Smart Compositor

stevop7777 · Post by **stevop7777** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 10:31 am

Hello. Relatively new to MSP8 and am learning but it seems to me that MSP8 is much more complicated and I have limited time to learn. I have no problem with VS10+ and am spoiled with the ease of operation of VS10+.

I am using 1080i HD footage shot on both HDR-HC1 and HDR-FX1 cameras. I capture in MPEG-2 and edit in the same format.

NTSC drop frame (29.97 fps)
MPEG files
24 bits, 1440 x 1080, 29.97 fps
Upper Field First
(MPEG-2), 16:9

I need help with Freeze Frames in MSP8. I am having a problem getting the length of the clips uniform to all and the way to utilize Freeze Frames effectively. I want to emulate the Smart Compositor documentry category (DO01_A) with my image files exactly as Ulead¡¦s clips do in the DO01_A. I put together my own clips replicated as close to DO01_A as possible. When I created a video file (MPEG-2) and played it back it pixelated on some of the clips especially the one with the PIP in SC. I created the clips in VS10+ as JPG¡¦s and rendered those to a MPEG file(s) and imported them to Smart Compositor. Where am I going wrong?

My next aproach was to create the clips exclusively in MSP8 and not VS10 again trying to get as close to the original clips in SC as possible. I read through the manual and it was somewhat helpful but not enough in my opinion. Also I am trying to find out how to quickly & efficiently utilize 2D moving paths to pan and zoom over each still frame.

Can anyone instruct me in the most simple way of doing a freeze frame & getting the duration uniform for all clips & being able to pan and zoom over the stills effectively using the 2D Basic moving paths in MSP8? Thanks in advance.

Devil · Post by **Devil** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 1:11 pm

I'm going to give you a non-answer, but one you will thank me for. Freeze-frame operation is to be found on p. 68 of the manual and the moving path on p. 124. I could, of course, just say the same things, but I want to make sure you read the whole manual, which is chock-full of good information.

What? You say you don't have a manual? Then download one - it's free! You can trace it from http://www.ulead.com/msp/runme.htm

So, please do me a favour and read the manual.

sjj1805 · Post by **sjj1805** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 9:27 pm

Plus there is something better than the manual
Getting Results with MediaStudio

Put simply what you have placed as a question is in fact like asking "How do I drive a car?" and to reply fully we would need to reproduce the manual almost from cover to cover.

andrewc · Post by **andrewc** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 9:41 pm

To pan over images use the pan and zoom video filter

If you want all clips the same length, use the time stretch tool

Unfortunately there is no fast-track to learning MSP, you will just have to get to know it.

To use it effectively and efficiently you will need to understand the process of NLE.

My approach is always to read the entire manual before attempting any editing. Then when you try an effect you have at least some overview of it's possibilities.

Hope that helps

Jerry Jones · Post by **Jerry Jones** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 1:03 am

I created the clips in VS10+ as JPG¡¦s and rendered those to a MPEG file(s) and imported them to Smart Compositor. Where am I going wrong?

Are these JPG's from a digital still image camera?

Jerry Jones
http://www.jonesgroup.net

stevop7777 · Post by **stevop7777** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 4:55 am

Jerry Jones wrote:
I created the clips in VS10+ as JPG¡¦s and rendered those to a MPEG file(s) and imported them to Smart Compositor. Where am I going wrong?
Are these JPG's from a digital still image camera?

Jerry Jones
http://www.jonesgroup.net

Thanks andrewc and Jerry for the reply. The JPG's were from HD footage and were created in VS10+.

Jerry Jones · Post by **Jerry Jones** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 12:27 am

Well, if you've extracted still images from HD footage and you've created JPEGs... think about the unnecessary loss of quality from that workflow.

First, your camcorder is compressing the HDV footage with MPEG-2 compression.

Then, you're extracting still images from the MPEG-2 and you're subjecting those still images to a pass of unnecessary compression... JPEG.

If I were you, I would extract those images as some UNCOMPRESSED file type... BMP or TIFF, etc.

That step alone would preseve quality that you are losing when you compress the images to JPEG.

The other thing you need to consider -- when extracting still images from video -- is the frame/fields question.

Are you working with 720p HDV from JVC camcorders? If so, then your project should be FRAME-BASED.

On the other hand, if you're working with 1080i from Sony or Canon HDV camcorders, then you're working with FIELD-BASED media in a FIELD-BASED project.

So when you extract a still image from FIELD-BASED video, you might consider DEINTERLACING that image.

I seem to recall the Ulead software has a setting somewhere in the preferences that allows one to DEINTERLACE a still image automatically when it is extracted from a video sequence.

Hope this helps,

Jerry Jones
http://www.jonesgroup.net

stevop7777 · Post by **stevop7777** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 2:42 am

Jerry, thanks for the intelligent reply. Yes you have helped by your explaination. I appreciate the fact that you did not admonish me with "READ THE MANUAL STUPID". LOL

The footage is 1080i from both HDR-HC1 & HDR-FX1 Sony Cameras. The reason for the JPEG's is on the VideoStudio Forum there is a sticky called "Recommended Procedure - Updated for Version 10+". http://phpbb.ulead.com.tw/EN/viewtopic.php?t=27

In that link there is a tutorial "High Definition Tutorial Video Studio 10+" Edit 3: 10/2/06. http://phpbb.ulead.com.tw/EN/viewtopic. ... highlight=

In the preferences screen shot under Capture Tab it has JPEG selected and deinterlace checked. Before I use to use the default BMP setting, but I was just following the tutorial. I guess that there are errors even in well thought out tutorials. The author is very savvy and extremely bright so it must have been a mistake. Again thank you for your time.

Steve