Transitions and controlling them?

[nutsnbolts]

I get a bit nit picky when it comes to transitions. Basically and understandably, the easiest way to create a transition is by overlapping two clips. By default it does the crossfade effect. However, when "building the film"..overlapping clip after clip after clip doesn't make every crossfade the same. Some can be longer, shorter, depending on how much you overlap.

Is there a more precise way to ensure that every overlap (crossfade) is the same throughout the entire movie? I just like to have it be consistent. It may not be noticeably different for the eye but I prefer to keep it consistent.

[Devil]

The SP1 definitive version, to be released on Friday, will help you.

[sjj1805]

You can place all of your clips into the storyboard and then select them all.
Right click and choose add to timeline. this then brings up a dialog box
where you can specify how you want transitions to be handled.
This includes making them all straight cuts, or all transitions are an exact length. You can also specify which transition you wish to use.

Sounds like Devil has just given out a clue of whats in the service pack!

[nutsnbolts]

Devil!

Thank you for the surprise. Now I'm truly excited.

Sjj1805:

Regarding your method. What if I had everything already laid out on the timeline? It seems like now I have to develop everything based on the storyboard.

[Devil]

Don't get too excited, nothing really radical is happening but just a tweak that will make it easier for you to see what is happening.

[sjj1805]

Sjj1805:

Regarding your method. What if I had everything already laid out on the timeline? It seems like now I have to develop everything based on the storyboard.

I think we will have to wait and see whats in the service pack.
Currently you can only do it from the storyboard after that everything is done manually.

[Gorf]

Is there a more precise way to ensure that every overlap (crossfade) is the same throughout the entire movie? I just like to have it be consistent. It may not be noticeably different for the eye but I prefer to keep it consistent.

With MSP6, when you dragged a transition from the production library to the Fx track, it inherited the default clip duration that was set in "preferences", the same duration used by colour clips and images, by default.

With MSP7, that changed so that the transition determined its length based on what it found on Va and Vb. Not good if you put your first clip on the timeline, then the transition, then the second clip. If you wanted to have a specific transition duration, you had to put the first clip on, then a colour clip whose end was lined up with the end of the first clip, then the second clip lined up with the beginning of the colour clip, then the transition. Then you delete or reuse the colour clip.

The same technique can be used with MSP8. Put your first clip on the timeline, then put your colour clip (of predetermined duration) on a different track with its end lined up with the first clip's end, then put your second clip on the same track as the first clip. Drag the second clip backwards, so its overlap with the first clip snaps to the start of the colour clip. Then delete or drag the colour clip somewhere else. I typically use two-second crossfades, so I {Ctrl-X} the two-second colour clip so that when it's needed again, I just {Ctrl-V} it back onto the timeline.

[THoff]

Don't get too excited, nothing really radical is happening but just a tweak that will make it easier for you to see what is happening.

I noticed that in the MSP8 SP1 Beta, a "tooltip" window appears indicating the amount of overlap. However, that hasn't been consistent -- sometimes the window appears, sometimes it doesn't.

Of course, the other way to make sure the transition durations are consistent is to note the Start timecode when you pick up the clip and move it so it overlaps, and moving all clips by the same number of seconds/frames.

[sjj1805]

That tooltip only appears when you have video AND audio in the clips concerned.
If you have removed the audio you dont get the tooltip, you can see it though in the status bar


Something I put in my wish list just after MediaStudio 8 was released was for it to appear at all times.
http://phpbb.ulead.com.tw/EN/viewtopic.php?t=8208

[Devil]

That tooltip only appears when you have video AND audio in the clips concerned.
If you have removed the audio you dont get the tooltip, you can see it though in the status bar

Something I put in my wish list just after MediaStudio 8 was released was for it to appear at all times.
http://phpbb.ulead.com.tw/EN/viewtopic.php?t=8208

No longer!

If you try the SP1 beta build 0038, the tooltip is there all the time while dragging an overlap with the mouse, but it is not reliable and rather difficult to use. However, I have every hope it will be OK in the release version 0039 on Friday (hopefully!) as I reported these problems last week. This is what I was referring to.