Carl,

I've frequently been exasperated by the same problem as jazzrobertson, usually for the same reasons (spoiled music or narrative tracks). But unless I've misunderstood I don't think your work around is a practical solution.

The upstream tracks do indeed remain in place when you make the manual overlap. But normally I would then want to make sure the duration of the crossfade was correct. As soon as you do that, using Set transition length... the upstream objects shift too, (assuming you didn't get it exactly right manually).

I did at first think a simplish solution would be to place a project marker at say the end of the project and then, after applying the transition, move all objects so that the end of the last object was again at that point. But that rested on my assumption that project markers were tied to the timeline. Not so. They move too!

For an image you could right click and use Change photo length to add 1 second before applying the crossfade.

Similarly for a title, with Title Editor.

But for a video object that you either can't or don't want to extend it appears that you just have fiddle around editing the downstream stuff to keep the upstream precisely intact.

As far as I can recall, MEP has always behaved this way. Can anyone suggest any redeeming advantage?

It would be easy to work around if only the track volume curve could be bodily moved, just as you can flexibly move all objects, as we've discussed before.

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

Hi

The answer depends on if this a preplanned project or is an ad hoc edit to some audio eg music you decide to use after all the videoing is done

If the former then you plan the shots lengths, plus a bit for cutting and crossfading, to fit the selected music track beforehand.

For an ad hoc edit then, when you select the clips, you must allow for the overlaps on crossfades and several of the other transitions so as to fit the audio, or use cuts, fade through black/white or a transition which does not need the overlap.

There is no issue with the program doing what it does for transitions like crossfades etc.  This is by design and is unavoidable unless you have sufficient video to allow for the 'losses' in the overlaps. 

Terry has given you the solution if the movie is comprised of still images.

When videoing I always start a few seconds before and stop a few seconds after the action I want wherever possible.

John

I asked MAGIX and had this clever solution from Ralf:

That's behaviour by design. There are essentially two different modes. If you
lock the track (via the padlock icon in the track header) and apply the fade
now, the following objects won't move up and everything will stay in place.

I'd always assumed that once the track was locked, it was impervious to any change, so I was pleasantly surprised to find you can still add a fade.

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

Hi  Terry

. . . I'd always assumed that once the track was locked, it was impervious to any change . . .

When a track is locked you cannot move or delete an object.

You can do almost anything else to an object on the timeline, including adding another to the locked track, however once it has been released on to the track it is locked in place.

John