MOVING IMAGE PROBLEM - STILL!!! having problems

lakewud · Post by **lakewud** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 11:02 pm

There i was mid-edit and the forum went under!! How i missed seeking the so often forthcoming useful advice on here and looking up in past forums for ideas. I even ventured onto another couple of editing sites with questions..none of which have had any reply as yet!!

...so back to the forum which is worth typing to, and onto my problem.

Its simple enough im certain of it and do-able..but ill be **** if i know how..spent hours messing around to try and tackle it these last few weeks.

Using Videostudio 9. Applogies in advance for 'im sure' the simplicity of my problem..but please dont let it put you off repling.

I have (say for example ) a clip of a cat. Now, all i want to do is..ideally..shrink this image ( at a certain point in the video ..again ideally the video still moving ) using a....say...circle template.

So in effect the picture of the cat is full screen and then slowly the circle comes in screen, takes the full screen image of the cat into the circle making it slowly smaller and smaller...then ( ideally ) stops at a certain point so we now have a small(ish) circle on screen and the words ( for example ) a ChicO production appears ....the O being the now shrinked image of the cat.

Sorry for the akward explanation..but basically..how do i take an image ( moving or still i suppose ) and shrink it so that i can make it part of a word.

Tried all sorts..and of course using masks, or Burger transitions..can get the circle etc...but cant seem to have any control over it...being a transition..it wil just cover over the image..and make it dissapear..when in effect i want it to stop at a certain point....and cant seem to actually get an image to go with the circle to make it smaller..and even perhaps make that circle line up on the rigt part of the screen to form the word.

If youve followed this through to the bitter end..well done and applogies again! But any help id appreciate.

Glad to see the forum back.

g

sjj1805 · Post by **sjj1805** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 5:11 am

What you are looking for is something termed a moving path.
This doesn't exist in VideoStudio - though there are workrounds for simple effects but not for something as elaborate as this one.

You can do this with MediaStudio. If this is a one off project then download the 30 day free trial. who knows - you may like MediaStudio so much you end up upgrading!

Regarding the recent loss of this forum may I suggest that as insurance against any possible future repetition you join our back up forum.
It is only intended primarily as a storage space for the many tutorials created on this forum but in case of an emergency will give us a
'Business as usual' meeting place.
http://www.grandpasgraphics.net/forum/index.php

lakewud · Post by **lakewud** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 10:36 pm

Thank you for your reply and the info.

Will look into downloading this mediastudio.

One question thou...if i use mediastudio or 3d graphics ..and add my 'fancy' titles/transitions etc..can i then save it and add it back into my ulead videostudio project? Or wont it be recognised?

Thanks again.

g

Post by **Ken Berry** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 10:43 pm

I think you will find with either program (MSP or Cool 3D) that you can save your final title project in a standard format, which can then be easily imported into VS. I invariably use uncompressed AVI as the format for the titles I produce in Cool 3D Production Studio or Xara 3D. These open in VS 10+ with no problem, just as they did when I used VS9/8/7...

daniel · Post by **daniel** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 11:27 am

And I want to seize this opportunity to warn unsuspecting beginners about the possibility to include the .c3d project file from Cool3D or PS into the Videostudio project timeline.
Although it DOES work and will produce the desired output, the quality you will obtain is very far from a Cool3D/PS generated AVI.

No wonder when you see how Videostudio encodes the project so much faster than the 3D programs...

lakewud · Post by **lakewud** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 5:55 pm

(appologies - have posted similar in the mediastudio..but as yet no respomce )

Not that im impatient...just..spent the last 5 hours getting to grips with this mediastudio you suggested would solve my motion path problem..and as yet cant even get a circle to appear let along a startin/stopping motion going on!!

Have read, and downloaded one tutorial from here complete with a circle mask..wouldnt allow me to bring it into the program..thou perhaps just a case of re-saving in a different format.

That aside, so can someone please put me out of my misery..like a dog with a bone...i want to get this decreasing cicrle of a cats face to stop at a certain point and then have a title appear alongside it.

Can anyone help. The days wasted as it is!!

Cheers

Post by **Ron P.** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 6:04 pm

I agree there's not alot of tutorials out there yet for MSP8. However to learn the fundamentals of using MSP, there are several for MSP7.

The best tutorial to date is writtten by Charlie Hill, called Getting Results with MSP8. It is a real cheap, almost given away product. He could easily get around $100 for it, however he opts to sell it for only $14. You can get the hardback, ESD, or both, here:

Getting Results with MSP8

I was overwhelmed by MSP when I first tried using it, but no more.. Oh you get working samples and examples...

lakewud · Post by **lakewud** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 8:43 pm

aaahhh the infamous ulead bible. Yes, many a time ive heard it mentioned on these pages. Have to say, i would of been tempted to purchase, however aside from the cost ( any cost in my present situation is an issue im afraid! ) but the demo you can download, of the car by night scene..well..must say im not overly impressed and certainly doesn have that wow! factor for me to make a purchase.

However i digress, thankyou for your reply, i am looking for a more immediate answer thou. Again, at my wits end to figure this one out and the bottom line is..im sure it isnt that complicated of an effect...a simple moving path with a circle that covers the image you want / or better still reduces the image in size until a certain point and then stick on some titles. Surely not rocket science!

Is there an easy method for this, using mediastudio...having exhausted the videostudio transitions and masks!

thanks

g

lakewud · Post by **lakewud** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 9:06 am

Hi all, can anyone out there advise me on my moving image problem..really starting to bug me! No tuterials you can direct me too..tried ( and failed ) the PIP one!

sjj1805 · Post by **sjj1805** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 6:20 pm

lakewud wrote:Thank you for your reply and the info.

Will look into downloading this mediastudio.

One question thou...if i use mediastudio or 3d graphics ..and add my 'fancy' titles/transitions etc..can i then save it and add it back into my ulead videostudio project? Or wont it be recognised?

Thanks again.

g

You can import VideoStudio projects into MediaStudio but not the other way round. Think of it like a cup and a bucket of water.
VideoStudio is the Cup, MediaStudio is the bucket.

Having said that it is our recommendation that when you start a project with one product that you stick with it to the bitter end.

lakewud · Post by **lakewud** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 9:38 pm

Thanks for the reply, ok, so best not use mediastudio then seeing as my current 45min project is using vs9. I take it, now having downloaded vs10 ( trial )..thats ok to chop n change...not that i need to.

So, back to my main source of fustration. Perhaps Ken can come to my rescue ( not for the first time! ).

The moving image thang, ok so even if i could mange it in mediastudio...pointless seeing as i must then incorporate it back into VS9.

So, what other method/mask etc can i use to get a similar effect..that of a closing in circle of a 'cats face'..only to stop ( or pause for a few sec's )..to allow me to add in a couple of titles and then to disapear...means ideally! moving the circled image to one side to make room for the title if you know what i mean. Again, ideally here, wanting to SHRINK the image in the circle and then pause for a few secs..thou at this stage in the game, really anything that will give me a simliar look will do.

Add to that problem, ive been messing around with these borders, using both VS10 and Mediastudio..the result..seems the method of placing my scenes on the overlay track to then create 'so-called' widescreen on VS9 ( seeing as im - for this project - stuck with VS9 now )..and then 'fit to screen' has a very choppy effect...might have to resort to the awful cropping technique instead? am i doing something wrong here?

Finally, i noticed when i loaded in my project just now, that the titles dont appear...the def. did many times in the past? So, whats changed? Havent really messed around with the project so im not too bothered by this at present..more intrested in the whole motion circle thang..but still, if anyone can shed ideas on what / why the titles dont want to appear...tried it various times & various forms of playback methods...alls fine, just no titles.

sjj1805 · Post by **sjj1805** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 9:51 pm

Even moving a VideoStudio project between versions (9 to 10) presents problems.

What I suggest you do is prepare the effect in MediaStudio and export that as an avi file. Then you can import that avi file into VideoStudio and use it like any other.

lakewud · Post by **lakewud** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 9:56 pm

Ok, so at least theres some hope there then! Thanks

But can you help with the effect itself. Havent a clue about Mediastudio, taken me long enough getting to grips with VS9..and MS being a trial and all...Im sure it isnt too difficult what im asking...to be honest it seems very straightforward..but a case of pushing the right buttons? What are they??

Post by **Ron P.** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 10:24 pm

Do you have an imaging program that can create vector images? This would be like PhotoImpact, Paintshop Pro, Adobe PhotoShop...

First you will need to create your circle shape in one of them. Save it to a *.png so the alpha channel will be available if needed. (alpha channel is the transparency).
Once you have your circle, open MSP, place that on a Video track above the one with your cat. Then apply a moving path to the circle, starting it out small then increasing in size until it obtains the size needed. You will need to keyframe the motion path. Keyframes are where the changes are made.

Then to appear to swallow the cat and take it back small you would also need to apply a motion path to the cat image, starting at the point of where the circle equals the size of the cat...l

lakewud · Post by **lakewud** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 11:51 pm

thanks for your time in repling.

What you describe does seem a little above my abilities however, i will attempt what you say over the next few days...plan to nail this one!...i take it all this can be achieved with VS9.

Thanks again.

g