Vegas Video discussions from 2006 (Q1Q2)

Paul Carlberg · January 29th, 2006, 03:57 PM

Newbie question. I am running Vegas 6.0 (+ HDR/HC1) and I am looking for a work around or solution for a opacity issue. When I add generated media in the form of scrolling credits (actually timed fade in/out text),, I can only see the text when I reduce the opacity of of my primary video to 90%. Thus, in order to see white text, my video is darkened because my background for the generated media is black. When creating a white background for the generated media(dark text)hoping that would solve the problem but I can't seem to generate any text that way. Can I overlay clearly recognizable text without reducing the illumination of my video? I suppose a workaround is to overexpose my video when I shoot, in order to add text, but I hope it doesn't come to that. For what's it's worth, this is my first introduction into video production and I think Vegas is pretty sweet.

Mike Kujbida · January 29th, 2006, 05:38 PM

Sounds like you're putting the text track below the video clip. Make sure the text track goes above the the video clip and you should be fine.

Ben Chancey · January 29th, 2006, 05:53 PM

I am nearing the final stages and I have a few ?'s on how to procede. When editing and then rendering intros and graphics do I first need to render them to HD specs best and then install to main time line? Or can I render them to preview and when I choose to print to tape, will it then render graphics in best quality? It may not work that way but I need to know for sure. In final render for graphics what settings do I need to use as far as blur, interlace flicker, interleave how many frames, and all the rest of those settings that I know are probably pretty important to get the best possible project. I have completed the meat of the show with music and rendered it to HD and printed to tape. The show looks great and I am very impressed with HD. I now have to add lowerthirds and other graphics to the footage as well as finish the intro and put billboards and commercial breaks.

I have yet to get this alpha channel right on lower thirds. I have went in and changes all images to premultiplied before final best render. I pray that it works this time. Each 5 second render for the lower third takes about 15 minutes. I really want to be able to use them.

One more thing, the network requires all audio to be on track two. I know how to combine tracks and that type of stuff but I have never recorded to track 2. Thanks

Thanks for hearing me out. I appreciate any and all help.

Regards,
Capt Ben

Douglas Spotted Eagle · January 29th, 2006, 09:22 PM

Lower thirds are rendered along with the show. you don't ship them separately.
As far as audio on Channel two, that's got me confused too. We ship HD via HDCAM, and never have been required to submit anything but stereo, and on two occasions, 5.1.
In all cases, we ship primary audio on channels one and two. If it's 5.1, we've been shipping that as separate channels to the 8 channels, with a stereo mix on one and two, and the six channels for 5.1 so they get both.
Don't worry about interleaving frames, etc. Just render to a template. You haven't said how you're delivering. HDCAM, D5, disk?

Dennis Liu · January 29th, 2006, 09:49 PM

Hi Douglas,

Using TMPGEnc worked very well, the quality was noticeably better. I've also decided to render to other formats, which turned out with a much cleaner picture. Thanks for the assistance.

Just a question in general, which is a better format for small file sizes and web-distribution - WMV or MOV?

Dennis

Douglas Spotted Eagle · January 29th, 2006, 09:55 PM

For small web file quality, nothing yet beats WMV. I've been doing MPEG 4 comparisons all week with various encoders, and at bitrates of lower than 256, nothing at all, compares.

Ben Chancey · January 29th, 2006, 10:17 PM

DSE

I didn't do a good job explaining what I meant. Rendering lower thirds and then rendering them again onto film is where I am wondering if I can skip. Rendering lower thirds and other graphics has taken extremely long times. What I am doing is Rendering the graphics multiscreen intros in HD 1080i and on the BEST setting. I leave all the other settings at where Vegas has them. When I render to the best setting. Time goes from 5minutes for one 20 second intro to 5.5 hours. That is along time considering I have two such segments. I have the feeling there is no way to get around it though. I have a fairly fast computer. P4 3.4 HT and ATI 600 graphics card but when it comes to final rendering, Whew!

As far as what I am rendering it to. I am going to render it to a Sony Digital Master 63 Minute Tape via the Sony HVR-Z1. Please tell me this is feasible or my heart will be broken.

One more thing, should I do anything with the blending of fields and those types of buttons?

Thanks,
Capt Ben

Steven Davis · January 30th, 2006, 10:29 AM

Hi all,

I am trying to accomplish the following. I want to have an event where a water drop makes contact resulting in a water drop ripple effect. After that I want my logo to appear, i.e. fade in.

I'm not sure how or where to get the water drop video from?

I know this is a special effect, any suggestions are appreciated.

Peter Jefferson · January 30th, 2006, 10:58 AM

check out pixelan Spicemaster . they have organic transitions there, the one u want is ripple. the good thing about spicemaster is that you can change the shape of teh gradient used, being that you can have a BW logo ripple in like water.. once u have it u can add some depth by playing with the bump map filter.

What your wanting is a displacement transition, or u can do this in vegas manually with the displacement map and parent child tracks.

Steven Davis · January 30th, 2006, 11:56 AM

Thanks, I'll see if they have a demo of it. I suppose if anyone has come across the actual water drop video clip and knows of where I can obtain it, that'd be great too.

Danny Fye · January 30th, 2006, 03:38 PM

Hi all,

Right now I am using Ulead's MSP8 and when I render a file I can have it use a basic AC-3 so as to have better compatibility with DVD. At least I think it does.

Anyway, when looking at the comparison chart for the different versions of Vegas, it would appear that this can only be done with the Vegas+DVD version.

My question is, how can this be done with either Vegas 6 or Vegas Movie Studio+Platinum?

I am thinking about switching to Vegas and I am trying to decide which version I would want to switch to.

I can use the competitive upgrade, but my budget is limited and the full Vegas+DVD costs too much for me even with the upgrade price.

I am sort of leaning towards Vegas 6 because I am not sure if Vegas Movie Studio+Platinum will meet all of my needs or not.

Whatever of the two versions I choose if any, I need to know if a rendered file can have AC-3 or not and if so, how and how much would it costs if it requires a separate purchase.

I would be using Uleads DVD Workshop2 express for my DVD authoring.

Note: I did a search first but couldn't find the answer I needed.

Thanks in advance,

Danny Fye
www.dannyfye.com

Edward Troxel · January 30th, 2006, 03:44 PM

Based on the comparison charts, it does not look like either of the "Movie Studio" versions include AC-3. With the full version of Vegas, you need "Vegas+DVD" to also get the AC-3. It does not come with just Vegas - it's included with DVD Architect.

Here's the comparison:
http://www.sonymediasoftware.com/Pro...FeatureID=8357

AC-3 is on the 5th line down.

Danny Fye · January 30th, 2006, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edward Troxel

Based on the comparison charts, it does not look like either of the "Movie Studio" versions include AC-3. With the full version of Vegas, you need "Vegas+DVD" to also get the AC-3. It does not come with just Vegas - it's included with DVD Architect.

Here's the comparison:
http://www.sonymediasoftware.com/Pro...FeatureID=8357

AC-3 is on the 5th line down.

Thanks for the reply.

That part I already know and maybe I didn't make it very clear. The question is how can it be done in Vegas 6 and Vegas Movie Studio+Platinum? How much would an encoder cost? Or would I be better off stretching my budget out of shape and just simply get Vegas+DVD?

Thanks,
Danny Fye
www.dannyfye.com

Edward Troxel · January 30th, 2006, 04:25 PM

You will be better off just getting Vegas+DVD.

I couldn't find price information on the AC3 encoder on the Sony site but it used to be MORE than the "+DVD". (I'm thinking about $180?)

Danny Fye · January 30th, 2006, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edward Troxel

You will be better off just getting Vegas+DVD.

I couldn't find price information on the AC3 encoder on the Sony site but it used to be MORE than the "+DVD". (I'm thinking about $180?)

Thanks.

Inotice that VideoGuys page shows that there is a competitive rebate of $100 for Vegas+DVD and that it expires 1-31-2006.

Would I have to make the purchase today or is the expiration date inclusive so I can make the purchase tomorow?

I need to know ASAP!

Thanks again,

Danny Fye
www.dannyfye.com

January 29th, 2006, 03:57 PM	#316
Paul Carlberg Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Aurora, Colorado Posts: 41	scrolling credits and darkened video Newbie question. I am running Vegas 6.0 (+ HDR/HC1) and I am looking for a work around or solution for a opacity issue. When I add generated media in the form of scrolling credits (actually timed fade in/out text),, I can only see the text when I reduce the opacity of of my primary video to 90%. Thus, in order to see white text, my video is darkened because my background for the generated media is black. When creating a white background for the generated media(dark text)hoping that would solve the problem but I can't seem to generate any text that way. Can I overlay clearly recognizable text without reducing the illumination of my video? I suppose a workaround is to overexpose my video when I shoot, in order to add text, but I hope it doesn't come to that. For what's it's worth, this is my first introduction into video production and I think Vegas is pretty sweet.

January 29th, 2006, 05:53 PM	#318
Ben Chancey Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Cape Coral, Florida Posts: 76	Rendering settings for final HD broadcast. I am nearing the final stages and I have a few ?'s on how to procede. When editing and then rendering intros and graphics do I first need to render them to HD specs best and then install to main time line? Or can I render them to preview and when I choose to print to tape, will it then render graphics in best quality? It may not work that way but I need to know for sure. In final render for graphics what settings do I need to use as far as blur, interlace flicker, interleave how many frames, and all the rest of those settings that I know are probably pretty important to get the best possible project. I have completed the meat of the show with music and rendered it to HD and printed to tape. The show looks great and I am very impressed with HD. I now have to add lowerthirds and other graphics to the footage as well as finish the intro and put billboards and commercial breaks. I have yet to get this alpha channel right on lower thirds. I have went in and changes all images to premultiplied before final best render. I pray that it works this time. Each 5 second render for the lower third takes about 15 minutes. I really want to be able to use them. One more thing, the network requires all audio to be on track two. I know how to combine tracks and that type of stuff but I have never recorded to track 2. Thanks Thanks for hearing me out. I appreciate any and all help. Regards, Capt Ben __________________ "Chew On This Saltwater Fishing Show" Fishing Television with Intensity

January 29th, 2006, 09:22 PM	#319
Douglas Spotted Eagle VASST Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Stockton, UT Posts: 5,648	Lower thirds are rendered along with the show. you don't ship them separately. As far as audio on Channel two, that's got me confused too. We ship HD via HDCAM, and never have been required to submit anything but stereo, and on two occasions, 5.1. In all cases, we ship primary audio on channels one and two. If it's 5.1, we've been shipping that as separate channels to the 8 channels, with a stereo mix on one and two, and the six channels for 5.1 so they get both. Don't worry about interleaving frames, etc. Just render to a template. You haven't said how you're delivering. HDCAM, D5, disk? __________________ Douglas Spotted Eagle/Spot Author, producer, composer Certified Sony Vegas Trainer http://www.vasst.com

January 29th, 2006, 09:55 PM	#321
Douglas Spotted Eagle VASST Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Stockton, UT Posts: 5,648	For small web file quality, nothing yet beats WMV. I've been doing MPEG 4 comparisons all week with various encoders, and at bitrates of lower than 256, nothing at all, compares. __________________ Douglas Spotted Eagle/Spot Author, producer, composer Certified Sony Vegas Trainer http://www.vasst.com

January 29th, 2006, 10:17 PM	#322
Ben Chancey Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Cape Coral, Florida Posts: 76	DSE I didn't do a good job explaining what I meant. Rendering lower thirds and then rendering them again onto film is where I am wondering if I can skip. Rendering lower thirds and other graphics has taken extremely long times. What I am doing is Rendering the graphics multiscreen intros in HD 1080i and on the BEST setting. I leave all the other settings at where Vegas has them. When I render to the best setting. Time goes from 5minutes for one 20 second intro to 5.5 hours. That is along time considering I have two such segments. I have the feeling there is no way to get around it though. I have a fairly fast computer. P4 3.4 HT and ATI 600 graphics card but when it comes to final rendering, Whew! As far as what I am rendering it to. I am going to render it to a Sony Digital Master 63 Minute Tape via the Sony HVR-Z1. Please tell me this is feasible or my heart will be broken. One more thing, should I do anything with the blending of fields and those types of buttons? Thanks, Capt Ben __________________ "Chew On This Saltwater Fishing Show" Fishing Television with Intensity

January 29th, 2006, 05:38 PM	#317
Mike Kujbida Inner Circle Join Date: May 2005 Location: Windsor, ON Canada Posts: 2,770	Sounds like you're putting the text track below the video clip. Make sure the text track goes above the the video clip and you should be fine.

January 29th, 2006, 09:49 PM	#320
Dennis Liu Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Posts: 136	Hi Douglas, Using TMPGEnc worked very well, the quality was noticeably better. I've also decided to render to other formats, which turned out with a much cleaner picture. Thanks for the assistance. Just a question in general, which is a better format for small file sizes and web-distribution - WMV or MOV? Dennis

January 30th, 2006, 10:29 AM	#323
Steven Davis Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 3,065	Water drop Hi all, I am trying to accomplish the following. I want to have an event where a water drop makes contact resulting in a water drop ripple effect. After that I want my logo to appear, i.e. fade in. I'm not sure how or where to get the water drop video from? I know this is a special effect, any suggestions are appreciated. __________________ What happens if I push the 'Red' button?

January 30th, 2006, 10:58 AM	#324
Peter Jefferson Inner Circle Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Aus Posts: 3,884	check out pixelan Spicemaster . they have organic transitions there, the one u want is ripple. the good thing about spicemaster is that you can change the shape of teh gradient used, being that you can have a BW logo ripple in like water.. once u have it u can add some depth by playing with the bump map filter. What your wanting is a displacement transition, or u can do this in vegas manually with the displacement map and parent child tracks.

January 30th, 2006, 11:56 AM	#325
Steven Davis Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 3,065	Thanks, I'll see if they have a demo of it. I suppose if anyone has come across the actual water drop video clip and knows of where I can obtain it, that'd be great too. __________________ What happens if I push the 'Red' button?

January 30th, 2006, 03:38 PM	#326
Danny Fye Major Player Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Independence MO. Posts: 318	Ac-3 Hi all, Right now I am using Ulead's MSP8 and when I render a file I can have it use a basic AC-3 so as to have better compatibility with DVD. At least I think it does. Anyway, when looking at the comparison chart for the different versions of Vegas, it would appear that this can only be done with the Vegas+DVD version. My question is, how can this be done with either Vegas 6 or Vegas Movie Studio+Platinum? I am thinking about switching to Vegas and I am trying to decide which version I would want to switch to. I can use the competitive upgrade, but my budget is limited and the full Vegas+DVD costs too much for me even with the upgrade price. I am sort of leaning towards Vegas 6 because I am not sure if Vegas Movie Studio+Platinum will meet all of my needs or not. Whatever of the two versions I choose if any, I need to know if a rendered file can have AC-3 or not and if so, how and how much would it costs if it requires a separate purchase. I would be using Uleads DVD Workshop2 express for my DVD authoring. Note: I did a search first but couldn't find the answer I needed. Thanks in advance, Danny Fye www.dannyfye.com

January 30th, 2006, 03:44 PM	#327
Edward Troxel Sponsor: JET DV Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 7,953	Based on the comparison charts, it does not look like either of the "Movie Studio" versions include AC-3. With the full version of Vegas, you need "Vegas+DVD" to also get the AC-3. It does not come with just Vegas - it's included with DVD Architect. Here's the comparison: http://www.sonymediasoftware.com/Pro...FeatureID=8357 AC-3 is on the 5th line down. __________________ Edward Troxel [SCVU] JETDV Scripts/Scripting Tutorials/Excalibur/Montage Magic/Newsletters

January 30th, 2006, 04:25 PM	#329
Edward Troxel Sponsor: JET DV Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 7,953	You will be better off just getting Vegas+DVD. I couldn't find price information on the AC3 encoder on the Sony site but it used to be MORE than the "+DVD". (I'm thinking about $180?) __________________ Edward Troxel [SCVU] JETDV Scripts/Scripting Tutorials/Excalibur/Montage Magic/Newsletters