Overlay Track Questions

[HCBukko]

I've been digging into CVS 2023 for about a week now and maybe I'm missing something and I have a question.

I've have a Hovercraft construction project that I documented with video and many still photos. 800+

When importing the photos and wanting to put some of the different phases of the project photos on different tracks I've noticed that I'm unable to change the photo duration to all photos at once and also I'm unable to add a transition effects to all photos at once on an overlay track....

This is doable on the "Video" track with no issues but I've yet to be able to do these operations on an Overlay tracks with 100s of photos for "fast transitioning montages".

Is this a program limitation of the overlay tracks or I'm I just missing something obvious, being a new user to CVS 2023?

[zaphodikus]

Hmm, that is worth checking, but I don't think changing duration of multiple clips is a thing I have done. I normally adjust the "default" new image duration to be to my taste. So setting the default to your style of workflow helps. Another tip is to adjust the duration of one easy to find image, and then use that image as a "snap" or grid by dragging new images in one at a time on an overlay below it and with one drag, you can copy it's length easily before moving the new image to where you want it.
Copy paste all attributes will apply the same transition to the new clip - but warning - I prefer not to always use the same transition, I don't use/like random, and I don't use them all, I found a half dozen transitions that I like and I just cycle through them. It's also easy to over-use image transitions, and sometimes a jump is better. But nope I don't think bulk editing is an option, paste all attributes is your friend.

[lata]

Hi
Change photo / colour Duration should be available from a right click after selecting the images, if the selection also includes a video clip change duration may not be available.
There may be other anomalies depending on your selection, and 800 is a lot.
Using change photo/colour duration sets all images to the same duration, however we can set he default image duration from Preferences (F6) Edit tab.
Here we can also set the transition duration.

Transitions........
As you are aware we can add to all clips on the top video timeline
When we add a transition the clips move to overlap each other, the transition being applied to the overlap, this cannot be done on overlays
For Overlay tracks adding transitions are done manually, one at a time.

Are you able to create a short project containing images, just a few, if you use the programs sample images we will be able to re-link to those.
This will give us an idea what effects / animations you are trying to achieve.

By the way have you used Customise Motion aka Advanced Motion to animate your images? Right click the clip for Motion

[lata]

Hi
I have been testing the Change Photo Durations with clips on the overlay tracks
When I select clips on the main track and overlay tracks the option is available only clips on the top track update, selecting clips on overlay only and Change Photo Duration is greyed out / not available.
Again Preferences (F6) – Edit tab Default Photo Color duration should help when first adding images.
Sorry for any confusion

[HCBukko]

Trevor,

Thanks for the info.. I'm aware of the default photo duration in the F6 menu.

If you have multiple named overlay tracks with specifically grouped photos it would be nice to be able to change photo durations on the overlay tracks but I realize now that this cannot be done and I must use a workaround and of course there are several different ways to organize project assets in any NLE.

After spending some time with CVS 2023 it appears to me that multiple overlay tracks and just a single, more capable, "video" track is basically the Achilles heel of the program to a degree...

That's probably one of the reasons why the program is a good performer.


Regards
Craig

[zaphodikus]

800 images, that's also something I would not have tried to do in VideoStudio, past versions have been too flakey to risk that scale of project, but 2023 is clearly stable enough for it. VS gets really slow for me when I import timelapse photo groups with the order of 300 photos without any transitions or effects even, but is stable enough.

And another common trick for large projects is to actually break the project into stages as separate projects, and then "include" the separate projects into a container project so that you are not editing with a totally crazy busy timeline in front of you. But yeah, finding a workflow you like can take time.