new to movie studio +DVD

Shirley wrote on 12/3/2006, 8:46 AM
I am totally new to this. And the tutorial can't seems to help me. Is there any expert around with easy-to-understand manuals/notes that you can fwd to me to : woofy55@yahoo.com. I appreciate it a lot.

How do i make transition to the videos between scenes? I couldn't pick and drop the those from the preset like video files.

Btw, when i bought this software, it stated that "1001 sound effects"!! But i couldn't find it anywhere, can someone please tell me where i can find the sound effects?

Please help. Tks!

Comments

Chienworks wrote on 12/3/2006, 8:56 AM
In order to have a transition you must overlap the clips on the timeline first, then drop the transition you want on the overlap. If you don't add a transition then you'll get a simple crossfade.

1001 Sound Effects is a separate CD. I think it may only be available if you purchased the boxed version rather than the downloadable version. You may have to call customer support to ask.
IanG wrote on 12/3/2006, 9:20 AM
If you haven't done so already, go through the "Show Me How" tutorials - there's a lot of useful information in them.

Ian G.
Michele wrote on 12/11/2006, 4:42 PM
Shirley,

I am also new to this software and I find it extremely difficult to learn, it's like you need a degree in Video Editing to figure it out! I am very disappointed in it and feel like I just wasted $80! I have been working with it for 3 days and can't figure out how to make one simple slidehow. It is ridiculous and I am way past the frustration phase. It is crap and I have given up on it and wrote off my $80!

I have found a trial version of Power Director and it is the easiest vid/photo editing software there is to learn. I know it might not do as much as this Vega, but at least it is beginner friendly. I had a slideshow done in 30 minutes with text and audio, transitions, etc.


And yes, I have used the Show Me How tutorials, several times, maybe I just can't comprehend it.

I'm sorry this is so negative about Vegas,but it is very complicated and I guess way more than what I need. But, it is what the guy at Best Buy recommended and said I could learn it in 15 minutes.....I don't think so.



gmes29 wrote on 12/11/2006, 6:50 PM
it may have been better if you had started out with Power Director before moving up to VMS.. yes, VMS is a little harder to learn but not impossible.. i started out on Pinnacle which is a nice program and very easy to learn. it's problem is that it's unstable which is why i moved onto to VMS.. but the experience i gained with Pinnacle actually made it a bit easier to learn VMS..
fishbelt wrote on 12/13/2006, 12:20 PM
Hi Just give some time and play around with it. Soon very soon, you'll be just great. I was 55 when I started and the learning curves was big at that age. But the guys in this forum helped me so much I can,t express my thanks enough. I just do some weddings and small stuff but everyone so happy with videos with Vegas. I'll send woofy an e mail and other new needs help I'll take the time. These guys did for me. Fishbelt
Cbrus wrote on 12/13/2006, 12:54 PM
I was in your boat late last year. At the end of November 2005 I committed to a season ending DVD with pictures, music & video for my son's Pee Wee Football team. After lots of research I determined that Vegas was the best, most stable product of it's kind and price range. I was BRAND NEW to video work and when I first opened the software I thought "How in the he*& am I going to do this. After months of playing around with it I finished my first project -- and the parents absolutely loved it. I have since made 3 more projects and every time I do them it becomes easier and easier. There is a HUGE a learning curve and the salesperson at Best Buy should have been more up front about that. It sounds like you found someting that works for you now. When you have time, give Vegas another shot. I use this Forum and others to help. I also got this book -- it helped out a lot. It's the most current version and slightly outdated but is a good reference. There is also a DVD training video out there that can help.
http://www.amazon.com/Instant-Vegas-Movie-Studio-%2BDVD/dp/157820271X/sr=8-3/qid=1166042902/ref=sr_1_3/002-0385699-8249600?ie=UTF8&s=books
Paul Mead wrote on 12/13/2006, 1:40 PM
This all reminds me of an old thread on a similar topic.
Michele wrote on 12/13/2006, 1:45 PM
Thank you for the encouragement guys. I think I just thought making a simple slide for my parents for Xmas was going to be way easier than what it has been. Maybe because I am trying to rush.
I need to tell them it will be late, but well worth it when they see it.

I am trying to play with Vegas alittle everyday, but it still frustrates me.

I can't fathom trying to explain in words on here what I need help with.
But, eventually, I will try.

Thanks again.
Cbrus wrote on 12/15/2006, 7:20 AM
Michelle - One thing you may want to consider is this. If all you are doing is putting together a slideshow wtih stills and music and you don't have time to learn Vegas right now, you should really look at "Pro Show Gold". It's really easy to learn and you can download a free trial before you buy.
http://www.photodex.com/products/proshowgold

This program is very highly regarded by photographers for still slide shows. I was going to get this until I learned Vegas and realized I needed to add video. Most of this forum may not like that I am not reccomending Vegas for this purpose but if you need something done by Christmas, you should try it. Down the road it will be VERY easy to do these shows in Vegas once you've gotten some experience.

Just my 2 cents. CB
dan-hedrick wrote on 12/19/2006, 9:06 AM
I am new to movie studio +DVD also and am having some problems. Sony offers some on line courses in Vegas Movie making software...I am currently taking two courses. Although they aren't real detailed, they do offer some basic good information. Go to http://www.sony101.com for a list of courses.
volzjr wrote on 12/19/2006, 1:22 PM
I can also recommend Proshow Gold. I do a ton of work for our church, and often have to have a slideshow ready on 9AM Sunday morning, of an event that was held the night before. That's why I have Proshow. If you need to slam together a project in a hurry, I've found that Proshow is more suited to the task than VMS. It's obviously not better than VMS in a lot of ways, but it certainly has it's niche.
Proshow cons (vs VMS)
Not nearly as versatile, once you learn what VMS can do, you can run circles around Proshow.
DVD authoring is also not as robust as Architect, but has the usual sub-menu's, etc, and is also easier to learn.
Proshow pros (vs VMS)
Much easier to learn, you can slam out a decent slideshow in a relatively short time.
Contrary to what gets reported here from time to time, you can include video in a proshow slide show... inserts just like a still graphic, and a trimmer is available for video & audio.
The latest version, just released, has support for unlimited video layers.
Proshow has a much greater variety of transitions and text motion. (Just to be clear... I'm not a big fan of lots of random transitions & text effects, but I do a lot of videos for the kids dep't, and I find I do most of them in Proshow, because the occasional wild transition or dancing text is very effective in this area, and easy to to do.)
Lastly, panning and zooming on a still image doesn't create the "sparklies" like I find in certain instances in VMS. If you've seen the artifacts I'm talking about, you know what I mean. If you haven't, then it's not an issue for you! LOL

If you've got time issues (like a slideshow for Christmas! ) I would download the trial and check it out. I'll bet you can put together a pretty good show in an evening's time. But don't put VMS on the shelf. Someday you'll find Proshow too limiting, and I hope you'll remember you still have VMS on hand. When you're ready, VMS will be able to do most anything you throw at it, and your experience with Proshow will help lessen the learning curve with VMS.
Good luck & Merry Christmas!
Just my .02
SEW wrote on 12/19/2006, 4:07 PM
I usually use the free download of Microsoft Photostory 3 to generate a slideshow in wmv format and then import this clip into VMS, when I want to add video clips or edit, or directly into architect studio, when I only want to generate a DVD. I find this to be the quickest and lowest cost method to generate a slide show (since I already have VMS).
dendence wrote on 12/20/2006, 8:19 AM
This really helped me

http://www.sonymediasoftware.com/support/trainingvids.asp?prod=vegas5
chipsm wrote on 12/27/2006, 4:23 PM
check out http://lynda,com
They have video tutorials on various topics and Vegas 6 happens to be one. Even though this tutoirial is Essentials of Vegas 6 , it will help a great deal on using Vegas in general.
They charge $25/ month for the priviledge of viewing an unlimited amount of video tutorials but you can quit at any time. In the meantime you can view tutorials on many other topics during that month's time.
Andy C wrote on 12/28/2006, 4:22 AM
Michele,

Sounds like Vegas is an overkill for what you need, as some have said already, but please don't damn it because you can't figure it out. I use it extensively for simple and complex projects alike. I also tested most of the other leading editors before I settled upon Vegas. For me, it's simply the best tool for the majority of the tasks I want to do with it.

If you are just doing a slideshow then you should skip the Vegas editor and go straight to DVD Architect. That caters exactly for what you want to do. The Show Me How online help should guide you through step-by-step.

Don't be discouraged! If you are patient, the learning process will pay off in time. Make mistakes! I still do. Experiment! We all do. It's the only way to get the processes lodged in your brain. After two years I'm still figuring out new ways to get things done and new features. It just shows the power and depth of this package.

Above all, you need time. You might eventually find that Power Director falls short of your expectations. Vegas will always deliver if you give it a chance.

A.