Integration of sound-editing and video-clip capabilities

[Ed Overstreet]

There has already been ample discussion on this Forum asking for PTE to incorporate movie clips, and also to provide some minimal sound editing (at least, the ability to fade selected portions of overlapping sound tracks). Maybe the following is obvious, in which case forgive the redundancy of this post, but I would like to enter a plea that PTE implement BOTH movie clips AND sound-fading at the same time.

I’ve been playing with the movie features of my Nikon D90 and my new Lumix GF1. (The latter’s movie features are MUCH better implemented and much user-friendlier BTW, but that’s another subject.) Let’s face it, the sound tracks that you’re going to get from most stills-based cameras, at least those currently on the market, are pretty feeble. Moreover, because of the closeness of the camera “microphones” and the other camera controls, you’re quite likely to pick up clicks and whirs from the camera on the sound track of your movie clip; this is especially true on the GF1 (if you want to use the camera dial manually to adjust exposure comp or lens aperture during filming, those clicks are very audible) but also is a problem with the D90 (which lacks any video autofocus so you’re constantly fiddling with the manual focus ring in movie mode, and the mike does pick up the sound of that ring being turned). Even with a decent camcorder, the one I rented a while back picked up the sounds of my operating the zoom button on a number of clips I took. Unless and until the design of the current movie-capable still cameras improves substantially, or unless one wants to carry a very good camcorder in addition to one’s stills system (I don’t), these sound-clip defects are going to present a challenge when the movie clips are integrated into an AV show. And, quite apart from annoying camera noises on the sound track, for many of the clips and uses I forsee in my AV shows, the sound that was part of the scene being recorded simply may not work with the rest of the show and would best be replaced with the show’s music track anyway.

I would really like, once I can insert an AVI or MOV clip into my PTE project, to be able to fade or even suppress the sound track from that clip and let the main sound file for the show drown it out or supplant it entirely while the movie clip is running. So I would prefer the developers to give EQUAL priority to the sound-editing and the movie-clip-integration suggestions many of us have made. I don’t think it’s possible to achieve in Audacity the sound edits I’m going to need in my AVI and MOV clips for them to work well in an AV show; as far as I can tell, Audacity won’t edit the sound in a movie clip, and I hate to think of the cost (and computer requirements) for a video-editing program that could do that. But a sound-fade control in PTE, if it could be designed to work on a video-clip sound track as well as on other sound files being used in the show, would be wonderful.

[uuderzo]

There has already been ample discussion on this Forum asking for PTE to incorporate movie clips, and also to provide some minimal sound editing (at least, the ability to fade selected portions of overlapping sound tracks). Maybe the following is obvious, in which case forgive the redundancy of this post, but I would like to enter a plea that PTE implement BOTH movie clips AND sound-fading at the same time.

(...)

The video clip insertion and sound track fading are being discussed for a long time, but you did a good thing bringing back those topics. Since the "3D" introduction is almost complete with PTE 6.0, now Igor and team should face them to provide a killer app.

In my opinion, the introduction of multiple audio tracks with cut, crop and fade options is more important than the introduction of video clips. Don't misunderstand me, I would like to use an "all round" product that will permit me everything I wish with audio and video but, given also the product name (Pictures To Exe), I feel that the audio part should be considered first.

I don't know if implementing audio mixing is more difficult to implement video clip insertion, but I feel that the first should be easier, hence should be considered first. As you may notice, I really wish to have audio mixing capabilities

Greetings! Umberto

[Guest Yachtsman1]

This subject reminds of the current UK furore among the general public about duck houses and moat cleaning!!! IMHO these additions would be for the few, not your average user. Audacity is still free, if you want to see movies why not buy a camcorder.

Yachtsman1

[thedom]

Ed, I totally agree with you.

Compact cameras and bridges already allow to record movies for years.

Now, DSLR do the same. It becomes an actual reality.

For the future of PTE, to ignore this fact would be in my opinion an error.

But I imagine those two major features (audio mixing and video clip insertion) represent a lot of development, time and work.

It would be great if they could be both implemented at the same time but I guess one of them will be first.

I don't really care which one is first as long as they are available.

But you raise a good point : I would prefer not to use an other application to edit the sound of my videos.

If it's feasible, I would be ready to pay for the "video module" and the "sound module" of the "PicturesToExe suite".

If somebeody doesn't want to include videos or to edit his soundtrack within PTE, he wouldn't have to pay for this features.

But let's not forget that for the WnSoft team, PTE is their living.

BTW, may be a hint about the next feature...

Did you see these samples of Canon 7D on Vimeo?

I really impressed - quality of a picture as in a commercial movie.

Apparently we must hurry with implementing of video clips into slideshows.

[8321]

Hello everyone,

PTE is a first rate product, arguably the best for what it does on the market.

If PTE is going to make provision for sound editing, it must match Audition and Audacity, a tall order.

If PTE is going to make provision for image editing (like one of its competition does), it must match Photoshop with features.

Agree, make provision for insertion of video clips but leave their editing to the likes of Pinnacle Studio.

It is an effort to jump between various editing programs but that way I use the best tools for each job.

Jeff

[Ed Overstreet]

If it's feasible, I would be ready to pay for the "video module" and the "sound module" of the "PicturesToExe suite".

If somebeody doesn't want to include videos or to edit his soundtrack within PTE, he wouldn't have to pay for this features.

But let's not forget that for the WnSoft team, PTE is their living.

BTW, may be a hint about the next feature...

I also would be willing to pay extra for a deluxe add-in with both video clips and sound editing, if that's the way to go. PTE is still a huge bargain compared to the competition, and I'd far rather pay Igor and team for these features than get into buying a camcorder, a video editing suite, and probably a major computer upgrade on top (my system really isn't suitable even for Premiere Elements, and this isn't something that I'm so desperate for that I want to go through the expense and agony of getting another computer until my present one dies). And if it's an optional add-on or in a more advanced version (like the current Deluxe version), anyone who doesn't want sound editing or video clips doesn't have to pay for it. Makes lots of sense to me. And it generates more revenue for Wnsoft's hard-working people!

[xahu34]

...If PTE is going to make provision for sound editing, it must match Audition and Audacity, a tall order...

This problem has been discussed in this forum several times. Please use the search function.

Regards,

Xaver

[fh1805]

If PTE is going to make provision for sound editing, it must match Audition and Audacity, a tall order.

Jeff,

The problem that arises when discussing the subject of sound within PTE is that word "editing". None of us want to be able to edit sound files in PTE, just as none of us want to edit image files in PTE. Those who say use a specialist product to do the sound and image editing are quite correct.

But what many of us would like to see is the sound files being treated equally to the image files. We'd like to be able to place one or more sound files precisely on the timeline of the sequence. And then we'd like to be able to define a fade up or fade down (image equivalent = transition) from one sound file to the next. Or reduce the volume (image equivalent = opacity) for all or part of the sound file's duration. Applying transitions and opacity changes to image files isn't editing the image file; and neither would applying fades be editing of the sound file.

PTE is the world's best A-V software product but what Jim, Dom, I and many others would like it to become is the world's best A-V product.

regards,

Peter

[Guest Yachtsman1]

I think you got your emphasis mixed up Peter.

Regards Eric

The first cut is the deepest

Yachtsman1

[fh1805]

I think you got your emphasis mixed up Peter.

Eric,

Thanks for pointing that out. Serves me right for doing things in a rush. Have now editted that post to give the correct emphasis.

regards,

Peter

[Ed Overstreet]

Jeff,

But what many of us would like to see is the sound files being treated equally to the image files. We'd like to be able to place one or more sound files precisely on the timeline of the sequence. And then we'd like to be able to define a fade up or fade down (image equivalent = transition) from one sound file to the next. Or reduce the volume (image equivalent = opacity) for all or part of the sound file's duration. Applying transitions and opacity changes to image files isn't editing the image file; and neither would applying fades be editing of the sound file.

regards,

Peter

just to emphasize the point, and also to apologize for my sloppy wording in my original post, which may have triggered Jeff's reaction -- I wasn't suggesting I'd want to edit the sound in an MOV or AVI clip in PTE (e.g., putting in echo effects, filtering noise, boosting some frequencies, etc.), no more than I'd want to edit a JPG in PTE. I'd want to be able to fade the sound from the MOV or AVI clip (probably in most cases I'd want to suppress it) relative to the background music file, or perhaps in some other cases I'd like to keep the sound from the movie clip and fade down the background music while that clip is running. That's it, that's all, analogous to fading the background music relative to a sound clip attached to a photo in the timeline, or actually in my first case fading the image/movie-based sound relative to the background (which isn't really analogous to what you'd do with a sound clip, if you didn't want it you wouldn't have clipped it to the image in the first place -- but no movie-capable camera I own lets me turn off the sound recording while recording the movie, I get both whether I want both or not). I hope that's clear.

I'm assuming that when Igor and team integrate MOV or AVI files into PTE the sound will be included, but I'm also hoping there's some easy way of getting PTE to control/fade/suppress the sound from those files without fading the visual part of the video clip. Which is the only "sound editing" I'm asking for, beyond what many of us asked for earlier regarding fade controls on one or more background music files and sound files attached to specific images.

I've been struggling with a nasty sinus infection for a week now and my head feels like it's full of cotton wool, sorry if the wording comes across that way too