Request for J-cut/L-cut functionality

douglas_clark wrote on 1/24/2006, 2:52 AM

I would like to be able to make a J-cut or L-cut on the audio track of a video with the same ease as sliding a crossfade...ie position mouse cursor over junction/crossfade between 2 events, press Ctrl-Alt and drag. The problem is in remembering to 1) turn off auto-ripple and 2) turn on Ignore Event Grouping before making the edit, and remembering to restore them when done.

I know there are scripts to do this, but it ought to be built in to Vegas. Wouldn't it be possible to make a different "shift key" combination, like Ctrl-Alt-Shift, that would automatically temporarily suspend Auto-ripple and Event Grouping when the mouse was positioned over the boundary between 2 audio events? Or maybe using the "Windows" key as the mouse-modifier.

Although J-cuts and L-cuts are most frequently made by moving the audio edges, I occaisionally do it by moving the video edges while leaving the audio cut as is. So the J-cut/L-cut functionality should allow either the audio or the video edges to be slid without messing up other things on the timeline. And sometimes a J-cut is made by just sliding one edge of the audio over the other, to make a long audio crossfade.

I would also like to see J-cut/L-cut functionality included in the keypad-only edit combinations. That is, to expand on the edge-trimming keystrokes using the keypad, with for example the Ctrl-Alt- modifier to slide a crossfade.

Does Anyone else think this would be useful...or have another idea of how to do it? Or am I missing something in what is already available?

Comments

Mahesh wrote on 1/24/2006, 5:26 AM

Before moving to Vegas, I was using Video Machine by Fast. Written in early 90's, it had some innovative features at the time i.e. using film racks for clips rather than 3-4 point editing.
Back to the J/L cut.
In Fast VM, if video event was moved, the audio event moved with it but audio could be moved without affecting the audio ( the audio event changed colour to indicated a/v out-of-sync.). This meant, the audio could be dragged to produce J/L cuts.

Hope that makes sense.

JohnnyRoy wrote on 1/24/2006, 6:08 AM

All you have to do is press Ignore Event Grouping (Ctrl+Shift+U) and move your audio or video edges to overlap and then press Ignore Event Grouping again to turn it off. I do this all the time for L & J cuts.

~jr

Spot|DSE wrote on 1/24/2006, 6:56 AM

There is also a free script from John Meyer on the VASST site, plus Ultimate S 1 and 2 both do J/L cuts under the Edit Tab.

jkrepner wrote on 1/24/2006, 7:25 AM

(ctrl+shift+u) is sort of awkward. Try remapping it to something easier, like (ctrl+Q) or something.

rmack350 wrote on 1/24/2006, 8:18 AM

The point is, though, that it should be a dead-man's key combo. Only working while it's pressed, released when you stop pressing the keys. And auto ripple would be a hassle if it weren't disabled by the same keypress.

In fact Auto Ripple could get pretty deadly if you forgot to lock the grouped events back up. Personally, I just do manual ripples because auto ripple makes me paranoid that I'll screw something up way down the track where I can't see it.

Which brings me to a long standing gripe of mine. How come A/V pairs have the same sort of grouping as anything else you might group on the timeline? Seems like these should be a special case with "strong" grouping as opposed to the "weak" groups you might make out of any random events on the timeline.

Rob Mack

johnmeyer wrote on 1/24/2006, 9:28 AM

I agree that it should be part of Vegas. I do a lot of these cuts. That said, the script I wrote that Spot linked to really works well (for me). Just assign it to your favorite key and away you go. You could easily modify it so it only does J or only does L cuts, if you don't want to deal with the dialog that pops up each time asking you which one you want.

rmack350 wrote on 1/24/2006, 9:43 PM

Hi John,

The script is a great idea and of course if one wanted different messages all you (Not you specifically) have to do is go into the script and change it.

I had a problem with it just now though. I put a clip on a timeline, split it, selected the video event before the split, and ran the script. It threw the second AV pair out of sync. This is with Vegas 6.0c. Maybe things have changed since the last time you were able to test it? I know this one's been around a while.

The idea is good though. It decouples both the fore and aft events so you can adjust them as you like. Saves a few steps over clicking buttons on the toolbar.

Aren't you down in Monterey, BTW? If so you're a near neighbor.

Rob Mack

johnmeyer wrote on 1/24/2006, 9:58 PM

Yes, Sony changed the darned scripting API and broke a lot of scripts, including this one. Totally unforgivable: You just don't do that sort of thing in the computer business. Good thing they don't make their living selling computer language compilers.

Contact me via email, and I can send you a version that works with 6.0c.

I live in Carmel Valley. Are you up in the Bay Area?

rmack350 wrote on 1/24/2006, 10:05 PM

Oakland for the last two years, SF for the previous 18. Half my life, but not a native to the region. Native to the state though.

Sending email now.

Rob

johnmeyer wrote on 1/24/2006, 10:29 PM

I sent the 6.0c version via email, and I've updated the VASST site to include a script that works with 6.0c and can be edited (via embedded instructions) to work with earlier versions of Vegas.