settings for a slide show...
 

for my job i often have to make little slideshows in vegas 5.

i wanted to make it is automated and uniformed as possible.

i see in the preferences where you can change the amount of time a new still is displayed, and i changed it from 5 seconds to ten.

my question is:

how can i tell vegas i want it to automatically space each new image? basically, is there a way that everytime i enter a new image it is automatically crossfaded into the next? by default, it spaces them one after the other. i would like them to automatically be crossfaded say 1 sec everytime i insert a new image.

also, what about automatically matching the output aspect? is that possible?

is there a better app for making these simple little slideshows?

On the same tab in Preferences is an "automatically overlap" checkbox and you can enter the amount of the overlap. However, If you're doing "Ken Burns" style movements, I don't like to do that. I have the procedure I use written up in Vol 1 #8 of my newsletter.

If you want to really automate the process, you can use the tools built into Excalibur/Neon and/or Ultimate S to build a slide show for you.

I have tried both and since Ed's came first I use it the most. Ultimate S is a bit more powerful but either way you can't go wrong.

Freeze Frame
 

I can't seem to figure out how to do a freeze frame on my video. I read about the Velocity envelope, but I can't get this to freeze my video up as it plays. Can somebody give me some suggestions on how to do a freeze frame? Thanks.

thanks!

Ahh, never mind, I got it. I was simply bending the velocity envelope all the way down, thinking that would freeze it, instead of paying attention to the velocity numbers.

An easy way to make sure you have a freeze frame it to right-click the node, choose "Set to..." and type in 0. Otherwise you may be "close" to zero but not exactly and experience a slight "drift".

.avi aspect ratio vs. mpg aspect ratio
 

Why does my .avi display partially letterboxed in WinDVD, while the rendered .mpg displays full screen? They're both 720 x 480.

I've tried a search on "avi aspect ratio" but the hits that came up seem to center on 16:9 and 24p.

the real question might be, does your .avi show up as letterboxed in the vegas editor window, windows media player, etc.

Short answer: when you render set Pixel aspect ratio to 1.0 and Frame size to NTSC Square Pixel (under File>Render>Custom>Video)

Long answer: The AVI extension merely indicates the file format, not the codec, and not all codecs have or use an aspect ratio tag. In fact, I know of no popular codec that actually does respect the aspect ratio, so I always use square pixels when I am not rendering to MPEG-2. A video container may be compatible with many video and audio codecs, so being able to play one AVI file in no way guarantees being able to play another.

I always just copy/paste the last frame until i've got enough freeze frame time...

NYC Sony Vegas Users Group meeting at B&H 4/5/5
 

Get your creative juices flowing at the April 5th meeting of the New
York Sony Vegas user group. Our Main Event will be our first-ever
Creative Video Challenge Contest, a game that challenges you to
construct a move in only one hour from the media clips we'll supply.
Bring your laptop running Vegas (or any editing program you like) and
join the fun.

The meeting will also feature our first-ever Vegas Quickstart Tutorial
for people who are new to Vegas (or to video editing) as well a
showcase for videos that you've created and a Tip Swap where you can
get answers to your most pressing Vegas questions.
If you want to join the creative challenge, email Charles Dennis,
info@... just so we'll know how many people to expect.
To submit work for the showcase portion of the meeting, contact Jay at
jayvivid@.... Please keep submissions to 5 minutes or less.

The pre-meeting will begin at 6:30 pm with the Quickstart Tutorial,
then the main program begins at 7:00 pm. The new home for our meeting
is B&H Photo at 33rd Street and 9th Avenue.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nysvug/

Are any of you guys going to the Weva Town meeting tomorrow. I'll be there and at B&H tomorrow (Thursday April 1st)

Hi Glen:

I am going to try to make it to the WEVA Town Meeting.

The Next Generation: Preparing for the Transition to High-Definition Wedding & Event Videography which starts at 3:30 looks hot, but I will not be able to get there that early.



In this information-packed workshop, experience the future--HDV! See actual footage from a wedding shot with Sony’s new HDV Pro camcorder and learn how your business can make a smooth and cost-effective transition from SD to HD/HDV. Also see how Sony's high-powered Vegas Video nonlinear editing system can assist in this evolution to high-definition widescreen video production.

http://www.wevainstitute.com/program...l.asp?cityID=1

Vegas with Premiere
 

Hey guys I just aquired Vegas 5.0 and I'm currently running my editor with Premiere pro. There are a few little things that Vegas can do (at least easily) that premiere can't so I'd like to have the abilty to run it if need be. What are the pros and cons of having both systems installed on the same editor?

Thanks guys.