Ulead VideoStudio - New User - Workflow/Transition effects?

[Heineken77]

I wonder if someone could help me figure a few things out

1st) I created my first video tonight. Unfinished but still looking pretty cool for my first try. However I cannot seem to add transitions. I started out with a title, and then added a picture, used an mp3 for my music track and then added a few short video clips rendered in slow motion.

Title is located on my project's title track
MP3 on my project's music track
Picture on my project's Overlay track
Videos Clips on my project's Overlay track

After fooling around, I found that if I brought the videos up from the overlay track to the Video track I could insert transitions between them. However I could not seem to get the clips to move from 0:00 of the movie. I would like to put them to the same spot they are in now in terms of the timeline in the overlay track onto my video track. Ex. if the first and second video are at 0:22 and 0:28 on my overlay track, I'd like to move them up to the video track at those intervals in order to make use of the transition effects.

I may be using the wrong work flow. I'm a bit confused as to what should go where, and when I should be doing these things.

Any advice would be great!!

Thanks!!!

[Ron P.]

Kind of a sore issue with VS10+ is that you can not use transitions on the overlay tracks. You will also find that you can not cut clips on overlay tracks.

On the Main Video Track, there can not be an empty spaces to the left of any clip. All the clips will slide to the left, anytime you remove one.. You need to put something in there to take up that space. So what is used if no image or video clip is wanted at the beginning is a Color clip. Go to the Library, and drag a color of your choice to the Main video track of the timeline. Now you can set the duration of the color clip, so that your video clip can be placed at the time-slot you desire. You can also add transistions, and effects to these color clips.

[Heineken77]

Thank you very much for that info vidoman! Very helpful!

As for cutting clips in the overlay, I don't understand exactly what you mean, but I am sure I will find out as time goes on. Whenever you may get a free moment to explain that would be great!

Finally, what exactly is the point of the overlay? If I can just add my images and videos to the video track..why use the overlay?

Thank you sir

[Heineken77]

As an added note:

1) Is there a way to increase/decrease the size of various objects in the timeline by using the arrow keys to move 1frame at a time, rather than having to fool around with the mouse dragging so that I can get my cuts more accurate?

2) Is there a way to hear the audio while adjusting where a video clip or picture starts and ends so i can get them to appear in unison with say a drum beat or loud bass in a song?

3) I'm sure I may have more questions about audio later as I haven't gotten down to working with the audio aside from just inserting in an mp3 lol

Thanks again!!

[Ken Berry]

From your first message, I think you haven't quite understood the fundamental principle that the video track is the *main* track around which everything else revolves. Thus your videos, if they are the main object of your project, should be in the video track. Also into the video track you put the sort of coloured panels Ron mentioned, or instead, still photos which might form the background to titles as well. Photos can have their lengths adjusted in exactly the same way as Ron described for the coloured matte panels.

The overlay tracks are precisely that. They overlay the main video track, and are used, say, for inserting a black panel for a certain period to black out part of the main video (while its audio is still playing) and inserting in yet another overlay track another video to play in that same section, having applied a chroma key effect to make that video visible and what is in the other tracks invisible... Or you can insert, say, a flash animation with a transparent background so that a cartoon mallet appears to be hitting someone on the head road-runner style in a certain section.

Think of your evening TV news or weather. It will probably be an amalgam of four, five or six overlay tracks on top of the main track of the news reader or weather reporter. In the latter case, the reporter would be standing against a blank blue screen. Over this there would be an overlay of a weather map. In the bottom right of screen, probably the TV channel logo would display throughout. Then another overlay of the name of the weather reporter which fades in and out like a title (a title is really only an overlay). And there might also be another overlay with a ticker-tape of headlines...

As for not being able to cut a video in the overlay track, you need to work out pretty well in advance what you want to insert in the overlay track and cut/edit it in the main video track first to get it to its approximately right length. Once in the overlay track, it cannot be cut further in size, though you can apply effects like fade in or out.

[Ron P.]

1) Is there a way to increase/decrease the size of various objects in the timeline by using the arrow keys to move 1frame at a time, rather than having to fool around with the mouse dragging so that I can get my cuts more accurate?

Yes there is...

• First go to your Preferences, File menu>Preferences or just press F6. Then on the first tab, look for Clip Display Mode. Click on the drop-down arrow and change it to Thumbnail Only.
• Go back to your timeline, and you should see just thumbnails of your video clips. Each thumbnail can represent 1 Frame. To see this...
• Look just beneath your Preview Window, player control buttons. There are 2 magnifying glasses, and a slider. That magnifies the timeline. Slide it back and forth and watch the numbers on the timeline change. Now you can also go to the extreme left side of that number line and right-click for a menu. Select zoom to 1 frame. Now each tick on the number line represents 1 frame.

2) Is there a way to hear the audio while adjusting where a video clip or picture starts and ends so i can get them to appear in unison with say a drum beat or loud bass in a song?

Unfortunately in VideoStudio there is not. That's a feature for big brother MediaStudio Pro. However like many things, there is a workaround. This came about in VS10 +, and was not there in VS9. You can use the Chapter Markers to place marks where the beat of the bass drum falls with your video. Then go back using the chapter marks to adjust your clips.

Somethings that you need to learn, are some Keyboard shortcuts. When getting into things like this, it makes things a lot easier. For instance, press the Tab key and look at the blue arrow on the timeline. It starts flashing. Now you can use the arrow keys on your keyboard to advance, or go-back. Single tap of an arrow key=1 frame. Hold the arrow key down and it plays, forward or backwords. Now press the spacebar, the clip starts playing. Now to mark your timeline, press the space bar, listen to your music, then stop it, and using your mouse place a chapter mark. Continue in this manner until you have all the marks placed. Now you have a visual reference to adjust your video to.

As for cutting clips in the overlay, I don't understand exactly what you mean, but I am sure I will find out as time goes on. Whenever you may get a free moment to explain that would be great!

Cutting clips is no different then it sounds. Just think of your video clips as the old film. To edit out a segment, say of when you forgot to shut off the camera, and you have this nice piece of video of your feet. Well with film you would use a film cutter or scissors to cut the film. Your clips are handled the same. There is a pair of scissors on the lower right of the preview screen. Pressing it while a clip (in clip mode) is highlighted will cause the clip to be cut into two segements.

Finally, what exactly is the point of the overlay? If I can just add my images and videos to the video track..why use the overlay?

The overlay is simply another track to add video, images, or color clips (which are bitmap images). The overlay tracks allow you to create some neat things. Overlay tracks are commonly used by TV news. The next time you watch the news. look at the titles at the bottom of the screen, the logo, the time, the colorful background, split-sreen (picture in picture), those all use overlay tracks. While for home video it is not necessary to use, it is the means to turn a boring video into something everyone can enjoy..

Hope that has helped..

[sjj1805]

Please view this tutorial which will highlight what Vidoman and Ken have mentoned above.

Decoration