Scene detection in Vegas pro 21. How to mark clips to properly move

Jimbo wrote on 2/28/2026, 6:39 PM

I'm running vegas pro 21. Typically, I live-switch a conference (talking head at a podium) with three cameras through an atem mini extreme, and record the output live to a mp4 file, and import the "flat" and switched file later into vegas. Normally the three cameras are color/contrast matched close enough, so I just have to adjust the contrast a bit, knowing, for good or ill, that the adjustment is going to apply to all three cams indiscriminately. I've been trying, and have recently been delighted to discover the "detect scenes" command which works perfectly for me, which places a cut each time the scene/camera changes. Now, I have to manually move the cam/clips each to a different track while keeping in the right chronological sequence. Here at last is the question: is there any way, either in the project media bin or on the timeline, that I can easily identify and "select" each camera automatically, so that I can easily move cam 1 cam 2 and cam 3 clips to their correct track (so I can color correct each track independently?) Hope that makes sense. Thanks in advance!

Comments

Gid wrote on 2/28/2026, 7:50 PM

@Jimbo Try out Scene Detection, there's a few more controls in there.

You can choose the Events or Regions (if you add regions from Scene detection) in 'Edit Details' & select the ones you want, but as you have one clip cut into parts they'll all have the same name,

Even if you made them all into Subclips they'd just be - 'name' - Subclip 1, 'name' - Subclip 2 etc.. So you'd have to go along the timeline & Ctrl + click to choose the ones you want.

You have to identify each camera per clip.

You might be better creating as many tracks/copies as you need, convert the duplicate events to Subclips (maybe just rename them) & using multicam separate your events onto separate tracks. You can use Scene Detection first to split one of your events to make it easier to go to each change/split, clicking in the preview for each event.

Maybe I'm over complicating this & there's an easier way or it might be just easier to drag your events to another track.. 🤣

Jimbo wrote on 2/28/2026, 8:08 PM

Thanks so much for trying, and the multicam idea was clever, but I think the (long) way I do it now is faster. Typically, for a one hour clip, scene detect cuts about 100 clips. Dragging them onto a single track in the timeline, and then creating a video track above and below, I created some shortcuts that allows me with one hand to skip to the next clip and then use a short cut to nudge the clip to the above track, or below track, or leave in the middle track. I was hoping there was a way to, perhaps, visually select from the thumbnails in the media bin all of cam 1, and somehow tag them and lock them into a single group, then do the same for cam 2 and cam 3. Drag them onto a single track, and then select cam 1 group and push to above track, and cam 3 and push to below track. Hope that makes sense. Actually, I'm going to try that. I'll post if anything works. If you think of something else, let me know please

Gid wrote on 2/28/2026, 8:21 PM

@Jimbo If you just want to manually select them after you've done the Scene Detection split, go to Project Media & choose the Main Timeline at the bottom, hold Ctrl & click to select the ones you want to highlight on the track, then drag those to another track.

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What your dealing with is a multicam setup, only problem is your final media is all rendered into one file/video, that's why i suggested the Multicam option.

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and somehow tag them and lock them into a single group

PS. Project media has 'Bins' where you can separate your cuts according to camera.. Or just Group them on the timeline after selection.

Jimbo wrote on 2/28/2026, 8:56 PM

Not sure if you got my earlier respons. I've experimented with your suggestion, but, as I feared, when I drag the cherry picked clips to the timeline, then lose their proper place and just bunch up. How can I ensure they remain their chronological place on the timeline?Thanks so much

Gid wrote on 2/28/2026, 9:09 PM

@Jimbo Your clip/s are already on the timeline, what i suggested was just to select the ones on the timeline using the Project Media window. The clips on the timeline will highlight (click G on the keyboard if you want to group them) then drag them to a lower track.

Like I say your clip is just one clip that you're splitting into pieces & will have the same name, one way or the other you're going to have manually select the ones you want to move. Select on the timeline or in the Project Media window after Scene Detection.

Or use the Multicam option I suggested earlier, personally I'd do that, make duplicate clips & name each according to your cameras, do the Scene Detection on one to do the bulk of the cutting for you, then skip along the timeline clicking in the preview to assign each camera to it's own track.

Jimbo wrote on 2/28/2026, 9:20 PM

Fabulous! I didn't realize that cntrl clicking on the thumbnails in the main timeline also selects them on the timeline, which is the only place where you can create a group. You just saved me a lot of time, and now I can color correct a whole track for each cam separately. The problem I had earlier was that quite a few of my clips are very short; only a second or two, which is very difficult to select them on the timeline, but selecting them above in the main area, where each clip is the same thumbnail no matter how short of long, is much easier. If I find out any other shortcuts I will update to this thread. Thanks again. God bless you