Sony Vegas 5 Manual

							CHP. 14ADDING VIDEO TRANSITIONS AND MOTION
249
2.Use the 2D Glow controls on the left side of the window to set the color and appearance of the glow:

Blur % — type a number in the box or click the   button to display a slider you can use to soften the 
edge of the glow effect. Set to 0 for a hard edge, or increase the setting to feather the edge of the glow.

Intensity — type a number in the box or click the   button to display a slider you can use to establish 
the transparency of the glow’s blurred edge. Decrease the setting for a translucent glow, or increase the 
setting for a more opaque glow.

Color — click the down arrow next to the color swatch to display a color picker. Use the sliders or edit 
boxes in the color picker to set the glow color, or use the eyedropper tool ( ) to sample a color from 
your screen.
3.Adjust the size position of the glow by dragging the box in the workspace or using the Po s i t i o n, Orientation, 
and 
Rotation controls on the left side of the window. For more information about manipulating the 
selection box, see Controlling track motion on page 245.
4.To animate the glow, click in the 2D Glow row of the Keyframe Controller to set the cursor to a later time 
and adjust the glow settings.
Cropped video
Glow 
						

							250
ADDING VIDEO TRANSITIONS AND MOTIONCHP. 14
Creating a picture-in-picture effect
Picture-in-picture is an easy effect to reproduce using track motion. 
1.Insert the background video into a track.
2.Insert the overlay video into another track just above the background video track.
3.Click the Tr a c k  M o t i o n button ( ) on the upper overlay track.
4.In the Track Motion window, position and resize the track area.
The illustration below shows some of the relevant parts of this procedure. Note the shadow cast by the 
overlay video. This is added by selecting the 
2D Shadow check box on the keyframe controller. The Video 
Preview window displays the results.
Tip: While overlay picture-in-picture windows are often 
completely opaque, you can fade them in and out using 
opacity envelopes. For more information, see Using opacity 
envelopes on page 139.
Animating the overlay
You can animate many aspects of an overlay using the keyframes at the bottom of the Track Motion window.
1.Insert a video event onto the timeline.
2.Click the Tr a c k  M o t i o n button ( ) in the track list.
3.In the Track Motion window, resize the overlay by dragging the handles at the edges of the overlay.
4.Drag the middle of the overlay to position it. This will be the size and position for the start of the 
animation. 
						

							CHP. 14ADDING VIDEO TRANSITIONS AND MOTION
251
5.Click the timeline of the keyframe controller at a later time to move the cursor to that position.
Tip: With the Sync Cursor button ( ) enabled, you can 
also navigate to a new position on the main timeline. The 
cursor is automatically moved on the keyframe controller to 
the same location.
6.Reposition the overlay. A new keyframe is automatically added to the keyframe controller at the new 
cursor position.
When you preview the video, the position of the overlay interpolates between the two keyframes with a 
smooth animation. 
						

							252
ADDING VIDEO TRANSITIONS AND MOTIONCHP. 14 
						

							15
CHP. 15PREVIEWING AND ANALYZING VIDEO
CHAPTER253
Previewing and 
Analyzing Video
As you work in Vegas® software, you can preview your video by using the Video Preview window or by 
connecting to an external monitor. You can optimize previews by adjusting preview quality, prerendering 
video, or building a dynamic RAM preview. The Video Preview window also provides features such as safe 
area overlays, grid overlays, and isolated color channel displays to further enhance your productivity.
Dynamic RAM previews are only available in the full version of Vegas software.
Understanding the Video Preview window
The workspace for editing video can get quite crowded, so the Video Preview window can be configured in a 
number of ways to make it more useful. The Video Preview window can be used on a separate monitor (if 
your video hardware supports this feature), docked at the bottom of the workspace, or floated freely on the 
screen.
Docked windowFloating window
15 
						

							254
PREVIEWING AND ANALYZING VIDEOCHP. 15
Using the Video Preview window shortcut menu
Right-click the Video Preview window to adjust the following options:
Choose
 Default Background, Black Background, or White Background to set the background color for the 
window.

Simulate Device Aspect Ratio displays the output in square pixels. This can prevent distortion of the 
preview when using sources with rectangular pixels. This does not affect the final render.

Show Toolbar toggles the toolbar at the top of the window.

Show Status Bar toggles the information display at the bottom of the window.
Button Description
Project Video 
PropertiesDisplays the project’s properties (pg. 203).
Preview on External 
MonitorSends the preview out to an external monitor. This only functions if your hardware supports this 
feature (pg. 294).
Video Output FX Opens the Video Output FX window for adding video effects plug-ins for the entire project (pg. 207).
Split-Screen ViewTurns split-screen previews on or off. Split-screen previews allow you to split the preview window so 
you can see your affected and unaffected video or your video and the contents of your clipboard at the 
same time.
Preview Quality Changes the preview resolution and display size. You can choose a lower resolution to drop fewer 
frames during playback. Choose an Auto option to display the preview at the current Video Preview 
window size; choose a Full option to display the preview at project size.
Note: If your project properties are set to either the Blend or Interpolate deinterlace method, you will 
not see the effects of deinterlacing in Draft and Preview quality preview modes. Deinterlacing only 
occurs in the Good and Best quality preview modes.
OverlaysOptions include safe areas, grids, and individual channels.
Copy Snapshot to 
ClipboardCopies the contents of the frame to the clipboard
Save Snapshot to FileSaves the contents of the preview window as a JPEG or PNG. The new image file is automatically 
saved to the Media Pool (pg. 193).
Preview Quality
Copy Snapshot to Clipboard Project Video Properties
Preview on External Monitor
Video Output FX
Properties status bar
Save Snapshot to File
Split-Screen ViewOverlays 
						

							CHP. 15PREVIEWING AND ANALYZING VIDEO
255
Optimizing the Video Preview window
Timing and synchronization are critical aspects of any multimedia production. Because complex multimedia 
projects are challenging for any computer, a number of tools are provided to maintain real-time playback 
even though the computer may not be able to process the data quickly enough.
Reducing preview quality
You can adjust the resolution of the Video Preview window and the quality of the preview rendering in order 
to improve playback. Lower-resolution previews are less clear but allow more frames to be displayed per 
second. This may be particularly important with projects that use overlays, transitions, and effects. Click the 
Preview Quality button to choose different preview resolutions.
Note: To view the effects of the deinterlacing method you 
chose in your project properties, you will need to use the 
Good 
or 
Best quality preview mode. The Draft and Preview quality 
preview modes do not deinterlace.
Prerendering video
There are times where nothing but a full, high-quality preview will do. In these cases, Vegas software can 
take the time necessary to selectively render only the portions of your project that need extra processing. 
These sections are prerendered and short files are created to use for previews. The prerendering can take 
anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes, depending on the length and complexity of the video. 
Once these temporary files have been created, they are used whenever those sections of the project are 
played back, increasing playback quality and performance. As long as no changes are made to the events in 
the prerendered sections, the newly created files continue to be used for previews, even if changes are made 
to other sections of the project.
1.To prerender a portion of the project, create a selection containing the portion you want to prerender.
2.From the To o l s menu, choose Selectively Prerender Video. The Prerender Video dialog appears. 
3.Select the type of prerender file to create in the Prerender as drop-down list. Click Custom to configure any 
custom compression options.
4.To preview just a portion of the project, verify that Render loop region only is selected. To create a 
prerender of the entire project, clear this check box.
5.Click OK. A progress bar displays the progress of the render.  
						

							256
PREVIEWING AND ANALYZING VIDEOCHP. 15
When prerendering is complete, green bars appear at the top of the timeline indicating the sections that 
have been prerendered.
As a default, these preview files are saved when a project is closed. To delete these files when you close the 
project, from the 
Options menu, choose Preferences and, on the General tab, clear the Save active previews on 
project close 
check box. 
You can set the location of these preview files by clicking the 
Properties button ( ) and choosing a 
Prerendered files folder in the Project Properties dialog. Ideally, this folder should be on a different physical 
drive from where Windows is installed. You can delete prerendered preview files from your hard disk by 
choosing 
Clean Up Prerendered Video from the Tools menu.
Note: Each prerendered section will consist of no more than 
10 seconds (approximately 40 megabytes). Because selective 
prerendering creates multiple files, minor editing on the 
timeline will not invalidate all of your prerendered video—
only the sections you modify will need to be rerendered.
Building dynamic RAM previews
Dynamic RAM previews are only available in the full version of Vegas software.
Video frames are automatically dropped when previewing if the computer can’t keep up with processing 
demands. This means that you may not be seeing all video frames as you preview your project. If you prefer 
not to prerender your project, there is another option for improving previews of selected portions of a 
project. A portion of your RAM is dedicated to cache video frames that Vegas software cannot render in real 
time. 
A cache of 16 MB is automatically maintained for dynamic RAM previews. To change the cache amount, 
choose 
Preferences from the Options menu and change the Dynamic RAM Preview Max value on the Video tab.
Note: Although not all frames appear in previews of a 
project, all frames are included when you render a file. For 
more information, see Rendering a project on page 271.
You can make a time selection and add each frame in the selection to the cache. Once the frames are 
cached, all video frames can display in a selection. 
1.Select a region containing the frames you want to cache.
2.From the Tools menu, choose Build Dynamic RAM Preview.
Vegas software plays through the time selection and builds the cache frame by frame. 
Prerendered sections 
						

							CHP. 15PREVIEWING AND ANALYZING VIDEO
257
Using split-screen previewing
Click the Split-Screen View button ( ) in the Video Preview window to turn split-screen previews on or off.
Split-screen previews allow you to split the Video Preview window so you can see your affected and 
unaffected video or your video and the contents of the clipboard at the same time. Use split-screen previews 
to fine-tune video effects or to match colors for color correction.
Note: The Video Preview window temporarily enters split-
screen preview mode when you slip-trim a video event. This 
temporary split-screen mode allows you to see the events first 
and last frame as you trim. You can toggle this preview mode 
by selecting or clearing the 
Show video event edge frames in 
Video Preview window during edits
 check box on the General 
tab of the Preferences dialog.
Previewing affected and unprocessed video
1.Click the down arrow next to the Split-Screen View button ( ) and choose FX Bypassed from the menu.
2.Select the Split-Screen View button ( ). The cursor is displayed as a  .
3.Choose a preset selection or drag in the Video Preview section to create a selection. This selection will 
display the unprocessed video. In the following example, the Add Noise plug-in was applied to the event, 
and the selection displays the original video.
Tip: Double-click in the Video Preview window to select the 
full window, or drag again to replace the existing selection. 
						

							258
PREVIEWING AND ANALYZING VIDEOCHP. 15
Showing the video at the cursor position and the contents of the clipboard
1.Position the cursor on the timeline and click the Copy Snapshot button ( ) in the Video Preview window 
to copy a frame to the clipboard.
2.Position the cursor at another point on the timeline.
3.Click the down arrow next to the Split-Screen View button ( ) and choose Clipboard from the menu.
4.Select the Split-Screen View button ( ). 
5.Choose a preset selection or drag in the Video Preview section to create a selection. This selection will 
display the contents of the clipboard.
Tip: Double-click in the Video Preview window to select the 
full window, or drag again to replace the existing selection.
Changing the selection for displaying split-screen views
Click the down arrow next to the Split-Screen View button ( ) and choose Select Right Half, Select Left Half, 
or 
Select All to indicate which portion of the Video Preview window you want to use to display unprocessed 
video or the contents of the clipboard.
When the 
Split-Screen View button ( ) is selected, the cursor is displayed as a  . Drag a rectangle in the 
Video Preview window to create a custom selection.
Identifying safe areas
The Video Preview window displays the entire video frame data. However, most television monitors do not 
display all of this data. Previewing the video on a television monitor is the only way to verify what frame 
information will display. You should also note that individual television monitors vary in what they display. 
While there is no substitute for previewing on a television, safe areas are a good method of estimating the 
extent of the masking.
1.Click the down arrow next to the Overlays button ( ) 
and choose 
Safe Areas.
2.Click the Overlays button to toggle the safe areas display on 
or off. The display shows two areas:
The safe action area is the frame area that is visible on a 
television screen.
The safe title area is a suggested area to limit the extent of 
titles. It is always smaller than the safe action area.
Tip: To customize safe area sizes, choose Preferences on the 
Options 
menu, and on the Video tab, enter the Action safe 
area 
and Title safe area values as a percent of the frame size. 
For more information, see Video tab on page 289.Safe action Safe title