Video Track vs Overlay Track

[plnelson]

Pardon me but I'm a VideoStudioPro X6 newbie. Could someone please explain what difference is between the Video Track and the Overlay Track(s)? The Track Manager seems to only let me have 1 Video Track, but the user manual says I can have video in an Overlay track. The use manual has just the briefest overview of the tracks on page 26 but it doesn't go into enough detail to describe many differences, and I've already discovered some differences experimentally. Is there more detailed documentation that gives a more complete description of the differences and capabilities of these tracks?

Thanks in advance.

[BrianCee]

Start with this video :- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA-pSUDsA44

then if you do a search on Youtube for - 'VideoStudio overlay track' - you will receive many more.

It does not matter that some of them are for earlier versions the basics remain the same - but if you have specific 'how to' questions after watching them by all means come back here and ask them

Also have a look at my post in this topic :- http://forum.corel.com/EN/viewtopic.php ... 00#p279200 for one use of the overlay tracks

[plnelson]

Start with this video :- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA-pSUDsA44

then if you do a search on Youtube for - 'VideoStudio overlay track' - you will receive many more.

God I hope not! I don't think I can handle another one like that one. Holly N Fuller may know her stuff, technically, but she should really stop doing meth before posting a video - with that loud distracting music, heavy-metal voice-over, and animated garish text overlaying rapidly moving video I couldn't follow what she was trying to communicate.

I want to know the conceptual difference between Overlay Tracks and Video Tracks. What IS an overlay track, What IS a video track and how are they different? Holly's video seemed to be giving examples of using overlay tracks, which is fine but it's not what I'm looking for.

I'm new to Corel Products but I have background in lots different Adobe products (the whole Creative Suite plus Premier Elements). Adobe has lots tutorials made by amateurs and fans just like Corel does. But there are also lots of professionally-made books and training videos for all the Adobe products. I'm looking for something like that for VideoStudioPro X6.

[Terfyn]

As you said there are more tutorials on Corel than many other editors. I use http://www.gripps.net/tutorials.html which I find very calming and useful.
Why don't you play with the overlay tracks and find out for yourself? I made a very nice "Ghost scene" with mine. The obvious use is for "cut-aways". I find it best to look at a specific issue and then ask the question on this Forum.

[BrianCee]

The conceptual difference between a video track and an overlay track is that overlay tracks overlay each other and the video track.

If you put anything in the Video track - and it can be video or still image any thing you put in overlay track one (video or still) will overlay it

anything you put in overlay track two will overlay the video track and overlay track one

anything you put in overlay track three will overlay the video track and overlay track one and two

any thing you put in overlay track four will overlay the video track and overlay tracks one two and three

etc. etc. etc. etc.

Controls allow you to control the size of the image in the overlay track - it's position and any motion - to achieve the affect you desire.

[Ken Berry]

The other big difference between the main video track and overlay tracks is that everything in the main video track must be contiguous i.e. all clips, photos must touch each other end to end (with or without transitions). There can be no gaps. If you Insert either a video clip or still photo by dragging it from the media library window, you can drop it in your chosen spot in the main video track and it will then push the existing video in that track over so that it will fit. However, if you insert media into the main track from anywhere else, it will go to the very far end of the main track and you will have to drag it back along the main track to drop it where you want it.

Video and photos in overlay tracks can, however, be dropped anywhere in those tracks. Gaps are allowed. Moreover, in most cases, gaps are the required feature as overlays are usually only at selected points along the overall video.

[plnelson]

I find it best to look at a specific issue and then ask the question on this Forum.

Well I did ask a question. I asked what "is" a video track and what "is" an overlay track and how are they different? I'm not looking for examples, I'm looking for clear, technical definition.

The manual says a video track "Contains videos, photos, color clips, and transitions." and an Overlay track "Contains overlay clips, which can be video, photo, graphic, or color clips." So they seem almost identical, except the stuff in the Overlay track is called "overlay" stuff. So what exactly is the difference?

Suppose I have two video clips and I want to transition between them so one is fading out while the other is fading in. And then later on I want to fade out the second video and fade in a third one. On other editors I've used each one would go in its own video track, but Corel seems to only have one video track. So what goes where and why?

[plnelson]

The conceptual difference between a video track and an overlay track is that overlay tracks overlay each other and the video track.

If you put anything in the Video track - and it can be video or still image any thing you put in overlay track one (video or still) will overlay it

anything you put in overlay track two will overlay the video track and overlay track one

anything you put in overlay track three will overlay the video track and overlay track one and two

any thing you put in overlay track four will overlay the video track and overlay tracks one two and three

etc. etc. etc. etc.

Controls allow you to control the size of the image in the overlay track - it's position and any motion - to achieve the affect you desire.

So you make it seem like they're all the same and it's just a matter of order. So instead of "Video Track" and "Overlay Track 1" and "Overlay Track 2" we could say "Track 1" "Track2" "Track3".

Does everyone agree about this - there's no difference, just the order?

[plnelson]

The other big difference between the main video track and overlay tracks is that everything in the main video track must be contiguous i.e. all clips, photos must touch each other end to end (with or without transitions). There can be no gaps. If you Insert either a video clip or still photo by dragging it from the media library window, you can drop it in your chosen spot in the main video track and it will then push the existing video in that track over so that it will fit. However, if you insert media into the main track from anywhere else, it will go to the very far end of the main track and you will have to drag it back along the main track to drop it where you want it.

Video and photos in overlay tracks can, however, be dropped anywhere in those tracks. Gaps are allowed. Moreover, in most cases, gaps are the required feature as overlays are usually only at selected points along the overall video.

Not sure I understand. Right now I'm making a video with 20 clips. 10 - 2 minute clips and 10 - 30 second clips - the 30 second clips each introduce a 2 minute clip. So it's 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 30 seconds, 2 minutes, etc... This is for an art class in gesture-drawing.
Are you saying that I get to pick just one of those clips to put in the Video track and everything else goes in an Overlay track, because I can't put multiple clips in the video track without making them contiguous?

[canuck]

All the 30 clips go into the main video track and they will be contiguous.

You are making this much more difficult then it really is. A Overlay is just what it says: it overlays the video or photo on the track above the current overlay track. Every project has to have a main video track but does not necessarily need any overlay track

What kind of differences are you expecting between the main video track and the overlay video track?

[canuck]

I find it best to look at a specific issue and then ask the question on this Forum.

Well I did ask a question. I asked what "is" a video track and what "is" an overlay track and how are they different? I'm not looking for examples, I'm looking for clear, technical definition.

The manual says a video track "Contains videos, photos, color clips, and transitions." and an Overlay track "Contains overlay clips, which can be video, photo, graphic, or color clips." So they seem almost identical, except the stuff in the Overlay track is called "overlay" stuff. So what exactly is the difference?

Suppose I have two video clips and I want to transition between them so one is fading out while the other is fading in. And then later on I want to fade out the second video and fade in a third one. On other editors I've used each one would go in its own video track, but Corel seems to only have one video track. So what goes where and why?

You would put all the clips on the main video track and apply a fade effect to each clip or add some transition between them

[Ken Berry]

But if, say, you wanted a title to fade in and out over a particular spot in the main video, you would insert that title in one of the overlay tracks at the appropriate point. Or if, say, you were telling a story in the main video track which referred to, say, a particular building or person, then you could put a quick video or photo of the person in an overlay track at that point, and adjust it so that it doesn't fill the screen... There are endless uses for the overlay tracks, but they are essentially there to enhance the main video.

[plnelson]

All the 30 clips go into the main video track and they will be contiguous.

Then how do I do transitions between them? Say I want one to do a lap dissolve.

What kind of differences are you expecting between the main video track and the overlay video track?

Well, Ken Berry gave a great example - apparently there are restrictions requiring clips in the Video track to be contiguous that don't exist in the overlay tracks. Are there any other differences? I don't want to get halfway through a big video project and then get surprised by stuff like this. Where can I get a list of this stuff for the other kinds of tracks - Title, Music, Voice, etc?

In fact on that topic, why does Corel have a distinction between Voice and Music tracks? Aren't they both audio?

Some video tools have a whole bunch of video tracks, each with the same capabilities, and a whole bunch or audio tracks, each with the same capabilities. This seems simpler and more intuitive to me. I don't understand why Corel needs to make them so specialized and different.

[plnelson]

You would put all the clips on the main video track and apply a fade effect to each clip or add some transition between them

So you can overlap them on the same track?

[plnelson]

But if, say, you wanted a title to fade in and out over a particular spot in the main video, you would insert that title in one of the overlay tracks at the appropriate point. Or if, say, you were telling a story in the main video track which referred to, say, a particular building or person, then you could put a quick video or photo of the person in an overlay track at that point, and adjust it so that it doesn't fill the screen... There are endless uses for the overlay tracks, but they are essentially there to enhance the main video.

I'm still unclear on what is "the main video".

Going back to my example of the art class - 20 clips - 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 30 seconds, 2 minutes, etc . . . Assume I want to do lap dissolves between them so they each have to overlap the adjacent ones by a second or two. What goes on the Video track, what goes on the Overlay track(s)?

In other video editors I would have two video tracks and just alternate them - one track would have ten 30 second introductions with slightly-less-than-2 minute gaps between them and the other track would have 10 2 minute poses with slightly-less-than-30 second gaps between them. The "slightly-less-than" is so they can overlap for the lap dissolves.