Multiple Text Tracks? Multiple Video Tracks?

[TroyTheTech]

Greetings,

I am testing out the Trial of VideoStudio X8 Ultimate (which turns out to be only a Pro Version in the downloadable Trial) and there does not seem to be a way to add more Text Tracks. In fact, after attempting to add more Tracks in general, it seems that there is no way to add any more tracks at all.

Looking at the many helpful resources Corel has for User Guides and Videos, I do see that there is supposed to be a Task Manager, or the easy function of right-clicking the track in the Timeline and simply adding more Tracks that way... but these appear to be Disabled in the Trial. This is most unfortunate, as I cannot tell how easy some things are to do now, or how capable VSP is for what I need it for.
This is what I see (no Track Manager button/icon or Track Manager in the right-click submenu):

For example, I wish to have three large clips playing and four Titles onscreen, but this does not seem possible with VideoStudio. Is this merely a limitation of the Trial? Would I be able to display all of these elements at once in the Full Version? As the Trial stands now, I cannot add any tracks at all, above the Default Main Track and one Overlay Track and only one Text track...

Thanks for any ideas



If I may add, as a New User to VideoStudio:
The odd "Overlay Tracks" approach and naming design (I only say "odd" as every other video editor I have used allows multiple, stand-alone tracks to layer clips) seems to be capable of displaying multiple videos (as "overlays") and while it may contribute towards organization (this clip has these overlays, this clip has those overlays), it is very awkward for new users. Most editors use a Timeline of multiple Tracks for each video clip and working with only "one track" and adding "overlays" as full clips was very awkward at first.

[Ken Berry]

I am testing out the Trial of VideoStudio X8 Ultimate (which turns out to be only a Pro Version in the downloadable Trial)

In fact the VideoStudio X8 element is identical in both the Pro and Ultimate versions (i.e. both are Pro). The thing that makes the Ultimate version different are the extra plug-ins that come with it e.g. Boris and the proDAD plug-ins.

I do see that there is supposed to be a Task Manager

I assume you mean Track Manager instead of Task Manager. And indeed there is in the full version when you right click in a track. And you can create a large number of tracks that way... Unfortunately, none of us here work for Corel. We're just users like you who volunteer their time to help others. Corel never told us what they disabled in the trial version. With previous versions, the trial versions were in effect the full versions. But this time round Corel, for whatever reason (though we suspect financial), decided to cut out a lot of things -- mostly anything for which they had to pay a licence fee to third parties. I was not aware they might also have restricted the number of tracks available, though in a sense it does not surprise me. It only confirms that they have really shot themselves in the foot this time round by providing a trial which only 'showcases' a limited range of the most basic features. It's almost as though they have reverted to something like VS 7, which is the first version I started off with about 13 years ago. It did the job but was basic indeed.

All I can do is assure you that the full version can do what you want. But I realise that is asking for a lot on trust...

[BrianCee]

There are various ways of having multiple titles/lines of text on screen - one example is here

https://youtu.be/Hx2XvOMtpQs

and there are multiple ways of having numerous images onscreen at the same time - again there is an example here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFyyfVHhyIw

[TroyTheTech]

I am testing out the Trial of VideoStudio X8 Ultimate (which turns out to be only a Pro Version in the downloadable Trial)

In fact the VideoStudio X8 element is identical in both the Pro and Ultimate versions (i.e. both are Pro). The thing that makes the Ultimate version different are the extra plug-ins that come with it e.g. Boris and the proDAD plug-ins.

I do see that there is supposed to be a Task Manager

I assume you mean Track Manager instead of Task Manager. And indeed there is in the full version when you right click in a track. And you can create a large number of tracks that way... Unfortunately, none of us here work for Corel. We're just users like you who volunteer their time to help others. Corel never told us what they disabled in the trial version. With previous versions, the trial versions were in effect the full versions. But this time round Corel, for whatever reason (though we suspect financial), decided to cut out a lot of things -- mostly anything for which they had to pay a licence fee to third parties. I was not aware they might also have restricted the number of tracks available, though in a sense it does not surprise me. It only confirms that they have really shot themselves in the foot this time round by providing a trial which only 'showcases' a limited range of the most basic features. It's almost as though they have reverted to something like VS 7, which is the first version I started off with about 13 years ago. It did the job but was basic indeed.

All I can do is assure you that the full version can do what you want. But I realise that is asking for a lot on trust...

Thank you very much for you knowledgeable reply and explaining the Plugins. I do see in the Comparison PDF that the main differences are the Plugins and they are quite enticing for Ultimate!

Yes, I meant Track Manager, my brain or my Autocorrect was off the mark there, heh.
It is nice to hear that the multiple Tracks ("Overlays") are there for the Full Versions. I will not count it against VSP/Corel and will experiment with the rest of the program for now.
I feel that the "Overlays" approach will be very difficult for me, personally...

There are various ways of having multiple titles/lines of text on screen - one example is here

https://youtu.be/Hx2XvOMtpQs

and there are multiple ways of having numerous images onscreen at the same time - again there is an example here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFyyfVHhyIw

Thank you for your great examples. These are in fact exactly the types of layering I was looking for. It is nice to know that the functions will exist in the Full Version.


The efforts of you both are much appreciated and it speaks greatly of the kind support here in this User-To-User Forum. Thank you

[Ken Berry]

The odd "Overlay Tracks" approach and naming design (I only say "odd" as every other video editor I have used allows multiple, stand-alone tracks to layer clips) seems to be capable of displaying multiple videos (as "overlays") and while it may contribute towards organization (this clip has these overlays, this clip has those overlays), it is very awkward for new users. Most editors use a Timeline of multiple Tracks for each video clip and working with only "one track" and adding "overlays" as full clips was very awkward at first.

I'm not overly sure what is causing your confusion. To my mind at least -- admittedly more than used to the VS approach to things after using it for about 13 years -- the system is not widely different from Cyberlink Power Director, Sony Movie Studio Platinum, or Magix Video Edit Pro, all of which I also have and use. Indeed, I used to use Adobe Premiere CS2 and that too was not particularly different. Perhaps it is because of too literal an interpretation of "Main Track" and "Overlay", though logically all the main parts of a video should be kept as close together as possible, and doing so in one track seems to be the obvious choice. Whether you call that the Timeline or Main Track is to an extent irrelevant. Indeed, in Video Studio you don't really have to put everything -- or indeed anything -- in the "Main" track. For some purposes, some users find it better to put things mainly (or all) in one or more of the overlay tracks. The main difference is that in the "Main" track, all video, photos and titles have to bump up together, and the first video/photo/title has to be dead against the left hand end of the track. VS does that automatically in the main track. But in the overlay tracks, title track and audio tracks, everything can be spaced apart (for the obvious reason, to me again, that for the most part they are only overlaying part of the main story contained in the main track...

Or maybe I am misunderstanding what you are trying to say...?

[TroyTheTech]

Thank you for your explanations. I too have used those programs (all except for the last one you mention), purchasing them over the years. I believe it may be the naming scheme that is the most confusing...

Previous to VSP, I always used clips/events/videos each in a separate Track, the overall 'shape' of the Timeline going up and down, as needed.
This is an example of what I mean (this is not a 'real' project, it was merely created to show the general workflow of the Timeline):
Where each event is its own clip or effect or element (text, etc)

What I am seeing with VSP is this (to borrow BrianCee's example of a Timeline of VSP from elsewhere in this Forum):
Where all of those "Overlay Tracks" are associated with "only one Video Track"

Playing with VSP more, I see that it is possible to put entire clips onto the other Overlay Tracks, so it seems to be more of a Workflow change... A user must not think of the names of the tracks in functionality at first, merely use them as they would 'normal Tracks' in other Video Editors. It 'feels' very restrictive at first, that there is 'only one video track', in the wording. After using it a while now, I realize I can put multiple clips and effects in the Timeline as above, using the organization flow VSP seems geared toward (using the Overlay Tracks as opposed to "Multiple Tracks") as layers. Again, I do see the association/organization benefits this type of Timeline workflow/setup can offer, it merely is confusing (at first) as an editor coming over from those other video editing applications, getting used to the wording in the User Guide, etc.

Thank you for reiterating the automatic/built-in Ripple Editing aspect of 'the main track'. This is something else to get used to with VSP (to me); although I am finding much of the features, once accustomed to them, very useful.

[BrianCee]

It sounds as though it is just the naming which is different for you - they have always been called overlay tracks in Videostudio quite simply because anything in them overlays anything in the track above - there are a few other basic differences in the properties of them but basically they are just video tracks.

Think of them as video tracks 1 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, etc. (numbering from the top) and just remember that anything you put in 2 will appear on top of number 1 (at any size you set) and number 3 will appear on top of 1 and 2 - - number 4 will appear to be on top of 1,2 and 3 etc - not forgetting that you can apply chroma key - transparency - motion or whatever to each of the video/photos/graphics you put in those additional tracks.


Incidentally I forgot to mention in my earlier post that those 4 lines of text in my video are all in just one title (text) timeline - that is you can do multiples on one line and they can be anywhere onscreen - and that you can move titles into any of the video tracks after creating them

just as a further example of something I did in Video studio have a look at this video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geEUBldWKuM

and the timeline I used to make it :-