protype FTW! :D A simple preset was all that was needed.
a single event

Nice examples, everyone!
Hey, Friar, any way you can send me that preset or give me the steps involved? I just watched the PTT dvd from VASST this week, so I've learned a little (I need to watch it multiple times!).

Again, nice work, guys! I'm impressed!

GR8 .. care to share??
:-)

Tom

Ok, I'm almost there! I changed "selection type" to Line and used the Selection slider to fade the lines in - very neat!

Now, I need to figure out how to grey out the lines, but making the new line full. I imagine it has to do with opacity, will be back if I figure it out.

Thanks for the suggestion of using a preset in PTT.

[EDIT] Ok, now I'm really close! I stepped into the child (first line) and edited its opacity with keyframes, then cascaded that effect. But all the subsequent lines are starting out as the 50%, rather than 100% and then fading. Ok, back to vegas!

Again...I keep stating SCS needs to create or hire a team that demonstrates how to create highend effects and when to use them. Every software company is doing that to sell more copies. Zawerks, Final Cut Pro, Avid, Boris FX and Adobe. Those companies have created their own Video Social TV Network. I learn from Avid, Boris FX and Final Cut video demos. Then try to figure out how to create that same effect in Vegas.

Most of the tutorials that Vegas have on YouTube are for beginners.

No preset is needed in PTT to do this. YOu create this by using the Opacity control and doing a Toggle Cascade for the first line of text. All the other lines of text will be repeated with the same Opacity effect. This will create a "CASCADE" down ALL the subsquent lines of text within the text box. To perfectly control the timing might be tricky to explain but it can be done. When you are done, you can SAVE it as a preset and use it over and over with different text.

This is actually a perfect way to learn PTT. Anyone that can learn to do this effect will be on the way to understanding how PTT works.

As Happy said -- it's one event -- actually one event PER column (since there were two columns) ..

JT, I agree, put the knowledge out there for the Vegas users, and they'll highlight the power of the tool. I'm just glad there are people here who share the things they've learned. Otherwise, we'd all be reinventing the wheel every year.

XBerk, maybe I've been overcomplicating it. I'm applying two animations.

First, on the column itself, I'm applying the "selection" animation, which displays one line at a time, and I set the keyframes to linear. That takes care of displaying one line at a time, timed well.

Second (and this is where I'm having problems), I step into the child - the first line - and animate its opacity, and then toggle the cascade on for that.

If I do one of these two, the one works perfectly, but when I combine the two animations, the line opacity isn't correct.

I'm going to go experiment more, and I agree, this is a great way to learn PTT!

Ok, I have it working, not sure whether this is the "best" way.

I read XBerk's comments, decided to use just one animation (opacity) at the child (line) level. So here's what I did.

First I created several lines of text in one text block, then clicked on "child" (down 'arrow') which switched context to the first line.

Then, on frame 0, I set the opacity to 0. A few frames later, I set it to 100% (so it "snaps" into view), and then several frames later, I set it to 50%.

Finally, turn cascade on for that line, and voila! It works!

I really thought I needed to use the Selection action, but nope!

see, you learned an awesome technique by me being exhausted & asleep almost immediately after I posted the video. :D

I'll make this suggestion: ~frame 1 add another keyframe @ 0% opacity. This is so if you use this multiple times in a single event you can delay the initial fade in. You can't move the keyframe @ frame 0 around like you can in vegas's other keyframe windows.

No preset is needed in PTT to do this

I'd HIGHLY suggest saving it as a preset. Then you can use it over @ over @ over @ over... :D

.I keep stating SCS needs to create or hire a team that demonstrates how to create highend effects and when to use them

I'd happily get paid to come up with videos to do cool things in vegas. :D I'd quit my job for that! (if it paid enough for me to quit my job).

HappyFriar, you da man!! Thanks!

(oh, I do find the timing difficult, but still, at least we can do this nifty thing in Vegas ... AND save it as a preset for future use! Nice.)

Xberk, or Friar, would you care to be a little more detailed in your explanation? Step by step would be nice, for those of us who are unable to divine what you're talking about (and how ProType works).

Thanks!

P.S. Does the VASST training video, Volume 9, explain this technique?

I'd like to hear Friar's approach, too. His results are cleaner than mine.

I think the video is very good. It explains a lot of things, with examples, such as changing the selection mode and how you can use that, and using the cascade toggle. I'm going to watch it at least once more, probably more.

I also bought volume 10, but haven't watched it yet.

1) I made an HD project
2) I made a PTT event
3) Pasted in my text
4) change to "line properties" vs "text block properties"
5) made the opacity keyframable
6) @ frame 0 made the opacity 0%
7) @ frame 1 made the opacity 0%
8) @ Frame 3 made the opacity 100%
9) @ frame 6 made the opacity 47%

that's it. I had to do some playing to see how it would look, spent some time RAM rendering parts to see how it looked @ different frame offsets for the opacity.

That's a good start, however, you're assuming we know what you know about PTT.

How do you change "Properties"?

#5 - where is any reference to making "opacity" keyframable?

Jay, I was in the same boat and bought the VASST dvd, volume 9. I can't begin to tell you what a difference it makes! I was checking youtube, google, etc, and picking up little things, but missing out on the foundational work. That disk opened up the vocabulary to me.

I'm not affiliated with VASST, just recommending the dvd.

Oh, by the way! I think some of this stuff is also available in the free manual available from Sony. I've learned a lot from it, too. Just go to Downloads, and look for it.

As for making attributes keyframeable, Sony calls that animation, and you do it by toggling the little icon to the left of any attribute.

Now that I think about it, though, look at the Sony manual first. I think I found a lot of good stuff there, too.

Wish I could help out with a tutorial and step-by-step instructions but heading out to Alaska -- back Sept 15th .. One thing I did was read the help within PTT. (that's the ? in the upper right -- click the "contents" tab) .. believe it or not, the HELP helped...I also used some of the "collections" and tried to recreate them from scratch .. I admit, it was a struggle but if you put the time in, it will pay off...I haven't seen the VASST disc but everyone whose used it raves about it.... Spot's book on Vegas 9 also has a good section on PTT .. Spot's book is my bible for Vegas.

That's a good start, however, you're assuming we know what you know about PTT.

Read through the PTT manual quickly like dogwalker suggested. Strange the info isn't in the pdf vegas manual, but the basic "how things work" is in the PTT help itself.

Honestly, with Vegas 9 being out I assumed everybody would know how to do the basic in PTT: ie automate (it's word for keyframe), setup cascades, etc.

Part of the issue may be that they use different terms vs the terms in Vegas itself. Not sure why...

And just where does one find the manual for PTT?

By the way, never assume anything, especially when it comes to software.

Jay, the only "manual" I've ever found for PTT is, as xberk mentioned, what's in the online help menu.
VASST has an excellent DVD on it ($59) but, other than a few YouTube tutorials, that's all that I'm aware of.

Mike

Thanks, Mike.

That "help menu" comes within a gnat's whisker of being absolutely worthless, as opposed to just worthless.

I can well understand people's hesitancy to give detailed information when the answers to questions are clearly written down in a manual or users guide, but when they aren't, one would think folks would be a bit more understanding and ready to share, since PTT is anything but intuitive!

Maybe I'm a tad odd, but I finding it galling to have to shell out money to buy information on how to use software because the manufacturer failed to provide adequate instructions. Seems to come just short of fining users for buying the software in the first place. And it's not like they haven't had time to make a maunal available.

Guess I'll have to decide how badly I want to learn PTT.

Jay, your description sounds like the help file for VidCap :-(
I bought the DVD from VASST because I really wanted to learn how to use it, watched it a few times (it is a good training tool if you want to learn it) and put it up on my shelf.
I've never used PTT and really don't have any intentions of doing so as I find it too clumsy in comparison to other titlers I've used on other NLEs.

Mike