@FF22

Hi

Look at the getting started with Movie Edit Pro tutorials by @browj2 these cover basic Timeline mode editing:-

Movie Edit Pro basic-editing-part-1

Movie Edit Pro basic-editing-part-2-cutting-and-trimming

HTH

John EB

Will check them out. I've probably seen them in the past. As I added to my post during an edit, I can't seem to SLIDE all objects (pics and video) to the RIGHT leaving an opening to insert new or moved items. What's the simple way to do that.

Thanks.

@FF22

Use this mouse pointer to to move everything to the right from the position of the object you grab. Everything to the left should remain put.

AHA! (g)

Trying to edit this messy 2,000 images from my China trip is driving me crazy.

Same here. I'm doing one from Chile. (Solar Eclipse.) I suppose I should get better at pre-organizing my timeline. But isn't the whole purpose of using computers to be creative and move things around to make them better as you go?

Absolutely. Although, sometimes they don't do what I want, only what I've accidentally done! The big problem was probably a lack of C: drive space.

So, Magix got very flaky and mixed up and randomly re-ordered about 200 or images. I had already edited the images and also put titles on or I would have just deleted the whole batch and re-imported them. Also, part of the problem was that it is a mix of camera pictures, my cell phone pictures and an Action camera videos. So I'd already interweaved them, too. In hindsight, I should just deleted them anyway. It was a real mess and that's why I was moving a whole bunch of them all over the place.

In my other thread, I also mention the music track cutting out or disappearing. It's in the timeline and is uninterrupted. There's no edit near the cut off music. And I just noticed it happened again. I THINK it may possibly be due to the fact that I have a video (with sound) on the picture track. But I don't understand why the music is GONE for about 6-8 images worth and then comes back online. And fooling around the other day, I even separated the video's sound and deleted it but it did not bring back the overall music track at that point. Still moments of silence. Then the music is back. But that's computers for you (I've been working with them more than, ahem, 40 years!)

Those eclipse images must be fantasic. Enjoy the results.

Hah! After watching browj2's first tutorial, I don't feel as stupid. 'Cause I've been editing the "brute force" way (starting at 13 minutes in his video) too.

I'm just now starting to use the various Insert modes. But I still find it easier to just lasso stuff and move it instead of toggling modes. And sometimes it seems to do the unexpected and "unsynch" tracks on me.

(Personally, I would like the mode to return to Single Object/Automatic after a set time, 'cause I always seem to want to get back to that mode for touch ups while editing.)

While I realize that one can use a Shuttle Pro, perhaps Magix will come out with a Voice Command version of MEP where users can speak what they want the program to do, instead of having to key in or mouse in various modes. For example, "Insert here and ripple all back." (Could be trained to use customized phrases in the user's language. I expect it would only need to recognize 20 or 30 commands. Not quite as difficult as Voice Recognition.)

Update: I just now realized that Win10 has the ability to associate voice commands with keystrokes. (Or so they say. I haven't tried it. But I will.)

@FF22

In my other thread, I also mention the music track cutting out or disappearing. It's in the timeline and is uninterrupted. There's no edit near the cut off music. And I just noticed it happened again. I THINK it may possibly be due to the fact that I have a video (with sound) on the picture track. But I don't understand why the music is GONE for about 6-8 images worth and then comes back online. And fooling around the other day, I even separated the video's sound and deleted it but it did not bring back the overall music track at that point. Still moments of silence. Then the music is back. But that's computers for you (I've been working with them more than, ahem, 40 years!)

Sometimes when you have arranged something like you did above and allowed proxy files to be used I think (and I'm not sure on this point,maybe John EB can clarify this) That sections can be rendered and replaced in the background by video clips to give a smoother playback. I had similar problems with an earlier project and doing that corrected it for me.

I will check it out. Thanks.

It is obvious that while I have used various versions over the years, I've not really explored some of the in's and out's of the program. Mostly sticking to the basics of dragging images in, adding titles and transition and playing with sections, panning and zoom. For instance, in your attached screenshot, how do you have both the storybook and timeline showing.

I guess I should also ask how to let Magix know of bugs. The bad syncing of the pointer in Storyboard mode is a problem. I don't know if it is in the newest version or was there before and I'm not had a project this long (I think I've had some this long).

Again, thanks

@FF22

That is only my timeline view showing.

Check looking at the top right corner of the image. Only the Timeline icon is showing blue.

I haven't ticked the box in the setup of MEP to only show beginning and end frames of a clip, so the more I expanded the timeline, the more frames I can see.

Not ticking that box though could slow less powerful setups. You can only try it and see if it has an impact on playback performance. Should make no difference to export times.

[Edit. Added]

I have no problems with syncing of pointer. It is very fast and accurate on my system. Response times are as fast as I can move it or use the scroll control to the right of the play controls that allows me to scroll up to 99 times normal playback speed which quite frankly is too fast.

Ray.

@pmikep

Hi

Have you used this method - this is for objects on a single track - see note below

Note: if you have objects on multiple tracks use the Mouse mode for all tracks not the Mouse mode for single track as shown in the video above.

HTH

John EB

@FF22

Unless you have a simple project with mostly just photos, no music, no overlays (PiP), few titles, do not use Storyboard mode, use Timeline mode. You have to be able to see what you are editing.

I have audio and video on separate tracks. I like to see where the audio is, be able to modify the audio track, if necessary, turn off the audio track without affecting the video, create L and J-cuts and transitions for the audio. You can't do this easily if you can't see the audio part. And, you definitely cannot do this in Storyboard mode.

Which version of MEP are you using: basic or Plus/Premium and the version under Help About?

Before raising a bug with Magix, I almost always raise the issue in the forum showing the problem and asking if others can replicate it. Your problem may be one of the playback marker lagging the playback or something. We would have to check with the same version and the same conditions to determine if it is your computer, the program, the project or a combination.

The program does not reorder images, unless you happen to use the SlideShow Maker. Even then, I have not had that happen.

Please post screen shots of the problem areas showing the timeline and the tracks. In Ray's image, he expanded the timeline window to full screen, which is why you see many tracks at once. You should do the same if not all tracks that have objects are showing in the window/screen shot.

2000 images at 3s/image = 6000s/60=100 minutes or 1h40m. That is a lot. You may want to reduce the number or make 2 or 3 movies.

Add in titles, narration, music, transitions, effects, image enhancement within MEP or in an external editor, intro/outro and credits, animated maps (Travel Maps or Vasco da Gama) and you have probably 120-200 hours or more of work.

Here is an example that I did recently of my trip to Iran, but not with 2000 photos. I still have to go back and fix the loudness of the music and narration in some parts.

@pmikep

Voice commands. Why didn't I think of that?

Mouse mode for single objet: I don't know how many times in a project I have used undo because I was in the wrong mouse mode, but it's many. Still, I wouldn't want the program to revert to mouse mode for a single object by itself unless I could control the timing.

John CB

On the "Return to Select Object Mode" - I was thinking a user settable timer. Like, if you haven't continued to do ripple edits for 15 seconds, it reverts back to Single Object. MEP could "ding" to let you know it reverted back to Single.

OR - perhaps double clicking on an object could change modes. Like, single click and drag is Single Object. Double click and drag is Single Track Ripple. Triple Click and Drag is All Track Ripple. That would be cool. (IMO.)

JohnEB - that is the way I do things now - what I call the "Brute Force" method.

@pmikep

Hi

. . . . that is the way I do things now what I call the "Brute Force" method . . . .

That is a perfectly legal manoeuvre - no brute force necessary 😂

Cheers

John EB

@pmikep

Hi

Have you used this method - this is for objects on a single track - see note below

Note: if you have objects on multiple tracks use the Mouse mode for all tracks not the Mouse mode for single track as shown in the video above.

HTH

John EB

 

I generally have three active tracks. The Objects (photos, video) on Track 1. Nothing on T2. Titles on Track 3 and overall music on track5. If I have audio in a video object, I will sometimes UNgroup it so that I can play with it. I then may also alter in some fashion, the volume of the overall music, so that the video object's sound is audible.

The problem I was having was due to the fact that I was not employing (or knowingly employing) the right mouse mode. After things get "randomized" I was having trouble opening slots to move items back and forth and then close the gaps. MOUSE MODE was the missing method.

BROWJ2:

Thanks for the reply. First, how did you get that great quality on Youtube? (g)

As far as size/length, I guess I was hoping the new Magix could handle it. In the past I have kind of edited the "slide" show in two or three parts making moving around certainly easier. Then after the editing, I would import and meld them together.

Habit probably explains working in Storyboard mode. Since Magix was a way to create a dvd (remember those archaic discs?) slideshows. So I mostly worked with individual images and would just move them around, maybe pan and zoom and title. 3-4 seconds per and I tend to like fades. Only moved to timeline when I wanted to move a title and stretch them out or shorten and fade the title in/out.

(history, my 2001 Canadian Rockies hiking trip was crudely produced. I copied each picture 4 times, then had to order them together so that the renamed sorted correctly. I don't recall what I used to animate them but It worked.)

Oh, a zoom question came to mind for another thread.

@FF22

I am by comparison to most here, relatively new to using any Video editing software, coming mainly from photography into video as my upgraded cameras gained decent video quality output.

I personally only consider upgrading software if it no longer is fit for purpose or no longer works due to operating system requirements or a new peripheral can not be used with the old software or such an upgrade gives me functions or increased performance over the old software.

Updated software is normally attuned to the latest components, operating systems and peripherals which can leave older components struggling either with speed or capacity that can and often does lead to performance issues.

MEP is somewhat different in some respects as upgrades often come with additional third party packages that are often of more value than the price of the upgrade but the danger till exists that it could be possible to upgrade to a point of detrimental performance of the hardware it runs on.

I have other much older software for other tasks that I have not upgraded for years and still gives excellent service. There has been no need for my requirements.

If new software is having performance issues it could be down to how the software is configured to run but equally it could be a sign that older components are struggling to cope with the software's demands on the system.

But at what point does upgrading inhibit cost effectiveness? People often upgrade without thinking the whole upgrade path through and end up frustrated with the results.

I know, as I've done that, read the book and own the 'T' shirt a few time over. 😇

Just my two pennyworth worth of thoughts.

Ray.

CubeAce: So very true. I have about 120 Android apps awaiting my permission to upgrade. No, thanks.

And I may have jumped the gun on the Magix, this cycle. Live (I hope) and learn.

@FF22

My phone couldn't cope with 12 Android apps 😂

On the second point, maybe not. Could be just C: hard drive space. You need tones of it if you are dealing with lots of jpgs.

By the way:

I NOW have 300gig of space on C: but some stuff like point sync are still off.

MAGIX Movie Edit Pro Plus
MAGIX Movie Edit Pro Plus
Version 19.0.2.58 [UDP3]

@FF22

I would have thought that amount of free space would be more than adequate.

I wish I knew what MEP does internally. I have a stills editing package where if I have too many images in a folder the Editing package tries to load all of them into ram and eventually freezes and falls over and I have 32 gig of ram.

I'm not saying MEP does anything similar as I just don't know where your bottleneck would be and I've never tried to put that many still images into a video.

Was the project always that unresponsive or has it got more sluggish as the project has been added to?

Ray.