Total Noob at everything needs Massive Help (a few pictures)

[LastStraightman]

So I've been making amvs for a few months now and I've got a shitload of questions after coming to this site. Disregard the bad name I use (made so long ago) and some of these questions are probably for other programs as well.

Hope you don't mind. I could probably find most of the answers by searching but I'm new to these forums so I apologise in advance.

Right now Im using sony vegas alone (no vdubmod or other stuff from amvpack just yet)

Some of these questions will probably be redundant until I finish reading some threads but I just thought Id ask. Will bump mostlikely when my understanding increases and I have more questions.

1)Can sony vegas/ after effects/ premiere support mp4 or mkv?

Im pretty sure mkv cant, but Im still reading encoding decoding subforum and Im really lazy >< Is there any converter I can use until I learn how to encode/decode myself?

2)http://www.animemusicvideos.org/guides/ ... ace.html#1

^ I was reading that and does it just mean :



Or do I still have something wrong?

3) For sony vegas how do you render video as lossless? <-- Probably redundant

and as I understand after rendering as lossless, Im meant to convert to mpeg4?

4) I got some splatter brushes from photoshop and got them into sony vegas, whats a good way to transition them in? because just putting them there doesnt seem right.

5)

So how would I get a straight line after the first curve?

6)

What's that master bar for and how do I get rid of it? I can only pull it down to the size shown.

7) In photoshop: If I have an image and a lot of blank space, is there anyway to get the canvas size to decrease perfectly around the image other than to guess and decrease?

THANKS IN ADVANCE

[Dizmo]

I'm still at the noob level myself (I'm tired of the pros or wannabe pros thinking highly of themselves and their time and not helping us noobs btw).

Anyhow, I know a bit though, its just a lot of this stuff is complicating. I'll answer as best as I can.

1. Try to download an mkv file and put it in. However, I don't recommend either because they're formats made for work that's already finished. The types you definately shouldn't try working with is DIVX and XVID, you get jump a lot on this forum if u bring using those formats up.

You can just convert to mpeg and use that. I use to use alltoavi. Find the AlltoAVI 3.0 R2. It's the most simpliest one and it works pretty well. Vdub works a bit better I believe and is great if you want to pick certain segments in a long video to extract.

Of course, the lossless codec is the best. It is time consuming but if you want to make a good AMV or anything in life, I'm talking about a GOOD piece of work, then consider not being so lazy 'cause all good stuff takes effort and time.

AMV making is no exception, you might think just popping stuff into your editor and putting stuff together is all it is, but then you have errors that no one has the answer to or issues with the most simpliest things and can't solve them and have to go around them....I dunno. Making a simple fun amv is one thing, making a good one that is indeed good is a whole 'nother thing all together.

2. There's a guide in this forum that speaks about that, if you can't find it still leave a message and I'll try to find it as well. I'm lazy just as you if not more hence why I suck at AMV making....well I don't suck at it, I'm just the type that does it when he's interested and when he loses interest, does something else.

3. Download the codec or lossless and YUV. It's in the AMVAPP that's found in this forum, front homepage somewhere. Latest one is 3.0 or something? You can convert lossless to whichever codec you're able to. You're not restricted to MPeG4

4. Unsure what you're trying to do.....hence me calling myself a noob.

5. Go to preference, probably an option there to take it out. I haven't encountered that issue to know.

7. You go to canvas sizing. I dont' currently have it on my pc because I just reformatted the whole drive, but its in the edit tab at the top left I believe. You can resize the canvas there.

[Vivaldi]

First off, welcome to the org, (In the forumatic sense ) I hope you have fun.

Anyway, as for your questions.

1) As a general rule, MP4 and MKV won't work in editing programs. Of course there's exceptions, and as containers you could make them work if the program explcitly supports it. But if it's something you downloaded or was originally ment for any other purpose than editing, it either won't work or won't work well.

The most down to earth, baggage free method for converting is using Vdubmod and the amvapp. It's really only a two step process, and you don't have to worry about adware or limitations alot of stuff you find online will give you.

2) That's correct, however, make sure your frame rate is the same as your footage. It will most likely only be 23.976 if you've IVTCed you footage. If it's downloaded it will probably be 29.975 or something along those lines.

3)Set the type as avi, there will but some sort of advanced settings button that will let you change the codec to something lossless like lagirith. The Program "ZarxGUI" (which comes with amvapp) Will convert it, or rather a short script into MP4 very nicely.

4) Animate masks to make the splash on, you can mess around with the layer's blending\compositional modes to get a kind of transition effect.

5)Not quite sure what you're asking, Have you tried moving the "handle bar" on the middle point so it's in line and won't curve. I don't use PS but there should be an option somewhere to change it to linear vertices. Though that shouldn't be needed.

6) I don't know really. :/

7) As I said, I don't use PS. But when you use box select, it should tell you the demensions of the box, which you can copy to a new project.

[LivingFlame]

6) Press 'B' – I kid you not.
The master bar can used to apply certain types of effects across an entire project. It probably won't be too useful for AMVs.

7) Image > Trim
(Based on the menus in PS on Mac. Should be similar on PC.)

[LastStraightman]

A late reply, I've been busy but Thanks alot for all the help

1) Can someone link me to the method of using Vdubmod and Amvapp to convert?

And is it practical? (I have alot of Divx and Xvid and mkv files which amounts to a decent amount of gigs...) and will I be able to convert to any file type?

2) I downloaded the files, so setting it at the 23.976 is useless? Im really confused about this part.

3) I understand now, but just to check, is there anything I should change in these settings?



???

4) I guess ill just mess around with the settings

5) I'll just mess around with the pentool, haha, I worded the question horribly, so just forget about this one xD

6) Haha 'B' worked like a charm

7) Trim also worked perfectly

A new question/s:

1)I recently asked someone what they used Vdubmod for and the reply which I received was to Cut Clips. I'm a bit confused, what are the benefits of cutting in Vdub as opposed to just copy and pasting it out of say Sony Vegas' timeline?

2) Can sony vegas export clips to Photoshop or other programs and vice versa, or is it only possible between Adobe products?

Thanks alot to LivingFlame, Vivaldi and Dizmo and anyone else who helps in advance

[AFT]

To your new questions:
1. Virtualdub can be used to cut out sections of your source before you start to use it. Usually after filtering/converting/indexing or doing whatever you need to do to your footage before it's useable, you should use Virtualdub to render it with a lossless codec before you start editing. However rendering with a lossless codec takes a long time and huge amounts of space. To avoid this you can cut out the scenes you want since you probably won't be using the whole thing. Less video= less time and less space.
2. ...I'm not so sure but I think the best way would be this: In Vegas, to go to the video frame you want to edit in photoshop and click on the button on top of the preview window that says "Save snapshot to file". That will create a .JPG image you can edit in Photoshop.I don't use photoshop and I'm pretty sure you can't edit video clips in it, but you CAN do it vice-versa. Photoshop and other Adobe programs like After Effects are made to work easily together, but using photoshop isn't only limited to Adobe. Lots of editors use Vegas+ Photoshop and other combinations of image+video editing programs.

[AimoAio]

Old questions

1)Last time I checked the only formats you could convert a source into(in VDM)was avi,ogm and mkv.Although there's probably a tonne of codecs out there on the internet you could use,I'd recommend sticking to Lagarith/Huffy avis for editing and xvid for compressing your final video.Or Zarx264gui,that works as a real treat too

2)Try to not use downloaded footage But I have mines set at 29.97(NTSC) and it works fine for me

New questions

1)To save space.

2)If I'm not wrong,Photoshop is only an image editor,therefore it can't edit video files.Although if it's combined with other Adobe products then I don't know.Or unless you mean a screenshot/still picture from SV to Photoshop?

You can import pictures you did on PS to SV though and play around with that,just do it like you normally do with video clips.

[LastStraightman]

You want me to not use dled footage because it's illegal right? or is it because its coded for distribution?

[LivingFlame]

Both, really. It is illegal, like you said, and the fact that it is encoded for distribution will inevitably give you lower quality footage to work with. Well, I say that, but so many shows are releasing in 720p these days, you actually could get pretty high quality out of some downloads.

As for frame rates, just look at the frame rate of your source and set your project to match.

[LastStraightman]

Sorry for the bump, but its better than making a new thread i guess.

But what do most people do to transition with other than a transition or effect?

So basically what im asking is

Crossfade/fade/nothing??

I personally think having nothing is a bit rough so i was hoping to get other people's input.

Did a brief search and didnt find anything similar.

If there is I apologise, and thanks in advance