VS X5: Wish List for Next Version

[less2008]

-
Zoom in on a portion of the preview screen during edit/creation.

It would be helpful to zoom in on any section or area of the preview screen so you can place PIP's, overlays, titles, etc. exactly where you want them. As it is now you have to place the item then go to full screen mode to see if that's realy where you want it. If it's not right, go back to edit mode screen and move the item and try it again. If you could zoom in of the preview window you'd know exactly where things are.

As an example you want a PIP or a pan of a track to start precisely at one spot and end at another because you may have graphics or other target points to align with.

Also, snapping overlay windows/PIP frame size to a user definded grid. **this may be posible in X4 (?), I've seen the grid but haven't explored user defined grid settings or "snap to grid" option.

[kevsim]

My wish is when making a 3D output file that a tool is included (preferably adjustable) that can make "Screen Pop Outs".
The existing 3D has plenty of depth but no "Pop Out".

kevsim

[DudeBoyz]

Please add Context Sensitive help to dialog boxes.

For instance - when I am in the Settings > Preferences dialog, there is no small question mark icon that lets me select it and then point to an item on the screen that I would like help about. And, the F1 key does not bring up any context sensitive help screen about the current tab in the dialog.

I would want, for example, to get help on the Proxy Template Options while I'm right there in the dialog. If I could click on a question mark icon and point to that item and get help, like I can in some other apps, it would be great.

[DudeBoyz]

Please improve the flexibility of the SHARE export settings so you can more easily get the type of export file settings you want.

For example, if I select the SHARE and choose Create Video File then MPEG-4 and the MPEG-4 HD setting, I would like to be able to change any of the parameters on the fly to get the result I want.

I would like to be able to click OPTIONS and change the resolution from 1920x1080 to 1280x720, and/or change the bit rate from 15000 to 9000 - all on the fly.

The MPEG-4 HD template may be fairly close to what I actually want, with just one or two small changes. It is much less user-friendly to have to go into the CUSTOM area and set everything from scratch.

Perhaps adding a "Create custom from template" option in the Custom area would be cool too / instead?

In the custom area, it really could be easier and more user friendly. Some options only show up in certain circumstances, maybe depending on the compression method you choose - it's hard to figure out what you have to click, in what order, to get the options you want to change to actually appear on the dialog.

Especially for Custom, if you could just leave it opened up and let folks change whatever the heck they want at any given time, that would be great. Show every option available, even if it may be greyed out depending on the context (some not available with MPEG-2 for example compared to MPEG-4), so the user at least knows that they may be able to change those options.

I would like to feel like I have control over the Custom process instead of the process limiting what I can do.

I would like to be able to set every freakin' setting and then just type in any resolution I want, for instance, you know? If I have 1280x720 clip and want all the same settings as 1280x720 but want to change the resolution to 854x480 and then save it, that would be great.

Thanks

[sambucadog]

I've only done one project so far, but my wish list would be:

1. Being able to hide any track in track manager. No need to display things like voice track if it's never used...just more screen clutter.

2. Overlays: Ability to adjust fade in/out duration on overlay. Also, ability to apply ALL transitions to overlay clips that will effect only the overlay, including single overlay clips like photos.

3. Ability to choose default photo duration in Settings>Preferences as either seconds/fractions of second (current) or seconds/frames.

4. Timeline: Copy clips, titles etc to a clipboard and then paste waaay further down the timeline..i.e., ability to scroll freely while pasting without having to zoom way out on timeline.

5. Painting Creator:
a. Add a dashed and dotted line. Great for showing travel routes, with maybe the ability to attach an object to one end..some suggestions are a boat, plane, car, train, arrowhead, link to custom object.
b. Ability to combine multiple paint animations on one clip, either in animated mode or as a still capture overlay. Use drag and drop. Would be useful in making builds.

6. Menus. I must admit I'm still slightly baffled at the logic of this part of the software. I'd love to just start from scratch instead of playing around with the provided templates. I started by bringing in the rendered video file and then marking the chapters. I pretty much had to trick the text-only template I chose to do what I wanted which was: ONE menu with a "play movie" line plus 3 chapter lines. The first chapter defaults at the beginning of the movie making the second chapter my "first" (my "first" chapter is about 30 seconds in...not the very beginning). I would have liked to have been able to type in "Play Movie" down by the pointer on the bottom. I wound up increasing the font size and positioning of VS's first chapter (now my "play movie") and then adding the additional chapters and re-positioning.

Also I noticed that on my final DVD, when it comes to the end of the movie it just starts over as opposed to going back to the menu, which is not the norm. Maybe I missed some setting here??

Also, how about some undo buttons when customizing the menus?

7. Audio editor needs to be a little more comprehensive, and it would be nice to make the audio clip bigger when editing. I had an old version of Videowave which was way more user friendly.

I'm sure as I use VS more there will be other things. I'm still struggling with Boris, and have figured out how to get Mercalli to finally work. There should be better documentation for those who have these two.

As for documentation in general, what came with VS is so minimal it's really not useful. I've solved most issues on this forum and am awaiting delivery of Diane Koers' book to see if I can sort out the rest. But I'd say that if Corel wants the average non-tech Joe/Jane to have a nice finished project, a lot more explanation is needed, especially when it comes to setting things up right from the start and how to get the best quality output in the end.

[qsabe]

My wish is simple and may already exist, but I haven't been able to find it. I just finished my first project and am rather impressed with this program. Explain though I'm coming from a set up with Premier - DV500 - Hollywood FX, Sonic DVDiT to create a video. This program is not only far less expensive but just as capable and more fun to play in. With that old set-up I have a large high speed empty drive for video capture, and a large high speed drive for video scratch disk. But X4 program wants to use the holes left by windows on my C:\ system drive. I would dearly love to assign this program to use those disk, but can not find anyway to direct it to specif working disk. It instead creates projects in the Documents and Folders garbage for windows. Anyone know a way around that?

[BrianCee]

qsabe - what you are asking for already exists - go to "Settings >> Preferences" and set your working folder to whatever you want - i always use external drives for my editing work - you can set any folder on any external drive as your working folder and you can have a different drive and/or folder for every project.

Settings >> Preferences >> Working folder - it's that easy.

[qsabe]

Thanks for the reply Brian. I have that place set to use my D:\ drive, however I just finished a small project and found the files for a DVD were created in the My documents and settings folder under a Corel Video Studio Pro folder. Still mucking around in the holes left by windows on the C:\ drive. I also tried installing the plug-ins and add ons and they went in the same place. Like 3 gig of Smart Sounds I deleted. In PSPX4 I can set plug-ins and such where I want them, so hoped I was missing something in the Video program. So far the only thing that used my preferences was to save the project file name, and a couple screen caps from the video. While the program allowed me to install it to my Editors drive on E:\ it leaves me no option as to where to put other things. So I have deleted the darn things. It really is a nice program and I do like it, but not enough to buy a special computer to run it.

[BrianCee]

Ah - the DVD folders you need to select separately from the project preferences - when in the Create disc module on the final screen the one with the 'Burn' icon in the bottom corner then you need to set the folder again in the drop down next to the 'Create DVD Folders' check box.

I do not know a way to direct programme specific files (Smartsound etc.) any where else if you did a standard install on C drive

[qsabe]

Thank you very much Brian. That makes the program perfect. I don't have a use for Smart-sound preferring to create my own music files in other software, so that is a loss I can live with.

[sambucadog]

Kerning!

[joshpit2003]

dont know if this has been said yet, but it seems pretty obvious, so perhaps I just missed it:

Fade to WHITE transition feature.


(I know you can make your own fade-to-white w/ a combination of fade A-B w/ the color White between them, but that seems excessive when there is already a fade-to-black option)
(and I can't seem to change the "color" in fade-to-black either. If there is an easier way to "fade-to-white" then it sure isn't obvious to me)

Also:

The ability to letter-kurning (space letters further or closer together) (lol... just noticed the above post)
(There seems to be line-spacing abilities, but no letter-spacing)

and lastly:

I'd love an install option that gets rid of all the "razzle-dazzle" video-editing bits.

Star-Shapped transitions, or glitter explosions are totally useless to anyone using this software for any decent editing.
(it especially bugs me that 90% of the features are "razzle-dazzle", when the front cover of VS is showing an awesome "Extreme-Sport" image,
perhaps it should show a teenage girl editing her younger sisters birthday party footage instead ?

[oka]

Batch Convert Multiple Projects (VSP) To Individual Video Files
Ability to collectively (Batch) select multiple project files (VSP) and be able to create individual video files from the respective VSP files.

Change A Video Property And Save Back To Video File
It would be practical to be able to change a particular video file property and still keep the rest of the properties and re-create the video file. The “OPTIONS” IN THE “SHARE/CREATE VIDEO FILE/SAME AS FIRST VIDEO CLIP” does not give the flexibility to change a particular property, especially to be able to reduce a video bit rate.

[jdowney]

PLEASE PLEASE


Bring back the Movie Wizards. They were one of the the biggest attractions to videostudio once upon a time. Any novice user could easily make a quaility video in a short period of time. I believe that this is why ULead was so popular over other software products. Lets bring back some of the good things from ULead - Movie Wizards and much more movie templates.

Thank you

Jeff

[Peter100]

The # 1 wish for X5 is to fix all the bugs X4 has with HD video streams, 5.1 audio, titles, disc creation etc.
If they are fixed, then we would have already much better program that can actually be used for Full HD editing.

As far as new features I would like to see the following:

1. HD project template with 1920x1080 and 5.1 sound
2. Adjusting/Setting entire project base on properties of selected video clip.
3. Much better and more predictable audio control. (current control in inconsistent)
4. Larger UV meters that would be calibrated to the actual produced audio level.
5. Logarithmic audio fade in and out with user selectable duration.
6. Visible all waveforms for 5.1 audio channels.
7. Durign editing ability to adjust audio levels “as you play” the clip or entire movie.
(right now if you adjust volume it will drift back to the 0 db level unless you keep holding it)
8. Video speed “slowdown”. (Smooth transition from normal speed to desired slower speed and then maintaining it for desired duration)
9. Ability to select default transitions duration in fractions of a second.
10. Ability to copy and paste transition and their properties in the project.
11. Ability to select multiple transitions and adjust their properties as a group at the same time.
12. For MPG optimizer to select parameters based on user selectable clip (i.e. not limited to the first clip in the time line)
13. Once MPG optimizer determines the optimal settings, ability to further edit /customize it.
(right now you can only accept or reject entire set of parameters)
14. Output to 1920x1080 60p (for both file and disc creation)
15. 64 bit version of a program


Thank you,
Peter