Clip Splitting

[Guest Yachtsman1]

The more I look at video, the more I would like to be able to do. One of the features in Video Pad is called Split, which I assume is to divide a video clip into two or more separate files, insert one into PTE, followed by a couple of stills then the remainder or next section of the original clip. Just tried it in Video Pad but it didn't work the way I thought it would. Is it just wishful thinking, and would I have to resort to editing the clip into separate sections.

Yachtsman1.

[fh1805]

Eric,

As you know, I'm only a few steps ahead of you along the "video learning curve", but I think that, at present, in PTE you will have to resort to making two separate trimmed files in the Video Converter. The only other alternative that springs to my mind would be to have one slide carrying the whole video and introduce the still images as objects that fade in/out during the life of the video clip. This has the down sides of:

- requiring you to have shot enough video in the first place (implies that you knew in advance that you were going to do this)

- requiring you to accept simple fade in/fade out transitions on the still images (unless you use masks and 3D transforms to do clever things - I've never tried this but the late JPD was a master at it)

Peter

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Hi Peter

Not sure about your first statement, maybe in PTE, but I have produced a number shows now with video clips, that just needed to time to get the camera to record clips that others systems could run without the dreaded stutter. BTW our last conversation re your waterfalls, the clip I was messing around with earlier, was saved at a frame rate of 25 yet it filled the screen . Anyway back to splitting, for want of a better word. If we don't ask we don't get, don't you agree? If free editing packages have the facility, I'm sure it isn't beyound the realms on Igor to come up with something simpler than editing out the sections we want?

Regards Eric

Yachtsman1.

Just off to be "Panda'd"???

[davegee]

Peter,

Surely what you showed with regard to using the converter as an editor effectively "splits" a larger (longer) video into shorter more useable portions?

Let's say that your original movie is 60 seconds long and that you want to cut in in half and that you are using 3 second transitions. I would experiment with using the converter to convert the first 33 seconds into one file and the last 33 seconds into another file. You could then put anything in between these two in the final production (using KFSD of course ).

DG

[fh1805]

@Dave, @Tom,

Both very viable alternatives that would do the job!

@Eric,

I agree, it would be nice to have the simplest solution. But as has been pointed out, there are several work-arounds available.

Peter

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Just back from being Panda'd, Tom's suggestion sound easiest once I've mastered PTE's clip editing. It's one of those features that you have to keep doing before it sinks in. However if there was a dedicated function in PTE I'm sure it would make the programme more acceptable to those less technically minded, & therefore a sales booster.

Regards Eric

Yachtsman1.

[mhwarner]

Just for the record, I have been playing with the video editing capabilities of the new Photoshop CS6. While probably not as sophisticated as something like Adobe Premier (don't know about it, haven't tried it), they are quite easy to master and splitting clips is a piece of cake. It certainly isn't worth paying $699 US (or whatever the full price is), but if you are considering the upgrade from CS5 and you are getting into video, it would be worth your time to look at it. There is probably nothing there that you couldn't do with PTE, but it sure is a lot easier and more intuitive (your clips come in as layers and you can rearrange them by rearranging the layers) and you can then export the finished clip/movie for use with PTE. You can insert fades and cross-fades and trim and you can even add and edit a soundtrack. Oh, and you can even apply adjustments (curves, levels, etc.) and layer styles to your clips. You can also add stills to the mix and there is some limited key framing to add pan and zoom to the stills. Very cool and way easier than some of the other video editing programs I have tried.

If you are at all interested, there are several videos on youTube that demonstrate the capabilities:

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Hi Mary

I'm pleased you mentioned this. When I upgraded to Elements 10, it came with a trial of Elements 10 Premier which at the time I didn't install. This morning I looked at what came with E10 & found disc 2 contained the trial for Premier so I have installed it & had a quick look. Providing I can get my 72 year old head around it & the cost isn't prohibitive, it looks as if it contains all the features necessary to edit my videos to what I want.

Regards Eric

Yachtsman1.

[BEB]

For just simple trimming of video clips, I have done this with Windows Live Movie Maker. A free download I believe.

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Hi BEB

When I tried that, PTE wouldn't accept the resultant file???

Since my last post I have been doing a few tests. First result the best price I can find for Premier is Amazon at £59 So I would have to really need it to pay that much. Do I need it? Some features sound fantastic if I could get my head around performing them, but for one who struggles with Layers, maybe not. I took a sample video over the garden yesterday with the wind blowing around 25 knots (a yachtsman's gale!) I particularly wanted to see how the camera performed with a potentially "noisy" as in digital noise, trees swaying, grass looking like waves. I was happy with the original clip, so I tried it in PTE, first the original file, then PTE converted, then Premier 10 converted, then Premier 10 clipped. The original & the PTE conversions look practically identical. The Premier 10 versions slightly down. Incidentally PTE wouldn't do an auto convert on the Elements 10 versions. To sum up, E10 looks very desireable with lots of goodies, but will take some understanding. Data from all four versions in screen shot.

Yachtsman1.

[BEB]

Just tried using windows movie maker with a Canon 5D clip and it doesn't work anyway. I did split a video using this method but can't recall what type of video it was, obviously not a Canon 5D one.

Never mind eh