i'm biting myself and punching walls...

right-w wrote on 1/20/2019, 5:36 AM

Sony Vegas 15. Been using it for a month. I hate it. I want to love it, but I completely hate it. Wish I would've just started with Premiere.

Anyway... all I want to do is simply have one video that takes up most of the screen, and another smaller video in a corner, on top of the other video. Like how gamers do it with their videos. Should be pretty basic, right?

No, it's a never ending puzzle of aspect ratios, and resample modes, a glitchy pan/crop thing that is so stupid I can't believe they called it done. How does is make sense to move the thing up but the video moves down, left moves it right, but only sometimes.. then it's up is down but left is left. I need to drag the crop thing out if i want the video to shrink, and make it smaller so the video gets larger?? Should I "stretch to fill"? I suppose, since this looks terrible.. but now there's invisible borders all over the thing, the "black boxes" that for the life of me I can't imagine why they HAVE to be there. Let's try match output source, no? how about match aspect source? no...

I've tried 1080 video, i've tried 720 video, i try recording full screen, then just the window, no matter what just putting a second box in here is *full blown ridiculous* - and if i finally manage to get it right, and save the preset for next time.... the thing doesn't work anyway. square one all over again.

*all i want to do* is just... drag a square around the area i want to crop, like the "marquee tool" in photoshop, maybe resize it, and then be able to put it wherever i want with zero hassle. there has to be a very super basic way to do this but it's a goddamn mystery to me. i'm to the point where i'm signing up on forums and venting. :) please send help

Comments

Former user wrote on 1/20/2019, 5:42 AM

“How does is make sense to move the thing up but the video moves down, left moves it right, but only sometimes.. then it's up is down but left is left. I need to drag the crop thing out if i want the video to shrink, and make it smaller so the video gets larger??”

Someone got there before you. https://www.vegascreativesoftware.info/us/forum/the-crop-pan-tool-acts-weird--108239/#ca666334

Dexcon wrote on 1/20/2019, 5:51 AM

Have you tried "track motion" to resize and reposition the 'smaller' video event? If not, check out VP's user manual re track motion.

right-w wrote on 1/20/2019, 5:51 AM

let's not forget the constant threat of the thing crashing

i gave this pc a full overhaul for this and vegas still sucks

the thing is i almost like it. i can't imagine the horror of the previous versions. i doubt 16 did the trick either.

right-w wrote on 1/20/2019, 5:54 AM

Have you tried "track motion" to resize and reposition the 'smaller' video event? If not, check out VP's user manual re track motion.

that's for animating the other video isn't it. like moving it?

i just want it to sit there. no animation, just a plain ol 2nd video sitting up in the corner.

....track it up to the corner, adjust the velocity so it stays there, then cut out the movement.. and that's if the borders aren't there... seems like a lot of nonsense anyway?

Dexcon wrote on 1/20/2019, 5:57 AM

.. I just want it to sit there. no animation, just a plain ol 2nd video sitting up in the corner.

Track motion only animates if you keyframe it to animate; otherwise, it sits where you place it. Check out the user manual.

vkmast wrote on 1/20/2019, 6:07 AM

See if you can find Magix Vegas Pro 15. It added the "Picture-in-picture OFX plug-in [which] enables the user to perform size and position adjustments of video at any of the four effects levels (including track and event) through parameter adjustment controls and direct interaction with the Video Preview window." Of course there's still what Dexcon suggests as well.

right-w wrote on 1/20/2019, 6:47 AM

thank you, track motion is more than i thought, and i'll definitely check out magix. cheers.

vkmast wrote on 1/20/2019, 8:08 AM

@right-w please note that your "Sony Vegas 15" is probably actually Magix Vegas Pro 15.

john_dennis wrote on 1/20/2019, 9:35 AM

"How does is make sense to move the thing up but the video moves down, left moves it right,"

It makes perfect sense if you view the Pan/Crop box as what a camera sees.

D7K wrote on 1/20/2019, 9:56 AM

What are your system specs? Have you watched any videos (was just post here with lots of links). Did you try and search here for an answer?

Kinvermark wrote on 1/20/2019, 10:58 AM

Nice thing with Vegas is that there are two options:

the traditional pan/crop box, and the crop effect. The first is a little harder to understand and causes some frustration for inexperienced users, the second works just like other NLE's, has a graphic overlay, and is easy to understand.

As for stability, assuming you are NOT using a pirated cracked "Sony Vegas 15" then the latest builds in each version (14/15/16) are quite stable. I almost never have crashes.

zdogg wrote on 1/20/2019, 2:04 PM

Best teacher, Andrew Devis:

zdogg wrote on 1/20/2019, 2:12 PM

Follow up video:

All Devis Vegas instruction videos, including more Pan/Crop
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrwd7_Tc3c9yiTCSsTDuxrJPj2HBFOdpb

Dimitrios wrote on 1/20/2019, 4:50 PM

I understand your frustration but it's actually pretty easy one you understand just a few things which you seem to just about do all ready. So the two big one are track motion, and Pan/Crop. There is also the Picture in Picture effect which I'm going to table for now. The issue you seem to be having is with aspect ratio. Unless the media you are using pan crop on has the same aspect ratio as the project it can lead to those dead zones. So to fix this right click on the media while in the pan crop screen and select match aspect ratio. Now resize the image to fit in the preview screen the way you want it and move it around however you like now with little issue. Track motion can do almost the same thing but the effect is track wide rather than clip/media specific and in order to avoid problems on the time line you have to be careful with your key frames. The nice thing about track motion is it ignore aspect ratio. And you can also you use it over the top of P/C to say make something even smaller than you could in P/C alone. When you use track motion if advise to first create a key frame before the event right click on it and set it to hold. Then move forward one frame and move it around however you like, then get to the end of the event right click and select restore box and set the key frame to hold as well if it isn't all ready. This way you can still use that track for other things down the line without trouble. The Picture in Picture effect makes well the picture in picture effect more intuitive however the main flaw is what I stated before. If the aspect ration of the media doesn't match the aspect ratio of the project it may not work how you want, and unlike P/C you can't match the aspect ratio, and unlike track motion it doesn't ignore aspect ratio.