@Basel-Shishani

Hi

. . . . . If you figure out a way to do that you may put a fifth of the film industry out of business overnight . . . .

I agree with this comment from @CubeAce.

For the tutorials I have made with audio, the demonstration video is recorded first, performing the necessary actions at a slower pace then I would actually do the effect etc that I am referring to - this enables the viewer to follow the tutorial more easily. You will find many tutorials on Youtube which run at breakneck speed and require the viewer to pause/rewind/play several times to see what has been selected/adjusted etc - this is bad practice.

I find trying to record the audio at the same time as doing the action on the screen distracting and somewhat difficult to gauge speed and timing and having to repeat a section when I make an error - standing in front of an audience giving a running commentary while live demonstrating is a lot easier.

The audio is recorded separately, often in multiple takes.

I then assemble the tutorial as follows:

1. The video recording is inserted onto the timeline and cut as necessary to remove pauses, mistakes etc.
2. The audio recording is inserted onto the timeline and, if necessary cut into sections which are matched up as close as possible to the video.
3. If the audio creates gaps in the video, depending on the size of the gap then I adjust using either :
   
   the Speed effect to adjust the video after cutting the section needing adjustment for small gaps
   
   the Insert still image at playback marker, at an appropriate point and adjust the image length to fill the gap for larger gaps.

Note which option I use depends on the size of the gap relative to the length of that section of video.

HTH

John EB

@CubeAce @johnebaker

Okay, so I guess the reason such a useful feature not having been implemented is the cost of recalculating the scene in real time while one object is being moved.

But what if only the content of the dragged video-object itself is being previewed, that would cover many use-cases and the functionality is already there. It's just video-object preview with a change in the preview point from a moving marker to the intersection of the dragged object with a fixed maker. Such a feature I think will speed my video/audio syncing stage by at least 2-3 folds, and it's a very time consuming part. Is there a place where I can suggest the feature?

EDIT: On a second thought there's the baggage of the effects and that not just a raw preview.

Also @johnebaker: Thanks for sharing the workflow, which was useful. In my case the main part is the audio, and the illustrations only cover parts of it, so I get the audio right first then create the video to fit it.

Also, can I ask about another issue that's also related to the same problem:

When a video object is dragged over another object on the same track, a cross-fade is created automatically. When I'm syncing, I would like the dragged object to just shrink at the border of the adjacent object while I move it (the moving is achieving syncing with audio). Right now I either drag on a separate track, or I overlap and then cut the unwanted part and remove the overlap, which is tedious.

Example for the desired functionality: ALT-KEY1 with mouse drag shrinks the selected object at the touch point instead of a cross-fade overlap, ALT-KEY2 with mouse drag shrinks the unselected object at the touch point instead of cross-fade overlap.

@Basel-Shishani

Hi Basel.

I think I'm missing some information.

Why are you cutting a clip rather than just dragging one end to shorten or lengthen it? There is no advantage to cutting unless you wish to split a clip to drag around and reposition.

Ray.

@Basel-Shishani

Hi

I am assuming that you are creating a 'live' drawing/illustration video to go along with the audio, and not just using a still image - is this correct?

If so then:-

. . . .  the desired functionality: ALT-KEY1 with mouse drag shrinks the selected object at the touch point instead of a cross-fade overlap . . . .

Is what you are suggesting an 'auto trim' or 'auto speed adjust' feature for when 2 objects touch with the one being moved the target for the trim or speed adjust.

In theory this would be useful, however there are 'unwanted' side effects, in the following situations:

• Auto trim
  
  a video action that takes 5 secs and the audio takes 3 secs before the next audio action takes place, you have to lose 2 secs of the video - not possible the video action is 5 secs long.
   
• Auto speed adjust
  
  Same scenario as 1, except now the video has to be speeded up so it's action takes 3 secs - not good visually as it would be nearly double speed, and difficult to follow if you are performing several selections/actions in that 5 secs.

John EB

@CubeAce

I'm focused on the syncing, and I want to keep dragging a segment until a point of interest in it matches a point in the audio. When that's achieved the segment might end up overlapping with the next one, and I need to handle that.

Let me explain the whole thing: usually there are a video object (screen recorded illustration) and and audio object. Say there are 10 points (a point is a short section) of interest that we need to match between the two. The points in the video are in order but are out of sync with their corresponding points in the audio: either before or after their corresponding point (think a mapping diagram). The video between the points of interest is static (screen not changing). I sync the first point in the video, then cut, I sync the next one and cut and so on. At the end I fill the gaps with still images, each gap is filled from the preceding cut. What helps is I can have a few points in sequence already in sync because I'm recording the screen while the audio is playing, but it's still tedious because there can be many points out of sync. I'm looking for ways to speed up this process. [Hoping really that I'm doing things in a stupid way and there's a much faster way].

@johnebaker Yes not just a still image.

Let me explain more: It's training material that uses slides. Rather than building rigid animations into the material using educational software that takes way more time, I use static slides, and I use annotation software to illustrate/annotate on the slides. Think Khan Academy videos, but where there's already material in the background rather than a whiteboard. The illustration gets screen recorded then imported. I have the illustrations storyboarded, but I do them while playing the pre-recorded audio to get as much as I could pre-synced in order to save time.

Speeding segments with movements is not much of an issue because only infrequently do I need to speed up an illustration section. So I was asking about auto-trimming overlapping objects. It might help a bit, but the more useful feature is the other one I asked about first; to preview the video object while being dragged.

I think the disadvantages you listed don't apply in my case because I'm mostly shrinking or expanding (in effect) the static parts in the video stream.

@Basel-Shishani

Hi

Thanks for the clarification, that is what I thought you were doing.

. . . . When that's achieved the segment might end up overlapping with the next one, and I need to handle that. . . . .

I would suggest you use multiple tracks for the video segments, splitting the video up if necessary. Working with 3 tracks minimum to avoid potential clashes, alternating the segment content in a similar manner to the image below this will give you more control without overlaps and let you adjust the objects more easily.

HTH

John EB

@johnebaker @Basel-Shishani

I would concur with John on this one. Multiple tracks don't really add much to the processing or play-ability of a project and is easier to work with. If we have misunderstood though please use the personal message to give either one of us a preview link of one of your projects for us to appreciate what you are trying to achieve.

Ray.

@johnebaker @CubeAce

Thanks for the tips. It's working much quicker for me now, and the projects are starting to look more like the pros :)

I still have a peeve with the still image insertion. I can't understand why we have to always define a range to insert a still; why not offer a command to 'insert still image to preview marker'?! It's a common use-case to freeze a scene, and it would make the operation much simpler if one could just move the marker then extend the scene by adding a still before or after the object using a shortcut. At the moment it's just insertion of a fixed length then having to extend it, or having to define a range when it's just adjacent to the object.

@Basel-Shishani

To be honest Basel, I don't understand why people always insist on keyboard shortcuts.

For this type work I prefer just using the various mouse modes as I find it quicker personally.

Example is a bit oversimplified and just as an explanation.

Ray.

@Basel-Shishani

Hi

. . . . . I can't understand why we have to always define a range to insert a still . . . .  

You don't unless you want a specific length, without a range set a still image will be inserted at the length set in Program settings, Video/audio tab, by default this is set to 7 seconds, I changed mine to 5 secs as I find 7 is too long.

. . . . 'insert still image to preview marker' . . . .

How is the program to know where the start point is dependant on the length of the still image?

Other than the setting mentioned above - you must tell it the start and end points ie a range, if you require a specific length.

John EB

@CubeAce

Shortcuts are just a matter of preference, but I wasn't referring to importing images, rather to creating a still image from a video objects just after the object, in:

'Right click object'> 'Insert still image ...'

There is a repetitive task of inserting the last frame as a still image adjacent to the video object. But the length of the still is aligned with the start of an object on a different track. To do this I need to define a range, but it would've been easier to just move the playback marker then 'insert still image to marker' if such option existed, i.e the range is automatically defined from the object end to the playback marker.

I found something closer in 'Fill blank space with still image'. It takes the extra step of trimming the generated image, but that's bearable.

@Basel-Shishani

Not sure fully what you want, but something like this?

Ray.

@johnebaker

You don't unless you want a specific length

How is the program to know where the start point is 

I'm suggesting a command that defines image length [from object start/end - to playback marker]:

[Video object]<---------image length---------------->|marker

marker|<---------image length---------------->[Video object]

Right click on object>Insert still image TO MARKER/Insert still image AT MARKER/Insert still image IN RANGE

'TO marker' would insert image length from object-end to marker-after, or from object-start to marker-before.

The 'insert in range' is still needed, but the 'insert TO marker' is quicker for a common use-case so we don't have to keep defining ranges when we need the still image adjacent to the video object.

@Basel-Shishani

Hi

. . . . Fill blank space with still image . . . .

Using this option only works correctly when filling the space between 2 objects on the same track, if there are no objects to the right the result can be unpredictable in the length of the still image created.

Additionally using this on a higher track number could obscure the next object if it is on a lower track number as shown below

John EB

@Basel-Shishani

Hi,

Right click on object>Insert still image TO MARKER/Insert still image AT MARKER/Insert still image IN RANGE

'TO marker' would insert image length from object-end to marker-after, or from object-start to marker-before.

If I understand correctly, you want to use the first frame of the selected clip (1) or the last frame of the previous clip as a still (2). Correct?

In the first case (1), which is highly unlikely as the first frame is often a dud, you just set the range from the beginning of the clip, move the playback marker to the length that you want, then Insert still image IN RANGE. To set a range you have the brackets below the preview monitor or simply I and O. As I said, the first frame is probably not the one that you want - you have to look at the frame and if you really want the first frame, you are already looking at it so if you want it, press I or the left bracket. The second problem with not setting the In point, but just putting the playback marker somewhere, is that you don't know how long the still image will be. Set a range to see the duration.

If your goal is to put the playback marker to line up with something on another track - same thing, press on O or right bracket to set the range and then Insert still image IN RANGE. I defined a shortcut for this.

Also, once you have defined the range, the playback marker can be elsewhere when you apply the command and it will work by right-clicking on the object and selecting the command.

For the second case (2), there is already a command to insert the last frame in the blank space as shown by John EB. If you don't want the still to be that long but to stop at the playback marker, then simply apply the command and trim right end (U) - this can be done quickly even if there is no object to the right. Of course if there is an object to the right, you have to consider the mouse mode so that what you want, actually happens, like leave a gap or close up the gap by moving the right objects to the left.

I think that you are asking for commands that only you may use. The existing commands do what you want quite well.

John CB