Help: 19 page credit roll

JackW wrote on 1/17/2006, 9:30 PM
A client came in today with a 19 page booklet that she wants to display as a continuous credit roll at the end of a corporate DVD. We suggested separate pages but she insists on the roll.

We plan to scan each page. My questiion is how to stitch together the 19 .png files that will result from the scan so that the pages flow seamlessly in the credit roll?

I've searched the archives here but can't seem to find anything that addresses this. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Jack

Comments

Spot|DSE wrote on 1/17/2006, 9:54 PM
Seamlessly? Wow.
You should be able to set all keyframes to 0, then use separate pages for each page, then use Pan/Crop to scan up the pages. You'll have to tweak each track a bit, but overall, once you get the first two right, the rest will just be copy/paste and it should flow fairly easily. If you have Ultimate S, it even has an offset for pasting for a similar type of effect.
It's likely only as hard as getting the first two accurate/seamless.
FrigidNDEditing wrote on 1/17/2006, 11:26 PM
Don't forget to turn you smoothness all the way down for this if you go this way.

The other way would be to just drop it in as a separate Nested Project (assuming you're using VV6) and make a 19 "page" long 3D deal, but that's a lot of work for something so simple. I'd just do what Spot says if I were doing it.

Dave
johnmeyer wrote on 1/17/2006, 11:40 PM
If you have a decent OCR package, I'd use that. Put the results in the Vegas Credit Roll generator. I do this all the time with programs from dance recitals, etc.
Steve Mann wrote on 1/18/2006, 1:12 AM
Or ask if the text is on a computer file already.
Jay Gladwell wrote on 1/18/2006, 4:25 AM

Douglas knows more about this than I do, but knowing myself, I think trying to tweak the .pngs would take me longer than if I had to input the 19 pages myself.

I think Stephen has a good suggestion. See if there is a Word file for this stuff, first. If so, simply drop that into Vegas' scrolling titler.


Grazie wrote on 1/18/2006, 4:42 AM
Word, Notepad, Worpad, Wordstar - I'd even settle for an Excel Spreadsheet with text ! ANYTHING but 19 pages of PNGs! ! ! All that unassured success with fiddling about with graphics files to make them legible? Oh nooooooo .. . horrid! . ..

.. you get the picture?

Is there a reason that they have to be scrolling?


Grazie
Jay Gladwell wrote on 1/18/2006, 4:51 AM

Yes, I got the picture right off the bat!

Is there a reason that they have to be scrolling?

"We suggested separate pages but she insists on the roll." (JackW)


Jay Gladwell wrote on 1/18/2006, 4:57 AM

It just dawned on me...

Depending how much text is on each of those 19 pages, that roll could conceivably last 15 minutes or more! Who in the heck is going to sit still long enough to read all that?

Jack, what's on those pages?


Coursedesign wrote on 1/18/2006, 9:26 AM
It's become more common on TV to accelerate the end credits to supersonic speeds, to the point where even a speed reader can get tics from trying to follow the text.

I suspect in these cases (TV) they have a contractual obligation to show the credits, but nobody thought to demand that they be shown at a readable speed.
Grazie wrote on 1/18/2006, 10:56 AM
Wellllll .. . if that's the case then make a big watermark of a cuddly pussycat, have the credits roll at speed over the animal! Job done! AND they get to look at a nice warm . .. feline! Dead easy!

G
JackW wrote on 1/18/2006, 11:37 AM
Thanks everyone. As usual, lots of good ideas.

The document, for those who asked, is a 19 page military booklet with training tips for those instructing in the use of a rather large piece of armored machinery, and the mind behind the project is VERY military -- about as unyielding as the machinery.

However, confronted with the problems her request has raised, we've gotten her to agree to a move (pan and crop) from top to bottom of each page, followed by quick fade to black and more of same on next page. We'll scan in each page and work from there.

It's stilling going to be a long sit-down for anyone watching, but at least they can use the DVD remote and scroll through from one page to another. It all goes at the very end of a two and a half hour training presentation.

Jack
Former user wrote on 1/18/2006, 11:58 AM
Keep in mind of the limited resolution of a DVD/Video stream. If the pages of the booklet are sized incorrectly to do a direct to video image, then you are going to have all sorts of legibility issues.

Also, keep in mind safe title restrictions and allow for worst case. You never know what sort of monitor the DVD might be viewed on and any portion of the conent that is "clipped" by the monitor bezel (or overscan) will be lost to the viewer.

I would scan a single page and do the movement / scaling you propose in Vegas and burn a sample DVD to be sure the content is going to be readble before doing the whole project.

Jim
Joe White wrote on 1/18/2006, 12:26 PM
Could be done with a Push transition with no key framing needed.
FrigidNDEditing wrote on 1/18/2006, 12:34 PM
MAKE SURE YOU RENDER IN BEST IF YOU'RE DOING GRAPHIC RESIZING!!!