Comments

Chienworks wrote on 8/20/2007, 3:21 PM
As in 24 different frames visible on the screen all at once in a grid? Vegas can do this quite well. Add each of the 24 videos on a separate track and use track motion to reduce and reposition each one. You can do it by eyeball if you want, but it may be a little tricky to get them all the same size and lined up. You can also do the math and then enter the numbers manually.

Let's say you're working with NTSC DV and you want to have 4 columns of 6 rows each ...

The NTSC frame is 720x480 so you'll want to make each image 1/6 the original size, or 120x80. In track motion set the width to 120 and the height to 80. The upper left image will have to be shifted 1.5x the width to the left and 2.5x the height upwards. Why those numbers? Well, by default the image will be centered in the frame. There are two columns to the left of the center, but the default placement is already overlapping column 2 halfway. So, add that half to the other column and you get 1.5. Vertically there are 3 rows above and you're already overlapping half of one of them. So add that half to the other two rows to get 2.5. This means that the first image should be placed at x=-180 (1.5 x 120, going to the left is negative) and y=200 (2.5 x 80, going up is positive).

Set the next frame in the next column by adding the width to the first column position, so x = -60 and y still = 200. Once you've filled up the first row, put the 5th image underneath the first, at x=-180 and y=120.

This setup will have all the images touching each other with no space inbetween. If you want a couple empty pixels between them then use 118x78 instead of 120x80, but still place them 120x80 pixels apart. If this is going to be shown on a television then you'll want to leave about 5% empy space around the outside edge to account for overscan, so calculate the sizes and spacing to fit in about 648x432 instead of 720x480.
Sidecar2 wrote on 8/20/2007, 3:33 PM
Or do you mean the split screen effect they use on the show "24"?

If you only need to do two or three windows in a single screen, Vegas can to it easily.

Use Track Motion and keyframes. You can put pictures anywhere you want.

Be sure to change change "Keyframe Smoothness" to 50% or 100% so the starts and stops ("ease in" and "ease out") of the moves will be smooth and right click on the keyframe to select smooth or something beside "linear" motion.

The Motion Control button is on the video track header. It's purple and just to the left of the green filter button. It's shaped like two little boxes with one having an arrow.
vicmilt wrote on 8/20/2007, 3:40 PM
Roman - dude -

You are so LUCKY!!

A - you already own software that will do exactly what you want (savings $600+ bucks) - Digital is digital - there will be no difference in the end product.

B- Your (new) buddy Chienworks DID ALL THE WORK FOR YOU!!!
... he has saved you untold hours of aggravation, no matter what software you use.

Get his address and send him a bottle of Pinot Noir
or just say, "thanks".

v
C. Roman wrote on 8/20/2007, 4:08 PM
Thanks for the responses. Sidecar2, you just saved me a lot of money, although I still have to make it work.
If you want to see the project I've been working on go to www.signalstv.com or to my company website www.roman-pictures.com.

Yes, I meant the TV Show 24. I guess I didn't word it correctly ;)
Thanks again
Sidecar2 wrote on 8/20/2007, 5:10 PM
If you want to add a border to the picture-in-picture you will build with Track Motion, add the "Sony Borders" filter to the track. You can select thickness and color from inside the filter window that comes up.

You can add a drop shadow to the window from inside track motion itself.

Don't forget you can work in 3D (and angle the boxes backward if you want or spin them and much more) by clicking on the "Source Alpha" button in the upper left corner of the Track Motion window and selecting "3D Source Alpha." this adds X, Y and Z controls to the basic Track Motion window.

If you want to add a drop shadow while working in 3D, you have to duplicte the track, make it a daughter track and change its color. You can't add a shadow in 3D Source Alpha mode like you can in regular 2D Track Motion.
Tim L wrote on 8/20/2007, 6:04 PM
The "how can you do the 24 split screen" question comes up frequently on the various message boards I follow. Not so much that it will become the next "Ken Burns" effect, but surprisingly often all the same.

"24" is an action/adventure show broadcast on FOX (in the USA anyway). Each 1 hour episode covers exactly 1 hour of events in the life of CTU agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland), and the season consists of 24 such episodes -- 1 full day.

They have a very stylized transition when going to a commercial, or at the end of the show. Multiple cropped windows show various characters and what they are doing at that time. Its a pretty good device to recap the multiple subplots, good guys and bad guys, etc.

Here's an example on youtube:


Edit: And here's another example (not actually from the TV show though)...


Tim L
24Peter wrote on 8/21/2007, 9:51 AM
Sidecar - can you elaborate a bit on this:

If you want to add a drop shadow while working in 3D, you have to duplicte the track, make it a daughter track and change its color. You can't add a shadow in 3D Source Alpha mode like you can in regular 2D Track Motion.
Sidecar2 wrote on 8/21/2007, 11:58 AM
24Peter,

I am by no means an expert on this, but I wanted to do a "Starwars" opening with text scrolling upward to infinity.

I made a standard scrolling text using the Vegas titler. I made the text yellow.

On its track I opened Track Motion and selected 3D Alpha in the upper left corner of the TM window. 3D Alpha brings up the X, Y, Z tilt controls. I tilted the text backward and adjusted the distortion until it looked good. At this point you will not be able to add a drop shadow either via the titler or the Track Motion window. It's a quirk of working in 3D.

(Another tip: increase the resolution of the titler's window. It will default to the program's settings--say, 720x480. You want it higher. I always double it to 1440x960. Makes the text much sharper and if you distort it in the foreground with 3D alpha, you'll need that extra resolution or the foreground goes soft.)

Once you get the title moving through the window the way you like it, duplicate the track. Make sure it's below the original track. Open the title on this track and make the text black. It will be the drop shadow. In the duplicated track's Track Motion control (which will look exactly like the original track) offset the black until you positon the drop shadow to where you want it.

Now, tie the two tracks together by making the duplicated track a "compositing child" to the original track. Look in Vegas Help for the exact button, but it's on the video track header right below the exclamation point. It has a downward arrow. The child track header will shift right a bit indicating it "belongs" to the track above.

After you make the duplicated track a child, you will notice a new button appear on the Parent track. It's at the extreme left of the parent track's header and looks like another Track Motion button. It's called the Parent Motion button. Whatever you do to the parent will then be followed by the child (or children) track(s).

Once they are composited together, they will move the same and key over one another.

Kind of a long way around to get a drop shadow, but the exercise will teach you how to use child compositing which comes in really handy if you want to have a bunch of windows scroll across the page like train cars.

Hope this helps. There are excellent linkable illustrated tutorials done by real experts on this forum somewhere. I'll post the links if I can find them.