Video Editing Community |OT| The Land of Codecs and Frame Counting

[LuxCommander]

Proper OT Coming Soon.

So a few of us got caught up during the Vegas Pro Edit sale through Humble Bundle and realized there's a bunch of us here on Era that do a lot of video editing work. Some of us are professionals, others are hobbyists. This is meant to be a space to talk about the technical and artistic side of EDITING. I bring this up because there's already a solid community for filmmaking over Here set up by ShadowKingpin, and I don't want this to compete with it. Moreover, Video Editing isn't limited to traditional narrative or commercial video work anymore. Broadcast-style work, Let's Plays, Vlogs, and other various types of non-traditional video content still needs to be edited, and they have their own unique workflows that don't necessarily fit in a traditional filmmaking thread. That, and we can all learn a lot from each other as editors working in different fields!

Having a technical issue? This is the place for that. Wanting some advice on your cut? We can do that too. Running into issues with your NLE? We can try to help troubleshoot that. Not sure that you're using the best tool for the job? Someone here can probably suggest a better option for you. Looking for an editor for a project? Here's a pool to draw from!

For my personal background, I've been editing since around 2006 and have used just about every major professional solution at this point. Most of what I do is traditional narrative stuff, but I've dabbled more than a bit into broadcast and Let's Play content. I've done some freelance editing in the past, but am currently working in the Animation industry as a Technical Artist/Software Engineer. I don't edit quite as often as I used to, but it's where I got my start and I will always love the craft. Looking forward to learning from and with you guys!

 

[SOLDIER]

Thanks for the dedicated thread. I've been messing around with Premiere Pro, will be trying Vegas (from the sale) after I get my current project in Premiere done. In the meantime, I've got a question that pertains to either program that I've tried asking in other threads but have gotten no replies to it, either because it's too niche or too difficult to accomplish.

So I'm a big fan of the Toonami AMVs, which mix music with voice cilps from respective series:



I want to try something similar as I mess around with video editing, but I haven't been able to find a working method to isolate the voice lines from clips. I know it's impossible to remove background noise entirely, as you can still hear some of it in the above video. But I still wanted to try using a program to try and isolate the vocals while downplaying the music/effects around them as best I could.

This was the only video tutorial I could find on YouTube on the subject:



And it simply does not work: I gave it a try and all it did was turn the background music into a garbled Lovecraftian mess.

So yeah, if it's possible I would just like to know the best methods to try emphasizing voice samples while de-emphasizing the noise typically going around them.[/media]

 

[LuxCommander]

So that's more of an audio editing program issue. You're not going to find too many options in Premiere to get that done, as its audio support is well... It's adequate for doing levels, but not for processing. If you've got the Creative Cloud, you can accomplish what you're wanting through Adobe Audition, you should be able to localize the voice over and amp up the gain on the frequencies the voice over lives on. Vegas actually has some decent audio tools, as it was originally built on top of an audio software interface. It's been a while since I've done audio work in Vegas, but you'll have a better shot at doing some of that in there than in Premiere.

 

[SOLDIER]

I'd be happy for Audition tips as well, even if it's more on the audio-editing side (but it would be in service to video, so whatever).

In the meantime though, I have a couple more pressing questions that are basic in theory but could also save a lot of time once I learn how to do them efficiently.

1. So let's say I insert a video, and I've cut out four seperate clips that I want to eventually insert into the finished product. What's the most optimal way to store those clips to the side for the future?

2. For video formats that can't be used in Premiere (not sure what formats Vegas uses yet), what's the easiest way to convert said videos? It's infuriating how to this day, any attempts to Google a conversion tool puts out a billion shareware programs. You'd think there would be a universal standard by now.

 

[fek]

Nice iniciative. I only do very basic editing for youtube but recently have been trying to do more complex stuff to make my videos easier to watch. Will keep an eye around to try to learn more!

 

[GraveRobberX]

Well joining for pointers and lessons

 

[Deleted member 25108]

Subbed. About to get back into filmmaking and video editing in a big way.


Anyone got cliff notes in what happened over the past 10 years? :-D

Nah but seriously, picking up the Vegas pro deal and will download resolve.

 

[8byte]

I don't know if anyone here is big into the "YouTube" but Adobe does a TON of LiveStreams for their software platforms where experts and industry professionals share tips, tricks, and pieces of their workflow. Even though I'm pretty comfortable with a lot of these programs, I still find myself learning a lot of new stuff from the streams. Worth subscribing to AdobeCreativeCloud on YouTube.

 

[SOLDIER]

I finally created a script for a video project I had in mine, so I'm going to make this my first official forray with Vegas Pro.

I assume I'll figure out most of the basics, but what I'll probably need the most help with is inserting images. I want to make it look nice and clean, where I'll superimpose an image over video, which is then blurred out as background so that the viewer looks at the image clearly. There may also be instances where I show a browser page....I assume OBS is the best method to capturing that as video?

 

[LuxCommander]

OBS or any screen capture program will work great. If there isn't any animation on the page, you can even get away with just saving a screenshot out and panning around it. Inserting images is pretty simple; they are treated the same as any other video footage. Things only get a bit complicated when you're dealing with image sequences, but I doubt you'll end up dealing with those.

 

[SOLDIER]

Seems Vegas has its own learning curve as far as keyboard shortcuts and the like goes, so for now I'll probably use Premiere Pro for my next video.

That said, I've got some questions about Premiere that have been annoying me. I hope I phrase them right, because if I can get over this hump I should be able to get these videos done way quicker:

1. So let's say I've got a 20 minute video, and I want to take a specific moment from it (say, 2 minutes) to include in my main video. I had assumed that to edit the specific video I would select "New Sequence from Clip", then drag the edited clip I wanted to my left box (where all the other clips are stored).

Two problems arise from this: one, the edited clip still shows the original length of the video, which confuses me. Two, when I close the new sequence, I can't figure out how to bring back the sequence for my project (i.e. the progress I was making so far).

So how do I pull up a separate clip from a separate window, select the trimmed portion I want and keep that to the side to later insert into my finished project?

2. The other question is how do I make it so that every clip I insert follows the same frame and resolution, so I don't have to keep manually resizing them one after the other?

 

[SOLDIER]

I more or less figured out number 1 (though I still have no idea how to bring back a panel I was working on if I accidentelly closed it), but I had another question: I want to make a clip that has multiple videos displayed at the same time, in separate little boxes so they all fit into one frame: think Brady Bunch.

How do I do this?

 

[SOLDIER]

Anyone know how to do a shortcut for controlling the zoom in/zoom out of a timeline in Premiere Pro using the mouse wheel? On default, the mouse wheel controls the horizontal bar (to move up and down), but I'd like to add a shortcut where I can control the bottom bar (that zooms in and out of frames) with a Shift+Mouse Wheel combo.

I'd also like to know if there's a way to have clips snap into each other automatically, instead of having to manually drag them until I get the arrow indicator that they're snapped together.

 

[LuxCommander]

Anyone know how to do a shortcut for controlling the zoom in/zoom out of a timeline in Premiere Pro using the mouse wheel? On default, the mouse wheel controls the horizontal bar (to move up and down), but I'd like to add a shortcut where I can control the bottom bar (that zooms in and out of frames) with a Shift+Mouse Wheel combo.

I'd also like to know if there's a way to have clips snap into each other automatically, instead of having to manually drag them until I get the arrow indicator that they're snapped together.

Click to shrink...

I believe the zoom in shortcut is Alt/Option + mouse wheel. You can also use Ctrl/Cmd + +/- if you would prefer a keyboard solution

You should be able toggling auto-snap in the timeline menu. You can also select the space between clips and press the delete key to get rid of it as well. It used to be mapped to the S key, I can't remember if that's still the case, and I don't have Premiere open at this moment to verify.

 

[SOLDIER]

I'm sure most of you are familiar with this screen:

I've been thinking about what I could do as an intro for my videos: I was thinking of something minimal but also easily updatable.

That's when I thought of the idea of having a short opening of this scene, where the cursor is moving between the different options and making the selection (essentially "starting the video"). I could update the text into whatever relevant or topical/meme thing I want, and maybe even change the sword icon as well.

I was wondering how difficult/simple such a task would be. I suppose it would be a combination of Photoshop and Video Editing, so I'm wondering how I could put that together. If I could set up a template in order to make the text and images easier to change up, that'd be great, but if it would take just as much work as making a video by itself, then forget it.

 

[spider]

luuuxxxxxx help me i donno what im doing with vegas :(

i just need to learn how to:
1. crop to an area on the screen
2. delete sound off a file

pls, sensei

 

[LuxCommander]

I'm sure most of you are familiar with this screen:

I've been thinking about what I could do as an intro for my videos: I was thinking of something minimal but also easily updatable.

That's when I thought of the idea of having a short opening of this scene, where the cursor is moving between the different options and making the selection (essentially "starting the video"). I could update the text into whatever relevant or topical/meme thing I want, and maybe even change the sword icon as well.

I was wondering how difficult/simple such a task would be. I suppose it would be a combination of Photoshop and Video Editing, so I'm wondering how I could put that together. If I could set up a template in order to make the text and images easier to change up, that'd be great, but if it would take just as much work as making a video by itself, then forget it.

Click to shrink...

So what you're proposing is a Motion Graphic template. It's totally doable, will take you some time upfront, but absolutely worth taking the time to set up correctly. My recommendation is to do it in After Effects if you have access to it, as that's the kind of work that program was made for. If you don't have access, you can create Photoshop templates for all your images and just export out a new PNG for each video, and right-click replace your footage in the timeline.

luuuxxxxxx help me i donno what im doing with vegas :(

i just need to learn how to:
1. crop to an area on the screen
2. delete sound off a file

pls, sensei

Click to shrink...

I need you to elaborate a tiny bit on how you're trying to crop your clip. Are you trying to crop out parts of the video without scaling the video to fill the screen, or are you cropping by zooming in? Both can be easily accomplished by using the Pan/Crop effect. Apply it to your clip, then adjust the correct sliders. It's been a few years since I've edited in Vegas, so my memory is a tad foggy on applying effects (I bought the Pro license during the sale, but have yet to have a chance to start playing around with it).

Unlinking sound, on the other hand, is seared into my mind. Right-click on your clip and select the ungroup command. Proceed to delete the audio track! If you want to get it back, just drag a fresh copy of that clip into the timeline. Also, you can use the group function to sync audio files to video files. Thats an essential-to-know function if you're working with an external audio device; it makes editing that much easier.

 

[SOLDIER]

To shift gears a bit: I've got a possible job offer with a local video editing company called "Bengal Fox". They're hiring for an "Animated Video Editor", and gave examples in their email on what they're looking for.

Essentially, they want people who can take stock photos/pictures and turn them into animated clips. This is the example they linked me: https://app.box.com/s/709yctumdguiduwsow7qqsyxtg3utk1q

To be considered for the job, they want me to create a similar five second clip using this photo: https://app.box.com/s/yi1wt6p21lblbet8kyuxjcbrxl55b1jl

Doesn't sound like it has to be anything fancy (I guess I would have the swings move, some leaves blowing in the wind, maybe insert something sitting on the swings?), but I would very much like to know what kind of program I would need to achieve this and how to create something that will hopefully meet their requirements.

They also want me to have experience in vector manipulation, asking me to make edits to this picture: http://freevectordownload.com/Free_Downloads.asp?id=1480

I guess Photoshop would work best? In any event, kindly share whatever you know.

 

[LuxCommander]

To shift gears a bit: I've got a possible job offer with a local video editing company called "Bengal Fox". They're hiring for an "Animated Video Editor", and gave examples in their email on what they're looking for.

Essentially, they want people who can take stock photos/pictures and turn them into animated clips. This is the example they linked me: https://app.box.com/s/709yctumdguiduwsow7qqsyxtg3utk1q

To be considered for the job, they want me to create a similar five second clip using this photo: https://app.box.com/s/yi1wt6p21lblbet8kyuxjcbrxl55b1jl

Doesn't sound like it has to be anything fancy (I guess I would have the swings move, some leaves blowing in the wind, maybe insert something sitting on the swings?), but I would very much like to know what kind of program I would need to achieve this and how to create something that will hopefully meet their requirements.

Click to shrink...

So, if you want to be able to do this kind of work, you are going to need to learn how to use AfterEffects. AfterEffects was mad for exactly these types of projects, and is relatively easy to approach if you have a background in both Photoshop and Premiere. It has a little bit of a learning curve if you don't have as much experience with animation, but it's very powerful and a must-have in your toolkit if you want to add that little bit extra of production value to your videos. It's an industry standard for motion graphics for a reason.

They also want me to have experience in vector manipulation, asking me to make edits to this picture: http://freevectordownload.com/Free_Downloads.asp?id=1480

I guess Photoshop would work best? In any event, kindly share whatever you know.

Click to shrink...

As for Vector manipulation, you will want to do that in Adobe Illustrator. Photoshop is a raster program and will not be able to save out the file as a vector formatted file. Vector is a little bit difficult to wrap your mind around if you're too used to a raster workflow, but once you get past that mental hurdle, you should do well with it, especially since you're already used to messing with things in PS like the pen tool.

 

[spider]

I need you to elaborate a tiny bit on how you're trying to crop your clip. Are you trying to crop out parts of the video without scaling the video to fill the screen, or are you cropping by zooming in? Both can be easily accomplished by using the Pan/Crop effect. Apply it to your clip, then adjust the correct sliders. It's been a few years since I've edited in Vegas, so my memory is a tad foggy on applying effects (I bought the Pro license during the sale, but have yet to have a chance to start playing around with it).

Unlinking sound, on the other hand, is seared into my mind. Right-click on your clip and select the ungroup command. Proceed to delete the audio track! If you want to get it back, just drag a fresh copy of that clip into the timeline. Also, you can use the group function to sync audio files to video files. Thats an essential-to-know function if you're working with an external audio device; it makes editing that much easier.

Click to shrink...

Right now, I'm cropping by zooming in. But it's not optimal cuz i'm guessing the approximate area of display... is that the only way to "crop" videos? :O

And thank you about the tips to erase the sound, apparently my drawing videos have weird staticky pweep pweep sounds.... I'll try the tip out and hopefully that'll make them less annoying for the people who watch 'em :D

THANKS LUX SENSEI

 

[Supa Necta]

Way late to the party but I finally installed Vegas 14 from the bundle. Total beginner question: what's the best way to convert my iPhone .mov videos to something I can edit in Vegas?

 

[LuxCommander]

Handbrake is a solid tool for doing that. It's also open-source!

https://handbrake.fr/

 

[SOLDIER]

I would still like to know how I can assign the horizontal zoom of the timeline bar in Premiere to my mouse wheel, or a combination of kb/m (like say, hold ALT to scroll horizontally with mouse wheel, just use mouse wheel to zoom in vertically).

 

[LuxCommander]

SOLDIER , you're using Windows, correct? You should be able to use alt + scroll to do it, at least according to the defaults. You can adjust all your keyboard shortcuts in Edit -> Keyboard Shortcuts or use Ctrl+Alt+K to pull open that menu.

 

[Deleted member 25108]

So I just built a PC for my editing and I was wondering if it makes sense to have a dedicated M.2 drive soley as a scratch disk?

I'm already running Windows off an SSD, But I was wondering if their would be a performance gain having another separate drive that Resolve or Vegas can use when it needs more resources?

 

[LuxCommander]

It does, mostly so you don't clutter your OS drive. Solid state will give you a bit of a performance boost, but you will probably put a lot of strain on the drive, so keep that in mind when you price out what you want to use as that scratch disk. How much RAM are you running with?

 

[Deleted member 25108]

It does, mostly so you don't clutter your OS drive. Solid state will give you a bit of a performance boost, but you will probably put a lot of strain on the drive, so keep that in mind when you price out what you want to use as that scratch disk. How much RAM are you running with?

Click to shrink...

16gb for now. If prices drop a little I'll upgrade to 32gb.

 

[LuxCommander]

You will probably want to reconsider your part prioritization. More ram means better editing performance since you have more buffer time between retrieving files from the hard disk. Would love to hear other opinions on this, but my advice from my experience is to invest in more ram instead of the SSD and get a solid 72,000 rpm drive as a scratch disk for now. SSD prices are dropping rapidly, and that's one of the easier parts to swap out for down the road.

 

[Deleted member 25108]

You will probably want to reconsider your part prioritization. More ram means better editing performance since you have more buffer time between retrieving files from the hard disk. Would love to hear other opinions on this, but my advice from my experience is to invest in more ram instead of the SSD and get a solid 72,000 rpm drive as a scratch disk for now. SSD prices are dropping rapidly, and that's one of the easier parts to swap out for down the road.

Click to shrink...

Hmmm. It's just ram is really overpriced right now. I'll think about it. To be fair, another 16gb of ram is about the same price as a 500gb nvme drive.

 

[Shawn The Wonder]

So I'm working in Adobe Premiere Pro and shit has been acting weird lately. Today's issue is in regards to icons moving around. So the tools like the select, cut, zoom, etc have moved into a separate window. How do I get them merged with the timeline again?

 

[Syriel]

When using LUTs to color correct HDR video to SDR, what is the difference between AlexaV3_K1S1_LogC2Video_Rec709_EE and AMIRA_Default_LogC2Rec709?

Both are targeting Rec 709, but the AMIRA ends up with slightly darker results. I can't tell if that's a gamma thing, or a slight difference in contrast.

Anyone have a preference?

Do you use a custom LUT instead?