Please check if you have any devices, such as a keyboard, shuttlepro, or any other device capable of simulating a keyboard active.

For example, if one of these devices is inadvertantly putting out a keystroke, it may cause the problem you are seeing.

If you have these devices, just unplug them for a brief test.

Keyboard Shortcuts Stop Working in Trimmer
 

Hi all.
When I'm in the trimmer, there are times when the keyboard shortcuts stop working (spacebar for play/shop, I and O for in and out, etc...) I can't figure out why this is. I have to click on an area inside the trimmer a few times to get the shortcuts to work again, like the window has lost focus. Any ideas on this? Thank you for the help.

AC3 Plugin in Vegas
 

I wonder can I render project to MPEG 2 in Vegas 6 with AC3 audio on the fly.Maybe some plugin is needed. That is possible in Premiere Pro, but in Vegas????.
Regards.

In DVD architect
 

If you install DVD Architect you get the AC3 plugin for vegas.
Maybe this will work
http://sourceforge.net/projects/ac3encode/

/magnus

Not sure what you mean by "on the fly" but you can certainly render to both in one step via a batch render script. The Batch Render script included with Vegas should do this for you. As Magnus said, you need DVD Architect for AC3 to be active, though.

Sounds like that's exactly what's happened - the trimmer window has lost focus and you must return focus to it (which you're doing by clicking in it). You could try returning focus to it by pressing ALT-2 instead of clicking.

With the project's pixel aspect ratio set to 1.3333, try right-clicking on the video preview and selecting "simulate device aspect ratio." That should do it. You may begin to see some weird macro blocking in the image when you select this setting, but it's only in the preview and does not actually affect the footage in any way.

Either of the two adjustments you are talking about will actually effect the true aspect ratio of the video files when you render them out. You definitely don't want to do that. "Simulate device aspect ratio" is a preview-only setting, and will not effect render settings.

"Fit to disc" with MainConcept encoder?
 

In the past when encoding for DVD authoring with DVDA, I have rendered from the Vegas timeline to an intermediate .avi and then encoded to MPEG-2 from DVDA. DVDA will allow you to choose the optimum bitrate for your project based on the size of the media.

I've recently decided to switch workflows and render to MPEG directly from the Vegas timeline using the MainConcept encoder and then render audio separately, as with some projects this would seem to cut out a round of encoding by bypassing the DV intermediate altogether, and thus potentially giving better results.

The problem is that when you choose this route, you have no idea if your encoded MPEG-2 file will fit on the disc or not, or likewise, if you could have squeezed in a little more bitrate to improve quality.

Is there some way to optimize the bitrate like in DVDA? Or is it necessary to calculate the optimal bitrate based on some kind of formula? If so, what is that formula?

YOU have to figure out the proper bitrate. I have a bitrate chart in vol 1 #7 of my newsletters. There's also several bitrate calculators available for download.

Thanks, Edward. Seems like if Vegas were able to give you the final file size before you encode, you wouldn't have to worry about potentially having to re-render a project because your MPEG-2 was either too big or too small. But I guess there's no way for Vegas to predict the filesize when using variable bit rates. Anyway, the chart will help. I appreciate it.

Washington Baltimore Vegas User Group Meeting
 

Mark your calendars!

The next Washington Baltimore Vegas User Group (WBVUG) meeting will be held on Saturday, September 16th 2006, from 1:00pm - 3:00pm at the Chevy Chase Neighborhood Library. The Chevy Chase Neighborhood Library is located 1 1/2 blocks south of Chevy Chase Circle at the Maryland state line in Washington DC, NW near McKinley Street and Connecticut Avenue. We currently have reserved a meeting room that seats 50 people so there is plenty of room for everyone. There is no charge for attending the meeting but come prepared to share "Tips, Tricks and Lessons Learned" while working with Sony Vegas.

So come on out and meet your fellow Sony Vegas video editors located in the Washington, Baltimore and Northern Virginia area!

Thanks and we hope to see you there.

If you have any questions, please contact Mickey Grackin at www.oicproductions.net/wbvug.html.

Tentative Agenda:


1:00 - 1:20 Meet & Greet/Networking
1:20 - 1:40 Introductions/Past & Present Projects
1:40 - 2:20 Presentation? Show and Tell?
2:20 - 3:00 Closing Discussion

Track Motion
 

Is there a way to use Vegas' Track Motion /3D Track Motion to effectively track camera motion? It seems like the key frames might not be accurate enough, and the tutorials I've found detail how to create an excellent picture-in-picture effect, but nothing for actually tracking the motion of the camera. Perhaps I've missed a tutorial on point?

I'm studying tutorials for Voodoo, Icarus, and others, but I'm hoping there is a way to keep it in Vegas.

The desired effect:

Inserting animated CRT displays into intentionally handheld footage in which the practical CRTs have been covered in green chromakey material.

Thanks for any advice.

Brian

you might be able to get away with 2 ( 2 1/2) D tracking software ..
combustion might do it - it will track the 4 corners of your TV set and then set in the B roll and apply tracking info ( it will bend the corners ) ..
IMO vegas is not really set up for motion tracking ..

here's effect done on FLAME - keying/stabilize/tracking a clear plastic size sceen ( edges of screen are lit so you see edges) with blue screen material on it .. and then keyed with image that gives illusion you can see thru image to back wall..

Trying to render 5 min clip to 100mb file size
 

Excuse my ignorance but I'm trying to target a 100mb file from a 5 minute clip. Is there a formula: time 5 mins = 300 seconds x 256kps = 76.8mb?

I'm trying to max the quality and keep it under 100mb.

Any schooling on the subject is appreciated.

Yeah, it seems now that they've given us an inch we try to stretch it out ot a mile... The keyframing in all the NLE's are a nice BONUS but they are no replacement for things like After Effects and such in any serious keyframe/motion tracking work. These things CAN be done in Vegas but they are rediculously tedious and less than ideal.