MediaStudio Pro VERSION 6.0 User Guide Ulead Systems, Inc.
First English edition for MediaStudio Pro version 6.0, January 2000 © 1992–2000, Ulead Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or storing in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form without the express written permission of Ulead Systems, Inc.
Table of Contents Introduction Welcome to MediaStudio Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Getting started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Help! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 The manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Artistic and creative techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Applying a video filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creating a moving path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creating rolling credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
INTRODUCTION 5 Video Capture Video Capture: Chapter 1 - Getting started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Understanding the basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Preparing video for display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Connecting to an analog video source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Video Editor Video Editor: Chapter 1 - Getting started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Understanding the workplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Standard toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Timeline toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
INTRODUCTION 7 Video Editor: Chapter 2 - Editing clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Making selections in the Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using the Clip Selection tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using the Time Selection tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Video Editor: Chapter 3 - Performing effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Using transition effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Transition effects basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Customizing a transition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
INTRODUCTION 9 Video Paint Video Paint: Chapter 1 - Getting started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 Understanding the basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Working with the Filmstrip panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Working with edit windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Working with color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using the Color palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Selecting colors from the Color Picker pop-up menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Selecting colors with the Eyedropper tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
INTRODUCTION 11 CG Infinity: Chapter 2 - Working with objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281 Defining an object’s style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282 Setting your default object style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285 Creating text and shape objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Audio Editor: Chapter 2 - Editing audio files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317 Creating selection areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318 Creating precise selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319 Working with cues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
INTRODUCTION 13 Introduction Welcome to MediaStudio Pro Congratulations on purchasing Ulead MediaStudio Pro, the ultimate video editing solution for desktop professionals and digital video enthusiasts. Built around a powerful suite of versatile and high performance programs, MediaStudio Pro is the first choice for anyone wanting to work with and control digital video.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 14 Getting started MediaStudio Pro is a high caliber, professional level video editing software suite. More than just a simple video editor, it is truly, a complete digital studio, encompassing computer graphics effects, rotoscope animation, and other amazing filters and effects. Acclaimed by industry experts as being the most intuitive and easy to use video editing software around, it is a powerful program that needs ample time to master.
INTRODUCTION 15 The manual We consider the Online Help to be a definitive reference for instant and comprehensive information about every aspect of MediaStudio Pro. It is not meant to be read through as a complete document. The manual, on the other hand, is much more readable but is meant as an introduction and is limited in scope.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 16 Installation The MediaStudio Pro installation program runs from within Windows and contains complete instructions to take you through the installation process. To install MediaStudio Pro: 1. Read the license agreement that comes with the MediaStudio Pro package. The license agreement contains important legal requirements that you need to be aware of. If you agree to abide by it, continue with the installation.
INTRODUCTION 17 Installing Acrobat Reader An electronic copy of this user guide is also available in the Adobe Acrobat format (PORTABLE DOCUMENT FORMAT - PDF). To view this, first run the AR40ENG.EXE file (in the DRIVERS folder of the first MediaStudio Pro CD) and follow the installation instructions. After successfully installing the Reader program, run the program and click File: Open to open the file MSPMANUAL.PDF. You can then view the user guide online.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 18 6.0 - What's new? This is a major revision for MediaStudio Pro and that is reflected by the jump from 5.2 to 6.0. Already a mature program, the 6.0 version is a stable and solid piece of software that has evolved to become the industry leader. The engine, or core, of the program has been significantly updated to take advantage of the latest technological advances in hardware and software, creating a faster, more efficient, and more stable editing platform.
INTRODUCTION 19 Track control Small changes here and there have led to polished track controls that are easy to use. You can lock tracks to protect them from changes, temporarily hide (mute) tracks to make your editing easier, and select entire tracks with a click. (See page 132.) Ripple Editing The Ripple Editing aspects of MediaStudio Pro have been vastly improved and include Push Away Insertion of clips.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE More new tools In addition to the tools listed on the previous few pages, you'll find a new Audio Cross-fade tool, a new selection tool, and more brushes in Video Paint, as well as other convenient buttons and shortcuts. Full Digital Video (DV) support Previous versions of MediaStudio Pro supported even the very first DV products on the market. The latest version now offers comprehensive support for DV in all of its manifestations.
INTRODUCTION 21 Internal changes Probably the most important changes in MediaStudio Pro are the internal changes to the underlying software that will become obvious as you use the program. MediaStudio Pro's basic editing engine is now a 6th generation tool, completely rewritten by an experienced staff of engineers. Faster and more robust than any tool on the market, you can expect to take advantage of the following: • Faster, smarter rendering SmartRender was a revolutionary new concept in the 5.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE
Tutorials
Tutorial 1 Video Capture Video Capture is where you'll begin. Hook up your camcorder and you're ready to import video files to your computer for professional editing. MediaStudio Pro introduces a number of amazing technological innovations including Digital Video (DV) and native MPEG capture, editing and movie creation. These new features are the focus of the first tutorial. In this tutorial you will learn about: • Capturing Digital Video (DV) ..............................................................
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 26 Capturing Digital Video (DV) Digital Video (DV) is a video format that is fundamentally different from traditional analog formats like VHS, Hi-8, and S-VHS. It is much easier for your computer to capture DV than it is to capture other formats because DV is widely supported and the data rate is lower. In addition, the quality of the video is exceptional because it is retained in a purely digital form, from capturing to editing, and finally back to your camcorder.
TUTORIAL ONE: VIDEO CAPTURE 27 3. Click Setup: Device Control. 4. In the Device Control dialog box, click the Current device list. 5. Select your device. This will vary depending on your hardware: MS 1394 Device Control or TI 1394 Device Control. 6. From the Setup Menu, select Switch Capture Plug-in. 7. Select the appropriate DV Capture Plug-in (for example: Ulead DirectShow Capture Plug-in). 8. Restart Video Capture. The above is not exclusive to DV: it will work for any computer controllable device.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Capturing MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Capturing MPEG is one of the most exciting developments in computer video since DV was introduced. MediaStudio Pro gives you the flexibility to choose MPEG-1 or MPEG-2, depending on your needs. MPEG-1 is recommended for older computers and for people who want to create VCDs, while MPEG-2 is more suitable for those with faster computers who demand excellent quality video in a highly compressed format. To capture MPEG video: 1.
TUTORIAL TWO: VIDEO EDITOR 29 Tutorial 2 Video Editor Video Editor is where you combine all the elements from the other MediaStudio Pro programs to create a final video production. Here you can insert your files and then arrange them into their playing sequence, adding impressive transition effects, overlays and moving paths as you go. In this tutorial you will learn about: • Creating video projects .............................................................................. p.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 30 The basics Video Editor is a rich, professional editing tool. As such, it can take some time to truly master. We're going to try, however, to walk you through the complete process of creating a finished movie as quickly and professionally as possible. Creating your first video project The critical first step to making movies is to create a project. A project is simply a small file that collects and controls the details of your movie.
TUTORIAL TWO: VIDEO EDITOR 31 Adding clips to your project The Timeline is the heart of Video Editor. This is where you put video, audio, and other media files that will make up your movie. Daunting at first glance, it is amazingly easy to use. You can also see how long each video/ audio segment is and how it relates to other parts of your project. To insert files into the Timeline: 1. Click the Insert Video button on the Timeline toolbar to open the Insert Video File dialog box. 2.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 32 Working with clips Any media file in a project is referred to as a clip. Clips can be images, video, sound files, titles or colors. Changing the order of clips and positioning clips on the Timeline is a natural and intuitive process: just drag-anddrop. The power of editing video on your computer comes in part from the ability to edit with frame accuracy. Although there are a number of techniques you can use, the following is one of the easiest. To trim a video clip: 1.
TUTORIAL TWO: VIDEO EDITOR 33 Applying transition effects Transition effects between scenes in a movie are a ubiquitous part of any video production. Whether you stick with a simple cross-fade or go for any one of the hundred or so fancier special effects, this is sure to be one of the more fun parts of editing. To create a transition effect: 1. Insert one clip into Va and another into Vb. Make sure the clip in Vb overlaps the one in Va by about a second. 2.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 34 Previewing your work Previews are an important aspect of any video project as they allow you to see how your work is developing. The process of creating a movie or a preview is called rendering and, depending on the speed of your computer, this can take some time. MediaStudio Pro is a sophisticated piece of engineering, and by previewing often, you can actually speed up the rendering process.
TUTORIAL TWO: VIDEO EDITOR 35 Artistic and creative techniques Beyond the everyday work discussed in the previous section, Video Editor also contains a host of remarkable tools you can use either to clean up your video or to create special creative touches. Applying a video filter Video filters are effects which you can apply to clips in order to change their appearance or style. You can improve the color balance of a clip (or remove the color all together) or make the video look like a painting.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 36 Creating a moving path During your video editing work, you will often make use of moving paths to enable video clips to move over another in the background clip. These clips can move in any number of different directions, changing shape and size, and even rotating in three dimensions. To create a moving path: 1. Insert a clip into one of the overlay tracks (V1-V99). 2. From the Production Library, select the Moving Path: 2D Basic gallery. 3.
TUTORIAL TWO: VIDEO EDITOR 37 Creating rolling credits Credits are an important part of any video production and are used to set the scene for the video and to mention the cast and characters. When you create credits, they are often rolling, moving up or across the screen as the video plays. To create rolling credits: 1. Click the Insert Title Clip button on the Timeline toolbar to open the Insert Title Clip dialog box. 2. In the text entry box, enter your credits. This text can be in multiple lines. 3.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 38 Changing the amplification of an audio track In Video Editor, you can change an audio track’s amplification directly from the Timeline by adjusting its baseline. By changing the amplification of an audio clip from the Timeline, you can quickly perform fade in and out effects as well as temporarily adjust audio levels as you work. To change the amplification of an audio clip: 1. Select the audio clip whose amplification you want to change. 2. Click on the baseline of the clip.
TUTORIAL TWO: VIDEO EDITOR 39 Performing advanced techniques Many effects in MediaStudio Pro can be precisely controlled and animated using keyframes. You can set the degree of the effect from the start to the end frame of your clips. MediaStudio Pro then interpolates the effect between the keyframes. Customizing a transition effect You can control the transition from one clip to another by adjusting the keyframe settings. This allows you to create effects such as wipe, peel, or split screen.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Using Moving paths Moving paths are invisible lines that an overlay clip can follow during an animation. In the simplest case, a clip can move from a starting keyframe position to an ending one. More complex Moving paths can rotate and zoom clips in three dimensions. To create a Picture-in-Picture: 1. Place a clip for the background on the Va track, and the clip to appear as the foreground directly over it in an overlay track (V1). 2.
TUTORIAL TWO: VIDEO EDITOR 41 Moving paths can be applied to a video clip. This tool can also be used on image and title clips. To scroll titles into the distance: 1. Create a suitable Rolling title sequence in the V1 track. (See page 37.) 2. From the Production Library, drag-and-drop the 2D Advanced Moving Path onto the title clip. This opens a dialog box. 3. Adjust the Distortion by dragging the green boxes at the corners. 4. Click the End keyframe and repeat the distortion.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 42 Synchronizing audio to video One essential aspect of audio editing is synchronizing actions and events with sound, such as matching subtitles to dialogue or the crackle of burning wood with a fire. To synchronize audio to video: 1. Click the Display Mode button to open the Timeline Display Mode dialog box. Select the Show cue bar options in both the Video and Audio group boxes and click OK. 2. Insert both the audio and video clips you want to synchronize into the Timeline.
Tutorial 3 Video Paint Video Paint is the program where you add all your effects animation and rotoscoping to individual frames of a video project. With it, you can create such effects as laser blasts, background mattes, and cloned actors and props. In this tutorial you will learn about: • Getting to know Video Paint ...................................................................... p.44 • Performing common techniques .............................................................. p.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 44 Getting to know Video Paint Video Paint is a special effects animation program that allows you to paint (rotoscope) over the frames in a video. These animations can range from the simple, such as signing your name across an opening title sequence, to the complex, such as painting background sets and removing video noise.
TUTORIAL THREE: VIDEO PAINT 45 Working with images in an edit window The edit window displays the image of the currently selected frame in a Video Paint project. Once displayed, you can begin working on the image by selecting or painting over parts of it. At any given time, you will be working in one of two modes: Composite or Paint Layer. Which mode you choose depends on the type of work you are doing as well as the type of effect you want to create. To work on an image in an edit window: 1.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Customizing your brushes Most of your work in Video Paint will be done with the paint, clone, and retouch tools. Each of these tools has various attributes which determine the way they work as well as how they apply paint. These attributes are specified in the Brush panel and a number of presets can also be selected from various galleries in the Production Library. To create a felt-tip pen brush: 1.
TUTORIAL THREE: VIDEO PAINT 47 Working over multiple frames One of Video Paint's strengths is its ability to allow you to copy edits over multiple frames. For example, you can paint a line and then have that line appear in the same position and at the same size over all frames in the project, or have it progressively appear over each successive frame. The two operations you will use most often to perform these tasks are power duplication and macro recording. To perform a power duplication: 1.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 48 To perform and apply a macro: 1. Click the Paint tool on the Tool panel, select the brush to paint with from the Attribute toolbar and then specify the brush's attributes in the Brush panel. Note: You can only perform macro recording using the Paint and Retouch tools. 2. Click the Recording button on the Attribute toolbar. The edit window is centered in the workspace and a message box appears preparing for recording. 3. Click OK and start painting over an image.
TUTORIAL THREE: VIDEO PAINT 49 Performing common techniques Now that you have the essentials of Video Paint out of the way, let's take a look at some of the more common techniques used to add special effects to a video production. These techniques are the stepping stones to creating Hollywood-style illusions and effects. Applying a video filter The video filters you can apply in Video Paint are the same as those in Video Editor.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 50 Cloning an image Cloning is a great way to quickly duplicate an object or feature in one frame and replicate it over other frames in the sequence. For example, you could remove an annoying object by cloning over it with parts of the background, or create the impression of more stars in a night scene by cloning additional stars into the background. To clone an image: 1. Click the Clone tool on the Tool panel and select a brush from the Attribute toolbar.
TUTORIAL THREE: VIDEO PAINT 51 Creating a video matte Mattes are a useful part of video editing and are used primarily with the overlay and video filter effects of Video Editor. In Video Paint, you can create single image mattes or video mattes. Image mattes require you to simply paint over one frame in an edit window and then save it as an image file or as a single frame in a Video Paint file.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Performing advanced techniques Advanced techniques build on the methods and procedures you learned earlier in the lesson. With them, you can create such effects as translucent ghosts, wild virtual background sets, and disappearing people. Performing an erase effect In Video Paint, you can use the painting tools to erase as well as apply paint.
TUTORIAL THREE: VIDEO PAINT 53 Performing an advanced power duplication Power duplication is not just useful for copying the paint layer or an image across hundreds of frames. You can also create special effects. With the Transparency feature of Power Duplication, you can paste an image over an entire video and give it the appearance of fading in or fading out. This is useful for creating “ghosts” and other similar effects. To perform an advanced duplication: 1.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Creating background sets While Video Paint allows you to paint over and enhance the frames of a video, you can also use it to create background sets. These background sets are then placed into Video Editor as the underlying clip for any blue screen clips you may have. You can create background sets by painting over an original video or by using some of the animation filters available in Video Paint. To create an animated background set [1]: 1.
TUTORIAL THREE: VIDEO PAINT 55 To create a background set [2]: 1. Click the Open button on the Standard toolbar and select the file FISH.TIF from the SAMPLES\TUTORIAL folder of the MediaStudio Pro CD. Once it is displayed in the workspace, open the SKY.TIF file from the same location. 2. Click the Magic Wand tool and in the Similarity spin box on the Attribute toolbar enter in a value of 25. 3.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 56 Retouching images The Retouch tool is a powerful tool that allows you to ‘touch-up’ areas of an image to improve its appearance or to create a particular effect. For example, you could enhance the color of someone's eye, blur jagged edges an object may have, or adjust the highlights and midtones of an image to improve its color. To retouch an image: 1. Click the Open button on the Standard toolbar and select the BACKGRD.
TUTORIAL THREE: VIDEO PAINT 57 Advanced Macros: Creating a laser beam effect One of the coolest effects you can create in Video Paint is the laser beam effect. Using the built-in macro recording capabilities, you can paint the laser beam, record it, and then apply it progressively across an entire range of frames. Once you've recorded a macro, you can save it to the Production Library for later use. To create a laser beam effect: 1. Open the video you want to apply the laser beam effect to.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Advanced cloning: Disappearing act You can combine the Cloning (see page 50), Power Duplicating (see page 53), and the Macro Recording (see page 57) capabilities of Video Paint to create the effect of a person disappearing. Before you try this though, you have to know information about blue screens, see page 167. You also need a suitable background for the video to play against. For best results, you should probably use a still image for the background. 1.
Tutorial 4 CG Infinity CG Infinity is where you create dazzling title sequences and exciting graphics animation. With CG Infinity's tools, you can send text and objects flying into the third dimension. This tutorial is designed to give you everything you need to get started at creating your own CG sequences. In this tutorial you will learn about: • Performing common techniques .............................................................. p.60 • Performing advanced techniques .............................
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 60 Performing common techniques This section includes some of the more common techniques you will perform using CG Infinity. Many of these lessons assume you are starting with a new edit window in CG Infinity. Drawing regular shapes The quickest way to get started in CG Infinity is to begin creating simple shapes. While simple in design, you can easily create impressive results by combining shapes and changing their styles to produce different colors and effects.
TUTORIAL FOUR: CG INFINITY 61 Creating and distorting text objects One of the more powerful aspects of CG Infinity is its ability to create impressive titles for use as images or in video projects. Once a title is created, you can distort it in a variety of ways and apply various colors and gradients to give it a more polished look and feel. To create and distort a text object: 1. Select the Text tool and click anywhere in the edit window. 2. Enter the text of your title.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Applying gradients to your objects In CG Infinity, you can apply gradients to any fill or line color, producing a variety of lighting and shading effects. These gradients are created in the Magic Gradient dialog box, which is found in many of the MediaStudio Pro programs, and are extremely versatile. To apply a gradient to an object: 1. Select the object or objects you wish to apply the gradient to and click the Gradient button in the Color tab of the Object Style panel. 2.
TUTORIAL FOUR: CG INFINITY 63 Manipulating objects CG Infinity allows you to alter an object's intrinsic shape to make it more dynamic. It also gives you more flexibility to make your titles and graphic objects really stand out. Both text objects and graphic objects can be warped and changed, but if you change a text object too much, you may not be able to edit the text later. To manipulate objects: 1. Open the file LOGO1.UCG file from SAMPLES/TUTORIAL folder on the MediaStudio Pro CD. 2.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Creating a corporate logo CG Infinity is ideal for creating corporate logos, which you can use in your video projects or for other purposes, such as presentations, CDROMs, and web pages. In this lesson, we will create a ‘head’ logo for a fictional company called “Interface Designs.” To create a corporate logo: 1. Select the Shape tool and create a rectangular shape with a red fill color and no line color or shadow. 2.
TUTORIAL FOUR: CG INFINITY 65 Animating objects A central component to working with objects is being able to animate them. You do this with the Moving Path tool and you can animate objects linearly or have them follow any path you set. To animate objects: 1. Select the object you want to animate and then position it where you want to start its movement. 2. Select the Moving Path tool. Start and End control points appear at the center of the object. Then, drag on the center of the object.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 66 Performing advanced techniques After you have mastered the basics of CG Infinity, you are ready to move on to the more advanced methods and techniques. Using the procedures in this section will give you a deeper understanding of how CG Infinity works and allow you to expand and enhance your work even more. Creating mattes In CG Infinity, you can create two types of mattes: solid color and gradient.
TUTORIAL FOUR: CG INFINITY 67 Creating a corporate logo (advanced) This is an advanced technique for creating a complex corporate logo. It is slightly more complicated than the technique presented on page 64. If you have not looked at the previous tutorial on making a corporate logo, then do that first, and then return to this lesson. To create a more complex corporate logo: 1. Select the Shape tool and create a circular path in the center of the edit window, (fill with red and no line color or shadow).
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE outline of the larger circle. (For this, it is best to use the Width and Height spin boxes on the Attribute toolbar with the Keep Aspect Ratio button pressed.) 9. Change the Line color to a Gradient and select the palette ramp thumbnail you previously added. 10. Repeat steps 5 through 9 for the inner circle. 11. To finish, add text and place it in the center circle.
TUTORIAL FOUR: CG INFINITY 69 2. Select the Moving Path tool and click the object on the left side, drag the End control point to the center of the screen. (Show your Rulers and Guides to use guidelines to help you align the object.) Note: All moving path actions must be done with the Moving Path tool selected. Do not switch tools during this procedure. 3. Move the Time control slider to the last frame and click the Add Keyframe control point button. 4. Drag the keyframe back to the 1 second mark.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 70 2. Select the main logo and click the Moving Path tool. (It is best to do these procedures in Wireframe mode to speed up the editing process.) Note: All moving path actions must be done with the Moving Path tool selected. Do not switch tools during this procedure. 3. Select the Start keyframe in the Time Control panel and, clicking the Resize button on the Attribute toolbar, enter 580 in the Width spin box.
Video Capture
Chapter 1 Getting started Video Capture is the program where many of your video creations begin. Here you can view and capture ‘live’ video from a variety of different sources such as VCRs, TVs, laserdiscs or camcorders. Once captured, you can then play back those files or take them into Video Editor to start constructing your own video project. In this chapter you will learn about: • Understanding the basics ......................................................................... p.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Understanding the basics Video Capture is designed to work in conjunction with an installed video capture board. Video capture boards serve as the connection between an external video source, such as a VCR, camcorder or laserdisc, and your computer. (If you do not have a video capture board, you can still use Video Capture to play back existing video files.
VIDEO CAPTURE: CHAPTER ONE Standard toolbar Playback mode Capture a frame to the clipboard Capture a frame to a file Preview mode Overlay mode Save video Open video a file a file Connect to a video source Adjust video display Define audio format Define video format Capture a video color palette Control bar Rewind through a video Go forward through a video Go to the previous frame Record a video Play back a video Stop playing a video Mark in the start of a selection Mark out the start of a selection
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Preparing video for display The first step on your way to displaying video is getting your video source can communicate with your PC. This involves connecting the source to the video capture board and adjusting Video Capture so that it is ‘tuned in’ using the correct settings. The following sections describe how to do this, along with ways to improve video display and audio characteristics.
VIDEO CAPTURE: CHAPTER ONE 77 Note: If you are only viewing video (not necessarily capturing), you may want to hide certain features, such as the toolbars, for a cleaner look and feel. To hide these, or show them once hidden, select the appropriate option in the Toolbars & Panels dialog box, opened by clicking View: Toolbars & Panels or by right-clicking on any displayed toolbar or panel.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 78 Resizing the program window Whenever you change the frame size in Video Capture, the video window resizes itself accordingly. To resize the program window for optimum viewing, drag its borders to widen or lengthen it, or maximize it to take full advantage of your monitor’s screen size. You can also click View: Center to resize the program window to fit snugly around the video window or center it on your screen.
VIDEO CAPTURE: CHAPTER ONE 79 If you define new attributes and wish to save them for later use, click the Save As button. The Save As dialog box opens allowing you to assign a name to the attributes. Clicking OK saves the attributes and the specified name appears in the Name combo box. 3. Click OK. The dialog box closes and the audio attributes are now set for your next capture. Note: Any sound you hear over your speakers is not affected by the selections made with this command.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE To calibrate your display: 1. Make sure that the test pattern recorded on the video source appears in the video window of Video Capture and click Setup: Color Calibration. This opens the Color Calibration dialog box displaying two color meters: a Vectorscope and a Waveform monitor. A preview window displaying the current frame of the video source appears in the upper right hand corner. (It is a good idea to pause your video playback at this stage.
VIDEO CAPTURE: CHAPTER ONE 81 3. Click the Get Image button. The vectorscope and waveform monitor redraw indicating the various color values at the point indicated by the scan line. In a well calibrated display, the green lines on the vectorscope should touch the white squares and the graph in the waveform monitor should display a staircase pattern (see page 80 for a typical example). If they do not, then you need to adjust the settings using the software supplied with your video capture board. 4.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 82 Note: If you cannot satisfactorily calibrate your hardware, you can still artificially readjust the video clip (after it’s been successfully captured) using the Color Calibration command in Video Editor (see page 137).
VIDEO CAPTURE: CHAPTER ONE 83 Customizing Video Capture You can customize the way you work in Video Capture using the Preferences dialog box, opened by double-clicking the Status bar or by clicking File: Preferences [F6]. From this dialog box, you can control various aspects of Video Capture’s behavior, such as playing files whenever opened, specifying the shuttle speed, or defining the background color of the workspace. PREFERENCES DIALOG BOX 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE The chapter in review Here are some key points and tips to remember from this chapter: • View video in Preview mode before capturing to get an idea of the resulting quality (p.76). • When viewing in Preview mode, set the frame size and frame rate of the video in the Preview Options dialog box (p.77). • Calibrate Video Capture to your video source before capturing (p.79). • Use the File: Preferences command to customize the Video Capture working environment (p.83).
Chapter 2 Capturing video The first step towards producing your own video productions is in capturing or digitizing the original source material. This can be several minutes of video or simply individual frames that you want to incorporate into other projects you are working on. In this chapter you will learn about: • Tips for capturing good video and audio ................................................. p.86 • Capturing video .............................................................................
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Tips for capturing good video and audio Capturing video is a memory intensive exercise that puts all your system’s resources to the test. As you might expect, the better your system, the better the results. Below are some guidelines for the type of system setup that works best for video capturing. By understanding these guidelines, you should be able to optimize your machine and alter your capturing technique to achieve the best captures possible.
VIDEO CAPTURE: CHAPTER TWO 87 Using compression As mentioned previously, one second of video can easily require as much as 30 MB of disk space. No conventional hard drive can transfer that much data with sufficient speed, and it is only through compression that desktop systems can manage to work with video. In all, there are two types of compression you can use when you capture: hardware-based and software-based.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 88 Apart from controlling how your system performs, you can also set up Video Capture to optimize your captures using the Advanced tab of the Capture Video dialog box (see page 92). Here you will find several options dedicated to enhancing capture performance, such as allocating additional memory buffers, specifying chunk granularity (data pack size), freeing up RAM and synchronizing video to audio.
VIDEO CAPTURE: CHAPTER TWO 89 To capture a video sequence: 1. With Video Capture open, start playing the video from your video source. (The video should appear in the video window of Video Capture. If it does not, check the connection to your video source and your video capture board setup, see page 76.) 2. Click the Record button on the Control bar or Capture: Video [F5] to open the Capture Video dialog box.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 4. Select the Exactly match the specified frame rate option to ensure that the capture maintains the frame rate (essential if you are capturing drop-frame video). Leave this option clear for general or non-time critical captures. The actual captured frame rate may differ from the specified frame rate due to rounding or synchronization errors. While this is not detrimental in most cases, you may find that it slightly affects the timing of larger video sequences. 5.
VIDEO CAPTURE: CHAPTER TWO 91 6. Select the Capture audio option to capture audio along with your video. (This is disabled if you do not have a sound card, your video capture board does not have sound capabilities, or you are performing a manual capture.) Note: If you want to change the current audio and video characteristics, click the respective Audio and Video buttons. 7. Select the Auto-naming option to save each capture as consecutively numbered files.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 92 Customizing your capture options In the Capture Video dialog box, the Advanced tab contains options that allow you to customize the way that each capture is performed. By carefully selecting these options to match your system’s performance, you can significantly improve overall capture results. CAPTURE VIDEO DIALOG BOX: ADVANCED TAB 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1. Display message box before capturing displays a confirmation message dialog box after you have clicked OK.
VIDEO CAPTURE: CHAPTER TWO 93 5. Preallocate the capture file creates a temporary file to place your captured video sequences in. This improves performance as the hard disk does not have to search for free space to store video data. (This size should match or exceed your estimated capture size.) 6. Chunk granularity matches the size of each data chunk to be captured with your target hard drive’s cluster size. Matching sizes ensures more efficient data transfer and thus improves capture performance.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 94 To capture a single frame: 1. Click the Freeze button on the Control bar (Pause, if playing an existing file) or Control: Freeze [SPACE] to stop the video on the current frame. 2. Click Capture: Single Frame. The frame is sent to the chosen destination. (If you are capturing to a file, the standard Save dialog box opens.) Note: You can capture a single frame without freezing the video source or pausing a video file. However, you cannot be sure which frame you will get.
VIDEO CAPTURE: CHAPTER TWO 95 If your video source contains simple images with few significant changes, you only need to specify a low value, such as 5. If colors change rapidly, specify a higher value. Generally, the more frames you select, the greater the range of colors held in the palette. (You can select from 1 to 100 frames.) 3. Select a capturing option from the Mode group box.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 96 To change the attributes of a file: 1. Click the Save button on the Standard toolbar or File: Save As [CTRL+S] to open the Save As dialog box. 2. Specify the name and destination for the file. You can also append subject information to the file using the Subject and Description entry boxes and assign a thumbnail image to the file by clicking the Select button.
VIDEO CAPTURE: CHAPTER TWO 97 You can then edit them considerably faster in Video Editor and, when ready to compile the final version, you can recapture the exact frames at a higher quality. (You can also import the DVP file from Video Editor, including any edits you have done, and have the device capture the original video based on your edits.) To capture from a controllable device, you first need to specify the frames you want to capture by marking those frames and creating a batch list.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 98 8. Click the Play button to play the source tape. 9. Click the Mark-In button on the Control bar or Control: Mark-In [F3] whenever you see video you want to select for capture. (The current frame is indicated in the Mark-In box on the Status bar.) 10. Click the Mark-Out button on the Control bar or Control: Mark-Out [F4] when you want to end a selection. (The current frame is indicated in the Mark-Out box on the Status bar.
VIDEO CAPTURE: CHAPTER TWO 99 If you want to use this batch later (for example, to recapture at a higher resolution), click the Save button and in the resulting dialog box, save the file as a batch capture file (BCF). 4. Click OK. The dialog box closes and the batch list is updated accord- ingly. Note: In the Batch Settings dialog box, you can also change the reel name and file name for any of the marked sequences in the batch list. (This does not affect the defaults in the Reel Properties dialog box.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE The chapter in review Here are some key points and tips to remember from this chapter: • Defragment your hard drive before capturing large sequences (p.87). • Lower your quality settings if you get dropped frames (p.93). • Preallocate a capture file before capturing (p.93). • For Indexed-Color video, capture a color palette (p.94). • Mark video sequences before capturing them (p.97). • Use the Capture: Batch Settings command to edit a batch list (p.98).
Video Editor
Chapter 1 Getting started Video Editor is where you begin to bring together all the different components of a video project – sound, animation, titles, and, of course, the video. Once you have arranged these components and performed any effects and transitions, you are ready to create a video production which can be saved as a file, placed on the Internet, distributed on a CD, or sent back out to video tape. In this chapter you will learn about: • Understanding the workplace ..............................
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 104 Understanding the workplace Video Editor has several different windows which float in the workplace. The Timeline window is the key to working with and managing video on the desktop. As with the timelines found in history books or encyclopedias, it is laid out horizontally and composed of several independent layers or ‘tracks’. These tracks hold the many different events that occur over time.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER ONE 105 The main buttons in Video Editor are located on the Standard toolbar, which is at the top of the workplace, and the Timeline toolbar, which is in the Timeline window.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Working with video projects In Video Editor, the Timeline and its associated clips are referred to as a video project, which is saved as a DVP file (digital video project). When you save a video project, Video Editor only saves the positions and attributes of the clips in the Timeline, not the actual source files themselves.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER ONE 107 Customizing a video project When you start a new project (File: New) you may find that none of the existing templates in the New dialog box contain the exact attributes you want to use. You therefore have the option of creating a custom template to suit your particular needs. To create a template: 1. In the New dialog box, click the Create button. The Template Options dialog box opens up. 2. Select and set the attributes for your new template.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 108 Project settings When you create a new project, its properties are determined by the New dialog box settings at the time you create it. These settings are integral to your project and determine not only how your previews are created, but also the format of your final movie. When you want to change these properties and customize a project while you are already inside the project, you can change the Project Settings.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER ONE 109 Saving a video project When you save a video project, it is saved as a DVP file (Digital Video Project). This is a small file that contains all of the information about your project, like which clips to include, their position on the Timeline, and any transitions that you have used. This file is not a movie and can only be opened in MediaStudio Pro.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Using the Production Library MediaStudio Pro's Production Library stores everything you need to create your movie. When you start a project, the Production Library already contains all of the transitions, filters, and other special effects that come with MediaStudio Pro. The rest of the Library is ready to be filled with the various clips that you will use The Production Library (Transition Effects Gallery) in your movie.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER ONE 111 Storyboarding your clips before Timeline insertion One of the benefits of the Production Library is that it allows you to storyboard (arrange) your files before inserting them into the Timeline. To storyboard your clips in the Production Library: 1. Arrange the thumbnails of your files into the sequence which you want them to appear in your final movie. 2. Select all of the desired clips by clicking them while holding down the SHIFT key. Selected clips have blue borders. 3.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 112 Viewing Production Library thumbnails The Production Library toolbar has two buttons which allow you to control and organize your clips. Click the Thumbnail Display Mode button and select Description to view an annotated description or select Thumbnail to only see a graphic representation.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER ONE 113 Working with the Timeline While organizing your media clips in the Production Library is a necessary first step, the real work occurs on the Timeline. As the name implies, the Timeline is a chronological workspace that allows you to visually lay out your clips, transitions, and overlays. Inserting clips Clips are the objects that make up your movie. A clip can be an image, a video, a transition, a title, a background color or an audio file.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 114 When you insert clips, they are placed at the position of your pointer. How these clips affect any neighboring clips is determined by the Ripple Editing mode (see page 146). If you are in Ripple Editing mode, you can insert the clip anywhere you like on a compatible track (even over existing clips) and the clip pushes along any other clips which appear in the same track. If you are not in Ripple Editing mode, you can only insert the clip into an empty clip slot.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER ONE 115 This is the original Timeline Green.avi was inserted in No Ripple mode and was trimmed to fit Holding down SHIFT while inserting GREEN.AVI pushes BLUE.AVI out of the way Inserting title, color, and silence clips Apart from video, audio, and image clips, you can also insert title, color, and silence clips into the Timeline. Title clips are often used in conjunction with moving path effects (they are described in detail in the special effects section: see page 186).
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 116 You can also use color clips as a background for other clips in the project, such as when performing fades or to create certain types of effects. You can set keyframes to create impressive gradient effects with each frame of the clip gradually shifting from one color to the next. To insert a color clip: 1.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER ONE 117 Working with tracks Video Editor has three types of tracks you can work with: video, transition, and audio. The video tracks consist of two primary tracks (Va and Vb) and an additional 99 overlay tracks (V1...V99). Between the primary Va and Vb tracks is the transition (Fx) track, which allows you to control how clips in the Vb track merge with clips in the Va track.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Displaying clips on the Timeline Your project could easily be a half an hour long and contain hundreds of clips, some only a few seconds long. Getting around your project quickly and easily is an important skill to master. Click the Display Mode button at the top of the track buttons (or click View: Display Mode) to choose how clips are displayed: Filmstrip, Waveform, Thumbnail, or Filename modes. You can also determine the size of the tracks.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER ONE 119 Zooming in/out on the Timeline The Timeline can represent your project at any magnification. You can display every frame in a clip or view the entire project on the screen at one time. This zooming is achieved by changing the time measurement unit used in the Timeline. For example, at 1 second (the default) each division on the Timeline represents 30 frames (using the NTSC standard), and at 1 minute each division represents 1,800 frames, and so on.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 120 Using the Quick Command Panel Open the Quick Command Panel by clicking View: Toolbars & Panels and selecting the Quick Command Panel option. (You can also open it by right-clicking over any toolbar or panel.) The Quick Command Panel’s advantage over the Menu bar is that you can select and put frequently used commands on the panel for more convenient access, as well as move and resize the panel so that it is always close at hand.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER ONE 121 Note: You can give a menu command an alias by selecting it and then typing in a new name in the Alias entry box. For example, ‘Video Editor File Preferences’ can be written as ‘VE Pref’. This is useful if you resize the Quick Command Panel and find that menu command names are hidden. Modify Custom Commands dialog box Inserting Ulead video file types MediaStudio Pro supports a number of proprietary file formats for use with the MediaStudio Pro suite of programs.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 122 Converting files There are many cases where you might want to convert video files to a different format. You can use Video Editor as a quick conversion tool without even opening a video file into a specific project. To convert a video file to another format: 1. Click File: Convert: Video File. Note: You can convert AVI, MOV, MPG and animation files such as FLI, FLC and FLX as well as Ulead’s own UCG, UIS, and UVP files. 2. Select the file to convert and click Open.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER ONE 123 Customizing Video Editor The Preferences dialog box (double–click the Status bar or click File: Preferences [F6]) provides options for customizing certain aspects of Video Editor’s behavior. Understanding these options will improve the way you work with Video Editor as well as help optimize Video Editor for each project. The following pages offer explanations for the many options you have in Preferences to customize Video Editor.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 3. Return to the first frame after playing returns any sequence in the Source and Preview windows to the first frame after it has been played (like a CD player). When left cleared, the sequence stops on the last frame in the sequence after playing (like coming to the end of a tape in a VCR). 4. Use temporary file when creating 8-bit optimized palettes uses a temporary file whenever you create an optimized palette for Indexed-Color video.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER ONE 125 PREFERENCES DIALOG BOX: EDIT TAB 1 2 3 4 1. Apply color filter allows you to control how colors are displayed in Video Editor, based on the NTSC or PAL color models. Select the appropriate option if you plan on having your video played back over an NTSC or PAL device such as a television. If you are designing for monitor display only, leave this option clear. 2. Default field specifies any inserted video clip as coming from field or framebased video.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 126 PREFERENCES DIALOG BOX: ASSOCIATE TAB 1 2 3 1. File type specifies the type of file (such as AVI or WAV) you want to associate with a program. 2. Associated program indicates the program to open whenever the Edit: Open in Associated Program command is selected. 3. Include trim information allows a video clip opened in the associated program to display any marked portions that you have created in Video Editor.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER ONE 127 PREFERENCES DIALOG BOX: PREVIEW TAB 1 2 3 1. Specify additional folders for preview files indicates which folder Video Editor can use to save preview files. Specify other folders if you have additional drives or a partitioned drive. If you only have one drive, leave the other boxes empty. 2. Hard disk displays how much free space you have left on your hard drive. 3. Limit hard disk usage to specifies how much memory you want to allocate just for Video Editor’s purposes.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE The chapter in review Here are some key points and tips to remember from this chapter: • Customize video projects with self-created templates (p. 107) • Use the Production Library to store regularly used clips as well as access effects and filters (p. 110). • Place clips into the Media Library folder of the Production Library for storyboarding before inserting into the Timeline (p. 111). • Edit a thumbnail in the Production Library (p. 112).
Chapter 2 Editing clips Frame accurate editing and drag-and-drop simplicity is what digital video is all about. This is the heart of MediaStudio Pro, and this chapter is the most important section in this book. In this chapter you will learn: • Making selections in the Timeline ......................................................... p. 130 • Working with clips ................................................................................... p. 133 • Working with cues ..................................
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 130 Making selections in the Timeline In order to edit clips, you must first select them. This can be as easy as clicking on a clip, but more advanced techniques can be very useful. There are two types of selections that you can make: clip-based and timebased. Clip-based selections are horizontal, moving left, and right across tracks, whereas time-based selections are vertical, encompassing all clips in all tracks within the selected duration.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER TWO 131 This is the original Timeline. The selection area is shaded above. It was created while holding the CTRL+SHIFT keys and extends across Fx, Vb, and V1-V3. Note that the audio clip in Aa is not selected. The shaded selection area in this example includes Va and therefore includes the audio in Aa. Also note that if part of the clip is included in the selection area, the entire clip is selected.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE dialog box where you can specify the duration. The Mark In time corresponds to the start of the selection area and the Mark Out time the end of the selection area. Click OK to automatically create a selection marquee over the specified area of the Timeline. Selecting a period of time Note: If a time selection includes part of a set of grouped clips, the selection is adjusted to include all the clips in the group.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER TWO 133 Grouping clips As your project becomes more and more complex, it may be useful to group some clips together so that they may be moved around as a unit. To group clips: Grouping clips 1. Select the clips by pressing SHIFT while dragging over clips to be included (see page 130). 2. Click Edit: Group (to ungroup click Edit: Ungroup). Additional clips can be added to the group by selecting the group and then the new clip.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 134 To paste a clip (from the Clipboard): • Click the Paste button. • From the Edit menu, select Paste [CTRL+V]. • Right-click and select Paste. After performing one of the above actions you will have to click on the location where you want to paste the clip. Pasting attributes Sometimes you may want to paste only the attributes (Video Filters, Audio Filters, Overlay Options, and Moving Paths) of one clip to another.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER TWO 135 To clear (remove) a clip from the Timeline: 1. Select a clip (or a period of time) on the Timeline. 2. Click Edit: Clear [DEL] or right-click the selected clip and click Clear. Notes: • This does not affect the source files in any way. • If clearing a period of time, any clips that are included in the time selection are removed. (Clips partially selected are trimmed to the selection boundary.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 136 Changing the speed of clips After splitting the audio from a video clip, click Clip: Speed (or right-click the clip and select Speed) to alter how fast a video plays back and creates fast and slow motion effects. Increasing the speed of a clip gives it a shorter duration, while decreasing the speed makes it longer.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER TWO 137 Calibrating video clips If you have captured or inserted a video file whose colors you were unable to properly calibrate (adjust) in Video Capture, you can do so directly from Video Editor with the Clip: Color Calibration command (or right-click the clip and select Color Calibration). This method uses Video Editor as a post production tool to adjust the color.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 138 Notes: • • Freeze before frame. When the clip is played back, it will "freeze" on the designated frame from the beginning of the clip, up to and including the frame itself, and then resume normal playback. Freeze after frame. When the clip is played back, it will playback normally until it comes to the designated frame and then "freeze" to the end of the clip. If both boxes are checked, the clip will freeze both before a particular frame and after a particular frame.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER TWO 139 To specify the type of video you are working with: 1. Select the clip. 2. Click Clip: Field Options. (Right-click the clip and from the pop-up menu, select Field Options.) 3. Select the Frame type and click OK. Field Options dialog box This will open the Field Options dialog box. If you are working on framebased video, select the Frame-based option in the Frame type list. For fieldbased video, select either the Field Order A or Field Order B options.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Working with cues Cues are simply bookmarks for your video project. As your projects get larger and more complex, you can use cues to quickly jump from one place to another, or mark the location of a particular event. You can name the cues and add descriptions. Cues can be added to the Timeline as a whole (project cues) or to individual clips (clip cues).
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER TWO 141 To place a project cue using the Preview window: 1. Click Play [ENTER] to preview the project in the Preview Window or use the navigation control to move to the place where you want to add a cue. 2. Press F5 on your keyboard when you want to add a cue (or click the Menu button and choose Add/Delete Cue). 3. Cues (blue triangles) appear on the Timeline Cue bar. Note: See Placing clip cues below for how to place clip cues from the Source window.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 142 Locating clips You can use cues to jump to a specific location in your project instantly. To locate a specific clip: 1. Click the Find Clip button or Search: Find Clip [CTRL+F]. This displays the start time, duration, track and name of all the cues contained within the current video project. Find Clip dialog box 2. To go directly to a clip, select it under Start Time in the list box. 3. Click OK.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER TWO 143 Locating an empty time slot In the course of creating a large project, you may have left blank spaces in the Timeline to fill at a later time. Click Search: Find Empty Time Slots to find these. Note: When you view the Find Empty Time Slot dialog box there will always be one time slot listed. This is the time slot at the end of the video project and cannot be deleted. Trimming clips Trimming and editing clips is the basis of making movies.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 144 Using the Trim window The Trim window is the most precise method of trimming your clips, frame by frame. To use the Trim window: 1. Click View: Toolbar & Panels and select Trim window. 2. Grab the edge of the clip you want to trim. The Trim window displays two frames. The clip will be trimmed between these two frames when you release the mouse button. Trim Window Notes: • Hold down the mouse button and use the arrow keys to move frame by frame.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER TWO 145 Defining trim options While trimming is a basic operation, it does have more advanced features. The effect of trimming on neighboring clips is determined by the Trim Options. Select Edit: Trim Options to choose the following: • Normal allows you to trim a clip only within the available free clip slot.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 146 Ripple Editing Ripple editing is a mode in Video Editor that allows you to insert clips and automatically push other clips out of the way so the new clip will fit on the Timeline. To select a Ripple Editing mode click one of three Ripple Editing buttons on the Timeline toolbar or choose from the Edit: Ripple Editing menu list. See the next two pages for specific examples. No Ripple mode means that newly inserted clips are trimmed to fit the available empty time slot.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER TWO 147 Ripple Editing examples The following illustrations will help you understand the sometimes complex, but extremely important and useful aspects of Ripple Editing. Note: All of the following examples involve the initial insertion of a clip from outside of the Timeline. When moving already inserted clips around within the Timeline, results will differ.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE As green.avi is about to be inserted, the part that overlaps the yellow clip turns bluish. When the clip is actually inserted, the yellow clip and the one second space are moved to the right three seconds. In other words, the entire track is shifted, spaces and all. (If you don't want the spaces preserved, use Push Away Insertion. See page 114.) Note that the transitions and the blue clip are unaffected.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER TWO 149 4. Click the Open button. 5. Press and hold the SHIFT key while clicking in the middle of the clip on the Timeline that you want to insert the new clip into. Here green.avi is inserted into red.avi. Multi-Track Ripple is on. In the first image, you can see where the inserted clip overlaps the existing clips. Notice how the red clip is split into two parts and the green clip is dropped into the middle.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 150 SOURCE WINDOW 1 2 3 4 7 8 5 9 10 6 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Jog bar slides back and forth to scrub the clip. Shuttle control rotates to speed forward or backward through a video clip. Trim bar shows the trimmed portion of the clip (between the Trim Handles). Trim handles determine the Mark In and Mark Out points of the trim area. Clip menu displays, and allows you to choose, any of the clips loaded into the Source window.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER TWO 151 SOURCE WINDOW NAVIGATION BAR 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1. Play (Pause) plays the entire clip from beginning to end. 2. Play Mark Area (Pause) plays only the trim area from Mark-in to Mark-out point. 3. Play from the current position to Mark Out (Pause) plays the clip from the current position of the Jog bar to the Mark Out point. 4. Previous Edit Point moves the Jog bar to the previous cue or the beginning of the clip. 5.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 152 The entire trim area can be repositioned by dragging it. The Jog bar automatically slides along with while dragging on the Trim bar. Sliding the Trim bar The pointer will change to a hand when placed over the trim area. Use this hand to drag the two trim handles when trimming and for moving the trim area as a whole. Right-click on the trim area to automatically reset both trim handles to their original positions at the beginning and end of the original clip.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER TWO 153 Previewing your work Video Editor allows you to see a portion of your project without performing a full save. It lets you render a small section of your project before you create your final video at the end. This way you can view a few seconds of a transition between two clips without having to take the time to render the whole thirty minute project. If your capture board supports an external monitor, you can also preview the output there.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 154 Previewing When you want to preview your work so far, simply press ENTER or click the Play button on the Preview Window. If your project is long, this could take some time. Often you will only want to preview part of your project, for example, a few seconds of a transition sequence or an overlay effect. There are three different ways to select the portion of your project you want to preview: • Create a preview area on the Preview bar over the Timeline.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER TWO 155 To perform a scrub preview: 1. Move the pointer up to the top of the ruler above the Timeline. It will change to a star. 2. Drag your mouse across the top of the ruler to view your preview in the Preview window. You can also use the Jog bar to scrub from within the Preview window. Managing preview files The files that are created for the preview are saved in a temporary directory that can be set from File: Preferences on the Preview tab.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE The chapter in review Here are some key points and tips to remember from this chapter: • Use the Clip Selection tool for selecting clips (p. 130), Time Selection tool for selecting a period of time in the Timeline (p.131), and Track Selection tool for selecting tracks (p.132). • Group clips once they are in their final positions (p. 133). • Copy and paste an entire clip or its attributes only (p. 133).
Chapter 3 Performing effects From transition effects between scenes to stunning video filters and amazing animated moving paths, MediaStudio Pro has it all. Let your creativity run wild as you learn about the most fun and exciting features of Video Editor. In this chapter you will learn about: • Performing transition effects .................................................................. p. 158 • Using keyframe controls ........................................................................ p.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Using transition effects An integral part of any video or film presentation is the transition effects used to enhance the way clips merge, fade, and cut from one scene to another. An appropriate and well placed transition effect can make your video sequence flow better and add impact to your work. Transition effects basics Transition effects can only be placed into the Fx track of the Timeline between two overlapping clips in the Va and Vb tracks.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER THREE 159 The Transition Options dialog box is where you can customize your transitions. You can alter the speed, the direction, the border, and apply any number of little nuances to your transition with the Keyframe Controller. Each effect has slightly different controls: click the Help button for details. TRANSITION OPTIONS DIALOG BOX (FOR THE BOX-WIPE TRANSITION EFFECT) 1 7 2 3 4 5 8 9 10 11 6 12 13 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Customizing a transition There are a number of options available in the Transition Options dialog box that let you customize your transition. The variety of these available options depends on the type of transition you are applying. The following is just one example among hundreds. To customize a transition effect: 1. Insert a Box-Wipe transition effect between two clips.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER THREE 161 You now have a customized transition. While this is not a very spectacular example, there will be times when you have spent quite a lot of time perfecting an effect. When you have done this, it is an excellent idea to save this customized effect to the Production Library for future use. To save a transition effect: 1. Modify a preset transition as detailed above. 2. In the Transition Options dialog box, click Add to send the effect to the Production Library. 3.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 162 It is of course trivial to reverse this effect to fade from black at the start of your movie. Just make sure that the color clip precedes the video clip in the Timeline and then make sure that you change the direction of the transition to go from the black color clip to the video clip. Another common effect is called the Turn Page effect, located in the Film folder of the Production Library. Simply drag the effect onto the Fx track between two overlapping clips.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER THREE 163 Audio transitions Transition effects are primarily for video. The audio from the two tracks, by default, is simply mixed together. In many cases, you may also want the volume of the audio from one track to smoothly drop while the audio from the track you are transitioning to gradually increase. To perform an audio cross-fade between clips: 1. Click the Audio Cross-Fade button. 2. Click the audio portion of one of two overlapping clips. 3.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Using keyframe controls Keyframes are commonly used in computer animation to specify an animation sequence. Instead of drawing every frame of animation, the user can specify the starting and ending positions of a sequence, and the computer then generates all of the intervening frames automatically. All of the effects in Video Editor (as well as those in Video Paint and CG Infinity) can be controlled with frame-by-frame precision using keyframes.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER THREE 165 Using keyframes to animate a transition To add a keyframe: 1. Drag the Keyframe Controller slider to the desired position. 2. Click the Add Keyframe button. To remove a keyframe: 1. Click on the unwanted keyframe (it will turn red). 2. Click on the Remove Keyframe button. To move a keyframe: To move any keyframe, just drag it to a new location. Since keyframes are chronological in nature, it is impossible to drag a keyframe beyond a neighboring keyframe on either side.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Video overlay effects Placing titles on a video is the most simple example of an overlay effect. An overlay could also be a picture-in-picture effect over the anchor's shoulder on the nightly news, or a shot of Superman flying over Metropolis. Overlays are commonly superimposed over a background video with portions of the overlay being transparent or keyed-out.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER THREE 167 OVERLAY OPTIONS DIALOG BOX 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 1. Overlay clip shows the selected clip before applying the overlay settings. 2. Overlay preview shows the selected clip with the overlay applied. 3. Keyframe controller allows you to precisely control how all effects are applied to the clip. 4. Preview as selects the type of display to show in the Overlay preview window. 5. Type specifies the method used for choosing which part of the image is transparent. 6.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 168 Notes: • If you select Color Key from the Type list, you have two options in choosing a key color. You can click on the color box to choose the color to be transparent using the Ulead Color Picker (you can also right-click the box to choose from the Windows Color Picker) or you can click on a color in the Overlay clip with the Eyedropper tool. The latter method is probably the easier. • In the Preview as list, you have three options.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER THREE 169 To use a blue screen effect in an overlay: 1. Insert the video clip that you want to be in the background into the Va or the Vb track. 2. Insert a video clip shot with a blue screen in the background into an overlay track, V1 for example. 3. Right-click on the overlay clip (the blue screen clip) and select Overlay Options. The Overlay Options dialog box opens up. 4. Click on the Type list and select Blue Screen. 5.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE To use an alpha channel in an overlay: 1. Place a video clip into the Va track. 2. Place a video clip which was created with an alpha channel (for example, a CG Infinity file) into the V1 overlay track. Background clip 3. Right-click on the clip in V1 and select Overlay Options to open up the Overlay Options dialog box. 4. In the Type drop-down box, select Alpha Channel. Overlay clip At this point, the areas specified in the channel are immediately keyed out.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER THREE 171 Working with mattes Another feature of the Overlay Options dialog box is that it allows you to make use of mattes (or masks). In the film world, mattes work like color keying in that they show and hide various areas of the overlay clip. You can make any image or video file into a matte or you can create these yourself in a paint program such as Video Paint or in CG Infinity.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 172 Video mattes are simply multiple image mattes spread out over multiple frames. These can be commonly created in many animation programs. To create a video matte: 1. Create a sequence of images, such as a Targa animation (TGA). 2. Insert them into Video Editor as a Ulead Image Sequence, or use Video Paint and insert a Video Paint project file. See page 121. 3. Load it into the Overlay Options dialog box and specify which color to key out.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER THREE 173 Applying video filters Video Editor has a wide range of special effects and filters that allow you to enhance and improve existing video clips as well as create exciting attention grabbing effects. You can apply a Video Filter by dragging its thumbnail from the Video Filter gallery of the Production Library onto a clip. To apply a video filter: 1. Select the video clip you want to apply the filter to. 2.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE To fine-tune a video filter: 1. Right-click a selected clip with a previously added video filter and select Video Filters (or add a new filter). 2. Click the Options button to view the filter and change its attributes. When you click Options, a dialog box opens displaying two windows: Original, with the selected video clip, and Preview, which shows the result after application of the filter. 3. Change the various filter attributes until you get the result you want.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER THREE 175 To animate a video filter: 1. Select a clip and open the Video Filters dialog box as previously described. 2. Select the Colored Pen filter from the Available filters box and click the Add button. The Colored Pen filter will now appear in the Applied filters box. 3. Click the Options button to open the Colored Pen dialog box. 4. Click on the first keyframe diamond and then drag the Level slider to 80. 5. Click on the last keyframe diamond and drag the Level slider to 0. 6.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 176 To apply a regional matte: 1. Open the Video Filters dialog box and place the filter you want to work with in the Applied filters list box. 2. Click the Region button to open the Region dialog box (not available for all filters). 3. Select an option from the Mask drop-down list to determine what kind of matte you want to use. 4. Move the Threshold slider to control the degree of the effect. You can also choose to invert the area being affected by selecting the Invert option.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER THREE 177 Creating a moving path One of the more advanced effects of Video Editor is its ability to generate a moving path. A moving path is much like a road, dictating the route one clip takes as it passes over another. Just as a road can have many twists and turns, so too can a moving path. For example, you can have one clip zigzag its way across another and spin away into the distance.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 178 MOVING PATH DIALOG BOX 1 8 2 3 4 5 9 10 11 12 13 6 14 7 15 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. Motion Control Window allows you to determine the path a clip takes. Keyframe Controller determines where keyframes are placed. Zoom opens the zoom window magnifying the Motion Control window. Restore changes the clip's dimensions back to its original size. Actual Image replaces the preview clip in the Motion Control window with thumbnails of the clip.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER THREE 179 Notes: • • • The Motion Control window allows you to determine the path of a clip by adjusting various control points. When you first open a Moving Path dialog box, the Start control point (S) is active and appears at the center of a sample of the clip. By dragging the start control point, you can reposition the clip. To reposition the End control point (E), click it to make it active and then drag it to a new location.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE To create a still moving path: 1. Drag a clip into the Va track: this is the background (the anchor). 2. Drag a clip into the V1 track: this is the overlay. 3. Drag a 2D Basic moving path onto the clip in the V1 track. The 2D Basic Moving Path dialog box opens up. 4. Click the Keep aspect ratio box in the lower left corner. 5. Change the Width value to 100 (the Height value automatically changes to keep the ratio). 6.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER THREE 181 Creating 3D moving paths Creating a 3D moving path, whether it is a simple 3D path, a sphere, or a cylinder, is much the same procedure as creating a 2D moving path. The third dimension simply consists of additional rotation angles. Sphere and Cylinder help you control a 3D path by providing an object around which the clip can rotate.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Managing keyframes on a moving path Animation is performed by smoothly calculating the position of an object between keyframes. The more keyframes that are added, the more flexibility and control you have over the animation. This is true for moving paths in Video Editor. You can also control the speed of a moving path by adjusting the distance between keyframes. To change the direction of a moving path: 1.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER THREE 183 Applying audio filters Video Editor also allows you to apply audio filters to audio clips. These are the same as the ones found in the Audio Editor program (see page 329). They allow you to do everything from increasing a clip’s amplification, to removing noise, to applying special effects such as fades and echoes. In addition, MediaStudio Pro now supports any third party DirectX Audio plug-ins.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Changing the amplification of an audio clip To change the amplification of an audio clip, you can use the Amplify filter or, for quicker results, edit the audio clip directly from the Timeline. By changing the amplification of a clip, you can effectively control how one audio clip fades into or out of another. To change the amplification of an audio clip from the Timeline: 1. Select the audio clip whose amplification you want to change. 2.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER THREE 185 Once you've inserted your soundtrack, you'll probably want to fade the music in and out smoothly to allow the audio from your video to be heard, or to hear a separate voiceover track. To fade the music in and out: 1. Select the audio clip you want to fade. 2. Click on the volume baseline that appears in the middle of the clip. A control point is placed at the position of your pointer. 3.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 186 Creating titles Adding titles is an important part of nearly every video project. The most common examples of this are the opening and ending titles and credits. In Video Editor, you can place title clips in any of the video tracks, but in most cases you will want to place them into an overlay track (V1-V99). Doing so allows you to superimpose the text over your background video. To create a title clip: 1. Place any clip (video, image or color) into the Va track.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER THREE 187 INSERT TITLE CLIP DIALOG BOX 1 2 3 5 6 4 7 8 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. New clears the Title text box. Open loads a previously created text file (*.TXT file extension) for the Title text. Title text box provides a display of the text for the clip. Enable rolling applies the Rolling specifications on the Title clip. Save As saves the title as a text file for future use. Preview window displays a preview of the title text and provides button controls for playing the title clip.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 188 With the Font tab, you can specify the format for the title clip text. The changes you make here affect all the text in the Preview window. If you want to change the format for certain text, you need to insert it as a separate Title clip or use CG Infinity. Choosing center alignment only aligns the text within the clip. If you want to center the clip over a background clip, use a 2D Basic moving path. FONT TAB OF THE INSERT TITLE CLIP DIALOG BOX 1 2 3 4 5 6 1.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER THREE ROLLING TAB OF THE INSERT TITLE CLIP DIALOG BOX 1 2 3 4 5 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Direction buttons determine the direction of rolling. Place at aligns the text. Start and Stop specify where the text begins and finishes rolling. Duration sets the duration of the clip. Repeat sets a number of times for the clip to repeat itself. Notes: • You can perform a far greater range of movement if you incorporate the title clip with a moving path effect, see page 177.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE The chapter in review Here are some key points and tips to remember from this chapter: • Use the Transition Options dialog box to customize a transition (p. 159). • Use a Crossfade transition effect to create a fade to black (p. 161). • Perform an Audio Crossfade across two tracks after you've finished editing your project (p. 163). • Place keyframes to control the appearance of effects at different stages (p. 164).
Chapter 4 Creating and outputting your files Once you are done editing your masterpiece it is time to share it with the world. This means that it is time to create an actual movie file for playback on your computer or record the movie back to your camcorder. In this chapter you will learn about: • Creating a movie ..................................................................................... p. 192 • Analyzing a video file’s data rate ........................................................... p.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 192 Creating a movie When you're finished editing and the previews look good, it is time to do a final render of your project. The appropriate format of your final movie depends on the destination of the file, but the procedure is the same in every case. To create a video file: 1. Click File: Create: Video File to open the Create Video File dialog box. 2.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER FOUR 193 Determining your video save options The following pages explain the many important options you must check before creating your movie. Each page details one tab in the dialog box. VIDEO SAVE OPTIONS: VIDEO EDITOR TAB 1 2 3 4 5 1. Entire project creates a video file of the entire project while Preview Range creates a video file of the preview area only. (This option is disabled if your video project has no preview area.) 2.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 194 VIDEO SAVE OPTIONS: GENERAL TAB 1 2 3 4 1. Data track specifies whether to create a video file of the video track only, or both the video and the accompanying audio track. (To save the audio track only click the File: Create: Audio File command.) 2. Frame rate specifies the frame rate to use for the resulting video file. For example, NTSC video is typically 29.97fps. See your capture board's manual for specific frame rate advice. 3.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER FOUR 195 VIDEO SAVE OPTIONS : ADVANCED TAB 1 2 3 4 5 1. Target playback drive specifies the data rate which matches the speed of the device your file is intended to be played back from. For example, if you plan on playing the file back from a CD-ROM select the appropriate data rate, such as 300 KB for a double speed CD-ROM. If you specify a fixed data rate Video Editor will not exceed that when creating the video file.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 196 VIDEO SAVE OPTIONS: COMPRESSION TAB 1 2 3 4 5 6 1. Compression specifies the compression scheme or codec to save the file with. Some compression schemes enable the Configure button which allows you to further refine your compression options. 2. Quality controls the quality of the resulting file by varying the amount of compression used. The better the quality (toward 100%) the less the compression.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER FOUR 197 Notes: • When you select a compression scheme, the Keyframe for every spin box changes to indicate the default number of keyframes the scheme uses. • Generally speaking, it is best to try out a variety of compression schemes and options on a test version of the same file, then compare the resulting file sizes and playback quality. • For more information on audio, see the ‘Creating a new edit window’ section in the Audio Editor chapter, page 308.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 198 Performing a batch video creation Video Editor allows you to create a number of video files from different projects automatically. This is ideal if you want to render your videos with your machine unattended, such as overnight. To perform a batch video file creation: 1. Click File: Create: Multiple Files to open the Create Multiple Files dialog box. 2. Click the Add button. In the Open dialog box select the project file (*.DVP) you want to create a video file from.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER FOUR 199 Analyzing a video file’s data rate In Video Editor, you can analyze a video file and view a graphical representation of the data flow for the entire sequence. This provides detailed information about the file and its data rate. This information can be used to target high data rate areas for more compression using keyframes. To perform a data rate analysis: 1. Click File: Data Rate Analysis to open the Data Rate Analysis dialog box. 2.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE By looking at the analysis graph, you can pinpoint peaks in the graph which would benefit most from being keyframes. For more on understanding keyframes and compression, see the Appendix, page 337. To edit the keyframes on the data rate analysis graph: 1. Select the frame you want to make or remove using the Keyframe Controller beneath the Preview window. 2. To make a keyframe, click the Add Keyframe button.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER FOUR 201 Creating an audio file You can create audio files from a clip or group of clips in the audio tracks using the File: Create: Audio File command. These files can then be opened in Audio Editor for more precise editing, or you can use them in another project. To create an audio file: 1. Click File: Create: Audio File to open the Create Audio File dialog box. 2.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 202 Creating an image sequence While Video Paint is your best choice for drawing on your video, there may be times when you want to extract a series of frames from your clip for editing in a more powerful image editing application, like Photoshop or PhotoImpact. You can do this by creating a Ulead Image Sequence (*.UIS) file of the video project or preview region.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER FOUR 203 Creating an edit decision list (EDL) file If you are producing work that is intended for broadcast or requires further post-production (online editing) work, then Video Editor allows you to create a generic Edit Decision List (EDL) file. An EDL is a text file that records the positions of your clips in the Timeline as well as the different effects and transitions used.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 204 Posting timecode If you plan to create an EDL, you need to make sure that you have posted a timecode onto each of the clips in your video project. This is because the post-production house needs to know where your original source clips are located on tape. If a clip does not have the correct timecode, the postproduction house will use 00:00:00:00 as the starting point for playing a clip during recording.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER FOUR 205 Outputting to video tape To output to video tape, you should ensure that all the video sequences you used were created from field-based video and that you saved the video file as field-based. Using non-field-based video results in a slight flicker in the final analog video. Your video should also be equivalent to the resolution of analog video, such as 640x480, 30fps (field-based), and 24-bit color (for NTSC devices).
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 4. Select Device control if you want MediaStudio Pro to control your video camera while recording your project. 5. Click OK to close the dialog box and then Open to begin playing back the sequence. Once you click Open, your entire screen blacks out and after the specified duration the video begins to play back. (Hit a key on the keyboard or click your mouse to start playing if you chose the Manually with keyboard or mouse option.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER FOUR 207 It is not necessary to use MediaStudio Pro to send your video back to tape. There are many dozens of different kinds of capture boards and each comes with its own software for capturing and recording to tape. Some people prefer to edit their video in MediaStudio Pro and then output to tape using the capture board's proprietary software. Under a FAT 16 file system (Win95), there is a 2GB file size limitation.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 208 Once the file is created, you have to use a special VCD creation program to write (burn) the CD on your CD writer. Simply follow the instructions for those programs to write your movie to the correct location on the CD. Keep in mind that the quality of the blank CD could be important and that not all stand-alone players can play VCDs created on your computer.
VIDEO EDITOR: CHAPTER FOUR 209 Working with a Digital Video camcorder All movies on a computer are composed of ones and zeros and are therefore digital. Digital Video (DV) with a capital “D” and a capital “V” however, stands for a very specific format of video, just like VHS, High-8, or Beta. This format can be understood (played back, recorded) by your camcorder. When you have the proper hardware (capture board) and software (DV codec), it can also be understood by your computer.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE The chapter in review Here are some key points and tips to remember from this chapter: • You can create a video file after you complete your project (p. 192). • Select the Perform SmartRender option for faster creation times (p. 193). • Set the Target playback drive to Custom if the data rate is not important (p. 195). • Crop a video to reduce frame size and remove noise from the edges (p. 197).
Video Paint
Chapter 1 Getting started Video Paint is a powerful rotoscoping program that allows you to paint directly over any frame in a video sequence. With Video Paint, you can quickly and easily create special effects such as lightning bolts, lasers beams, virtual sets and mattes. You can also use the wide range of natural and particle-based painting tools to work on single images for use in other projects, such as web pages and presentations. In this chapter you will learn about: • Understanding the basics .....
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Understanding the basics Video Paint allows you to select, draw, paint, and enhance each image that makes up the frames of a video sequence. Each of the frames appears as a clip in the Filmstrip panel. You can scroll through this panel to view the clip or select a specific frame to work on. When you select a frame, it opens automatically as an image in an edit window.
VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER ONE 215 Standard toolbar View in Normal mode View in Onionskin mode View in Ruby Mask mode View in No Source Video mode Cut an image Copy an image Paste an image View in Composite mode View in Paint Layer mode Redo an undone action Undo a previous action Save a Video Paint project Open an image file Open a video file Open a Video Paint project Create a new Video Paint project Production Library Preview options Tool panel Eyedropper tool Shape Selection tool Lasso tool Zoom tool
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Working with the Filmstrip panel The Filmstrip panel displays each frame of a clip in the Video Paint workspace. At the bottom of the Filmstrip panel is a green view box which indicates the current frames in view. By dragging on this view box, you can scroll through these frames to see the entire contents of the clip. When you have found a frame you are interested in, click on it to display it in an edit window.
VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER ONE 217 Working with edit windows When you work on an image in an edit window, you can choose to operate in one of two modes: Composite or Paint Layer. Composite mode allows you to select portions of an image (the source video) and then move or manipulate them. Once moved or manipulated, the selection becomes a floating selection area and moves up to the paint layer.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 218 Opening files into Video Paint To get started in Video Paint, you need to open a file into the workspace. You can open existing Video Paint, video or image files. When you open a file, Video Paint allows you to select which frames in the file to open. This ability to ‘partially edit’ your work speeds up processing time, particularly for larger files, as you don’t have to load the many hundreds of frames that make up a video sequence.
VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER ONE 219 3. If you know the timecode for the frames you want to open, enter them in the Mark-in and Mark-out spin boxes. If you do not know them, use the Preview window’s control bar to play back the video; you can then click the Mark-in and Mark-out buttons respectively to select the beginning and ending frames for the sequence you want to open. 4. Click OK. The dialog box closes and you return to the Open Video File dialog box. 5.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 2. Specify the duration of the project in the Duration spin boxes as well as its frame rate in the Frame rate combo box. You can choose from the list in the drop-down menu or enter your own. If the project is intended to be placed into Video Editor, make sure your frame rate is equal to the frame rate of your Video Editor project. Otherwise, you may get dropped or duplicated frames. 3. Select the frame size for the project using the options in the Frame size group box.
VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER ONE 221 Performing Cut and Copy operations When working on your project, you will often want to copy changes you have made in one frame to others in the video sequence. To do this, you use the Cut and Copy buttons on the Standard toolbar or the Edit: Cut and Copy commands. Copy duplicates a selected area or floating selection while Cut removes it from the image. Once cut or copied, you can paste it into the current frame or into another.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE selection marquee which now selects a portion of the active image. This is useful if you wish to copy a selection area over multiple frames so that it selects the same area each time. Pasting an image as a selection (left) and as a mask (right) Duplicating changes over frames The Cut and Copy are useful for duplicating changes from one frame to another. Often, however, you will want to duplicate changes over several frames, even over several seconds.
VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER ONE 223 Power Duplicate dialog box 3. Select the source you want to duplicate from the Source group box. The Selection option duplicates the currently active floating selection or, if the selection is not floating, its mask, while Paint layer duplicates the entire contents of the paint layer. (If you do not have a floating selection active, then only Paint layer is enabled.) 4. Specify where you want the duplication to take place in the Apply group box.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 224 7. Click OK. The dialog box closes and the active floating selection or paint layer is duplicated over the specified number of frames. If you power duplicate over a number of frames, a message box may appear indicating that the operation has exceeded the number of frames specified in the Clear undo history for multiple frame actions option in the General tab of the Preferences dialog box (see page 231).
VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER ONE 225 Managing project cues To change the name of a cue, click View: Cue Manager. This opens the Cue Manager dialog box which allows you to delete cues, rename them or select specific ones to jump to. For renaming a cue, the Rename Cue dialog box appears for you to type a name and description. To select a cue in the Cue Manager dialog box, click the timecode displayed under the Frame position button. Note: To quickly rename a cue, double-click it to open the Rename Cue dialog box.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 226 Using the Zoom tool Use the Zoom tool when you want to zoom in on an image while at the same time controlling which part of the image is displayed in the edit window. To use the Zoom tool, select it and then click the area of the image you want to see better. The image zooms in beneath your pointer’s position. To zoom out, hold the SHIFT key as you click. (You can also use the Zoom slider on the Attribute toolbar to quickly zoom in and out on the center of the image.
VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER ONE 227 Using the Global Viewer to change views Fitting an image in the edit window When you use the Zoom commands, the image window does not change to fit the new image size. Therefore, after zooming, the entire image may not be displayed in the edit window and scroll bars appear along the window’s edge. If you wish to display the complete image within the edit window, choose one of the available Zoom commands from the View: Fit in Window By submenu.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 228 Inserting frames There may be times when you need to extend the length of a video or insert a new sequence into the middle of existing frames. Video Paint allows you to do this by inserting frames. When you insert frames, you increase the duration of the project by the number of frames you add. If the project becomes too large, you may find that it slows down processing time.
VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER ONE 229 slider in the Preview group box; as you move, the timecode changes accordingly.) 5. Click OK. The dialog box closes and the new frames are inserted at the specified location. Duplicating frames The Frame: Duplicate command is similar to the Insert command in that it adds new frames to the clip in the Filmstrip panel. The difference is that it fills the new frames with the same content of the frame currently displayed in the edit window.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 230 To replace frames: 1. Select the frame in the Filmstrip panel where you want to begin your replacement. 2. Click Frame: Replace Source Video to open the Replace Source Video dialog box. Replace Source Video dialog box 3. Specify the number of frames to replace in the Duration spin box and then specify what to replace the frames with in the Link with group box.
VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER ONE 231 Customizing Video Paint The Preferences dialog box (opened by double-clicking the Status bar or File: Preferences [F6]) provides options for customizing certain aspects of the program’s behavior. This is always a good place to start before you do any editing as it helps optimize Video Paint for each project and adapts the program to more closely match your work habits. PREFERENCES DIALOG BOX: VIDEO PAINT TAB 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 232 4. Number of recently opened file names specifies how many file names are stored in the Recent History list found in the File menu. 5. Title safe area margin specifies the margin percentage for displaying any titles in a video project. This is useful if you intend on sending your video out to video tape or for broadcasting, as television has a different resolution than a computer monitor and edges which are viewable on screen may disappear.
VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER ONE 233 2. Hard disk displays how much free space you have on your hard drive. 3. Limit hard disk usage to specifies how much memory you want to allocate just for Video Paint’s purposes. If you are only using Video Paint and want to optimize performance, select the maximum amount possible. If you are using other programs in the background you may want to limit this to about half.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 234 3. Limit hard disk usage to allows you to specify how much memory you want to allocate to the MediaStudio Pro programs for use as virtual memory. If you want to run other programs in the background, then choose about ½ the maximum amount. To use Video Paint defaults, leave this option unchecked. 4. Limit RAM usage to allows you to specify how much memory you want to allocate to the MediaStudio Pro programs for use in RAM.
VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER ONE 235 To calibrate your display: 1. Click File: Preferences to open the Preferences dialog box and click on the Display tab. At the bottom of the tab are two Grayscale squares. The top square is a checkered pattern of black and white pixels, which when viewed from a distance, looks 50% gray. The bottom square is 50% gray as your monitor currently shows it. In a well calibrated monitor, both of these squares should look approximately the same. 2.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE The chapter in review Here are some key points and tips to remember from this chapter: • Video files are displayed as clips in the Filmstrip panel with the first frame appearing as an image in an edit window (p.214). • Control the size of frames in the Filmstrip panel by using the rightmouse pop-up menu (p.216). • Open only a few seconds of a video file for speedier editing (p.218). • Use Power Duplicate to copy edits over multiple frames (p.222).
Chapter 2 Painting Video Paint’s painting tools enable you to easily touch-up and enhance any frame in your video project. The painting tools themselves present a variety of functions, from the advanced Retouch and Clone tools to the more common Paintbrush and Transform tools. In this chapter you will learn about: • Working in different display modes ........................................................ p.238 • Making selections ..........................................................................
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 238 Working in different display modes In Video Paint, you can choose to view edit windows in a number of different display modes. These modes make identifying your edits easier. They also provide a means for creating mattes and animations.
VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER TWO 239 To create a video matte in Ruby Mask mode: 1. Select the first frame of the video you want to apply the matte over. The frame appears as an image in the edit window. 2. Click the Ruby Mask mode button on the Standard toolbar or View: Display Mode: Ruby Mask. A ruby film appears over the image. 3. Select a paint tool and define its attributes in the Brush Panel (see page 252). 4. Start painting over the mask.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 240 Onionskin mode Onionskin mode is extremely useful when you are creating animations and want to be able to see how your edits are progressing from frame to frame. It works by placing transparent layers of each successive frame you edit over its predecessors, allowing you to easily see your changes from the previous frame as you work in the current frame. To work in Onionskin mode: 1. Select the first frame of the video you want to paint over.
VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER TWO 241 7. Define a transparency for each skin layer in the Skin transparency spin box. This value indicates the transparency of the skin layer, and not the edits you are performing. For example, a skin transparency of 30% produces a light result as it only allows 30% of the edit to show through. The higher the value the more of the edit you can see. (Click the Preview button to test how your changes affect any existing onionskin layers.) 8.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Making selections In Video Paint, whenever you apply a command or use one of the painting tools, it is applied over the entire image in the edit window. To restrict the command or painting tool to a certain area of an image, you first need to create a selection. To do this, Video Paint has three selection tools that offer a wide range of options for creating both simple and more complex selection areas. Once created, a selection marquee appears outlining the selected area.
VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER TWO 243 Selecting in the Composite and Paint Layer modes If you are in Composite mode, any selection area you create selects elements of the actual image. Moving this selection or manipulating it in any way makes it a floating selection and moves it to the paint layer. Every time you create a new floating selection, any pre-existing floating selections are merged with the paint layer.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE When you create a selection, it starts from where you first click your mouse. This is fine in most cases, but sometimes you may want it to start from the center, particularly if you are creating circular or square shapes. To do this, first click the Draw From Center button on the Attribute toolbar and then drag your mouse over the image starting from where you want the center of the selection to be.
VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER TWO 245 object against a dull background. (If you find the selection ‘pulls’ to include unwanted areas, deselect the AutoSnap option or decrease the sensitivity.) Note: If you make a mistake while drawing a selection area or wish to start again, press the ESC key. Creating an irregular selection area Selecting an area containing similar colors The Magic Wand tool is useful when you want to select specific colors in an image.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Creating a selection containing similar colors Determining color similarity When using the Similarity entry box, enter a value that you feel closely reflects the range of colors you wish to select. To help determine the color similarity range, move the Magic Wand over target pixels in the image and notice the RGB color values displayed on the Status bar.
VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER TWO 247 Adding additional areas to a selection Moving a selection area marquee (mask) Sometimes you will want to use a selection area without moving the image data it contains. For example, you may want to move a selection area to expose certain portions of an image, or to protect other portions from any effects or changes you may apply to the image. To do this, click the Move Selection Marquee button on the Attribute toolbar or use the Grabber tool on the Tool panel.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Using the Color palette The Color palette contains colors that you can apply to any image in the edit window. The way colors are displayed in the palette varies according to your selection in the View: Color palette submenu. You can display palette colors in one of four methods: Map, Wash, Swatch, and Custom. Which method you choose depends on the type of color you want as well as which color picker you are more familiar with. To select a color, click it with your mouse.
VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER TWO 249 Selecting colors from the Color Picker pop-up menu The Color Picker pop-up menu allows you to select a new color to replace the selected color square, or to choose from a range of Color Pickers. Each Color Picker provides a different method for selecting colors, and each is suitable for particular situations. (You can open the Color Picker menu by right-clicking over any color square in Video Paint.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Using the Windows Color Picker When you select the Windows Color Picker command, the standard Windows Color dialog box appears from which you can select a basic or custom color. Selecting colors with the Eyedropper tool The Eyedropper tool enables you to select a foreground color from colors already in an image.
VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER TWO 251 Using the painting tools The Painting tools in Video Paint offer an extensive variety which allow you to paint over an image using anything from a felt-tip pen to an oil brush. When you use a paint tool, the paint is applied directly to the paint layer and not the actual image itself. As such, you can work without fear of damaging the original image as well as easily copy your work over several frames. To view the painting tools, click the Paint tool button on the Tool panel.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 252 Specifying Brush panel attributes When you choose a painting tool, the Brush panel displays the attributes for that tool in four folders: Shape, Options, Color, and Advanced. The current settings of these attributes are the same as they were when last selected. If you change them, you can save the new settings to the Production Library by clicking the Save button on the Attribute toolbar.
VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER TWO 253 Weight defines how heavy the paint color is. The heavier the weight, the stronger the impression it leaves. Distribution defines the placement of the brush bristles. The higher the value, the narrower the placement, while a lower value means a wider placement. Random creates a random (although proportional) size variation among the bristles of a brush. The value entered here defines the percentage of variance.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 254 • Addition applies the color that is produced from adding the color values of the original colors with that of the painted color. For example, if the overlying frame is R:10 G:210 B:125 and the underlaying clip is R:30 G:100 B:100 then the resulting color will be R:40 G:255 B:225 – (R=10+30 G=210+100 B=125+100). (Values greater than 255 are rounded down to 255.
VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER TWO 255 BRUSH PANEL: COLOR TAB 1 2 1. Single Color applies a single color as the brush paint. 2. Multiple Colors applies multiple colors as the brush paint. You choose which colors from the neighboring Hue, Saturation, and Brightness options. By controlling the value of these options, you determine how much color is applied. For example, more hue introduces more color while an increase in the saturation makes the colors appear stronger.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 256 Filling an area with color Apart from painting over an image with a paint tool, you can also fill a selection or the entire image with a solid color. To do this, click Edit: Fill [CTRL+F]. This opens the Fill dialog box from which you can select the color to use as the fill, the degree of transparency and the way the color is applied, such as the hue only or just the difference. (For more on these, see the description of the Options tab in the Brush panel, page 253).
VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER TWO 257 Using the Clone tool The Clone tool is similar to the paint tool except that it uses the image for its color palette. For example, you can paint onto an image with another part of the same image, or even from a second image in another edit window.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE ship with the clone crosshair regardless of where you place your mouse. (The clone crosshair does not return to the original location when you release the mouse.) This is useful if you are cloning large areas and often release your mouse and do not want to start from the beginning point. Frame is for cloning between different frames on the same clip. (To do this, first insert the file again so you now have two copies in the workspace.
VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER TWO 259 To view the retouching tools, click the Retouch tool button on the Tool panel. The Brush panel opens and all the retouch tools are displayed along the Attribute toolbar. The attributes for these tools are identical to the paint tools (see page 251) except the Options tab, which changes to display controls for refining the degree of retouching. (To learn about cloning over several frames, see the ‘Duplicating changes over frames’ section, page 222.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE BRUSH PANEL: OPTIONS TAB (RETOUCH TOOL) Dodge increases the amount of luminosity in an image, making areas lighter. Burn reduces the amount of luminosity in an image, making areas darker. Blur blurs the edges of an image making them less distinct. Sharpen sharpens the edges of an image thereby making them more distinct. Tonal adjustment controls the amount of highlight, midtone, and shadow in an image.
VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER TWO 261 To record a macro: 1. Click the Macro button on the Attribute toolbar (for Paint and Retouch tools only). A message box appears preparing for recording. Note: When you record a macro, Video Paint clears the previous Undo history to help free up system resources. If you want to retain any previous edits, first save the file before recording. 2. Click OK. Video Paint centers the edit window and you can start painting on the image.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 262 To play back a macro: 1. Select the frame from where you want the macro to begin its playback. 2. Click the Production Library button on the Standard toolbar and locate the macro in the Macro gallery that you want to play back. 3. Double-click on the thumbnail of the macro you want to play back or drag-and-drop it into the edit window to open the Macro Playing Options dialog box. Macro Playing Options dialog box 4.
VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER TWO 263 Applying filters The video filters in Video Paint are the same as those found in Video Editor and can be used from the Menu bar or from the Video Filter gallery in the Production Library. While they are the same in design, they do, however, differ in application.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 264 Previewing your work When working in Video Paint, it is a good idea to regularly preview your work to see how your project is developing. You can do this in one of two ways – by creating a preview file or by flicking through a series of frames. Previewing works in much the same way as in Video Editor while flicking works by displaying a series of frames quickly, much like flipping through the pages of an animation.
VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER TWO 265 4. Specify the area on the frame you want to flick through using the Flick area spin boxes or by dragging the control points in the bounding box in the preview image. (To move the bounding box on the Preview image, place your pointer in the center and drag.) When flicking through a specific area on the frame, it is a good idea to select the Show border option because it places a thin red border over the area being flicked making it easier to identify.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE The chapter in review Here are some key points and tips to remember from this chapter: • Work in Ruby Mask mode to create video mattes (p.238). • Work in Onionskin mode when creating animations (p.240). • In Composite mode, you select areas of an image; in Paint Layer mode, you select areas of your edits (p.243). • Use the Eyedropper tool to select colors from an image in an edit window (p.250). • Save regularly used brush attributes to the Production Library (p.252).
CG Infinity
Chapter 1 Getting started CG Infinity is a specialized drawing program that allows you to create impressive titles and motion graphics that you can use in Video Editor projects or as standalone video and image files. With CG Infinity, you can easily produce television and film quality opening and ending credits as well as an extensive range of both regular and freehand graphical objects. In this chapter you will learn about: • Understanding the basics ......................................................
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Understanding the basics CG Infinity is a vector-based drawing program dedicated to creating impressive titles and motion graphics. Once you have created a title or graphic, it becomes an object which can be resized, reshaped and redesigned without any loss in quality. A comprehensive range of drawing tools also gives you complete flexibility over your work and makes editing objects as easy as moving your mouse.
CG INFINITY: CHAPTER ONE 271 Standard toolbar Bring an object to the front Bring an object forward Send an object backward Send an object to the back Cut an object Copy an object Paste an object Save a CG project Open a CG project Create a new CG project View in wireframe mode Redo an undone action Undo a previous action Tool panel Object tool Adjust tool Shape tool Path tool Freehand tool Moving Path tool Envelope tool Text tool Eyedropper tool Zoom control Default object style Edit window
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Understanding objects Objects form the basis of your work in CG Infinity. They can be anything from text to regular squares and circles as well as freehand drawn shapes. Each object is a vector-based graphic which is created from a series of lines that form an outlined path to represent the object’s shape. When you work on an object, you can add, move, and remove points anywhere along a line in the path.
CG INFINITY: CHAPTER ONE 273 Changing the background of an edit window Once created, an edit window displays a solid white background. When you create a video or image file, this is the color of the background that will appear behind any objects. You can change this background by choosing a new color or by replacing it with the contents of a video or image file. To change an edit window’s background: 1. Click View: Background to open the Background dialog box. 2.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 274 Changing the view of an edit window CG Infinity offers the same controls for viewing edit windows as Video Paint: these are the View commands and the Zoom tool. (For more on these, see pages 225-227.) CG Infinity, however, adds two extra commands to help you work at full screen: the View: Full Screen [CTRL+U] and View: Remove Menu Bar commands.
CG INFINITY: CHAPTER ONE 275 Saving your work In CG Infinity, the edit window you are working on is referred to as a project. You save this project as a special Ulead CG Infinity file (UCG) by clicking the Save button on the Standard toolbar or File: Save [CTRL+S]. UCG files contain all the attributes of the objects in the edit window as well as the video properties of the project.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Another method to cut and copy is the Edit: Duplicate command which copies the currently selected object and makes a duplicate at the same time. The advantage of the Duplicate command is that you do not have to paste the object, therefore allowing you to quickly create copies of objects as you work. (This is ideal if you are creating temporary objects to experiment on and do not want to affect the original.
CG INFINITY: CHAPTER ONE 277 Controlling the alignment of objects When you move objects around in CG Infinity, you often want to place them in particular areas within the frame of the edit window. This is especially the case when trying to match an object with a background video or image file, such as a car or a corporate logo. To do this, CG Infinity provides guides and rulers that help you accurately place and move objects.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 278 Guides are reference lines that you pull out from either the horizontal or vertical rulers. When you pull out a guide, it appears as a dotted line which you can use to mark certain areas within the edit window. You can have any number of guides which can be easily repositioned by dragging on them. To remove a guide, drag it off the edge of the edit window using the Object tool.
CG INFINITY: CHAPTER ONE 279 Customizing CG Infinity To better work with CG Infinity, it is important to customize the program’s behavior with the Preferences dialog box (opened by doubleclicking the Status bar or clicking File: Preferences [F6]). This dialog box has three tabs: CG Infinity, Memory, and Display. Except for the first, CG Infinity, the others are identical to Video Paint and are fully explained in the ‘Customizing Video Paint’ section, page 231.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 4. Title safe area margin specifies the margin percentage for displaying any titles in a video project. This is useful if you intend on sending your video back out to video tape or for broadcasting as television has a different resolution than computer monitors, and edges which are viewable on screen may disappear. As a guideline, for NTSC devices choose 12%, PAL 10%. To view the title safe area marquee, click View: Title Safe Area. 5.
Chapter 2 Working with objects The power of CG Infinity lies in its ability to create and manipulate objects. Using a wide range of drawing tools, you can easily create these objects by tracing over existing images, drawing your own shapes or using the Text tool to create impressive titles and text effects. In this chapter you will learn about: • Defining an object’s style ........................................................................ p.282 • Creating text and shape objects .....................
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 282 Defining an object’s style When you create an object, it takes its form from the path or shape you draw and its appearance from a number of attributes which make up its style. These attributes are defined in the Object Style Panel which you can view by clicking the Object Style Panel button on the Attribute toolbar or by right-clicking over a toolbar and selecting the Object Style Panel command. The panel has three tabs: General, Color, and Shadow.
CG INFINITY: CHAPTER TWO 283 4. Soft Edge blends the edges of an object with the background. This option is useful if anti-aliasing does not create a smooth enough edge for some objects. 5. Line Caps defines how the ends of lines are drawn; you can choose between Round, Square or Flat. (Depending on the size of your object, you may not be able to see any obvious change.) 6. Line Joints defines how lines meet; you can choose Round, Bevel, or Miter joining.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 284 3. Line color determines how the line of an object is filled. The first option, None, applies no fill to an object’s line making it clear. (If you do not select a color or style, then the line width specified in the General tab has no affect.) The second option, Color, selects a solid color to fill the line with. To choose the color, rightclick the color square or select the color using the Eyedropper tool or the Color palette, keeping the CTRL key held down as you click.
CG INFINITY: CHAPTER TWO 285 Setting your default object style Whenever you create an object, it takes its initial style from the current default as indicated by the graphic at the bottom of the Tool panel. You can change this default at any time by right-clicking it and choosing the Properties command. In the Properties dialog box that opens, you can specify the new defaults.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 286 Using the Text tool The Text tool in CG Infinity allows you to use any font currently installed on your system to create a text object. Once created, you can control the spacing between letters in a word as well as the spacing between lines of text. You can also edit the text at a later time, even after changing its shape and style. Note: If you want to edit a text object on another machine, that machine must have the same font installed.
CG INFINITY: CHAPTER TWO 287 Using the Shape tool In CG Infinity, you can create both regular symmetrical shapes, such as squares and circles, as well as more complex polygons and stars. You can use these shapes to block out sections of a background image or video, as a background for text, or to create a variety of special effects. To create a shape object: 1. Select the Shape tool from the Tool Panel.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 288 3. Click on the area of the image where you want the shape to appear and drag. As you drag, the shape takes its form based on the specified attributes. (If you choose a fixed size, the shape is drawn immediately.) Once you release your mouse, the shape is created as an object. Note: If you draw an object and then hold down the SHIFT key, you can adjust the object equilaterally. If you hold down the CTRL key, you can adjust the object in one direction only.
CG INFINITY: CHAPTER TWO 289 As you draw, a line appears in the edit window which follows your movements. To draw continuously, keep your mouse button down as you drag. If you release the mouse button, you end a segment. You can then choose to end the path or create a new segment by clicking in another area of the edit window. When you create a new segment, it automatically connects to the end of the previous segment. Note: If you make a mistake while drawing, press the ESC key to start again. 3.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 3. Move to the edit window and begin drawing the shape you want to create. Each time you click your mouse, a node is placed in the edit window and a line segment is automatically drawn connecting the two nodes. If you selected the Add Curve option, two handles appear on either side of the node allowing you to stretch, pull and turn the curve. (You can come back later to edit these nodes and handles using the Adjust tool, see page 294.
CG INFINITY: CHAPTER TWO 291 Selecting multiple objects You can select multiple objects by holding down the SHIFT key as you click each object. The bounding box changes each time to encase all the selected objects. Once selected, you can move them as one or resize them equally. If you change an object style, the new style is adopted by all the objects, regardless of their original settings. (You can also select multiple objects by dragging a selection marquee over each one.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 292 Moving objects Once an object is selected, you can move it by dragging it with the Object tool. Apart from moving an object with your mouse, you can also move it using the Position spin boxes on the Attribute toolbar. When you view the Position spin boxes, they show the current horizontal and vertical position of the selected object respectively (All measurements are in pixels). You can enter in new values to move the object accordingly.
CG INFINITY: CHAPTER TWO 293 Note: To resize an object, you can click a button or enter the new dimensions for the object in the Width and Height spin boxes on the Attribute toolbar. (These spin boxes are useful for when you need to make accurate adjustments to an object’s size, such as to 1/10th of a pixel.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 294 3. Drag one of the nodes of the bounding box to change the shape of the envelope. Control handles appear which allow you to further control the curve of the envelope. 4. Keep dragging the nodes and control handles until you have a shape you are happy with. Changing the envelope of a text object Adjusting shapes Whenever you create an object (other than a text object), its shape is defined by the path you draw.
CG INFINITY: CHAPTER TWO 295 3. Change the shape of the path by dragging the node or one of the control handles. Dragging the node repositions it while dragging a control handle changes the curvature of the path around the active node and between the preceding and following nodes. You can control the behavior of these nodes as well as their directions by choosing one of the node options on the Attribute toolbar.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 296 Creating a moving path An integral part of your work in CG Infinity is adding motion to your objects. This is done using the Moving Path tool which allows you to specify a path for an object to follow within the edit window. You can then position objects so that they move across the screen, either in unison or at different intervals.
CG INFINITY: CHAPTER TWO 297 Creating a moving path Changing the shape of a moving path In CG Infinity, there are two ways in which you can change the shape of a moving path: with the Moving Path tool or by assigning the path of an object as a moving path. To change the shape using the Moving Path tool, you need to select it with the Moving Path tool and then drag the moving path as you would if adjusting an object’s path. The Attribute toolbar has the same options as the Adjust tool (see page 294).
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Changing the size and style of an object over time Using the Time Control Panel, you can make an object change its size over time as well as perform other effects such as fades and color transitions. This is done through the use of keyframes that you place at strategic positions throughout the moving path. By changing the attributes of an object at each keyframe, you cause it to change over time. To change an objects size and style over time: 1.
CG INFINITY: CHAPTER TWO 299 6. Move the Preview slider to the start or click on the Start Keyframe button to return the object back to its beginning position. 7. Click the Play button to see how the object moves and changes over time. (To see changes in an object’s style, you need to play the moving path in Preview mode, not Wireframe.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Timing the movement of objects An important part of any CG Infinity project is the synchronization of objects with each other. For example, you will often want text to appear either before or after another object has been displayed. To do this, you again need to use the Time Control Panel and place keyframes to act as timers before an action occurs. (Often with multiple objects, you end up needing more time than currently specified in the project.
CG INFINITY: CHAPTER TWO 301 To change the end time of a moving object: 1. Select the object you want to change with the Moving Path tool. The moving path of the object appears. 2. Move the Preview slider to the last frame in the Time Control Panel, the object moves to that position on the moving path, and then click the Add Keyframe button. A keyframe is added to the Keyframe slider. 3. Drag on the keyframe and move it to the position where you want the movement of the object to end. 4.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE The chapter in review Here are some key points and tips to remember from this chapter: • To see a line color, you need to specify a line width (p.282). • Apply gradients to add color and depth to an object (p.283). • Right-mouse click on an object to set that object’s attributes as the default (p.285). • Use the Freehand and Path tools to trace objects in the background (p.288).
Audio Editor
Chapter 1 Getting started Audio Editor is the MediaStudio Pro program that gives you command over your soundtrack. With it, you can play, record and edit the audio components of your video project with drag-anddrop ease and a click of the mouse. In this chapter you will learn about: • Understanding the basics ....................................................................... p.306 • Recording sound ..................................................................................... p.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Understanding the basics To get started with Audio Editor you can either open an existing audio file or record sound from an external device such as an audio CD, microphone or VCR. When you view sound, it appears in an edit window as a waveform. This waveform represents the various positive and negative peaks that a natural sound wave makes.
AUDIO EDITOR: CHAPTER ONE 307 Toolbar Go to previous cue Play selection Add a cue Record sound Go to next cue Play a waveform Stop/Pause a waveform Zoom slider Mark the start and end of a selection Drag-and-drop file to another program Fit a selection in the window Alternate between the last two views Run a mixer program Overview strip View box Selection area Edit window Active waveform
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 308 Playing audio files To play an audio file, click the Play button on the Toolbar or click Control: Play [SPACE]. The file starts playing from the current cursor position. To stop the file click the Stop button or click Control: Stop [ESC]. The cursor pauses at the current position. Clicking Stop again returns the cursor to the start of the file. (Clicking Stop or pressing ESC when the file is not playing returns the cursor to the start of the file.
AUDIO EDITOR: CHAPTER ONE 309 The sampling rate determines how many portions (samples) of audio data appear each second and is measured in the thousands. The more samples a file contains the better the audio reproduction; the down side is increased file size. 3. Select the number of channels to use from the Channels group box. The number of channels in an audio file refers to whether the file is mono or stereo. Stereo provides for better sound but is twice the file size of mono. 4.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 310 Converting files After saving a file you may find that you need to change its attributes, particularly if you are planning on mixing it with other files that have different properties. When you convert a file, you can choose to convert down, reducing quality and file size, or convert up. Converting up, such as adding an extra channel or increasing the sample size, does not result in an improvement in the sound of the file.
AUDIO EDITOR: CHAPTER ONE 311 A waveform at Actual view Changing the view of a waveform Whenever you open an audio file, the waveform is displayed entirely within the edit window. If you change the magnification of the window, the view of the waveform changes, and parts of the waveform may be hidden by the window frame. To change your current view, drag on the Global View panel in the Overview strip. This reveals those portions of the waveform previously hidden.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 312 An example of the time unit (M:S:ms) An example of the SMPTE unit (M:S:f) An example of the samples unit (thousands) Dragging-and-dropping to Video Editor Audio Editor allows you to take an audio file and then drag-and-drop that file into Video Editor for further editing or to make it a part of a video project. To do this, first open or record the file in Audio Editor and then click the Drag button on the Toolbar.
AUDIO EDITOR: CHAPTER ONE 313 To record sound: 1. Connect the audio source into your PC audio card’s line-in jack. Test whether or not the connection works by playing from the source. If you hear sound from your computer’s speakers, then it is a good connection. 2. Run your audio mixing program by clicking the Run Mixer Program button on the Toolbar or click Control: Run Mixer [CTRL+M]. (To use the Windows default mixer, click Start: Programs: Accessories: Multimedia: Volume Control.) 3.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 314 Tips for determining audio quality Generally, it is quite straight forward to determine the properties you should use for recording a waveform. The determining factors are the file size and the type of speakers the audio will be played back over. For example, if disk space is limited and the sound is intended for playing over small computer speakers, then there is no need for CD quality sound.
AUDIO EDITOR: CHAPTER ONE 315 PREFERENCES DIALOG BOX 1 2 3 4 5 6 1. X-Axis Unit [Time Format] specifies the unit of time for each edit window. Selecting the Time (M:S.ms) option displays audio file information in minutes, seconds and milliseconds. The SMPTE (M:S:Frame) option shows the time in minutes, seconds and frames. This is especially helpful if you are editing audio for use in Video Editor as it allows you to match the audio portions with each frame of a video sequence.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE The chapter in review Here are some key points and tips to remember from this chapter: • Sound is represented on your computer as a series of waves in a waveform file (p.306). • Match the properties of a waveform to the speakers it will be played back on (p.308). • Use the Edit: Convert To command to change a waveform’s properties (p.310). • Use the Global View panel in the Overview strip to zoom in on a waveform as well as reposition the current view (p.311).
Chapter 2 Editing audio files With your computer and Audio Editor, trimming and enhancing audio tracks for your audio and video projects becomes greatly simplified and significantly easier. With a number of advanced audio effects and enhancements, Audio Editor will soon have you creating audio files that add impact to your work and multimedia presentations. In this chapter you will learn about: • Creating selection areas ......................................................................... p.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Creating selection areas After opening an audio file you can edit the entire waveform or selected parts of it. Unless a selection area has been created, any editing you do affects the entire waveform. In Audio Editor you can create a selection in the following ways: • Drag your mouse over the area you wish to select. • Double-click on the waveform or click Edit: Select All to select the entire waveform.
AUDIO EDITOR: CHAPTER TWO 319 Creating precise selections During your editing there will be times when you want to make a very specific selection, starting and ending at exact times, particularly if you are working in conjunction with a video project in Video Editor. To make detailed selections you need to view the Sample Information Window, opened by right-clicking on a toolbar and selecting the Sample Information Window command. (You can also click View: Toolbars & Panels.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 320 3. Enter a description in the Cue name entry box (maximum 128 charac- ters). The default cue name, ‘&p’ uses the time value of the cue’s location for a name. For example, a cue at the 1 minute 30 second mark would be named ‘01:30:00.’ 4. Click OK. The Add Cue dialog box closes and a blue cue line appears at the cursor position. Note: You can also place a cue while a file is playing by clicking the Add Cue button or Control: Add Cue.
AUDIO EDITOR: CHAPTER TWO 321 If a waveform has a large number of cues, you can navigate between them easily by clicking the Previous Cue/Next Cue buttons on the Toolbar or click Control: Previous Cue and Next Cue [SHIFT+TAB & TAB]. If you want to go to a specific cue, click Control: Go To Cue [SHIFT+G]. This opens the Go To Cue dialog box which lists all the existing cues in the waveform. To go to a cue, select it and click the Go To button. The cursor then jumps to that cue.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Waveform before clearing Waveform after clearing Inserting audio data After cutting or copying audio data, you can paste it from the clipboard into an edit window by clicking one of the Edit: Paste commands. Although similar, each differs in its implementation as well as benefits. • Insert adds data from the clipboard to an existing waveform at the cursor position. This increases the duration of the audio file by the duration of the pasted segment.
AUDIO EDITOR: CHAPTER TWO 323 • Fill replaces a selection area with the clipboard data. If the selection area is longer in duration than the clipboard data, the data repeats itself until the selection area is filled. If the selection area is shorter, Audio Editor truncates the data accordingly. This command is disabled if there is no selection area. • As a New Document creates a new edit window, filling it with the data from the clipboard.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 324 If, after changing the amplification, you find that the waveform peaks or touches the top and bottom edges of the edit window (± 100% on the amplitude scale), then you may find some distortion or noise has been created. In such cases, undo the amplification and click Effect: Normalize. This adjusts the waveform’s amplitude so that it does not peak above or below the amplitude scale.
AUDIO EDITOR: CHAPTER TWO 325 Quantizing a waveform When you record audio data, you need to indicate the sample size, or the number of bits used to store the resulting file. This can be either 8-bit or 16-bit. The more bits the better the quality of the recording, but the greater the size of the audio file. If you need to reduce file size, but still want to maintain a good level of quality, you can quantize the file by clicking Effect: Quantize.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 326 Removing background noise Unless you record in a rigidly controlled environment, such as a soundproofed booth, every audio track you record will have some measure of background noise. For the most part, it will fall within acceptable levels, easily drowned out by the primary body of sound. If not, background noise can be very distracting and significantly decrease the quality of the sound.
AUDIO EDITOR: CHAPTER TWO 327 Calibrating files recorded from different sources Not all recording devices have the same calibration or setup, varying sometimes in frequency modulation and amplitude. In such cases, you may find that files recorded from these different sources end up with different baselines (point 0 on the amplitude scale). Most of the time, this doesn’t adversely affect the overall quality of your tracks as the differences are minute.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 328 To mix two tracks: 1. Click Edit: Mix. The Mix dialog box opens displaying all files open in the workspace which share the same properties. Mix dialog box 2. Select the file you want to mix by clicking on it in the Mix with list box. 3. Set the desired amplification levels for each waveform (between 1- 100%). 100% keeps the original amplification and anything below reduces it. 4. Click OK. A new edit window is created merging the two files.
AUDIO EDITOR: CHAPTER TWO 329 mixing levels at 100%) pastes the inverted waveform into the file. As it is now the opposite of the original file, it negates the manager’s voice and, as a result, removes it from the file. Note: You cannot remove a file from a mix using the Invert method if you have already applied other effects to the mixed file.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 330 The first control point in the graph defines the start-fade amplitude, the second and third points for the middle of the fade and the fourth point for the end-fade amplitude (where 100% is normal amplitude). To help smooth out the fade, select a Transformation curve option. A Linear fade produces a constant fade, while an Exponential fade begins slowly and ends quickly. The Logarithmic fade starts quickly and fades more slowly.
AUDIO EDITOR: CHAPTER TWO 331 Performing a stereo pan If you have a stereo file, you can pan the audio so that it sounds as if the audio moves from one speaker to the other, creating a ‘surround sound’ effect. To do this, click Edit: Pan and in the Pan dialog box that opens, alter the fade for each channel accordingly. For example, a start and end level of 0% results in complete silence while 100% leaves the output unchanged.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Performing an echo Echoes are useful effects which are often difficult to record naturally. Using Audio Editor, however, you can overcome such recording limitations and produce echoes that sound as if you are in a canyon or at a baseball game. To create an echo quickly, click either one of the Echo commands available in the Effect menu. Or, to customize one of those commands, click Effect: Echo.
AUDIO EDITOR: CHAPTER TWO 333 Waveform after applying an echo effect Performing a cross fade A cross fade is where one audio track blends smoothly into another, head to tail. To cross fade two files, click Edit: Cross Fade. This opens the Cross Fade dialog box, which allows you to select the file you want to blend with. (You can only cross fade between files with the same properties.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE The chapter in review Here are some key points and tips to remember from this chapter: • Click the Mark In/Out button to start and end a selection when playing a file (p.318). • Use the Sample information window for creating precise selections (p.319). • Use cues to mark events in a waveform (p.319). • Click the Edit: Mute command to remove areas without affecting the duration of a waveform (p.321). • Normalize a waveform before changing its amplification (p.323).
Appendix
Appendix Background information To get the most out of MediaStudio Pro, it is important to understand the fundamentals behind digital video editing, and video in general. This means an appreciation of both the analog and digital video worlds, and how the sound and moving pictures that make up video move between those worlds. In this chapter you will learn about: • The world of analog video ....................................................................... p.338 • The world of digital video ..........
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE The world of analog video Video, in general, starts out as a series of electrical signals (analog waves) which have been recorded by a camera and then broadcast over airwaves or played back from a video tape. To be able to see and hear the video information contained within this signal, it has to follow certain standards and be decoded by a specific device.
APPENDIX 339 How analog video is displayed Analog video is displayed on an NTSC or PAL compatible device, such as a television set. The tube of a television set is made up of a series of lines which display the pictures that we see. The number of lines determines the resolution and quality of the video. (NTSC devices have 525 lines and PAL have 625.) When the video signal is received, it moves across and down these lines, with each pass referred to as a scan, and one complete pass as a field.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 340 Inside digital video There are three components that go into the makeup of digital video: frame rate, frame size, and data type. The frame rate refers to how many frames appear each second, while the frame size is the actual physical size of each frame, and the data type determines how many different colors can appear at one time. How you work with these three elements is determined by the type of video capture board you have and how you want to distribute your video.
APPENDIX 341 Another point to consider is that while devices promote a specific data transfer rate, very few can maintain that rate over an extended period. As such, if your video comes in just under 300 KB per second, it doesn’t necessarily mean that most double speed CD-ROMs can play it smoothly. In fact, most CD-ROM developers target their video files at between 50 70% of the specified data rate to make sure that no frames are dropped.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Understanding data types The data type of a frame refers to how many bits (memory) are allocated for displaying colors. For example, 8-bit (1 byte) data types can show a maximum of 256 colors, while 24-bit which can show over 16 million colors (256x256x256). Obviously, the greater the data type the larger the file size for the video.
APPENDIX 343 Motion JPEG The JPEG compression scheme works by compressing each frame in a video sequence. It is not the most efficient in regard to file sizes, but by compressing every frame individually, it offers the best quality and is the scheme of choice for people wanting to output back to video tape or broadcast.
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 344 Cinepak Cinepak is a popular compression scheme which has long been the scheme of choice for developers wanting to distribute video on CD-ROM or over the Internet. The advantage of Cinepak is that it is software-based, (therefore requiring no special hardware), so any machine can play it back, PC or Mac, and ½ screen (320x240) 24-bit, 15 frames per second video can play back well over double-speed CD-ROMs.
Index
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE
INDEX 347 Index Symbols 3D Moving Paths ............... VE-181 A Adding shadows to an objectCG-284 Adjust tool ......................... CG-294 Adjusting an object's path CG-294 Advanced Moving Paths .... VE-180 Aligning CG objects .......... CG-278 Alpha Channels ................. VE-169 Amplification ...................... AE-323 Animation texture ............ TUT3-54 Audio synchronizing .............. TUT2-42 tracks .............................
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 348 B Background noise, removingAE-323, AE326 Background sets ............ TUT3-54 Batch list .............................. VC-97 editing .............................. VC-98 viewing ............................. VC-98 Batch video creation .......... VE-198 Bit reduction ....................... AE-325 Blue screens ..................... VE-117 Bound ................................ AE-332 Bring to front ..................... CG-291 Brush panel .......................
INDEX path tool ........................ CG-289 projects ......... CG-272, CG-275 reference background .. CG-273 rulers ............................ CG-277 saving ........................... CG-275 selecting objects ...................... CG-290 send to back ................. CG-291 shadow tab ................... CG-284 shape tool ..................... CG-287 text tool .......................... CG-286 tutorial advanced techniquesTUT4-66 animating objects ... TUT4-65 applying gradients ..
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 350 color palettes ................... VC-95 selections ...................... VP-221 Creating a CG moving path ......... CG-296 audio files ...................... VE-201 edit decision list ............ VE-203 files ................................ AE-308 image files .................... CG-275 image sequencesVE-202, VP-220 MPEG movies ................ VE-208 objects freehand ................... CG-288 shape ........................ CG-287 text .............................
INDEX 351 F H Fade to black ..................... VE-161 Fade-In/Out ..................... TUT4-69 Fading ................................ VE-185 Fading sound .................... AE-329 Field options ...................... VE-138 File properties ..................... VC-95 Files changing views .............. AE-311 creatingVE-191, VP-219, AE-308 savingVP-217, CG-275, AE-309 viewing ........... CG-274, AE-310 Filling an area with color ... VP-256 Filmstrip panel .................. VP-216 settings ......
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 352 Mark-in / Mark-out . VC-97, AE-318 Mattes ................................ VE-171 creating ...... TUT3-51, TUT4-66 MCI devices ............ VC-96, VC-99 Mixing sounds .... AE-322, AE-327 removing ........................ AE-328 Moving objects .......................... CG-292 selection marquees ...... VP-247 Moving path dialog box ...... VE-178 Moving pathsTUT2-36, TUT2-40, VE177, CG-296 adjusting ....................... CG-297 MPEG-1 ..............................
INDEX options tab ................. VP-253 shape tab ................... VP-252 paint tools ...................... VP-251 Palettes Video Paint .................... VP-247 Parade ................................. VC-80 Pasting .............................. VE-134 CG objects .................... CG-276 styles ........................ CG-276 color palettes ................... VC-95 masks ............................ VP-221 selections ...................... VP-221 Pasting attributes ..............
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 354 Scissors tool ..................... VE-144 Scrubbing .......................... VE-154 Selecting colors ................. VP-249 with the eyedropper ....... VP-250 Selecting multiple clips ..... VE-130 Selection area marquee hiding ......................... VP-242 Selection areas .. VE-130, AE-318 adding or subtracting to VP-246 Clip Selection tool ......... VE-130 color fill .......................... VP-256 color similarity ............... VP-245 determining ..............
INDEX Timeline ripple editingVE-146, VE-147, VE-148 using .............................. VE-113 Tips for capturing ................. VC-86 Title clips ........................ TUT2-37 Titles .................................. VE-186 Track buttons ..................... VE-132 Track Selection tool ........... VE-132 Tracks ................................ VE-117 Transform tool ................... VP-256 Transformation curve ........ AE-330 Transforming objects .......................... CG-292 selections ...
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 356 V VCD .................................... VE-207 Vectorscope ......................... VC-80 chroma ............................ VC-80 luma ................................. VC-80 parade ............................. VC-80 Video capturing .......................... VC-85 digitizing ........................... VC-74 synchronizing .............. TUT2-42 tracks ............................. VE-117 Video Capture program ....... VC-73 audio attributes ......................
INDEX clip visibility .................... VE-117 clips ............................... VE-115 calibrating .................. VE-137 Clip Selection tool ..... VE-143 display mode ............. VE-118 insertingVE-113, VE-114, VE-116 relinking ..................... VE-136 replacing .................... VE-115 reversing .................... VE-136 Smart Trim ................. VE-145 snapping to ................ VE-135 speed ......................... VE-136 splitting & uniting ....... VE-135 title ............
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE Smart Trim ..................... VE-145 snap to ........................... VE-135 Source window .............. VE-151 special effects ............... VE-157 splitting .......................... VE-135 synchronizing audio & videoTUT2-42 Time Selection tool ........ VE-131 Timeline ........... VE-113, VE-118 ripple editingVE-146, VE-147, VE-148 using .......................... VE-113 Timeline cues ................ VE-141 titles ...............................
INDEX adjusting .................... VP-216 global viewer ................. VP-226 inserting frames ............ VP-228 lasso tool ....................... VP-244 macros .......................... VP-260 Magic Wand tool ............ VP-245 opening videos .............. VP-218 specific duration ........ VP-219 packaging components VP-217 paint tools ...................... VP-251 painting .......................... VP-237 pasting ........................... VP-221 masks ........................
MEDIASTUDIO PRO USER GUIDE 360 W Waveform display .............. AE-311 Waveform monitor ............... VC-82 Windows color picker ........ VP-250 Working with CG Infinity objectsCG-281 Working with color ............. VP-247 Z Zoom tool ...........................
