A/B Roll Editing

[enewhook]

I recently used two cameras to simultaniously record a group discussion. I could not get all participents on one camera. I was planning to lay down one cameras video on the Video Track and the other cameras video on the Overlay Track. With the two tracks synchronized, I need a way to make A/B roll edits throughout the recording. I am using video from analog cameras and so have no true time-code to work with. I don't want to have to get into cutting up one clip and overlaying it into the other causing me to have to synchronize each individual cut.

How can I do this easier?

Ed

[joosuna]

I hope some of the experienced guys and gals can give you a better answer. I do it the way you have described..it is a painful slow method..but it works.

[rguthrie]

enewhook,

One possible way to do this is to decide where you want make the transitions from the A to B roll and write those down. So for explanation purposes, let's say that you want to transition at 1, 2, 5, 8, and 12 minutes. Assuming that you've already synchronized your rolls on the timeline, go into Multi-Trim and starting at 00:00:00 press F3, go to 00:01:00 and press F4, advance to the next frame 00:01:01, press F3, go to 00:02:00, press F4, etc.

Now you cannot use Multi-Trim the Overlay Track, but that's not a problem. Multi-trim what will be on your Overlay track first on the Video track, then SHIFT-select all of the clips and move them to the Overlay Track. Now you can put in your A roll on the Video track and Multi-Trim it the same way. With both clips Multi-Trimmed exactly the same you can just delete the clips you don't want on the Overlay Track.

Hopes this make sense to you,
Ron G.

[sjj1805]

Using Video Studio I would do it Ron's way (rguthrie)

There is an alternative,
If you don't have a copy of Media Studio 8 then this would be a good project to use the 30 day trial on.

In Media studio you have several timelines at your disposal so you could lay one on top of the other. the video tracks are layered so that the higher numbered tracks are in front of the lower numbered tracks,

You could then decide where you want to switch from one track to the other and use the scissors to cut the start and end points and delete the bits from the higher track where you want the lower track to show through.

Regards
Steve J