Having trouble with the basics.

[Phil_Rose]

Hi all, I have been using Serif Movie Plus for a number of years but have finally given up on it. I downloaded and started trying out VideoStudio and it seems like a very solid program. But in Movie Plus one could add multiple video tracks and simply add more video tracks on different layers. Then one could on the second track, for instance. In VideoStudio it seems one can only have one video track and then these overlay tracks. I'm finding this very confusing but am unable to find any helpful tutorials or information. So, if I have a video clip added on my video track and I then want to take just the audio from a second idea clip and have it over the top of my first video track, how would I do that? This seems like such a basic thing but it won't be very easy but I'm having a terrible time with it! Thanks for any help you can offer this new user!

Phil

[Ken Berry]

So, if I have a video clip added on my video track and I then want to take just the audio from a second idea clip and have it over the top of my first video track, how would I do that?

If I am reading what you say correctly, there are a couple of ways of going about it. You can have the first clip in the main video track, and then simply mute the audio in that track. In the Edit tab, if you look over on the extreme right of your screen, about half way down, just under the various library thumbnails, you should see a blue button marked "Options". Click on that, and it will open up.

Then you would mute the audio in that clip by clicking the mute button on that Options > Video tab -- see next image where the red arrow points to the mute button.

Then I would insert the second clip whose audio you want in one of the overlay tracks. Then click on that clip to select it and again click on the Options > Video tab. Then select 'Split audio'. The audio from that clip will then appear in one of the audio timelines. Then delete that second clip and the audio should then remain. Proceed with your editing.

You could also do all this by putting the second clip in the main video track, clicking Options, then Split Audio, and once the audio track has been inserted in the audio timeline, delete that clip and substitute the first clip, then mute its audio as described above.

Another variant would be to put the second clip in the top track, then the first video in one of the overlay tracks. You would then see a small version of that first clip overlaying the second clip in the preview screen. Click on the first clip in its overlay track then, in the preview screen, right click that clip (which should now have a dotted line around it). In the menu which appears, select 'Fit to Screen'. It should then expand out and totally cover the video in the main video track. Then Mute the audio of the first clip, and proceed with editing.

[BrianCee]

I have never used Movieplus but from your description it sounds exactly like VideoStudio - you say "simply add more video tracks on different layers" - that is exactly what the 'overlay' tracks in VideoStudio are for - for adding videos on different layers - they have just always been called 'overlay' tracks in VideoStudio because they overlay each other and the main track - just think of them as video tracks on different layers - you can mute the audio in any one of them and use whichever one you wish -or none at all if you have a separate audio track.

If you want just the audio from a second clip but not the images then you have three options - one is to put the one with the audio you want in the top track and then put the one with the images in the first overlay and set it to full screen then mute the audio on the overlay track - - - or put the one with the audio in any track and then right click and choose 'split audio' - this puts the audio in an audio track allowing you to delete the actual video - or your third option is to put only the one you want the audio from in the timeline and go to 'share' and create an independent audio file which you can then put in the audio track and not use the video at all.

[Terfyn]

I started out like you. I moved from Pinnacle Studio to VS. These two gentlemen helped me and now, thanks to them, I am relaxed about using the programme.
VideoStudio is actually very intuitive and easy to use. If in doubt try it out.

Good luck and persevere - you will always get help here and it may be worth watching some of the many tutorials available. Example:- Brian's tutorials, the Corel help pages or Gripps tutorials. Do not be put off by the X4, X5, X6, X7 None of the basics have changed that much so a tutorial for X5 will apply to X7 as well (for the basics)

[Phil_Rose]

Good morning all, I just wanted to pop on and say thank you all so much for being so helpful. I have read what you've written and I'm going to have another go at getting use to the workflow of this program. It really seems like a pretty powerful package but as I say the methods of putting together a video a rather different than I'm used to. I'm sure I will come back with more questions and again I really do appreciate the time that you put in to helping me out. I think I understand now a little more but will see when I get a chance to play some more with the package.

What I think I'm really wanting to do and was rather tricky is to have two shots of a two-person conversation one above the other and use only one of the audio tracks and then Back and forth between the two shots. Now that I know that I can put one of the shots onto an overlay track that makes a lot more sense. I think I was confused by the fact that when you add a video clip it does not appear full-size on the overlay track and you have to right-click and make it full-size. This seems a bit of a counterintuitive way to do it but I do understand why Corel would of thought that it made sense.

Okay, that's it for now. I'm sure I will have more questions soon!

[Phil_Rose]

Hi again. I am continuing to work with this to try to put together my video and I think I have decided that this is going to be the program for me. I am very frustrated right now though as I'm trying to work out the audio. I have put a music clip onto the music track and I simply want to make it quieter. I click on it and open the surround sound mixer but nothing I do within that sticks. I go away and come back and the volume is at full volume again. The help file engines a music and voice tab but I cannot find that anywhere. I click on the mute button in the surround sound mixer for the music track and the music is quieter but I can still hear it. Is muting the track within surround sound mixer supposed to mute the entire track within the video or is it only for and judging purposes? Using the control points to pull volume up and down sort of works although it seems slightly inaccurate.

Sorry I'm having some trouble with this and thanks for any more help you can offer in basic audio controls

Phil

[Phil_Rose]

Nevermind! I've managed to figure that one out for myself. I think I can work on audio self but I do have one more question (for now) If I have a clip on the overlay track and I split the audio so that it can run over several different clips and then I add another video clip to another overlay track and I want to add the sound from that to the mix I go to split audio in the program tells me there is already an audio clip in the voice track and would allow me to add it. How do I add multiple layers audio?

Thanks again for helping me as I stumble along!

[Terfyn]

Just move it to another audio track. You have one voice track and up to 3 music tracks. Just drag your split audio on to one of those.
Have you found the "sound mixer"? On the toolbar above the timeline there is a symbol, a note with a zig-zag line. Select your track and click on this. A thin line will appear in the audio track, this is the volume, click on this and you will create a node. The Node can be pushed and pulled to raise or lower the volume. To remove a node, just pull it off the timeline.

[Phil_Rose]

Thanks for that. Yes, I did find the sound mixer but it is very confusing. Using the nodes is straightforward enough as I have done in the past but when I use the volume fader or any of the other tools in the surround sound mixer they don't seem to stick and it pops back to zero. Also when I mute the music track I can still hear the music but more quietly. I guess I don't really understand what the surround sound mixer is supposed to do. Do I click on the track and then use it or click on a clip and then use it and does this affect the output sound or merely sound that I'm hearing for preview?

Here's another question! I added a fade to black to the beginning of one of my video clips in order to have it fade up from black. This works okay except that if it's anything over about the second it is just black until the last second and then fades up very quickly. I would like it to fade up gradually over the full two or even four seconds. Is it possible to get in and play with nodes for video as it is with audio? I could do that with Movie Plus and I like that feature a lot. I didn't like the fact that Movie Plus seems to be unusable in other ways on my system! It would be great if I can really get under the hood and finesse that fade in.

Thanks again.

[Terfyn]

Re the Fade. You can do one of three things. Click on the transition and stretch it. OR Go to Settings>Preferences>Edit and increase the default effect duration. OR double click on the transition and alter the time in the options panel. Versatile or what?

[Phil_Rose]

Yes, I managed that but the fade stays black until one second before the end and then fades up. So, if I have a three second fade it is black for two seconds and then fades up. If I have a 4 second fade it waits 3 and then fades up! I want it to fade slowly over the whole 4 second duration. Is that not possible?
Thanks!

[Ken Berry]

I am a little confused. I would have thought fade to black would do just that: fade down to black, not fade up from black. If you want fade up from black (which is usually how I do things), I would insert a short black matte clip in front of the video, then insert a Crossfade transition, not fade to black. Then adjust the length of the transition to increase the fade effect.

To find the colour mattes, see image below.

[BrianCee]

just to add - the duration of the black matte must be longer than the transition

[Phil_Rose]

Well, fade to black seems to work as fade up from black if you drag it on to the beginning of the clip. However, your idea seems like a better solution except that if I drag a black clip in front of my first clip on the timeline it pushes everything along in that track but all the items on every other track stay where they are. In a more complicated piece this would be a good way to destroy my entire project. Is it possible to insert a second at the beginning of the project and shift everything along so that I could then add my small piece of black? Thanks again!

[Ken Berry]

Yes -- it's called Ripple Editing. The red arrow in the photo below points to the relevant icon which you will also see replicated in the overlay tracks. When enabled, these allow the tracks which have been enabled to move along when you insert or delete something from the main track. Look for Ripple Editing in the User Guide...