@amaethu

Hi Jane and welcome to the Movie Edit Pro user to user forum.

To get a normal view of everything back, go to the top task bar in Movie Edit Pro and click on 'Window',go down one to 'Window arrangement', and select 'Standard'. You have probably just covered the controls with the timeline editor underneath.

The larger the project, on average the more ram and free disk space on the C: drive may be needed but may not be the case depending on the total size of the files being used. It could well be a lack of ram though. Which version of Movie Edit Pro are you using? Is it 2021? If so the recommended minimum specs for ram is 8GB. It could be something else but we would have to know more about your system spec and the files used.

Please have a look here for further details on what information is normally required for a more detailed answer.

Ray.

Thank you both. I don't know what F9 is but will try it out. Meanwhile, I shut down the computer, started it again and the playback controls were there. I have added as many details as I can to my signature as suggested; can't see which version of Magix as program is currently exporting my movie (yessss) but I don't think it's 2021.

@amaethu

F9 resets the windows in MEP.

John CB

Thankyou John for that.

I have put my system details in my signature as far as I can understand them. Does anyone know if they should be adequate to run the program? thank you.

@amaethu

Hi Jane.

Please do no put your product activation code on public display on the forum. (The P3- number in your signiture) It is not needed and could be a problem if someone were to clone it.

This is an older laptop yes? That assumption by me is down to the specs I find when looking up the processor. My info says the 2 core processor came out in 2010 but may have still been in products bought some time after.

If I'm correct then the program should work but may be very sluggish as it has no ability to use that processors graphics chip. A lot depends on the resolution of the files you are editing. Anything approaching HD quality may start to cause problems.

Ray.

good point, have deleted the code.

yes i bought it in 2011, so maybe it is time for an upgrade. The program worked fine earlier with smaller files. I am currently processing zoom files that are 9 hours long. But even when they are one hour long it is very slow.

thank you for taking the time to respond to this.

@amaethu

No problem Jane. I haven't had much better to do during lockdown. 😁

Ray.

@browj2

Hi John

. . . . F9 resets the windows in MEP. . . .

Can you check that John - I have a dual monitor preset saved and if I activate that, make some changes to the layout and hit F9 it resets the layout to the dual monitor preset.

To get back to the the standard from the dual preset layout there is no function key shortcut unless you make one in the keyboard shortcuts - it is a case of selecting Window, Window arrangement, Standard.

Thanks

John EB

@amaethu

Hi

(Previously I was working with files only 5-20 mins long and it was quite quick).

Have you tried "Reset the Program Settings to Defaults" from the MEP File Menu >Settings?

Peter

I just did that Peter, plus I went to window/standard as Ray suggested. Now it has changed again. A 70 minute file that used to show as a long rectangle is now the shape of a postage stamp, and the controls on the left (where you could for instance mute a channel) and the bottom (that allowed me to zoom in have the file fit the screen) have vanished. I have now tried F9 too but it didn't help. Screenshot attached. (And also, I can no longer put the audio on a separate track from video, in fact there seems to be only one track).

@amaethu

Hi Jane. Do as described below.

Ray.

Thank you, back to normal. So many things to get wrong! the program is overspecified really for what I want, but still, it's educational I suppose.

I will report back as to whether the reset has speeded up the program - I think it might have done. And while we're at it, why is it that sometimes i can export (using the top left icon) as DVD quality and mp4, but other times I have to choose between DVD/wmv (no good for Youtube) and HD1/mp4 (too big)?

@amaethu

Hi Jane.

I never use a preset from the top right hand corner. There is much more choice using the main export option under File \ Export Movie, options. The presets there are more varied and helpful for uploading to the net in general.

The YouTube upload limit of 128GB is in my opinion more than generous. Encoding can be changed to be smaller file size wise up to a point without losing quality. There are also time length limits If your channel is not verified. Acceptable file formats and encoding requirements can be found here

Unfortunately there is a lot to learn and remember when dealing with video editing if you want the best balance between quality vs video length vs file size.

Ray.

@amaethu

Hi

Can you complete your computer specification in your signature - we know you have an i3 processor but not which model - there are 4 digits and possibly one or two letters missing from the full model name.

To clarify your previous post with the image of the 'postage stamp' video - the program has several ways of looking at how the videos and images are arranged, the two main views that are used are

Storyboard as seen in your image - each video or image appears as a single object ('postage stamp')

Timeline view which gives you a lot more control, this is the view @CubeAce has shown you which icon to click.

To get more familiar with the program, there is a PDF manual available under Help in the program - you may need to download this.

John EB
Forum Moderator

@johnebaker

Hi John. A search of Intel Ark does give this result.

Why I managed to pick up on this when I missed Tracy's diagnosis, I have no idea.

Possibly insomnia. 😞

It does seem to fit Janes' buying timeline of the laptop.

Ray.

@CubeAce

Hi Ray

Who are Tracy and Jane ?

John EB

@johnebaker

Hi John.

Jane is the person here (I'm sure I saw her name on this thread earlier but can't see it now) and Tracy is on the other forum post with similar problems where you pointed out her processor only had two cores.

Either that or I need more sleep.

Ray.

@amaethu

Hi,

...the program is overspecified really for what I want,...

Concerning display modes and the solution given by Ray, this is very basic and one of the first things that you should learn is that there are 3 display modes, Storyboard, Scene overview and Timeline. I strongly suggest that you watch the Magix tutorials and, in particular, the third one down about Display Modes. Then watch my tutorials on basic editing. You'll save yourself a lot of time and grief and be able to produce better videos by understanding how to use the program.

John CB