour, the other on the mouse.

marks

Edward Troxel · July 3rd, 2009, 07:07 AM

In the same vein as what Jeff said, another option is Excalibur. Both will add flexible multi-cam editing in Vegas.

With regards to having to hold down the CTRL key, I don't know of a way to make the crossfades automatic other than to use one of the scripting versions. Of course you could always use a script after the multi-cam edit was complete to add crossfades at each cut.

D.J. Ammons · July 4th, 2009, 10:06 AM

Ian,

Thanks for asking the very questions I needed answered also! I am amazed that with as many options and settings Vegas Pro 8 has you cannot pre select for the takes in Multicam to be crossfades.

It is a big pain in the butt to have to hold down the control key while selecting camera takes.

I wonder if by any chance this has been addressed in Vegas 9 ?

David Wayne Groves · July 4th, 2009, 12:36 PM

Nothing has changed as far as I can see in vegas 9, I still do it the slow way, at each point when switching between cameras I choose what fade or transition I want, of course when filming concerts I use very little fades, mainly I just snap from one camera to the next, now on slow choir concerts fades and dissolves are a must.....I just wish vegas would fix the runup time in the preview window in 9, it really makes it difficult when switching between cameras, and I have a i7core setup.....

Mike Kujbida · July 4th, 2009, 02:56 PM

I struggled with the lack of crossfades in my last multicam edit too until I remembered that placing the cursor on the edit point and pressing the / key (the one on the numeric keypad please) changes the cut to a one sec. dissolve.
Hope this helps someone.

Chris Nicholson · July 7th, 2009, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Harper

My suggestion is of no immediate help, but I would submit you try the Ultimate S multicam tool, I love it. Ultimate S is available as a free download. It's worth every penney.

I don't see where it is free. The only thing that is free is a limited time trial version. To buy a licensed copy cost $169. Of course I'm looking at v. 4.1. Is there an earlier version that does most of the multicam functionality which is free?

Am I missing something. I'm a bit tired of spending money on upgrades and plug-ins to try to get this software to work properly.

Edward Troxel · July 8th, 2009, 07:09 AM

Both Ultimate S and Excalibur do cost. However, they both are more flexible in doing multi-cam edits than the built-in version. The built-in version does work well, though.

Jeff Harper · July 8th, 2009, 07:12 AM

I'm sorry I meant as a demo it is available, it is not free.

It is worth every penny especially if you make photomontages and use multicam.

It has many features that few NLEs have natively.

The demo costs nothing and is fully functional. I edit full time and wouldn't be without it.

Chip Gallo · July 8th, 2009, 10:09 AM

I put up a slide show detailing a work flow I use in editing multi-camera ice skating shoots here:

Document Index: Mindtography Multi-Camera Edits Using Vegas and VASST UltimateS Pro

I use VASST quadcam scripts, not Vegas multicam, so it may not be so relevant in this discussion.

Chip

Chris Nicholson · July 8th, 2009, 08:59 PM

Thanks for the slideshow Chip that was interesting.

I will have to download the demo and see if it does what I need it to do. It just seems like the Vegas developers could have included some of this functionality, like creating a way to not lose color correction changes when creating the multicamera track.

July 2nd, 2009, 07:46 PM	#1
Ian Slessor Major Player Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: South-Central Ontario, Canada Posts: 216	Multicam editing tips in Vegas Pro 8? Hey all, In multicam editing I simply mouse-click on the track in the preview window to determine which cam I cut to. Thing is when you click it's a hard cut unless you hold ctrl, THEN it's a cross-fade. I looked but couldn't find any info on making the mouse-click (without the ctrl press) as the cross-fade between cams. Any ideas? It would make things a lot quicker in my editing. BTW. I say this because my left hand is busy with my Contour controller and I do a LOT of cross-fades so I'm constantly having to reach over and hold ctrl with my edits. Thanks for any assistance. ian

July 3rd, 2009, 07:07 AM	#4
Edward Troxel Sponsor: JET DV Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 7,953	In the same vein as what Jeff said, another option is Excalibur. Both will add flexible multi-cam editing in Vegas. With regards to having to hold down the CTRL key, I don't know of a way to make the crossfades automatic other than to use one of the scripting versions. Of course you could always use a script after the multi-cam edit was complete to add crossfades at each cut. __________________ Edward Troxel [SCVU] JETDV Scripts/Scripting Tutorials/Excalibur/Montage Magic/Newsletters

July 8th, 2009, 07:09 AM	#9
Edward Troxel Sponsor: JET DV Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 7,953	Both Ultimate S and Excalibur do cost. However, they both are more flexible in doing multi-cam edits than the built-in version. The built-in version does work well, though. __________________ Edward Troxel [SCVU] JETDV Scripts/Scripting Tutorials/Excalibur/Montage Magic/Newsletters

July 2nd, 2009, 07:57 PM	#2
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	My suggestion is of no immediate help, but I would submit you try the Ultimate S multicam tool, I love it. Ultimate S is available as a free download. It's worth every penney.

July 4th, 2009, 10:06 AM	#5
D.J. Ammons Major Player Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 506	Ian, Thanks for asking the very questions I needed answered also! I am amazed that with as many options and settings Vegas Pro 8 has you cannot pre select for the takes in Multicam to be crossfades. It is a big pain in the butt to have to hold down the control key while selecting camera takes. I wonder if by any chance this has been addressed in Vegas 9 ?

July 4th, 2009, 12:36 PM	#6
David Wayne Groves Regular Crew Join Date: May 2008 Location: Charleston WV Posts: 149	Nothing has changed as far as I can see in vegas 9, I still do it the slow way, at each point when switching between cameras I choose what fade or transition I want, of course when filming concerts I use very little fades, mainly I just snap from one camera to the next, now on slow choir concerts fades and dissolves are a must.....I just wish vegas would fix the runup time in the preview window in 9, it really makes it difficult when switching between cameras, and I have a i7core setup.....

July 4th, 2009, 02:56 PM	#7
Mike Kujbida Inner Circle Join Date: May 2005 Location: Windsor, ON Canada Posts: 2,770	I struggled with the lack of crossfades in my last multicam edit too until I remembered that placing the cursor on the edit point and pressing the / key (the one on the numeric keypad please) changes the cut to a one sec. dissolve. Hope this helps someone.

July 8th, 2009, 07:12 AM	#10
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	I'm sorry I meant as a demo it is available, it is not free. It is worth every penny especially if you make photomontages and use multicam. It has many features that few NLEs have natively. The demo costs nothing and is fully functional. I edit full time and wouldn't be without it.

July 8th, 2009, 10:09 AM	#11
Chip Gallo Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Harpers Ferry, WV USA Posts: 164	I put up a slide show detailing a work flow I use in editing multi-camera ice skating shoots here: Document Index: Mindtography Multi-Camera Edits Using Vegas and VASST UltimateS Pro I use VASST quadcam scripts, not Vegas multicam, so it may not be so relevant in this discussion. Chip

July 8th, 2009, 08:59 PM	#12
Chris Nicholson Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Highlands Ranch, CO Posts: 29	Thanks for the slideshow Chip that was interesting. I will have to download the demo and see if it does what I need it to do. It just seems like the Vegas developers could have included some of this functionality, like creating a way to not lose color correction changes when creating the multicamera track.