Transition To / From Overlay Track

outrbanx wrote on 12/28/2006, 4:20 PM
There must be a way to create a fade to and from the overlay track, but experimenting and searching in this forum has not given me an answer.

I am working on a two camera taping. The main video track contains the main (best) video and the entire soundtrack. The video I placed on the overlay track is just some additional shots or better angles of the same show, but performed at a different time. Since the show is not spoken, but acted out from a recorded soundtrack, it is very easy to synch the two together. Being new to VMS6, I have only just discovered how to edit the two cameras together, but is there a way to lay a transition or dissolve from one track to the other instead of just a cut and without bothering the soundtrack? Am I missing something extremely basic here, or what?

Thanks for any help I can receive. ;)

Comments

MSmart wrote on 12/28/2006, 5:12 PM
To do simple fade transitions on the overlay track, drag the small triangles (Fade offset) at the top left and right corners of each clip inward the desired amount of frames.

To add a transition effect, right click in the transition area you just created and choose a transition effect from the Transition menu or Transition Properties window.

If there is a way to apply this to multiple clips at once, I haven't figured it out yet.
Tim L wrote on 12/28/2006, 5:21 PM
Edit: OOPS! MSmart beat me to the reply.... Here's what I was still typing when the MSmart's post showed up.

I assume you have already figured out how to mix two cameras.

One way is to put your "main" camera's video ("A") on a lower track and leave it intact, then put your secondary camera ("B") on a higher track, and split that track and cut out sections where you want the "A" camera to show through.

In the example below, wherever there is nothing on B, the A track will show through. Note also that the events on "B" could be video clips, still photos, titles, etc -- they're all treated the same in Vegas & Movie Studio.

Overlay: ................BBBBBBBBBB.............................BBBBBBBBB
Main: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Audio: ........................................................................................................................

If this is how you've done it, you can easily add a fade to the beginning and ending of each "B" clip on your overlay track. To add a fade in, look at the top corner at the beginning of a "B" clip. There should be a little blue triangle int the upper corner. Grab this triangle and drag it to the right (toward the middle of the clip). You should see a little "ramp" appear. This should give you a fade-in. You can do the same thing at the end of the clip to fade out. You can right-click on the fade area to select from several styles of fade ramps. You can do the exact same thing with any audio event as well.

Now, I'm not at a computer with Vegas installed right now, so this is all from memory, but I believe an alternative way to do a multi-cam edit is to put your "B" video on an upper track and leave it intact (don't split it). Right-click in the track header for "B" and add an opacity envelope. If this feature really exists, and is not a figment of my imagination, then the opacity envelope would let you add "nodes" anywhere along the track where you can specify the opacity of the "B" track -- set to 0% to make B totally clear and let A show through, or set to 100% to make B totally opaque so that it completely obscures A. The shape of your nodes would control how quickly the transition from A to B occurs. Again, I can't guarantee that the Opacity Envelope is available in VMS, but you can look into it...

Tim L
outrbanx wrote on 12/28/2006, 5:43 PM
You've come to my rescue again, MSmart. I just knew it had to be something simple that I was just overlooking. Thank you so much! I have officially kicked myself in the @!# for asking a dumb question that is probably answered in the first chapter of the manual. :)

Tim L.,

Thanks for the advice. It has been printed (along with the other tips I have received), and will come handy. Much appreciated.

Okay......back to work now......