The other must-do in my workflow is to save full second copy of all Media synched on the timeline, before creating the multicam track. That way it's right there if something goes terribly wrong.

Hi,

Just finalizing an 1,5 hour multicam project. Done with editing of 4 cameras in the multicam mode for the first time. The majority of transition are 2 second fades. So far smooth sailing, just some crashes but I'm used to save often...

Finalizing a multicam project requires that you do track-wise color correcting after the editing. When you have expanded the tracks back to separate ones. Doing it before and you loose all such info. So expanding back to separate tracks is a must.

Problem number 1:
Expanding the multicam track back to separate tracks by NOT keeping unused clips - REMOVES all crossfades. You end up with just a lot of overlapping clips with no fades. This mode is not an option if you have lots of crossfades, you loose all your tediously edited work.

Problem number 2:
Expanding the multicam track back to separate tracks by KEEPING the unused clips as muted clip KEEPS the crossfades but they are now completely wrong. Every track and every clip (muted or unmuted) now has an inserted crossfade. This results in wrong kind of crossfades where you get a dark dip in the intensity in the middle of the crossfade!!  This renders ALL crossfades unusable as well. The correct crossfade here would be that the track below is kept at full strength, and the track above fades in or out.

The crossfades work ok and look correct still in the multicam mode - expanding to separate tracks ruins the crossfades - one way or the other - either removing them completely - or causing an intensity dip in the middle.

Please Nick or any others - can you duplicate and confirm?! This must be fixed ASAP.

I am very puzzled that such a basic function is so erroneously implemented. Or are there some preferences or settings I have missed? . What is sure that I have missed my deadline because of this wanna-be Pro software called Vegas. I love to use Vegas but there is still much for MAGIX to work on before the postfix is really earned.

Expanding the multicam track back to separate clips (with no muted ones) should incorporate the fades as well - not just overlapping clips. What an omission. Has someone at MAGIX really used this software for some serious work?

Arghhhh....

 

 

I have and use it almost exclusively for multicam editing. And, for the record, expanding tracks back is not a must and I never have to do it. As others have pointed out, color matching and correction should be done as a media fx and it can even be done before creating the multicam track.

Hi,

Thanks all for your comments. Yes - I certainly have learned to save versions. Especiall before going into multicam mode! If you remember the first ridiculous implementations of this feature you also might remember that there was no way back - once you entered the multicam editing there was no return. How many has lost lots of work because this omission. My hands are up...

Multicam editing should NOT - and MUST not - be destructive. Therefore there is nowadays the added option to go back to separate tracks. That is GREAT! Going back to separate tracks might have other reasons than just color correction. Whatever additional effects or special crossfades or zooming or panning you need to perform on separate clips - must be done in Vegas AFTER the multicam edit. Going to multicam you loose your individual edits, levels and lots of other stuff.

I'm fully aware that you can place your FX (color correcting or whatever) also on the media level. I do it often. However, you might have unluckily a bunch of separate files from the same camera on the same track. In this case I have at least 30 separate files from the same camera on the same track. To the rescue comes the TRACK level FX! Think about doing you color correction and then pasting that FX to a zillion of original media files?!  And after you have done it - what if you need to tweak a little for example your color correction? Having the FX on the track takes care of all media files on that track at once - BANG. Doing the same on the media level keeps you performing ridiculous copy and paste FX in and almost endless loop.

Whatever your (normal) working or editing habit is - the NLE software should support you. Your editing software should NOT destroy your multicam edits going back to separate tracks. As VEGAS turns destroys the crossfades. This is an ERROR, NO excuses.

So - going to separate tracks without sparing the unused clips as muted ones removes all your crossfades. You still have the overlapping clips but you must manually put every crossfade back. That can take hours. This MUST be an error since I cannot believe someone has planned such a stupid functionalty.

Keeping the clips as muted ones keeps your crossfades, but adds fade ins/outs to EVERY clip causing the crossfades to be replaced with a fade out and fade in. These look completely differenct as they were in the multicam model. And unusable. It takes hours of work to get it back to how it looked in the multicam mode. Who claims that this is not an error? At least this cannnot be how it was intended to work!!!

There should be some warning in the manual about this behaviour - but there is none. Frankly speaking, you ruin your project (going from multicam to separate tracks) if you used crossfades. There are lots of reasons that you need to go back to separate tracks during the process, othervice this feature would not have been added in the first place!

I cannot be the only one that got bitten by this... Anyone editing professional that would bother to test this out on a two clip project? How does this work in real professional NLE editors (Adobe, Davinci, Edius)? MAGIX - your comments on this? would be mostly welcome?! We all want to see how Vegas evolves towards perfection. My critisism is constructive, even if I'm a little frustrated.

Cheers,

Christian

PS1:
This evening I will spend at least 4...6 extra hours returning my project back to a viewable status... redoing all x-fades manually. About 800 of them...

PS2:
Is there a way to globally change the crossfade type on all those muted/unmuted clips to another x-fade profile that would solve the problem? Would save me lots of hours and ripped hair..

must be done in Vegas AFTER the multicam edit.

Maybe in your workflow, certainly not in mine. “There are many ways to skin a cow”

While I almost never use fades in multicam editing, I also have to expand to seperate tracks for color correction, because I usually have lots of footage in P2 format, which sadly is not supported correctly by Vegas. Instead of recognizing the original camera clips, Vegas only combines the mxf files for audio and video and you end up with lots of small events on the timeline so I don't want to apply the FX as media FX. (Other NLEs will create one single event per clip.)

Therefore (and because the function of expanding tracks back simply exists in Vegas!) I want to support Christian de Godzinsky in that it should work differently than he experienced and that his workflow is sometimes needed.

@max8
"Vegas only combines the mxf files for audio and video and you end up with lots of small events on the timeline"

Do you use the Vegas Device Explorer to import the P2 Clips?