Vegas Scripting - How it can save time

[Edward Troxel]

The scripting capability built into Vegas 4 and Vegas 5 can help in a variety of ways. For example, suppose you have a specific task you like to do to a picture, and suppose you have 500 picture. If you have a script that can perform that task then you can perform that task for all 500 pictures in a couple of seconds.

Basically, scripting will allow you to automate tasks. Need to change the length of those 500 images? No problem, just write a little script that will perform that task. The beauty of it is that there are already tons of scripts available to do a wide variety of tasks. Plus, once written, they can be reused as needed in the future.

However, scripts can go above and beyond simply automating tasks. They can also add new capabilities to Vegas. For example, Excalibur is a full-blown multi-cam program that runs directly in Vegas affecting events directly on the timeline. This one function alone has saved me countless hours of editing time. Just click on the link below my name for more details about Excalibur and other scripts.

[Graham Bernard]

Well said Edward . .

I'm going to show my present client, 650 stills from about 16 hours of video I've shot. These will be set to music, using Markers on the beat, it will provide him with a thought provoking and stimulating and entertaining way of reviewing my work for him . . . And I will probably "bend" the stream of stills appearing out of the screen so that his interest is maintained even further . . it IS magic . . it is easy and it allows my creativity to come through . . If you can think it, you can do it . . .well mostly . . Put it another way, if I DID have the idea I wouldn't go any where near it! 650 stills ? Set to music? In tempo? It would have taken me most of the pre-post prod budget to just do it! . . This way it was done in, what, 5 seconds? AND I can re do and retry other options . .. Scripting? Bleedin' marvellous ! ! !

Grazie

[Andy Shrimpton]

I've just got Excalibur and Neon, and I have to agree that they do amazing things!

Ed: I have a question.

After I've done the multicam thing, and I want to get the credits in the right spot, how do I get the 4 camera PIP to become the one camera in the preview?

To expand: I'm running credits over the top of some fottage, and to position it correctly I need to see just one camera in the preview, so I need to stop the 4 PIPs.

I apologise if it's simple and I've missed it, I've RTFMed but can't seem to spot it.

Chhers,

Andy

[Edward Troxel]

Add the credits AFTER running the Multi-Cam Wizard.

[Yi Fong Yu]

ed, i've noticed that in vegas when your project setting is widescreen and you import say... 10 tapes. that would be 10 segments of video. each segment would be 4:3. is there a way to write a script to automatically crop ALL footage that you import according to your project setting?

[Peter Jefferson]

Im selling Excalibur (well actaully im directing my clients to excalibur) simply for the multicam capabilites based on price.

U literally wack ur video on the timeline, assign cut points, when your done, excalibur willl create a new timeline with all the relevant cut, retaining the originals

In contrast to that, Premiere has a dedicated MultiCam applicaiton (prem Pro has only jsut ogtten its release as were teh actual aussie distributors of the application here) which requires syncing to be done in the timeline, then exported as a project to Multicam which is a seperate app. MC then syncs the footage and spits out a new Project file with your synced footage.
It works, no doubt, but its not seemless.

My experience with the 2 i can say that Excalibur is almost instantaneous in the way it does this and provide one video track with cuts, plus your original video tracks underneath.
MC for Prem requires jumping in and out of 2 applicaitons and the use of various project files. Its also much slower.


Pinnacle Liquid 6 has a 9 cam MC facility. I ma yetto use this, but i think theyre using a similar system to Eds script. I havent seen this yet, so i cannot comment.

Another good thing about scripting, is that it allows you to strip all filters, effects etc etc from your clips.

Then theres the external control but thas another thread ;)

[Joseph Lawrence]

Edward,

Is there a good comprehensive reference for learning Vegas scripting? What do you consider the best resource for a beginner?

Joseph

[Edward Troxel]

<<<-- Originally posted by Yi Fong Yu : ed, i've noticed that in vegas when your project setting is widescreen and you import say... 10 tapes. that would be 10 segments of video. each segment would be 4:3. is there a way to write a script to automatically crop ALL footage that you import according to your project setting? -->>>

I'm sure something of that nature could be done. A LOT of people simply add a mask on the top track so it will cover everything (such as full screen transitions) that might happen in that area.

[Peter Jefferson]

hmm.. i think he means by changing the pixel aspect ratio for 16:9 from 4:3 for each clip as oppsed to changin it within the project settings as well as within each captured clip..

[Edward Troxel]

<<<-- Originally posted by Joseph Lawrence : Edward,

Is there a good comprehensive reference for learning Vegas scripting? What do you consider the best resource for a beginner?

Joseph -->>>

There's quite a bit of information out there. I have tons of scripting information on my site (link under my name), have quite a bit of info in the newsletter too, and also point to other locations with additional information. Particularly, here's two important locations:

http://www.ayizwe.net/VegasScripts/FAQ.html

and

http://www.ayizwe.net/VegasScripts/VegasScriptAPI.html or http://mediasoftware.sonypictures.co...p2.asp?DID=509

[Edward Troxel]

<<<-- Originally posted by Peter Jefferson : hmm.. i think he means by changing the pixel aspect ratio for 16:9 from 4:3 for each clip as oppsed to changin it within the project settings as well as within each captured clip.. -->>>

Yes, I realized that. And, yes, it could be done by adjusting the Pan/Crop settings.

[Edward Troxel]

Peter, glad you like the Multi-Cam tools. I think Excalibur provides the slickest method for multi-cam editing of anything out there.

[Randall Campbell]

There is an matchaspect.js script at http://www.ayizwe.net/VegasScripts/ that will apply the pan/copy match output aspect command to the selected events.

This is the method that I use to bring 4:3 material into a 16:9 project. Just set the project settings to 16:9, put the events on the timeline, select them an run the script.

Randall

[Dan Euritt]

thanks Edward, for taking the time to post this scripting info.

[Edward Troxel]

Dan, hope it gives you the type of information you were looking for. Scripting is a really powerful addition to Vegas in that it not only let's tasks become easier but also allows us, the end users, to actually expand the product!