Is there an effect / plugin to cyclically toggle a video event on/off, say every 1 sec, for its whole length? E.g. if I want to fake a camcorder look with a "REC" text flashing, without manual keyframes?
I'm not aware of a specific VFX plugin that can do this but there's more than likely such a VFX plugin out there. If there is, whether it works or not in Vegas Pro is another question.
However, doing a search in YouTube using keywords such as "create camcorder viewfinder effect" gets a lot of results but the NLEs are mostly AE, Premiere Pro etc. I did find this one using Vegas Pro 9:
There's no reason that the approach demonstrated here couldn't be used for the 'REC' title. Basically, the approach is to create a title with REC as the text and split it into, say, one second events each placed, say, one second apart. To save time. create 10 events each 1 second apart, copy/paste those 10 to create a total of 20 events, copy/paste those 20 to create 40 events, and so on as long as is needed.
Okay, it isn't an 'instant' effect but shouldn't take all that long to do, and there's no keyframing required, no cost to buy a plugin, and just requires Vegas Pro's Titles & Text media generator feature.
Also, have a look at some of the YT tutorials using other NLEs as they may provide some clues as to how to add viewfinder features such as 'safe area' which could easily be created in an image editor. You've posted under the Vegas Effects category which suggests that you have Vegas POST as Vegas Effects is a video composite program which is part of the POST package, You should then also have Vegas Image which is an image editor which could be used to create other viewfinder images to overlay in Vegas Pro.
@Parser There is BCC+Light Flicker, that is in the Boris Continuum package but it's no cheap.
You could create a B/W flashing video clip & use it as a mask.
This is the B/W flashing clip, I use the BCC+Light Flicker to make it but you could just stack white - black - white etc.. solid colours one after the other on the track & render it out,
This is that mask applied above a text event, Multiply (Mask) chosen.
If it's any use this is the B/W flashing clip, I haven't made it so it loops in time so you might want to trim it & the speed can be changed once the clip is on the timeline.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PiTmqaUlGgkLUfIB5BUWe1QayA0pz3L7/view?usp=sharing
I posted in "Vegas Effects" as I thought it refers to any visual effect in Vegas. I didn't know there was a product called "Vegas Effects". Thanks for the help. Reading Gid's reply, I just realized that I can simply key frame one cycle of the "REC" fading in and out with transparent bg, pre-render it, then import that file, turn on its "Loop" switch and extend the event. Now the "REC" can blink forever.
No need for expensive plugins or copying/pasting, you can create an short (4 sec) text event with "REC" and add two holding keyframes for colour and change transparency for those keyframes from 100% to 0%. Now extend text event for the length of your video (make sure before extending that looping is enabled).
I see you found already a solution...which is quite cumbersome...
@3POINT Many ways to skin a cat but I like that version you shared,👍
@Former user there are many ways to achieve something in Vegas, I always try to find the easiest way...
This can also be done using a script. Excalibur can do this.
Yep, I pretty much do this the way 3Point describes