Excalibur 3.0

[Dennis Allyn]

Hello, I've been working with Sony Vegas for sometime, still learning. I have the 5.0b version. I do weddings and this excalibur sounded great for me. So I bought an email copy on 9/17/04. I must be doing something wrong. Here's what I did:

1. I had 2 cameras filming the wedding. I dropped them on timeline 1 and 2. Named the video 1 and audio 1 for camera 1, and 2 and 2 for camera 2.

2. I had additional footage of interviews on another track that took place before the wedding. Put this on timeline 3, and named video and audio 3 and 3.

3. Had additional footage of photo sessions before and after wedding. Put this on timeline 4, and named 4 and 4 for vid and aud.

4. Also had another clip of the reception, placed on timeline 5. Named 5 and 5 for vid and aud.

So now I have 5 timelines, only 1 and 2 really need to be synced, the others are before and after the wedding. So I synced up 1 and 2 just fine, but how do I use the other 3 timelines? I need to use "M" and appropriate "3s","4s", and "5s" right? but where do I sync them? I might be missing something on the Command Marker.

Here's what I did. I synced 1 and 2 perfect because they were 2 camera vids. For 3 thru 5, I just picked a spot to sync so I could at least see them in the PIP boxes.
When I hit the sync wizard OK button, it synced 1 and 2 perfect, and just place 3 thru 5 at different locations.

Here's where things got bad, and I believe I messed up pretty good. I then moved the 3-5 files all around on the timeline to where I really wanted them to be on the final video. Each track had footage at the beginning or end and even in the middle that needed to be cut out, so I just started "S" splitting the scenes inside the files and cutting out unwanted parts. By the way, I don't understand what this means "place your cursor at the proper start point and drag out a time selection to the left, back to the beginning of the timeline. Hit Ctrl/A to select all, then hit delete, then Ctrl/F, then Ctrl/Shift/A. For the end, repeat in the opposite direction except Ctrl/F (post ripple) won’t be necessary" from your instructions. When I do this it, Ctrl/A selected everything on all tracks and deleted everything???? Please explain this more.

So anyway, I have now chopped up tracks 3-5 and have gaps between them after splitting and cutting. I used the Excalibur script icons for editing the scenes, and did 1 thru 117. But when I used the multi-cam wizard, you should have seen the mess. The master vid track had all kinds of wide gaps and not all of the video went to this track that should have.

Sorry for the long email, but I need some help. Please walk me thru this scenario. 2 good 2 camera tracks, and 3 of just extras I wanted to add. Can the whole wedding video be done with software, and put on the master vid track? Please let me know ASAP please, for this wedding is do soon.

Thanks,

[Edward Troxel]

I find it much easier to create separate projects for the separate sections. I'll have an "Intro" project. Then I'll have a "Ceremony" project. Then I'll have a "Between wedding and reception" project. Then I'll have a "Reception" project. I render each of these down to new DV-AVI files and then create a "Final" project from these files. Therefore, I don't have to worry about anything but the two cameras in the "Ceremony" project. To me, it makes a much easier workflow.



1. I had 2 cameras filming the wedding. I dropped them on timeline 1 and 2. Named the video 1 and audio 1 for camera 1, and 2 and 2 for camera 2.

This sounds file. Tracks 1 and 2 named "1" for camera 1 and tracks 3 & 4 maned "2" for camera 2.

2. I had additional footage of interviews on another track that took place before the wedding. Put this on timeline 3, and named video and audio 3 and 3.

I would put these in a other DIFFERENT projects as explained above. If you insist on putting them in the same project, there's really no need to put them all on separate tracks (other than they need to not be on tracks 1 through 4) and the tracks would not need to be named as cameras since they are not alternate angles of the multi-cam footage. Then you have to MANUALLY select the items to be synced. It's really much easier to use separate projects.

3. Had additional footage of photo sessions before and after wedding. Put this on timeline 4, and named 4 and 4 for vid and aud.

4. Also had another clip of the reception, placed on timeline 5. Named 5 and 5 for vid and aud.

For 3 & 4, same as #2.





Here would be my complete workflow given the fact that you're trying to keep it all in a single project:

Put the two cameras as you did labeling them 1 & 2. Get them in sync (the automatic settings should work fine), add all of the proper camera changes, Run Multi-cam (which will create the Master track), and then render to a new DV-AVI file.

Start another project with your #2 footing and create your intro. Then you can then add the newly rendered camera mix file. Finally, you can tack the #3 and #4 footage on the end and mix them as needed.



Using the Multi-Cam/Syncing tool as you indicated will lead to problems. Since you've "PIP'ed" the pre and post footage, they would remain PIPed on the Master track as well until you MANUALLY removed the PIP. Much easier to leave them full size and only using the Sync Wizard and Multi-Cam wizard truly on the multi-cam sections.



p.s. Sorry but it seems my website and e-mail have been down for at least the last 5.5 hours (probably longer). Not sure when it will be back up. My web host's site is also down, tech support calls get cut off, and "Sales" says "the servers are down". Not exactly sure how much longer it will be down.

[Dennis Allyn]

So I just start another vegas project and drop all the separate projects (wedding, intro, photo session, reception) on to the tracks. Then do I re-render as avi again or as mpeg-2. I use ulead workshop2 for authoring. So I would then have the one project as an avi or mpeg-2. Which do you prefer? So there's really no easy way to do this with excalibur. Seems nice to just flag the edits where to start as you go. What if I din't do any splitting or used the command marker to move it after the ceremony track. Then edit the cutouts on them and just keep flagging the edits for multicam wizard. Would that work.. Also didn't understand how to do the edit of dragging to the left and hit ctrl/a, ctrl/f and hit delte. It deleted the entire project! Please repsond and thanks in advance for your help. Dennis

[Edward Troxel]

So I just start another vegas project and drop all the separate projects (wedding, intro, photo session, reception) on to the tracks. Then do I re-render as avi again or as mpeg-2. I use ulead workshop2 for authoring. So I would then have the one project as an avi or mpeg-2. Which do you prefer?

The final project would simply have one video track and one audio track. All of the rendered clips would be placed back to back. You may wish to create a few overlaps to dissolve between some of the clips.

You can then directly print to tape or render to MPEG2 format for your authoring program.


So there's really no easy way to do this with excalibur. Seems nice to just flag the edits where to start as you go. What if I din't do any splitting or used the command marker to move it after the ceremony track. Then edit the cutouts on them and just keep flagging the edits for multicam wizard.

Not sure I understood all of that. Excalibur does a great job of speeding up the Multi-cam edit. You *can* use it to start the syncing at a certain point using the command marker but then you have to correctly, manually, select all of the needed pieces. Much easier to have a project with ONLY those pieces and let Excalibur automatically pick them all.

Also didn't understand how to do the edit of dragging to the left and hit ctrl/a, ctrl/f and hit delte. It deleted the entire project!

I'm not sure where you got the dragging to the left and hit ctrl/a, ctrl/f and hit delte sequence. CTRL-A simply selects everything. CTRL-F is a "Post Ripple Edit". Delete will delete everything selected. So, yes, if you hit CTRL-A followed by a delete (even with a CTRL-F in-between), it will delete everything!

[Dennis Allyn]

''place your cursor at the proper start point and drag out a time selection to the left, back to the beginning of the timeline. Hit Ctrl/A to select all, then hit delete, then Ctrl/F, then Ctrl/Shift/A. For the end, repeat in the opposite direction except Ctrl/F (post ripple) won’t be necessary" This is from the excalibur hele.

[Edward Troxel]

So it is... on page 8!

Ok, I believe that should read:

For the beginning, place your cursor at the proper start point and drag out a time selection to the left, back to the beginning of the timeline. Hit Ctrl/Shift/A to de-select all, then hit delete, then Ctrl/F. For the end, repeat in the opposite direction except Ctrl/F (post ripple) won’t be necessary.



Note: I didn't write that paragraph.

[Dennis Allyn]

I believe you! Also on page 8, it shows a diagram with flags 1 thru 8. They are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 6, 7 all switching tracks from track 1 to track 3. How far does it go for flag 5 (track 3). Only to where flag 8 is? Probably I would assume. Then it would go to flag 6, then to flag 7. How far does it go on flag 7 (track 1) before it goes to flag 8 (track 1), which is way back between flag 5 and 6. I assume it would go to the next flag which is probably flag 9. At the very last one, do you put 'end' as the flag?

[Edward Troxel]

That image, I DID create. Yes, the camera switch at marker 5 will continue until the camera switch at marker 8. The marker number order does not make a difference. Their physical timeline location is what makes the difference. So, don't worry about marker NUMBERS, make sure the marker POSITION is correct.

In this case, the "8" maker was added later as a desired change to camera 1 between the previous changes to cameras 3 and 2 (markers 5 and 6). And, yes, the next marker after marker 7 was marker 9. However, I could have easily added maker 9 between markers 2 and 3 (for instance) if I had needed something different there.

Unless you are wanting processing to stop before the end, you don't need an "end" marker. Even if you DO want to limit the processing to a smaller area, it is easier to create a selection area around the desired area and check that multi-cam option. Bottom line, you shouldn't ever need to create an "End" marker.

[Dennis Allyn]

So lets say flag 9 was the last one, and it had about 60 seconds to the end of the track. When it reaches the end of the track, it automatically stops there if there is not another flag (10) to go to?

[Edward Troxel]

Yes. If you have a Marker 9, and there are 60 more seconds to go, Marker 9 will define "From here to the end" - in other words, if Marker 9 is set to camera 1, it will show camera 1 for the last 60 seconds.

[Dennis Allyn]

Thanks, so much for your help. I have learned so much today. One last thing, the audio tracks stay in tack, and only the video has the master track. So after the wizard does it's thing, I can choose which audio track I want to play with the master video track, or combine them back and forth, right? Do you think there is anything else in Excalibur that would help me other than the syncing and multicam wizard?

[Edward Troxel]

Yes, Multi-Cam does NOT touch the audio. I recommend you put Volume Envelopes on the audio tracks and mix them as needed. You can the pick between the best SINGLE audio source or use MULTIPLE audio sources if that is what is needed. You have to adjust that manually.

And, yes, there are several other tools in Excalibur that are helpful. Just look at everything on the second tab. Beyond Excalibur, you may wish to look at my other scripts: Tsunami and Neon. You can find information about them at the link under my name.

Please note: My website is still down but will, hopefully, be back up in the next hour or two. According to the phone message, there was a fire in the building adjacent to my web provider forcing the fire department to cut all power to that area and prohibiting them from using their backup generators.

[Dennis Allyn]

Sorry to hear about that. Hope no one was injured. Is there any promotion for the other 2 softwares. I paid $75 for excalibur, but a little light now on cash. Are there any discounts? Just asking. You can email me at dwallyn@yahoo.com if you choose not to answer on this forum. Thanks again. You've been very helpful. I know I tend to ramble, but need to learn this software to venture off into doing wedding videos. Oh, doesn't one of the other 2 have a script for doing pip's?

[Edward Troxel]

Tsunami has a PIP tool. It also has a video wall tool and a couple more effects. However, what I use Tsunami most for is the event selection tool.

Tsunami is sold through Zenote and is separate from Excalibur and Neon. I believe there is a discount on the two of them together - but that might only be if purchased at the same time.

Generally speaking, I don't handle the sales side of things.


p.s. and I can't e-mail until the site is back up :-(

[Edward Troxel]

All right!!! It appears my site has just now come back up!!!!