Thanks for reply. Yes I'm using the same original tape and blue/green screen stills since I'm learning. Have the program for only a week. Will keep trying and also your scene detect tip. Thanks again.

Hello again =

Scene detection is enabled but still get one big clip with many scenes. Tried splitting each thumbnail but still have several scenes. This is weird. Anything else I should try?

Has the clock on the camcorder been set properly?

Mike

Big Joe:

I haven't looked at version 7.0x, but in the other versions of Vegas here's been a rather fine "beginner's manual" included on the installation disk -- 300+ pages of "how to."
Take it to Kenko and have them print and bind it for you. Works like a charm.
Best $25 investment I've made in a long time.

Jack

Scene detection is based on the Time/Date stamp only in Vegas. If your clock is not set, the scenes will not be detected. And they are only detected where you stop and start the camera.

Dave T2

HELLO ALL -

Frankly don't see what the clock has to do with this unless it is peculiar to Vegas but checked the time and is set properly. All other programs that I have PPro, P Elments and moviemaker work strictly on the time code. I must be doing or not doing something. About to give up unless something happens soon. Thanks

It uses the clock because if there's a break in clock time, it knows the camera was stopped/restarted and uses this to split into separate clips. Time code should normally be continuous from start to finish of tape whether it was one continuous shot or many smaller takes.

I've never had trouble with Scene detection when I've wanted to enable it. Does the Vegas Vidcap control your camera ok?

The Chroma keyFX was working properly under the "c" version but won't with"ë".

Make sure you don't have "Bypass Effects" turned on. It's the Split Screen View button just above the preview screen (a circle that's on a half dark/half light background).

Hi Peter

The camcorder is controled OK. BUT before I shoot anything I black the tape with the lenscap on. This give me a continuous timecode beforehand. Then when I do shoot I can stop start or turn off corder and then restart again and picks up where left off with no break. As a matter of fact Can take tape out and or playback and then overlap a few frames of previous material and voila picks up from there although don't normally do this. Capture feature of other programs give a choice of capturing the whole schmere or just 1 scene at a time i.e. scene detect. So can move each individual scene anywhere on the time line. I'm not getting this with Vegas. Seems would have to use start/stop time for each scene or else do the whole tape and chop it up. Hope haven't dragged this out too long but clock time doesn't seem or rather shouldn't be a factor

Thanks for reply - Joe

Hello Jetdv -

Thanks for reply. Yep that is part of the problem. Keying works now but for some strange reason I get a jerky playback of the main track but clears up when past the effect. Guess will have to play with this some more.

Thanks again - Joe

...for some strange reason I get a jerky playback of the main track but clears up when past the effect.

This is to be expected as the chroma-key FX is very CPU-intensive.
The more powerful your CPU is, the better this type of FX will play back for you.
Also, make sure to set your Preview screen to Preview-Auto as this puts less strain on your system.

As to why your having capture problems, I'm stumped.
I work at a community college, have had students bring in source material of all kinds and have NEVER had issues like this.

Mike

Hope haven't dragged this out too long but clock time doesn't seem or rather shouldn't be a factor

As others have said, it most certainly is a factor.
Even though you've blacked the entire tape, if the clock hasn't been set, Vegas will NOT recognize individual scenes.
I've had students come in with the same camera as you and they have the same issues (i.e. no scene detection)
Once we set the camcorder's clock properly, it works as expected the next time they come in.
So, once again, is your camcorder's clock set?
If not ,set it, try it again and post your findings.

Mike

Hello Mike -

Your tip for preview auto did the trick thanks. However no luck on the other. I am stumped also..Actually I have a sony dv VCR which is the exactly the same as the camcorder except more rugged. Have reset the clock on both units and still get the same. As said before I'm doing something wrong. Can't keep playing with this forever so will give it a rest unless you can come up with something else
Thanks again

It WON'T solve the issue for THAT tape - only FUTURE tapes. If that tape was recorded without the date/time, it will always be without the date/time and scene detection will not work. Once the clock is set, FUTURE tapes will work correctly with scene detection.

Hey Mike -

HOOOORAY - That did it. Shot a few scenes on the same tape and it worked. I should of thought of that but what the hey. Thanks again for all your time. It's greatly appereciated.

HOOOORAY - That did it.

At long last, Hallelujah !!!
Glad you finally got it working :-)
BTW, check out Scenalyzer as it will do optical splits on tapes that don't have time code. For a mere $0, a lot of Vegas users prefer it to VidCap, the program that comes with Vegas.

Mike

"I black the tape with the lenscap on. This give me a continuous timecode beforehand."

Blacking is a complete waste of time. It is a anachronism from analog tape days and does nothing in digital recording. Your DV Camcorder writes the audio, video and control data (including timecode) in one pass. In other words, it writes new data over your previously "blacked" tape.

Well, there is one use for blacking/striping/prerecording a DV tape. With most all camcorders it will guarantee a continuous timecode. Most camcorders will pick up timecode existing on the tape if it's there and continue on with it. If you start with a blank tape, and then for whatever reason stop and begin recording again after a gap on the tape the timecode will start over at zero again.

It only covers poor procedure. You can only get a break in TC if you either remove the tape or move it past the last recorded video. The vast majority of us don't remove a tape until we're finished shooting. For those users, blacking is a complete waste of time.

Right. So we're in complete agreement and saying the same thing. :)

While we're here on timecode, etc... here's a tip.

You can generate timecode in two ways:

Regen - this picks up your timecode from the last shot and continues the numbering - sort of "normal" shooting procedure. The timecode on the tape will run contiguously from 00:00:00;00 to [for instance] 00:01:22:13

Free Run - this lays down timecode with the Time-Of-Day. So the code on your tape will have some wild numbers [09:22:31:12] that relate to the exact time that your internal clock is set to. Free run is great for documentary film makers, as it clearly marks the time that you shot. And it's PERFECT if you've got two or more cameras to sync together! Set both cameras to the exact same time ("Ready? 1 -2 - 3 - SET!) Now simply drag the time codes from the two cameras over each other on the time line. Instant sync (within a half second or so ).

The Sony Z1 even has a remote control with a "set time code" button which makes syncing a bunch of cameras a snap. Turn 'em on - click the button - EXACT same timecode. Oh you'll LOVE syncing those multi-camera shoots this way. You see, it doesn't matter who turns their cameras on or off or when they do it. All tapes have the exact same timecode.

v

Vic, the problem is that most (if at all) consumer camcorders don't have the Free Run time code option :-(
I'm sure it's buried on a chip somewhere and you might be able to do a hack to get access to it but the manufacturers don't offer it as an option.

I agree with Steve that it's much easier to shoot a few extra sec. of video at the start and end of each scene. I've been doing it that way for over 30 years and, as a result, have never had a timecode break. I try to teach my students to do that as well but, being students, they don't always pay attention.

Mike