Editing and Aouthoring

[hukhd]

Hi
My purpose is to make a DVD with each scene presented in the menu.
I first split the clip (by scene) but since all the scenes appear now on the storyboard I can't trim each individualy.
Next, In 'Share' I couldn't find a way to make the program open a menu item for each scene .
I believe that the program can handle these issues easely but I couldn't find how.
Thanks in advance for any help.

[Ken Berry]

Splitting by scene is precisely the way to allow editing/clipping of the various scenes. I am not sure why you say you cannot edit them that way. I assume that you can move between Storyboard mode and Timeline mode? Apart from adding transitions between clips, it is easier to do all the other editing in timeline mode, and then any audio editing in Audio View mode...

You don't say which version of Video Studio you are using or whether you are using 'split by scene' during capture or afterwards. You can only split by scene during capture if you are capturing in DV format. Then lots of individual files ('scenes') will be created and will normally appear both on the timeline and in the library pane.

But if it is VS9 or 10+, if you split by scene *after* capture, then these individual *real* files are not in fact created. You will only have one file of your captured video, and lots of 'virtual' scenes. You can still edit them, trim them, put transitions between them, and apply filters to them. But in the end, when you go to Share > Create Video File > DVD, only one mpeg-2 file is created. (This will also happen if you have lots of individual real files in the timeline, and render them together as a single project.)

There are a couple of ways of achieving what you are aiming for. First, after you split the scenes, then in timeline view (not storyboard view), you can edit them how you want. Then you have to go to Clip > Save Trimmed Video, and this will in fact create a real, separate file. When you have clipped and saved all the separate files, then clear the timeline (start a new project). Drag one of your saved files back into the timeline, then go to Share > Create Video File > DVD. This will create a separate, individual DVD-compatible mpeg-2 file.

Create a new project and do the same thing for each of your separate scene files until you have each of your scenes as a separate mpeg-2 file.

Then clean the timeline again by opening a new file, but leave it empty. Click on Share > Create Disc > DVD. The burning page will open. Use the Insert Video button to insert each of your DVD-compatible mpeg-2 files. Make sure Create Menu is ticked. When you click Next to choose your menu background etc, you should then have each of your scenes showing as separate icons on the menu. And if you want, you can then sub-divide each of these into chapters which will appear on a separate chapter menu.

The second way of doing what you want is to do all of your editing of the separate files in the timeline. Then go to Share > Create Video File > DVD and produce a single DVD-compliant mpeg-2 file. Then open a new project to empty the timeline, go to Share > Create Disc > DVD, and insert that single mpeg-2 into the burning page. Only that one file will appear in your main menu. But if you create chapters, you can choose between chapters which are created, say, every 3 or 5 minutes; OR you can split them by scene.

There is also a third way, if you are using VS10, but I am not sure I recommend it. That would be to do all your editing in the timeline of all your scenes. Then, in VS10 only, not older versions, you can insert chapter cue marks where you want in the space just above the top timeline and below the ruler. (You have to be in Timeline view to do this.) You can place them at the end of each scene. Then you save your project, but don't close it. Click on Share > Create Disc > DVD and the burning page will open and your project will be placed automatically in the burning line. As with the second method above, there will only be one icon in the main menu, but in the chapter menu, the program should recognise the chapter marks you inserted in the timeline.

I don't recommend this because a lot of people in the past have had problems when they try to burn using a project file, rather than a separately produced, DVD-compliant mpeg-2. But you can try it and see if it works. If it doesn't, then you should use either of the two methods I outlined above.

[hukhd]

This is the most comprehensive and quality reply I could ask for and it will keep me happily busy for the next few hours.
By the way in a much simpler program like AVS video tools you just put markings (manually unfortunately) in the source file and and you have a simple yet nice menu.
Thanks so much.
M. Biderman

[sjj1805]

There are two major tutorials on the forum
From Camcorder to DVD with VideoStudio

Editing with VideoStudio (Still under construction)

[hukhd]

Thanks