Filmstrip Preview Effect - How to?

tygrus2000 wrote on 4/16/2003, 12:21 AM

I want to make a slide show of still pics, in the top 2/3 part of the window would be the main show where I would fade stills in and out and pan and crop into them for added effect. However, I would like to devote the bottom 1/3 of the video window to a scrolling or fade in/out filmstrip type preview of the main show. There would be 3 smaller windows down here with the one in the middle the same as the main show. Ahead of it would be the one that was just played and behind it the upcoming still. And everything should scroll along as the main show plays. If the scrolling is too difficult, I would settled for just fading the preview clips in and out as well.

How can I do this in VV? Seems tough but I am no expert....yet.
thx.

tygrus

Comments

philfort wrote on 4/16/2003, 1:32 AM

Well, to start, you'll probably want to use 4 tracks: 1 for the main window, and another 3, one for each smaller window. You can use track motion to position and size the "windows".

It's easy to size the main window... it stays the same through out.

The tedious bit is going to be moving those bottom windows and synchronizing it with the fading in/out of the stills in the top window. Using track motion and several keyframes, you can size each of the smaller windows and get them to move into view, stop, move to the center position, stop, move to the edge, stop, and move out of view. And then you need to do that for each of the smaller windows, and have their movements synchronized. Actually you'll probably need 4 "smaller windows", since one will be "leaving the area" while another one is arriving. You'll need to have a good understanding of how keyframes and track motion work.

Maybe someone can think of a less tedious way to do this...

Also, I haven't tried done any scripting in VV4 yet, but it seems like this would be a pretty "brainless but tedious" task that might be suited for a script?

vicmilt wrote on 4/16/2003, 5:00 PM

I'd layout the 3 pic filmstrip as a series of stills in Photoshop.

I'd make the final image size the same size as your Vegas frame (720x640)?

Then I'd make a dummy with guide lines for the three photos.

Then I'd just make a grillion stills with each of the photos, moving one down the line in the sequence you want.

Once all were done, I'd import them into Vegas and dissolve them one to the next on a single trak. Readjusting the length of each still to sync with the track would be a snap, and a couple of Actions in Photoshop would make working there pretty quick and brainless.

Everything could also be done in Vegas, but I'd be scared to death of moving anything out of sync. This way it's basically two tracks. One with your dissolved Photoshop stills, and one with your Main (effected and moved as you like) Still sequence.

vitalforce2 wrote on 4/16/2003, 5:17 PM

You might also set up the fade in/out effects in advance, in short timeline segments of each still, then set up a menu page in DVD-A with motion menus as the "windows."

Spot|DSE wrote on 4/16/2003, 11:35 PM

There are 3 veg files on the Sundance site that can pretty well do just this thing for you. Visit and check out the over 100 veg files up there!
http://www.sundancemediagroup.com/help/kb

Vince wrote on 4/17/2003, 9:09 AM

Use track motion to size/position as needed the 4 tracks.
For the 3 flimstrip tracks use push left transitions.

ericb wrote on 4/17/2003, 9:38 AM

tygrus:

If you are willing to give up the scrolling, and if your stills are the same duration, you can do this easily with multiple tracks. I put a group of stills on one track, and moved the whole group one still duration forward. Pan / Size this track for the upper 2/3 of the screen. Duplicate the track and place it in the middle lower third (current still). Duplicate this track two more times and advance one a full still duration (next still) and place in lower third. Delay the final track and place in proper position. A still mask with transparency can complete the lower film strip effect.

philfort wrote on 4/17/2003, 11:14 AM

I just tried this and it worked well. I would say this is probably the easiest of the solutions mentioned so far.