Clip change length

[Roger Lindberg]

Hi!

I just bought VS10 and new here so be gentle.

My problem is that clips I put in the library have one length, but when I drag them to the storyboard, they change length and become shorter.

example: One clip (uncompressed AVI, 30 frames/sec) goes from 2.233 sec in library to 2.07 sec in storyboard.

Since I'm trying to sync this with music, it all screws up in the end since all these parts of seconds add up.

I have search the board about this without finding anything, but if there is an answer in another thread, please direct me to it.

[Terry Stetler]

If your video is really 30fps (check its properties) and your project settings are for the NTSC's 29.97 fps then you're seeing the difference between drop-frame and non-drop time codes. To correct this drop-frame drops frame numbers 0 and 1 of the first second of every minute.

Try setting your project to 30fps and render the output to 29.97 when finished. That or synch to the 2.07 in a test clip & see if VS10 does the conversion.

The ideal is to keep the project frame rate and the source frame rates the same, especially when trying to do precise audio synching.

[Ken Berry]

You also need to be aware that in video editing clocks, the last number is frames, not parts of a second. In other words, when you see a clock that looks like this 02:10:36:15 it means you have a video which is 2 hrs 10 minutes 36 seconds and 15 frames long. And with NTSC you have 29.97 frames per second (for PAL it is 25 frames per second).

[Roger Lindberg]

Well Ken, it hit me when I read it, you are absolutely right. It counts frames, not part of seconds.
One clip is 43 frames long, 1.433 seconds = 1 second and 13 frames.
VS is right on that one and I feel like an idiot...

I also wanted to ask why the transitions are 0.29 seconds and not 1..... We all know the answer to that one, don't we...

BUT, I have still one problem....

What I am trying to do is to recreate a small 3 minute video I did with another video editor, which will remain nameless, while learning VS and add a few more effects. I'm using the same original clips and same music, but the video in VS plays faster than in the other program and gets out of sync. Is this something I could fix in Project Properties?

Edit: Ok, I connected my brain for a change and did some experiments... It's not the clips, it's not the Projects properties, it's.... The TRANSITIONS!

Everything is fine and dandy as long as the transitions are 1 second, but as soon the clips gets really short, VS trims them down. Fine, it's logical, BUT it trims them differently from my old program.
How does VS calculate this?

Edit 2: My old program DID use part of seconds, not frames.

[Trevor Andrew]

Hi

Transitions in Video Studio

The default transition duration can be changed File –Preferences-Edit Tab……… these are in whole seconds.

When you apply a transition to two clips, vs overlaps the clips by the length of the transition, this shortens the total length of the clips.

Try two color clips at 8 seconds each, total length 16 seconds. 00:00:15:29 (for ntsc)
Apply a 4 sec transition total length 12 seconds. 00:00:11:29

Note that the first frame is numbered ‘00’
30 frames per second
The full second, the last frame is ‘: 29’

Although inserting a transition has to be in full seconds once inserted it can be changed.
Select a transition in the timeline (any view storyboard/timeline) alter the clock duration. This cannot be longer than the clip length.(as the clips overlap)
Select a transition in timeline view and dragging the yellow trim bars will also change the duration.
Notice the clips get shorter whilst the effect is expanded.

Hope this Helps

Trevor

[Roger Lindberg]

Thanks, I understand all that. The problem for me was that VS trims the transitions automatically when the clips are short and I use default 1 sec transition. The clips I use are between 1-5 seconds. VS trims them differently compared to my old video editor and this gave me the problem. I am aware of the problem now and have set the length manually and it works now.

I still want to know how VS decide what length it will shorten the transitions to.

[Trevor Andrew]

Hi

Now I think I understand

If you use two short clips, 5 seconds long.

Then apply a transition 4 seconds long it will fit.
The clips will be overlapped by 4 seconds leaving 1 sec outside the transition (both ends)

If you insert a 5 sec transition the clips will overlap to take all the transition.

Now if you try to insert a longer transition you get a warning

( The duration of the inserted clip is too long. It will be trimmed to fit)

This warning is a total lie, (well almost, very misleading)
What it should say is ( The duration of the inserted transition is too long. It will be trimmed to fit)

The transition is to big for one or both clips and will be reduced in duration to the shortest section of clip showing in the timeline. (that is assuming you are using transitions at each end of all clips)

Does that make sense, clear as mud

Hope that Helps

Trevor

[Roger Lindberg]

Yes, that's exactly what happens. I don't even think the transition have to be longer than either of the clips, it just have to be close.
I can understand why it trims the transitions, but how does it decide what length the transition should have?
If it trims a transition on one end of a clip and I apply a transition on the other end too, will it trim only the last one or both? How much of a clip needs to be "free" from transition effects?

[Trevor Andrew]

Hi Roger

A transition cannot be longer than the shortest clip.
If your first clip is 00:00:3:12
And your second is 00:00:8:00
Then the longest transition has to be 00:00:3:12

When you apply a transition, the clips are overlapped by the transition duration.

The transition sits exactly on the overlap filling it completely.

If the transition is longer than a clip then the transition length is reduced to fit.

ok
If the clip is 5 seconds long and a 3 sec transition is applied to the start, then 2 seconds remain in the clip, 3 sec being taken up by the first transition.
Add another clip.
The transition applied between the first and second clip can only be 2 seconds irrespective of the length of the following clip.( assuming the following clip is longer than 2 seconds)
The first 3 seconds being used by the first transition.

Now I am getting confused

Trevor

[Roger Lindberg]

So you mean a clip can be totally "consumed" by a transition... I wonder what happens if I apply a transition on the other end in that situation....
I might try that one day.

I have been recalculating the transitions now but it still doesn't add up in the end. The video is out of sync in the end anyway. Still, I could have missed something, it's 101 clips in 3 minutes.

Edit: Sigh... I have checked the length of the clips again and realised that my old editor trimmed the length of almost all clips. Why it did it, I don't know, but it shaves off a frame or 2 from the clips. With 100 clips, it ends up with seconds in difference.
Just a thought: could it be that the clips are 30fps and I do this with 25 fps?