creating video with a User-Defined Frame Size

rjensen · Post by **rjensen** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 8:48 pm

Well, Technical Support has not responded -- I am not impressed.

QUESTIONS
========
What Keyboard commands activate the File, Edit, Clip, Tools, etc. menus?

The Help file indicates there is suppose to be a Help menu with several entries, WHERE IS THE help MENU?

I purchased and Downloaded VideoStudio last week. Why isn't the download file updated with SP1?

And the question I originally wanted to ask: How do I create a CUSTOM SIZED video? In all the variations I have tried, the 'User-defined Frame size' on the 'Video Save Options' (General Tab) is greyed out. Furthermore, despite me defining a 16:9 aspect ratio and using input videos that are close to 16:9, VideoStudio always outputs 4:3.

As I stated above, I am NOT impressed with Tech Support or VideoStudio.... To Ulead: either provide me with a functional product or a full refund.

Roy Jensen, Ph.D.
Chemistry, Grant MacEwan College

Post by **Ron P.** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 9:23 pm

Dr Jensen welcome to the forums..

I'll answer as many of your questions as I can.

1. Keyboard shortcuts can be found in Appendix B of the User Manual. It is much more detailed then the help file. You can launch the manual through the Start>All Programs>Ulead VideoStudio 10 menu. It's the 2nd to the last.

2. I don't know why the Sevice pack it not included, except it is customary practice of Ulead to just maintain the SP's seperate of the main program file (s). Also unless you have a need to install the SP, don't. In other words if it aint broke don't fix it.

3. You stated that your input videos are close to 16:9. Are they actually 16:9 ratio? There is checkbox located in the lower left of the start-up splash screen for 16:9 aspect ratio. Checking this box will tell VS that your projects will be 16:9. You can also go to your Project Properties (Alt + Enter) and on the 2nd tab change the aspect ratio of your project.

4. The User Defined Options depend on what format your project/video clips are? Not all options will be customizable..

Black Lab · Post by **Black Lab** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 9:26 pm

The User Manual can be downloaded from here: http://www.ulead.com/vs/documents.htm

Post by **Ron P.** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 9:33 pm

Black Lab I think he asked for the Help file. I overlooked the possibilty that he means that he can not locate the icon to access it. It can be launched by clicking on the ? icon in the upper right corner, next to the minimize and close icons.

rjensen · Post by **rjensen** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 10:17 pm

vidoman wrote:1. Keyboard shortcuts can be found in Appendix B of the User Manual. It is much more detailed then the help file. You can launch the manual through the Start>All Programs>Ulead VideoStudio 10 menu. It's the 2nd to the last.

Thanks. While I am no proponent of Micro$oft, I believe Alt-F is pretty much standard for the File Menu. Appendix B indicates that there are ZERO keyboard commands to open the menus -- pretty shody.

vidoman wrote:3. You stated that your input videos are close to 16:9. Are they actually 16:9 ratio? There is checkbox located in the lower left of the start-up splash screen for 16:9 aspect ratio. Checking this box will tell VS that your projects will be 16:9. You can also go to your Project Properties (Alt + Enter) and on the 2nd tab change the aspect ratio of your project.

The input files are 16:8.955. I assume this is close enough. And yes, everything indicates that the project should be 16:9. This, however, doesn't address the real issue of not being able to set the User-defined Frame size.

vidoman wrote:4. The User Defined Options depend on what format your project/video clips are? Not all options will be customizable..

My input files are 1440x806 uncompressed AVI format (and currently 500 MB for a 5 second clip). I want to save at reduced size. MPEG -- I thought -- supports any frame size. Even if I can't what, MPEG frame sizes are 16:9??

Thanks,
Roy Jensen

Post by **Ken Berry** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 10:37 pm

... Or by using the general Windows method for accessing Help files, namely by pressing the F1 button (which on my Logitech keyboard at least is even helpfully labelled 'Help'!!!

)

Re your first query about the keyboard commands which might activate File, Edit, Clip, Tools, I think you will find there are none if you mean just the File, Edit, Clip, Tools menus in the top left of screen. The shortcuts mention in Appendix 2 relate to the tabs to the right of these words i.e. Capture, Edit, Effects etc.

As for your main query, in my version of VS10, when I go to, say, Make Movie Manager to create a custom template, I find that, if I select AVI as the format, then under the General tab, I can select between the 'Standard' button (which gives a huge selection in the drop-down, or the 'User Defined' button which is not greyed out.

However, when I select mpeg as the format I want to customise, things are different. I too find that User Defined is greyed out, and what is more 'Standard' only gives me 4 choices. (Incidentally, I'd be interested to know if other users have more choices here...)

Why is it so (as Prof Julius Sumner Miller used to ask)? I think this is because the mpeg formats are intended (usually) to be burnt to DVD (or VCD/SVCD), and these are subject to agreed international standards which must be complied with if the disc is to play. Among these standards is that of frame-size. And in my case at least, the Standard mpeg frame sizes I am allowed to choose between are D-1 (full sized) PAL 720x576 (720x480 for NTSC) and 704x576; or D-2 half frame size (352x576 or 352x288). These are consistent with files which comply with DVD standards. There will probably be other frame sizes available for 16:9 formats, but I have not had time to check this.

I guess that the program will not allow a user to define their own size for mpeg simply because anything which is not 'standard' i.e. compliant with agreed standards, cannot be burnt to disc. On the other hand, DV/AVI is not meant to be burnt to disc (except for data archiving), and the user is free to choose his/her own frame size. If that DV/AVI file is later converted to mpeg for burning to disc, however, once again the standard imposed frame sizes enter the picture again.

rjensen · Post by **rjensen** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 1:20 am

Ken Berry wrote:... Or by using the general Windows method for accessing Help files, namely by pressing the F1 button (which on my Logitech keyboard at least is even helpfully labelled 'Help'!!! )

You are a vertible GENIUS. not. Pressing F1 gets you the help _file_. The help _menu_ contains the help file and additional information registering, version information, etc.

Notwithstanding the aforementioned. The rest of your post was helpful.

From
http://bmrc.berkeley.edu/research/mpeg/ ... q_v38.html

While there are several common MPEG aspect ratios, MPEG-1 can be applied to any image size upto 4095 x 4095. MPEG-2 specification even higher.

As 16:9 is a very common aspect ratio, and VideoStudio has a dearth of available 16:9 frame sizes (only 1920x1080 and 1280x720), I submit that Ulead is behind the wave. That I can select a 16:9 aspect ratio at the very start, but then not have a range of 16:9 frame sizes is embarassing.

I haven't heard from any Ulead people on this....

Roy Jensen

Post by **Ken Berry** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 1:47 am

I am confused what your problem is with the Help menu. When I press F1, I get the Help menu which comes up like most programs' Help menus, with Contents and Index tabs. The Contents tab in effect is set out with little reddish folders each containing main subjects -- "Welcome to Ulead VS", "Setting Up Your Computer" etc -- with sub-folders. As far as I can see, it is in effect the manual. Index, as its name implies, contains a variety of help on topics arranged in alphabetical order.

On the other hand, when I press on the ? button up in the top right of screen, I get the other drop-down you mention, starting off with a reference to the Help menu and telling you to press F1, then going on about registration etc.

You obviously have the latter button, but does pressing F1 not actually bring up the Help menu? If not, then as I understand it, you can download the Manual from the documents section of the Ulead website. I also understand that inserting this in the main VS folder should allow access by pressing F1. I have not, however, tried this as I have not had to. Or, as you might put it, "...I have had to, not!"

As for your concerns about frame sizes, all I can say is that VS is a consumer level program, and they seem to fit a lot in for the price. You personally might feel aggrieved about the lack of greater variety in the frame size, but in my 4.5 years on this Board, you are the only one I can recall who has ever expressed such a concern. There may be more specialised and/or professional (and probably much more expensive) programs out there which may do what you wish. But I am afraid I don't know what their names might be. Others might.

Given the somewhat feisty attitude you have displayed in this thread, I suppose I should also add hastily that I do not work for Ulead, nor have any connection with them apart from having bought some of their products.

Post by **Ron P.** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 2:50 am

Well while there are several frame sizes in the MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 compression schemes, that may be applied, the simple fact is, VS10 is a consumer video editing/dvd authoring application. It is not intended for major neworks or film studios to create multi-million dollar productions. It is designed for the average, everyday person, to spice up his/her home videos.

It is not possible to create a DVD using MPEG-1 compression. It is not possible to create DVDs that are to be burned using such high MPEG-2 formats as 4095 x 4095. They do not fit the DVD compliancy standards. So what would the purpose be to have a program that would provide those? Seems ridiculous to me.

Now when you mentioned those large sizes, you used images, in your text, opposed to clips or video. So I suspect you are looking at still images taken with a digital still camera or scanned into a computer. VS will handle those. However most pros that create animated video montages, or slideshows, use an imaging editing program to resize, crop and scale the images to the correct ratio for the intended video format.

Last your statement

I haven't heard from any Ulead people on this...

seems to imply that you feel that this board is monitored regurlarly by Ulead staff. Sorry but not going to happen. However occassionally one does appear. For tech support you need to complete the form provided on Ulead's main website. Like Ken, myself and everyone else here are just consumers of Ulead products, and have no affiliation otherwise.

Black Lab · Post by **Black Lab** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 1:28 pm

vidoman wrote:Black Lab I think he asked for the Help file. I overlooked the possibilty that he means that he can not locate the icon to access it. It can be launched by clicking on the ? icon in the upper right corner, next to the minimize and close icons.

Yes, Ron, you are correct. But you referred him to the manual in order to find the keyboard shortcuts. Because he has the download version of VS, I assumed he did not have the manual and, therefore, may need the link to find it.