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Pinnacle Pinnacle Studio for Dazzle Manual

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Pinnacle Studio for Dazzle
Version 1.0
Your Life in Movies
2
Pinnacle Studio
Copyright ©2013 Corel Corporation. All rights reserved.
Please respect the Rights of Artists and Creators. Content such as music,
photos, video and celebrity images are protected by the laws of many
countries. You may not use other people’s content unless you own the rights
or have the permission of the owner.
This product or portions thereof are protected in the United States by one or
more of the following United States Patents: 5,495,291; 6,469,711; 6,532,043;
6,901,211; 7,124,366; 7,165,219; 7,286,132; 7,301,092 and 7,500,176; and in
Europe by one or more of the following European Patents: 0695094 and
0916136. Other patents are pending.
Mpegable DS 2.2 ©2004 Dicas Digital Image Coding GmbH. Portions of
this product were created using LEADTOOLS ©1991-2006, LEAD
Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved. Portions utilize Windows Media
Technologies ©1999-2005 Microsoft Corporation MPEG Layer II Audio
by QDesign Corp. This product is based in part on the work of the
Independent JPEG Group.
No part of this manual may be copied or distributed, transmitted, transcribed,
stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any human or computer
language, in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic,
manual, or otherwise, without the express written permission of Corel
Corporation.
Corel Corporation
385 Ravendale Drive
Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
Table of contents
3
Table of contents
BEFORE YOU START IX
Abbreviations and conventions .............................................................. ix
Help and on-line help ............................................................................. xi
CHAPTER 1: USING PINNACLE STUDIO 1
The Library .............................................................................................. 3
The Movie Editor and the Disc Editor ..................................................... 6
The media editors .................................................................................... 7
The Player ................................................................................................ 8
Pinnacle Studio Projects .......................................................................... 9
CHAPTER 2: THE LIBRARY 11
Understanding the Library ..................................................................... 14
Location tabs ......................................................................................... 16
The Asset Tree ...................................................................................... 17
Collections ............................................................................................ 19
Managing Library assets ....................................................................... 21
The Browser ......................................................................................... 24
Thumbnails and details ......................................................................... 25
Optional indicators and controls ........................................................... 28
The Library preview ............................................................................. 31
Using the Library .................................................................................... 35
Choosing what to display ...................................................................... 35
Tags ...................................................................................................... 38
Correcting media ................................................................................... 41
Video scene detection ........................................................................... 42
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Pinnacle Studio
CHAPTER 3: THE MOVIE EDITOR 51
The project timeline ................................................................................. 55
Timeline fundamentals ......................................................................... 55
The timeline toolbar .............................................................................. 60
The timeline track header ..................................................................... 67
Timeline audio functions ...................................................................... 69
Editing movies ......................................................................................... 69
Adding clips to the timeline .................................................................. 71
Title Editor, voice-over ......................................................................... 75
Deleting clips ........................................................................................ 76
Clip operations ...................................................................................... 76
Using the Clipboard .............................................................................. 88
Speed .................................................................................................... 89
Movies within movies ........................................................................... 91
Transitions ............................................................................................ 92
Clip effects ............................................................................................ 98
Clip context menus ............................................................................... 99
CHAPTER 4: MEDIA EDITING: CORRECTIONS 101
Media editing overview ...................................................................... 103
Correcting photos .................................................................................. 108
Photo editing tools .............................................................................. 109
Photo corrections ................................................................................ 110
Correcting video .................................................................................... 115
Video tools .......................................................................................... 116
Video corrections ................................................................................ 119
Correcting audio .................................................................................... 122
CHAPTER 5: MEDIA EDITING: EFFECTS 123
Effects in the media editors ................................................................ 125
Effects on the timeline ........................................................................ 129
The Settings panel .............................................................................. 131
Working with keyframes .................................................................... 133
Video and photo effects ...................................................................... 135
Working with transitions .................................................................... 140
Table of contents
5
Pan-and-zoom ..................................................................................... 141
CHAPTER 6: MONTAGE 145
Note: Montage is disabled in the Pinnacle Studio for Dazzle version;
upgrade to Pinnacle Studio 16 to use the Montage feature.
The Montage section of the Library ................................................... 147
Using Montage templates ...................................................................... 148
Montage clips on the timeline ............................................................. 149
Anatomy of a template ........................................................................ 151
Montage Editing .................................................................................... 154
Using the Montage Editor ................................................................... 155
CHAPTER 7: THE TITLE EDITOR 157
Launching (and leaving) the Title Editor ............................................ 159
The Library ............................................................................................ 160
Creating and editing titles ..................................................................... 166
Background settings ........................................................................... 168
Look settings ...................................................................................... 169
The Edit window ................................................................................ 173
Text and text settings .......................................................................... 175
The Layer List ....................................................................................... 181
Working with the Layer List ............................................................... 182
CHAPTER 8: SOUND AND MUSIC 191
The Audio Editor ................................................................................... 193
Audio on the timeline ............................................................................ 204
Timeline audio functions .................................................................... 204
Audio creation tools ............................................................................... 211
The Voice-over tool ............................................................................ 214
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CHAPTER 9: DISC PROJECTS 217
Disc menus ......................................................................................... 218
Adding disc menus ............................................................................. 221
Previewing disc menus ....................................................................... 223
Menu editing on the timeline ................................................................ 225
Timeline menu markers 225
Authoring tools 226
The Chapter Wizard ............................................................................ 229
The Menu Editor ................................................................................... 232
Menu buttons ...................................................................................... 233
The Disc Simulator ................................................................................ 235
CHAPTER 10: THE IMPORTER 237
Using the Importer .............................................................................. 238
Importer panels ..................................................................................... 240
The Import From panel ....................................................................... 240
The Import To panel ........................................................................... 243
The Mode panel .................................................................................. 246
The Scene Detection Options window ................................................ 249
The Filename panel ............................................................................ 251
Selecting assets for import .................................................................... 253
Import from file .................................................................................. 253
Selecting files for Import .................................................................... 254
Scan for assets .................................................................................... 260
Import from DV or HDV camera ........................................................ 261
Import from analog sources ................................................................ 265
Import from DVD or Blu-ray Disc ..................................................... 266
Import from digital cameras ............................................................... 267
Snapshot ............................................................................................. 269
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CHAPTER 11: THE EXPORTER 273
Output to disc or memory card ............................................................ 276
Output to file .......................................................................................... 280
Output to cloud ...................................................................................... 289
Output to a device ................................................................................. 293
CHAPTER 12: SETUP 297
Watchfolders ....................................................................................... 298
Audio device ....................................................................................... 298
Event logging ...................................................................................... 298
Import ................................................................................................. 298
Keyboard ............................................................................................ 300
Preview ............................................................................................... 301
Project settings .................................................................................... 303
Storage locations ................................................................................. 304
APPENDIX A: TROUBLESHOOTING ............................... 305
Contacting support ................................................................................ 306
Top support issues ................................................................................. 307
Compatibility with past content .......................................................... 307
Capture hardware compatibility .......................................................... 310
Serial number information .................................................................. 311
Error or crash while installing ............................................................. 312
Hangs or crashes while launching ....................................................... 314
Troubleshooting software crashes ...................................................... 315
Export problems .................................................................................. 320
Disc playback problems ...................................................................... 321
Resources, tutorials and training ......................................................... 323
APPENDIX B: VIDEOGRAPHY 325
Creating a shooting plan ..................................................................... 325
Editing ................................................................................................ 326
Rules of thumb for video editing ........................................................ 329
Soundtrack production ........................................................................ 331
Title ..................................................................................................... 332
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APPENDIX C: GLOSSARY 333
APPENDIX D: KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS 347
APPENDIX E: THE INSTALLATION MANAGER 353
The Welcome Screen .......................................................................... 355
Plugs-ins and bonus content ............................................................... 357
Equipment requirements ..................................................................... 358
INDEX 361
Before you start
9
Before you start
Thank you for purchasing Pinnacle Studio. We hope you enjoy using
the software.
If you are new to Pinnacle Studio, we recommend that you keep the
manual handy for reference even if you don’t actually read it all the
way through.
In order to ensure that your movie-making experience gets off on the
right foot, please review the topics below before continuing to
Chapter 1: Using Pinnacle Studio. We also recommend
consideration of the product’s equipment requirements, which are
given on page 358 in Appendix E: The Installation Manager.
Abbreviations and conventions
This guide uses the following conventions to help organize the
material.
Common terms
AVCHD: A video data format used by some high-definition
camcorders, and for creating DVD discs that can be read on Blu-ray
players. Successful editing of AVCHD files requires more
computing power than other formats supported by Pinnacle Studio.
DV: This term refers to DV and Digital8 camcorders, VCRs and
tapes.
HDV: A ‘high-definition video’ format that allows video in frame
sizes of 1280x720 or 1440x1080 to be recorded in MPEG-2 format
on DV media.
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Pinnacle Studio
1394: The term ‘1394’ applies to OHCI-compliant IEEE-1394,
FireWire, DV or i.LINK interfaces, ports and cables.
Analog: The term ‘analog’ applies to 8mm, Hi8, VHS, SVHS, VHS-
C or SVHS-C camcorders, VCRs and tapes, and to Composite/RCA
and S-Video cables and connectors.
Buttons, menus, dialog boxes and windows
Names of buttons, menus and related items are written in italics to
distinguish them from the surrounding text, whereas window and
dialog names are written with initial capital letters. For example:
Click the Edit menu button to open your menu in the Menu Editor.
Choosing menu commands
The right arrowhead symbol () denotes the path for hierarchical
menu items. For example:
Select File Burn Disc Image.
Context menus
A ‘context menu’ is a pop-up list of commands that appears when
you click with the right mouse-button on certain areas of the
application interface. Depending where you click, a context menu
may pertain either to an editable object (like a clip on an editing
timeline), to a window, or to a zone such as a control panel. Once
open, context menus behave just like the ones on the main menu bar.
Context menus are available in most parts of the Pinnacle Studio
interface. Our documentation generally takes for granted that you
know how to open and use them.
Mouse clicks
When a mouse click is required, the default is always a left-click
unless otherwise specified, or unless the click is to open a context
menu:
Right-click and select Title Editor. (Or, one might say, “Select
Title Editor from the context menu.”)
Before you start
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1
Key names
Key names are spelled with an initial capital and are underlined. A
plus sign denotes a key combination. For example:
Press Ctrl+A to select all the clips on the timeline.
Please refer to Appendix D: Keyboard shortcuts for a comprehensive
table of available shortcuts.
Help and on-line help
Immediate help is available while you are working in Pinnacle
Studio, both inside the program and on-line.
Help file: To open the Pinnacle Studio help
file, press F1, or click the help button in the
main menu bar and choose Help.
Tool tips: To find out what a button or other Studio control does,
pause your mouse pointer over it. A ‘tool tip’ pops up, like ‘Help
(F1)’ in the illustration above, to explain the control’s function.
Enhanced tool tips: For some features, more information is
available through enhanced tool tips, which you can turn on by
clicking the help button and choosing Show enhanced tool tips.
These provide links to video tutorials with in-depth information If
you don’t wish to have the link displayed, click the x button in the
extended tool tip, or uncheck the option in the Help menu.
The extended tool tip for the Library tab.
Click the video icon to start the tutorial.
Chapter 1: Using Pinnacle Studio
CHAPTER 1:
Using Pinnacle Studio
For a simple outline of the digital movie-making process, you don’t
have to look any further than the central tab group of Pinnacle
Studio’s main window. The same steps apply to any type of
production, from an unpretentious slideshow with dissolves between
each frame to a 3D extravaganza containing hundreds of carefully-
arranged clips and effects.
Pinnacle Studio’s main control bar
summarizes the movie-making process.
The Importer
Import, on the left, is a preparatory step. It involves procedures like
‘capturing’ video from your analog or DV camcorder, bringing in
photos from a digital camera, and copying media files to your local
hard drive from a network location.
The Pinnacle Studio Importer provides tools for these tasks, along
with a Snapshot feature for grabbing frames from video files, and a
Stop motion tool for building up video frame-by-frame. See Chapter
10: The Importer for details.
File menu import commands: Choosing Import from the file menu
has the same effect as clicking the Import tab: it opens the Importer.
The menu provides three other import-related choices as well. Each
Pinnacle Studio
of these opens a Windows file dialog to permit import of files from a
hard drive or other local storage.
•
Import previous Pinnacle Studio Projects lets you load movie
projects created with earlier versions of Studio.
•
Import Studio for iPad App Projects lets you bring in projects
exported from Studio’s companion app for the iPad.
•
Quick Import lets you directly select ordinary media files – photo,
video, audio and project – for import.
Principal controls in the Importer’s Snapshot tool.
The Exporter
At the other end of the movie-making process is Export. By the time
you get to this stage, the hard part of the task is behind you. The
creative energy that went into making your movie has paid off in a
production that now lacks only one ingredient – an audience.
The Pinnacle Studio Exporter helps you over that last hurdle with
tools for taking your movie to its viewers, whoever and wherever
they might be. Create a digital movie file in the format of your
choice, burn a DVD, or upload directly to destinations in the Cloud
like YouTube and Vimeo, or to your personal Cloud-based storage
area in Box.
Chapter 1: Using Pinnacle Studio
Like the Importer, the Exporter opens in a separate window, and
returns to the main window after its work is done. Turn to Chapter
11: The Exporter to learn more.
Preparing to create a video file in the Exporter.
The central tabs
The three central tabs, Library, Movie and Disc, are where most of
your work in Pinnacle Studio takes place. The first of these opens
the main view of the Library, where you can ‘curate’ your media
collections.
The other tabs open the two project editors, one for digital movies,
and the other for disc projects, which are digital movies enhanced
with interactivity in the form of DVD menus.
The Library
The Library is a cataloguing and management tool for all the file-
based resources – or assets – that you can draw on when authoring.
Almost all of the materials of your movie – video footage, music and
audio files, and many specialized resources such as transitions and
effects – originate as assets in the Library. Many Library assets are
Pinnacle Studio
supplied with Pinnacle Studio, and are available for royalty-free use.
These include professionally-designed titles, DVD menus, and
Montages in both 2D and stereoscopic 3D.
The Library uses watchfolders for keeping up automatically with the
changing population of media files on your system. On the
watchfolders page of the Pinnacle Studio Setup control panel, enter
the names of your media directories, especially those that you update
frequently. Thereafter the Library will scan those directories
regularly for changes, and update itself as needed. See
“Watchfolders” on page 298 for details.
Main view: When you click the Library tab, the Library takes over
the main window. This ‘main view’ gives you spacious access to a
number of cataloguing and search tools, including those for
categorizing assets by means of ratings and tags, and those for
creating user-defined asset collections.
Compact view: The ‘compact view’ of the Library squeezes
virtually the whole functionality of the main view into a panel
embedded within certain other windows, such as the Movie Editor
and the Disc Editor. The primary purpose of the compact view is to
allow assets to be brought into a movie or disc project from the
Library by drag-and-drop.
The main view of the Library consists of navigation controls for
exploring the catalog structure (left) and a browser for examining
and selecting assets (right).
Chapter 1: Using Pinnacle Studio
Player: The tools available from within the Library include the
Player, a viewer that works for all media types handled by the
application. When used from the main view of the Library, the
Player opens in a separate window. When the compact Library is
used, an embedded version of the Player appears in the same
window. See “The Player” on page 8 for further information.
Previewing a Library video asset in the resizable Player window,
with full transport controls including a shuttle wheel. You can
work in the main window while the pop-up Player is open.
For comprehensive coverage of the Library and its uses, please see
Chapter 2: The Library.
The next step
The next step, once you know your way around the Library and have
made any changes needed to the default set-up, is to start creating a
movie.
Pinnacle Studio
The Movie Editor and the Disc Editor
Once you have gathered your materials together and organized them
to your satisfaction in the Library, it’s time to get to work on a video
or a slideshow. If you are working on a disc production specifically,
you can immediately start work in the Disc Editor, which is just like
the Movie Editor but has extra tools for creating and setting up DVD
menus. The Disc Editor is described in Chapter 9: Disc projects.
If you aren’t planning on creating a disc, or aren’t sure, or if disc is
only one of the output media you are targeting, the Movie Editor is
the right place to start. Once your movie is completed, you can
export it to the Disc Editor and add the menus.
The Movie Editor and the Disc Editor exist side-by-side, but apart
from the export feature just mentioned, they do not interact. If you
want, you can have a regular movie project and a disc project loaded
simultaneously, and switch from one to another at will.
In both the Movie Editor and the Disc Editor, a multitrack
timeline occupies the lower part of the display. Most of the ‘clips’
on the timeline come from the Library; a few types, like automatic
background music, are generated with special tools.
Chapter 1: Using Pinnacle Studio
Both project editors include embedded versions of the Library and
the Player in addition to the timeline display. To build a project, drag
assets from the Compact Library onto the timeline tracks or
Storyboard area of the project editor, where they are known as
‘clips’. Both the Movie Editor and the Disc Editor can be used with
stereoscopic 3D as well as 2D material.
The preview type control above the Player lets you switch between
viewing the current Library asset (‘source’) and the current timeline
clip. In the Disc Editor, an additional preview type (‘menu’) lets you
use the Player as an editor for linking disc menus to points on the
timeline.
Timeline editing, a central activity in project authoring, is covered in
detail in Chapter 3: The Movie Editor.
The media editors
Additional windows are often needed for working with particular
types of media. In general, you can open an editor window
appropriate to any asset or clip by double-clicking the item.
Corrections from the Library: The editors for the standard media
types of video, photo and audio are particularly important. When
invoked from the Library (by double-clicking an asset), each of these
editors provides a suite of correction tools appropriate to its media
type. These tools can be applied directly to Library assets in order to
remove camera shake from video, trim unwanted material from a
photo, or suppress audio hiss, to give just a few examples.
When a correction is applied to a Library asset, the media file is not
modified. Instead the correction parameters are saved in the Library
database. They can be altered at any time, or removed, as your needs
dictate. The corrections you make in the Library are brought with the
asset when you add it to your timeline as a clip.
Corrections from the timeline: When you open one of the standard
media editors by double-clicking a timeline clip, the correction tools
Pinnacle Studio
are again available, but in this context they apply only to the clip in
the project, not to the underlying Library asset.
Transitions and Effects: When they are invoked from a project’s
timeline, the media editors also offer a wide-range of enhancements
for all three media types in the transition in, transition out, and
effects groups.
Transitions let you punctuate the passage of one clip to the next with
anything from a barely perceptible dissolve to an audience-
awakening flare.
Effects range from the practical (Brightness and contrast) to the
theatrical (Fractal fire). They can be animated with keyframed
parameters to any degree of complexity, providing innumerable
ways to add creative interest to your productions. Some effects are
particularly designed for 3D material, and it is even possible to give
a 3D appearance to 2D footage (using the S3D depth control).
Pan-and-zoom: The Photo Editor provides one more tool, pan-and-
zoom, of its own. Like the effects just discussed, pan-and-zoom can
be animated with keyframes to create any desired combination of
simulated pan and zoom camera moves within the boundaries of a
single photo.
The Correction tools, and the media editors in general, are the
subject of Chapter 4: Media editing: Corrections. The effects, and
the pan-and-zoom tool, are described in Chapter 5: Media editing:
Effects.
The Player
The Player is a preview screen in which you can examine Library
media, play back your movie project, work on disc menus, and much
more. In each window or context in which it is used, the Player
exhibits somewhat different controls.
For an introduction to the Player and its basic controls, please see
“The Library preview” on page 31. The various stereoscopic 3D
viewing modes are discussed on page 34. For the use of the Player in
Chapter 1: Using Pinnacle Studio
trim mode on the timeline, see “Clip operations” on page 76. For
information on using the Player with Montage, see “The Montage
Editor” on page 154. For the use of the Player in editing disc menus,
see “Previewing disc menus” on page 223.
Pinnacle Studio Projects
The movies and discs that you create in Pinnacle Studio are distilled
from the projects that you build on the timeline of the Movie Editor
or the Disc Editor.
To manage projects, Studio must keep track of everything that goes
onto your timeline, and all the editing decisions you make with
regard to trimming, adding effects, and much more. Much of this
information is stored in the project file, which is in axp (Studio
Movie) format.
In order to conserve hard drive space when dealing with files that
can be very large, the project file does not include the media items in
your movie. For these, only their location in the Library is stored.
The axp project file is the default file format for the File Open,
File Save and File Save As menu commands. It may be the only
one you need.
Sometimes, however, it is convenient to have all the resources
recruited for a project gathered into a single, manageable unit for
hassle-free archiving, file transfer or upload. This is the purpose of
an alternative file format, the axx (Studio Project Package), which
contains in a single file all the materials your project uses, including
media items. Of necessity, files in this format are considerably larger
than standard project files.
Although it is not possible to directly edit a project in the package
format, Pinnacle Studio lets you open a project package with File
Open by selecting axx in the file extension box. Studio seamlessly
unpacks the project, creates a new Library entry for the unpacked
version, and opens it for editing.
Chapter 2: The Library
11
CHAPTER 2:
The Library
The Pinnacle Studio Library, or simply ‘the Library’, is a
cataloguing and management tool for all the file-based resources you
can draw on when authoring. Its purpose is to let you choose and use
the video segments, photos, sound bites, transition effects, titles and
other ‘assets’ (as they are often called) for your movies as easily,
rapidly and intuitively as possible.
The Pinnacle Studio Media Library
opened on a folder of graphic images.
The Library’s classification scheme resembles what you might see in
a file-system viewer. While the viewer groups files under their
physical storage locations such as hard drives, the Library groups
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Pinnacle Studio
assets under their type – video, photo, and so on. In other respects,
the tree view concept for accessing subgroups of assets is virtually
identical and should feel immediately familiar.
In addition to audio, photo and video files in standard formats, the
Library includes specialized auxiliary media like titles and disc
menus. They are found, along with transitions, filters and other
effects, in the main category called Creative Elements.
The Library can easily manage large media holdings such as are
often found nowadays even on a home system. All of the dozens of
media file types usable in Pinnacle Studio can be browsed, organized
and previewed within its integrated interface.
Assets are displayed either as icons or text records within collapsible
folders that stack up in the Library Browser. The folders may
correspond either to real directories in your computer’s file system,
or to virtual groupings based on ratings, file type, creation date, or
membership in a user-defined Collection.
Adding assets to a project
The Library is displayed as a panel, either docked (as in the Movie
and Disc project editors) or floating (as in the Title Editor). The
Compact view retains the full functionality of the Library. Its
Chapter 2: The Library
13
primary purpose is to allow you to bring assets into a movie or disc
project with drag and drop.
The current set of Library tabs, and the contents of the Browser, are
common to all views of the Library. For instance, if you are
browsing in a particular folder of disc menus in the Movie Editor,
that same folder will be open if you now switch to the Title Editor.
Correcting media files
With regard to technical quality, media files are not all created equal.
Occasionally, you do come across the perfect photo, clip, or sound
effect. More often, though, the photo needs cropping, the video is
shaky, or the sound starts with an annoying hiss. Pinnacle Studio’s
media correction tools let you fix these and similar issues by
applying correction filters to a problem clip after you have placed it
on the timeline of your project.
Often, however, an even better solution is to apply the correction to
the Library asset itself, before adding it to a project. That way, any
production using the asset will start with the corrected version, not
the unsatisfactory original. Such corrections can quickly be made by
opening media editors from the Library. The file underlying the
corrected asset is not modified: instead, the correction parameters
are stored in the Library database and reapplied whenever the item is
displayed or used.
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UNDERSTANDING THE LIBRARY
The Studio Library lets you manage and efficiently use the entire
pool of media and other assets available for use in your productions.
What exactly does the Library contain?
The full range of assets that you can draw on for your projects is
summarized by the four main branches of the Asset Tree. Each
branch is further divided into more specialized subsections.
The All Media branch contains the standard media files on your
system in subsections named Photos, Video, and Audio. Many
standard file types are supported. The purpose of the fourth
subsection, Missing media, is described below.
The Projects branch of the Asset Tree contains your own Pinnacle
Studio movie and disc projects. You can open a project right from
the Library and begin editing it, or you can add it to the timeline of
another project to serve as an ordinary clip.
Collections are custom groupings of Library media. The more time
you spend on media management, the more you will probably use
Collections. They can serve as temporary holding places while you
work, or for classifying and setting aside media for later use.
Collections may be automatically
generated, but most are user defined.
Hierarchically-organized Collections are
also supported. The top-level Collections
in the hierarchy are used as subsections of
the Collections branch.
The Creative Elements branch is shown
open in the illustration at right, revealing
its subsections. Each is either a type of
special effect (Effects and Transitions), or
a special media type. Ready-to-use, royalty-free collections of all
seven types are included with Pinnacle Studio.
Chapter 2: The Library
15
Storage of Library assets
Every asset in the Library – every clip, sound, transition, and so on –
corresponds to a file somewhere in the local storage of your
computer system. The Library doesn’t ‘own’ these files, and never
modifies them unless specifically requested to do so. Rather, it keeps
track of their names, locations and properties in an internal database.
The information stored also includes any tags and ratings with which
you have annotated particular items, and the parameters of any
correction filters you have applied.
The database
The files that make up the Library database are stored in a folder
with single-user rather than shared access rights under Microsoft
Windows. If Pinnacle Studio is used on your computer by multiple
users with individual log-ins, a separate Library will be created for
each.
Missing media
Operations like adding, removing and renaming a Library asset are
database operations that have no effect on the media file itself. When
you remove an asset from the Library, an option on the confirmation
dialog box does let you go one step further and delete the actual file
as well, but the option is off by default – you have to specifically
request the action.
By the same token, when you delete or move an
asset file in Windows Explorer or another
application outside of Pinnacle Studio, the
database record of the file continues to exist. Since
the Library can’t actually access the file, however,
an error graphic is added to the file’s listing. If the file still exists,
but has simply been moved to another folder or device, relinking it
to the Library is easy. Double-click the item to pop up a standard
File Open dialog with which you can point the way to the file’s new
location.
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Pinnacle Studio
Incidentally, to check if there are missing media anywhere in the
Library, look in the special subsection All media Missing media of
the Asset Tree. The Asset Tree is described below (page 17).
Location tabs
Editing a video project involves coordinating the various media and
other assets at your disposal. As you proceed, it’s likely that you’ll
find yourself browsing repeatedly in various parts of the Library that
are relevant to the project. No doubt you will also change your
viewing and filtering options from time to time, depending on the
material you’re reviewing.
Like a web browser that uses a row of tabs to allow flipping
effortlessly amongst multiple open web sites, the Library lets you
create and configure location tabs as you work. The tabs provide
direct access to each of the various locations in which you are
currently working.
Here three tabs give access to media required by different parts of
a movie project. The mouse pointer is poised to create a new tab.
To close a tab, click the x icon to the right of the tab caption.
Chapter 2: The Library
17
To set the location of the current tab, click a name in the Asset Tree.
Changes you make to viewing and filtering options while the tab is
active are retained between accesses.
The Asset Tree
The entire gamut of Library assets is organized into a folder tree
whose structure and general usage should be familiar from file-
system tools like Windows Explorer. When you select a location in
the Asset Tree, the folder name appears on the caption of the active
location tab, and its contents are displayed in the neighboring
Browser.
The four main ‘branches’ of the Asset Tree were introduced above
(page 14).
The Group By menu
The header line of the All media
branch offers a small dropdown menu
of options to control how the
groupings within each subsection of
the branch are created.
When you group by folder (the
default), the folder structure corresponds to actual directories on
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your hard drive, flash drive, or other file-system device. Some
standard folders are included by default; you can add others at will
using the watchfolder system. Grouping by folder is shown in the
Main Library illustration above.
When you use another grouping, by rating, by date or by file type,
exactly the same asset files are listed within each subsection as with
the by folder grouping. However, instead of classifying them by the
file system folders in which they are stored, the Asset Tree groups
them into ‘virtual folders’ according to the chosen property.
Grouping by rating, for example, divides each subsection into six
virtual folders. Five of them display media files to which you have
given star ratings; the sixth is for those you haven’t rated yet. See
“The Browser” (page 24) for more information about file ratings and
their uses.
In the inset illustration above, the Photos subsection of the All Media
branch is shown grouped by file type. The virtual folders have names
like bmp, gif and jpg – one virtual folder for each recognized file
extension in the subsection’s media files.
The Library with grouping By Date selected in the All Media
branch of the Asset Tree. The bottom-level folders in the Asset
Tree are displayed in the Browser (right). These ‘virtual’
folders each represent all the photos whose file date falls within a
particular month.
Under group by date, the folders represent the year of the file’s
creation; within these, the files are further grouped by month.
Chapter 2: The Library
19
Grouping in other subsections
The Projects and Creative Elements branches of the Asset Tree also
provide a group by menu, so it is possible for branches to be in
different grouping modes. The menu commands are the same as
described above for the All Media branch, except that the by file type
option is not needed and doesn’t appear.
The add collection button
The Collections branch does not
exhibit a group by menu. This button
on the branch header lets you create a
new Collection as described under
“Collection operations” below.
Collections
Note: Some collection features are disabled in Pinnacle Studio for Dazzle. To
enable all collection features, please upgrade to Pinnacle Studio 16.
From the Library’s point of view, a Collection is just an arbitrary
grouping of assets – a set of Library items with no organizing
principle. You may well have a good reason for gathering certain
files into a particular collection, but the Library doesn’t have to
know what it is. Inside a Collection, any asset can rub shoulders with
any other.
One special Collection, with the name Latest import, is
automatically updated after each import operation to display the
media added. Immediately after importing, you can turn to this
Collection and start working with the new material.
Another automatically-generated Collection is Latest Smart
Creation, which stores the media you selected for your most recent
SmartSlide or SmartMovie production.
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Collection operations
To create a new Collection, click the icon in the header line of the
Collections branch and enter a name in the provided text field.
Complete the process by pressing Enter. Alternatively, choose Add
to collection Create new collection from any asset’s context
menu.
Manage Collections: The context menu for any Collection provides
commands for renaming and deleting the Collection, and one for
creating a subcollection that has the current Collection as its parent
‘folder’.
Drag and drop: Collections can be organized in the Asset Tree with
the mouse. A dragged Collection becomes a subcollection when
dropped upon another.
Displaying collected assets
Clicking the name of a Collection causes it to be displayed in the
Browser.
There is one important difference between the Browser view of
Collections and those of all other categories: the media assets in any
subcollections are visually merged with those of the selected
Collection, but not subgrouped.
However, a special feature of the Browser makes it easier to keep
track of the assets when viewing Collections, even if you’re not a
robotically systematic sort of person: As your mouse pointer passes
over any listed asset, the Collections to which the asset belongs
‘light up’ in the Asset Tree.
Operations on collected assets
These operations can be performed from the context menu of any
Collection item. To act on a group of items, first select them with the
mouse (using Ctrl-click and Shift-click for multiple selections as
needed) or by dragging out a frame around the items. Then right-
click within the selection to access the context menu.
Chapter 2: The Library
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Add to collection: Choose a target Collection on the Add to
collection submenu to add the selected item or items. Alternatively,
drag the selection onto the target Collection.
Remove from Collection: The Remove command removes the item
(or items) from the Collection. As usual with the Library, the
underlying media items involved are not affected, so removing a
video or other item from a Collection in the Library does not delete
it from other Library locations.
Managing Library assets
Media and other assets find their way into the Library in several
ways. For instance, the original contents of the Creative Elements
branch of the Library are installed with Pinnacle Studio.
The Library automatically discovers some assets on your system by
regularly scanning Windows-standard media locations. These are set
up on Pinnacle Studio installation as watchfolders. Media files in
these locations will automatically be brought into the Library. You
can add your own watchfolders (see below), and they will be
automatically updated, too.
Finally, you can import media manually by any of several methods
(see “Importing” below).
Watchfolders
Watchfolders are directories on your computer that Pinnacle Studio
monitors. If you add media files such as video clips to a watchfolder,
or one of its subfolders, they automatically become part of the
Library. Updating occurs each time the application is launched and
while the application is running.
Watchfolders are set up on the Watchfolders page of the Setup
control panel. For each folder that you add, you can specify that
either one particular supported media type will be ‘watched for’, or
all of them. Please see Chapter 12: Setup for more information.
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Importing
If you need to import a large amount or variety of media, or to
import from analog media such as VHS tape, click the Import button
near the top of the application window to open the Importer. See
Chapter 10: The Importer for full information.
Quick import
The Quick Import button at the top left of the
Library opens a Windows file dialog for fast
import of files from a hard drive or other local
storage.
New folders in the corresponding media categories (photos, video,
audio and projects) are created for the files specified. In addition, the
imported items are included in the Last Import Collection.
(Collections were described earlier in this chapter, on page 19.)
Direct import via drag and drop
To select and import items in one step, use drag-and-drop from
Windows Explorer or the desktop into the Browser. The new items
are immediately displayed in the Collection ‘Latest Import’, which is
created for the occasion if necessary.
Exporting directly from the Library
Any photo, video, audio file or project in the Main Library can be
directly exported “as is”, using the context menu commands
described below, to either a Cloud-based storage service or a disc.
For other exporting options, use the Exporter instead, by selecting
the asset and clicking the Export tab at the top of the window. See
Chapter 11: The Exporter for full information.
To store a Library asset on a disc, select Burn Disc on the context
menu. You can burn just the file, or a disc image if you have made
one. If you select multiple assets, and then select Burn Disc, all of
the assets will appear on the Burn files to disc dialog. More assets
can be added by clicking the File icon and browsing. You can also
delete files from the list before burning.
Chapter 2: The Library
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Removing items from the Library
To remove an item from the Library, or a selection containing
multiple items, choose Delete selected from the context menu or
press the Delete key. A confirmation dialog lets you approve the list
of media files to be removed from the Library database. By default,
the files themselves will not be affected, but the Remove from
library and delete option lets you delete the files too, if desired. Be
careful, as this command works on all kinds of Library assets,
including your Pinnacle Studio projects if any of those are selected.
When all the files in a folder are removed, the Library hides the
folder as well.
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You may also remove a folder and all the assets it contains from the
Library when removing the folder from the watchfolders list.
However, this is not automatic and you will be asked if you want to
keep your current assets listed in the Library, but still stop
monitoring the location.
The Browser
This is the area in which the Library displays its media assets – the
videos, photos, audio, projects, collections and ‘creative elements’
that are available for you to use in your movie and disc projects. The
items are displayed either as a list of text records or as a grid of
icons. Visual asset types use thumbnail images for their icons; other
types use graphic symbols.
The Library would not be much help if the Browser displayed all its
assets at once. It therefore has several controls that help you screen
out items that aren’t relevant to your purpose. See “Choosing what
to display” below for details.
Controlling the Browser display
A group of controls in the Library’s footer bar provides general
functions for managing the way assets are presented in the Browser.
The scenes view button applies to video assets only.
While this button is active, items in the Browser represent
the individual scenes in a particular video, not the entire
asset as usual. See “The Library Preview” on page 31 for more
information.
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In the main Library, this and the next two buttons are grouped at
right between the info button and the zoom slider. In the compact
Library, the three buttons are placed at left.
The thumbnails view button switches to viewing assets
as thumbnails rather than as text lines. A pop-up checklist
associated with the button lets you select the readouts and
controls that will appear beside thumbnails in the Browser.
The details view button switches to the alternative
viewing mode, in which each asset appears as a text
listing. The pop-up checklist with this button selects the
text fields to be displayed.
The zoom slider lets you magnify the
thumbnails to get a closer look, or pull
back for a wider view. This slider is always found at the right-hand
end of the footer bar.
Thumbnails and details
Each asset is displayed in the Library Browser in one of two formats,
depending on the view selected.
Because the icons of thumbnails view and the text records of details
view represent the same assets, they have certain features in
common. For instance, the context menu for assets is the same
regardless of which representation is used.
Similarly, standard media assets (video, photo and audio), along
with Sound effects in the Creative Elements branch, open an
appropriate media editor for corrections when double-clicked in
either view. The corrections tools are also available when a media
editor is invoked from the timeline, but when applied to a Library
asset the corrections are carried forward into any future project that
includes it. See “Correcting media” on page 41 for more
information.
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Details
In details view, each asset is presented as one line in a list of text
records. In thumbnails view, it appears as a thumbnail image (for
visual media types) or graphic icon.
To switch the Browser to details view, click the icon on
the details view button at the bottom of the Library. The
arrow beside the button pops up a panel listing the
optional columns available to be included in the text records (one
column, Caption, is always present). Check the boxes beside any of
these – File size, File type, Date, Tags, Rating and Duration – you
wish to be shown.
In Details view, each asset is displayed as a one-line text record.
A pop-up checklist beside the Details view button lets you select
which columns to show. In the illustration, ‘animals’ and
‘scenery’ are the names of folders in the All Media branch of the
Library.
Thumbnails
The button to the left of the details view button selects
thumbnails view, in which assets are represented in the
Browser by icons rather than text. The arrow alongside
the button opens a pop-up checklist on which you can choose
additional data to be shown with each icon. The options are Rating,
Stereoscopic, Information, Correction, Collection, Tag, Used Media,
Caption and Shortcut. These are explained below under “Thumbnail
indicators and controls”.
Chapter 2: The Library
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At the bottom center of most asset icons a preview
button, a standard triangular play icon enclosed in
a square, is displayed when the mouse pointer is
over the asset. In the compact version of the
Library (as seen in the project editors and some
media editors), the preview is shown on the Source tab of the
embedded Player. In the Main Library, the Player occupies a
floating, resizable window. See “The Library Preview” on page 31
for more information.
In either version of the Library, Alt-clicking the
preview button will give you a mini-preview on
the asset icon itself. With video and audio media,
you can control the mini-preview manually by
means of a scrubber that appears below the
thumbnail whenever the mouse is over the icon.
If the asset is a photo, a pop-up preview button replaces the standard
play symbol. Clicking it will display the photo in the pop-up Player.
When the Browser is in thumbnails view, a slider is available to
control the size of the icons. You will find the slider in the bottom
right corner of the Library. The icons can also be resized with the
scroll wheel when Ctrl is pressed and the mouse pointer is positioned
over the Browser pane.
Locked content indicator: Some of the Disc Menus, Titles,
Montages, and other creative elements in the Library are locked to
indicate that you do not own a license to distribute them freely. This
status is indicated by the lock indicator.
Even though locked, the content can still be handled as usual. You
can edit it in the Library, and add it to a timeline. A project
containing locked content can be saved, put on a disc and exported.
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However, a translucent ‘watermark’ logo will appear on the locked
content:
The locked content watermark.
To purchase and unlock the content, use one of the following
options:
•
In the Library, click the lock symbol on the icon.
•
During export of a project with locked content, a dialog will
appear prompting you to click the lock symbol.
•
When editing effects in one of the media editors, click the lock
symbol on the Settings panel. (See Settings panel on page 131.)
Optional indicators and controls
The optional indicators and buttons on an asset icon in the Library
Browser let you access and in some cases modify information about
the asset without having to burrow deeper. Use the pop-up checklist
Chapter 2: The Library
29
on the thumbnails view button to determine which indicators and
buttons are displayed.
Caption: The caption below the icon is the
Library alias for the asset, which you can set
with the Edit caption context menu command
for any asset. It is not necessarily the name of
the underlying asset file (which is shown in the
tooltip).
Shortcut: The presence of this indicator in the extreme upper left of
a thumbnail shows that the asset is a shortcut rather than an
independent media file. Shortcuts, which consist of a reference to an
existing media item along with a package of Corrections settings,
can be created from the File menu of the media editor for any
Library asset. Thereafter, they behave like ordinary assets, and are
available for use in your productions.
Tag indicator: The bottommost of the three
symbols at the right of the thumbnail is shown if
the asset has any tags assigned to it. Hover the
mouse pointer over the indicator to bring up a
menu on which the existing tags for the asset are
shown. As you pass the pointer over a tag name
on this menu, a remove button appears. Click it to unset the tag.
Click remove all at the bottom of the menu to clear all tags from the
asset. The creation and application of tags is discussed further
below, and under “Tags” on page 38.
Collection indicator: Just above the tag
indicator, the presence of this symbol
indicates that you have included the asset in
one or more Collections. To see which ones,
hover the mouse over the symbol. As with the
tag indicator menu, a remove button is shown
as you position the mouse on each Collection name; click it to
remove the asset from the Collection. The remove all command
removes the asset from all Collections of which it is a member.
Corrections indicator: The Library allows you to apply image and
audio correction filters ‘non-destructively’ on Library media assets,
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meaning that the original file remains intact. The types of corrections
that have been applied to an asset, and the parameters that were used
to control them, are stored in the Library database. If corrections
have been applied to an asset, the corrections indicator appears just
above the collection indicator. Click the indicator to open the
applicable media editor and update corrections settings. See page 41
for information about applying corrections to Library assets.
The Ratings control appears at the left above the asset thumbnail.
At top right is the Info button. The Corrections indicator is also at
upper right, just above the Collection indicator.
Ratings: The row of stars above the top left of the icon lets you set
the asset rating. If no stars are lit, the asset is said to be unrated. To
set the rating of one asset or a selection of assets, either click the
corresponding star on the indicator (click the first star twice to make
the asset unrated again) or choose the setting on the Apply rating
context submenu.
Used media indicator: A checkmark is
displayed to the right of the ratings indicator if
the asset represented by the thumbnail is
currently to be found in an open timeline within
your project. The checkmark is rendered in green
if the asset is used in the currently visible project;
otherwise it is gray. The used media indicator applies only to photo,
video and audio assets, not to items like transitions and titles that
come from the Creative Elements branch.
Chapter 2: The Library
31
Information indicator: Clicking the information
indicator opens the information panel in the pop-
up Player, where you can edit the asset’s rating,
title, and tags as well as view all its properties.
Like most of the other indicators, the information
indicator can be turned on and off using the
thumbnails view pop-up.
The Library preview
Most types of Library asset support previewing in the Browser. The
capability is indicated by a preview button on the asset icon, and the
presence of a Show preview command on its context menu.
Remember too that most asset types can be previewed on the icon
itself with an Alt-click on the play button.
The Library Player
Clicking the preview button in the center of the asset icon loads the
item into the Library Player for viewing.
Previewing a video clip in the Library Player window. The
transport controls are at the bottom, starting with a Loop button
at the far left and a shuttle wheel. The third in the group of five
arrow buttons starts playback. The two buttons on each side of it
are for navigating from asset to asset in the Library folder.
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Along the top of the Player, the current viewing position is
displayed. At the bottom is a toolbar of transport controls and
function buttons.
Transport controls
First among the transport controls is the loop button, which causes
playback in a continuous loop from the start of the media. Next is a
shuttle wheel with which you can sensitively control the speed of
playback by dragging backwards and forwards on the control.
The center play button in the cluster of five arrow controls begins
preview of the video or audio asset. The two buttons on either side
of it are for navigating from the viewed asset to others in its folder.
When previewing a photo the play button does not appear; only the
navigation buttons remain.
Click the mute button to the right of the transport controls to toggle
the audio associated with the clip. A volume slider appears next to
the mute button when the mouse is over it.
Function buttons
Some buttons in the final group at the bottom of
the Player appear only with particular asset
types. A video file uses all four types, in the order shown and
described here.
Scenes view: This button activates a mode in which the Browser
displays a separate icon or text record for each scene in the video
file. (As explained under Video scene detection, a scene in the most
general sense is just any portion of a video file.)
When Scenes view is active, the neighboring Open in corrections
editor button is removed, and a Split scene button takes its place.
This allows you to define your own scenes instead of, or as well as,
relying on the automatic scene detection feature.
For more information about video scenes in the Library see “Video
scene detection” on page 42.
Chapter 2: The Library
33
Open in media editor: The media file is opened for editing in the
applicable media editor so that corrections settings can be adjusted.
Full-screen: The preview is shown in a special full-screen window,
with its own basic set of transport controls. To close the full-screen
display, click the close button in the top right corner of the window,
or press Esc.
Info: This button switches between the Player’s information and
playback views. The information view can be opened directly by
clicking the info button on a media asset icon in the Browser. Audio
assets have no separate playback view; instead, full scrubbing
controls are shown in the information view.
In the information view, the properties that can be edited are Rating,
Title, Tags and Comment.
Here, data regarding a Library asset, a video, is displayed in the
Information view of the Player. Click the highlighted Info button
to return to the Playback view of the asset.
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Note: The 3D features are disabled in Pinnacle Studio for Dazzle. To enable
3D, please upgrade to Pinnacle Studio 16.
3D viewing mode switcher
When stereoscopic 3D content is being shown, the 3D viewing mode
switcher will appear. On opening the Player, the default mode from
the preview settings in the Control Panel is used for photos, videos,
and projects. The icon for the current mode is displayed beside a
dropdown arrow used for switching modes. The available modes are:
Left eye, Right eye: The preview for stereoscopic
content can be set to show only its left or right eye
view. This helps keep things simple at times when a stereoscopic
preview is unnecessary. Editing in these views is carried out as for a
2D movie.
Side by side: This mode displays the frames for both eyes
horizontally adjacent to each other, with the left eye on the
left and the right eye on right. When editing, no stereoscopic
equipment is needed.
Differential: Differential mode is good for detecting the
‘depth’ of an image more easily, and especially for revealing
areas of ‘zero depth’. Differential mode show a 50% gray for areas
where identical information is being presented to both eyes; a color
difference is shown if the areas are not identical. If 2D material is
added to a stereoscopic 3D timeline in differential mode, since the
same content is shown to both eyes, the image will be a uniform
gray.
Checkerboard: Checkerboard mode breaks the image up
into a 16 x 9 checkerboard pattern. The ‘white’ squares of
the checkerboard contain the view from one eye, the ‘black’ squares
the other. Checkerboard mode provides a quick check on the ways
the left and right frames differ across the whole image.
3D TV (Side by Side): Use this mode to preview
stereoscopic content on a 3D TV display or with a 3D
projector by connecting it as a second monitor. This obviates the
need for a special graphics card or additional hardware. Configure
the second display to operate in native resolution, to extend your
desktop, not mirror it. Ensure the input format is side- by-side.
Chapter 2: The Library
35
In the Control Panel Preview settings, choose Second Monitor from
the “Show external preview on” dropdown menu. Set up Studio with
a 16x9 stereoscopic timeline. Finally, on the Player, click the Full
Screen button. Please see “Preview” settings on page 301, and
“Timeline settings” on page 61 for help with these configurations.
Anaglyph: An Anaglyph stereoscopic preview is suitable for
viewing with red-cyan stereoscopic glasses, with no
additional hardware support required. Pinnacle Studio’s anaglyphic
display works well even for images with a lot of red, thanks to a
method very similar to the ‘optimized anaglyphs’ technique
described at:
3dtv.at/Knowhow/AnaglyphComparison_en.aspx
3D Vision: This stereoscopic mode is available with many
NVidia graphics cards after the 3D Vision feature has been
enabled in your NVidia configuration utility. The type of 3D display
offered depends on the hardware available. At the basic ‘Discover’
level, the 3D Vision display is anaglyphic.
USING THE LIBRARY
The Library is much more than a passive storehouse of material for
your Pinnacle Studio productions.
Choosing what to display
The Library Browser has several features for decluttering your view
by hiding assets that aren’t relevant to your purpose. No matter how
numerous your media files, the combined power of these techniques
can greatly speed your browsing.
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Location tabs
Most importantly, each location tab corresponds to a different
selection on the Asset Tree. Like web browser tabs, location tabs are
readily defined (click the ‘+’ icon at the right end of the tab list), and
come in handy for keeping track of multiple things simultaneously.
Clicking within the Asset Tree sets the location for the current tab;
conversely, clicking another tab transfers you to its saved location on
the tree. Only the assets within the chosen location are displayed in
the Browser. If the location has subfolders, however, their contents
will be included. To keep things simple, choose a location as near
the bottom of the folder hierarchy as possible.
Other controls let you restrict the display further by filtering out
some of the assets in the chosen location. Each location tab
maintains its own set of filters, so any change of filtering settings
affects the current tab only.
Filter by rating
The Filter by rating control at the top of the Library hides all assets
that don’t have at least the specified rating from one to five stars
(zero stars means ‘unrated’). To use the filter, simply click on the
star that represents the minimum rating you want to bother with. The
default filter setting is to show all assets regardless of rating.
See “Inadvertent filtering” (page 38) for instructions on switching
off all filters at once. To deactivate just the rating filter click the last
selected star or double-click any star.
In this close-up, three stars are highlighted, meaning that only
assets with ratings of three stars or better are on display. Here the
mouse pointer is poised to click the fifth star, which would set the
rating filter to hide all but five-star assets.
Chapter 2: The Library
37
Filter by tags
Another way to narrow the field of displayed assets is with filtering
by tags. Tags are keywords that you can assign to assets as you
work. Once tags have been defined, you can use them in several
ways to control which assets are displayed by the Browser. See
“Tags” on page 38 for detailed information.
Search
At the top right of the Library is a search field that gives one further
way to filter the display. As you begin entering your search term, the
Browser continually updates the view to include only those assets
with text that matches your search term.
Even when multiple terms are separated by spaces, partial-word as
well as whole-word matches are allowed in each term. A dropdown
list lets you choose whether the search will be satisfied if even a
single search term matches the asset text, or if all terms must match
for the asset to be accepted.
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Inadvertent filtering
The various filtering methods can be combined at will. Should you
leave any of the filtering types switched on when you don’t need it,
it’s likely that some assets will be hidden that should be displayed.
When an item is unexpectedly missing in the Browser, verify that
filters are inactive.
The Browser guards against the possibility of inadvertent filtering by
displaying a ‘filter alert’ that remains visible as long as any filter is
in use.
A filter alert like the one shown here is displayed at the top of the
Browser whenever filtering is in force. Click the x icon at the
right-hand end to clear all filtering at once.
Tags
Note: The tagging feature is disabled in Pinnacle Studio for Dazzle. Please
upgrade to Pinnacle Studio 16 to enable the tagging feature.
The Library is capable of handling a great number of asset files,
sometimes far more in even a single folder than can be viewed
conveniently. The Browser therefore provides a number of methods
of winnowing out irrelevant assets from the display.
One method of streamlining the display of assets in the Browser is
filtering by tags. A tag is simply a word or short phrase that you
think would be useful as a search term. It is up to you whether you
assign tags to your media, but if you do, they provide a powerful
way of selecting assets to display.
Tag management and filtering
Management of tags, and filtering by tags, are handled in a panel
that appears when the Tags button at the top of the Library is
clicked. The panel can also be invoked by choosing Apply tag
Create new tag from any asset’s context menu.
Chapter 2: The Library
39
The tags panel, with existing tags listed alphabetically.
At the top of the tags panel is a text box for entering new tag names.
The panel also lists all the tags you have defined so far, lets you
delete or rename them, and lets you choose which assets you want
displayed in the Library.
Creating, renaming and deleting tags
To create a new tag, click in the text box at the top of the tags panel
and type in your tag. Select the media that you want to tag, make
sure the Apply the tag to selected media box is checked, and click
the Create new tag button beside the text box. There is no limit to
the number of tags you can create. However, if you try to apply a
name that isn’t new, you will be notified that the name already
exists, and it will not be added to the selected media.
To apply an existing tag to all currently-selected assets in the
Browser, click the tag name. Selecting multiple assets to tag makes
the process much more efficient than if you could tag only one item
at a time.
Hovering over a tag reveals the Rename and Delete buttons.
Clicking the tag itself applies it to any currently-selected assets.
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Hovering the mouse over a tag reveals the controls for renaming or
deleting the tag. To rename, click the Rename icon, type in the new
name, and press Enter. Click the Trashcan icon to delete the tag. To
delete all tags at once, use the Delete all tags button at the bottom of
the panel. If you are deleting a tag that is in use, you will be given a
chance to back out of the operation.
Sorting tags
In the middle of the tags panel is the Sort by dropdown, offering just
two choices: ‘Abc’, in which the tags are sorted alphabetically, or
‘Relevance’, which sorts them in descending order of their
popularity in the set of assets currently on display. Under the second
choice, you will see the tags being resorted each time one is checked
or unchecked.
Filtering with tags
Beside each tag name listed in the panel is a Filter icon that you can
use to narrow the set of items displayed in the Browser. As you
check and uncheck the tags, the view updates automatically.
The exact effect of your selections depends on another control, the
Match dropdown just above the tags. The list provides three options.
None displays only assets that have none of your checkmarked tags.
In a tagged set of animal photos, checking both the ‘dog’ and ‘cat’
tags, then selecting ‘None’, should hide most of the pet pictures.
Partial selects assets with any of your tags, which happens to be
exactly those hidden by ‘No match’. If you leave ‘dog’ and ‘cat’
checked, but switch to ‘Partial’, all the dogs and cats will be
displayed, including the handful of photos in which both animals
appear. Photos with neither tag will be hidden.
Full selects only the assets that have all your tags. Now with the
same boxes checked you should see only those photos in which at
least one cat and one dog appear. Notice that under ‘Partial’ you will
see more assets displayed as you check more tags, but with ‘Full’
you will see fewer.
Chapter 2: The Library
41
Turning off tag filtering
When tags are set to filter the contents of the Library, an orange bar
at the top of the Browser lists which tags are being used. To turn off
filtering by an individual tag, bring up the tag panel and uncheck the
tag’s Filter icon. To turn off all filtering at once, click the x button at
the right hand end of the orange bar.
The art of tagging
There is no prescribed way of using tags. The best way to use them –
if you do – is the way that works best for you. Consistency is
important, however. The more faithful and systematic you are about
assigning tags to your media, the more useful they will be.
Since the idea is to locate an asset quickly when you need it, tags
should be chosen to work well as search terms. With family photos,
your tags might include the names of the people in each shot. For
vacation video scenes, tags naming the locations visited would
probably be useful.
Videographic terms (‘two-shot’, ‘silhouette’, ‘exterior’) can also
serve as good tags by making it easier to find assets that fulfill
particular structural or creative requirements.
Correcting media
You can apply the media correction tools in the Video, Photo and
Audio editors directly to Library assets. This kind of editing does not
change the underlying files. Instead, the editing parameters are
stored in the Library database and are reapplied whenever the asset
is recalled. See Chapter 4: Media editing: Corrections for details.
An important purpose of the media correction tools is to allow you
to make ‘adjustments’ on material that is not correctly identified
automatically. With video footage, for example, the Adjustments
group of tools allows you to override the Library-assigned aspect
ratio, interlace mode and stereoscopic 3D format.
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Video scene detection
Using the Library’s automatic scene detection function, video
footage can be split into multiple scenes either automatically or
manually. Dividing raw files into scene-length portions can make
some editing tasks much less cumbersome than they would be
otherwise.
The time required for scene detection varies depending on the length
of the clip and the detection method selected. A progress bar keeps
you informed of the status.
To initiate scene detection, select one of the methods on the Detect
scenes context menu command for video assets.
By date and time: This option often results in logical scene
boundaries that reflect your intention while shooting. In many digital
recording formats, such as DV and HDV, a discontinuity in the
recorded timecode data occurs whenever the camera is restarted after
being stopped. These shooting breaks are treated as scene breaks
under the option.
By content: Under this option, the scene detection tool analyzes the
image content of the material frame by frame, and establishes a new
scene whenever there is an abrupt change in content. However, a
quick pan or rapid movement across the frame may produce some
unneeded breaks.
By time interval: In this variant you
define the length of the scenes to be
created. A small editing window opens
for entering the desired value in hours, minutes, seconds and
milliseconds. The scene duration has a one second minimum. Press
Enter to confirm your input.
Show the scenes
To show the catalog of scenes for a particular video file, either select
Show scenes from its context menu; or select the clip, then click the
Scenes view button that appears at the bottom right of the Library.
Chapter 2: The Library
43
Scene view is a temporary viewing mode. The orange bar at the top
of the Browser alerts you that scene view is active. At the right hand
end of the bar is an x button you can use to terminate the mode.
Clicking the Scenes view button again has the same effect.
A single video file can contain many scenes. This makes the
footage easier to manipulate during editing than if it were treated
as a single segment.
During editing, scene clips behave identically to other video clips.
Manually creating scenes
If you want to manually divide a video file into individual scenes,
select Show scenes from the asset’s context menu, or click the
Scenes view button. If you haven’t previously subdivided the file, it
will now appear in the Browser as a single scene.
In the Library Player, navigate within the clip to each frame where a
scene break should occur, then click the Split scene button. See
“Function buttons” on page 32 for further information.
Removing scenes
To empty the entire list of scenes for a video file, select Scene
detection Remove scenes on the asset’s context menu.
To remove individual scenes, select one or more scenes then press
Delete.
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SmartSlide
Note: The Smart feature is disabled in Pinnacle Studio for Dazzle. Please
upgrade to Pinnacle Studio 16 to enable SmartSlide and SmartMovie
features.
To open the SmartSlide tool, click the SmartSlide button at the
bottom of the Library window.
The SmartSlide controls are presented on a panel that slides up into
the window from below. It contains three subpanels. The leftmost of
these presents information about SmartSlide, and advice on how
many files to include. The center subpanel is a storage area with bins
for photos and other images (top) and audio. The right subpanel
contains controls for customizing the show.
Chapter 2: The Library
45
Adding media
To add images to the slideshow, drag them from the Browser into
the upper bin in the storage area. Drag thumbnails within the storage
area to get the order you want. Continue adding further images until
you are satisfied.
To add music, drag one or more sound files to the lower
bin in the storage area. Alternatively you can click the clef
button in the bottom left corner of the audio bin to create a
music soundtrack in ScoreFitter.
Preview, edit and export
Once your media are in place, click the Preview button on the footer
bar below the tool. The project is created and presented in a preview
window. If necessary, you can return to the SmartSlide tool to
modify your media selections.
When you click the Preview button, the media you have chosen are
automatically saved in a Collection named Latest Smart Creation. If
you expect to make further use of this grouping of assets, rename the
Collection to prevent it being overwritten the next time you look at a
SmartSlide or SmartMovie preview.
The Edit button brings your slideshow to the Movie Editor timeline
for detailed editing. It’s a good idea to check that the timeline video
settings match your requirements for the show. The video settings
button on the settings panel (below) provides access to these. Also
see “The project timeline” on page 55.
When the presentation is the way you want it, click Export to burn a
disc or create a file for upload.
The storage area
The photos in the upper bin are displayed as icons, while the music
and sound files in the lower bin appear as text lines giving the file
name and duration of each asset. Both bins support multiple
selection, drag-and-drop reordering, and a context menu with just
two commands:
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Delete selected: The selected media are removed from the
SmartSlide production. They remain available in the Library for
other uses. (Shortcut: Delete.)
Open editor: This command opens the Corrections tool of the Photo
or Audio Editor. Any modifications you make to the media apply
only within this SmartSlide production. (Shortcut: double-click.)
SmartSlide settings
The settings on this subpanel customize the SmartSlide production.
Here the mouse pointer selects chronological order on the Media
Order list of the SmartSlide settings panel. At the bottom of the
panel are buttons for adjusting video settings for the generated
project, and for starting over from scratch.
The settings entered will be used the next time the slideshow is
generated. The video settings button lets you set up the timeline
options that will apply if you take the production into the Movie
Editor. The clear project button removes all media from the project
and returns to default settings.
Title: Enter a caption to be used as the main title of the slideshow.
Adjust length to music: When this option is checked, SmartSlide
attempts to adjust its timing parameters so that the generated
slideshow lasts exactly as long as the music soundtrack you have
specified. The information subpanel provides advice about how
many images to employ when the option is in force.
Chapter 2: The Library
47
Pan and zoom: Checking this option enlivens your presentation
with simulated camera moves.
Fit image: Check this option to enlarge images that are too small for
the selected format. For a more flexible approach, you can also
consider correcting the asset with the Crop corrections tool.
Media order: Select an option for the order of slides, from ‘As
defined’ (the sequence is set by you), ‘Chronological’ (according to
the file timestamp), and ‘Random’.
SmartMovie
To open the SmartMovie tool, click the SmartMovie button at the
bottom of the Library window.
SmartMovie, like SmartSlide, presents its controls on a panel that
slides up into the Library from below. Again there are three
subpanels. The leftmost presents information and advice concerning
your SmartMovie. The center subpanel is a storage area with bins for
video and photos (top) and audio. The right subpanel contains
controls for customizing the show.
Adding media
The visual elements in your SmartMovie can include photos and
other still images along with the video. Drag the assets you want to
use from the Browser into the upper bin in the storage area. You can
also drag thumbnails within the storage area to get the order you
want. Continue adding further material until you are satisfied.
To add music, drag one or more sound files to the lower
bin in the storage area. Alternatively you can click the clef
button in the bottom left corner of the audio bin to create a
music soundtrack in ScoreFitter.
As media are added, the total running time of the source material is
displayed in the top-left corner of the bin. This is not necessarily the
length of the resulting movie.
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Preview, edit and export
Having placed your media, click Preview on the footer bar below the
tool. The project is created and opened in a preview window. If
necessary, you can return to SmartMovie to modify your media
selections.
The analysis phase of generating a SmartMovie may take some
time to complete the first time the material is analyzed. Full
rendering of the project, with progress indicated by shading on
the time-ruler of the Player, may introduce an additional delay
before a fully-detailed preview is available.
When you click Preview, the media you have chosen are
automatically saved in a Collection named Latest Smart Creation. If
you expect to make further use of this grouping of assets, rename the
Collection to prevent it being overwritten the next time you generate
a SmartSlide or SmartMovie preview.
The Edit button brings your production to the Movie Editor timeline
for detailed editing. As usual, it’s a good idea to check that the
timeline video settings match your requirements for the show. The
video settings button on the settings panel (below) provides access to
these. Also see “The project timeline” on page 55.
When the presentation is the way you want it, click Export to burn a
disc or create a file for upload.
The storage area
The visual assets in the upper bin are displayed as icons, while the
music and sound files in the lower bin appear as text lines giving the
file name and duration of each asset. Both bins support multiple
selection, drag-and-drop reordering, and a short context menu:
Delete selected: The selected media are removed from the
SmartMovie production. They remain available in the Library for
other uses. (Shortcut: Delete.)
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Open editor: This command opens the Corrections tool of the
Video Editor, the Photo Editor or the Audio Editor. Any
modifications you make to the media apply only within this
SmartMovie production. (Shortcut: double-click.)
SmartMovie
settings
The settings on this subpanel customize the SmartMovie
production.
Selecting the ‘long’ Clip Length setting on the SmartMovie
settings panel. At the bottom are buttons for adjusting video
settings for the generated project, and for starting over.
The settings entered will be used the next time the movie is
generated. The video settings button lets you set up the
timeline options that will apply if you take the production into
the Movie Editor. The clear project button removes all media
from the project and returns to default settings.
Title: Enter a caption to be used as the main title of the
movie.
Clip lengths: The visual tempo of your movie increases as the
clip length is shortened. Maximum uses the original length of the
asset.
Pan and zoom: Checking this option enlivens your
presentation with simulated camera moves.
Fit image: Check this option to enlarge material that is too small
for the frame format of your project.
Video volume: Set the volume of the original audio in the
video segments. For a soundtrack of background music only, set to
zero.
Media order: Set the order of slides from ‘As defined’ (you set
the sequence), ‘Chronological’ (by file date), and ‘Random’.
Chapter 3: The Movie Editor
51
CHAPTER 3:
The Movie Editor
The Movie Editor is Pinnacle Studio’s main editing screen for digital
movie creation. The editor brings together three main components:
The Library, in its compact view, provides the assets available to
your project.
The timeline lets you organize the assets as clips within a schematic
representation of your production.
The Player lets you preview Library assets before adding them to
your project. It also lets you view – on a frame-by-frame basis if you
like – how any part of the production will actually appear to your
audience when you export it, whether you save it as a file, burn it to
a disc, transfer it to a device, or upload it to the Internet.
Along with the Library, the timeline of your project, and the Player,
the Movie Editor window provides a variety of tools and panels for
creating and editing titles, adding effects, and other purposes.
The compact Library
The Library, which uses the top left of the Movie Editor screen,
is a core feature of the editing environment. If you switch back and
forth between the Library and the Movie Editor, you will see that
the same location tab is selected in both views, and that the same
Library assets are on display.
To make navigation easier in the compact view of the Library, the
location tabs across the top bear icons that indicate the type of
content that will appear in the Browser when the tab is clicked. To
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display a different part of the Library, click the expand-collapse
triangle beside the icon. This opens the folder tree through which
you can access any Library asset.
Finding Library assets using the expandable
folder tree in the compact Library.
With the compact Library and the timeline together in the same
window, adding assets to your movie becomes a breeze: just drag the
items you want from the Library Browser onto the timeline.
Previewing in the project editors
You can operate the Player either in single or dual preview
mode. Click the Preview Mode button in the upper right corner
of the Player to toggle between them.
Chapter 3: The Movie Editor
53
The Player in single mode. You can choose to view
either ‘Source’ (Library) or timeline material.
Single mode conserves screen space by providing only one Player
preview. The Source and Timeline tabs above the Player indicate
whether Library or timeline material is being viewed, and allow you
to switch from one to the other.
The player in dual mode. The side-by-side previews let you browse
the Library while keeping your current movie frame in view.
In dual mode, Source (Library) material is shown in the left-hand
preview, and timeline material in the right-hand preview, each with
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its own set of transport controls. The dual view makes it easier to
locate Library assets that fit well with your movie by making both
the existing and the prospective material visible simultaneously.
A portion of the Movie Editor display, with the compact view of
the Library at upper left, the Player at upper right (partly visible),
and at bottom the timeline, with the Navigator panel open in its
upper region.
Disc editing
If you plan ultimately to release your movie on DVD with
interactive menus, you will at some point need the special features of
the Disc Editor. It provides all the same timeline editing features as
the Movie Editor, but also lets you create and work on the disc
menus with which users will navigate your production.
Chapter 3: The Movie Editor
55
Pinnacle Studio lets you smoothly transition a movie to a disc
project at any time during development, so it’s all right to start in the
Movie Editor even if you end up targeting DVD for output instead of
or as well as the other options. Please turn to Chapter 9: Disc
projects for information about the special features provided for disc
authoring. The other aspects of timeline editing are covered in this
and subsequent chapters.
Slideshow productions
In addition to all types of video productions – ‘movies’ – the Movie
Editor (and the Disc Editor) can be used for authoring complex
slideshows and presentations from still images. The same editing
techniques apply in both cases.
THE PROJECT TIMELINE
The timeline is where you create your movie, by adding video, photo
and audio assets from the Library, by editing and trimming these
core media, and by enlivening them with transitions, effects, and
other enhancements.
Timeline fundamentals
The timeline consists of multiple tracks – as many as you require –
in a vertical stack. Tracks nearer the top of the stack are positioned
towards the front when viewed, their opaque parts obscuring the
tracks below.
The basic action of movie authoring is to drag an asset from the
Library to a timeline track, where it is called a clip. With a little
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practice, you can lay out a rough edit of a movie very quickly just by
adding its main media assets at their approximate timeline positions.
At the left end of the timeline are track headers with several
controls per track: a lock button, the track name, and monitoring
buttons for the track’s video and audio. Here the current default
track is ‘Main’.
The track header: To the left of each track is a header area that
provides access to functions such as disabling video or audio
monitoring for the track.
The default track: One track is highlighted with lighter background
color, and is also marked with an orange bar to the left of the track
header. This is the default track. It has a special role in certain
editing procedures; for instance, it is the target track for pastes. To
make another track the default track, click in its header.
Your current position on the timeline
corresponds to the video frame shown in the
Player when it is in Timeline mode. The current
position is indicated by a vertical red line, at the
bottom of which is a draggable scrubber handle.
Another vertical line marks the same position in
the Navigator (see below).
The toolbar
Above the tracks, the timeline toolbar provides several clusters of
editing-related tools. (In the Disc Editor, the toolbar also includes
tools specifically for disc authoring.)
Chapter 3: The Movie Editor
57
The Navigator
The Navigator is an auxiliary navigation panel
that can be revealed or hidden by clicking its
icon on the Navigation tool selector near the
left end of the timeline toolbar.
The full-width strip appears just below the toolbar. It gives a bird’s-
eye view of your whole project at a reduced scale. In the Navigator,
the bars representing clips have the same colors as they do on the
timeline, except that the bar representing the selected clip is drawn
in orange. Clicking in the Navigator allows you to speedily access
any timeline location.
A portion of the Navigator strip, showing the current position
(vertical line, left) and the translucent draggable view window.
The gray rectangle that encloses a portion of the Navigator display –
the view window – indicates the section of your movie currently
visible on the timeline tracks.
To change which part of the movie is in view, click and drag
horizontally within the view window. The timeline scrolls in parallel
as you drag. Since your timeline position does not change, this may
take the scrubber out of view.
Zoom
To change the zoom level of the timeline, either click and drag
horizontally in the time-ruler along the bottom of the timeline, or
drag the sides of the view window. The first method has the
advantage that it always leaves the screen position of the playhead
undisturbed, which may make it easier to orient yourself after the
zoom.
To change the zoom of the Navigator itself, use the plus and minus
buttons immediately to its right.
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Double-clicking on the view window adjusts the zoom of both the
Navigator and the timeline such that your entire movie fits within the
Movie Editor window.
The Storyboard
Assembling a movie can involve juggling a
large number of photos and video clips, as well
as deciding where to place titles, Montages and
the like. In the Storyboard, the clips on one
track of your movie are presented as a sequence
of icons, so you can see at a glance what is
included and where. To choose which track to
view in the Storyboard, use the Storyboard link
button in the track header.
Any of the photos, video, audio, projects,
Montages and titles in the Library can be added to your movie by
dragging and dropping them onto the Storyboard. Once there they
can be rearranged, or removed altogether if you change your mind.
Different types of clips are represented in the Storyboard with
different colors. For example, photos and videos have a blue frame,
and projects have a gray frame. As in the timeline, clips that have
had effects applied appear with a magenta line on the top, and clips
with corrections have a green line. A colored band connects the
Storyboard icon with the position of its clip on the timeline; a gap in
the timeline is reflected in a gap in the Storyboard. Once you
become familiar with the color coding, it will help you quickly
visualize the structure of your movie.
The Storyboard displays a sequence of icons representing the
contents of one track. Effects (magenta) and corrections (green)
are indicated on the top edge of the icon; the length of the clip is
shown on the bottom.
Chapter 3: The Movie Editor
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The space just below the toolbar where the Storyboard appears is
also used by the Navigator (and in the Disc Editor by the Menu
List). Which tools is visible, if any, is controlled by the Navigation
tool selector near the left end of the timeline toolbar.
Navigating in the Storyboard
To scroll to a part of the Storyboard that is not in view, hover with
the mouse over the Storyboard until a hand cursor appears. Now
click the left button and drag the Storyboard. If you drag the mouse
quickly and release the mouse button, the Storyboard will briefly
continue scrolling, thus creating a ‘swiping’ behavior.
Alternatively you can hover over the Storyboard and use the mouse
wheel to scroll, or use the arrows at each end of the Storyboard.
Editing with the Storyboard
Although most editing takes place on the timeline tracks, the
Storyboard has some editing capability. For instance, effects can be
added directly to a clip on the Storyboard by dragging and dropping
the effect onto the clip. The clip’s context menu offers the same set
of commands here as on the timeline. Any editing that takes place on
the Storyboard is immediately reflected in the timeline, and vice
versa.
Adding clips: Any photo, video, audio clip,
project, Montage or title can be added to your
project by simply dragging it from the Library
to the Storyboard. An insertion line appears to
indicate where the new clip will be placed. You can select multiple
clips to add them all at once.
Inserting or replacing clips: If you are inserting material between
clips already on the Storyboard, drag the new clip so that it overlaps
the right side of the clip that will precede it. When the insertion line
appears and a space opens up, drop the new clip into the gap.
To replace a clip, drag the new one onto the clip to be replaced. The
insertion line will appear, and the old clip will highlight to indicate
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proper placement. The new clip must be the same type as the old. A
video clip cannot be replaced by a photo or audio clip, for example.
Selecting clips: To select a clip, click on its icon; an orange frame
around the clip indicates selection. The timeline scrubber will jump
to the beginning of the selected clip, and a connecting band of color
will link the Storyboard clip with its timeline counterpart. If the
timeline position of the selected clip is currently off-screen, it will be
brought into view.
You can select multiple clips using the Shift and Ctrl keys according
to the usual Windows conventions.
Reordering clips: To pick up a clip and move it, click on it until it
is selected, and then drag it to its new location. If necessary, the
Storyboard will scroll until you reach the desired position.
Resizing
The height of the timeline, along with the relative proportions of the
Library and the Player, can be adjusted with the sizing grip in the
form of an inverted T in the middle of the screen.
To adjust the height of individual timeline tracks, grab and adjust the
separator lines between the track headers on the left. If the vertical
size of all tracks exceeds the available viewing area, a scroll bar at
the right will allow you to select which tracks are in view.
Set the height of the Storyboard (when it is visible – see “Navigation
tool selector” on page 62) by vertically dragging the horizontal
separator along the Storyboard’s bottom edge.
The timeline toolbar
The toolbar above the Movie Editor timeline offers various settings,
tools and functions that apply to the timeline and timeline editing.
These are described in order from left to right.
Chapter 3: The Movie Editor
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Customizing the toolbar
The timeline toolbar can accommodate numerous buttons
to help editing go more smoothly. One set of buttons is
available for the Movie Editor and a somewhat larger set
for the Disc Editor. The Customize toolbar button at the far left of
the toolbar lets you choose which subset of the available buttons you
wish to display.
The Customize toolbar panel, with
all available buttons selected for display.
Clicking the button brings up a panel upon which all the other
toolbar buttons can be individually set as visible or hidden. The gray
checkmarks beside the Timeline settings button and a few others
indicate that these buttons are not optional and will be displayed as a
matter of course. Check or uncheck the boxes for the optional
buttons until the toolbar has been configured to your liking, or check
the Select all box to display all of the buttons.
Some of the commands invoked by buttons also have keyboard
shortcuts. These work whether the button is displayed or not. (See
Appendix D: Keyboard Shortcuts for more information.)
Timeline settings
By default your timeline settings are copied from the first
video clip you add to the timeline. If that will give the right
result, you won’t have to alter them.
If you do need to change these basic image properties of your
project, click the Gear button to open the timeline settings panel and
configure the four settings provided.
Aspect: Choose between a 4x3 and a 16x9 display.
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Imaging: Choose between Regular (2D) and Stereoscopic (3D).
Size: Choose amongst the HD and SD pixel resolutions available for
the given aspect ratio.
Frame rate: Choose from a selection of frame rates consistent with
the other settings.
These settings can be changed at any time during the development of
your movie, but you should be aware that a change of the frame rate
can cause a slight shifting of clips on the timeline as they adjust to
new frame boundaries.
Timeline settings
Video material that is not in compliance with the chosen project
settings will be converted automatically on being added to the
timeline. If you are making a stereoscopic movie, 2D material may
be used but it will still look two dimensional, as both the right eye
and left eye views will be the same. 3D material can be used on a 2D
timeline, but only the left eye channel will be shown.
If you want to choose a video standard for your projects explicitly,
rather than relying on inheriting the format from the first clip added,
open the Project settings page of the application settings. See
“Project settings” on page 303.
Navigation tool selector
The space just under the toolbar can be occupied by the
Navigator or the Storyboard, or by neither. (In the Disc
Editor there is a third possibility – the Menu List.) The
Navigation tool selector includes a dropdown that lets
you select which tool you want displayed in that area.
Chapter 3: The Movie Editor
63
Clicking on the selector icon toggles the visibility of the area itself.
See “The Navigator” on page 57 and “The Storyboard” on page 58
for more about these navigation tools.
Audio mixer
This button opens the enhanced audio control area with
volume adjustment tools and access to the Panner, a
surround panning control. See “Timeline audio functions”
on page 69 for details.
Title
The Title button opens the Title Editor. If none of the many
supplied titles answers your need, why not author one of
your own? See “The Title Editor” on page 157.
Voice-over
The voice-over tool lets you record commentary or other
audio content live while viewing your movie. See “The
Voice over tool” on page 214.
Razor blade
To split one or more clips at the playhead position, click the
razor blade button. No material is deleted by this operation,
but each affected clip becomes two clips that can be
handled separately with respect to trimming, moving, adding effects
and so on.
If there are selected clips at the playhead on any track, only those
clips will be split. Both parts of those clips remain selected after the
split.
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If there are no selected clips at the playhead line, all clips
intersected by it will be split and the right-hand parts will be selected
to facilitate easy removal in case that is desired.
Locked tracks are exempt from the split operation.
Trashcan
Click the trashcan button to delete all selected items from
the timeline. See “Deleting clips” on page 76 for details on
how other timeline clips may be affected by the deletion.
Snapshot
If, while previewing video on the timeline, you see a frame
that you would like to capture as a still image, click the
Snapshot button. This creates a photo of the image
currently being previewed, and puts it in the Snapshot folder under
Photos in the Library.
Using the Snapshot button on the timeline is a quick way to grab a
frame; for more control, use the Snapshot tool in the Video Editor.
Please see “Snapshot” on page 120 for more about the Snapshot tool.
Markers
The marker functions available here are identical to those
provided in the media editors for video and audio. Please
see “Markers” on page 118.
Instead of being attached to a particular clip, however, timeline
markers are considered to belong to the video composite at the
marked point. Only if there is a clip selection embracing all tracks at
the marked point, and only if no track is locked, will the markers
change positions during timeline editing.
Trim mode
To open a trim point, place the timeline scrubber near the
cut to be trimmed and click the trim mode button. Click it
again to close trim mode. Please see “Trimming” on page
79 for more details.
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Dynamic length transitions
Ordinarily when a transition is added to the timeline, it is
given the default length you have configured in Setup.
Click this button if you would like to override the default
length. When the button is highlighted, the transition durations can
be set by dragging the mouse to the right or left while placing the
transition onto a clip. For more about transitions, please see page 92
Magnetic snapping
Magnet mode simplifies the insertion of clips during
dragging. While the mode is active, clips are
‘magnetically’ drawn to other items on the timeline when
they approach within a critical distance. This makes it easy to avoid
the unnecessary – though often indiscernibly small – gaps between
items that are otherwise apt to arise during editing. If you want to
deliberately create such a gap, however, simply turn off the mode to
allow the preferred placement.
Volume keyframe editing
The volume keyframe editing button toggles keyframe-
based editing of clip audio. While the button is engaged,
the green volume contour on each timeline clip becomes
editable. In this mode you can add control points to the contour, drag
contour sections, and other operations. While the button is off, the
volume keyframes are protected against modification.
Opening the Audio Mixer automatically activates the button.
Audio scrubbing
By default, the audio portion of a project can be heard only
during playback in the preview. The audio scrubbing
button on the timeline toolbar provides an audio preview
even while just ‘scrubbing’ through your movie by dragging the
timeline scrubber control.
The shuttle wheel of the Player also provides audio scrubbing.
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Editing mode
The editing mode selector at the right-
hand end of the timeline toolbar
determines the behavior of other clips
when editing changes are made.
Material to the left of the edit point is
never affected in timeline editing, so this applies only to clips that
extend rightward from the edit point.
Three choices of editing mode are available: smart, insert and
overwrite. The default is smart, in which Pinnacle Studio selects
from insert, overwrite and sometimes more complex strategies in the
context of each editing operation.
Smart mode is designed to maintain synchronization between
timeline tracks as far as possible. In a multitrack editing situation,
clips typically have vertical as well as horizontal relationships.
When you have carefully placed your cuts to coincide with the beats
of a music track, for example, you don’t want to disrupt everything
when you make additional edits.
Insert mode is always non-destructive: it moves other clips on the
track out of the way before inserting new material. It will also
automatically close gaps created by removing material. Only the
target track is affected. Any prior synchronization with other tracks
from the edit point rightwards is lost.
Insert is most useful in the early stages of a project, when you are
collecting and arranging clips on the timeline. It ensures that no
material will be lost, and makes it very easy to reorder clips and
sequences of clips.
In the later stages, when the structure of your project is approaching
its final state and you have started carefully synchronizing material
on different tracks, insert mode is less helpful. The very properties
that favor its use for the early stages (the ‘ripple’ behavior) count
against it when finalizing. This is where overwrite comes into play.
Overwrite directly affects only the clips you select. Changing the
length or position of a clip in overwrite mode will overwrite
neighboring clips (if you lengthen) or leave gaps (if you shorten). It
will never affect the synchronization between tracks.
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Alternative mode
The smart editing mode works by predicting what you’re trying to
do and determining whether insert, overwrite or even some more
complex strategy would be best to apply. You’ll find it usually does
what you want, but there are sure to be other times when you have
something else in mind.
Many actions support both insert and overwrite, but no other
possibilities. Smart mode will use sometimes one and sometimes the
other, but if insert isn’t what you want, overwrite usually is, and vice
versa. All you need, therefore, is a method of overriding smart
mode’s default behavior.
To change insert to overwrite behavior, or overwrite to insert, hold
down the Alt key while carrying out your edit as usual. You can
press (or release) Alt as you please while setting up the edit: what
counts is the state of the key at the instant the operation is finally
enacted, such as when you drop dragged items onto the timeline.
The trick works in all editing modes, so it’s always available when
you need it. If you are not satisfied with the default behavior, just
cancel or undo as needed, then try again with Alt.
In one timeline editing operation – that of replacing one clip by
another while retaining its duration, effects and other properties – the
Shift key takes on a similar role. See “Replacing a clip” on page 74
for details.
The timeline track header
In the header area of the timeline are a number of controls affecting
the arrangement and organization of the timeline tracks. These are
covered here, while the audio functions controlled from the timeline
header, such as track volume, are described starting on page 204.
The all tracks area above the track headers offers controls similar to
those found on each track header but with global effect: they apply
to all tracks simultaneously, overruling the individual settings.
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Default track
The orange vertical line to the left of the track header, together with
a lighter background shade, identifies the default track. It provides a
destination track for certain functions, including send to and paste.
Newly-created titles and ScoreFitter songs are also added on this
track. For more information see “Sending to the timeline” (page 74),
“Using the Clipboard” (page 88), “The Title Editor” (page 157) and
“ScoreFitter” (page 213).
To make another track the default track, simply click anywhere
within the track header other than on a button or other control.
Locking
Click the padlock buttons to protect a track from unintended edits.
The same button in the all tracks area confers this protection on the
whole project.
Storyboard link
The Storyboard is an alternative representation of a timeline track. A
small storyboard link button appears beneath the padlock button on
all track headers when the Storyboard is open. Click the button to
select a given track as the one linked to the Storyboard display.
Track name
To edit the name of a track, click the name once to access the in-
place editor, or select Edit track name from the track header context
menu. Confirm your edit with Enter, or cancel it with Esc.
Video and audio monitoring
The video and audio buttons in the track header control whether this
track contributes its video and audio to the composite output of the
project. They support the many editing situations in which it is
advantageous to block the output of one or more tracks in order to
simplify the preview. The same buttons in the all tracks area toggle
audio and video monitoring for the entire project.
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Additional track functions
The following functions are available in the track-header context
menu:
New track: You can insert a new track either above or below the
existing track.
Delete track: Delete a track and all clips on it.
Move track: Drag the track header up or down to a new layer
position. As you drag, a bright horizontal line appears at valid
placements.
Copy track: Keeping the Ctrl key pressed while moving a track will
copy the track instead of move it.
Track size: The context menu contains four fixed track sizes (Small,
Medium, Large, Very large). For custom sizing, drag the separator
line between the track headers to seamlessly adjust the height.
View waveforms: Toggle the waveform view for audio clips.
Timeline audio functions
Please see “Audio on the timeline” on page 204 for coverage of
these functions.
EDITING MOVIES
The first step in any movie editing session is to bring your project
into the Movie Editor to begin work.
To launch a -new production: Choose File New Movie from
the main menu. Before adding your first clip, make sure that the
timeline video format will be right for the project (see below).
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To edit an existing movie: Select a recent project from the File
Recent menu; click File Open to browse for a movie project to
open; or locate the movie you want to open in the Projects folder of
the Library, and double-click the thumbnail.
If your movie has been stored as a project package, it must be
unpacked before editing. Find your project in the Studio Projects
group in the Library, and use the Unpack project package command
on the thumbnail’s context menu.
A project package thumbnail in the Library, with the context menu
open. After unpacking, the movie will appear on the project’s
timeline, ready for editing.
Alternatively, you can click File Open and find the project
package in Explorer by choosing Studio Project Package (axx) in
the file extension box.
When unpacking is finished, the unpacked project is added to the
Library and opened on the project editor timeline, where it can be
edited as usual.
To open a Studio project: Choose File Import previous Pinnacle
Studio projects. Please note that some features of projects created
with a previous version of Studio may not be supported in the
current version.
To import a Studio for iPad project: Choose File Import Studio
for iPad App projects.
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Timeline settings
To start editing a new project, verify that the video format settings of
your project – aspect ratio, 2D or 3D, frame-size and playback speed
– are as you want them. You can choose in the Project settings tab of
the application settings to set the values of these properties
automatically by matching the first clip added to the project. You
can also set them manually. See “Project settings” on page 303 for
configuring the automatic feature, and “The timeline toolbar” on
page 60 for instructions on entering project settings manually.
Depending on your timeline settings, clips in some formats might
not be instantly playable. Such content will automatically be
rendered in an appropriate format.
Establishing tracks
With only minor exceptions, timeline tracks in Pinnacle Studio do
not have specialized roles. Any clip can be placed on any track. As
your projects become more complex, however, you will find it
increasingly helpful to give some thought to the organization of
tracks, and rename them according to their function in the movie.
For information on track properties and how to edit them, please see
“The timeline track header” on page 67.
Adding clips to the timeline
Most types of Library asset can be brought onto the timeline as
independent clips. The types include video and audio clips, photos,
graphics, ScoreFitter songs, Montage and titles. You can even add
your other movie projects as container clips that work just like video
clips in your project. Disc projects, however, cannot be added as
container clips to a timeline, since they require a capability – user
interactivity – that timeline clips don’t have.
Drag-and-drop
Drag-and-drop is the commonest and usually the most convenient
method of adding material to a project. Click any asset in the Movie
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Editor’s compact view of the Library and drag it wherever you like
on the timeline.
When crossing into the timeline area during the drag and continuing
to the target track, watch for the appearance of a vertical line under
the mouse pointer. The line indicates where the first frame of the clip
would be inserted if dropped immediately. The line is drawn in
green if the drop would be valid, and red if it would not be possible
to insert a clip where indicated (because the track is protected, for
example).
It is possible to insert multiple clips into the timeline at the same
time. Simply select the desired Library assets, then drag any one of
them to the timeline. The sequence in which the clips appear on the
track corresponds to their ordering in the Library (not the order in
which you selected them).
Magnet mode: By default, magnet mode is switched on. This makes
it easier to insert clips so that their edges meet exactly. The new clip
snaps to certain positions, like the ends of clips or the positions of
markers, as if drawn by a magnet once the mouse pointer gets close
to the potential target.
On the other hand, don’t worry about whether the first clip is right at
the start of the timeline. Not every movie starts with a hard cut to the
first scene!
Live editing preview
In order to eliminate the confusion created by complex editing
situations, Pinnacle Studio provides a full dynamic preview of the
results of editing operations as you drag clips around on the timeline.
If things seem to jump around a bit more than you’re used to during
timeline editing, this is the cause. Don’t worry: you will quickly get
used to and learn to take advantage of the extra information
provided. Take it slowly at first. Watch the changes on the timeline
as you hover the dragged item over various possible landing places,
and complete the drop when you see the result you want.
If it turns out that drag-and-drop isn’t working the way you want,
either press Esc or move the mouse pointer out of the timeline area
and release the button. Either of these abandons the drag-and-drop
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operation. To call back a drag-and-drop after it’s complete, press
Ctrl+Z or click the undo button.
Don’t forget that you can vary many timeline editing operations with
alternative mode: just press and hold Alt while dragging or
trimming. In a one-for-one clip replacement (see “Replacing a clip”,
below), Shift is also significant.
Advanced drag-and-drop
After you have assembled an assortment of clips on a timeline track,
it’s only matter of time before you want to start changing things
around. For instance, you might want to:
•
Fill a gap with clips.
•
Insert some clips before a specific clip.
•
Replace a clip already on the timeline with a different one.
The smart editing mode helps you achieve these goals with ease.
Filling a gap
Smart mode makes it simple to fill a particular timeline gap with
new material, for example. Rather than having to painstakingly pre-
trim the new material to the space available, you simply drag items
into the gap. Any clips that are not needed for filling the gap will be
dropped, and the last clip used will automatically be trimmed to the
appropriate length. No clips already on the timeline are affected, so
no synchronization problems can result.
Inserting clips
Suppose that your goal is to add new material to the timeline at a
point where there is an existing clip. You don’t want the clip already
there to be overwritten, however; you just want it (and any clips to
its right) to move rightwards far enough to make room for the new
material.
Here again, smart editing provides a painless answer. Simply drag
the new material to the start of the clip that is in the way, rather than
into a gap. The clip moves aside exactly as far as necessary.
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Inserting with split
If you drop an item onto the middle of an existing clip, rather than at
a cut, the clip will be split. The new material is inserted at the point
you specified, and is followed immediately by the displaced portion
of the original clip.
In smart mode, synchronization of the target track with all other
tracks is maintained by inserting in each of them a gap of length
equal to the new clip. To avoid affecting the other tracks in this way,
use insert instead of smart mode. Alternatively, pressing Alt as you
drop the new material will cause it to overwrite a portion of the
existing clip. A third approach is to lock any track that should not be
modified, although this will affect the synchronization of clips on
locked tracks with those on unlocked tracks.
Replacing a clip
To replace a clip, drag a single Library asset onto the clip you want
to replace while holding down Shift. The replacement clip will
inherit any effects and transitions that were applied to the original
clip. Corrections are not inherited, however, since they are usually
meant to address the issues of a particular media item.
In smart mode, the replace operation will succeed only if the Library
clip is long enough to cover the full length of the clip being replaced.
In other modes a Library clip of insufficient length will be extended
using over-trimming. The direction and amount of the extension is
based on your mouse position as you drag. For information on over-
trimming, please see page 78.
If the Library asset is longer than needed, it will be truncated to the
same length as the clip being replaced.
Sending to the timeline
In addition to dragging a clip to the timeline, you can ‘send’ it to the
default track at the position of the playhead. The operation is
equivalent to drag-and-drop, so smart mode is applied accordingly
when deciding how other clips will be affected.
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The Send to timeline command is found on the context menu of an
individual asset or multiple selection in the compact view of the
Library.
Sending from the Player
There is also a second ‘send’ method that provides greater control.
If you click on a Library asset when working in the Movie Editor,
the Player switches to Source mode for previewing. For trimmable
media (video and audio), the Player also provides trim calipers for
cutting out a starting or ending portion of the asset.
Clicking the Send To Timeline button in the Player
after trimming a Library video asset.
After previewing the asset and trimming it if required, use the send
to timeline button at the bottom left of the Player. As usual, the asset
is added to the project on the default track and at the playhead. A
useful variation is to click anywhere within the Player screen and
drag the asset onto any desired timeline track. The asset is added at
the drop point rather than at the playhead.
Title Editor and voice-over
These functions add new clips to the project’s
timeline, clips that are not underpinned by any
Library asset. Instead, they
are created from settings and other actions you take during editing.
Once your editing is complete, titles will be sent to the default track
on the timeline using the Send to timeline function, while voice-
over clips will go to the special voice-over
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track instead. For details please see Chapter 7: The Title Editor
(page 157), “ScoreFitter” (page 213) and “The voice-over tool”
(page 214).
Deleting clips
To delete one or more clips, first select them, then press Delete.
Alternatively, click the trashcan icon on the timeline toolbar, or
choose Delete from the selection’s context menu.
In smart mode, if the deletion produces a gap that spans all tracks, it
is closed by shifting material to the right of the gap leftwards. This
lets you avoid accidentally creating empty sections in your movie,
while still ensuring that synchronization between tracks is
maintained.
If the Alt key is held down when deleting, any gaps produced will be
left unclosed.
In insert mode, gaps on the tracks from which clips are deleted will
also be closed, but other tracks will be unaffected. No effort is made
to preserve synchronization to the right of the deletion.
With regard to synchronization, the safest editing mode for deletion
is overwrite, which will simply remove the clips and leave
everything else unchanged.
Clip operations
The timeline of your project provides comprehensive support for
selecting, adjusting, trimming, moving and copying clips.
Selecting
Select clips in preparation for performing editing operations upon
them. A selected clip receives an orange frame in the timeline and in
the Storyboard, and is displayed as solid orange in the Navigator.
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To select one clip, click it with the mouse. Any previous selections
are removed. For a fast multiple selection, click in an open timeline
area then drag out a selection frame that intersects the clips of
interest. To select all clips with one command, press Ctrl+A.
To clear a selection click into any gap area of the timeline.
Multiple selection with keyboard and mouse
To create more complex multiple selections, left-click while pressing
Shift, Ctrl or both together.
To select a series of clips: Click on the first and Shift-click on the
last. The two clips together define a bounding rectangle, or selection
frame, within which all clips are selected.
Toggle selection of one clip: Use Ctrl-click to reverse the selection
state of a single clip without affecting any of the others.
Select rest of track: Press Ctrl+Shift-click to select all clips that
start at or after the start position of the clicked clip. This function is
particularly useful if you quickly want to get the rest of your
timeline ‘out-of-the way’ for inserting new material, or to manually
ripple left to close timeline gaps.
Adjusting
As you move your mouse pointer slowly over the clips on your
timeline, you will notice that it changes to an arrow symbol while
crossing the sides of each clip, an indication that you can click and
drag to adjust the clip boundary.
Adjusting changes the length of a single clip on the timeline in
overwrite mode (since insert mode would cause synchronization
issues). If you drag the start of a clip to the right, a gap will be
opened on the left side. If there is a clip to the immediate left of the
clip being adjusted, dragging to the left overwrites it.
The adjustment pointer also appears when the mouse hovers at the
ends of a gap – an empty space on a timeline track with at least one
clip to its right.
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It turns out that adjusting gaps in overwrite mode, as we do for clips,
is not especially helpful. However, gaps do come in handy when
you’re editing in smart mode if you want to ripple an individual
track left or right, ignoring any resulting synchronization issues.
Adjusting gaps therefore occurs in insert mode.
Even if no gap is available, incidentally, you can get the same result
by holding Alt while adjusting the sides of a clip.
Over-trimming
Over-trimming occurs when you try to extend the duration of a clip
beyond the limits of its source material, a situation you typically
want to avoid.
Notice that if you have over-trimmed your clip the invalid parts are
shown in pink.
Overtrimmed clip: The first and last frames
will be frozen in the over-trimmed sections.
Over-trimming is not a crisis situation. You do not need to take
action immediately. Pinnacle Studio will simply extend the clip as
specified by ‘freezing’ the first and last frames of the clip into the
over-trimmed areas.
Depending on the duration of the over-trim, and the context, this
simple approach may be all you need. A brief freeze-frame can even
be visually effective in its own right.
The freeze-frame method will probably not give satisfactory results
if it happens during a sequence involving rapid motion, however. In
such exacting cases you might consider supplementing or replacing
the clip, or prolonging it with the Speed function. (See “Speed” on
page 89.)
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Trimming
Changing the length of clips or gaps on the timeline is called
‘trimming’.
Multitrack trimming is a valuable editing skill. By trimming multiple
tracks at once, you can assure that the clips coming later on the
timeline maintain their relative synchronization.
Trimming clips without consideration for content later on the
timeline can disrupt the synchronization of your project. Soundtracks
that don’t match the action and badly-timed titles are the kinds of
problem that may result.
Multiple track trimming
A rule for staying in sync
Pinnacle Studio has powerful trimming tools to allow you to perform
multitrack trimming without risk. Fortunately, there is a simple rule
for safeguarding synchronization even on a complex timeline: open
exactly one trim point on every track. Whether the trim point is
attached to a clip or a gap, and at which end, are up to you.
Opening trim points
To open a trim point on the active timeline track, position
the timeline scrubber near the cut you want to trim, then
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click the trim mode button on the timeline toolbar. To open one trim
point on each non-empty track simultaneously, Shift-click the trim
mode button.
Once in trim mode, you can open trim points with the mouse pointer
at the beginning or end of a clip. Notice that the trim pointer faces
left at the start of the clip and right at the end. While the trim pointer
is showing, click once at the point you want to trim. Then continue
to open trim points on other tracks if required.
You can open two trim points per track by holding down the Ctrl key
to create the second point. This feature is useful for the trim both,
slip trim, and slide trim operations, all described below.
The Trim Editor in dual mode. The yellow rectangle shows the
currently selected trim point at the start of a clip; the left side
shows the final frame of the outgoing clip.
When a trim point is opened several things happen:
•
The left or right edge of the clip is highlighted with a yellow bar,
showing that it is currently selected. Trim points that are not
currently selected are shown with an orange bar.
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•
The Trim Editor opens, with the Player in dual preview mode.
•
The transport controls under the Player become trim adjustment
tools.
•
The preview with the currently active trim point is outlined in
yellow.
The Trim Editor
In dual preview mode, the Trim Editor shows two frames from the
timeline. The currently selected trim point is always shown and has a
yellow rectangle around it. If the trim point is at the beginning of the
clip, the first frame of the clip is shown; at the end of the clip, the
last frame. You can switch the selected trim point by clicking in the
other preview window, or by pressing Tab.
The Trim Editor in a slip trim operation. The left preview shows
the currently selected trim point; the right preview shows the
second trim point.
Which frame is shown in the second preview window depends on
which trim mode is being used. In a slip or slide trim, the second
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trim point of the operation is displayed, surrounded by an orange
rectangle. In other cases, the second preview window shows the
frame on the other side of the cut at the selected trim point.
Above each preview window, the number of frames that have been
trimmed is displayed. If you think of the original cut point position
as zero, the number indicates how many frames the new position of
the cut point has moved.
The Trim Editor is by default in solo mode. The clip that
has the trim point is shown without the tracks above it
and without any transitions applied to it. This preview
mode is most suitable for determining the exact frame to trim. The
default display of adjacent frames are a complete composition of all
the timeline tracks. You can toggle the display behavior with the
solo button in the lower right corner of the Trim Editor. When solo
mode is deactivated, the preview shows trim points in their timeline
context.
The Trim Editor in single preview mode.
The Trim Editor opens in dual preview mode. To switch to
single preview, click the preview mode button in the upper
right corner of the preview area.
Closing trim mode: Trim mode can be closed by clicking the trim
mode button.
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Editing modes
The current editing mode – smart,
overwrite or insert – determines
how trimming will affect other clips
on the timeline. Select the mode
from the dropdown list at the far
right of the timeline toolbar.
Insert mode: Clips to the right of a trimmed clip and on the same
track will shift left or right to accommodate the new length of the
clip. Synchronization with other tracks may be lost, but no clips are
overwritten.
Overwrite mode: Only the clips you are trimming, and any
neighboring clips they happen to overwrite, are altered in this mode.
Synchronization across tracks is not affected.
Smart mode: For trimming, smart mode is equivalent to insert mode.
Trimming the beginning of a clip
Prepare to trim the beginning of a clip (the ‘mark-in’ point) by
clicking at the left-hand edge of the clip while the trim pointer is
visible. With a trim point thus established, you can add or remove
frames from the beginning of the clip.
To trim on the clip, drag the trim point to the left or right.
To trim on the Player, use the trim buttons to trim one or ten
frames either forwards or backwards. Click the loop play button for
a looping preview of the trim region.
The position of the playhead relative to the trim point helps
distinguish the in-point of a clip (left) from the out-point of the
previous clip (right).
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Trimming the end of the clip
To trim the end of the clip (or ‘mark-out’ point), open a trim point
by clicking at the right-hand edge of a clip when the mouse pointer
changes to a rightward-pointing arrow. Now you can add or remove
frames from the end of your clip.
Once again you can trim directly on the clip by dragging the trim
point, or on the Player while it remains in trim mode.
Trimming gaps
The project’s timeline lets you trim not just the clips upon it but also
the gaps between them. Trimming gaps might not sound terribly
useful at first, but is in fact handy. For instance, the easiest way to
insert or delete space on a single timeline track is to trim the right-
hand edge of a gap. All clips to the right of the gap are shifted as a
block when this is done.
Also, when you need to open a trim point on each track in order to
maintain synchronization while trimming, you may often choose to
trim the duration of a gap rather than that of a clip. (Remember the
rule: one trim point on every track is required for keeping in sync.)
Trimming a gap, whether at the start or the end, is accomplished in
exactly the same way described above for trimming a clip.
Two gaps and an audio out point have been selected for trimming.
Because one trip point has been created on each track, the entire
production stays in sync when trimmed.
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Trim both
In this operation, two adjacent clips (or a clip and an adjacent gap)
are trimmed simultaneously. Any frames added to the left-hand item
are taken away from the one on the right, and vice versa, as long as
space and material are available. All you are moving is the cut-point
where the items meet. One application for this technique is adjusting
visual cuts to the beat of a music soundtrack.
To start, click at the end of the left-hand clip to open the first trim
point, then Ctrl-click at the beginning of the right-hand clip to open
the second.
When positioned over the adjacent trim points you just opened, the
mouse pointer should be a horizontal two-headed arrow. Drag left or
right to move the clip boundary, or use the Player in trim mode.
Trim both: Adjacent out and in trim points have been selected.
Dragging the trim points affects the timing of the hand-off from
the outgoing clip to the incoming one, but does not disrupt the
timeline.
Slip trim
To change the starting frame of a clip within the source material, but
leave its duration unchanged, open one trim point at the start of a
clip, and another at the end of either the same clip or one later on its
timeline track.
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Drag either trim point horizontally or use the Player trim controls to
reposition the clip within its source.
Slip trim: With the in and out trim-points of a clip selected,
dragging the clip changes its in and out points relative to the
original material, but doesn’t affect its start time or duration on
the timeline.
Slide trim
A slide trim is an extended version of the trim both technique
described above. In this case you open trim-points at the end of one
clip and the beginning of another later on the timeline. Instead of
sliding a single clip boundary along the timeline, as in trim both, you
are sliding two that move together. All clips between the two trim
points are repositioned earlier or later on the timeline.
Slide trim: An out-point has been opened for trimming on the first
clip, and an in-point on the third. Dragging either point moves the
center clip – or multiple clips, if more are present – along the
track while other clips remain stationary.
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Both slip trimming and slide trimming can be useful for
synchronizing clip contents to material on other tracks.
Monitoring trim points
When you are trimming with multiple trim points, it is helpful to
switch the preview from one trim location to another to make sure
that each is properly set. Selecting a trim point for monitoring makes
it the source for audio and video during preview.
Monitoring is enabled for a trim point when it is created. When
multiple trim points are created in succession, you can fine tune each
one as you go. To select an existing trim point for monitoring, Ctrl-
click it. While trim mode is active, use Tab or Shift+Tab to cycle
through the open points.
After using Ctrl-click to monitor a trim point, trimming can be
controlled with the Left and Right arrow keys. Trim one frame using
the keys unshifted; add the Shift key to trim in 10-frame steps.
Moving and copying
To move a selection of one or more clips, place the mouse pointer on
any selected clip and watch for it to change to a hand symbol. When
it does, start dragging the clip to the desired position.
Move can be thought of as a two-step process. First, the selection is
deleted from the current timeline, according to the rules of the
current edit mode. Second, the selection is moved to the desired end
position, where it is inserted in a left-to-right fashion per track. The
relative position of all selected clips on all tracks is retained.
Moving a ‘sparse selection’ (a selection in which some clips per
track are selected while others in the same region are not) is
possible, but may be confusing unless executed in overwrite mode.
Moving either single clips or a complete timeline cross-section is
more straightforward and should be preferred when possible.
Holding down the Alt key while moving clips allows you to toggle
between insert and overwrite modes. Standard smart operation is the
same as insert, since the most frequent use of horizontal moves is to
reorder the playback sequence.
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Copying clips: Holding down the Ctrl key while moving a selection
of clips will copy the clips instead of moving them.
Using the Clipboard
Although drag-and-drop operations provide somewhat greater power
when dealing with clips, the timeline does support the standard
Clipboard operations cut, copy and paste, with the usual shortcut
keys. The Clipboard also provides the only method for moving and
copying transitions and effects between clips.
From the Library
After selecting one or more clips in the Library, select Copy from the
selection’s context menu or press Ctrl+C to put the selection on the
application’s Clipboard. (Cut, the other usual command for adding to
the Clipboard, is not available in the Library.)
On the timeline, position the playhead at the point where the paste
operation should begin, and select the desired track by clicking in its
header.
Now press Ctrl+V to insert the clips from the Clipboard onto the
given track, starting at the playhead.
If you select Paste from the timeline’s context menu rather than
pressing Ctrl+V, the clips will be pasted at the mouse pointer
position on the default track, not at the playhead.
You can repeat the paste operation with the same set of clips as often
as desired.
From the timeline
Select one or more clips on the timeline, then click either Copy or
Cut on the selection’s context menu, or press Ctrl+C (copy) or
Ctrl+X (cut). Both commands add the clips to the Clipboard; Cut
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removes the original clips from the project, while Copy leaves them
in place.
Paste the Clipboard contents onto the timeline as described above.
The clips paste onto the same tracks as they originally occupied; and
with the same horizontal spacing. Unlike drag-and-drop, the
Clipboard does not support moving clips between tracks.
Effects on the Clipboard
Clips to which effects have been added have a magenta line along
the upper edge. Right-click on the clip, or right-click the line, to
access the Effect context menu, which provides Cut all and Copy all
commands for transferring or sharing a set of effects between clips.
Select one or more target clips, then press Ctrl+V or click Paste on
the timeline context menu.
The effects stack will be pasted to all selected clips. The target clips
retain any effects they may already have had. The pasted effects
stack will be placed on top of the existing effects.
Transitions on the Clipboard
Right-click in the transition area in the upper corner at the start or
end of a clip to access the Transition context menu. Select Cut or
Copy to put the transition on the Clipboard.
As with effects, transitions can be pasted to one or more target clips,
but any existing transition of the type (start or end) being pasted will
be overwritten. The paste fails if the duration of the transition on the
Clipboard is longer than the target clip.
Speed
The Speed Control window is launched by selecting Speed Add or
Speed Edit in the context menu of a timeline video or audio clip.
You can adjust the settings to produce any degree of slow motion or
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fast motion over a wide range. A clip to which Speed Control has
been applied is marked by a broken yellow line.
The Speed Control window
The actual playback speed of your project always remains the same.
It is set once and for all by the frames per second rate in your project
settings. To achieve slow motion, new frames are interpolated
between the original ones; for fast motion, some source frames are
suppressed.
The options provided on the dialog are divided into several groups.
Constant
Select the clip playback speed as a value from 10 to 500 percent
relative to the original material. Anything under 100 percent is slow
motion.
Anchor: When Constant is selected, the clip is anchored to the
timeline by a specified frame during trimming operations. You can
choose the first or last frame of the clip, or the frame indicated by
the current position of the playhead, to serve as the anchor. This can
be useful for coordinating action between the speed-affected clip and
material such as background music on other tracks.
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Stretch
Under this option, the first and last frames of the clip as currently
trimmed will remain locked when the clip is trimmed on the
timeline. Shortening the clip, instead of trimming material from the
end, speeds it up just enough so that it finishes at the same frame as
before. Lengthening the clip by trimming its end rightwards slows it
down rather than exposing any trimmed material.
Video
Reverse reverses the direction of playback without affecting the
speed. Synchronous audio, if any, is suppressed with this option,
since it is generally undesirable to play sound backwards.
Smooth motion: This option applies a special transition technique to
achieve maximum fluidity of movement from frame to frame.
Audio
Hold pitch: This option maintains the original pitch of the recorded
audio even when it is played back accelerated or slowed. The
function becomes less effective the more the speed is changed.
Beyond certain limits, it is switched off completely.
Movies within movies
All the movie projects that you create in Pinnacle Studio appear as
assets in the Projects branch of the Library. But the purpose of
Library assets is to serve as the ingredients of movies. What will
happen if you try to drag Movie Project A onto the timeline of
Movie Project B?
The answer is simple enough: As with most types of assets, Project
A becomes a single clip on Project B’s timeline. From the standpoint
of timeline editing, it behaves just like any of your other video
assets. You can trim it, move it around, apply effects and transitions,
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and so on. (The same is not true of disc projects. These cannot be
used as clips in another project.)
Nevertheless, a copy of the internal structure of Project A remains
intact inside this container clip, along with all of the project’s clips,
effects, titles and other components. What’s more, if you double-
click the container clip or select Edit movie from its context menu, a
subsidiary Movie Editor opens in a new window to let you work on
the ‘sub-movie’. Any modifications you make affect only the copy
of the project inside the container clip, not the original.
The length of the container clip on the timeline of the main project is
not tied to the length of the sub-movie on its own timeline.
Extending or shortening the sub-movie in the nested editor does not
alter the length of the container clip in the parent movie. You need to
manually trim the container clip if you want it to match the duration
of the sub-movie.
Transitions
A transition is a specialized animated effect for easing – or
emphasizing – the passage from one clip to the next. Fades, wipes
and dissolves are common types of transition. Others are more
exotic, and many employ sophisticated 3D geometry to calculate the
animated sequences.
Creating a default fade-in transition by
‘folding back’ a clip’s upper left corner.
Two transitions can be assigned to any clip, one at each end. A clip
newly created on the timeline has neither. When a new clip starts, it
does so with a hard cut to the first frame. When it ends, it switches to
the next clip (or black) with equal abruptness.
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Pinnacle Studio offers a wide variety of transitions for softening,
dressing up or dramatizing the change from one clip to another.
Creating a transition
The most straightforward method of creating a transition is to click
in the top left corner of the clip on the timeline and ‘fold back’ the
corner. This creates a dissolve from the previous clip, if there is one,
or a fade-in if there is not. The wider you make the fold, the longer it
will take the transition to complete. Folding back the top right corner
of the clip results in either a dissolve to the following clip or a fade-
out.
More elaborate transitions can be added to the timeline from their
section of the Library (under Creative Elements). When you find one
you want, drag it onto one end or the other of a timeline clip. The
length of the transition will be determined by the default duration
defined in the Pinnacle Studio Control Panel Project settings (one
second by default). If the clip already has a transition at the chosen
end, the new one replaces it. See “Project settings” on page 303 for
details.
If you are trying to add the transition to a clip which is shorter than
the default transition length, the transition will not be applied. One
way to avoid this problem is by making sure the dynamic length
transitions button on the timeline toolbar is active. While it is, you
can control the length of a new transition by dragging to the left or
right as you place it on the clip. You will see the corner of the clip
fold back as you drag. If the time-ruler is zoomed out enough, you
will see the duration of the transition numerically displayed; clicking
in this readout lets you edit it directly.
A transition dragged to a project’s timeline.
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Another way to apply a transition uses the Send to timeline context
menu command for assets in the Movie Editor’s compact Library
view, or the Send-to timeline button in the Player when in Source
mode. The transition is added to the clip on the default track at the
cut nearest the playhead.
Transitions can be added at the start or end of any clip.
The context menu of a clip on the timeline lets you add a transition
by choosing either In transition Add or Out transition Add.
Finally, transitions can also be created in the applicable media
editor, which opens when you double-click the timeline clip. The
media editor provides editing controls similar to those for other
types of special effect. Please see “Working with transitions” on
page 140 for full information.
A fade-out transition is applied in ripple (or insert) mode, which
creates an overlap by shifting the right-hand clip and all its
neighbors somewhat to the left. This behavior saves the left-hand
clip from having to be extended rightwards to create the transition,
which might produce over-trimming. However, shifting the
rightward clips causes a break in the synchronization with other
tracks that may have to be worked around.
A fade-in transition is added in overwrite fashion. No
synchronization issue will result, but over-trimming may be
produced in the left-hand clip.
To invert the fade-in and fade-out behaviors, press the Alt key
during dragging and trimming.
To apply a transition to multiple selected clips, hold down the
Shift key while dragging a transition from the Library onto one of
the selected clips. The position at which you drop the transition on
that clip determines whether it will be placed at the beginning of
each selected clip, or the end. The transition will not be applied to
any clips that are shorter than the transition’s duration.
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When the Dynamic length transition button is activated, the duration
you drag out for the transition on the target clip is used for all the
transitions created.
To keep tracks synchronized when inserting transitions in the out
position, use this multiple-apply feature to add the same transition
once on each track. Since each track will be affected in the same
way, they will all remain synchronized.
When a fade-in follows a fade-out, the result is termed a ‘fade
through black’. The left-hand clip fades all the way out, then the
right-hand clip fades all the way in. It is not necessary to leave a
one-frame gap between the clips.
Rippling transitions
The ripple transition command is especially useful for creating a
quick slideshow from a set of still images, or a video pictorial from a
set of short clips. Such a presentation is more interesting if you
connect each pair of clips with a transition, which can be done
quickly and easily by using ripple transition.
Begin with a set of clips on the timeline, then add a transition of the
desired type to one of the clips. Select all the clips in the set, bring
up the context menu on the clip with the transition, and choose the
ripple transition command. This will apply the original transition to
all the selected clips. If the original clip had both an In transition and
an Out transition, you can choose either one to be rippled.
Any of the selected clips that already have a transition in place, or
that are too short for the new transition, will not be altered.
Removing multiple transitions
To remove transitions from several clips at once, select the clips,
right-click on one of them, and use the remove transitions command
in the context menu. All the transitions, both in and out will be
removed from the selected clips.
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Replacing a transition
Select the transition you want and simply drag it onto an existing
transition. This replaces the transition animation while retaining the
original type (in or out) and duration.
Alternatively, you can choose Replace by on either the transition’s
context menu or the clip’s context menu. You will be offered a
selection of transitions to use.
Adjusting transitions
The durations of transitions can be adjusted just like those of clips.
Notice the adjustment pointer when the mouse is positioned near the
vertical side of the transition rectangle. Use this to change the
duration of your transition.
As usual, fade-out transitions use insert mode during adjustment,
whereas fade-in is done in overwrite mode. Hold down Alt while
adjusting to invert this behavior.
You can adjust a transition so that its duration is zero, effectively
deleting it. Alternatively, use Transition Remove on the
transition’s context menu. Once again, ripple mode is used for fade-
out, and overwrite for fade-in, with the Alt key available to reverse
the default.
To set the duration of a transition numerically, click the duration
field that appears when the mouse pointer is above the transition
rectangle. (Zoom the timeline in to enlarge the screen width of the
transition ‘fold’ if the field does not appear.) Clicking the field
activates in-place editing, allowing you to enter a duration via the
keyboard.
Transition context menu
Find in Library: This command opens the Library Browser at the
folder containing the transition.
Edit: This command invokes a pop-up window, the basic transition
editor, where the transition duration can be set.
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If the transition is one that offers a custom editor for configuring
special properties, the Edit button in the basic transition editor
provides access.
A Reverse checkbox is available with some transitions for reversing
the transition animation.
Basic transition editor
Copy: This command puts the transition on the Clipboard, together
with its type (fade-in, fade-out) and its duration. These properties
will be retained by the transition when pasted. It is therefore not
possible to paste a fade-in as a fade-out or vice versa.
To paste the transition to a particular clip, select Paste on its context
menu. To paste it to all selected clips, select Paste from the context
menu of an empty timeline area or any selected clip; or press Ctrl+V.
The Replace By submenu on the context menu for a transition
pops up a convenient palette of standard, recently-used and 5-star
transitions. This pop-up is also seen when transitions are added
or replaced via a clip’s context menu.
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Ripple: This command appears if more than one clip is selected. See
“Rippling transitions” above.
Remove: This command deletes a transition. Fade-in transitions are
removed without further ado. Removing a fade-out transition causes
clips to the right to be rippled rightwards by the duration of the
transition. This can cause loss of synchronization with other tracks.
Replace by: A selection of transitions is offered: two standard
dissolves, the six transitions most recently used, and all transitions
with a 5-star rating.
Clip effects
Clip effects (also called filters or video effects) operate on one clip at
a time. Effects are of many kinds, and vary widely in purpose. With
keyframing, effect parameters can be arbitrarily varied throughout
the clip.
To apply a specific effect to a clip, either locate it in the Effects
section of the Library and drag it to the clip you want to enhance, or
double-click the clip and select the effect from those offered under
the Effects tab of the clip’s media editor.
Multiple effects can be applied to a clip using either or both of these
methods. By default, multiple effects are processed for playback in
the order they were added.
On the timeline, the upper border of any clip to which an effect has
been applied is drawn in magenta. This clip effect indicator has its
own context menu, which provides the Clipboard commands for
cutting and copying effects between clips. See “Using the
Clipboard” on page 88 for more information.
Double-clicking any clip opens it in its media editor, where effects
may be added, removed or configured. Please see Chapter 5: Media
editing: Effects for detailed information.
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Clip context menus
Right-clicking a clip opens a context menu with commands
appropriate to the item type. A video clip has a different menu than a
title clip, for example. Some commands are shared between most or
all types however. Differences of applicability are noted in the
following descriptions.
Edit movie: Available only for movie (container) clips, this
command opens the container in its own movie editor. The nested
editor offers the same functions and areas as the primary one.
Edit title: For titles only, this opens the Title Editor. (See page 157).
Edit music: This command is for editing ScoreFitter clips. (See
page 213.)
Open effects editor: Opens the media editor for the clip, whatever
its type, with the Effects tab selected. Montage, title and container
clips are treated in the same manner as ordinary video clips.
Speed: This command opens the Speed Control dialog, where you
can apply fast and slow motion effects to selected clips. This option
is not available for containers. See “Speed” on page 89.
Scaling: The first two options affect the treatment of clips that are
not in conformance with the current timeline format when brought
into the project. See “The timeline toolbar” on page 60).
•
Fit displays the image at its correct aspect ratio, and scaled as
large as possible without cropping. Unused parts of the frame are
treated as transparent.
•
Fill also maintains the aspect ratio of the image, but scales it such
that there are no unused parts of the screen. Portions of the image
will be cropped if the aspect ratios do not match.
To further fine-tune the scaling behavior of a clip, try pan-and-
zoom.
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•
Keep alpha, Remove alpha, Generate alpha: These commands
apply to content with an alpha channel (specifying transparency
pixel by pixel). Such alpha information can conflict with Pinnacle
Studio effects. The command isn’t available for pure audio clips.
Active streams: This command is available for disabling individual
streams in clips containing both video and audio. It is typically used
as an easy way to discard unneeded camera audio.
Adjust duration: Enter a duration numerically in the pop-up
window. All selected clips will be trimmed to the duration requested
by adjusting their out points.
Detach audio: In clips with both video and audio, this command
detaches the audio stream into a separate clip on a separate track,
allowing advanced editing operations like L-cuts.
Find in Library: This command opens the Library Browser at the
folder containing the asset that is the source of the video, photo or
audio clip.
Cut, Copy, Paste: Move or copy a selection of clips using
Clipboard commands instead of drag-and-drop.
In Transition, Out Transition: These provide access to a set of
operations for managing transitions, including Add, Replace, Edit,
Copy, and Remove. See page 92 for more on transitions.
Delete: Delete the selected clip or clips.
Display information: Display properties of the clip and underlying
media files in textual form.
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CHAPTER 4:
Media editing: Corrections
Pinnacle Studio provides media editors for each of the three main
media types: video, photos (and other images), and audio. The usual
way to access one of these editors is by double-clicking either a
media asset in the Library or a media clip on your project’s timeline.
All three editors provide two main families of tools, called
Corrections and Effects. These are presented as tabs at the top of the
editor window. (The Photo Editor has a third tab, for the Pan-and-
zoom tool.)
The four groups under the Corrections family in the Video Editor.
When an editor is invoked from the Library, the Effects tab does
not appear.
The tools in the Corrections family are designed to fix imperfections
in the video, photos and other media that you use in your projects.
The defects addressed by the tools are those most frequently
encountered in recorded media. You can straighten a photo with a
tilted horizon, improve the clarity of a muffled music track, or
correct the ‘white balance’ of a video scene, to name just a few
possibilities.
The application of Corrections does not modify your media files
themselves. Instead, the parameters you set are stored either in the
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Library database (associated with a particular asset) or in a project
(associated with a particular clip).
Correcting Library assets
Just one tool-family tab – Corrections – is available for use when
you bring Library assets into a media editor. The Effects tab, and
Pan-and-zoom for photos, appear only when the editor was opened
to work on a timeline clip.
Using corrected assets: When you apply Corrections to a Library
asset, the correction settings ride along with the asset when you add
it to a project. All future projects get the benefit of the correction.
You can make further corrections on the timeline, if you want, but
they will have no effect on the Library asset.
Save alternative corrections: Corrected Library assets can
optionally be saved (with File Make new shortcut) as separate
assets. This lets you have two (or more) variations of a particular
asset under different captions, each incorporating a different set of
corrections.
Working with the Enhance group of corrections in the Video Editor.
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Removing corrections: The context menu for Library assets that
have corrections includes a Revert to original command for restoring
the uncorrected state.
Corrections under direct export: If you choose to export Library
media directly, rather than build a project on the movie or disc
timelines, the correction settings are applied to the output.
Correcting timeline clips
When a clip from the Movie Editor or the Disc Editor timeline is
opened in one of the media editors, you can use the Corrections
family of tools to change it in any way you like without affecting
either Library assets or other clips. Such changes to the clip become
part of your project.
If you want to remove corrections from a clip on the timeline, select
the context menu command Open Effects Editor, then switch to the
Corrections tool. The settings panels indicate with highlighting
which settings have been modified. Use this to locate and reset the
corrections.
For details on using a particular media editor, please turn to
“Correcting photos” on page 108; “Correcting video” on page 115;
or “Correcting audio” on page 122.
Media editing overview
The media editors can be opened to access the available tools in a
number of ways from both the Library and a project’s timeline.
To open from the Library:
•
Double-click the icon or text record of a video, photo or audio
asset; or,
•
Select the Open in corrections command from the asset’s context
menu.
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To open from the Library Player:
•
After clicking the play button on a Library item to open the
Library Player, click the gear wheel icon at bottom right.
To open from the timeline:
•
Double-click the clip in the timeline; or,
•
Select the Open effects editor command from the clip’s context
menu; or,
•
Use the context menu Effect Edit on the colored strip that
appears along the upper edge of clips to which any effects have
been applied.
To close the media editor window:
•
Click the Cancel button; leaving the clip unchanged; or,
•
Click the close (X) button in the upper right corner. If you have
made changes, you will be given a chance to save them; or
•
Click the OK button, confirming your changes.
Previewing
The central panel in each of the media editors is either a visual
preview of media showing the result of applying corrections and
effects, or an audio visualization.
When video media with an integral
soundtrack is being edited, both the Audio
Editor and the Video Editor are available via tabs at the top left of
the window.
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Title bar
File and Edit menus: If you invoked the media editor from the
Library, the File menu offers the ability to save a new copy (or
‘Shortcut’) of the currently-loaded asset. A Shortcut is a special type
of asset that has its own parameters and settings but applies them to
a media file that is already associated with an existing asset. This lets
you have multiple versions of the same asset without having the
overhead of storing a separate media file for each one. Shortcuts are
stored to the Library as the original name plus a sequence number.
The Edit menu offers five standard editing commands: Undo, Redo,
Cut, Copy, and Paste.
Undo/Redo: As seen throughout Studio, the graphical
undo and redo buttons at the upper left of the media
editor window step forward and back through your editing history.
The Navigator
The Navigator strip at the bottom of all media editor windows gives
you an opportunity to load other Library items or other timeline
clips.
When called from the Library, the Navigator at the bottom of the
media editor accesses other assets displayed in the Library Browser.
The current item is highlighted. You can switch to editing a different
item by clicking a different element in the Navigator, using the
arrows at right and left to assist scrolling if required. When you do
so, any changes made to the currently-loaded item are automatically
saved, as though you had clicked the OK button.
You can hide the Navigator by clicking its button at the
bottom of the media editor window.
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View options
Sharing the bottom toolbar with the Navigator button is a series of
view-related buttons.
The Solo button gives access to a menu of options for previewing
underlying tracks in the media editor as well as the current one,
and for including the clip’s transitions, if any, in the preview.
Solo: This button is available only if the media editor is selected
from the timeline. While it is highlighted, the current clip in the
Navigator is shown in isolation when previewed, without taking into
account the effect of any clips either above or below it on the
timeline. While the button is not highlighted, all timeline tracks can
contribute to the preview.
Before-and-after view: This button appears for photo
media only. For details, see “Before-and-after” on page
109.
Full screen: When active, this button scales the preview
image to the size of the current monitor and removes
other tools from view. To exit the full screen mode, press
Esc, or use the close (X) button at the top right of the window. The
full-screen view includes its own small overlay panel of transport
controls.
Preview zoom options: Fit window adjusts the size of
the preview so that the height and width of the image do
not exceed the available space even when all tools are
open. Set to actual size displays the image at the original size of the
source.
Zoom: The scroll bar at the far right of the toolbar provides
continuous scaling of the preview image.
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Moving the preview in the window
The preview image can be dragged with the mouse anywhere within
the working area. This is useful for scanning the image while it is
zoomed in. The wave visualization in the Audio Editor is not
draggable, however.
Info and captions
The Info button at the bottom left of any media editor opens a
window with information about the current file.
The Caption field, which is available only when you invoke the
media editor from the Library, allows you to rename the current
asset.
The settings panel
When you select an effect or tool that has adjustable settings, a panel
appears in the upper-right section of the window. Named presets are
available in the Select preset dropdown menu near the top of the
panel; these provide prepared combinations of settings that you can
adapt or use directly.
Setting numeric values: Numeric settings fields have a gray slider
bar within a darker gray field. Click once within this field to put it
into numeric input mode, where you can type the desired value for
the parameter. Alternatively, drag the slider bar to the left or right
using the mouse. Double-clicking restores the default value.
Comparing parameter sets: A highlighted (orange) dot appears to
the right of the field when the value of a setting is changed from the
default. Thereafter, clicking the dot toggles between the default and
the most recent non-default values. The dot to the right of the effect
or correction name toggles between the default and custom values of
all parameters.
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Linked parameters: Some parameters are configured to change in
lock-step. The presence of a lock symbol indicates this. Click the
symbol to toggle the link.
The settings panel lets you adjust the available settings for a
correction or effect. Here the settings for the Enhance group of
photo corrections are displayed.
CORRECTING PHOTOS
For information about opening the Photo Editor to access the
correction tools, along with general functions of the media editors,
please see “Media editing overview” on page 103.
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Photo editing tools
These tools are located on the bottom bar of the Photo Editor. They
are available for photos and other graphic images loaded from the
Library only. Images opened from the timeline do not have access to
them.
Image rotation
Two rotary arrow icons are located to the left
below the image preview. Click the icons to rotate
a Library image either clockwise or
counterclockwise in 90-degree increments.
Rotation is only available in the Photo Editor when a photo is
opened from the Library. Clips opened from a project’s timeline can
be rotated using the 2D Editor effect.
Before-and-after
When editing photos you can directly compare the
original against the corrected version. The three available
views can be accessed by the arrow at the right of the
button.
Split image: The lower half of the preview displays the corrections.
You can adjust the vertical position of the dividing line by dragging
the center portion of the line up or down with the mouse. You can
also divide the image diagonally by grabbing the line on either side
and rotating.
Full image side-by-side: The right image shows the corrections.
Full image above and below: The lower image shows the
corrections.
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Photo corrections
The five corrections available within the Photo Editor are Enhance,
Adjustments, Crop, Straighten and Red-Eye. The first two are
controlled by means of panels that open in the upper-right corner of
the Photo Editor; the other three are controlled interactively on the
image preview.
Enhance
This correction opens the Image Correction CPU panel of tools for
fixing problems to do with color and illumination. The tools can also
be used creatively to achieve custom looks or stylistic effects that
extend, not just repair, the original material. They are presented in
the groups described below.
Automatics
The two special tools in this group adjust the image automatically
after analyzing its brightness spectrum. You can change the tool
settings further by hand to customize the adjustment if required.
White Balance: When you check the White Balance box, a color
temperature setting for the image is computed, and the Temperature
bias slider is displayed. Use the slider to customize the setting
interactively as you preview.
Levels: Checking this box activates an automatic illumination
adjustment, and opens a set of three controls. The first is
Optimization, a dropdown list that lets you set the overall behavior
of the tool by choosing either “Contrast” (optimization of contrast
only) or “Full” (general lighting optimization).
The Brightness and Vibrance sliders can take on values ranging
from
–
10 to +10. A zero setting represents no change to the
automatically-chosen value. Brightness provides a general boost or
cut in brightness that is applied equally across the whole image.
Vibrance, which is designed primarily for use with images of people,
is similar to a saturation control, but minimizes the unnatural
appearance characteristic of oversaturated skin tones.
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Fundamentals
This group of controls allows you to adjust the general lighting
properties of your image.
Brightness: This control provides an overall brightness adjustment
that impacts the light and dark areas of the image equally. For finer
control in brightness editing, use the Selective Brightness tool
instead (see below).
Contrast: This control increases the difference between the light
and dark areas of an image. Boosting the contrast may enliven a dull
photograph, although at the risk of losing definition in areas that are
already very bright or very dark.
Temperature: The color temperature control changes the color
composition of an image to make it seem ‘warmer’ or ‘cooler’.
Indoor lighting such as a tungsten bulb or candlelight is perceived as
warm, while daylight, especially shade, is perceived as cold. Using
the temperature control primarily changes the yellow and blue values
in an image, with little effect on green and magenta.
Saturation: This control regulates the color intensity of an image.
Increasing the value pumps up the colors, making them more vivid,
or even lurid. Decreasing the value drains the image of color until at
zero only shades of gray remain. For finer control of saturation, use
Selective Saturation instead. A related adjustment is Vibrance,
which is often preferred in portraits because it preserves skin tones.
Clarity: Increasing Clarity boosts contrast in the midtones, tending
to sharpen edges in an image. A small increase in Clarity often
improves a picture’s overall appearance.
Haze: Increasing Haze lightens the image by compressing its
dynamic range upwards. What was originally black becomes gray;
lighter tones are also brightened, but to a diminishing degree. This
produces a simultaneous lightening and softening effect. The
opposite result, darkening and detailing, is achieved by setting
negative values of Haze. This drops the brightness floor of the
image, sharpening the highlights and midtones by a downward
expansion of the dynamic range.
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White balance
If the white or gray areas of an image bear a slight tint or color cast,
the controls in this group can help restore a natural appearance.
Gray-scale picker: Activate the picker then click in a nominally
white or gray area of the image, where no coloration ought to be
present. The image white balance will be automatically adjusted so
as to remove the unwanted tint.
Color circle: Browse the color field by moving the control point
away from the center until a natural image appearance is achieved.
Selective brightness
To enable you to edit particular brightness zones in an image without
impacting others, five separate brightness controls are provided:
Blacks: This slider affects only the darkest areas in the image. For
best results, leave editing both Blacks and Whites until last.
Fill light: Increasing this slider may produce better detail in
shadowy (but not black) areas of a full-contrast photograph.
MidRange: The zone impacted by this slider includes the entire
medium range of illumination.
Highlights: This slider affects the bright locations in the image. It
can be used to mute areas overexposed due to flashes, reflections or
brilliant sunshine.
Whites: This slider impacts the parts of the image that are
considered ‘white’. Edit Whites and Blacks last.
Selective saturation
Whereas the standard Saturation correction increases color
saturation equally across the entire spectrum, Selective saturation
allows for individually boosting or suppressing the primary and
secondary colors. For example, if blue appears to be too strong, it
can be turned down while other colors retain their intensity.
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Adjustments
During import, Studio automatically detects certain parameters, but a
variety of factors can lead to the occasional incorrect identification.
Adjustments allows any of these basic image properties to be
changed, if needed.
Alpha
Your photo may have an Alpha channel, an 8-bit grayscale image
plane that defines the transparency level of each pixel in your photo.
If you wish to remove the alpha channel, choose the Ignore Alpha
option.
Interlacing
If the Interlacing options on the image were misidentified on import,
use this dropdown to impose the correct setting.
Stereoscopic 3D
If the format of a 3D image file was wrongly identified on import,
set the correct stereoscopic layout with this dropdown list.
Crop
Use this tool to emphasize a specific section in an image, or to
remove undesired components.
Cropping an image.
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Bounding box (cropping frame): After you select the cropping
tool, a resizable frame is placed over the image. Drag the sides and
corners of the frame to crop the image, or drag the center of the
bounding box after cropping to adjust its position.
Aspect ratio: The Aspect ratio dropdown on the control bar can be
use to ensure that the crop rectangle maintains a desired standard
proportion while being resized. Standard (4:3) and wide (16:9) frame
aspect ratios are supported.
Preview: This function displays the cropped image without the
surrounding material. Press Esc or click the image to return to the
editing view.
Clear, Cancel and Apply: Clear returns the bounding box to its
original dimensions; Cancel closes without saving any edits made;
Apply saves the changed image without exiting the editor.
Straighten
This correction enables you to straighten an image in which
elements that should be exactly horizontal or vertical are visibly
tilted. Unless you have cropped the image, it dynamically resizes as
you rotate to keep the corners from being visibly cut off. With a
cropped image, no resizing takes place as long as there is sufficient
excess material to fill in the empty corners.
Ready to straighten an image (with crosshairs).
Several functions pertaining to Straighten are provided on the
toolbar below the preview.
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Guide line options: The two buttons at the far left of the toolbar set
the mode for the lines that are superimposed on the preview as a
guide to straightening. Selecting either button deselects the other.
The Crosshairs (leftmost) button adds a pair of crossed lines that can
be dragged with the mouse to serve as a reference for true vertical
and horizontal alignment anywhere in the image. The Grid button
produces a fixed, repeating grid pattern over the entire image.
Set angle: To set the degree of rotation you can either use the slider
on the toolbar below the image, or click and hold the left mouse
button while dragging over the image. Rotations up to 20 degrees in
either direction are supported.
Clear, Cancel and Apply: Clear sets the image back to its original
state; Cancel closes without saving any edits made; Apply saves the
changed image without exiting the editor.
Red-eye
This tool corrects the red-eye effect that often occurs in flash
photography when the subject’s gaze is towards the camera. Mark
the area around both red eyes with the mouse. Extreme precision
shouldn’t be necessary, but you can experiment with changing the
area slightly if you are dissatisfied with the correction.
Clear, Cancel and Apply: Clear sets the image back to its original
state; Cancel closes without saving any edits made; Apply saves the
changed image without exiting the editor.
CORRECTING VIDEO
For information about opening the Video Editor to access the
correction tools, along with general functions of the media editors,
please see “Media editing overview” on page 103.
Like the other media editors, the Video Editor has a central preview
display, and an area at right for correction and effect settings. If the
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video includes an audio track, floating panels for audio management
will also appear. These are positioned originally at upper left, but
you can drag them to new docking positions on either side of the
window.
Video / audio switch
If an audio track is present, a tab is
provided at the top left of the screen
for switching to the Audio Editor.
For details on the controls available when the Audio tab is selected,
please turn to “The Audio Editor” on page 193.
Waveform display
This floating panel shows a section of the
audio volume graph over the span of the video.
The region of the waveform that is shown is
centered on the current playback position.
When you switch to the Audio Editor, you will see a video preview
panel at the same screen location. See “The Audio Editor” on page
193.
Video tools
These tools are located on the toolbar below the Video Editor
preview. Just below the tools is a time-ruler with a scrubber for
moving through the video. At the left are the marker controls
described on page 118.
The remaining controls are devoted to previewing and trimming the
media. Many of the controls are also to be found in the Audio Editor.
Unless otherwise noted, the descriptions here apply to both. (Please
see “The Audio Editor”, page 193, for further information.)
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the left of the toolbar, or press M. Only one marker may be set per
frame.
To move a marker: Ctrl-click and drag left or right.
Deleting the marker: Click the marker to move the playhead to that
position, then either press M or click the toggle marker button.
You can also delete markers using the list on the Marker Panel,
which opens when you double-click a marker on the ruler, or click
the down-arrow next to the toggle marker button.
The Marker Panel shows the markers that have been set within the
media currently on view, in ascending order, with color code, name,
and position. Most of the available commands apply to the currently-
selected marker. The exception is the Delete all markers button at
the bottom of the panel.
Clicking a marker in the list selects it for editing. At the same time,
the playhead jumps to the marker position.
Edit name: The name field lets you enter a distinctive name for the
currently-selected marker if desired. The left and right arrows beside
the name provide another way of moving through the marker list.
Position: Edit the position of a marker directly here as time-code.
Marker color: Set the color of the current marker (and markers
subsequently created), by clicking one of the available color buttons.
Trashcan: The trashcan icon on each row of the marker list lets you
delete individual markers.
Video corrections
The correction tools within the Video Editor are Enhance,
Adjustments, Snapshot and Stabilize.
Enhance
The Enhance corrections for video are the same as those for photos
and other images. See “Enhance photos” on page 110.
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Correcting the stereoscopic 3D properties of a Library asset.
Preview: Preview shows the selected cropped image without the
snapshot tools. Press Esc or click once on the image to view the
tools again.
Apply: This command exports the cropped image as a JPEG file,
and switches off the snapshot editing mode in the preview.
Snapshots are stored in the library under My Pictures Images.
Locate the new item by returning to the Library and clicking the
special find added item button that is displayed temporarily on the
Library footer bar. The new media file itself is created in:
[Registered User]\My Documents\My Pictures\Images
Clear and Cancel: Clear sets the selection frame back to its original
setting (whole image), while Cancel exits snapshot editing without
creating any new media.
Stabilize
Similar to the electronic stabilization in digital camcorders, this tool
minimizes shake and jitter caused by inadvertent camera movement.
When using this effect, the outer areas of the image are removed and
a varying portion of the image is enlarged up to 20 percent in order
to fill the frame.
After Stabilize has been applied, the video must be rendered to
preview accurately. Instead of using the Play control on the toolbar,
click the Render & Play button on the Stabilize panel to preview.
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CHAPTER 5:
Media editing: Effects
Pinnacle Studio has three media editors, one each for video, photos
and audio. Their general operation is described in “Media editing
overview”, starting on page 103.
One of the main functions of the three media editors is to provide
applicable add-on tools in three families – Transitions, Corrections
and Effects – along with the specialized Pan-and-zoom function in
the Photo Editor only.
Working with visual effects in the Photo Editor. At top, several
groups of effects are listed. In the center a preview shows the
image with effects applied; parameters to customize them are
available at right. At bottom, transport controls and a timeline
support animating the effects with keyframing.
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Only the Corrections family is provided when the media editors are
opened from the Library. When they are opened from the timeline of
a movie or disc project, however, the full range of tools becomes
available. This chapter provides a general introduction to effects
editing, then focuses on the visual effects in the Photo and Video
editors, as well as Pan-and-zoom. Audio corrections and effects are
described in Chapter 8: Sound and music.
Corrections vs. effects
The tools in the Corrections family are meant primarily for
remedying the imperfections that are often encountered in actual
media files – poor white balance in photos, wind noise in
soundtracks, and so on. Unlike effects, the correction tools can be
applied to Library assets, not just to clips on the timeline. When
corrections have been applied in the Library, their benefit is passed
on to any project that uses the improved assets. Please see Chapter
4: Media editing: Corrections on page 101 for details about
Corrections and how to use them. The general operation of the
media editors is also covered there starting on page 103.
About effects
‘Effects’ is an umbrella term taking in a wide range of software tools
for manipulating your media. It includes presentational tools like 2D
Editor, atmospheric transformations like Old film, and some
theatrical touches like Fractal fire that you may find are too much
fun not to use.
Like Corrections, you can apply effects to clips on the timeline of a
project. Just double-click the clip to open the appropriate media
editor with its Effects tab already open.
Effect compositions
Achieving a desired look, behavior or sound can take a combination
of several effects, applied in a particular order. Both video and audio
effects may be needed. For each effect, parameters must be adjusted
to get the results you are looking for. Once you have found the right
combination, the set of effects can be saved as a special type of asset
– an effect composition. With effect compositions, even complex
manipulations of your media can be readily achieved.
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Effect compositions can be created in the media editor (using the
save button at the top of the Effects setting panel) or on the timeline
(using the Effect Save As FX Composition context menu
command).
Along with the seven other groups under the Effects family, a
group named My FX Compositions (right) appears as soon as any
compositions are added to the Library.
They are stored in the Effects section of the Library under My FX
Compositions and can be used in the same way as ordinary effects.
Pan-and-zoom
The Photo Editor provides a third tab, Pan-and-zoom, to go along
with Corrections and Effects. The pan-and-zoom tool is a versatile
accessory with which you can add motion and drama to any high-
resolution photograph, among other uses. See “Pan-and-zoom” on
page 141 for details.
Effects in the media editors
Like other resources for your project, effects are stored in the
Library. You’ll find them in the Asset Tree under Effects in the
Creative Elements branch. As with other types of Library resource,
you can use all the usual features – Collections, ratings, tags, and so
on – to help you organize the many effects available.
You can apply an effect from the Library directly to a clip on the
timeline of a project with drag-and-drop. Clips to which an effect
has been added are indicated by a brightly-colored upper border.
When you double-click a timeline clip, its media editor opens
automatically with the Effects tab preselected. Up to eight groups of
effects are available, depending on which version of Pinnacle Studio
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you are working with. Click the name of the group to see the effects
it contains.
The Camera group of Effects is open in the Photo Editor. The
mouse pointer is positioned over the thumbnail for the Invert
effect (left side), causing it to be automatically demonstrated on
the preview.
The thumbnail icons for the effects in the currently-selected group
are shown in a full-width tray at the top of the work area. With
visual effects, as your mouse pointer hovers over the effect icons, the
preview shows how the clip you are editing would appear if each
effect were applied. When you have made your choice, click the
effect’s thumbnail to apply it.
Customizing an effect
Once you have applied an effect to a clip, by either of the methods
mentioned above, you can return to the media editor at any time to
manipulate the effect’s settings. Double-click the clip on the
timeline, or select Open effects editor if you wish to customize the
effect. See “The Settings panel” on page 131 for further information.
To save your modifications and return to the timeline, click OK. To
cancel modifications and return to the timeline press Cancel.
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Creating Effect Compositions
The set of effects used by a clip, and
their settings, can be saved as an
Effect Composition by clicking the
Save button in the upper right corner
of the Settings panel. Enter a name
for your Composition in the dialog
box that appears, and clear the
checkmark for any effect you don’t
want included. Please see “The
Settings panel” on page 131 for
further information.
Switching to a new clip
Even without leaving a media editor you can switch from one
timeline clip to another by means of the Navigator, a schematic
representation of your project that is optionally shown in the space
just above the footer bar of the editor window.
To toggle the visibility of the Navigator, click the
compass rose icon at the bottom right of the window.
Each clip in your project is represented in the Navigator by a colored
bar. The layout of the bars on a horizontal time axis with vertically-
arranged tracks exactly matches the timeline. The bar representing
the clip now being edited is highlighted in orange.
Here the mouse pointer is poised over the compass-rose button to
turn off the Navigator panel immediately above, where project
clips are represented by horizontal bars.
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If you click on one of the other bars, any changes you’ve made to the
current clip will be automatically saved; the clip corresponding to
the bar you clicked on will then be loaded. If the new clip is of a
different media type, the appropriate editor will switch in
automatically.
Solo mode
Sometimes while editing an effect, it is useful to see the
other timeline layers – those above and below the
current layer containing the clip you are working on. On
other occasions, you can simplify a complex editing situation by
turning off the other track.
Solo mode is started or stopped with the Solo button and its
accompanying dropdown menu in the lower right area of the media
editor. Three configurations are possible:
•
Off: When soloing is on, clicking once on the button will turn it
off. All layers from the timeline are then used in the preview.
Sometimes the current layer may be obscured by a layer above it
on the timeline.
•
Show media and the tracks below: Under this option, the
current layer and all layers below it are previewed, but the clips
on layers above the current layer are hidden.
•
Show media only: This option allows only the layer you are
currently working on to appear in the preview.
Previewing effects
In the Creative Elements section of the Library you can preview a
sample of each effect either directly on the icons in thumbnails view,
or in the separate Player window. These samples will give you some
idea about the look of the effect, but can often do no more than hint
at the possibilities that will be available once customization,
keyframing, and combination with other effects are considered.
As mentioned earlier, you can see the effect previewed on your own
media – without actually applying it – by hovering over the effect
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icon in a timeline clip’s media editor. Then to apply the effect,
simply click on the thumbnail.
Effects on the timeline
To check whether a timeline clip has had any effects applied to it,
look for a magenta stripe along the clip’s upper edge. Both this clip
effect indicator and the clip itself provide useful context menu
commands for effect management.
The clip effect indicator is a contrasting stripe along the top edge
of any clip to which an effect has been applied.
A clip with corrections displays a green stripe along the upper edge,
but there are no relevant context menu commands.
Clip context menu
Open effects editor: This opens the media editor appropriate for the
clip, with the Effects tab preselected. There you can apply new
effects to the clip, or modify existing ones.
Paste: Effects can be cut or copied to the Clipboard using
commands on the Effect submenu. The Paste command lets you
apply the effect to one or more other clips.
Clip context menu: Effect
The context menu of any clip to which at least one effect has been
applied will include an Effect submenu that provides a number of
ways of manipulating the effects that are present. The clip effect
indicator has a reduced context menu containing only the Effect
submenu.
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If you don’t require intermediate keyframes, positioning the start and
end frames completes your session.
For a more complex animation, however, position the scrubber
where a change of camera motion should occur. To create a new
keyframe, simply set the white selection frame to the desired size
and position. The new keyframe is represented by a lozenge-shaped
gray icon in the keyframe line below the clip timeline.
Add as many keyframes as necessary. When you are finished, click
OK to return to the timeline of your project.
Manually adding a keyframe: To add an explicit
keyframe at the playhead position without altering the
current animation path, click the toggle keyframe button
on the far left of the transport toolbar.
Moving a keyframe: You can drag a keyframe along the timeline to
reposition it in time.
Jumping to a keyframe: To jump to a keyframe in order to modify
or delete it, use the arrow buttons to the left and right of the
keyframe button, or click directly on the keyframe in the keyframe
line. When the playhead is directly over a keyframe, the keyframe
will highlight.
Deleting a keyframe: To delete a keyframe, click its icon on the
keyframe line to navigate to the right frame, then click the Delete
keyframe button on the far left of the transport toolbar.
The Settings panel
The Settings panel provides a number of controls for configuring the
pan-and-zoom tool.
•
Smooth provides gentle braking when approaching a direction
change in the keyframe animation path.
•
Select preset: Choose from a number of static and animated
presets.
•
Zoom, Horizontal, and Vertical display the numerical values of
the current frame. Double-click the sliders to reset the values.
•
Low pass filters out small-scale movements to achieve a smooth,
optimized animation.
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CHAPTER 6:
Montage
Note: The Montage feature is disabled in Pinnacle Studio for Dazzle. Please
upgrade to Pinnacle Studio 16 to use the Montage feature.
Pinnacle Studio’s Montage is a method of enhancing your movies
with off-the-shelf slideshow, animation and multitrack editing
effects. Numerous professionally
designed sequences, called templates, are
available to give your productions instant
impact. The templates are grouped into
matching themes, so that along with the
technical sophistication of the templates
you will also find it easy to maintain a
consistent look.
But the prepared templates are only half
the magic of Montage. The other half is customization. Montage
templates have slots that can contain several types of custom data,
including video, text captions, photos and more. You can fill in a slot
just by dragging a suitable asset to the corresponding displayed drop
zone.
Montage in the Library
Templates are grouped by theme in the Montage section of the
Library. Each theme consists of a set of templates that can be added
to your project as ‘Montage clips’. You can create attractive,
visually consistent sequences that integrate artist-created titles and
animations with your own photos and video. See “The Montage
section of the Library” on page 147 for further information.
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Montage titles vs. standard titles
Although you can make fancy ‘titles’ from Montage templates, these
are not the same as those made in the Title Editor. Each has its
particular strengths.
Montage templates are especially easy to use, and can provide
effects not available in ordinary titles. On the other hand, the Title
Editor gives you greater control over the appearance of titles and the
animation of their graphical elements.
The template collection
Each of the templates in the Library’s Montage section is designed
to cover a typical presentational need. Within each theme, the
available templates are designed to complement one another when
used in the same project.
Templates in the Library’s Montage section. Some details are
shown (e.g. the presence of text captions) and some omitted (e.g.
ratings) because of current Library settings.
For instance, most themes provide an Opening template and a
matching Ending template. Many themes also provide one or more
Segue templates you can use when transitioning from one video or
image clip to another.
Montage in your project
The first step in using a chosen template is to drop it onto your
project’s timeline. Once there, the Montage template is treated as an
ordinary, self-contained video clip. To customize the clip by filling
in the template’s blanks, you will double-click the Montage clip to
open the Montage Editor. See page 154 for details.
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Each template defines a video or graphic sequence with blanks to be
filled in by you. The available customizations can take several
forms. For instance, most templates provide one or more slots, or
‘drop zones’, for video or image clips. Many let you supply text
captions for titles, and some have additional parameters for other
special properties.
If you want to use other clips from the timeline to customize the
Montage, they can be added using the Paste to Drop Zone command
from the Montage clip’s context menu, without opening the Montage
Editor.
The Montage section of the Library
Montage templates are stored in their own section of the Library. To
find it, click the down arrow on any Library tab, and select
‘Montage’, which is listed in the ‘Creative Elements’ section.
The play button on any Montage icon loads the template into the
Player, where it can be previewed with standard transport controls.
Click the Play button on the icon to preview the template.
To use a template in your project, drag the icon from the Compact
Library in the Movie Editor or the Disc Editor to the project’s
timeline.
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USING MONTAGE TEMPLATES
Montage templates are stored in the Montage section of the Library,
where they are grouped by theme. To use a template, simply drag its
thumbnail to the timeline of your project from the Compact Library
in the Movie Editor or the Disc Editor.
To use a template, drag its thumbnail onto the timeline. The
numbers on the clip indicate that five subclips are available for
customization.
Montage clips on the timeline can be trimmed and edited much like
ordinary video. You can add transitions and effects, adjust their
audio, and so on. You can even fill the slots in the Montage with
timeline clips. For fully customizing the clip with your own content,
however, a special editing tool is needed. This is the Montage
Editor, which opens when a Montage clip is double-clicked on the
timeline. It can also be accessed with the clip context menu
command Edit Montage.
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The Montage Editor allows the user to customize a Montage clip by
adjusting its built-in settings or specifying video and audio clips for
it to use.
The Montage Editor lets you specify template elements such as
video or image clips, property settings, and text captions. Clips
are added by dragging them from the editor’s Compact Library to
drop zones below the Player. Here, a Library clip is ready to drop
on the second zone. The clip will replace the igloo graphic now
occupying the zone.
Template backgrounds
Some templates have built-in graphical
backgrounds, a selectable background color, or
both. Many of these also provide a Background checkbox in the
Montage Editor; leave the box unchecked if you want a transparent
background. This allows the Montage to be used on an upper
timeline track over a background of the video or photo material on
the tracks below.
Montage clips on the timeline
Montage clips behave like ordinary video clips when it comes to
operations on the timeline of a movie or disc project, such as adding
transitions, trimming and positioning.
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In an all-animated template, such as a fancy rolled title, the
animation always runs to completion. The animation speed therefore
depends on the clip duration. Shortening the clip causes the
animation to run faster, but does not truncate the sequence.
Clips that include video, in contrast, can be trimmed in the usual
way. Many themes include a variable-length video subclip. When
one of these is present, the clip can be expanded as far as the length
of the subclip will allow – indefinitely, if the subclip happens to be a
still image.
Transitions and effects
Transitions can be used at the beginning and end of Montage clips in
the same way as with other clip types.
Video and audio effects can also be added to Montage clips as usual,
and apply to all the content the clip embodies. However, a few
effects, such as Speed, are not available for use with Montage clips.
To add an effect to a Montage clip, right click on the Montage clip
on the timeline and choose Open Effects Editor from the context
menu. Alternatively, drag an effect from the Library and drop it on
the clip. Effects are located in the Creative Elements section of the
Library.
To edit, copy or delete an effect on a Montage clip, right click on
the magenta line along the top of the clip and make the applicable
choice on the Effect context submenu.
Anatomy of a template
For examples of how themes work, let’s examine the included ‘50s
Modern’ theme, which contains five templates.
All the templates in this particular theme use the same backdrop
design – an abstract, scrolling pattern. It is continuously visible
except during full-frame video segments. The coloring of the pattern
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is set using a parameter control available for each of these templates
in the Montage Editor.
Now let’s look at each template in turn to see how it is constructed
from the elements – clips and captions – that you supply in the
Montage Editor.
Opening: An Opening template usually starts with
some sort of animation, including titles, and ends
with full frame video. Our ‘50s Modern’ example
follows that pattern.
The scrolling background animation runs through most of this
sequence. Within the animation, two customizable captions are
displayed. They are represented in the diagram below by lines on the
“Animation” bar. Both captions are flown into and out of the frame
(dark line color), with a one and a half second pause for stationary
display (light line color) in between.
Schematic representation of the Opening template in the ‘50s
Modern’ theme, at its default length of about 14 seconds.
Just as the second caption is leaving the frame, an animated panel
containing the running video subclip is launched. The video zooms
to full frame by 11:18 in the template clip, and remains so through to
the end (the white portion of the ‘Video’ bar in the diagram).
By default, the length of this template clip is 14:00. The embedded
video clip starts at a fixed offset of 7:03 and runs to the end; its
length is therefore 6:27. If your video subclip is long enough, you
can lengthen the overall clip, extending the full-frame video portion.
This capability is indicated in the diagram above by the arrow at the
end of the ‘Video’ bar.
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Segue A: Segue templates connect two full-frame
video sequences by means of some kind of
animation. This first Segue example begins with
two seconds of full-frame video, then zooms out to reveal a
formation of multiple video panels running simultaneously.
Zooming in on the final subclip leads to an expandable section of
full-frame video.
Segue A integrates multiple video sources.
Segue B: This Segue achieves the basic aim of
connecting two video clips more simply than the
previous one. The first subclip starts at full frame,
then zooms out while rotating away from the viewer. When the
reverse side of its rotating panel comes into view, the second subclip
is seen to have replaced the first. The panel zooms in to fill the frame
towards the end of the clip.
Segue B creates a simpler transition.
Once again, the full-screen segment of the second subclip can be
extended by expanding the template clip on the timeline.
Segue C: This is similar to Segue B, except that the
flying video panel takes an extra spin in the middle
to admit one more subclip into the sequence.
Segue C includes a bridging video subclip.
The final subclip is again expandable.
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Using the Montage Editor
Each Montage template has its own set of slots for video and photo
content, represented by drop zones in the Montage Editor. Most
templates have at least one slot; the most is six. Some also provide
text captions and other parameters to customize special features.
The Montage Editor is split into five parts. On the left, the compact
version of the Library provides access to your videos and photos; on
the right is a customization panel including any text fields or other
controls required by template parameters. The Player shows you the
results of your changes. Below the Preview are the drop zones for
your video and images.
Interior trimming of Montage clips
When a Montage template begins or ends with a user-settable
amount of full-frame video, as many do, the Montage Editor
timeline provides handles for adjusting the lead-in and lead-out
times – the durations of the full-frame portions. Click a handle and
drag left or right to adjust either duration separately. The duration of
the center part of the clip – the animated part – will shorten or
lengthen accordingly. If you want to balance the lead-in and lead-out
without affecting the duration of the center portion, click between
the handles and drag.
Part of the Montage Editor, with the timeline (bottom) and drop
zones for video or images (middle). The lower portions of the
Library and the Player are also visible. Click and drag on the
timeline to adjust the timing of the Montage.
For a detailed explanation of the template structure, see “Anatomy of
a template” on page 151.
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Working with drop zones
Clearing drop zones: To delete a subclip from its drop zone, right-
click the zone and select Remove Media from the context menu.
Muting subclip audio: Some drop zones are marked with an audio
symbol, indicating that the audio portion of any video in that zone
will be included in the Montage clip’s audio. If you don’t want the
audio to be used, click the symbol to mute the subclip.
Choosing the start of your subclip: Video in a
drop zone can be adjusted to start from an offset in
the subclip. Click and drag the start of clip slider
located under the drop zone to adjust the start
frame. The keyboard left and right arrow keys are
handy for making fine adjustments.
If the drop zone you are working with is active at that time index, the
preview will reflect any changes to the start frame. When you are
fine tuning the start frame of a subclip, it’s a good idea to set the
scrubber position to the location where the Player preview will be of
the greatest assistance.
Using the start of clip slider changes neither the position of the
subclip within the template nor its duration, but only which excerpt
of the subclip is used. If you set the start of the subclip so late that
the video runs out while its zone is still active, the subclip’s last
frame will be frozen to fill the allocated time.
Adding effects within drop zones:
It is possible to apply video or audio
effects directly to a Montage subclip
by dragging the effect to the drop
zone. As usual, a magenta stripe on
the top of the clip signals that effects have been applied.
Removing effects within drop zones: Look under Effects the zone’s
context menu for the Delete all command, or for the Delete submenu
on which you can select the effect to be deleted.
Note: If you remove or replace the media in a drop zone, all the
effects applied to that media are removed, too.
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CHAPTER 7:
The Title Editor
Pinnacle Studio’s Title Editor is a powerful tool for creating and
editing animated titles and graphics. Its extensive suite of text and
image effects and tools provides innumerable possibilities for the
visual design of your movie.
Areas of the Title Editor display: the Presets Selector; the
Library; the Edit Window; the Settings Panel; the
Toolbar; and the Layer List.
These are the main areas of the Title Editor display, numbered as in
the illustration above:
1. The Presets Selector provides tabs for Look and Motion
presets, with the presets organized by style within each tab. A
Look is a visual styling of a text or shape layer in your title; a
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Motion is an animation routine that can be assigned to any layer
but is most often applied to text. See “Preset Looks” (page 163)
and “Preset Motions” (page 164) for further information.
Hover your mouse over any preset to see how it will affect your
title. A single click applies the preset to the current layer. After
being applied, Looks can be customized using the Settings
Panel.
2. The Library provides resources for building your titles. The
tabs across the top provide access to all available media and
content. This compact version of the Library is functionally
identical to the full Library as described in Chapter 2.
3. The Edit Window is your main work area when authoring or
editing a title. It provides a scrubbable preview of your title with
hands-on editing. See page 173 for details.
4. The Settings Panel has separate collapsible subpanels for each
of three settings categories: Text settings, governing the style
and size of text captions; Look settings, for the configuration of
faces, edges and shadows; and Background settings, which
pertain to the title’s background layer.
5. The Toolbar has four control groups. From left to right: the add
text and add shape tools; a set of layer manipulation controls; a
full set of transport controls including a loop button; and a pair
of counter readouts showing the duration of the title and the
current playback position.
6. The Layer List: Each graphical or textual element constitutes a
layer in the title, which is a stack of such layers. The opaque
parts of each layer obscure the layers below; the bottommost
layer can obscure only the background.
In addition to listing each layer by name, the Layer List includes
an animation timeline showing the time span during which each
layer is active, and the Motions that have been assigned to it.
These properties can be adjusted by dragging.
The process of building up an image in layers is called
‘compositing’. Because the information in each layer is maintained
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separately, to be combined only when the image is output, it is
possible to return to the composition at any time and add new layers,
and to adjust, reorder, remove or replace existing ones.
Building up an image in layers starting with an empty frame (top
left). The checkerboard pattern indicates transparency. Although
backgrounds can have transparent or translucent areas, here we
add an opaque background (0) for clarity, followed by successive
layers with some opaque content (1, 2, 3). In the final composition
(bottom right), upper layers obscure those below.
Launching (and leaving) the Title Editor
The Title Editor can be invoked in two ways: by double-clicking any
title in the Library or on your project’s timeline; or by clicking the
Title button on the toolbar of the timeline.
Keywords in title names
Some of the provided titles in the Library have transparent areas
through which the content of underlying tracks will be visible. The
names of these titles all contain the keyword ‘overlay’.
‘Full-screen’ titles have no transparent areas: they fully occupy the
video frame. Their names contain the keyword ‘fullscreen’.
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In the Library, you can easily view only the titles of one or the other
type by searching on the appropriate keyword.
Tip: Other search keywords to try out with titles in the Library are
‘roll’, ‘crawl’, ‘name’ and ‘title’.
Saving the title
Use Save Title as in the File menu in the Title Editor to store titles to
your computer’s file system. From there, titles can be exported to
other computers, and shared with other Pinnacle Studio users. If you
save to a watchfolder, the edited title will appear in your Library
automatically.
Closing the Title Editor
To close the Title Editor, use any of the following methods:
•
Click the OK button at the bottom of the Title Editor. If you
opened the title from the Library, you will be prompted to save
any changes to the title under a new name. If you opened the title
from a timeline, your new or updated title becomes part of the
current project.
•
Click on the Cancel button at the bottom of the Title Editor. Any
changes you have made are discarded.
•
Click the button at the top right of the window. This is
equivalent to clicking Cancel, except that if you have made
changes you will be given an opportunity to save before closing.
THE LIBRARY
The Library appears in the Title Editor as a tabbed panel on the left
side of the window. The tabs across the top give access to all the
available media and content. This compact view of the Library is
functionally the same as the main view described in Chapter 2. For
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editing titles, the Library sections of interest are Photos, Video, and
Movie Projects.
The compact version of the Library in the Title Editor provides
the same comprehensive access to your media as the full version.
See Chapter 2 for full information.
Adding Library media to a title
To add a video or photo to the title, drag it from the Library into the
Edit Window. The new element is created at a default size where
you drop it in the Edit Window. You can then move, resize or rotate
it as you like.
To add a video or photo as a full-screen background for your title,
drop it onto the background drop-zone of the Background Settings
subpanel. See “Background Settings” on page 168 for details.
You can also use a video or photo as the fill for the face,
border or shadow of your text. To do so, first add a face,
border, or shadow to your Look Settings using the add buttons
(illustrated). Then drop your photo or video into the drop zone to the
right of the Fill.
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THE PRESETS SELECTOR
Note: Title, Looks, and Motions presets are disabled in Pinnacle Studio for
Dazzle. Please upgrade to Pinnacle Studio 16 to enable Title presets.
Quickly setting up an attractive title is easy with the Title Editor’s
Presets Selector. After entering your text, and with the text layer still
selected, apply any of the preset Looks to it with a single mouse-
click. To make it even easier, as you hover the mouse over any Look
icon, the Edit Window previews the effect on your title of applying
the Look to the current layer.
Even if you can’t find exactly the Look you want among the presets,
you can often save time by starting with one that’s almost what you
want, then tweaking it in the Look Settings subpanel.
The Presets Selector, with the Looks tab selected. Clicking the
name of one of the listed preset families opens a pop-down tray of
icons.
To give your title some visual impact, there’s nothing like a bit of
animation. Click the Motions tab of the Presets Selector. The three
groups of presets available correspond to phases in the life of a layer.
The Motion presets are categorized by the role they play in
introducing the layer, displaying it, or removing it from view.
As with Looks, Motions can be previewed as they will appear in
your title by hovering the mouse over any of the preset icons. Once
your mind is made up, you can apply the chosen Motion with a
single click.
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Preset Looks
The Looks tab of the Title Editor Presets Selector provides visual
styles that can be applied to the text and shape layers in your title.
Previewing Looks
To preview a particular Look on a particular layer, first select the
layer, then open the Looks tab of the Presets Selector and hover your
mouse over the thumbnails. As you hover, the Edit Window
previews your title as it would appear with the selected Look
applied. This lets you immediately gauge its effect in context.
Applying a Look
To apply a preset Look to a text or vector graphics layer, first select
the layer with the mouse by clicking in the Edit Window (page 173)
or the Layer List (page 181). You can also affect more than one such
layer simultaneously using multiple selection or a layer group (page
186).
To begin using Looks, select a family of presets: Standard,
Shadow, Beveled or Outlined. Hover over thumbnails to preview
presets; click the thumbnail to apply one to the current layer.
Having selected the layer or layers to change, use one of the
following methods to apply a Look:
•
Click its thumbnail in the Presets Selector.
•
Drag the thumbnail from the Presets Selector onto the layer in the
Edit Window.
•
Drag the thumbnail from the Presets Selector onto any of the
layers or grouped layers in the Layer List header.
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Preset Motions
The Motions tab of the Presets Selector contains the animation
routines that give the Title Editor much of its power. These Motions
are assigned to and operate on single layers in your title. The
Motions are divided into three classes based on the portion of the
layer’s lifespan they affect: enter, emphasis and exit.
•
An enter Motion controls the arrival of the layer – its first
appearance within the running title.
•
An emphasis Motion maintains audience focus on the content of a
layer by giving it an attention-getting action during its time on-
screen.
•
An exit Motion takes the layer off-stage again, completing its life
cycle.
Each layer is allowed to have one Motion of each type. All Motions
are optional, however, and it’s also quite possible to have a title with
no Motions at all.
The Motions collection
In each of the three types of Motion, most of the animations can be
grouped into several standard classes based on their mode of action.
Letter-based Motions operate at the level of individual letters in a
text caption (other kinds of layer are treated as consisting of a single
‘letter’). For instance, in the enter Motion ‘Letters turn’, the letters
in the text layer are first seen edge on, then rotate in place one by
one until all are in their normal orientation.
Word-based Motions work similarly, but with words as the
smallest unit of animation. In the enter Motion ‘Words from
bottom’, the words in the layer float up into position one by one
from below the frame.
Line-based Motions are meant for layers with multiple lines of text,
each of which is processed in turn. In the enter Motion ‘Lines from
behind’, each line of text is brought onto the screen along a
perspective track as though it originated from behind the viewer’s
own position.
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Page-based Motions affect the entire layer simultaneously. One
example is the enter Motion ‘Barrel roll’, which ‘rolls’ the layer into
position from above as though it were painted on the side of an
invisible rolling barrel.
Matching the enter and exit Motions
Most enter Motions have a corresponding exit Motion with which
they can be paired if visual consistency is desired. For example, a
layer that enters with the ‘Words from infinity’ Motion could be
configured to exit with ‘Words to infinity’. However, this kind of
consistency is only an option, not a requirement, and you can mix
and match Motions of the three types in any way you choose.
The Presets Selector offers Enter, Emphasis and Exit Motions.
Each layer in a title can use one Motion of each type.
Previewing Motions
To preview a particular Motion on a particular layer, first select the
layer, then open the Motions tab of the Presets Selector and hover
your mouse over the thumbnail of interest. As you hover, a looping
preview of the title animation will begin to run in the Edit Window
so that you can immediately see the effect.
Adding Motions
To add a particular Motion to a particular layer, first select the layer,
then do one of the following:
•
Click the Motion’s thumbnail in the Presets Selector.
•
Drag the Motion’s thumbnail from the Presets Selector to an
accessible layer (one not masked by other layers) in the Edit
Window.
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To use video or a still image as your background, drag the item
down from the Videos or Photos sections of the Library to the
background preview, which also serves as a drop zone.
To make the background translucent, position the opacity slider
anywhere between fully transparent (all the way to the left) and fully
opaque. Double-clicking the slider returns it to full opacity.
To reset the background to its default state (with no background),
click the trashcan button.
Look settings
The Settings panel provides access to the Look Settings, where you
can examine, modify, add or delete the individual detail layers that
are overlaid to generate a particular Look.
Click the ‘Look Settings’ arrow on the Settings panel to open a
subpanel where the Look of a layer can be edited. Under the name
of the currently-selected preset (‘Blue Bevel’) are three buttons
for creating new detail layers. The edit panel for the Face detail is
open.
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There are three types of detail layer: face (surface), edge and
shadow. The three types differ not in the settings they support, but in
the default position at which they will be inserted in the layer stack.
Unless explicitly dragged out of position, face details always appear
at the top of the stack, followed by edges, and finally shadows. After
a detail has been created, however, it can be dragged up or down in
the layer stack as desired.
Face, Edge and Shadow: A new face detail (left, top) is added
above the uppermost existing face layer; new edge and shadow
details are added below the bottommost layer of their respective
types.
The properties of individual detail layers can be modified by means
of controls on collapsible panels in the Looks Editor.
The following detail properties are available:
•
Offset X, Offset Y: These sliders set the position of the detail
layer relative to the nominal position of the text or graphic to
which the Look is applied. The range of offset is -1.0 (left, or
bottom) to +1.0 (right, or top). The maximum offsets represent
one eighth the width and one eighth the height of the Edit
Window work area.
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•
Opacity: This slider sets the opacity of the detail layer from 0
(transparent) to 1 (opaque).
•
Fill: Click the color swatch button to open a color picker in which
the fill color of the detail layer can be set. The color picker
includes an eyedropper button to pick up a color from anywhere
in the Title Editor.
To set a gradient background, choose the Gradients button at the
top of the color palette. Additional gradient markers can be set by
single-clicking below the gradient bar. Gradient markers can be
removed by dragging them vertically out of the bar area.
Working with detail layers
In addition to setting the properties of existing detail layers, you can
add details of any of the three types, delete details, and reorder the
detail layer stack.
To add a detail layer, click one of the three small buttons
at the top right of the Look Settings. From left to right,
these create a new face, edge and shadow layer respectively. The
placement of the new detail layer in the layer stack is determined by
its type, as explained above.
To delete a detail layer, click the trashcan button in the header bar
of the detail’s edit panel.
To rename a detail layer, double-click its name, type the name you
want, and press Enter.
To temporarily hide a detail layer, click the dot-shaped visibility
toggle icon in the detail’s header.
To close down or open up the edit panel of a detail layer, click the
arrow button at the left-hand end its header bar.
To reorder detail layers, drag the header bar of the edit panel to its
new location. If the Look you are editing contains more than two or
three layers, it can be easier to follow the action if you close down
the panels first so that the whole stack is visible at once.
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Saving a custom Look
Once you have finished editing a custom Look, you can save it to the
‘My Looks’ presets group by clicking the save look button in the
header bar of the Look settings. Before saving, it’s a good idea to
rename the Look. To do so, double-click the current name in the
settings, type a descriptive name for the Look, and press Enter.
Once the Look is saved you can retrieve it at will through the Presets
Selector, under ‘My Looks’.
The Edit window
The Edit Window is the main preview and editing area of the Title
Editor. This is where you rearrange, resize and rotate the foreground
layers of your title.
A necessary first step for most kinds of editing is to select the layer
or layers your want to affect. Selected layers are drawn within a
frame having eight control points for sizing and a rotation handle at
the top for rotating the selection in one-degree increments. Most
types of layer can be ‘grabbed’ for dragging to a new position by
clicking directly on the control frame.
Rotating a shape object within the Edit Window. The smaller dot
at the top center of the control frame is the rotation handle for the
layer. To rotate a layer, click down on its rotation handle and
drag. When you are over the rotation handle, the mouse pointer
will show as a circular arrow.
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To resize a layer and modify its proportions, click a side point of
the control frame and drag. By resizing with the center control point
on two adjacent sides in succession, you can produce any desired
size and proportion.
To rotate a layer, click down on its rotation handle and drag. For
finer control over the rotation, move the mouse pointer away from
the center of rotation while dragging. The extra distance makes it
possible to define smaller angles between one mouse position and
the next.
To change the stacking position of a layer, right-click the layer,
and select from its context menu one of the commands on the Order
submenu: Send to Back, Send Backward, Bring to Front, Bring
Forward. Convenient keyboard shortcuts are available for all four
operations; respectively, Ctrl+Minus, Alt+Minus, Ctrl+Plus and
Alt+Plus.
Another approach to reordering layers, which may be more
convenient in titles where several layers overlap, is to use the Layer
List. See page 181 for details.
To delete a layer, select the control frame or select it in the Layer
List, then press Delete. Alternatively, you can use the context menu
command Delete Layer. If the layer is a text layer in text-edit mode,
the Delete command (and the Delete key) apply to the layer’s text
only, not the layer itself.
Text and text settings
For all the graphical sophistication of the Title Editor, in many
instances the primary reason for using titles is the text they contain.
The editor therefore provides several specialized options to help you
ensure that you can get your text looking exactly the way you want.
The text operations we will look at below include:
•
Editing the text
•
Changing fonts, font sizes and styles
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Font styling: To set or unset the bold, italic or underline
properties of the selected text, use the toggle buttons in
the header bar, or the standard keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+B, Ctrl+I and
Ctrl+U. The buttons light up when their respective style options are
active.
Font name: Your titles are the perfect place to experiment with
fancy display fonts, so you’ll likely be accessing this dropdown list
quite often. If you have many fonts on your system, the list can be
quite long. For ease of navigation, pressing the first letter of a font
name will take you instantly to the corresponding alphabetical
location in the list. Click the font you want, or move to the name
using the up and down arrow keys and press Enter.
To select a font, open the dropdown list and click the one you
want. The font is applied to the currently-highlighted text only.
Font size: The Title Editor provides several
methods of setting the font size. You can enter a
new value directly into the font-size edit field (up to 360), or use the
neighboring dropdown arrow to display a list of sizes. Further to the
right, the shrink font and enlarge font buttons change the size in
intervals that widen as the font size increases.
Copying and pasting text styles
With both text and shape layers, the Copy Attributes and Paste
Attributes context menu items, found by right clicking on a the
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control frame in the Edit Window, let you copy Looks from one
layer to another without having to open the Looks section of the
Presets Selector.
With text, this operation also replicates the font name, size and style
from one text layer to another, and also works on partial selections
within text layers.
Text alignment
For titles with multiple lines of text, the Title
Editor provides a standard menu of justification
options. The default for new text layers is center justification (Align
Center on the dropdown list), in which each separate line is
horizontally centered in the available space. The additional options
provide for Align Left, Align Right and Justify.
Text flow
To accommodate the various conventions of different
languages with regard to the direction in which lines of text
are written, and for maximum graphical design flexibility, the Title
Editor offers a menu of eight text flow options. These options, which
work in concert with the justification options just discussed, affect
not just the way the text is displayed but also the meaning of
standard keys like Home and End.
Styling with Looks
As explained in “Preset Looks” on page 163,
the appearance of text and shape layers can be
transformed by the application of Looks from
the Presets Selector. In a partially-highlighted
text layer, applying a Look affects only the
highlighted text. In principle, each of individual character in your
title could be given its own Look.
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Titles and stereoscopic 3D
Note: 3D features are disabled in Pinnacle Studio for Dazzle. Please upgrade
to Pinnacle Studio 16 to enable 3D features.
If you are working on a stereoscopic 3D project, you don’t have to
settle for a 2D title. The Library includes many titles identified as
3D, but any title at all can make use of stereoscopic text.
To set a 2D title as stereoscopic,
select a text layer, then check the
Stereoscopic box on the Stereoscopic
Settings subpanel. Now the Text
Depth setting becomes available; it
allows you to change the apparent
distance between the text and the
viewer. If you save the title to a
watchfolder, its Library thumbnail
will carry the 3D indicator.
A stereoscopic title that has been
opened from the Library or a 3D
timeline will provide a stereoscopic
preview. A stereoscopic title on a 2D
timeline will preview in 2D only; the timeline settings must be
changed to 3D in order to get stereoscopic playback.
Text depth: To change the depth of a text layer – its apparent
distance from the viewer – select the layer and open the Stereoscopic
Settings subpanel. Make sure the Stereoscopic box has an orange
checkmark displayed. As you increase the value in the Text Depth
slider, the text recedes from view; decreasing the value brings the
text closer.
As you adjust the depth of the text, you may have to adjust the font
size as well. Moving the text into the distance can decrease its
apparent size to the point of unreadability, while bringing the text
closer can make it too large to fit in the title frame.
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THE LAYER LIST
The Layer List, which occupies most of the bottom part of the Title
Editor display, has two columns: one of layer headers, and one of
timeline tracks. In each row, the header contains the name of the
layer, and a visibility button. To the right of the header, the timeline
track serves as a graphical editor for controlling the lifespan of the
layer within that of the title as a whole, and the durations of any
Motions that have been assigned to the layer.
The left-hand portion of the Layer List contains the layer headers;
to the right is an animation timeline where the timing of each
layer, and of any Motions applied to them, is displayed and can be
modified. (Only the leftmost portion of the timeline is shown here.)
If the title you are editing was opened from the Movie Editor or the
Disc Editor, the Layer List timeline represent the current length of
the clip. To modify it, return to the timeline of your project and trim
the title there.
If the title was opened from the Library, and so is not bound to a clip
in the project, its length can be edited in the Title Editor. Set the
desired duration by entering a value directly into the duration
counter at the right side of the toolbar. All layers will be adjusted
relative to the new duration.
The Layer List toolbar is home to several important groups of
controls (see “The toolbar” on page 184).
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Working with the Layer List
The Layer List is a multitrack timeline very similar in conception to
the timeline of the project itself in the Movie Editor or Disc Editor.
Some operations, such as those to do with Motions, are particular to
the Title Editor, however.
Layer operations
The procedures described here are all carried out in the header area
of the Layer List.
Selecting layers
Clicking a header in the Layer List has the same effect as selecting
the layer in the Edit Window (and vice versa). The layer name
highlights, and the layer’s control frame appears. Multiple selection
is also allowed, using the standard Windows mouse and keyboard
combinations Shift-click (extend selection), Ctrl-click (toggle
selection of one item), and Shift+Ctrl-click (extend selection from
last item clicked). See “Working with layer groups” on page 186 for
information on how to use multiple selections.
Layer names and renaming
When you create a new layer, the Title Editor gives it a default name
based on the resource name or file name. Since the default names are
often not very descriptive of the layer contents, it may be helpful in a
title with a number of layers to give them custom names that make it
easier to tell at a glance which name goes with which layer.
The name of a new text layer is the same as its default text (“Your
text here”). Unless you give the layer a custom name, its default
name will continue to match whatever text you type into the layer.
Once you do rename a text layer, further changes to the text are no
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longer reflected in the layer name. The default behavior can be
restored by setting a blank name, however.
To rename the primary layer, click its name. An edit field opens with
the existing name selected. Type the new name, then press Enter or
click outside the edit field to finish.
Reordering layers
As we saw on page 174 (“Layer operations in the Edit Window”),
the position of a layer in the layer stack can be altered by means of
commands on the Layer context submenu, or by keyboard shortcuts
such as Ctrl+Plus (Layer Bring to Front).
The Layer List offers a more direct approach:
simply drag the layer header to a new position
in the list. This is particularly handy in
situations where overlapping layers make
mouse selection difficult. As you drag the
layer, an insertion line shows where the layer
will appear in the list when dropped.
Using multiple selection (see “Selecting
layers” above) you can drag several layers at once to a new position.
Hiding and locking layers
A complex title can get crowded very quickly as
you add layers to the composition, and Motions to
the layers. The visibility button at the right-hand end of the layer
header is handy for simplifying such situations.
Click the eye-shaped visibility button to temporarily remove a layer
from the Edit Window. The layer’s information and settings are
preserved, but you will be able to work on other layers for the time
being without the hidden layer obscuring either your view or your
mouse actions. Click again to restore the layer to visibility.
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The toolbar
The controls and readouts on this header bar are in groups. From left
to right:
•
The add text and add shape buttons allow
you to create new ‘vector-based’ layers to
which Looks from the Presets Selector
can be applied. Clicking add text adds a
new text layer with a default Look and
caption. As a shortcut for add text, you
can simply double-click any unused area
of the Edit Window. Clicking add shape
opens a pop-up menu from which you can
select a particular shape as the contents of
the new layer.
•
Each of the align, group and order buttons opens
a pop-up menu of commands that can affect
multiple layers. These commands are covered under “Working
with layer groups” on page 186.
•
The 3D viewing mode switcher appears if you are editing a
stereoscopic 3D title. Please see the “3D viewing mode switcher”
on page 34 for information on the available formats.
•
The transport buttons allow you to preview your title without
leaving the Title Editor. From left to right, the functions of the
buttons are: loop play, jump to start, go back one frame,
play/pause, advance one frame, and jump to end.
The loop play button loops continuously once started; to halt it,
click anywhere on the Edit Window, or click loop play again. As
usual, pressing Space provides a convenient shortcut for stopping
and starting playback.
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•
The System Volume and Mute button allows you to adjust the
speaker volume of your system. It does not change the audio level
of any clips on your timeline.
•
The counters show the duration of
the title and the current position of
the Layer List timeline scrubber in the usual hours, minutes,
seconds and frames format. For titles that come from your project
rather than the Library, the scrubber position shown is relative to
the start of your project’s timeline, not the start of the clip.
Editing layers and Motions
When a layer is created, its duration is set to the full span of the title
of which it is a part. To delay the first appearance of a layer in the
running title, or to banish one layer while continuing others, drag the
ends of the layer along the timeline in the same fashion as clip
editing on the timeline of your project.
A title is like a stage on which the layers are actors who come on
for their big scene and then depart. Trimming the layers in the
Layer List timeline allows you to control precisely the timing of
their entrances and exits.
Up to three Motions – one of each type – are allowed to each layer.
These are also displayed on the timeline, where their durations too
can be adjusted. Enter and exit Motions are each anchored to their
respective ends of the layer lifespan, but the end of the enter Motion
and the start of the exit Motion can be freely edited with the mouse.
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If the layer has an emphasis Motion, it occupies whatever unused
duration remains (up to the whole length of the title).
Three layers with Motions. The top layer has only an Emphasis
Motion (solid line), which therefore uses the full duration. The
bottom layer has Enter and Exit Motions, and a static interval
between them. The center layer has Motions of all three types. The
Enter Motion is being trimmed (note the horizontal arrow
cursor); as its length changes, the Emphasis Motion self-adjusts
to consume fully any unused time.
To replace one of the Motions used by a layer, simply add the new
Motion as usual: an existing one of the same type will be
overwritten.
To delete a Motion without replacing it, select the layer and click
the small ‘x’ in the center of the Motion’s timeline graph.
Working with layer groups
The Title Editor Layer List allows you to group layers on either a
temporary or a permanent basis.
To create a temporary group, you will use standard multiple
selection techniques whether in the Edit Window or on the Layer
List. You can then make changes, such as applying a Look, to all the
members of the group simultaneously. The group remains whole
only until you click another layer or an empty area of the Edit
Window, whereupon the layers resume their individual existences.
In a temporary group, the control frames of each member are all
visible at once.
To create a permanent group, you first create a temporary group,
then click the group button on the Layer List toolbar (or use the
Group command from any member’s Grouping context submenu).
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Once created, the group stays together until you explicitly disband it
with the ungroup button or menu command, or by dragging the
member layers out of the group in the Layer List. One further
command, regroup, automatically reconstitutes the last group to
have been ungrouped.
When a permanent group is selected, it has a shared control frame
that encloses all its members. The control frames of the individual
members are not visible.
Permanent groups have their own header entries and timeline track
in the Layer List. The group header can be expanded or collapsed to
reveal or hide the headers for the member layers. When the group is
open, its member layers are indented with respect to the group
header.
An ordinary layer and a group with three member layers in the
Layer List. The timeline graphics show that Motions have been
applied to the group itself and to one of its members. The mouse
pointer is positioned to collapse the group, which would hide the
names of the member layers.
Temporary groups and permanent groups respond differently to
many commands as detailed below.
Note: Even when a layer belongs to a permanent group, it can still
be individually selected, either in the Edit Window (unless the
group itself is currently selected) or the Layer List. A member
layer can even be added to a temporary group with other layers
inside or outside the permanent one.
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Multiple selection of layers
The first step in making a group is to select the multiple objects that
will comprise it. In the Edit Window, this can be accomplished in
two ways:
•
By clicking and dragging with the mouse to mark out a selection
rectangle (a ‘marquee’) that intersects all the objects you want to
group; or,
•
By clicking the first object you want to group, then Ctrl-clicking
each of the others.
Another approach to multiple selection uses the Layer List, as
described above under “Working with the Layer List”.
Edit Window operations on the group
Both temporary and permanent groups can be repositioned, resized
and rotated.
To reposition any group, drag it to the new position as though it
were an individual layer.
To rotate a permanent group, drag the rotation handle of the
shared control frame. All members of the group revolve about their
common center like planets revolving around the Sun.
To rotate a temporary group, drag the rotation handle of any
member. All members of the group rotate about their own centers
like planets rotating on their axes.
To resize a permanent group, drag any control point of the shared
frame. The size of the whole group changes as though you were
stretching a rubber sheet with all the layers painted on it.
To resize a temporary group, drag any control point of any
member’s control frame. Each layer is affected individually,
expanding or contracting in place about its own center.
In resizing operations on groups, as with individual layers, dragging
by a corner control point preserves the aspect ratio of the layer,
whereas dragging by a side control point allows the proportions to be
altered.
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Applying properties to a group
Once a temporary group is selected, any property settings you make
will affect every member to which the property is applicable:
•
If you apply a Look, any text or shape member will receive it.
•
If you add a Motion by right-clicking a Motion icon and
choosing Add to selected layer(s), the result will be the same as if
you had added it to each member individually.
•
If you select a font, or change any other text styling attribute,
every text member of the temporary group will be updated.
Except in the first case, permanent groups have their own rules for
these operations:
•
If you apply a Look, it works the same as with a temporary
group: all text and shape layers in the group are affected.
•
If you add a Motion to a permanent group, the group is treated
for the purposes of animation as a single graphic object, without
regard to the letters, words or lines its members may contain.
However, the individual Motions of its members continue to run
along with that of the group as a whole.
•
Text stylings cannot be applied to a permanent group.
Aligning layers in temporary groups
The final type of group operation, one that applies to temporary
groups only, is provided by the group align button on the Layer List
toolbar. The commands, of which there are three for horizontal and
three for vertical alignment, affect all the members of the group
except for the first selected, which sets the position for the others.
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CHAPTER 8:
Sound and music
Video may be thought of as primarily a visual medium, but the role
of sound in your movies is often no less important than that of the
images on the screen.
Feature film and television productions include numerous types of
audio, beginning with the dialog and other sounds created during
live action. In your movies, that raw soundtrack – the original or
synchronous audio – is imported along with the video, and remains
bound to it unless you explicitly separate them.
Most commercial productions also require sound effects – slamming
doors, crashing cars, barking dogs – and incidental music, which
may consist of music created especially for the production, songs
taken from recordings, or both. With the ScoreFitter tool, you can
even create a full-length musical background track at the press of a
button. Voice-overs and other types of customized audio are also
often needed.
Audio features of Pinnacle Studio
On the timeline of your movie or disc project, audio clips behave
very similarly to clips of other types, but the timeline also has some
features just for audio.
In this group of timeline toolbar buttons the first button opens the
mixer panel, the second creates background music, and the fourth
initiates a voice-over.
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For instance, the timeline track header area includes a pop-out mixer
panel, and the timeline toolbar includes a button for controlling clip
dynamics with keyframes.
At the right-hand end of the toolbar, these buttons activate audio
keyframing (left) and audio scrubbing (right).
Some other buttons on the toolbar also provide audio features. One
lets you create a ScoreFitter background music clip; another in the
same group lets you record a voice-over. Further along on the
toolbar is a toggle button for audio scrubbing; which allows you to
monitor audio in brief snatches as you drag the scrubber along the
timeline.
The Library
Audio and music clips enter your productions via the Library, which
handles audio files in wav, mp3 and other standard formats. When
you want to add audio files to your production, you can do so by
dragging the desired asset from the Library Browser directly onto
the timeline of your project.
Corrections and effects
The correction tools in the Audio Editor let you apply various
repairs and customizations, including noise reduction, compression
and equalization, to audio clips in your project. Unlike effects
(discussed next), these tools can also be applied to audio assets in the
Library. When you later use the asset in a project, the corrections
will come with it; you can modify them further from the timeline if
you choose. Corrections are non-destructive, meaning that the
corrected audio file is not modified in any way.
The effects in the Audio Editor provide a number of ways of
enhancing, transforming or having fun with sound clips on the
timeline. Unlike the correction tools just discussed, effects can’t be
applied directly to Library assets, but only within a project. The
effects come with preset parameter combinations that you can
further edit according to your needs.
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THE AUDIO EDITOR
The Audio Editor provides tools for previewing, analyzing and
manipulating digital audio from wav, mp3 and other file types. It
includes special features for the original or synchronous audio track
created during video recording.
For the general interface of the Audio Editor and the other media
editors, please see Media editing overview.
Trimming and editing the stereo soundtrack of a Library video
asset. At left is a video monitor panel and the channel mixer. The
darkened portion of the waveform (center) represents material
removed from this stereo sound by trimming on the timeline at
bottom. The Compressor correction filter has been applied (right).
The Audio Editor provides two sets of tools for different purposes.
These are Corrections and Effects. Corrections are available both for
Library assets and for clips on your timeline of your movie or disc
project. Effects are available for timeline clips only.
Corrections
When opened from either the Library or the timeline, the Audio
Editor provides access to a suite of correction tools for overcoming
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common flaws such as excess sibilance in recorded speech. If you
are editing a Library asset, any changes you make will be preserved
when it is later used in a project. Changes to a clip on the timeline,
however, have no impact outside the project to which they belong.
For information about opening the Audio Editor to access the
correction tools, along with general functions of the media editors,
please see “Media editing overview” on page 103. The transport and
marker controls are the same as for editing videos, and are described
in “Video tools” on page 116. For descriptions of the audio editing
tools themselves, see “Audio corrections” on page 197.
Effects
As just mentioned, when the Audio Editor is opened from the
timeline, it provides a set of correction tools whose main purpose is
to repair defects in media. These tools can be applied directly to
assets in the Library as well as clips in the project.
With timeline clips only, the Audio Editor also provides a set of
audio effects. These afford a wide range of possible ways to adjust or
enhance your clips. Please see “Audio Effects” on page 201 for
details.
Channel mixer
The channel mixer allows you to make level adjustments and
redirect audio signals from their original channel assignments to new
ones. For instance, you can use the mixer to condense separate stereo
channels to a left or right mono channel.
The mixer panel originally opens in the left-hand column of controls,
but can be dragged to a new docking position at either side of the
window. Other panels will reposition themselves as needed while
you drag.
If you need functions the channel mixer does not provide, consider
applying the Channel Tool effect to the clip. See “Audio effects” on
page 201 for information about the Channel Tool.
Level adjustment: Click on the slider under the level meters to set
the playback level of the clip. The level you set will be used
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whenever this clip is played or used in a timeline. The red area on
the meters represents overmodulation of the sound and should be
avoided if possible. To determine the maximum level you can safely
use, click the normalize button.
Channel routing: This dropdown list contains all options for
redirecting audio signals, such as a channel exchange (left
interchanges with right, for example), or combining a two-channel
stereo signal onto one mono channel. The 1:1 routing option routes
the audio signal without changes.
Selecting a Channel Routing option in the Channel Mixer. Just
above the list is the Level Adjustment slider (at the default setting
of 0dB). To the right of the list is the Normalize button.
Normalize button: The normalize button examines the audio
samples in the loaded sound to determine the amount of uniform
increase that can be applied without overmodulation (harsh digital
clipping) of any sample. Unlike compression and limiting, which
modify the dynamics of audio material, normalization preserves
dynamics by uniformly increasing (or decreasing) amplitude.
Waveform graph and frequency spectrum
The waveform graph of the audio is shown in the central display. It
shows statically how the amplitude of the sound changes with time.
If you zoom in on the sound as far as possible, the vertical lines on
the graph indicate individual sound samples. The waveform graph is
also seen in the Library (‘source’) Player when an asset is selected.
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The waveform graph shows the change in audio levels over time.
For stereo recordings, the graph is horizontally divided as shown
here, with the left channel uppermost.
An alternative, dynamic view of the same audio material is given by
the frequency spectrum display, which shows the changing spectral
composition of the sound as it plays back.
The waveform and frequency buttons at the lower
right of the Audio Editor let you switch between
these complementary displays at will.
The frequency spectrum breaks down the audio signals by
frequency bands, showing the sound level in each band. Lower
frequencies are on the left. Peak levels are shown as a small box
above each main bar for which a peak has been detected in the
past few seconds.
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Controls for synchronous video
If you are editing video that has a synchronous audio track, both
video and audio editing facilities are available through the Video and
Audio buttons at the top of the window. While you are in the Audio
Editor, a video monitor panel is also available.
Video / audio switch
If video is available, a tab is provided at the
top left of the screen for switching to the
Video Editor. For details on the controls available when the Video
tab is selected, please turn to “Correcting video” on page 115.
Video monitor
If synchronous video exists for the
currently-selected audio, a small
video preview panel opens at the
upper left of the Audio Editor.
While you are previewing the
sound, the video monitor lets you
follow the action visually as well.
If you switch to the Video Editor,
you will see a waveform display panel at the same screen location.
See “Correcting video” on page 115.
Audio corrections
The correction facilities in the Audio Editor are Equalize,
Compressor, Expander, De-esser and Noise reduction. Each can be
applied both to Library assets and to timeline clips.
Equalize
Equalizers are similar in principle to the treble and bass controls of
an audio system, but with finer adjustment capabilities. This
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equalizer divides the audio spectrum into five frequency bands, each
centered on a specified frequency and with a settable amount of
gain.
Preset list: A number of fixed presets can be selected from the
dropdown list; for example, you can select a ‘telephone voice’
effect.
Gain: Using the Gain parameter, you can determine the amount that
the respective frequency band contributes to the overall sound (from
-18 to +18).
Settings and presets for the Equalize and Compressor audio
corrections. Most Expander settings (not shown) are the same as
those of Compressor. See the description for details.
Frequency: Using the Frequency parameter you can specify the
center frequency of each band.
LoCut and HiCut: These controllers completely eliminate
frequencies below or above a set value. The default values allow all
frequencies.
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Adjustments
The only parameter available under the Adjustment tool the is LFE
(Subwoofer), which lets you either activate or deactivate the
Subwoofer channel for a particular clip, or to stay with the Library’s
setting, determined on import.
Compressor
A compressor smooths the dynamics instant by instant in an audio
signal, scaling back the loud sections while typically boosting the
overall sound. This gives the impression of a stronger signal, even
though the level peaks are not higher after compression than before.
Light compression is very commonly applied in audio mastering of
music tracks. Compression can also be used creatively in numerous
ways depending on the material.
Preset list: Choose from a number of premade parameter sets for the
compression filter.
Ratio: This control sets the compression ratio, which is the amount
of compression applied to sections of the input signal that exceed the
Threshold setting. For example, a 2:1 compression ratio means that a
2 dB increase of source level above the threshold produces only a 1
db increase in the output level. The allowed range is from 1:1 (no
compression) up to 100:1 (hard limiting).
Threshold: All levels above this setting are attenuated by the value
set in Ratio. You can apply an overall boost with the Gain controller
to compensate for the level lost.
Attack and Release: Attack governs how quickly the compressor
responds to an audio signal that has crossed the threshold. Larger
values delay the onset of compression, allowing (for example) the
brief attack of a piano note to remain distinct, while applying
compression as usual for sustained sounds. Release controls the
speed with which compression is switched off when the signal falls
back below the threshold.
Gain: It is best to make adjustments to the gain after it has already
been compressed.
Knee: A higher knee value causes compression to take hold
gradually as the threshold sound level is approached and departed
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from, rather than switching on all at once. This changes the tonal
qualities of the compressed sound.
Expander
The Expander decreases the gain of signals that fall below a chosen
threshold. Expanders provide a gentler way of reducing noisy low-
level signals than the abrupt cut-off of a gate.
Ratio, Threshold, Attack, Release: These parameters have the
same meanings as in the Compressor (see above).
Range: This controls the maximum gain reduction (attenuation).
Hold: This determines how long the expander remains active after
the initial attack. Increasing this value is useful when, between
louder signals, there are small pauses or much quieter passages that
should not be amplified. In this use, the expander works like a noise
gate.
De-esser
This audio filter inconspicuously removes distracting sibilance from
recorded speech. The available parameters allow individualized fine
adjustment of the effect.
Frequency: This knob sets the frequency above which the De-esser
is deployed.
Range: This knob controls the maximum attenuation that will be
applied to the detected sibilance.
Setting and presets for the De-esser
and Noise Reduction audio corrections.
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Noise reduction
Using the noise reduction filter you can reduce or eliminate
undesirable background noise. The filter reacts dynamically to
changing amounts and kinds of noise within the material.
Noise reduction can be applied for a range of problems. The results
obtained may differ, however, depending on the source material and
the origin of the problem. In many cases the results can be optimized
through targeted use of the Level and Fine Tuning parameters.
Since a new setting may take a few seconds to go into effect, make
changes slowly and in small steps, carefully auditioning each
change.
Level: Outdoor video recordings in which the subjects are far from
the microphone frequently suffer from excess background noise. It
may even be enough to obscure sounds of interest, such as the
subjects’ voices. Under the same conditions, the operating noise of
the camcorder itself, or the words of its operator, may be amplified
to an off-putting degree. Experiment with the Noise reduction level
until the best possible results for the source material have been
achieved.
AutoAdapt: While this option is active, Noise reduction
automatically and dynamically adapts to the type and amount of
noise in the material. The Fine tuning option is ignored while
AutoAdapt is selected.
Fine tuning: This controls the amount of correction. Its effect is
only significant when lower Level settings are used, and it has no
effect at all when AutoAdapt is active.
Remove wind: Select this checkbox to activate a filter that reduces
wind and similar background noises in the current audio.
Audio effects
Audio effects, like video effects, are found in the Library under the
Creative Elements branch. One way to add an effect to your project
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is to drag it from the Library onto any audio clip (including video
clips with synchronous audio).
Adding the Grungelizer audio effect to the current clip.
Usually, though, effects are added with the help of an Effects panel
in the Audio Editor, which lets you easily preview and customize
them. The panel is available whenever you are working on timeline
clips with audio. The panel is not available when you open the
Audio Editor from the Library. (In contrast, the tools on the Audio
Editor’s Corrections panel are always provided.) See “The Audio
Editor” on page 193, and “Audio on the timeline” on page 204 for
details.
The overall interface for audio effects is exactly the same as that for
video effects. The common features are not covered here. (See
Chapter 5: Video effects.) A few audio effects, such as the Equalizer
and the De-esser, double as correction tools. These are covered
under “Audio corrections” on page 197. Let’s now take a look at the
other audio effects.
Channel tool: The basic action of this effect is to route your stereo
audio signal. It allows you to connect either or both of the left and
right input channels to either or both of the output channels. In
addition, channel tool offers special-purpose presets, including phase
reverse and voice removal – the ‘karaoke’ effect.
Chorus: The Chorus effect creates a richer sound by repeatedly
reintroducing ‘echoes’ into the audio stream. By controlling
properties such as the frequency with which the echoes recur, and
the decay in volume from one repetition to the next, a variety of
results is possible, including flanger-like sounds and other special
effects.
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Grungelizer: The Grungelizer adds noise and static to your
recordings. It can make your clips sound as though you were hearing
them on a radio with bad reception or a worn and scratched vinyl
record.
Leveler: This effect helps compensate for a common problem in
recording audio for video productions: the imbalance in the recorded
volume of different elements in the original audio. For instance, your
commentary as you shoot the video may be recorded at such a high
level that it overwhelms other sounds at the location.
The trick in using the Leveler is to find a target volume somewhere
between that of the loud and soft audio in the original clip. Below
that volume, Leveler increases the original level by a fixed ratio.
Above the target volume, Leveler acts as a compressor, reducing the
original level. With careful adjustment of the parameters, the internal
balance of the audio can be significantly improved.
Reverb: The Reverb effect simulates the effect of playing back the
source sound in a room of a given size and sound reflectivity. The
interval between the arrival of the original sound at the listener’s
ears and the first echoes is greater for a large room than a small one.
The rate at which the echoes die away depends on both the room size
and the reflectivity of the walls.
The presets for Reverb are named for the type of room they simulate
– from the passenger cabin of a car all the way up to a huge
underground cavern.
Stereo echo: This effect allows you to set separate delays on each of
the left and right channels, with feedback and balance controls to
provide a variety of interesting sounds.
Stereo spread: This effect allows you to decrease or increase the
apparent width of the stereo listening field in an audio clip. Most
often it is used to create a mix that sounds more open and spacious.
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AUDIO ON THE TIMELINE
The audio levels and stereo or surround positioning of individual
clips can be adjusted directly on the timeline using audio
keyframing. The same operations can also be accomplished with the
Audio Mixer panel, which pops out to the right of the timeline
header when you click its access button. Both methods have their
own advantages. Making the adjustments on the timeline gives a
good sense of time versus volume or balance, whereas the Audio
Mixer, in combination with the Panner, facilitates mixing –
separately adjusting the volume and balance of each audio-
containing track.
Surround sound
The Panner tool is fully surround-capable. For maximum flexibility,
you can position any clip’s audio as desired in a two-dimensional
listening field – from front to rear as well as left to right.
If you mix the audio for every clip as though for surround playback,
you can still output a movie file with a stereo soundtrack using just
the left-right balance information. If you further decide to output
your project on DVD, the 5.1 surround-sound production will
already be complete.
Timeline audio functions
Along with the track management functions covered on page 67, the
header area of the timeline is also home to a number of audio
controls.
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Master playback level
Above the timeline track headers is a master playback level
indicator. As you preview your project, it shows the total output
from all tracks as currently mixed. The expand icon to the right of
the indicator opens a small floating window with separate level
indicators for each output channel, and a master gain control to trim
the output level up or down uniformly.
Click the icon next to the master playback level indicator to open
the Master Volume panel, where you can apply an overall volume
gain to the composite audio output of your project.
Audio mixer
The audio mixer panel pops out to the right of the track headers
when you click its access button in the timeline toolbar. For each
timeline track, the panel provides two fader knobs.
Track level: The left knob sets the output level of the track as a
whole. Its numeric value is shown in a small pop-up window when
the mouse pointer is over the knob. The default value of 0dB (which
you can restore with a double-click on the knob) means that no
overall change is applied to the original volume of the clips on the
track. Clicking on the small window opens an edit field where you
can enter the desired level. You can also set it by dragging
horizontally within the small window.
Clip level: The other knob sets the level of the current clip at the
scrubber position. If no clip is currently selected on the track, this
second knob is unavailable. The volume contour of a clip can be
controlled with keyframes, as discussed immediately below. When
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keyframing is in use, the clip level knob causes new keyframes to be
created or existing ones to be repositioned.
When its access button above the timeline (L) is clicked, the audio
mixer panel pops out to the right (R). Each track has two knobs.
The first adjusts the level of the track’s overall audio output, the
second controls the levels of the current clip. It can be keyframed
for moment by moment level control. The third icon on each track
opens the Panner.
Volume keyframing
An audio clip’s level can be varied at will using keyframing, which
allows you to create a volume envelope that reflects the dynamic
changes you want within the clip. The envelope appears as a green
line on the clip; the keyframes are represented by small, square
‘control handles’ along the line. On playback, the clip volume tracks
the envelope line as it moves smoothly from one keyframed level to
the next.
If there are no keyframes on a clip, the volume contour is a
horizontal line representing the default clip volume. To add a
keyframe, make sure the volume keyframe editing button on the
timeline toolbar is selected, then click on the volume contour of the
clip. Alternatively, you can position the scrubber to the desired
keyframe location, then simply click the clip level knob; this second
method works whether or not the keyframe editing button is lit. In
either case, a control handle should appear on the clip. From now on,
each change to the clip volume either creates a new keyframe, if
there is not one at the current position, or updates the value of one
that is already present.
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Editing volume keyframes with the mouse
To allow keyframe editing with the mouse, activate the volume
keyframe editing button in the group of buttons at the right-hand end
of the timeline toolbar. Now when you position the mouse pointer
over the green volume contour on an audio clip, you will see that the
contour responds by highlighting in white.
To activate clip volume keyframe editing, click the button
in the right-hand group on the timeline toolbar.
A number of mouse-based keyframe editing functions are now
available. Before taking on any serious keyframe editing, take a few
minutes to familiarize yourself with the commands in this set. They
enable you to manipulate keyframes quickly without having to
repetitiously move to a chosen keyframe and operate the clip level
knob.
The default style of editing operations for volume keyframes favors
maintaining sections of constant clip level rather than continuously
wandering up and down along ‘ramps’ in the contour line. In cases
where this does not produce the editing result you desire, try again
while holding the Alt key. This turns off any automatic adjustments
that might otherwise be made.
Insert a new keyframe by clicking the contour line.
Instantly create a keyframed fade by Ctrl-clicking the contour
line. This inserts both a new keyframe at the point you clicked and a
second one with the volume set to zero. If you clicked in the first
half of the clip, the second keyframe is added at the start to create a
fade-in; if you clicked in the second half of the clip, a fade-out is
created by placing the second keyframe at the end.
Create abrupt level changes by dragging horizontal sections
between neighboring keyframes up or down. This produces vertical
steps in the volume contour.
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Automatic page creation
As you insert new chapter links into a multipage menu, additional
pages are created automatically as needed. These appear in the Menu
List alongside those already in the project. A connector graphic links
pages belonging to the same menu. To insert new linked chapters,
use either the Insert Link button on the toolbar, or the Chapter
Wizard.
A main menu and its matching
multipage menu in the Library Player.
Next and Previous: It is the presence of the special next and
previous buttons that causes a menu to support the multipage
behavior. To create a multipage menu from an existing main menu,
simply add buttons of both these types. Likewise, deleting either or
both of the next and previous buttons from a multipage menu
removes the automatic features.
Multipage menus in the Menu List
The icons of multipage menus are connected in the Menu List by a
special graphic. It shows that the menus are linked, which is to say
that you can navigate from one page within the menu to another by
means of the next and previous buttons.
Splitting and joining: To unlink neighboring menu pages from each
other, click the connector graphic between them. The graphic is
removed. Pages to the left of the mouse remain with the original
menu, while those to the right form a new, separate menu (with a
new background color for its menu icons). Click in the gap between
neighboring multipage menus to regroup them into a single menu.
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Sorting chapters: A time-saving tool meant primarily for multipage
menus is the sort button that appears with the Chapter Wizard button
to the right of the menu’s last page. When you have been working on
a menu for a while – adding, deleting and rearranging chapters,
perhaps even while editing the movie itself in parallel – you are
likely to find that the chapter buttons are no longer in timeline order
across the set of pages. Unless you want a custom order for some
reason, the remedy is a single click on the sort button.
Pages from a multipage menu. The connector graphic shows that
navigation within these pages is provided by Next and Previous
buttons. The Sort button (top right, under pointer) arranges the
chapter buttons in timeline sequence.
Adding disc menus
The disc menus section of the Library contains a collection of menus
for a variety of occasions and in a spectrum of visual styles. Each
menu comprises a background picture, a text title, and a set of
navigation buttons appropriate to the menu’s purpose.
To add a disc menu to your production, open the Compact Library in
the Disc Editor, choose a menu in the Disc Menus (under Creative
Elements), and drag it to the Menu List. To edit the actions assigned
to the menu’s buttons, you can use the authoring tools provided on
the timeline in conjunction with the Player, or get some automated
help from the Chapter Wizard. To modify the appearance of a menu
(or create one from scratch) you will use the Menu Editor. For more
information, see pages 229 and 232 respectively.
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With Menu selected as the Player input mode (top), the Player
provides interactive zones on the preview screen for assigning
chapter links. Here ‘C1’ shows a chapter link has been assigned
to the Play Movie button; the ‘?’ over the Scene Selection button
shows that it is not currently assigned.
Show Link Numbers checkbox: Check this box to cause
link numbers to be displayed in the preview over every
button in the menu. The link numbers match the format and color of
the timeline chapter flags.
Disc Simulator button: This button invokes the Disc
Simulator window where you can preview your project with
full interactivity to make sure your menus are behaving as expected.
Burn Disc button: When you are ready to test your project
on an actual disc, click this button (or Export at the top of the
screen) to invoke the Exporter, which will guide you through the
process of ‘burning’ your movie onto an optical disc.
Link indicators
As seen in the illustration above, when a menu with unlinked chapter
buttons is previewed, those buttons are indicated by red question
marks rather than a chapter number. Except perhaps for an unused
subset on the final page of a multipage menu, all the chapter buttons
on your menus should link to your movie.
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MENU EDITING ON THE TIMELINE
Developing a project for optical disc, such as DVD, in Pinnacle
Studio’s Disc Editor gives you lots of opportunities for putting your
creative stamp on the production.
Every aspect of a disc menu – the details of its visual appearance,
the linking of its on-screen buttons, the precise timing of its
‘chapters’ – can be edited in Pinnacle Studio. For the visual aspects,
you will turn to the Menu Editor, but the linking of buttons and the
timing of chapters are both controlled within the Disc Editor itself.
For an overview of the Disc Editor interface, please see “Disc
Projects” on page 217.
Timeline menu markers
The chapter buttons on a disc menu can be individually linked to
any point on your movie’s timeline. In the Disc Editor, those points
are indicated on the timeline by chapter markers on the Chapter
Track, which is a specialized timeline track that materializes above
the other tracks when a first menu is added to your movie. (The track
is removed again if all menus are deleted.) The caption of a chapter
marker consists of the letter ‘C’ followed by the chapter’s sequence
number in its menu.
Return markers, which mark automatic exit points from the timeline
back to a disc menu, are also shown in the Chapter Track. The
caption of a return marker is the letter ‘M’ with the sequence number
of the target menu.
Regardless of the length of your production, you are limited to a
combined total of 99 chapter buttons and return markers.
The color of chapter and return markers matches the Menu List icon
color of the menu to which the markers are assigned. Markers can be
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repositioned on the timeline by dragging. See “Timeline editing of
chapter and return markers” on page 228 for details.
Dropping a menu onto an empty Menu List causes a chapter
marker to be inserted at the start of your movie’s first clip
(provided it has one) as the target of the menu’s Play Movie
button. A return marker, marking an exit back to the menu, is
placed at the end of the movie.
Authoring tools
In the Disc Editor, the timeline toolbar provides a number of
authoring tools that you can use directly without switching windows
or views.
Tools on the Disc Editor toolbar.
Create link: This button links the currently-selected chapter
button in the Player to the location of the timeline scrubber.
Insert link: This button facilitates work with multipage
menus by moving all existing button links (starting at the
currently selected chapter button in the Player) one position towards
the end.
In a multipage menu, the act of inserting a link may begin a chain
reaction by forcing an existing link onto the next page, a link from
there onto the page following, and so on to the final page, which
itself will be created if necessary.
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Remove link: Clicking on this button will remove the link
that exists between the button on the menu and the chapter
marker on the Chapter Track. An ‘unlinked’ chapter marker will
remain on the Chapter Track. This unlinked chapter can be manually
linked by drag-and-drop to another button on the Menu Preview, or
it may remain as an unlinked chapter, in which case, during
playback, it will work to jump through your disc using the jump
button on your remote control. You may also right-click on one or
more chapter markers and choose Remove Selected Link.
Button cycle: By clicking on the left and right
arrows of this control, you can scroll through
available buttons and make them active for editing. Click on the
button caption to edit it. Buttons also may be selected by clicking the
button links in the Player when a menu is previewed.
Set thumbnail: Clicking this button generates a thumbnail
image of the frame at the timeline scrubber position, and
displays it on the menu button selected in the button cycle control if
it is of the Thumbnail type. For more information about menu button
types, please see “Buttons”, on page 233.
Create unlinked chapter: Unless the timeline scrubber is
exactly positioned at a chapter or return marker, clicking this
button will add a chapter marker to the Chapter Track, but will not
link it to any menu. An unlinked chapter can also be created by
double-clicking in the Chapter Track area just above the other
timeline tracks.
The unlinked chapter can later be manually linked by drag-and-drop
to a button on the Menu Preview if that’s what you want. However,
an unlinked chapter also serves a useful purpose in its own right:
during playback, it designates one of the points to pause at when
browsing a DVD with the jump button on the remote control.
Remove chapter: When the timeline scrubber is positioned at
a chapter, the Create unlinked chapter button takes on the
opposite function, and a modified symbol. Clicking on it will
remove both the chapter marker and the link that binds it to a menu,
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if it has one. You can also remove chapters with the Delete Selected
Chapter context menu command when one or more chapter markers
are selected. To remove the links from chapter markers, leaving
them unlinked but still on the Chapter Track, use Remove Selected
Links from the same menu.
Create return: Unless there is already a marker at the
timeline scrubber position, this button will add a return
marker to the Chapter Track.
A return marker is active during viewing only if playback
commenced from the same menu the marker is associated with. (On
the timeline, the marker color should match that of the associated
menu’s icon in the Menu List.) When playback reaches the frame
associated with an active return marker, it will jump back to the
associated menu.
Delete return: If there is a return marker at the scrubber
position, the Create return button converts to Delete return,
with an appropriately changed symbol.
The Remove chapter button, and the Delete selected chapter context
menu command, can both also be used to delete return markers.
Timeline editing of chapter and return markers
Chapter and return markers are tied to particular frames on your
timeline at which playback will be launched from a disc menu
(chapters) or at which playback again gives way to the originating
menu (returns). Both types of marker can be dragged with the mouse
to change the location at which they take effect in the movie.
When you are previewing a menu, dragging a chapter marker from
the Chapter Track to a button on the Player will relink the button.
The reverse operation, dragging a button from the Player to a point
on the Chapter Track, is an alternative method of creating a new
chapter marker.
A project that contains one or more disc menus must have a return
marker permanently positioned at the end of the Chapter Track. This
guarantees that any chapter played on the disc will encounter a valid
return. The final return marker can thus not be deleted.
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The Chapter Wizard
When a multipage disc menu has been dragged
from the Library into the Menu List, a Chapter
Wizard button is displayed at the top right corner
of the menu icon. Clicking on this button will
open the Chapter Wizard window.
Why use the Chapter Wizard?
The Chapter Wizard provides a fast way to create chapters for your
movie. Chapter markers will be added to the Chapter Track on the
Disc Editor timeline to show where each chapter begins. With the
Link chapters to menu buttons option (see below), each chapter will
be represented by one chapter button on a series of automatically-
generated menu pages; these pages are linked into a series by next
and previous buttons.
By activating chapter buttons when the menu is viewed, the viewer
is able to play the movie from any of the provided starting points.
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The Chapter Wizard is great for setting up slide shows and scene
selection menus. If you are archiving video to disc, you can use it
generate a menu that will serve as a scene catalog. The series of
menu pages created can be arbitrarily long. Its length depends on
how many chapters are created and on how many chapter buttons are
provided in the menu’s page design.
Incidentally, the Chapter Wizard does nothing that you could not do
yourself using the available disc authoring tools within the Disc
Editor (and they remain available for tweaking the generated menu
afterwards). Its purpose is to speed your creative process by taking
over much of the routine work that setting up a multipage menu
entails.
Using the Chapter Wizard
The Chapter Wizard controls are grouped into three horizontal
panels. When you have configured the controls to your satisfaction,
click OK. The Chapter Wizard will carry out its work of creating
new chapters for your production, complete with markers on the
timeline and (by default) an automatically-generated set of menu
pages with as many chapter buttons as necessary.
Place chapters at
This is the uppermost panel in the Chapter Wizard. The two options
here can be used separately or together.
Optimal positions: When this box is checked, the Chapter Wizard
creates chapters at a selected interval along the timeline, but will
adjust the chapter to a nearby clip boundary when one is available.
The desired average chapter length is specified in seconds. The
initial value is based on the length of your movie. To adjust it, either
click directly on the number and type, or drag horizontally within the
text box.
Timeline markers: This option assumes that you have prepared
timeline markers to indicate to the Chapter Wizard particular places
in your movie to which a chapter link must be created.
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Apply to
The second panel in the Chapter Wizard provides options that
control the scope of the wizard’s operation.
Whole movie: Chapter markers will be created throughout the entire
movie.
Selection: Chapter markers will be placed only within the range
from the beginning of the first selected clip to the end of the final
one.
Options
The third panel offers two final choices, which may be set
independently.
Link chapters to menu buttons: When this option is selected, as
many pages will be added to the menu as are needed to
accommodate buttons for all of the created chapters. Without this
option, the chapter markers are created on the timeline in the
‘unlinked’ state, and no menu pages are created.
If you want to link an unlinked marker to a menu button, drag it to
the button while previewing the menu in the Player. Even if you
leave it unlinked, the chapter marker will still serve as an available
resumption point when the viewer is skipping through the disc with
the jump button on the remote control.
Return after every chapter: Checking this option will add a return
marker at the end of each chapter. By default, the markers are placed
so that each chapter will play up to the start of the chapter following,
then return to the originating menu. To change the menu that a return
marker is linked to, drag the marker to the menu icon in the Menu
List. Remember, however, that the return marker will only be active
when playback was launched from the menu to which the marker is
linked.
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THE MENU EDITOR
The Menu Editor shares most of its controls and usage with the Title
Editor, which is described in Chapter 8. The present section focuses
on features particular to the Menu Editor.
Starting the editor
To open a menu in the Menu Editor, either click the Edit button on
the Player while previewing the menu, or double-click it in the Menu
List.
As with the Title Editor, when the Menu Editor opens, one line of
text is already highlighted. To edit it, just start typing. To start
editing a different line, click inside its text box and highlight the
characters you want to change. To stop editing text, click on an
empty area of the window.
The button cycle
One feature that differs between the Menu Editor and the Title
Editor is the button cycle, a control also present in the Disc Editor. In
both cases it is located on the right side of the toolbar, just above the
timeline. Click the left and right arrows on the control to step
through the active buttons in the menu, and make one available for
editing.
Note: If you only want to edit text for the buttons on your menu,
you do not need to enter the Menu Editor at all; instead, edit the
button name directly in the button cycle control of the Disc Editor.
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Menu buttons
Any visual element of your disc menu can be used as a ‘button’ that
links to other content in your movie. Elements designated ‘Not a
button’, on the other hand, have no linking behavior.
Button types
A menu button’s type is the only factor that
determines its behavior. Its text and
appearance should almost always be
consistent with that behavior in a well-
authored disc production, but they don’t
affect it. Five button types are available.
Normal: This type of button lets your text,
image or shape serve as a link to any chapter marker on your disc
project timeline, or to a menu in your Menu List.
Thumbnail: This variation on the Normal button type allows a
thumbnail from your timeline to be displayed on the button.
Previous and Next: These button types automatically handle
navigation between the pages of multipage menus in the Menu List.
During playback, the buttons are hidden automatically when their
targets do not exist (on the first and last pages of the multipage set).
Because their behavior is fixed, it is not possible to link these
buttons to chapter markers.
Root: A button of this type links to the first menu in the Menu List.
Its behavior cannot be changed.
Buttons for multipage menus
If you add both a Next and a Previous button to any menu, it can
serve as a multipage menu. If either button type is absent, the menu
cannot be used in the multi-page mode.
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•
Select Scan For Assets in the Import From panel to select one or
more folders and import all assets of the desired types that are
found in those folders.
Selecting files for Import
When you select My computer in the Import From panel, the job of
selecting the files to import belongs to the folder and asset-file
browser in the central area of the display.
A single import operation can take in multiple types of files from
multiple source folders. Each selected file will be copied to the
correct folder for its asset type (as specified in the Import To panel).
The folder and file browser
The left hand column of the browser is
a hierarchical view of all folders on all
file-storage devices attached to your
computer. These devices include hard
drives, optical disc drives, memory
cards and USB sticks.
Navigation in this “folder tree” is
similar to that in Windows Explorer
and other programs. Folders containing
other folders are indicated by a plus sign to the left of the name
when they are closed and by a minus sign when they are open. Click
the sign to open out (“expand”) or close down (“collapse”) a folder’s
list of subfolders.
Only one entry in the folder tree can be highlighted at a time. Any
media files or project files contained in that folder are immediately
listed in the larger, right-hand division of the browser. You can
preview files on the spot, and earmark those you intend to import by
checking the box at the top right of corner of each file icon.
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Here, the folder ‘Photos\Winter’ is open, revealing a set of image
files. To select (or unselect) files for import, click the checkbox in
the top right corner of one or more icons. In the illustration, four
files have been selected.
Previewing media and project files
Previewing audio and video: The file
browser includes built-in previewing for all
supported asset types. Click the play button
in the center of video, audio, and project file
icons in the Library to preview the assets
they represent. For quick viewing, video files
play back within the icon frame itself. Click
anywhere on the icon to halt playback; otherwise the entire file is
previewed.
Full-screen photo preview: To view a digital photo or other picture
file at full-screen resolution, double-click its icon, or click the full-
screen button in the toolbar beneath the browser, or press the F11
key.
Scrub preview: Audio, video and project
file icons provide a scrubber control
immediately below the file icon. Click and
drag the scrubber knob to manually review
any part of the file. The mouse pointer
changes to a two-headed horizontal arrow
when it is correctly positioned for scrubbing.
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261
Import from DV or HDV camera
To prepare for importing digital video,
switch on your DV or HDV device in
play mode and select it in the Import
From panel of the Importer.
You will also need to make sure that your
destination folder, compression presets,
and other options are set up in the other
panels the way you want them. (See
“Importer panels”, page 240.)
Previewing video
The video currently playing on the source device should now be
visible in the preview area at the central area of the display. Along
the right edge of the video preview is a scale showing the moment-
by-moment audio level.
When a DV or HDV source is selected, the central area of the
Importer provides controls for previewing and importing the
taped material.
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Below the preview image is a row of controls for automating capture
by setting mark-in and mark-out points. See “Recording video and
audio” on page 263 for more information.
Another row of controls, the transport bar, serves as your navigation
console for the source device.
The transport bar for DV and HDV import, with (from left) jog
controls and timecode readout, transport buttons, a shuttle
control, and an audio button with a pop-out slider for controlling
the preview volume.
The current timecode indicator shows your
playback position according to the timecode
recorded onto the tape when it was shot. The four fields represent
hours, minutes, seconds and frames respectively. To the left of the
indicator is a pair of arrow buttons; use these to jog the position one
frame back or frame forward at a time.
From left to right, the transport buttons are
play/pause, stop, rewind and fast forward.
These buttons relay commands to your camera. Using them is
equivalent to using the camera’s onboard controls, but typically
more convenient.
Drag the orange needle on the shuttle control
to the left or right to change the playback
position in the reverse and forward directions respectively. The
motor speed increases as you drag the needle further off center.
When you release the needle, it homes to the center position and
pauses playback.
Set preview volume: To set the playback volume for
previewing, hover the mouse pointer in the area of the
audio/mute button in the bottom bar of the file browser. A
volume slider will appear beside the button. Drag the knob
up and down to control the volume. Click the audio/mute button
itself to toggle audio muting.
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Mark-in, mark-out: The mark in and mark out timecode fields
above the ends of the transport bar indicate the planned starting point
and ending point of a video capture.
Note: DV and HDV sources are also suitable for snapshots; see
page 269 for details.
Recording video and audio
The Importer supports two approaches to selecting a range of video
to be imported.
In the manual approach, you simply watch the preview playback and
press Start Capture at the start of the desired footage. When you
reach the end of the segment, press Stop Capture. If you have
continuous timecode on the source footage, and have set Stop at tape
end to ‘Yes’ in the Mode panel, you can walk away and leave the
Importer to switch off when the input is exhausted.
The automatic method of capture is good for setting the endpoints of
your capture (the “mark-in” and “mark-out”) points with single-
frame precision, and for unattended importing that should halt before
the end of the recorded material.
Sometimes you may want to use set the mark-in time and leave
mark-out blank. When you click Start Capture the Importer will
locate your start time then capture until you tell it to stop (or at tape
end).
You can also set a mark-out time and leave the mark-in time blank.
When you click Start Capture import will begin immediately, and
end automatically at the mark-out point. Entering a duration and
entering a mark-out time are equivalent. Whichever you specify, the
Importer calculates and displays the other one automatically.
Note: Before starting the import operation, verify that the settings
on the Import To panel and other panels (see page 240) have been
configured correctly.
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To capture manually with the Start Capture and Stop Capture
buttons:
1. Make sure that the mark-in and mark-out points are not set. If
needed, use the button associated with the field to clear it
with one click.
2. Manually start playback of the source tape before the desired
starting point of the capture.
3. Click the Start Capture button when the starting point is
reached.
The button caption changes to Stop Capture.
4. At the end of the segment click the button again. The captured
material is stored in the Library.
5. Manually halt playback (unless automatic shutoff is in effect as
noted above).
To capture automatically by setting mark-in and mark-out
points:
1. Use the time counter controls to set the mark-in and mark-out
values – the start and end points of the desired footage.
To set the mark-in point, either enter a
value directly into the start field, or
navigate to the desired point and click the Start button. A similar
approach can be used to set the mark-out point.
2. Click Start Capture. Studio positions the source device to the
mark-in point and automatically begins recording.
3. When the mark-out point is reached, import is terminated and
the source device is stopped.
4. The captured material is stored in the Library.
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Import from analog sources
To record analog video (e.g. VHS or Hi8) you need a converter that
connect to your computer and that has the required video and audio
connections. This is also the case when recording from analog sound
sources, such as a record player. Currently supported devices include
Pinnacle and Dazzle products such as 500/510-USB, 700/710-USB
and DVC 100, and webcams based on DirectShow technology.
To prepare for importing from an analog
source, switch on the device and select it by
name in the Import From panel of the
Importer. Also choose the applicable input
(e.g. “Video Composite” or “Video
SVideo”). If you wish to tweak the
incoming analog signal prior to digitization,
click the more button , which provides
access to the Analog Input Levels window.
(See page 241 for more information.)
Before starting the capture, make sure that
your destination folder, compression
presets, and other options are set up in the
other panels as you want them. (See “Importer panels”, page 240.)
To capture from an analog source:
1. Verify that the input device is connected (e.g. “Video S-Video”).
2. Start the playback device just before the point at which you
would like capture to begin.
Video and audio previewing should now be active. (If not, check
the cabling and the converter installation.)
3. Click the Start Capture button to start recording.
The button caption changes to Stop Capture.
4. At the end of the segment click the button again. The captured
material is stored in the Library.
5. Halt the source device.
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To capture for a specified duration:
1. Verify that the correct input is connected (e.g. “Video S-
Video”).
2. Enter the desired capture duration in the Duration time-counter
control below the video preview.
3. Start the playback device just before the point at which you
would like capture to begin.
Video and audio previewing should now be active. (If not, check
the cabling and the converter installation.)
4. Click the Start Capture button to start recording.
The button caption changes to Stop Capture.
5. The capture operation will stop automatically after the desired
duration has been captured. You may also stop the capture
manually by clicking the Stop Capture button.
Import from DVD or Blu-ray Disc
The Importer can import video and audio data
from DVDs and BDs (Blu-ray discs). To
begin, insert the source disc in its drive and
select it in the Import From panel of the
Importer. If you have more than one optical
drive, choose the correct device among those
listed.
Note: Copy-protected media cannot be imported.
Before starting the capture, make sure that your destination folder
and file name are set up in the other panels the way you want them.
(See “Importer panels”, page 240.)
Because large files can be involved when importing from optical
discs, selecting the correct import directory is important. In
particular, ensure that the designated storage location has sufficient
space available (see page 243).
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267
Previewing the disc files
The media on optical discs are accessed through the computer’s file
system. For this reason, the previewing controls in the central area,
the methods for selecting files, and the procedure for importing, are
the same as for ordinary file-based assets (except that the unneeded
folder view starts in the closed position). Please see page 253 for
further information.
Import from digital cameras
Like optical disc drives, the media on digital cameras is accessed
through the computer’s file system. The camera may appear on the
source list as a removable disk drive. Previewing, selecting and
importing are the same as for ordinary file-based assets (except that
the folder view starts in the closed position). Please see page 253 for
further information.
Stop motion
The Stop Motion function of the Importer
allows you to create animated films by
stitching together frames grabbed from a live
video source, such as an analog video
camera or webcam. The result of your Stop
Motion import will be either a movie at 8 or
12 frames per second, the collection of still
images you grabbed, or both, depending on
Mode panel settings.
To prepare for Stop Motion import, make
sure the source device is switched on, then
select it by name under the Stop Motion
heading in the Import From panel of the
Importer. (See page 241 for more.)
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Outputting your movie
Studio creates your disc or disc image in three steps:
1. First the entire movie must be rendered to generate the MPEG-
encoded information to store on the disc.
2. Next, the disc must be compiled. In this phase, Studio creates the
actual files and directory structure that will be used on the disc.
3. Finally, the disc must be burned. (This step is skipped if you are
generating a disc image rather than an actual disc.)
To output your movie to disc, or to a disc image:
1. Click the Disc tab to bring up this display:
The circular display summarizes your disc usage. It also shows
an estimate of the time the movie will occupy on your writable
disc.
Use the folder button to change the hard drive location Studio
uses for storing auxiliary files. If you create a disc image, it too
will be stored in that folder. The dropdown list on the lower
display specifies the disc burner to use if more than one is
available.
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279
2. On the Settings panel, select the disc Type you are using, then
whichever video quality and disc usage Preset best matches your
intent.
If you wish to fine-tune your output settings, choose the Custom
preset then click the Advanced button to bring up the Advanced
Settings panel.
3. Click the Burn Disc button.
Studio goes through the steps described above (render, compile,
and burn) to create the disc. Click the Create Image button to
perform the identical steps but omit the burn step.
4. When Studio has finished the burning operation, it ejects the
disc.
5. If you want to burn a previously created image press the Burn
Image button.
Quality and capacity of disc formats
The differences amongst the various disc formats can be boiled
down to these rules of thumb regarding the video quality and
capacity of each format:
•
DVD: Each disc holds about 60 minutes of full-quality MPEG-2
video (120 minutes if the disc recorder supports dual-layer
recording).
•
DVD (AVCHD): Each disc holds about 40 minutes of full-quality
AVCHD video per layer.
•
BD: Each disc holds more than 270 minutes of HD video per
layer.
Chapter 11: The Exporter
281
If you are exporting a stereoscopic 3D project, an S3D menu will
appear, offering various 3D formats, or the option of exporting your
project in 2D.
When your output options are in place, click the Create file button.
A file browser opens to let you specify a name and location for the
video file you are creating.
When you are exporting a movie to a file, these panels
on the Exporter display your export settings.
As a convenience after output has completed, the Exporter provides
shortcuts for opening Windows Media Player and the QuickTime
Player. To view your output file as soon as you have created it, click
the icon representing the player of your choice.
Ready for viewing
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3GP
Pinnacle Studio can generate movies in this widely-used file format
using your choice of MPEG-4 or H.263 video compression, along
with AMR audio compression. The format is adapted to the
comparatively modest processing and storage capabilities of mobile
phones.
The list of presets for this file type offers two frame sizes in either
encoder. Choose Small, at 176x144, or Very Small, at 128x96.
Audio only
Sometimes a movie’s soundtrack can stand alone without visuals.
Live entertainment footage, and video recordings of interviews and
speeches are instances in which an audio-only version might be
desirable.
Pinnacle Studio lets you save your soundtrack in wav (PCM), mp3
or mp2 format.
Click the preset that best meets your needs; or choose Custom, then
click the Advanced button to open the Advanced Settings panel.
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283
AVCHD/Blu-ray
AVCHD/Blu-Ray is the ‘transport stream’ version of MPEG-2. It
may contain video in MPEG-2 or H264/AVC compression. Its
applications include HD playback on AVCHD-based camcorders
and Sony’s PlayStation 3 home game console.
Click the preset that best meets your needs; or choose Custom, then
click the Advanced button to open the Advanced Settings panel.
AVI
Although the AVI file type for digital video is itself widely
supported, the actual coding and decoding of video and audio data in
an AVI file is performed by separate codec software.
Studio supplies a DV and an MJPEG codec. If you wish to output
your movie as an AVI in some other format, you can use any
DirectShow-compatible codec installed on your PC, as long as that
codec is also installed on the PC that will play your movie.
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Click the preset that best meets your needs; or choose Custom, then
click the Advanced button to open the Advanced Settings panel.
DivX
This file format, based on MPEG-4 video compression technology,
is popular for video files disseminated over the Internet. It is also
supported by a range of DivX-compatible hardware devices, from
DVD players to portable and handheld units.
Click the preset that best meets your needs; or choose Custom, then
click the Advanced button to open the Advanced Settings panel.
DivX Plus HD
This file format, based on H264 video compression technology, is
popular for HD video files disseminated over the Internet.
Click whichever of the quality presets matches your needs; or
choose Custom, then click the Advanced button to open the
Advanced Settings panel.
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285
Flash Video
Studio supports output in Flash Video (flv) format, version 7.
Virtually all current web browsers are able to display this popular
format, which has been widely adopted by social networking sites
and news sites.
Click the quality preset that matches your needs; or choose Custom,
then click the Advanced button to open the Advanced Settings panel.
Image
A frame of your video project can be exported as an image, a JPG,
TIF or Custom. If you select the Custom option, use the Advanced
button to open the Advanced Settings panel.
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Pinnacle Studio
Image sequence
A section of your video project can be exported as a series of
images, one per frame. The video selected must be at least one
second long. Each second of video will generate between 25 and 60
images, depending on the frame rate setting.
The images can be TIF, JPG, TGA, or BMP, in a variety of sizes. If
the project is in stereoscopic 3D, you will be offered S3D formats
for output.
MOV Video
This is the QuickTime
®
file format. It is particularly suitable when
the movie will be played on the QuickTime player.
The presets provide a variety of size and encoding options.
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MPEG
MPEG-1 is the original MPEG file format. MPEG-1 video
compression is used on VideoCDs, but in other contexts it has given
way to newer standards.
MPEG-2 is the successor format to MPEG-1. Whereas the MPEG-1
file format is supported on all Windows 95 and later PCs, MPEG-2
and MPEG-4 files can only be played on PCs with appropriate
decoder software installed. Several of the MPEG-2 presets support
HD (High Definition) playback equipment.
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MPEG-4 is another member of the MPEG family. It offers image
quality similar to MPEG-2 but with even greater compression. It is
particularly suitable for Internet use. Two of the MPEG-4 presets
(QCIF and QSIF) create ‘quarter-frame’ video sized for cell phones;
two others (CIF and SIF) create ‘full-frame’ video suitable for
handheld viewers.
Custom presets. With all MPEG variants, Custom lets you
configure movie output in detail by clicking the Advanced button to
open the Advanced Settings panel.
Chapter 11: The Exporter
289
Windows Media
The Windows Media file format is also designed for streaming
Internet playback. The files can be played on any computer where
the Windows Media player – a free program from Microsoft – is
installed.
Click the Advanced button to configure your output with the
Advanced Settings panel.
OUTPUT TO CLOUD
The Pinnacle Studio Exporter lets you
share your movie creations with your
social network on Facebook, and with
potentially the entire world on
YouTube. The Exporter’s Output to
Cloud tab also provides access to a
personal area in the Cloud on the Box
storage provider where you can store your files.
Storing your media and projects in Box means they are also
accessible from your smart phone or tablet, and can easily be
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transferred between computers for collaboration and convenient
access.
When uploading to the Cloud, whether to
Facebook or YouTube, the only action available within the
Exporter itself is ‘Publish’. Settings are chosen after logging in to
the service provider.
After selecting a sharing provider, click the Start Publishing button
at the bottom of the Studio Exporter window. If you are not already
logged in to the provider’s site, a log-in page will appear.
After logging in, select a format for uploading your project. The
choices provided in the Format dropdown are Fastest (360p),
Standard (480p), HD (720p) and HD (1080p). Each specifies a
different combination of frame size and video data rate.
Box
Note: Upload to Box is disabled in Pinnacle Studio for Dazzle. Please
upgrade to Pinnacle Studio 16 to enable the Box upload feature.
After logging in to your Box account, you’ll have the opportunity to
override the default settings for the Title, Description and Tags that
will be associated with your uploaded movie, in addition to choosing
its Format from the dropdown menu. Your existing Box folders and
files are shown, along with the amount of space available for
additional storage. (The first time you access Box from Pinnacle
Chapter 11: The Exporter
291
Studio, you may be offered an upgrade to more space.) You can put
your project straight into an existing folder on the Box, or use the
Add Folder button to create a new folder for this project.
Choosing the format for uploading to Box.
Once the settings are to your liking, click the Start button at the
bottom of the window to render and upload your file.
Facebook
After logging in to your Facebook account, you can enter a new
Title, or Description for your movie, and select Format and Privacy
settings from the dropdown menus.
Limiting your project to viewing by ‘Friends’ only.
Use the Start button at the bottom of the Studio Exporter window to
render and upload your project.
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Vimeo
Note: Upload to Vimeo is disabled in Pinnacle Studio for Dazzle. Please
upgrade to Pinnacle Studio 16 to enable the Vimeo upload feature.
After logging in to your Vimeo account, you can modify the movie’s
Title, Description and Tags. Choose the Format you prefer from the
dropdown menu.
The Vimeo license is set to ‘All Rights Reserved’. This can be
changed in your Vimeo account after uploading.
When ready, click the Start button at the bottom of the window to
render and upload your project.
YouTube
After logging in to your YouTube account, you can enter a new
Title, Description, or new Tags. Choose your Format, Category and
Privacy settings from dropdown menus.
Choosing a format to upload to YouTube.
Chapter 12: Setup
297
CHAPTER 12:
Setup
Pinnacle Studio’s central configuration window is called the Control
Panel. (Note that it is for Pinnacle Studio settings only. The
Microsoft Windows Control Panel is unrelated.)
To begin, select Setup Control Panel on the Pinnacle Studio main
menu. When the Control Panel appears, choose a page from the
directory on the left side of the window.
The Pinnacle Studio Control Panel is a central
configuration window for the application.
The eight pages of Control Panel settings are described here in turn.
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Watchfolders
Watchfolders are folders on a hard drive or other storage medium
that are monitored by Pinnacle Studio. When the contents of a
watchfolder change, the Library is automatically updated.
You can create as many watchfolders as you wish and optionally set
them up to watch for only one media type (video, image or audio)
instead of all three, the default.
To designate a folder on your system as a watchfolder, click the Add
folder button below the watchfolders list, and navigate to the folder
you wish to add. To cancel watchfolder behavior, select the folder in
the list and click the Remove folder button.
Apply Changes directs the Library to update its catalog in light of the
watchfolder changes.
Audio device
This setup page provides the parameters available for recording
devices (such as microphones) that are connected to the computer.
Click the device name to access the Windows settings dialog for the
device.
Event logging
Messages are logged in this window during certain operations, such
as importing a number of files. You can check here for details about
any problems that may have occurred during these operations.
Import
The default options for the Pinnacle Studio Importer may be set
here; however, you can adjust or override them in the Importer at the
time of importing.
Folder options: View or set the default storage locations for media
and projects that are to be physically copied during import; unlike
linked imports, including the Library’s Quick Import feature, which
simply link to existing files without relocating them. The folder
locations are initially set to the user’s music, video and images
folders as configured in Windows, and to the default folder for
saving Studio projects.
Chapter 12: Setup
299
Selecting a video subfolder type on the Import Settings page.
After locating and selecting the folder you want to serve as the base
folder, you can optionally set up a subfolder:
•
No subfolder: With this option, the files you import will be
stored in the base folder.
•
Custom: When you choose this option, a Custom Project
Subfolder box will appear. Click it to enter a name for the
Subfolder for that media type.
•
Today: Your imports will go to a subfolder named with the
current date, in the format “2012-10-25”.
•
Creation date: Each imported file will be stored in a subfolder
named with the creation date of the asset, in the same format as
above. When multiple assets are brought in in a single import
operation, this may mean creating or updating multiple folders.
•
Current month: This is the same as the Today option but without
the day portion, e.g. “2012-10”.
Scene detection: This sets the default detection method for scene
detection. See “The Scene Detection Options window” on page 249.
Stop motion: This sets the default import method for the frames you
capture with the Stop Motion feature. See “Stop Motion” on page
267.
Chapter 12: Setup
303
•
Differential: Rather than the image content itself, the differences
between the left and right frames are displayed. Identical areas
show as neutral gray.
•
Checkerboard: Right and left eye views alternate in adjacent
cells of a 16x9 grid.
•
Anaglyph: An Anaglyph stereoscopic preview is suitable for
viewing with red-cyan stereoscopic glasses.
•
3D TV (Side by Side): This mode is to be used with a 3D –
capable second monitor or projector.
•
3D Vision If your system is 3D Vision capable and stereoscopic
3D is turned on in your driver settings, any stereoscopic content
will be previewed in 3D Vision by default.
No stop when activating 3D Vision: This setting is available when
Studio is run on a PC with a 3D Vision- capable system which has
stereoscopic 3D turned on in the driver setting. By default, the No
stop when activating 3D Vision setting is set to off. When turned on,
playback will automatically stop wherever a 3D Vision preview is
being activated or deactivated during playback.
Project settings
On this page of the Pinnacle Studio Control Panel, you can select
your default settings for new projects, titles and transitions.
New movie project format: Select a resolution (such as PAL or HD
1920x1080i), as the default for every newly created timeline.
Alternatively, let the first clip placed on the timeline define the
format for the project with the option Detect format from first clip
added to project. The format for the current timeline may be
changed at any time while editing, by using the timeline settings
located at the left end of the timeline toolbar.
Default durations: Set the default durations of titles, images, and
transitions when they are first brought to the timeline. (Once there,
of course, the clip length can be trimmed as required.)
Ruler zooming: When this option is checked, dragging horizontally
on the time-ruler zooms the timeline in and out. In this mode, you
will need to drag directly on the scrubber handle to scrub or to
reposition the playhead. When ruler zooming is turned off, you can
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click anywhere on the ruler to move the playhead. In either case,
zooming may also be performed by using any of:
•
The Plus and Minus keys on the numeric keypad
•
The Navigator at the top of the timeline
•
The scrollbars under the previews
Activate trim mode by clicking near cuts: Turn this on to launch
trim mode by clicking. If this setting is off, trim mode can be
activated with the Trim Mode button on the timeline toolbar.
Storage locations
This page allows you to set where to save media and projects you
create with Pinnacle Studio. You can separately specify locations for
each of the following file types:
•
Movie projects
•
Disc projects
•
Titles
•
Menus
•
Restore Project
This folder is used both for project packages that have been
unpacked for further work and for projects imported from Studio
for iPad.
•
Render files
This folder is for the temporary files produced while rendering
items requiring intensive computation, such as video effects.
The changes made here apply only to future file operations; any
existing files remain in their current locations.
Delete render files: You can delete render files to save space
without concern over permanently losing data. Note, however, the
files will be recreated the next time your project needs to be
rendered.
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with the yellow exclamation mark icon indicating an error condition.
In the case of a driver problem that you cannot resolve yourself,
contact the device manufacturer or your computer vendor for
assistance.
CONTACTING SUPPORT
Please read through this section for a brief overview on how to
contact support. Learn about all of your support options on our
website:
http://corel.force.com/pinnacle?lang=en_US
Knowledge Base: Access the Knowledge Base on-line by visiting:
http://corel.force.com/pinnacle/kbsearchresultspage?lang=en_US&p
age=1
To search the Knowledge Base effectively, please include the name
of the product in your query.
Forums: Please visit our discussion forums to join the conversation
on Pinnacle Studio. Scroll down the forum list to find the forum in
your language:
http://forums.pinnaclesys.com
On-line: Pinnacle Technical Support is provided through our on-line
system. Most common issues are already documented or discussed
in our knowledge base and user forums and we encourage you to use
these options first. However, should you wish to submit a question to
our team for personal service, you will require a Support Code. You
can purchase one via our One Time Priority Support instance at:
http://corel.force.com/pinnacle?lang=en_US
Customers needing assistance with installation and activation issues
with newly-purchased products are entitled to free warranty support
Appendix A: Troubleshooting
307
for 30 days. Customers registering a product or purchasing a
One Time Priority Support instance will receive a
confirmation email with a valid Support Code that can be used
to submit a question by choosing “Contact technical support” at:
go.pinnaclesys.com/en-US/Support
TOP SUPPORT ISSUES
The remainder of this chapter draws on some of the knowledge-
base articles most consulted by users. The text presented here
may be less detailed or current than that provided on-line. For
the full text available under each document ID, please refer to
the on-line knowledge base.
Compatibility with past content
Document ID
384211
Note: Previous content may not be supported in Pinnacle Studio
for Dazzle. To ensure compatibility with previous content as
specified in the list below, please upgrade to Pinnacle Studio 16.
Much, but not all, of the additional creative content from
Pinnacle Studio 11 through 15 can be used directly in the
current version of Pinnacle Studio, as can many content offerings
from third-party providers. Some of these are included in the
product itself. A few of the third-party content packages require a
paid upgrade to work with Pinnacle Studio. For some others, no
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compatible version has been released.
Content-support chart
Pinnacle Studio Content
HFX Plus, Pro, Mega
Supported – Included in Pinnacle Studio
RTFX 1
Supported – Included in Pinnacle Studio
RTFX 2
Supported – Included in Pinnacle Studio
Hollywood FX Volume 1
Supported – Included in Pinnacle Studio
Hollywood FX Volume 2
Supported – Included in Pinnacle Studio
Hollywood FX Volume 3
Supported – Included in Pinnacle Studio
Premium Pack Volume 1
Supported – Included in Pinnacle Studio
Premium Pack Volume 2
Supported – Included in Pinnacle Studio
Creative Pack Volume 1
Supported
Creative Pack Volume 2
Supported
Creative Pack Volume 3
Supported
Winter Pack
Supported
ScoreFitter Volume 1
Supported
ScoreFitter Volume 2
Supported
ScoreFitter Volume 3
Supported
Title Extreme
Supported*
Third party content from Ultimate or Ultimate Collection content discs
Studio 11 - Stagetools: Moving Picture
Not supported
Studio 11 - BIAS SoundSoap V1 PE
Supported – Paid upgrade required
Studio 11 - ProDAD VitaScene
Supported – Paid upgrade required
Studio 12 - ProDAD VitaScene
Supported – Paid upgrade required
Studio 12 - Red Giant Magic Bullet Looks
Supported – Included in Pinnacle Studio
Studio 14 - Red Giant Knoll Light Factory
Supported – Included in Pinnacle Studio
Studio 14 - Red Giant ToonIt
Supported – Included in Pinnacle Studio
Studio 14 - Red Giant Trapcode 3D Stroke
Supported – Included in Pinnacle Studio
Studio 14 - Red Giant Trapcode Particular
Supported – Included in Pinnacle Studio
Studio 14 - Red Giant Shine
Supported – Included in Pinnacle Studio
Appendix A: Troubleshooting
309
3rd Party Content from eStore
BIAS SoundSoap V2 PE Supported**
Red Giant Magic Bullet Looks Indie Pack Supported**
RedGiant Particular Studio Preset Pack Supported**
RedGiant Shine Studio Preset Pack Supported**
RedGiant ToonIt Studio Preset Pack Supported**
RedGiant Knoll Studio Preset Pack Supported**
Red Giant Trapcode Starglow Supported**
Red Giant Warp Supported**
ProDad Vitascene Supported**
ProDad Adorage Supported**
ProDad Adorage FX Pack 10 Supported**
ProDad Adorage FX Pack 11 Supported**
NewBlue Video Essentials I Supported**
NewBlue Video Essentials II Supported**
NewBlue Video Essentials III Supported**
proDAD Mercalli Supported**
3rd Party Bonus DVD Plugins
Bravo Studio 1, 2 & 3 Not supported
BWPlugins 1, 2 & 3 Not supported
Dziedzic Effects Pack 1 & 2 Not supported
eZedia Effects Not supported
NewBlue Art Effects 1 Not supported
NewBlue Effects Not supported
NewBlue Time Effects 1 Not supported
PE CameraPOV Not supported
proDAD Adorage Supported*
proDAD Heroglyph 1 Not supported
proDAD Heroglyph 2 Supported – Included in Title Extreme*
proDAD Vitascene 1.0 Supported*
StageTools Moving Picture Full Not supported
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StageTools Moving Picture LE Not supported
Vance Effects Not supported
Algorithmix Not supported
NewBlue Audio Enhancements 1 Not supported
NewBlue Audio Essentials 1 Not supported
NewBlue Audio Essentials 2 Not supported
NewBlue Audio Essentials 3 Not supported
NewBlue Audio Essentials 4 Not supported
* Free for previous content owners. Eligible customers should receive an email with
instructions.
** Free for previous content owners. Eligible customers should receive an email with
instructions or can download the content by logging into go.pinnaclesys.com/account.
Capture hardware compatibility
Document ID 384431
Pinnacle Studio has been tested and found to work successfully with
a wide variety of video capture hardware. However, some older
devices are not supported.
Supported hardware
The following capture devices will work with all versions of
Pinnacle Studio.
USB-based
•
710-USB
•
510-USB
•
700-USB
•
500-USB
•
MovieBox Deluxe
•
DVC-90
Appendix A: Troubleshooting
311
•
DVC-100
•
DVC-101
•
DVC-103
•
DVC-107
•
DVC-130 (no 64-bit drivers available)
•
DVC-170 (no 64-bit drivers available)
PCI-based
•
700-PCI (Pinnacle Studio Deluxe 2)
•
500-PCI (Pinnacle AV/DV)
•
Any 1394 card
Unsupported hardware
The following list of hardware came with older versions of Studio
and is no longer in warranty or supported.
•
DC10
•
DC10 Plus
•
MovieBox DV
•
Dazzle DVC 80, 85
•
Linx
•
MP 10
•
S400
Serial number information
Document ID 384215
This FAQ will give you information on the location of your Pinnacle
Studio serial numbers, and how to use your serial number from a
previous version to activate an upgrade to Pinnacle Studio.
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Finding your serial number
For a product that you downloaded, the serial number is shown on
the confirmation page at the end of the ordering process, and in the
confirmation email sent at that time.
If you own a physical copy of the product, the serial number is
shown on either the inside or the outside of the DVD case, if one is
included; and on the outside of the paper sleeve otherwise.
If you have lost your serial number, please check the knowledge
base for document 232809, How to replace a lost Studio serial
number.
Looking up your customer information
1. Start by logging in at www.pinnaclesys.com.
2. Browse to ‘Your Product’.
3. Choose your products again from the products section.
4. Your serial number is listed in the ‘Your products’ window that
comes up.
Using a serial number when upgrading
You can upgrade to Pinnacle Studio from Studio 14, 12, 11, 10 and
9. To do so you will need the serial number from the old version.
The locations listed above to find your serial number are valid for
most versions of Studio.
Once you have found your old serial number, start the install. A
window will appear asking for both the new and old numbers. Put
them in the correct windows and click Next.
Error or crash while installing
Document ID 284219
Here are some tips for troubleshooting errors or crashes that could
occur while installing Pinnacle Studio.
Appendix A: Troubleshooting
313
Specific Errors
Error 1402: If you are getting a 1402 error during installation,
please follow the instructions in document 364555 in the knowledge
base, Error 1402 on installation.
Error on install “Setup will now abort installation”: If this error
occurs during installation, please follow the instructions in
knowledge base document 363187, Error on install “Setup will now
abort installation”.
General troubleshooting
Here are some further avenues to explore if you are having trouble
getting the application to install.
Try cleaning the disc: Inspect the install disc, checking its surface
for smudges and dirt. If cleaning is necessary, use a soft cloth, not
paper towels or any abrasive material. Wipe from the center of the
disc to the outer edge rather than a circular motion. Once the disc is
clean, try installing again.
Another optical drive: Many systems have two optical drives; for
instance, a DVD burner and a separate DVD reader. Put the disc that
won’t install into the other drive, if available, and retry.
Restart the computer: In some cases the installation can crash if
Windows Update is running. If that happens, it is best to restart the
system as requested by Windows before trying again to install
Studio.
Startup tasks/programs: If you are familiar with msconfig, you
can use this tool to disable any programs launched at start-up that
might be interfering with the Studio installer.
When all else fails
If the disc is damaged with deep scratches or cracks so that it won’t
install, please contact support for a replacement. The discs are
warranted for 30 days; beyond that time there is a $14.95 charge for
replacement discs. Please have your Pinnacle order number or proof
of purchase (receipt) from the store available to get a replacement
disc.
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Hangs or crashes while launching
Document ID: 284223
If Studio previously launched successfully and now does not, review
any changes that have been made to the computer recently for
possible clues. If necessary, undo the changes to see if the problem
goes away.
Further troubleshooting steps:
1. Restart the computer: Unstable software behavior of
undetermined cause can often be fixed by resetting the system.
This is almost always a good place to start when
troubleshooting.
2. Wait a few minutes: If Pinnacle Studio still won’t launch, wait
a few minutes to let it finish launching. On some computers it
may take a little while for the launch to complete.
3. Update Studio: When troubleshooting any problem, it is always
best to use the latest version of the software if possible.
4. Disconnect capture hardware: If possible, unplug any capture
hardware and try launching Pinnacle Studio again. If you can’t
launch with your webcam plugged in, try it unplugged, and vice-
versa. You may have to set the webcam up in the same way
every time you launch Studio.
5. Download and reinstall hardware drivers: During the Studio
software launch process we do check that you have a DirectX
compatible graphics and sound card. Download and reinstall the
latest version of the driver for the graphics card that is on your
system. Many customers have NVidia cards, for which the latest
drivers should be available from:
www.nvidia.com
Drivers for ATI/AMD cards can be obtained from:
www.amd.com/us/Pages/AMDHomePage.aspx
If you need assistance with this step, please contact the graphics
card manufacturer.
Appendix A: Troubleshooting
315
6. End background tasks: There are a couple ways to accomplish
this. One is to use start-up management software to assist in
eliminating unnecessary programs that launch on Windows start-
up. Many shareware and freeware programs of this type have
been created. Use an Internet search engine such as Google or
Yahoo to search for ‘startup managers’. We don’t endorse any
particular one, but recommend you try a couple to see which one
works best for you.
Alternatively, you can also use the Microsoft System
Configuration Utility (msconfig), which is part of Windows, to
disable start-up programs.
Whichever route you take, we recommend disabling all
programs and then re-enabling them one at a time until the
conflicting program is located.
7. Reinstall: If all of the above fail, you may want to try
uninstalling Pinnacle Studio from the Control Panel “Programs
and Features” list. Once it is uninstalled, reinstall Pinnacle
Studio and try launching again.
Troubleshooting software crashes
Document ID: 384231
If Studio is crashing repeatedly, the cause of the problem is most
likely a configuration issue, or a problem with a project file. Many
customers fix this type of issue by:
•
Optimizing their computer
•
Rebuilding a corrupt project
•
Recapturing a corrupt clip, etc.
•
Uninstalling and reinstalling Pinnacle Studio
For further troubleshooting, determine which of the failure modes
below best matches your problem, then read on to review the
suggested troubleshooting steps for that case.
Appendix E: The Installation Manager
359
The hard drive
Your hard drive must be capable of sustained reading and writing at
4 MB/sec. Most drives are capable of this. The first time you
capture, Studio will test your drive to make sure it is fast enough.
Video files are often quite large, so you also need a good amount of
available hard drive space. For instance, video in the DV format fills
3.6 MB of hard drive space per second of footage: a gigabyte every
four and a half minutes.
For capture from video tape, we recommend using a separate hard
drive to avoid competition between Pinnacle Studio and other
software, including Windows, for use of the drive.
Video capture hardware
Studio can capture video from a variety of digital and analog
sources:
•
All types of auxiliary file-based storage media, including optical
drives, memory cards and USB sticks.
•
Files from drives connected to the computer.
•
DV or HDV video cameras using an IEEE-1394 connection.
•
Analog video cameras and recorders.
•
DVD and Blu-ray discs.
•
Digital still cameras.
Index
361
Index
5
5.1. See Audio
A
Abbreviations, ix
Add Collection button (Library),
20
Adjusting clips (timeline), 85
Adjustments
Photo corrections, 124
Video corrections, 132
Album
Previewing, 9
Alternative mode, 73
Analog, x
Levels during import, 270
Analog video and audio
(Importer), 295
Anatomy of a Montage template,
166
Animated pan-and-zoom, 157
Animation. See Stop-motion
animation
Stop motion, 270
With Montage templates, 159
Animation, Stop-motion, 298
Apple devices, Output to, 327
Application
Setup. See Setup
Archiving projects, 9
Asset
Ratings, 39
Stereoscopic 3D, 40
Tags, 40
Asset filtering
Location tabs, 38
Ratings, 39
Search, 33, 40
Stereoscopic 3D, 40
Tags, 40
Turning off, 41
Asset Tree, 17
Add Collection button, 20
Group By menu, 18
Assets
Adding to project, 12
Filtering Browser listings, 38
Removing from the Library, 24
Scanning for, 290
Tags, 41
Assets (Library), 11, 14
Audio
5.1 surround sound, 226
Analog import options, 270
Balance, 225, 231
Features, 211
Master playback level (timeline),
226
Mixer (timeline), 227
Panner, 225, 231
Panner keyframing, 233
Playback levels, 227
362
Pinnacle Studio
Surround sound, 226
Timeline functions, 226
Uses of, 211, 213
Volume and mixing, 225
Volume keyframing, 228
Audio and video monitoring, 75
Audio corrections, 218
Audio creation tools, 234
Audio device, 332
Audio Editor, 7, 213
Channel mixer, 215
Correcting, 134
Corrections, 214
Effects, 215
Synchronous video, 218
Visualization, 216
Audio effects, 223
Applied to Montage clips, 166
Audio levels
In analog import, 270
Audio Mixer, 71, 225
Audio scrubbing, 71
Authoring discs, 241
Surround sound, 226
Authoring tools
In Disc Editor, 251
AVCHD, ix
Output movie to, 306
System requirements, 397
AVCHD2
Output movie to, 307
B
Background music
ScoreFitter, 235
Tool, 235
Background settings
In the Title Editor, 185
Balance (audio), 231
BD (Importer), 296
Before-and-after, 120
Blu-ray
Output movie to, 306
Blu-ray Disc (Importer), 296
Bonus content, 396
Box (personal cloud storage), 322
Browser
Filtering asset listings, 38
Searching, 40
Thumbnail indicators and controls, 30
Views (thumbnails, details), 27
Browser (for Library media), 25
Button cycle control
In Menu Editor, 258
Buttons
In disc menus, 244
On disc menus. See Menu buttons
C
Cameras
Analog (Importer), 295
DV, HDV (Importer), 291
Capture. See Importer
Audio and video levels, 270
Overview, 265
Scene detection, 278
Card, memory. See Memory card
Channel mixer, 215
Chapter markers
Editing on timeline, 254
Chapter Wizard
Opening, 254
Purpose, 255
Using, 256
Chapters
Creating with Chapter Wizard, 254
Chapters (on disc menus), 243
Clipboard
Using (timeline), 97
Clips
Adding to timeline, 78
Adjusting, 85
Changing speed of, 99
Context menu, 109
Cut, copy, paste, 98
Deleting, 83
Effects, 108
Inserting, 81
Index
363
Montage, 159, 163, 164
Moving and copying, 96
Operations, 84
Over-trimming, 86
Replacing, 81
Selecting, 84
Transitions, 102
Trimming, 85, 86, 91, 92
Close-ups, 363
Cloud
Import from, 289
Saving movie to, 322
Collections
Assets in, 21
Library branch, 20
Operations on, 20
Compact Library
In Movie Editor, 55
Compression
Options (Importer), 277
Context menus, x
Timeline clip, 109
Track, 75
Continuity (videography tip), 364
Control Panel. See Setup
Conventions, ix
Copying and moving clips, 96
Copyright protection in DVD, BD
import, 296
Correcting media
In Library, 13, 45
Corrections
Audio, 134
Audio (described), 218
Compared to Effects, 136
Enhance Photos, 121
In Audio Editor, 214
Library assets, 112
Overview, 111
Photo, 119
Photo (listed), 121
Timeline clips, 113
Video, 127
Video (listed), 131
CPU, 397
Create between markers, 305
Crop photo correction, 125
Cut, copy, paste (clips), 98
Cut, copy, paste (effects), 98
Cut, copy, paste (transitions), 98
Cuts
Associative, 366
Cause and effect, 367
Contrast, 366
Formal, 367
Parallel, 366
Substitutionary, 366
Tempo of (videography tip), 365
D
Default track, 74
Default track (timeline), 61
Deleting clips, 83
Details (Browser view), 26
Device drivers, 397
Digital photo cameras (Importer),
297
Disc
Authoring, 241
Image on hard drive, 306
Saving movie to, 306
Disc authoring
Interactivity, 244
Disc Editor, 6
Authoring tools, 251
Chapter Wizard, 254
Menu button authoring, 259
The Disc Simulator, 261
Timeline editing, 250
Disc menu buttons. See Menu
buttons
Disc menus
Buttons, 244
Chapters, 243
Described, 243
Editing, 250
In project, 243
In the Library, 246
Main vs. multipage, 247
Multipage, 254
364
Pinnacle Studio
Multipage operations, 245
Previewing, 248
Unlinked, 248
Disc Menus
Editing appearance of, 258
Disc projects, 241
Adding menus, 246
Disc Projects
And the Movie Editor, 59
Disc Simulator, 261
Disc tab, 6
Discs
Authoring, 226
Drag-and-drop, 78
Advanced, 80
Drivers. See Device drivers
Drop zones
Adding effects, 172
Aligning subclips, 171
Clearing, 171
Muting, 171
DV, ix, x
DV/HDV camera (Importer), 291
DVD
Image on hard drive, 306
Output movie to, 306
DVD (Importer), 296
E
Edit window (Title Editor), 191
Editing, 362
Deleting clips, 83
Filling a gap (timeline), 80
Inserting clips, 81
Live preview (timeline), 79
Over-trimming clips, 86
Replacing clips, 81
Smart mode, 80
Trimming clips, 86
Editing mode, alternative, 73
Editing modes, 72, 91
Editing movies, 76
Editors
Audio, 134, 213
Media. See Media editors, See
Media editors
Movie, 55
Photo, 119
Project, 6
Title, 173
Video, 127
Editors, media, 7
Effect compositions, 137
Effects
Audio (described), 223
Clip, 108
Compared to Corrections, 136
Customizing, 139
Cut, copy, paste, 98
In Audio Editor, 215
In media editors, 138
Keyframing, 146
On timeline, 141
Overview, 135
Photo and video, 148
Settings, 144
Enhance (corrections group), 131
Equipment requirements, 397
Event logging, 332
Exporter
Overview, 303
Exporting
From the Library, 23
F
Facebook, 322
Fast motion, 99
File
Saving movie to, 311
File type
3GP, 313
AVCHD/Blu-ray, 314
AVI, 315
DivX, 315
DivX Plus HD, 316
Flash Video, 316
Image, 317
Image sequence, 318
MOV, 318
Index
367
Function buttons, 34
Info button, 35
Open In Corrections Editor button,
35
Player, 33
Scenes view button, 34
Transport controls, 34
Views, 35
Library tab, 3
Live editing preview (timeline), 79
Location tabs
In Library, 16
Role in asset filtering, 38
Long shots (videography tip), 363
Look settings
In Title Editor, 186
Looks (Title Editor), 178
M
Magnet mode, 71, 79
Make Movie
Partial, 305
Make Movie mode, 303
Making movies, 303
Markers
Create between markers, 305
In Video Editor, 130
Timeline, 70
Mark-In, Mark-Out
Recording, 293
Mark-in, mark-out (Importer), 293
Media
Missing, 16
Previewing in Library, 33
Selecting for import, 282
Tags, 41
Media corrections
In Library, 13, 45
Media editing
Pan-and-zoom, 155
Media editor
Working with transitions, 153
Media editors, 7
Audio Editor, 134
Corrections, 111
Effects, 135, 138
Launching, 114
Navigator, 116
Overview, 114
Photo Editor, 119
Previewing in, 115
Settings panel, 144
Solo mode, 140
Title bar features, 115
Tool settings, 118
Video Editor, 127
View options, 116
Media library, 11
Media Player, 322
Memory card, importing from. See
File-based media
Menu buttons, 247
Authoring, 259
Editing properties, 261
Link indicators, 250
Menu Editor presets, 260
Setting type in Menu Editor, 259
Unlinked, 248
Menu commands, x
Menu Editor
Button settings, 261
Introduced, 258
Opening, 258
Presets, 260
Menu List, 243, 245
Menus
Disc. See Disc menus
Metadata panel (Importer), 280
Microsoft Xbox, Output to, 327
Missing Library media, 16
Mixer (audio), 227
MMC. See File-based media
Mode panel (Importer), 275
Modes
Alternative, 73
Audio scrubbing, 71
Editing, 91
Editing (smart, insert, overwrite), 72
Export, 303
Magnet, 71, 79
368
Pinnacle Studio
Make Movie, 303
Smart, 80
Volume keyframe editing, 71
Monitoring
Trim points, 96
Monitoring video and audio
(timeline), 75
Montage. See Templates
Adding to project, 162
Backgrounds, 164
Clips, 159
Section (of Library), 161, 162
Templates, 161, 162, 166, 169
Transitions and effects, 166
Montage clips
Insert, Overwrite or Replace, 164
Setting an input, 164
Trimming and editing, 164
Montage Editing, 169
Montage Editor
Library, 164
Montage templates
Anatomy, 166
Motherboard, 397
Motions
Adding, 182
Previewing, 182
Motions (Title Editor), 178
Movie
Previewing, 9
Movie Editor, 6
General, 76
In relation to disc projects, 59
Library, 55
Overview, 55
Slideshows, 60
Timeline tracks, 61
Toolbar (over timeline), 62, 66
Movie tab, 6
Movies
Within movies, 101
Moving and copying clips, 96
MP2 files, 313
MP3 files, 313
MPEG
Rendering for output, 305
Multipage menu operations, 245
Multiple selection
In Title Editor, 207
Multitrack editing
Instant, with Montage, 159
Music, 211
Selecting (videography tip), 368
N
Navigator
For timeline clips, 139
In Movie Editor, 62
Zoom, 63
Network. See File-based media
Network, importing from. See
File-based media
Nintendo Wii, Output to, 327
O
Operating system, 397
Optical disc
Image on hard drive, 306
Optical disc summary, 310
Options. See Setup
Compression (Importer), 277
Importer, 268
Scene detection, 278
Original sounds
Preserving (videography tip), 367
Output
As image, 317
As image sequence, 318
Audio only, 313
Media type, 304
To 3GP file, 313
To a device, 327
To AVCHD/Blu-ray file, 314
To AVI file, 315
To cloud, 322
To DivX file, 315
To DivX Plus HD file, 316
To file, 311
Index
369
To Flash Video file, 316
To MOV file, 318
To MPEG file, 319
To optical disc, 306
To Real Media file, 321
To Windows Media, 322
Over-trimming (timeline), 86
Overview, 1
Overwrite mode, 72, 91
P
Padlock buttons, 74
Pan-and-zoom, 155
Adding, 155
Animated, 157
Introduced, 137
Keyframes, 157
Settings panel, 158
Static, 156
Panner, 225, 231
Keyframing, 233
Perspectives
Varying, 362
Photo and video effects, 148
Photo cameras. See Cameras,
digital
Photo Editor, 7
Adjustments, 124
Before-and-after, 120
Correcting, 119
Crop correction, 125
Editing tools, 120
Enhance Photos, 121
Image rotation, 120
List of corrections, 121
Pan-and-zoom, 155
Red-eye correction, 126
Straighten correction, 125
Photos, digital (Importer), 297
Playback controls, 9
Playback level (master), 226
Player
In Disc Editor, 248
Introduced, 9
Player, Library. See Library Player
Plug-ins, 396
Position on timeline, 61
Preset Looks (Title Editor), 179
Preset Motions, 180
Presets
In the Menu Editor, 260
Preview
Library media, 33
Real-time vs. rendered, 143
Settings, 335
Preview window, 9
Problems and solutions, 341
Product names, ix
Program settings. See Setup
Project
Editors, 6
Project packages, 9
Project settings, 337
Project timeline, 60
Projects, 9
Disc. See Disc projects
Nested, 101
Protecting a track, 74
Q
QuickTime Player
Viewing files with, 312
R
RAM, 397
Ratings
Role in asset filtering, 39
Real Media
Files, 321
RealNetworks® RealPlayer®, 321
Real-time preview, 143
Record video/audio (Importer), 293
Recording voice-overs, 237
Recording, manually-controlled
(Importer), 293
Red-eye correction, 126
370
Pinnacle Studio
Registration, 392
Removing clips, 83
Rendering, 143, 305
Replacing clips, 81
Requirements, equipment, 397
Restoring archived projects, 9
Return markers
Editing on timeline, 254
Right-button menus. See Context
menus
Rotation of photos, 120
S
Save to cloud, 322
Save to disc, 306
Save to file, 311
3GP, 313
Audio only, 313
AVCHD/Blu-ray, 314
AVI, 315
DivX, 315
DivX Plus HD, 316
Flash Video, 316
Image, 317
Image sequence, 318
MOV, 318
MPEG, 319
Real Media, 321
Soundtrack, 313
Windows Media, 322
Save to flash memory card, 306
Scanning for assets, 290
Scene detection, 278
Scene detection (video), 45
Scenes
Detecting, 45
Manually creating, 47
Removing, 47
Showing, 46
Scenes (videography tip), 365
Scenes view (Browser view), 27
ScoreFitter, 235
Creating song, 83
Scrubber
Timeline, 61
Scrubbing
Audio, 71
SD card, importing from. See File-
based media
Search
Role in asset filtering, 40
Selecting clips (timeline), 84
Sending to the timeline, 82
Serial Number, 391
Settings
Effects, 144
Pan-and-zoom, 158
Project settings, 77
Timeline, 77
Timeline video, 67
Setup, 331
Audio device, 332
Event logging, 332
Import, 332
Keyboard shortcuts, 334
Preview, 335
Project settings, 337
Storage locations, 338
Watchfolders, 332
Shortcuts. See Keyboard shortcuts
Simulated viewing of disc projects,
261
Slide trim, 95
Slideshows
In Movie Editor, 60
Slip trim, 94
Slow motion, 99
Smart mode, 72, 80, 91
SmartMovie, 14
About, 51
Adding media, 51
Preview, edit, export buttons, 52
Settings, 53
Storage area, 53
SmartSlide, 14
About, 48
Adding media, 49
Preview, edit and export buttons,
49
Index
371
Settings, 50
Storage area, 50
Snapshot, 270
Snapshot (Importer), 300
Snapshot tool, 132
Solo mode
In media editors, 140
Sony PS3 and PSP, Output to, 327
Sound and music, 211
Sound effects, 211
Sounds
Correcting, 134
Soundstage (ScoreFitter), 235
Speed (slow and fast motion), 99
Stabilize (video correction), 133
Stereoscopic 3D
Output movie to built-in media,
307
Output movie to disc, 307
Output movie to flash memory
card, 307
Role in asset filtering, 40
Titles, 198
Still cameras. See Cameras, digital
Stop motion, 270
Stop-motion animation, 298
Storage locations, 338
Storyboard, 63
Editing, 64
Navigation, 64
Storyboard link button, 75
Straighten correction, 125
Studio Importer, 266
Subclips
Adding effects, 172
Aligning to drop zone, 171
Muting, 171
Sub-movies, 101
Support. See Technical support
Surround sound, 226
Synchronization
Between tracks, 87
Synchronous video
In Audio Editor, 218
T
Tabs, location
In Library, 16
Tags
Creating, renaming, deleting, 42
Filtering, 43
Overview, 41
Role in asset filtering, 40
Sorting, 43
Turn off filtering, 44
Using, 44
Technical support
Compatibility with capture
hardware, 346
Compatibility with past content,
343
Contacting, 342
Disc playback, 357
Errors during installation, 349
Errors during launch, 350
Exporting, 357
Knowledge base, 342
Resources, tutorials and training,
360
Serial number information, 348
Top issues, 343
Troubleshooting crashes, 352
Templates. See Montage templates
Customizing, 161
Drop zones, 171
Introduced, 159
Text
In the Title Editor, 194
Thumbnails view (Browser), 26
Thumbnails, Browser
Indicators and controls, 30
Timeline, 55
Adding clips, 78
Adjusting clips, 85
Alternative editing mode, 73
Audio functions, 226
Audio mixer, 227
Audio scrubbing mode, 71
Chapter and return markers, 254
Clip context menu, 109
372
Pinnacle Studio
Clip effects, 108, 141
Clip operations, 84
Creating content, 83
Current position, 61
Cut, copy, paste, 98
Default track, 61, 74
Deleting clips, 83
Disc authoring tools, 251
Disc Editor, 250
Drag-and-drop, 78, 80
Editing modes, 72
Filling a gap, 80
Fundamentals, 60
Inserting clips, 81
Live editing preview, 79
Magnet mode, 71, 79
Markers, 70
Master playback level, 226
Menu markers, 250
Navigator, 62
Opening trim points, 87
Project, 60
Replacing clips, 81
Resizing, 65
Scrubber, 61
Selecting clips, 84
Sending to, 82
Settings, 67
Snapshot, 70
Storyboard, 63
Storyboard link, 75
Synchronization of tracks, 87
Toolbar, 62, 66
Track context menu, 75
Track header, 61, 74
Track locking, 74
Track name, 75
Tracks, 61
Transitions, 102
Trimming clips, 85
Using Clipboard on, 97
Video and audio monitoring, 75
Volume keyframe editing, 71
Timeline clips
Correcting, 113
Timeline settings, 77
Timeline toolbar
Customizing, 66
Title
Choosing (videography tip), 368
Colors (videography tip), 369
Title Editor
Adding Motions, 182
And the Menu Editor, 258
Background settings, 185
Closing, 176
Creating and editing titles, 183
Creating titles, 83
Edit window, 191
File menu, 176
Group alignment, 209
Group operations, 208
Group properties, 208
Launching, 175
Layer groups, 206
Library, 177
Look settings, 186
Looks, 178
Motions, 178
Multiple selection in, 207
Overview, 173
Preset Looks, 179
Preset Motions, 180
Presets, 178
Previewing Motions, 182
Stereoscopic, 198
Text operations, 194
Titler Editor
Layer List, 200, 201
Titles
Full-screen vs. overlay, 175
Keyword usage in names, 175
Tools
Background music, 235
Voice-overs, 237
Track header
Default track, 74
Locking, 74
Name, 75
Of timeline track, 61, 74
Video and audio monitoring, 75
Track locking, 74
Track name, 75
Index
373
Tracks
Additional functions, 75
Synchronization, 87
Transitions
Applied to Montage clips, 166
Cut, copy, paste, 98
In media editor, 153
Introduced, 102
Videography tip, 363
Trim both, 93
Trim Editor, 89
Trimming
Clips on the timeline, 86
Dual preview mode, 89
End of clip, 92
Gaps, 92
Monitoring trim points, 96
Opening trim points, 87
Over-trimming, 86
Slide trim, 95
Slip trim, 94
Start of clip, 91
Trim both, 93
Trimming clips (timeline), 85
Troubleshooting, 341
U
Upgrading, 392
USB stick, importing from. See
File-based media
V
Video
Analog import options, 270
Manually creating scenes, 47
Removing scenes, 47
Scene detection, 45
Viewing scenes, 46
Video and audio monitoring, 75
Video and photo effects, 148
Video Editor, 7
Adjustments, 132
Correcting, 127
Editing tools, 128
Enhance corrections, 131
List of corrections, 131
Markers, 130
Snapshot tool, 132
Stabilize correction, 133
Transport controls, 128
Trimming, 128
Video effects
Applied to Montage clips, 166
Video format, 67
Video levels
In analog import, 270
Videography, 361
Vimeo, 322
Voice-over tool, 237
Creating voice-over, 83
Voice-overs
Recording, 237
Volume, 238
Volume
Mixing, 225
Voice-over levels, 238
Volume keyframe editing, 71
Volume keyframing, 228
W
Watchfolders, 22, 332
WAV files, 313
Waveform graph (in Audio
Editor), 216
Windows Media
Files, 322
Player, 322
Windows Media Player
Viewing files with, 312
Y
YouTube, 322
… 14 …


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