Multi Trim Video and Other Editing

[Ken James]

I watched the video on Multi Trim Video and the impression is you don't stop and you quickly start and end. I cannot find a way to stop and start this program and invariably the clips I end up with shorten my 2 minute video to 8 seconds, meaning I am discarding the good stuff and keeping the bad. I have tried inverting. I have gone slow, etc. but nothing works. No offense to those running this thing, but the instructions are really terrible. I cannot believe you have to make your changes flawless without being able to remove a start of end mark of a clip. If there is a way to do it, it was not mentioned in the video and it is not mentioned in the section of the Guide.
Is this supposed to be intuitive and I am just supposed to know? Or am I expected to be flawless in editing? Also, the screen is exceptionally small and I can barely make out the characters in the Excel Sheet I am working with.

Excuse the frustration but I am 71 years old and am not used to things being written in languages other than English and skipping important content. Thanks for whatever anyone can fill me in on to make this process less frustrating.
My project involves capturing a MS Excel program using VBA, so it is automated.

I have had this program two days and have worked several hours with not success at all. This should not be this difficult.

[Ken James]

I finally figured out how to edit - sort of. Not real pleased with the convoluted process. Instructions are really not very good. I am not sure if this program is designed to use with a screen capture of an automated excel process. The first couple of screen shots were relatively clear, but the ones that were edited, the font was literally obliterated to the point it just marks on the screen. Does anyone have experience with using video for this purpose, and is there something I should be doing to make the program clearer? Thanks. I have done it in Snagit with fairly good results, but Snagit doesn't have an editing program. Which is why I switched to Corel.

[Terfyn]

As always with VideoStudio there are a number of ways to trim video. I have not used Multi-Trim video but, looking at it, it is just another tool in the box. I noted that you can "slow" the process by:-
Choose the number of frames to display by dragging the Timeline
zoom. You can choose to display the smallest subdivision of one
frame per second This may help control the process.

I keep everything on the timeline and use the cursor (scrubber) under the Preview Window to get to the point I want. I then use the "previous frame" and "next frame" to locate the exact frame then the "Split Clip" (scissors) to cut at the point I want. Repeat at the end of the clip and delete the unwanted bit. (NOTE:- If you make a mistake you can ALWAYS recover the situation)
Multi-Trim looks useful but you may find the basic way simpler to use.

An idea as, like me, you have difficulty with the small preview window. As my PC has a video board with two sockets to run two VDU screens, I bought a second monitor with a "Widescreen" 16:9 ratio and set it up next to my main screen. When I first opened VideoStudio, I dragged the "Preview Window" on to this second screen. Then clicked on the marker on the top of the window to fill this screen. I then used the "Layout Settings" at the bottom of the "Settings" drop down to Save this screen layout.
The benefits are many, first a full screen to watch the video, second, it is so much easier to see any effects applied to the picture and third, the editing, I described above, is much easier to do. My main screen now holds the timelines and the library which fill that screen better.

[BrianCee]

Like Terfyn I am not a user of Multi trim editing and I use almost exactly the same method as he does except that I prefer to move the main timeline cursor using a combination of sliding with the mouse, 'play' and one frame adjustments to get the result I require.

The bottom line is that there is no 'right' or 'wrong' way to edit - what is important is that you use a method you are comfortable with and it achieves the result you were looking for.

[Terfyn]

I finally figured out how to edit - sort of. Not real pleased with the convoluted process. Instructions are really not very good. I am not sure if this program is designed to use with a screen capture of an automated excel process. The first couple of screen shots were relatively clear, but the ones that were edited, the font was literally obliterated to the point it just marks on the screen. Does anyone have experience with using video for this purpose, and is there something I should be doing to make the program clearer? Thanks. I have done it in Snagit with fairly good results, but Snagit doesn't have an editing program. Which is why I switched to Corel.

Again I have never used SnagIt BUT I presume that it will produce a video file which you can play back using Media Player. So can you not load it into VideoStudio(VS)? Use "Import from Digital Media", tick the folder and then the file you want and select all the shots you want to use in your final video.

VS has its own "Screen Capture" option found in the Capture section. It is possible that you may lose definition in the edit stage BUT have you tried rendering the video in the Share section? This may restore the clarity.

Just had a go with Screen Capture on a spreadsheet. The process worked fine but the result was blurred but visible. I rendered it to a file ready for DVD burning and played it back through Media Player - still not good. There are tools in VS that can sharpen pictures which I did not try at this stage but, given time, I expect I could get a reasonable picture.

[Ken James]

Thank all of you for your replies and suggestions, and most of all for not chiding me for my little temper tantrum. I do have a two monitor system set up for the wife so could try that. Good suggestion. I wish I could attach a copy of the video after editing because the print is not only illegible, it has been obliterated. You cannot tell they are letters or numbers. . . this is after the editing process. I removed several slices of the clip and then played the final product with horrible results. It has happened three consecutive times. This was intended to use as a professional presentation so needs to be reasonably crisp. I appreciate all of you taking the time to respond and will keep plugging along and will try your suggestions. Thanks.

Ken

[Terfyn]

Hi Ken

Had a bit of a play with not too much improvement on an original spreadsheet.
May I make a couple of suggestions:-
1) If you can, create a smaller area of the spreadsheet to video and increase both the cell sizes and the font size. Experiment with Bold and thin fonts.
2) Use VS's own screen capture. This is easier to do than multiple programmes. Open VS Click on Capture, Click on Screen Capture and a small window will open with a Record and Stop buttons. Set up your spreadsheet, Click record and then GO with your presentation. When you have finished Click on Stop. You will be sent back into VS, Right click on the file thumbnail and Click on Insert to Video Track.
You will be returned to the Edit screen. Highlight the track, Go to "FX" and drag down Filters Sharpen and Detail Enhancer.
If you want you can use Voiceover to add an explanatory sound track.
Render video in normal way.

Hope this helps.

[BrianCee]

How big is the spreadsheet you are trying to copy Ken ?

Like Terfyn I had a bit of a play - I used the windows snipping tool to capture a .png image of the full screen on my PC - put that in the VS timeline and rendered an mp4 - I have put it up on Youtube - you can see it here - don't blink though it's very short :- http://youtu.be/EB71E8fXhPs

perhaps you could tell us how the spreadsheet I used compares with what you are trying to do and let Terfyn and I know where you are coming from and going to with your spreadsheet project.