Video studio X3 project settings

teleoma · Post by **teleoma** » Thu Jan 28, 2010 6:01 pm

Hi again,
I started a HD AVCHD project, but the project settings only allow MPEG of AVI, and when choosing MPEG, I can only make a choice between PAL of NTSC DVD where user-defined frame size settings are greyed out.
Would not an AVCHD of m2ts option be available?
Do I do something wrong?

aljimenez · Post by **aljimenez** » Thu Jan 28, 2010 6:30 pm

I noticed the same thing. Use the Add.. to create a template and open a prior file with the settings you want to create the template. Don't change any options and it works. I did this with an Mpeg, 25 frames, 1280x720 .mpg file created with Video HD converter as the template to make it work.

I am dissappointed that X3 removed many options from the X2 create template features... Al

Black Lab · Post by **Black Lab** » Thu Jan 28, 2010 6:56 pm

I am dissappointed that X3 removed many options from the X2 create template features...

Corel will never know of these frustrations and disappointments unless they are conveyed to Corel, as they do not frequent this forum. Please email customer service with your opinions.

teleoma · Post by **teleoma** » Thu Jan 28, 2010 8:46 pm

I posted it a few minutes ago as feedback inquiry by the technical support of Corel.
I'll let you know.

Black Lab · Post by **Black Lab** » Thu Jan 28, 2010 9:05 pm

Great. I think everyone with concerns of X3 should do the same. Maybe they will finally get the point.

Xyzzy2 · Post by **Xyzzy2** » Fri Jan 29, 2010 8:39 pm

Black Lab wrote:Great. I think everyone with concerns of X3 should do the same. Maybe they will finally get the point.

The only way "they" can get the point is low sales. If "they" haven't heard from betatesters , it's sure they won't hear from nameless masses (ie. customers).
And I don't like the direction in which Corel changes VS, removing features.
I moved to X2 only for HD support, which has never worked properly for me. Now paying money to Corel just to get a fix, and get less features at the same time would be stupid of me.
VS is not the only NLE around, but from what I see it is the worst supported one.

Black Lab · Post by **Black Lab** » Sat Jan 30, 2010 12:44 am

Masses is the key word. What weight to 5 or 6 beta testers have. But hearing the complaints from 100s or 1000s or users should carry some weight.

Xyzzy2 · Post by **Xyzzy2** » Sat Jan 30, 2010 9:31 am

Black Lab wrote:Masses is the key word. What weight to 5 or 6 beta testers have. But hearing the complaints from 100s or 1000s or users should carry some weight.

As far as I know software industry (being an insider) and Corel uder present management, if sales don't dwindle, everything is OK (which is of course not true for all software companies). Any changes, like reverting from the DVD Factory, may be considered for the next release in, uh, 2011.
For the last year I have struggled with X2. Why on earth should I wait another 1.5 years for repairs that are not sure to happen, when there exist editors now that just work for me?

If you want an example of company close to ideal, it's H&M Software's support for StudioLine Photo products.

sjj1805 · Post by **sjj1805** » Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:07 am

The following are copies of some of my postings in the Beta Forum when I first saw VideoStudio X3 (Beta) - You will see that the Beta Testers did express our concerns to Corel regarding the authoring stage.
___________________________________________________________
I have always said that MovieFactory and the Authoring side of VideoStudio were for all intents and purposes identical.
You have to look with a large magnifying glass to find the differences which are very few. So it was no surprise when I opened
[Share] [Create Disc] to see it loading Corel DVD Factory 2010.

The two versions of Factory I have installed are:
1. the version built into VideoStudio and so is located on my hard drive at:
E:\Program Files\Corel\Corel VideoStudio Pro X3
2. The standalone program (Corel Digital Studio 2010) located on my hard drive at
"M:\Program Files\Corel\Corel Digital Studio 2010\BurningApp.exe"

I must say however that the authoring stage is far inferior to that which already exists in VideoStudio X2.

Upon starting Factory, we are presented with a screen which asks you:
1. Enter a Project Name.
2. Choose between DVD / Blue Ray.
3. Project format (varies in accordance with what you select at 2 above.)

So far so good and I have no problem with that. Now things start to get bad.

1. You select a Menu Style BEFORE you select your content.
I like to do it the traditional method and get my content first so that I can then choose different layouts / styles to see how things now look with MY content included - even if its only the images on the thumbnails, or the number of menu pages that will be generated as a result of the duration of the video divided by the number of thumbnails on each page. I might even want to go to the customize tab and alter tweak the ready made layout.

2. I can only select from two styles - perhaps that is just a limitation of the Beta Version:
Fun / Legacy.
We are more used to choosing between:
Smartscene
Thumbnail
Text Only

It seems that all of the available menus are smartscene with the exception of two thumbnail menus.
Legacy_03

Legacy_05

These menus do not show their names below the thumbnail, whilst on face value that might not seem to be a problem, my experience of troubleshooting issues on the User Board is that often I need to ask which specific menu a user is having problems with. Often a user thinks they have a fault when they do not, they simply were not aware that a specific menu is designed in a certain way, such as some menus have highlight images but others do not.

3. The next screen that you are presented with is to select your videos/photographs

Actually - after writing the above I then found I could not add media to Factory, no matter what I tried, and so I closed factory.
I then opened Factory as a stand alone program rather than via the VideoStudio [Share] tab. Surprisingly I was now able to delete those unwanted libraries. I also noticed across the top of the screen a different set of options:

as opposed to starting it directly from VideoStudio X3

Interestingly I then noticed a problem with the stand alone version of Factory - note the position of the Media Tray and also I was unable to drag it up / resize it.

Huh?

I can see lots of new users giving up at this point.

For some strange reason I cannot drag and drop into Factory when I start it from within VideoStudio:

So the only way I can do anything else with it is to open Factory as a stand alone program. I am reluctant to do this at this time because if there have been errors in the "VideoStudio" version of Factory up to this point, then logic dictates that there may be further errors down the line.

Even without going further I have already formed the opinion that the old tried and trusted DVD Authoring functions of the previous versions of VideoStudio should be retained and not replaced by what is clearly an inferior system.

sjj1805 · Post by **sjj1805** » Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:13 am

My next post in that thread was.
_______________________________________________________________
After pondering this for a while I decided to attempt something else, something that goes against the advice we have given Web Board members for several years now, and that is to keep a project on the VideoStudio time line. Our advice has been to render the project on the share tab, creating an edited (playable) video. Clearing the time line (e.g. File | New Project) and then going to the [Share] tab - create disc, then importing the edited video into VideoStudio.

Instead I placed a video onto the VideoStudio timeline and selected [Share] [Create Disc]. This in turn opened Factory and presented me withthe same initial screen as before. However I ten noticed that there was a different button at the bottom right of the screen:

Having reached this stage I can now see that I can alter my chosen theme to one of the other available themes.

Not giving in easily I looked at another way.
I closed VideoStudio, started it again but this time chose

Using the Import option from the top of the screen

I was able to eventually import my videos into Factory.

sjj1805 · Post by **sjj1805** » Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:15 am

My third and final post in that thread was
________________________________________________

A few more findings:

1. The DVD Menu templates are a slightly different structure to those we have had previously and have more constituent parts
You need to look at the folders in Windows Explorer to see what I mean
C:\Program Files\Corel\Corel VideoStudio Pro X3\Content\Menu Template\4x3\Fun
C:\Program Files\Corel\Corel VideoStudio Pro X3\Content\Menu Template\4x3\Legacy

Compare the files to those in X2 and you will see each menu is made up of about 5 parts, example:
Legacy_01.jpg
Legacy_01.mts
Legacy_01.ufo
Legacy_01_BG.jpg
Legacy_01_MS.ini

A typical X2 Menu comprised of only 2 parts
05vs_SceB01.ufo
05vs_SceB01_MS.ini

Due to this - the old trick of pasting directories, or even individual menus from previous versions do not show up in X3.
Having mentioned that I must say that the new menus ARE very impressive, but I can forsee a lot of grumbles about the limited number currently available in X3.

2. I have found the cure to my problem of not being able to import stuff into the authoring mode.
Briefly you do all your editing on the VideoStudio timeline and then render it as a new MPG video. Now instead of "File New" to clear the time line, you exit VideoStudio completely. Rstart VideoStudio but this time select the Burn DVD option

This now has the initial screen with the menu bar at the top that enables you to import content (that new MPG file)
From there you can continue on to the create Video Disc screen.

Xyzzy2 · Post by **Xyzzy2** » Sat Jan 30, 2010 6:26 pm

sjj, excellent work.

Actually at beta-testing stage it's too late to fix such design errors.

Whoever designed this piece of manure DVD Factory is and made it into VS has spoiled a good program. It's totally moronic to remove features from software...