Wishlist for future VPX versions (beyond VPX10)

browj2 wrote on 5/28/2019, 3:21 PM

This was previously raised by Magix in this thread.

A few of the requests were implemented, significantly J- and L-cuts. I thought that I would refresh this and add to the list, so it's a mixture of (modified) previous requests and some new ones.

Please add any that you would like to see and comment on any that I have listed, including better wording or details.

A new version of VPX is expected out this summer so I wouldn't expect these to be there, but some of the old ones may be.

Fix the bugs;
Track Header names: change the font colour to get a better contrast. The text is almost invisible if there is a colour applied to a track;
Dubbing: add in a way to connect to MusicMaker, Samplitude Pro Xx, Samplitude Music Studio, if installed, for dubbing, similar to what is under the Share tab in Movie Edit Pro. The way it works is that once the program is selected, an AV mixdown is done, saved automatically and opened in the other program;
Project Folder: add feature to export to csv file;
Effects, Brightness/Contrast, Gamma: split this into the 3 parts with sliders for each, along with one for the overall effect;
Effects, Brightness/Contrast, Curves: would it be feasible if they could be keyframed?
Mixer: Add track names and track colours for each strip;
Under Effects, Color, modify the White Point color picker to be like the new color picker user interface that shows the readout of RGB values, or something similar or
Add in a pipette (under Brightness/Contrast or always available under Effects) that would give the RGB values as the pipette moves around;
Alternatively, add a status bar readout while hovering the mouse over the preview or source monitor, e.g. to include: x,y coordinates, rgb, yuv triplets etc. as is common in graphics programs;
Plugin for SmartSound Sonic Fire Pro;
Object tracking and keyframing for x,y position: show path of selected object on Preview monitor;
Add a title dropdown menu to the toolbar beside the Title T button containing the titles that are under Own in the titles menu, or add Preferences to both places where users could copy/add preferred Titles and Own titles;
Export to a text file or csv the "Used files" under "Movie information" of the Project Settings;
Audio: add in the scopes like those in AML, at least the Peakmeter & Spectroscope;
Modify the Remix Agent to be able to input a BPM and able to modify it with a slider, I often have trouble getting the right beat. And, for tapping, allow it to be by bar or beat. For some faster beats, it is hard to tap the beat correctly, but easier to hit the bars;
Modify the sequence of effects by dragging one up or down in the Effects window keyframing area. This was discussed and is probably not feasible;
Modify the sequence of links to folders under the import tab by dragging one up or down rather than having to right-click, move up or down once, repeat;
Project Temp Folder again: all of the clips in all movies show up together. By default, it would be good to have them put in subfolders under the movie;
Object trimmer - add total length of selected clip to the bottom right. Without this, we don't know how far we are from the right side of a trimmed object;
Edit trimmer (X fade) - add total length of the left object to the bottom left. Without this, we don't know how far we are from the right end of a trimmed object (the left one);
Markers - add ability to have object markers that are linked to an object and move with the object. Presently, inserting objects upstream and moving everything to the right leaves the Project marker in its previous location, and out of sync with where it was intended to be. All other Project markers to the right are also out of sync;
Waveform change when volume increased: Increasing the volume or normalizing an object changes the shading off the upper and lower parts of the audio object; no change to the height of the waveform. Add having the waveform change height when adjusting volume, normalizing, adjusting volume curve, as it does in AML and Samplitude.
Application of a LUT should reflect in the Color / Brightness / Contrast / Gamma sliders so you can see what effect has been adjusted and tweak slightly from there - especially useful in further Curves adjustments.
Add an indicator at each edge of the clip showing that it had been trimmed - perhaps just a coloured bar and a number of secs and frames that remained beyond the ends.
Project Temp Folder again: Add in one more level of folders, so that there are sub-folders.
Preview Audio Waveform in Source Window: to be able to trim the audio file visually, not just audibly, before importing. This will require creating the waveform upon previewing the audio file and is probably not feasible.
Ability to use x, y values of plugins for object tracking: example, NB Spotlight would follow someone's face.
Shot Match: same as for LUT's above, should reflect in the Color / Brightness / Contrast / Gamma sliders and other sliders so you can see what effect has been adjusted and tweak slightly from there - especially useful in further Curves adjustments. Right now, we don't know what it took to get the shot to match.
Shot Match: add in an intensity slider like in MEP.
OFX - increase capability of X,Y and size to that of Size/Position, i.e. ability to drag and resize object on the Preview Monitor.
SoundTrack Maker - Change this out for the new Song Maker (once the bugs are worked out) as per Music Maker 2021, with the ability to use the styles/Soundpools that come with VPX/MEP and SoundPools obtained through the Store in MusicMaker or from ProducerPlanet. And, find a better way to limit the duration to be close to the requested duration.

Potential Plugins:

SonicFire Smart Sound plugin;
Red Giant - Knoll Light upgrade with possibility to keyframe - meaning able to fade in/out the effect (this came with MEP2015 Premium, I believe, not with VPX, and cannot keyframe);
Red Giant - Particular - but a faster version than that supplied a few years with a competitor's nle
Red Giant - Looks (did not get reinstalled for some reason) - but upgraded to SE which has adjustment controls. There is a version issued a few years ago with a competitor's nle that is very good, similar to that issued with Xara a couple of years ago;
Neat Video - I have it but others have expressed interest;
proDad VitaScene;
proDad Heroglyph V4 LE - this came with VPX6. A newer better version would be appreciated. Need perpetual license;
Something from Pixelan (I have the entire suite) like the new Creative Effects package or 3D Six-Pack;
Something from Boris. Boris OFX work in VPX/MEP. Boris gave away the Titler OFX and Particle Illusion SAL.

Edit 20190530: added point 23.

Edit 20190531: added points 24 and 25 as per Peter's post.

Edit 20190608: added points 26 to 30 and a list of potential plugins.

Edit 20200707: added points 31 and 32 and general cleanup noting that some requests may not be feasible.

John CB

Comments

Recycler wrote on 5/29/2019, 3:03 PM

I would add "a simple control to create an offset between audio and video, adjustable either way. Perhaps in fractional seconds and in frames, for individual clips ,groups of clips or whole timeline." Thanks.

browj2 wrote on 5/30/2019, 7:49 AM

@Recycler

Hi,

There is already right-click, "Set audio-video offset" at the frame level as per the screen below. It only works on one clip at a time.

Having it do this on a group could be problematic since in order to do the offset on clips that have not been trimmed, the clips will be trimmed leaving gaps and possibly making a big mess.

One would have to have to think of importing with some frames trimmed at start/end (Program settings) before applying audio-video offset across the board.

John CB

Recycler wrote on 5/30/2019, 8:21 AM

@browj2 : thank you, noted! - Mike -

Scenestealer wrote on 5/30/2019, 8:36 PM

@browj2

Some good suggestions there John.

Point 20) and 21) - I would like to see this info too but as an indicator at the edge of the clip showing that it had been trimmed - perhaps just a coloured bar and a number of secs and frames that remained beyond the ends. I think Pinnacle Liquid had something like this back in the bad old days.

Point 17) Modify the sequence of effects - Can you explain what advantage this would give please?

Point 23) Waveform change when volume increased: - Would like this very much - in fact I am sure this used to happen in early versions of MEP.

Point 5) Effects, Brightness/Contrast, Gamma: split this into the 3 parts with sliders for each, along with one for the overall effect. Yes an overall level slider to increase all the effects in that window would be great and on the same note - There is an overall effect slider in the Shot Match of MEP which is not there in VPX where I find the automatic application over does the correction.

Add:-

Point 24) Application of a LUT should reflect in the Color / Brightness / Contrast / Gamma sliders so you can see what effect has been adjusted and tweak slightly from there - especially useful in further Curves adjustments.

Audio Video Offset - Strange that this trims the clip as well seeing as you usually use this to correct a slippage. It should be possible to just drag across the audio track with Alt+something to just slide the audio under the clip like you can do with the picture these days?

Peter

johnebaker wrote on 5/31/2019, 3:55 AM

@Scenestealer

. . . . Modify the sequence of effects - Can you explain what advantage this would give please? . . . .

Yesterday I was trying to correct an image using Rotation - to straighten it up a bit, 3D Distortion to correct a parallax error and Section - to get the portion I required.

No matter what order I applied the effects I could not get the section 'square' as I wanted, the effects appear to be applied in the order Rotation, Section, 3D Distortion.

I ended up correcting the image in PSP.

HTH

John EB

Scenestealer wrote on 5/31/2019, 5:54 AM

@johnebaker

Thanks John but how would changing the order help in your case? If you mean that applying section makes it too hard to tweak the other effects wouldn't unticking the section effect in the KF timeline disable it while adjusting the other two?

BTW and I am sure you are aware that you can use the Lens Correction Effect to just change the parallax. Maybe that would apply at a different place in the order.

Peter

johnebaker wrote on 5/31/2019, 7:20 AM

@Scenestealer

Hi Peter

. . . . aware that you can use the Lens Correction Effect to just change the parallax . . . .

Unfortunately that effect does not have enough movements, unlike the 3D Distortion, to correct the parallax and parallelism of the image.

The subject was a sloping sign and I was slightly off centre and not at right angles to the face of the sign - the only one out of 6 shots of similar signs 😡

John EB

browj2 wrote on 5/31/2019, 8:20 AM

Point 20) and 21) - I would like to see this info too but as an indicator at the edge of the clip showing that it had been trimmed - perhaps just a coloured bar and a number of secs and frames that remained beyond the ends. I think Pinnacle Liquid had something like this back in the bad old days.

Point 17) Modify the sequence of effects - Can you explain what advantage this would give please?

Point 23) Waveform change when volume increased: - Would like this very much - in fact I am sure this used to happen in early versions of MEP.

Point 5) Effects, Brightness/Contrast, Gamma: split this into the 3 parts with sliders for each, along with one for the overall effect. Yes an overall level slider to increase all the effects in that window would be great and on the same note - There is an overall effect slider in the Shot Match of MEP which is not there in VPX where I find the automatic application over does the correction.

Add:-

Point 24) Application of a LUT should reflect in the Color / Brightness / Contrast / Gamma sliders so you can see what effect has been adjusted and tweak slightly from there - especially useful in further Curves adjustments.

Audio Video Offset - Strange that this trims the clip as well seeing as you usually use this to correct a slippage. It should be possible to just drag across the audio track with Alt+something to just slide the audio under the clip like you can do with the picture these days?

Peter

@Scenestealer

Hi Peter,

Thanks for pitching in.

Points 20 & 21: Excellent. I will add this in at the end. It has been annoying not knowing if a clip has been trimmed and at which end.

Point 17: It's not something that I have had problems with often. I have in the past wanted to change the sequence (effects after Neat Video should be before), but this was rare. I used a manual method, duplicate clip, remove some effects, copy effects back one at a time from the duplicate, or something like that. Or, remove several effects and redo in a different order. Of course, reordering effects usually means fixing them afterwards when one effect affects another effect. It seems to be important to users of Vegas, and I will ask them. This has been discussed on the Vegas forum several times in comparisons of VPX with Vegas.

Point 23: I was under the same impression. I checked back on MEP2015 and VPX6, and the waveform did not change.

Point 5: Shot match. I looked at both MEP and VPX. VPX has Enhance Manually. Have you tried this? Note in the image below that I did several manual enhancements. I'll add in the intensity slider to the list.

Point 24: will be added.

Audio/Video offset: To be able to move the object content, the clip first has to be trimmed, otherwise, the audio will move away from the video start and end locations. There are already 2 ways to do this.

a. Hold down Alt and dragging the audio moves the audio part relative to the video part.

b. Move command: selecting the Move button and moving moves both video and audio. Ungroup, and Move moves just the trimmed audio within the object, then regroup. To keep them grouped, then a separate command, button, or setting would be needed to indicate to move just the contents of the object over which the cursor is located, not both.

I find that the Alt and Move commands are nice, but not precise, and adjusting the audio usually requires precision. What do you think?

John CB

johnebaker wrote on 5/31/2019, 10:29 AM

@browj2, @Scenestealer

To add to point 23 - there appear to have been several versions of displaying Normalisation

In MEP 17 and 2015 the volume adjustment diamond moves up when the audio is normalised

from MEP 17

In MEP 2013 and 2014 - the darker bar appears when audio is normalised - the height appears to indicate how much below 0dB(?) the peak signal level was, the volume adjustment diamond does not move

In MEP 2016 and 2019, and VPX the dark bar appears normally and then reduces height when audio is normalised ie - the height appears to indicate how much below 0dB(?) the peak signal level is, and the volume adjustment diamond moves up.

HTH

John EB

Scenestealer wrote on 6/1/2019, 12:04 AM

Hi JohnCB

Point 17: It's not something that I have had problems with often. I have in the past wanted to change the sequence (effects after Neat Video should be before), but this was rare. I used a manual method, duplicate clip, remove some effects, copy effects back one at a time from the duplicate, or something like that. Or, remove several effects and redo in a different order. Of course, reordering effects usually means fixing them afterwards when one effect affects another effect. It seems to be important to users of Vegas, and I will ask them. This has been discussed on the Vegas forum several times in comparisons of VPX with Vegas.

Wouldn't just turning the individual effects on and off after applying them, by unticking the effect in the media pool Effects timeline, achieve the same thing?

Point 23: I was under the same impression. I checked back on MEP2015 and VPX6, and the waveform did not change.

I was talking way back and found MEP2005 !!! on an old laptop. Hitting Normalize it searched for the peak and then popped the height of the waveform up to the top of the track - Beautiful!

Dragging the handle up did not change the waveform though but dragging it down below 0db actually lowered the whole audio clip height within the track height.

Point 5: Shot match. I looked at both MEP and VPX. VPX has Enhance Manually. Have you tried this?

Yes I only use this method but after doing it once or twice I usually give up and just do the the adjustment with the normal Video efects sliders and scopes. For Shot match to be useful it really needs to be a one or two shot process. The intensity / mix slider would help a lot I think. Have you had good results applying it manually to several colours in the scene?

I find that the Alt and Move commands are nice, but not precise, and adjusting the audio usually requires precision. What do you think?

I agree, it would need to be precise but I guess you would expand the timeline in order to see the waveform during this operation, and get added accuracy there.

Another big one for me would be to bundle Neat Video for Magix Plugin.....

Peter

browj2 wrote on 6/1/2019, 10:46 AM

@Scenestealer

Hi Peter,

I wrote up the following last night, took too long, didn't do a copy to clipboard, unable to post because I got logged out. We need more time!

Further to your comments about seeing the effects produced by adding a LUT and Shot Match, I think the same would apply for Shot Match. I would like to see the effects produced from the Shot Match, not just Shot Match.

As for your last comments:

#17 reordering effects: I went through some testing today. I had some strange things happen. After setting a bunch of colour type effects, starting with Brightness and Contrast, when I went back and made an adjustment to Brightness, it jumped to the bottom of the list. I just tried again and it doesn't happen. I'll have to watch for whatever it is that causes this.

It seems that VPX does not have sequencing issues for the most part. I copied brightness, deleted it from list, pasted it and it went to the bottom. I couldn't see any difference in the final result.

I don't know about the impact of turning off and on the effect, but VPX seems to figure out everything. I tried a Pixelan FilmTouch effect followed by some Brightness Contrast effects. I copied FilmTouch to the clipboard, deleted the effect, pasted it to get it at the end, and I don't see any difference.

Neat Video requires effects to be done first. Deleting, modifying or applying Video Effects afterwards has no impact. NV takes total control. View/Animation, of course, does modify the object. So Neat Video is a special case.

Some Vegas users have replied as to why they need to be able to reorder effects. So far as I can tell from my testing, none are applicable to VPX, and even with Vegas, the arguments are weak.

#5 Shot match: mixed results, but usually it gets close, and then I can tweak the results. Adding the manual enhancements gave interesting results. In some cases, I got very close results. Bernadette's red winter coat, for example, turned out nicely once, greatly saturated in another test. The two shots do have to be similar in order for the effect to work best.

Audio offset: You are right. Zooming in close to frame level helps for precise adjustments and you can move the audio to whatever you want with the Alt key releasing grouping with the video part. VPX allows less than frame level (in MEP, it's only by frame); the Audio offset interface is only by frame. Turning on the Move command and holding down the Alt key, dragging moves the audio within the confines of the object, but only if the clip has been pre-trimmed.

Turning off the Move command, holding down the Alt key and dragging moves the audio object w.r.t the video object, so going towards the left would move the left end of the audio away from the left end of the video. The right end of the audio will also move and there will now be no audio with the last part of the video. So, you would have to trim the left part of the audio and the right part of the video. Using the Audio offset does this automatically, but only to frame level.

For plugins (Neat Video), I'll add in the same list that I had in the original post with Mathias, and we can go from there.

John CB

gmlotkow wrote on 6/3/2019, 10:37 AM

What I would like to see is an upgrade from Magix that installs correctly without removing the previous version. Maybe in VPX12??

Zkuggi wrote on 6/7/2019, 5:19 PM

I would LOVE to see audio waveform along with the video in the source window (trim window).

Audio is a huge factor while setting in and out points on a clip and having it visually in front of you while trimming is really helpful.

This has been around in Vegas Pro for many years now.

nah-nah wrote on 6/10/2019, 11:58 PM

I want see some support for newer 360 cameras like those from Insta360 that use 5.7K (current limitation is 4K 360 video).

browj2 wrote on 7/7/2020, 7:42 AM

It seems that the wishlist is still a wishlist one year later.

I have updated the list in the first post, adding point 31 and cleaning up a few things.

31. OFX - increase capability of X,Y and size to that of Size/Position, i.e. ability to drag and resize object on the Preview Monitor.

The point in the post by @Zkuggi - I presume that means in the Source window of the Edit and Object Trimmers. I can't see how that could be done as what is in the window is a single image, whereas the waveform is constant. The trimmer is for trimming at a particular image, which is different from trimming at some point on a the waveform. Interesting idea though, but it's probably just as easy to zoom in on the timeline with the waveform on a separate track and cut there.

Added:

32. SoundTrack Maker - Change this out for the new Song Maker (once the bugs are worked out) as per Music Maker 2021, with the ability to use the styles/Soundpools that come with VPX/MEP and SoundPools obtained through the Store in MusicMaker or from ProducerPlanet. And, find a better way to limit the duration to be close to the requested duration.

John CB

CubeAce wrote on 7/8/2020, 5:47 AM

Hi John.

For all versions of MEP please.

Along with the ability to select our own colour schemes please for the boxes / tracks. You can do it in Objects so why not?

[Edit]

Sorry, I see you have it down as number two on the list. Didn't realise they are called track headers.

Ray.

johnebaker wrote on 7/8/2020, 7:39 AM

@CubeAce

Hi Ray

Do you mean like this?

IMHO there is a reason for the more subdued colours - clarity and stopping colour conflict. I used a program many years ago that would allow backgrounds to be any colour you wished - it was a nightmare on the eyes - get the combinations wrong and the objects appeared to move.

John EB

CubeAce wrote on 7/8/2020, 10:27 AM

@johnebaker

Hi John.

Yes but as you pointed out to me about epilepsy and flash rates, I feel having limited pallets or at least not being able to change the text colour doesn't make it inclusive to those having difficulty. I suppose if you are using a monitor larger than 28" it may make it easier, I haven't tried putting MEP onto a TV screen or larger monitor. Also when working with more than one screen it puts that info to the extreme left of my visual field as I sit in front of the right monitor for the editing screen.

Place the image below on the screen you don't face and look across. Or even if you don't and tell me what is on Track 3.

I my opinion, even when a Track is not colour coded it's not a lot better. There is little contrast although a larger monitor may help, I wouldn't know. Mine are 28".

Ray.

browj2 wrote on 7/8/2020, 10:39 AM

@johnebaker @CubeAce

The point is that the text is so faint that on one of my monitors (27"), it is almost invisible, better on the other one (25") until I scroll across it. There is very little contrast. I would like to see the text default the brightness of when one scrolls over it, and brighter for scrolling over.

John CB

johnebaker wrote on 7/8/2020, 10:55 AM

@CubeAce

. . . . Yes but as you pointed out to me about epilepsy and flash rates . . .

That has to do with flashing in videos, background track colours are a different subject, it is just the choice of colours that is restricted.

You will have noticed that many programs now have grey backgrounds and more subdued colour buttons, icons etc.

@browj2

Hi John

I agree with having mouse over highlighting and it should be adjustable for strength.

John EB

CubeAce wrote on 7/8/2020, 11:16 AM

@johnebaker

Hi John.

As the default setting yes. A lot are still customisable beyond that and don't suffer the low contrast problems.

There are people out there whose eyesight is challenged is various ways but still do photography and videography. I have worked with such people in the past. They have to use additional methods of being able to work and to rely to some degree on automation.

If the option is there is doesn't have to be used.

My main concern though is the same as John CBs. Easy to read text within the track header.

The rest of the colour scheme I could live with although my other main programs allow the contrast between buttons, meters, controls, text, etc to be altered to taste. I also find within MEP that when opening the mixer or an effects channel that they sometimes take up too much space on the screen for some ways that I work.

I suppose there is a lot that could be done but maybe at the expense of performance as the running code gets larger.

Ray.