Automatic Crossfades in VMS4

Moebius wrote on 10/10/2004, 4:31 PM
I've the trial. The help file says under index entry "Still Image Slideshow":

Create a photo slideshow

If you want to create a slideshow using your photos or other still images, Vegas Movie Studio software makes it a breeze.

Select the files you want to use in the Media Pool or Explorer tab.

Drag the files to a video track.

When you add multiple selected files to the timeline, the files are automatically crossfaded. For a little extra pizzazz, you can easily change the crossfades to other transition types by dragging a preset from the Transitions tab and dropping it on the crossfade.

To set the duration of new events that are created by adding still images to the timeline, use the New still image length control on the Video tab of the Preferences dialog.

Add an audio file to an audio track to set your slideshow to music.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sounds good, but I can't seem to get the automatic crossfade thing to work. Anyone care to give it a try?


Comments

IanG wrote on 10/11/2004, 12:52 AM
You need to overlap clips / stills on the timeline for the auto-crossfades to work. But they do work!

Ian G.
Moebius wrote on 10/11/2004, 6:14 AM
Manually overlap them? That sounds like a completely different animal, and certainly not an automated solution. This is supposed to be a new feature to make me want to upgrade, but I just can't get it to work. I'm sure there must only be some silly thing that I am not doing...
IanG wrote on 10/11/2004, 6:49 AM
Sorry, just spotted this - "When you add multiple selected files to the timeline, the files are automatically crossfaded". You're right, it looks like a new feature. Unfortunately, I haven't used it!

Ian G.
djcc wrote on 10/11/2004, 12:24 PM
I just tried it - didn't work for me either. Tried it with automatic crossfades on as well as off.

Noticed something interesting in the help file though:

"To set the duration of new events that are created by adding still images to the timeline, use the New still image length control on the Video tab of the Preferences dialog."

Beats the heck out of digging around for it on the hidden "internal" tab (ie, shift-preferences).

Anyway, auto-crossfaded would be a nice feature for a quickie slideshow. Perhaps someone from Sony will chime in here???
djcc wrote on 10/13/2004, 2:06 PM
Anyone figure this out yet?
gidget wrote on 10/14/2004, 6:57 PM
Doesn't seem to be automatic yet (a shame when you have 150 stills), but this is the only way I've been able to accomplish it as quickly as possible:

- add all your stills at once
- be sure automatic crossfades is activated
- starting with the first still, mouse click on it, then hit the '/' key on the numeric keypad (as the other one won't work for this). continue down the line of stills til they're all crossfaded.

hope that helps
djcc wrote on 10/20/2004, 7:05 AM
Tentative response from Sony follows. I say "tentative" because my reply to the message below points out that the help file specifically states the feature to be a feature of Movie Studio, not the pro version. I also pointed out that such a feature would seem to be far more sought by recreational users ($100 MS) rather than the full blown Vegas.

Anyway, here is their response:

Customer Service Response (Matt) - 10/18/2004 05:49 PM
Thanks for writing.

What page of the manual/online help did you see this listing? The Vegas Movie Studio 4.0 does not allow for the crossfade as you mention above. The Automatic Crossfade feature allows you to move one event into another event and have them automatically fade into each other. This does not work on multiple files at one time. Our Vegas Pro 4.0 (and now 5.0) will allow you to add multiple files onto the timeline at one time while crossfading them, then add transitions to multiple files as well.

Sincerely,

Matt B.
Technical Support
Sony Pictures Digital


Steve Grisetti wrote on 10/20/2004, 7:16 AM
Meantime, if you don't mind this easy workaround, here's the "old-fashioned" solution to crossfading 100+ photos at a time.

1) Drop all the photos onto the timelime. Now drop them all, again, onto the video layer right above them. (Make sure Auto Crossfades is enabled, of course.)

2) With the upper video layer of still selected, move them all just a second or so to the right (however long you want your crossfade).

3) Now just drag the upper layer of stills down onto the lower level. The overlap from the offset should create crossfades for every photo..
cinco2u wrote on 10/20/2004, 8:03 AM
If you overlap clips with automatic crossfades on, is there a way to adjust these precisely to a fraction of a second as in the conventional way of inserting transitions?
Steve Grisetti wrote on 10/20/2004, 8:10 AM
Hmm. Okay, how about this:

After you lay in the upper track of stills, activate that video layer only and Insert Time. Whatever time you put in there, that's how far it should nudge all the stills on that layer over so that, when you pull it down over the lower track, this "nudge" will be your crossfade.

Does that work?
djcc wrote on 10/26/2004, 11:19 AM
Well, looks like this is a dead issue. The feature is not going to be in Movie Studio - just the full blown Vegas 5. I personally feel this is unfortunate - I'd wager more folks are doing photo slide shows in Movie Studio than Vegas 5.


Tech support's final email to me:

"After further review and speaking with our Tec Doc department, this is a know typo in the original release of the in product help for Vegas Movie Studio. This has been removed for future builds of our software and we do apologize for the inconvenience this has posed. "
Moebius wrote on 11/8/2004, 6:42 PM
I didn't realize this thread had grown. I seem to have disappeared for a while-- chronosynclastic infindibulum, or something.

I knew about the overlapping trick. It's fine if all you want are crossfades...

I hadn't known about the numpad '/' shortcut. That helps, but it's still tedious.

Since I have DVD-lab, I can't actually find any reason to upgrade my MS3. I gave Sony enough money this year, anyway.

I am frequently annoyed by the crippled nature of this product, but I'm not going to pay an arm and a leg for a bunch of other stuff I don't need and won't use. I'm not a pro, and I don't do this all day long. I found something that works and I already have it. I'll continue to use the product in conjunction with Uleads VideoStudio. VideoStudio will split my DV AVI slideshow by scene, and automatically add a transition of my choice, or a random transition. It won't save a customized transition, however, so it is not a perfect solution.

I have submitted automatic transitions for slideshows as a feature request.
Thanks for the replies!
djcc wrote on 11/9/2004, 12:52 PM
"I have submitted automatic transitions for slideshows as a feature request."

This is something we should all do - it is available in the full product, so it is just a function of them not cripling it in MS.
czander00 wrote on 11/9/2004, 3:09 PM
I've added another auto transitions feature request....