vegas 10 help

mikebrooks wrote on 9/23/2010, 3:12 PM
Can anyone tell me how to add a background to text in sony vegas 10? I have actually seen forum posts on how to do this but the people who answered it were speaking about 560 feet over my head.

I am looking to add a transparent style background to text like you would see on a news program when they flash a guests name with a box behind it.

Also, if someone knows of training on vegas that could help someone who is not already an expert at this, that would help to.

Comments

MSmart wrote on 9/23/2010, 4:15 PM
mike, there should be a Help > Show Me How... tutorial on how to add text.

In the Generated Media tab > Text, look for the templates that show the checkerboard as the background. The checkerboard implies transparency. Drag one of them down to a track that's above your video track and click on the edit icon that is at the right edge to edit your text and overlay properties.

There are lots of good tutorials on youtube, search for "vegas movie studio". Here's one relating to your question:

mikebrooks wrote on 9/25/2010, 7:32 AM
what i don't understand is how to size these effects so they don;'t cover the entire screen. I insert the checkerboard for example and it is over the entire screen.
mikebrooks wrote on 9/25/2010, 7:41 AM
And, also, this video is good and all, but doesn't answer my question. i know how to add text. i don't know how to put that text into a box. this is my frustration with vegas. every time i have a question it takes me forever to find the correct answer to it.
drguitar0001 wrote on 9/25/2010, 10:11 AM
"every time i have a question it takes me forever to find the correct answer to it. "

That is called a learning curve Mike and you will find that every piece of software has a learning curve. For some, the learning curve is quite steep. Vegas definitely have a learning curve, but in many ways it is more intuitive than many editing programs. Once you learn what you need to know, it moves quite smoothly.

Good luck!
MSmart wrote on 9/25/2010, 11:40 AM
what i don't understand is how to size these effects

It's just like a word processor, in the Edit tab, right above where you type your text is where you choose the font and size. You have to select your text before changing them.

And see right above the bar with Sony in it, there you can choose a preset or even save a preset (floppy icon) for future reference.

drguitar is correct, there is a steep learning curve with VMS, but once you get the hang of it, watch out.