Tracks

[Ormond Williams]

Obviously there is a necessity for many tracks to be available otherwise they wouldn't be available in MSPro8 and I know that another track can contain things like an overlay or a clip with green/blue screen, but I don't understand why there is a need for 99 tracks???

Are there any video examples of the use of multiple tracks to be seen anywhere? This would be a great help in understanding what can be done with multiple tracks.

As a newcomer to this software and having had only a little experience with video editing, this forum is a great help!

Thanks!

[tv_news_guy]

Use your standard tv news story as an example.
And I will number the tracks as we go...

1: Main video of ummmm house fire
2: Inset logo of tv station in lower corner
3: Box insert of video of reporter
4: Box insert of video of fire guy being interviewed
5: Name overlay for fire guy
6: Moving graphic on bottom third of screen.. states the name of the story and the location.. who the reporter is etc.
7: Current date and time in other bottom corner

Ok.. that was a quick and dirty example.. but something all of us have seen and can visualize.

Its easy to get to seven or eight layers for commercial/industrial video productions.. I think my personal highest was 22.. just depends on how much stuff you want going on, on the screen, at one time. If you want to get a headache.. just watch msnbc or fox news channel and try to count the number of production elements in a half hour newscast. Your brain will asplode.

Hope that helps
Bill tv_news_guy
ps.. audio works the same way. Tween stereo tracks for the video.. more tracks for voice overlays, production music, sound effects etc. It really helps to be able to see it all in your head before you begin to work on it. Of course, sometimes you have no intention of getting so involved.. but then you find, when you are done.. that you have gone crazy and thrown everything including the kitchen sink at this 30 seconds of video. Non linear editing is part art.. part brain disease.

[sjj1805]

Building on what Bill has said.
Take a look at the included Smart Compositions.
Insert one onto the timeline - no need to alter anything "as is" will do.

Now double click the smart composition, this will "open it up"
Now double click what has just opened up and it will open up even further.
You will soon get the gist and see an example of multiple tracks being used.

Steve J

[Ormond Williams]

Thanks guys! You have cleared that question up for me!

[Devil]

Since MSP8 came out, I haven't used more than 8 tracks on a timeline, but I have used up to 10 timelines with anything from 2 to 8 tracks, possibly averaging between 3 and 4 tracks each. In MSP7, I tended to minimise track use so that things wouldn't become unwieldy; I think 10 was the max and even that was exceptional. What I did do, on occasions, in MSP7, was to do sub-projects with a rendered AVI file which was then taken into the main project to avoid complexity. In fact, I someimes do the same in MSP8, the difference being that the sub-project is done in a sub-timeline (the advantage is faster overall rendering, the disadvantage being that it tends to become almost carved in stone!).