Syncing audio and video automatically

[Margann]

Hopefully this is the place to request this feature.  I see that others have in the past used macros in excel to modify slide durations based on percentages used. -[the timechanges-5.zip is no longer available on the forum.] I played with that in excel some today but was not completely successful and am looking for a solution within the software.  It seems to be a relatively simple calculation to relatively increase or decrease a series of durations.

One of the features that I most employed in Proshow Producer was the ability to quickly sync up audio and video. I could easily add or delete slides knowing that any timing adjustments would be maintained on a re-sync. When looking for a new program to replace Producer it was important for me to have a similar feature. However, I find that the sync feature in AV studio comes up short compared to Producer. After spending much time fine-tuning timings in AV studio particularly for those slides with multiple images and complicated arrangements, it’s disheartening to know that were I to sync the audio and the video, all slide timings would get the same duration. Adding or deleting even one or two slides would require more manual effort. So I just avoid that option and consequently spend more time than I want manually syncing.  I was just looking at my implementation of Producer and the function that AV studio is missing is the ability to “keep the proportions the same as existing times” which is an option available on Producer's “Synchronize show to soundtrack menu.” I would hope this feature would be available in a future release, or maybe someone knows of a work around.  

[Barry Beckham]

I read this when you posted it and I’ve just read it again 18 hours later and there hasn’t been any response to your request.

Why would you want to hand over the synchronisation, the most important part of AV, to a computer program? How would the software know if one slide needed the sound at the start of the transition or the end for visual effect.

To produce something of worth, there has to be some effort put in and I’ve been around AV for over 40 years and not once have I ever had a desire to hand over the creative process to a computer. Perhaps I’m old school and out of touch and maybe I’m missing something here. 

[jt49]

You may have a look here 

[Barry Beckham]

I suppose the response to that is. How much effort and programming time would it take to develop a feature that maybe 2 people may use, some of the time, perhaps in a leap year  

[jkb]

I agree Barry, the whole point of syncing slides to music is to match the music.

It is so easy to look at the waveform to see as well as hear where to change images.
It is the human interaction that puts the emotion in an AV.
To have computer generated timings would be souless.

If you need to delete or add images then the whole timing needs to be adjusted to match, not just the image content but also the transitions between them

Listen to and feel the music and adjust your images manually to it.

Jill

[Barry Beckham]

Jill

Every time I see a request like this, I have to restrain myself from saying what’s actually in my head, but perhaps there are times when right ot wrong, best to say what’s on your mind.

Anyone who wants to automate AV should immediately pack it all in and find something less demanding. Simply because, if you can’t put in the time necessary to create the AV, why do you expect me to spend the time to view it.  Harsh perhaps, but true

[Margann]

In that this was a feature of pro show,producer and pte av studio has the ability to adjust all slides to the same duration which is even less helpful than what I am suggesting, the calculations to adjust proportionally is just a matter of arithmetic.  Whether it works for you is a matter of personal preference. The feature I’m suggesting is an improvement over the current option. Choosing to use it is for the user to decide.  For me the audio is secondary to the images

[jkb]

If your slides are longer or shorter than the music duration then adjust the music by adjusting a section in the middle.

Images, Audio & overal concept should never be considered as seperate items, they all work together to create the whole AV.

Jill

[Barry Beckham]

Margann

like you, my focus is more on the images in an AV, but the music is also pretty important too, and so is the synchronisation. I’m not knowledgeable on what your trying to do or what your experiences are. I have been involved with AV since around 1980 which slide tape, so I do have some experience. Synchronising images to music is easy, far easier than some perceive. From one enthusiast to another, don’t hand the synchronisation of your images to music to a machine.

You can add images on the fly easily. Take a look here