Best way to edit two "synced" video feeds?

mlane2 wrote on 6/20/2002, 9:31 PM

I recently shot a wedding using two cameras. I also backed up the audio on minidisc. I alligned all three separate tracks in Vegas so that they are matched perfectly. Now I want to go back and forth between the two different cameras angles. Since the two tracks run concurrently, and one is a 'parent' track to the other, what is the best way to transition back and forth?

Thanks in advance.

Comments

Tyler.Durden wrote on 6/20/2002, 9:45 PM

You might want to "lock" all your audio events to keep them safe.

Then you can add a new track at the top, go through your program and split the tracks where you want to copy a shot up to the "master track".

Another way is to play the timeline and set markers where you want the cuts, and go back and split/copy at the markers.

Search this forum using "multicam" as keyword for more info and other opinions.

HTH, MPH

stepfour wrote on 6/20/2002, 10:50 PM

I completed a project recently that was very similar. The suggestion I got from martyh and several users here about splitting the top track and then deleting the section where I want the bottom track o show worked perfectly. Also, because I had the tracks directly above or below each other, I was easily able to create a nice compositing effect by changing the opacity of the tracks in various places.

Although I used simple cuts in most of the places where the view switched, I think you can also make fades or dissolves that flow from track to track.

I sort of jumped into Vegas lacking some of the basics. I know you didn't say Vegas is new to you, but if it is, it's a good time investment to learn to select, copy, and lock stuff. Vegas can be a bit tricky when it comes to moving things around and keeping your audio lined up right.

Two video tracks are a lot of fun. Enjoy.

Caruso wrote on 6/21/2002, 2:44 AM

Either approach described above will work fine for you. I prefer the additive "master track" approach described by Martyh only because it allows your original tracks to remain intact. Add that extra video track, then, when you decide to include a selection from one of your two video tracks, simply surround it with markers, select all and split the entire timeline, then, selecting just the desired selection, copy and paste it into the master track.

Except for the splitting, your original video remains unchanged so that, if you later change your mind about what you included/excluded, it's a bit easier to reconstruct. Vegas includes unlimited undo, but it is strictly sequential, so that if you've made ten changes and decide you want to undo change #6, you have to unchange 10, 9, 8, and 7 also. Keeping your original tracks intact will negate the necessity of throwing away changes that are good in order to correct something earlier that you don't like.

Vegas is so intuitive that you might have your project nearly complete by now, but, here are a couple of issues that tripped me up during the assembly of my first multi-cam projects - perhaps my sharing them will be of use to you:

1) Select all events to end - there are times when you'll want to cut or insert to actually eliminate (or add) footage to your project. In either case, to maintain your audio/video sync, you'll need to be careful to select all events on all tracks from the point of change to the end. Vegas has a useful provision for doing this - carefully make certain that you've selected the initial event following the point of change on ALL tracks. then, right click on any of them and choose the command 'select all events to end'. Now, you may safely left click on any event and drag everything to the end left or right as your needs may be.

2) Inconsistent behavior of the track level selection area - Again, in order to maintain sync, you'll be doing a lot of edit/select all commands (Ctrl-A for short) whenever you make splits, etc. When you do this, you'll notice that the left hand side of the timeline, where track level FX are applied, will turn blue, indicating that everything in that area (at track level) is also selected. Vegas is a bit inconsistent in that, when you subsequently select one event on the timeline (whether audio or video), all other timeline events are deselected (this behavior is the expected behavior), but the track level area (that turned blue when selected) is not deselected (not the behavior I would expect at all). The result is that, when you want to mute or unmute a track, all tracks will respond. In order to deselect at track level, you will have to develop the habit of touching the blue area (away from the various selection icons located there) to select that track (and deselect all others).

In a program that is so superior in so many ways, this little quirck is one that annoys me a great deal, but, knowing the behavior allows me to work around it. I doubt this behavior was purposely designed into the product, and, believe, instead, that it was one of those few issues that got overlooked.

Enjoy your project. Vegas is particularly strong in this area (and remarkably easy to use in this manner). One trick I love (for example, in the case of the soloist at a wedding) is to use a really long fade from one cam angle to the next. The result is a sort of auto composite that allows a simultaneous (but tastefully soft) view of the subject from two different angles.

Hope the above comments prove helpful to you. Good luck. Have fun.

Oh, and one more thing. You stated that you backed up the audio on mini-disc. No doubt that audio is more noise-free than anything captured by the cams (which are typically prone to 'thumb-noise' (from us heavy fisted operators)), mechanical noise, and the like. You must obviously be aware of this, and, so, assuming the mini-disc's audio is othewise pristine, you'll want to establish it as the master audio track (if you already knew this, please forgive me).

Again, have fun. Report back and let us know how it turned out.

Caruso