Overlaying one video on top of another

Colin Basterfield wrote on 10/18/2012, 11:26 PM

Hi,

I'm trying to create a chat show scenario on video where I effectively interview myself. Narcissistic perhaps, but I'm struggling to find how to do it in Vegas Movie Studio Platinum Version 11.0 (Build 322)

Obviously I can add another video track, but I can't figure out how to 'blend' them for want of a better word.

NINJAJOHNGOTI on YouTube seemed to show how to do it on the PRO edition, but the button he clicked on the left to 'Overlay' doesn't seem to be present on my version.

I can be awfully dense at times so am happy to accept how truly easy it probably is. :-)

Could someone point me to a tutorial please, or a you tube clip?

Many thanks
Colin

Comments

Jack S wrote on 10/19/2012, 7:07 AM

Hi.
The simplest way of doing this is to use envelopes.
Drag the two videos onto the timeline - one of them should be on the video overlay track. You will see that the two audio tracks appear on top of each other. You need to Ungroup one of the clips so you can drag the audio belonging to the video on the overlay track down to the next audio track.
Now enable the envelopes. Left click on the video overlay track then right click in the track list for that track and highlight Insert/Remove Envelope then select Composite Level. A blue line will appear at the top of the video track. For the audio track, highlight the track belonging to the video on the overlay track and press V. Again a blue line will appear at the top of the track.
Now you have to move the tracks in relation to each other so that the timeline of the chat is logical.
At the point where you want to change from the video on the overlay track to the other video, create nodes on the envelope by double clicking on the envelope - you need two nodes. Drag the envelope to the right of the second node down to the bottom of the track. By moving one node in relation to the other you can achieve the desired fade. Do this along the video, fading in then fading out at the desired points. Now you need to do the same thing on the audio track. With a little bit of effort you can achieve a very convincing result. Good luck.

Tim L wrote on 10/19/2012, 9:12 AM

If you are talking about having "both of you" on the screen at the same time, the typical name for this effect is "cloning". Search YouTube for "Vegas Studio Cloning" or similar and you will find tons of examples.

The basic effect is to have two tracks of video, one above the other. For example, the top clip can be the right side of the shot and the bottom clip can be the left side of the shot. Assuming you shot the whole thing with the camera on a sturdy tripod, the clips should line up exactly. All you really want to do is cut off the left half of the top video so that the bottom video can show through.

Here is the first (and only) YouTube tutorial that I looked at:

One comment I'll make on this tutorial is that the guy says to crop and move (via track motion) the bottom clip/left half. This is completely unnecessary. The bottom clip can always stay full size and unmoved. The trick is to cut off the unwanted part of the top clip, so that the left half of the bottom clip is visible.

Instead of using cropping and track motion (as in the video) you can also simply use a "Cookie Cutter" effect to keep what you want of the top video, and then you won't have to use track motion at all. I think this is probably an easier, more fool-proof method. Maybe other tutorials show this method -- I didn't really look further.

If you find a tutorial that mentions using a Bezier mask -- find another tutorial. The Bezier mask (where you can draw a shape outline on a video and keep only what is inside the shape) is a feature available only in Vegas Pro and you won't find it in Movie Studio.

WHEN SHOOTING A "CLONE" VIDEO:
- "Lock the exposure" on your camera so the auto-exposure doesn't kick in. You want to make sure your left half is exposed exactly the same as the right half. You don't want the exposure changing as a person moves in or out of the scene.

- Use a sturdy tripod and make sure you don't bump it at all, from start to finish. This is important to make sure the left and right sides line up perfectly.

- If your camera came with a remote control, which you've probably never used, now is the time to dig it out. This will let you start and stop recording without even touching the camera, so it reduces the chances of bumping the camera -- even a little bit -- between different scenes.

- Alternatively, just let the camera roll the whole time without stopping it. Again, this assures that the camera doesn't get bumped, so the two scenes will line up perfectly

- Don't let either clone cross the center line. Also watch for shadows and make sure a shadow from the left side doesn't cross to the right side, for example, or it will obviously be chopped off when you do the split screen.

Tim L

EDIT: Okay -- I looked at one more tutorial Here's one that describes using the Cookie Cutter effect and no Track Motion needed. Also, he shows the technique of just letting the camera roll the whole time to film both sides of the interview. I don't think "feathering" should be necessary on the cookie cutter if you've kept the exposure locked. Give it a try and see what works for you.

Colin Basterfield wrote on 10/21/2012, 5:24 PM

Awesome answer - thank you so much for taking the time. am playing around with this and the answer below.

Colin Basterfield wrote on 10/21/2012, 5:25 PM

And vice versa

Now to synchronise each of me talking... Should be easy now hmm...:-)