Snapshot to file is Black -Please help.

Julius_911 wrote on 7/13/2003, 9:33 PM
Hi- I posted before but to no avail...I'm hoping for any suggestions as this has caused me big delays this weekend.

Most of the time it works but other times I get a black jpg or png file when taking a snapshot from the preview montior. I am playing thru the trimmer, and when I get a good frame and I see it in the preview montior I snap the pic. However in the Media pool it shows as black. When my cursor is on an event, it actually takes that snapshot instead of what is seen in the monitor (from the trimmer)

To get it to work, I do a trial an error, moving the cursor, naming a new file, sometimes re-start vegas......but lately it hasn't work.

What am I doing wrong??

Any ideas?

Thanks

Comments

PeterWright wrote on 7/13/2003, 10:01 PM
I don't think Snapshot is intended to work from the Trimmer, though it would be nice if it did.

Drag the clip or a part of it to the timeline and do it from there. The black stills are probably when your timeline cursor is not over a picture.
Grazie wrote on 7/14/2003, 1:40 AM
Hmmm... very interesting.....

I've just done some "progressive" testing - i.e. adding more steps to the process until I repeat the issue. I've also discovered additional "snags":

1 - Started & Named new V4.0c Project

2 - Imported vid clip

3 - From Media Pool opened clip in Trimmer

4 - Saved PNG and JPG STILLS from Trimmer Preview

5 - Previewed stills in Trimmer Preview

6 - Noted that Thumbnails of PNGs could be viewed from Trimmer Previewer

7 - Also noted that Thumbnails in Media Pool could be viewed as Thumbnails - THIS IS NEW! Previously this was not possible - SOFO please note!!

8 - Closed & reopened same V4 Project

9 - Repeated "4" for New STILL

10 - New Thumbnail being shown as one taken from the original STILL! SoFo please note.

11 - Opened Media Pool in "Detailed" view - new still is listed!

12 - Go to Preview of same NEW still, Media Pool CLOSES! Have to re-open Media Pool

13 - NEW still, again, not shown in Media Pool as NEW thumbnail

14 - Drag NEW still to T/L

15 - NEW still seen in Preview as ORIGINAL still

16 - Repeat steps 9 thru' 15 - again Media Pool vanishes, and thumbnails of original not NEW [2nd attempt]

17 - Start new Still Capture from T/L - NOT TRIMMER - T/L Capture "Still" appears in Media Pool - OKAY

Conclusions:

1 - Trimmer Still Capture is not consistent

2 - T/L Still Capture works - BUT, Still overrides other Stills Captures in Preview - i.e. I can't Preview previously captured stills in Media Pool.

3 - For Media Pool to "vanish", with the need to: Go>View>Media Pool : to reinstate Media Pool is not acceptable

I've no solution . . . . interesting....

Perplexed V4.0c user,

Grazie
Julius_911 wrote on 7/14/2003, 8:08 AM
Hummm...maybe I misunderstood, can't do a snapshot to file when viewing from the trimmer???!!!

It's kinda ackward since I would like to scan the footage and take a bundle of snap along the way...placing it on the event and then take the snapshot seems very time-consuming, and ineffcient.

Is everyone doing it this way?

Grazie: Yup the trimmer is very inconsistent..it used to work. Rrrrrrr!!!
Grazie wrote on 7/14/2003, 11:49 AM
" . . .I would like to scan the footage and . . . - Yeah, each to their own here. I too Snapshot from T/L. BUT I'd like to have the option, which is suggested by the fact that there is the Snapshot option there on the Trimmer Preview - If it's there then it should be available to use - Yes/No? if it wasn't thren I wouldn't care . . having it there allows me to think differently.

Regards,

Grrrrrrrazie

mikkie wrote on 7/14/2003, 12:15 PM
IF this supplies any clues...

Loaded a short mjpg in the trimmer (figured more generic, would/should elimiate anything codec or rendering related). Playing back in the trimmer hit pause where I want to grab the still (hitting pause is something recomended, done with so much other software to grab video stills I figured long ago couldn't hurt). If I check the media pool, the picture doesn't appear - doesn't update, until I hit play again in the trimmer which forces refresh, switches to the media pool view, adds the picture. Can also force refresh by switching to explorer view. With another like clip loaded to the timeline, focus can revert to the timeline depending on where I click with the cursor.

From what I can tell, seems a matter of the way the software might work, being event driven, waiting for you to do something & then it reacts - sort of like having to hit refresh in the explorer window to update, show files you've added outside of Vegas. It might be partially due to switching between different modules in the programming - I think depending on that aspect, might not be that difficult to add the code to add the pic to media pool etc. and then revert back to the trimmer window as nec... Someone who's more of a coder (not a high bar at all in my case) could say just how possible or easy it might be, and any possible side effects. I would imagine having fully live updates would involve some sort of polling that could interfere with response editing etc...
Julius_911 wrote on 7/14/2003, 1:25 PM
Nice going mikkie!

I think you just found me a workaround.
Place the clip in the trimmer, go to the scene you want. I use the arrow keys for frame advance, take my snapshot, then right after I press the play button. It will bring you to the Media pool and viola, my pic is there! Just as you said it would be. If I don't press the play, I either get a black pic or the pic from the event I am on.

I can definetely live with this ..PHEW!!!!

I tested in numereous times and after 30 pics I haven't had a flaw!

A new feature to allow the choice of either the trimmer or the event as the default snapshot to file would satisfy both worlds.

Mikkie, take the rest of the week off, well deserved!

-Julius
Grazie wrote on 7/14/2003, 1:40 PM
Excellent Mikkie!

Grazie