Comments

JohnnyRoy wrote on 5/7/2008, 4:14 PM
Sadly no. :( You have to fiddle with Bezier curves. But once you get it the way you want, you can save it as a preset and use it again whenever you need it.

If all you need are preset shapes try the Sony Cookie Cutter FX. It has circles and rectangles, etc.

~jr
Grazie wrote on 5/7/2008, 8:56 PM
IMO this request goes to the "core" of what Vegas IS and DOES.

We have chums here that see Vegas as purely an Event editing s/w with some nice compositing options pinned to it, but they don't go near or use these option often, if at all. There are others that see the vast graphical opportunities that Vegas offers and want more along the same lines. Dichotomy.

If that was EVER at all possible, the management of our expectations for Vegas, here it is Bezier Mask Presets, and in another post by myself, it is Event Fade snapping, must be one of the trickiest processes to get a grip on.

On a more direct reply to this request for circles, I have created a decent enough one by using just 2 anchor points and pulling out the anchor controls till the Bezier curve "looked" circular. Now all of this is governed by the Math furiously paddling beneath. Now, I really can't image that it is beyond the whit, wisdom and capabilities of those that are developing our remarkable s/w to not be able to furnish us with a set of "starter" shapes based on that same Math?

As an initial plea - I have said before - I'd really like the Bezier workspace to have a grid/dots overlay to assist Bezier Mask shape manipulation & placement. At present I use the Preview Grid Overlay, manipulate within Bezier and, see the results in Preview and go on to make adjusts.

And this is my point: I have some neat Graphics-type functions - Bezier Masking - but am still wanting to have the support tools to make full and for me appropriate "graphics" use of the initial tool provided - Bezier-Grid. But this is only my opinion.

Vegas-Rox!!!

Grazie

johnmeyer wrote on 5/7/2008, 9:27 PM
You might be able to create a circle in your photo application: white circle on black background or black circle on white background. Put that on a track and create a mask from that. It would certainly let you get the correct shape, but may not do what you want.
ingvarai wrote on 5/7/2008, 11:34 PM
Grazie,
love your post!
Grazie wrote on 5/7/2008, 11:45 PM
You're welcome!

Y'know, these posts do get read by "others" and if we can make some points - gentle ones - then maybe, maybe some of it will stick, and thusly maybe, just maybe the development of our s/w will benefit from such an approach.

ALSO without your posting, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to go on . .and on . . . and on . . .

Cheers!

Grazie

farss wrote on 5/8/2008, 2:54 AM
I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to PS despite using it for years. Only recently I discovered I can convert a Selection to a Path (bezier curve). Thinking a bit outside the square something like that could be very useful in Vegas too. Several of the existing FX such as the Chroma Keyer will generate a bit mapped mask, being able to convert that into a bezier would open up alternate ways of working.

On the other hand you could take the mask into PS, use that to convert to a bezier. But that's the end of the line. So being able to import PS's Paths would be another way to get the same outcome.

I'm certainly with Grazie, the beziers are one of Vegas's most powerful features, they just need that little bit more to make them more user friendly and powerful.

While we're on the subject, here's a use for them that's not immediately obvious. The scopes in Vegas read the whole frame and it can be difficult to 'see' a problem area. Simple fix, draw a bezier around the area and then read the scopes.

Bob.