Trimming Video

[goddi]

Gary,

The recently posted Video Demo on this subject is a good example of what I described above - including the use of KFSD.

"You do the Right Click thing on a video in the File List and it creates a Converted/Trimmed Version named whatever you want to name it by using the BROWSE Button in the converter interface. You can eliminate the "converted" bit altogether. So you now have two versions in your File List - the Original and the Converted/Trimmed versions.

THEN, you drag the converted/trimmed file into the Slide List and it creates a slide which is identical in length to your Video Clip."

DG

Dave,

After much testing, I have come to the conclusion that you should not Convert/Trim a video clip by clicking on the video clip in the Slide List. If you try to Convert/Trim a video clip in the Slide List, you will get your trimmed video clip, but the video will stop at the end of the trimmed clip but the duration of that clip will not change to the shorter trimmed length. The duration will not change. The last frame of the trimmed video will stay on the screen for the remainder of the original video clip's length. In otherwords, the video clip's duration does not change to the trimmed length.

So, it looks like you should only Convert/Trim a video clip that is in the File List (not the Slide List). If the a video clip is Converted/Trimmed when in the File List, and then you drag it down to the Slide List, the clip will be the correct trimmed duration.

If you do Convert/Trim a video clip in the Slide List, you have to delete that video clip in the Slide List and then drag down the newly created Converted/Trimmed video clip from the File List. The duration of the Converted/Trimmed clip will then be correct.

Whether I had the KFSD checked or not, I did not see any difference.

Gary

[Guest Yachtsman1]

I've just done a series of tests on Gary's theory & it looks like he's correct. I have never tried converting a video clip from the slide list only from the thumb nail or file list as Gary calls it. If I convert then edit a video clip from the slide list, reduce the length by half, the full time remains in the slide list. The series of attached screen shots tell the story. So either the instructions on converting a video clip are incorrect or, there is a bug. :unsure:

Yachtsman1.

[orizaba]

After 27 posts on it, the main problem seems to remain...

Let me try to help.

When I make a PTE project which will include video, I start by converting all my video files (whatever format) to "converted.avi".

To do so, I open PTE "Videoconverter.exe", I add all my video files, and I define conversion parameters, usually "Progressive" and "Quality 100%". It's a batch conversion, not attended.

I now have all my video files "converted.avi" (not trimed, just as the original).

To use each converted.avi file in a slide, I must define where it starts and ends INSIDE THE SLIDE.

START point will be defined (in O&A) by "Offset".

END point will be defined (in O&A) by means of the video "Duration".

If this slide only includes this video, the duration of the slide equals the video duration, and you must introduce manualy this slide duration (in O&A Slide options).

If this slide includes other objects, each with its own duration, just sum all these durations and you get final slide duration, which you must introduce manualy (in O&A Slide options).

Of course, for each video file I must also define where I want it to start (the video itself), and for this I use (in O&A) "Start time".

This is the way I trim my video files in a project, fast and precise.

I never use the automatic way to convert to AVI, as I can not define conversion parameters (progressive and 100% quality).

I never had frozen images, video passing to next slide (?), audio blocked, etc..

Regards,

Jose

[Guest Yachtsman1]

I'm sorry to disagree Jose, but I think I would lose the will to live if I had to follow the method you use to edit my video clips. I appreciate the purists may want to follow your instructions, especially if using PTE to edit their audio, but as I said previously I am a great believer in the kiss (keep it simple) principle. I have a basic bridge camera, it produces excellent video but the video/ audio invariably needs some sort of correction above & beyond cropping to match the edited video length. Which is why I strip off the video audio, use a third party audio editor to enhance it, then combine it with my background sounds & re-introduce it as a single combined audio file. Where there is no lip syncing to take care of, this method works for me. If PTE is to appeal to a wider audience, it has to be simple to use in the first instance for the non technical newcomer, IMO the younger generation demands instant success, if they can't achieve it they will move on & look elsewhere. See Video Editing My Way.

http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?/topic/18088-video-editing-my-way-using-pte-807/#entry120535

Eric

Yachtsman1.

[davegee]

Thanks Jose,

You have, basically, repeated what has already been said and is correct.

I would, however, like to take you up on one point.

There is NO Automatic Conversion.

I think that what you refer to is the fact that if you accept the offer of Optimistion the the Conversion window is hidden from view in the background.

You can view it by minimising the PTE Window. You can then halt the process and change any settings that you wish.

We are talking about two processes here:

1. Conversion of a Video

2. Trimming of a Video

The only "problem" or "issue" which Gary originally spoke of is that PTE does not re-calculate the Slide Duration when a video in an existing slide has been trimmed.

How you add video is irrelevant to this issue. It is the Trimming of the video in existing slides and its effect on the duration of existing slides which is being discussed.

DG

[davegee]

P.S. As I said in Post#2 this has been discussed before:

http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?/topic/16465-video-clip-length/

DG

[orizaba]

If PTE is to appeal to a wider audience, it has to be simple to use in the first instance for the non technical newcomer, IMO the younger generation demands instant success, if they can't achieve it they will move on & look elsewhere. See Video Editing My Way.

But you and DG are not non technical newcomers, you are advanced members. Why not purists?

Regards,

Jose

[Guest Yachtsman1]

But you and DG are not non technical newcomers, you are advanced members. Why not purists?

Regards,

Jose

Hi Jose "What's in a name?" which as you may know is a Shakespearean expression, as Juliet tells Romeo, that a name is an artificial and meaningless convention. In other word just because I spend a lot of time using & talking about PTE doesn't make me a purist, I use it to the best of my ability, which I class as medium. We have already paid for our copies of PTE, what I am suggesting is to attract newcomers by making the programme easier to get reasonable results from all the features.

Hope that isn't too complicated or sound pompous. My PTE name of "advanced" means in years as far as I'm concerned.

Eric

Yachtsman1.