What do you mean?

"My tests using the 800x600 movies in DVD format conversion have not been confirmed usable."

If you are making a DVD use the default resolution and the default template.

1. click on Render, select the Main Concept MPEG-2 as file type.
2. under Template select DVD NTSC (if you're in the states) use the DEFAULTS!

For images, there are several older threads discussing the reasons and logic behind the .91 ratio which is what SoFo suggests you use as a default file size for inported still images. See page #223 of the manual. Distortion CAN happen if the pixel aspect ratio on your still images are different than the destination format you set for your project under (File:properties)

For NTSC use 655x480. For PAL use 787x576.

There are several ways to stretch the image to fill frame and avoid "blackness" either on top and bottom or right and left. The simple method is:

1. drag and drop the image on the timeline
2. click on the event plan/crop button (top button on image, once on timeline)
3. right-click on the images in the Pan Crop window, and select match output aspect. The control button on the timeline should turn blue, indicating you've changed something.

Depending on the original size of the image you may see croping.

If you are planning on animating the still image (zoom in/out/pan you may want to import images at a somewhat larger size. Vegas Video does a good job of filling the frame if you follow the above method, but you can't if you the method I just covered. use pan/crop instead, if you want to animate.

An interesting effect is to pan and zoom either in or out at the same time which is simple in Vegas. Just set keyframes as needed and stretch the image to allow enough time for the panning or zooming to play smooth.

Say Dennis...

Somewhat related question. I was thinking of making a short video out of my calibration tutorial instead of people having to build their own and thought I could get away with using WMV however even as high as 1 MBPS the lines in the wedges in the test pattern run together making it next to useless. They don't if I render to MPEG-2, but the file size is so much larger. Any ideas?

Thanks for the help.

Im having some cross platform concerns. If I use main concept mpeg 2 and send it to the Mac. it wont play in DVD pro. Converted .mov to mpeg2 files out of Quicktime on the mac have a .m2v file extention.

Thats the least of my worries though. I just need to get it out of Vegas and assure it will not be screwed up by the time it hits mpeg2.

Also Im doing some forum jumping which may be hurting me. it seems the recomendations are very different in other forums. Heres a couple reponses.

2pop DVD autothoring forum

"You'll need Adobe afterFX to resize screen captured videos properly. Otherwise- I would suggest videotaping the screen for best results on a DVD"

"You need to create Photoshop graphics at 720X540 and resize to 720X480 when done"


Adobe AE forum

"Anything that comes off the computer screen is square pixels. You're going to have to severely process your screen captures to make them work on video or DVD. Computer screens work fine with single pixel width lines. If your browser is set at the default settings for text the type you're reading now is only 1 pixel wide. 1 pixel wide lines will not work at all on TV. The best thing to do if you have to do screen captures is to fatten up all of the text if you can. Try using some of the accessibility options or display options to bold face all of your type and fatten up the lines. You’ll also have to watch the levels. The white background on this web page is way too hot for video. You’ll have to be very careful to end up with screen captures that work. You also have to be careful mixing frame rates. The best solution is to go and rent a very good scan converter that will process your VGA into usable video. The units that are used by outfits like Total Training to do screen captures cost around $10,000. In major cities you can rent them for about $100/day. Another option is to rent a good LCD projector and shoot the projected image with a camera. You can also shoot high quality LCD displays or monitors if you have the right gear. Most of the time, when I do this kind of thing, I re-create the computer screen in Photoshop and animate it in AE. If you have the budget, this is the best way to go. Don’t forget that you will loose between 10% and 20% of the screen when it is viewed on a monitor… "

DV forum

"pixel aspect ratio - Computers usually assume a square aspect ratio for pixels. Television has tall, rectangular pixels. To compensate for this, build your document with dimensions of 720x540. When you are ready to use it for the DVD project, resize it (unconstrained) to 720x480 which will pre-distort the image for video."

Confusing when you guys say 655x480!




to make this worse. I have a friend who works for avid who says

"forget the scan converter! you should be able to get clear mpeg2 by rendering out of the nle at 720x480"

Vegas can give you a .m2v file
They are MPEG-2 elementary video (only) files. Just choose File>Render As> "Save as type" = Main concept MPEG-2 > "Template" = DVD NTSC video stream.

You will then get your video out in .m2v file & will have to do a seperate render for your audio to whatever format you require for your authoring software with that.

Most higher end DVD authoring applications like elementary (seperate) streams brought in instead of multiplexed ones.

when I do it it is a mpg file.when i do it out of QT its m2v

Like I said though ..thats the least of my worries. I can convert it anywhere.
I am still not getting the disired results taking my screen capture movies to DVD NTSC. They look like $%^#^#. I can tweek them to death and make them look kind of sub standard ok on a TV screen- but definatly not pro.I think I may have to rent one of those converters!!!!!!!

$$$$$ and time!!!!

I suppose I might not take the plunge if some said they had sucessfully achived pro results taking "screen capture movies" to DVD ntsc....but Im not sure anyone has said they actually have done that.

as mentioned in the above adobe post...companies like total training do it that way...so mayby its true. I would love for it not to be because Im already a week behind. I thought I had this project nailed untill the DVD conversion came up.

Ill keep tweeking and trying...if anyone else can help I would really appreciate it.

OK Im doing my homework!


Please read this persons post and tell me if this will work in Vegas. The only reason I have this question is because of the Vegas manual saying stills should be 655x480! No other NLE documentation or or persons have mentioned these settings.

Pleeese Confirm???


Quote:

"AAARRGGGHH! Do NOT Videotape the Screen!!! You might not need After Effects if your NLE can handle a project at a different ratio and then export 720x480 (like FCP or Premiere). You should treat the square pixel screen capture footage as you would square pixel Photoshop files.

This is what I would do,

:Correct screen capture settings.
720x540

:Correct Photoshop still settings.
design in 720x540

:Correct NLE project settings.
720x540

:Correct render or export settings.
720x480 (do not constrain)

or,

:Correct screen capture settings.
720x540 then resize to 720x480 in something like After Effects or Premiere (do not constrain)

:Correct Photoshop still settings.
design in 720x540 then save as 720x480 (do not constrain)

:Correct NLE project settings.
720x480 NTSC DV

:Correct render or export settings.
720x480 NTSC DV

See how only the end result before encoding needs to be 720x480? Or how a project can stay at 720x540 until the NLE or Compositing software exports it as NTSC DV.
The only reason you need to have an NLE project at 720x480 is if you have existing DV footage at that ratio. Hope this helps.
"

BillyBoy:

Test patterns wreak havok with video encoders, so many high frequencies, etc. You might have to zoom into the test pattern to give an idea of what to look for on your monitor, but don't expect WMV to not mess up high-frequncy line art, it's optimized for "natural" video. There's a "screen capture" codec in WMV 8 that you might be able to render to (if not from Vegas, than uncompressed or DV into Windows Media Encoder?) that should be better at high-frequency content.

///d@

655x480 is correct for stills with square pixels that you don't want to crop or letter/pillarbox.

Make sure to set project properties > rendering quality to "best" if you're bringing in stills that are a larger resolution than your projects. This uses a higher-quality down-scaling that should make excellent results. I can't see a scan-convertor doing much better.

///d@

Thanks!

Allright, Im getting better results than I was- but I think it will be nearly impossable to show the small text well on NTSC.

These are my current settings...Do you see anything thas not qutie right? I was kind of unsure about the iterpolation and field settings. Anything Im missing??

Screen capture settings.
Capture area- 720x540, 29 frames/sec, Keyframe every 100 frames.

Photoshop still settings.
Design in 720x540

Vegas NLE project settings.
720x540, 29.9 frames/sec, Keyframe every 100 frames, Pixel Aspect Ratio NTSC DV 0.9091, Field Order-Lower field first, De interlace method- Interpolate fields.

Clip settings, Ignore aspect,

Render or export settings.
720x480 (do not constrain), 29.9 frames/sec, Keyframe every 100 frames, Pixel Aspect Ratio NTSC DV 0.9091, Field Order-Lower field first,