Find a font that is just arrows. I have one called, for example, PizzaDudePointers. These are nothing but arrows of different types. You just use "Text", pick the size you want, place it where you want it. You can even key-frame it to do some things
I don't remember where I found the Pointers, but google Free Fonts and you'll find something. Be aware that the Pizza Dude Pointers, for the most part, look a little cartoonish in nature but you can probably still find a usable arrow in there. But there may be other arrow fonts that may suit you better.

The Wingdings font (it comes standard on most machines) has several types of arrows pointing in various directions that can be easily added to your project.

Mike

The problem with Event Pan/Crop is that it's not moving your image, it's moving the stage underneath it. I don't quite know why SCS does it this way but it's not at all intuitive. I think there's a reason for it but it's not obvious.

There are several options like using a TT font arrow or using the cookie cutter. These have their good and bad points (Using a font arrow doesn't make rotating it with the pan/crop tool any easier, but maybe you can use the protype tool for this.)

My first inclination would be to copy the frame I want my pointer on into photoshop, draw my arrow with a vector line tool, turn off the previously pasted image layer, and export a PNG of the arrow in an image that is the same size as my video frame. (If you use Photoshop you might understand what I'm saying, otherwise I could do a step-by-step for you later tonight. It's not hard and it's fairly quick once you know what to do. What're your project settings?)

I'd love to see a better tool in Vegas. Something that's let you draw arrows and boxes and swoopy lines like in a football training video, but it's just not there and SCS has never gotten their heads around the idea.

Rob Mack

The problem with Pan/Crop after you flip Horizontal/Vertical you are then NOT using Left for Left/Right for Right/Up for Up/Down for Down - so when you move the image it is moving correctly, just not in the direction you were expecting.

To combat this take your Arrow Image into Photoshop and Save the Image(s) pointing in the direction you need. You can then use Pan/Crop to resize and move the image where you'd like to see it same as usual and it will behave correctly.

Rob and sync2rhythm - you picked up on what I was talking about - and the other posts definitely give me some things to try. It's the " not at all intuitive" part that I was having trouble with with the Pan and Crop - but I am pretty new to Vegas 8 - so I will give a shot at some of the other suggestions and see what I think.

The cookie cutter has thrown me for an initial loop in that I can't find it in "help" - and I could make individual pngs - but I would much rather find a way to maneuver a single image as that was very effective with my other editor - and you know how it's always easier to do it the "old way" rather than learn the "new, efficient" way.....:) It really should be a simple way to do that like in a football training video.... - how about excaliber or ultiimate s or production pro assistant ???

One thing you could try is to make a very large PNG arrow and then manipulate it with Track Motion instead of Event Pan/Crop. By making the PNG too big and then reducing the size with the track motion tool it'd (probably) look okay and the track motion tool works as you'd expect. You'd have to set keyframes for it to restore it to defaults after every callout but that's not so terrible.

Look into using fonts and the ProType tool. It's a good way to get your feet wet with ProType, even if it doesn't work out.

Rob

An other issue is to use pan/crop in order to rotate your arrow and track motion to move it easily (fine in order to work quickly if you have the track motion et the pan/crop windows at the same time on screen : I have some .PNG arrows and resize, flip, rotate them as I want)

"....manipulate it with Track Motion instead of Event Pan/Crop. By making the PNG too big and then reducing the size with the track motion tool it'd (probably) look okay and the track motion tool works as you'd expect"

While the track motion does allow more control or the "logical" control on the movement and position of the arrow, the trouble I see is anytime down the road you need to edit and adjust you have to start adjusting the keyframes - which just seems like a lot more work in the end. Still checking the fonts with the protype tool.

Stating the obvious - trying to switch editors can really be a pain in learning the nuances of the new editor !!

Did you try this in Pro Titler that comes with Vegas 8?

Dave T2

I have been trying to do that - but I haven't mastered the titler enough to find how to find the arrows in winddings without typing every key - but I keep trying - I can bring it up in word perhaps - but I am trying to stay in Vegas and force myself to learn it.....

Use Windows Character Map to find the Keyboard Code for the Character you want. As long as you are in that font, it will type it. It is usually alt+xxx (numbers).

Dave T2

Well - I got that to work (somewhat) - but I will need some time to mess with protype cause it doesn't seem that easy to move the arrow around in it yet - I imagine it is just me - but I don't see that much advantage yet over pan/crop yet - but give me a bit of time and I might

> While the track motion does allow more control or the "logical" control on the movement and position of the arrow, the trouble I see is anytime down the road you need to edit and adjust you have to start adjusting the keyframes - which just seems like a lot more work in the end.

Set your keyframes to HOLD. Use Track Motion with your original arrow PNG. Right-click the first keyframe and set it's interpolation to Hold. Every other keyframe you make will default to hold which will maintain the position you put it in. Then just reposition the arrow any time you want to use it. No messing with additional keyframes.

~jr