how to crop/reset timecode?

bigoldcars wrote on 9/18/2011, 8:49 AM
Although I've been NLE editing for about 15 years, I still don't understand how to crop in Vegas. I'm using version 6. I only use this on my own (apart from my job where I use Avid/Adobe) seldom enough that I end up doing some re-learning when I do more than a simple edit.

What I'm doing is I want to put a count up timer over my video. I'd actually like to do this with the Event FX timecode, but I want the counter to start at zero about :36 sec. into the sequence. So, when I do this, it will start at the 36 sec mark. Is there a way to reset this to 0 there?

My workaround idea was to lay down a counter in a separate project by placing the Event FX timecode on a blank text event. I want the entire counter to count up to almost 30 minutes. When I made this and brought it into my project, I placed it on a new video track. Apparently, there's no alpha channel here (can I make one for the counter fx?) so I have a full black screen now with the counter in the lower right which is where I want it.

So, "all" I need to do is to simply crop the edges of this counter. I don't mind having a black background around the counter, but it has to be close around the numbers. The closest I can get is to have the right and left sides cropped, but not the top and bottom. I'm doing this in the event pan/crop.

I just want to know how to crop in Vegas. It's so incredibly easy in everything else-you just click, hold and drag and it's done. This seems so complicated and I've never really got a grip on how to do this in Vegas. I hate to reedit in my Premiere, but it's quickly coming to that.

So, if you have any suggestions even point me to a beginners tutorial, that would be most helpful.

Thank you very much,

Comments

dxdy wrote on 9/18/2011, 9:38 AM
Use a mask. In the pan/crop window, check the mask line at the bottom of the window. There are numerous Youtube tuts on the subject.
rs170a wrote on 9/18/2011, 9:44 AM
Another way is to disable the "Lock Aspect Ratio" and "Size About Center" icons on the left side and set "Maintain aspect ratio" and "Stretch to fill frame" (found under "Source" to No.

Mike
Chienworks wrote on 9/18/2011, 10:10 AM
Even easier yet is to insert an empty event in a higher video track and add the timecode FX to that empty event.
johnmeyer wrote on 9/18/2011, 10:13 AM
Download and open this VEG to see how to crop and how to set the timecode:

On Screen Clock VEG
TheHappyFriar wrote on 9/18/2011, 12:31 PM
I'm going to go against what everyone else says here & say this:
you do NOT want to use pan/crop for what you want to do. You want to change the time on the timeline at the point where you want 0 to begin.

So... click at the point on the TL where you want the timer to start.
Here:
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/707/countup01.jpg/[IMG=http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/189/countup01.th.jpg][/link]

Right click on the time ruler (it's technical name). I circled it in red. Next you get a window with a bunch of options. Select "set time at cursor".

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/18/countup02.jpg/[IMG=http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/4573/countup02.th.jpg][/link]

Third, after you do that you'll have an area in the ruler you can type in to. Just hit "0" (zero) and hit enter. WHAMO! Like magic, time changed.

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/703/countup03.jpg/[IMG=http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/5066/countup03.th.jpg][/link]

I do this all the time, it's really handy & now you don't need to have separate projects, events, cropping, etc. just to display the current project time.
bigoldcars wrote on 9/18/2011, 12:56 PM
YES! Thank you everyone, and especially to the Happy Friar. This worked great and was really what I was looking for! The cropping was a workaround.

I will also brush up (learn) how to crop in here decently too.

Thanks for all the tips and advice!