Sony Vegas 6 Manual

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Moving the pan point
A variety of methods are provided to help you position the pan point in the Surround Panner window.
Choosing pan types
When you pan a track or mixer control, you can choose among several pan types to determine how to pan 
the audio. The current pan type appears at the bottom of the Surround Panner window.
Right-click the Surround Panner window and choose a pan type from the shortcut menu.
The Add Channels pan type makes the audio appear to move as a unit among the surround channels. As 
you move the pan point toward a channel (speaker icon), more and more of the signal from the other 
channels are folded into the channel you are panning towards, until at the extreme, all channels are fed 
at full intensity into a single channel. This pan type uses a linear panning curve.
The Balance pan type is most useful for adjusting the relative signal levels of the channels. In this pan 
type, as you move the pan point from the center to a channel, the signal in the channel you are panning 
towards starts at the base dB level (either 0 dB, -3 dB, or -6 dB) and increases to 0 dB. The signal in the 
channel you are panning away from starts at a base dB level (either 0 dB, -3 dB, or -6 dB) and decays to 
no signal level. For example, when you pan fully to the right, only the right channel is audible. This pan 
type uses a linear panning curve.
The Constant Power pan type maintains a constant volume as you move the pan point from channel to 
channel. This pan type, which uses the constant-power panning curve, is most useful for panning 
monaural source media.
The Film pan type allows you to pan between pairs of speakers using a constant-power panning curve. 
As you drag the pan point to the center speaker, the sound becomes diffused through the front and rear 
speakers. When the track is panned fully to the center speaker, there is no sound from the front and rear 
speakers.
MethodDescription
Click to toggle through three options for constraining pan point motion as 
you drag: Move Freely (
), Move Left/Right Only (), and Move Front/
Back Only (
).
Double-clickDouble-clicking the pan point resets it to the center front of the surround 
panner.
Double-clicking in the Surround Panner window moves the pan point to 
the double-click location.
Ctrl+dragMakes fine adjustments.
Shift+dragConstrain m.otion to a line through the center of the surround panner
Alt+dragConstrains motion to a constant radius from the center of the surround 
panner.
Shift+Alt+dragConstrains motion to the maximally inscribed circle (a constant radius at 
the greatest possible distance from the center of the surround panner).
Arrow keys Moves front/back/left/right.
Ctrl+Arrow keysMakes fine adjustments.
Page Up/Page DownMoves front/back.
Shift+Page Up/Page DownMoves left/right.
Numeric keypad 1-9Jumps to a corner, edge, or center of the surround panner.
Ctrl+Numeric keypad 1,3,7, 9Jumps to a location on the maximally inscribed circle (a constant radius at 
the greatest possible distance from the center of the surround panner).
Mouse wheelMoves front/back.
Shift+mouse wheelMoves left/right.
Ctrl+mouse wheelMakes fine front/back adjustments.
Ctrl+Shift+mouse wheelMakes fine left/right adjustments. 
						

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Using the grid to monitor panning
The grid in the Surround Panner window helps you to visualize how your panning will sound. The grids 
spacing changes to match the current pan type.
The vertical lines represent the points where the left-to-right signal ratio is 6 dB, 0 dB, and -6 dB 
respectively: at the far-left line, the left channel is 6.0 dB louder than the right channel.
The horizontal lines represent the points where the front-to-rear signal ratio is 6 dB, 0 dB, and -6 dB 
respectively. As you adjust the 
Center fader, the lines move forward or backward to compensate for the 
center-channel gain.
Note: The grid assumes that youre using a correctly set-up 
surround system (matched speakers and ideal positioning). 
Variations in your monitoring system will cause 
inconsistencies between the graph and perceived output. 
Automating panning
You can automate panning on a track or mixer control by adding keyframes. Keyframes are similar to 
envelope points in that they specify a settings state at a point in time. However, unlike envelope points, 
keyframes appear just below the track to which they apply. 
To add panning keyframes to a mixer control, you must first view the mixer control in track view. From the 
View menu, choose Show Bus Tracks to view the bus track at the bottom of the track view. For more 
information, see Viewing bus tracks on page 188.
Turning on panning keyframes
Before adding individual keyframes, you must first turn on the panning keyframes for the track or bus track.
1.Select the track or bus track for which you want to automate panning. 
2.From the Insert menu, choose Audio Envelopes, and choose Surround Pan Keyframes from the submenu. 
An additional row appears below the track with a single keyframe positioned at the beginning of the 
project. This single keyframe represents the current panning settings for the track.
Adding panning keyframes
With panning keyframes turned on, you can add keyframes at any location along the track or bus track.
1.Position the cursor where you want to begin panning the track.
2.Click the Automation Settings button () on the track you want to pan and select Show Automation 
Controls
.
3.Double-click the surround panner to display the Surround Panner window.
4.Adjust the panning settings. For more information, see Using the Surround Panner window on page 216.
Note: You cannot automate muting/including channels.
Keyframe 
						

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5.Close the Surround Panner window.
A keyframe with the pan settings you created appears below the track at the cursor position. 
Tip: You can also add keyframes by double-clicking the 
keyframe row or by right-clicking the row and choosing 
Add 
Point
 from the shortcut menu. Once you’ve added the 
keyframe, double-click it to adjust panning settings in the 
Surround Panner window.
As you add keyframes to a track or bus track, the Surround Panner window shows the path of the panning 
keyframes. The 
Smoothness slider controls the smoothness of the interpolation path between the 
keyframes. For more information, see Adjusting the Smoothness slider on page 220.
Working with keyframes
After you add keyframes, you can work with them in much the same way as envelope points. For more 
information, see Composite level automation (video only) on page 161.
Moving keyframes
Drag a keyframe to a new position below its track. 
Duplicating keyframes
Hold  and drag a keyframe to a new position below its track.
Editing keyframes
1.Double-click a keyframe to open the Surround Panner window.
2.Adjust the panning settings as desired and close the window.
New keyframe
The Surround Panner window shows the path of the panning keyframes.
Ctrl 
						

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Changing keyframe interpolation curves
To control how the pan is interpolated between keyframes, right-click a keyframe and choose an 
interpolation curve type from the shortcut menu. Keyframe interpolation curves control how the pan occurs 
over time. The keyframe color changes according to the interpolation curve you have chosen.
Adjusting the Smoothness slider
The Smoothness slider controls the perceived motion of sound within the sound field among three or more 
keyframes. When you drag the 
Smoothness slider to 0, Vegas software interpolates the changes between 
keyframes along a linear path. As you increase the smoothness value, the path between keyframes grows 
more curved and smooth.
1.Double-click a keyframe. The Surround Panner window appears.
2.Drag the Smoothness slider to adjust the smoothness of the spatial interpolation path leading up to this 
keyframe.
Locking keyframes to events
If you want keyframes to move with an event when it is moved along the timeline, choose Lock Envelopes to 
Events
 from the Options menu. 
KeyframeInterpolation curveDescription
HoldNo interpolation takes place. The keyframes settings are maintained until the next keyframe.
LinearPanning is interpolated in a linear path.
FastPanning is interpolated in a fast logarithmic path.
SlowPanning is interpolated in a slow logarithmic path.
SmoothPanning is interpolated along a smooth, natural curve.
Smoothness slider
Three keyframes with 
smoothness=100......and the same three keyframes
with smoothness=0. 
						

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Hiding keyframes
1.Select the track for which you want to hide keyframes.
2.From the View menu, choose Show Audio Envelopes, and choose Surround Pan Keyframes from the 
submenu.
Deleting keyframes
Right-click a keyframe and choose Delete from the shortcut menu.
Rendering surround projects
5.1 surround projects are rendered to produce six monaural files (AIFF, WAV, W64, or PCA) or a single 5.1-
channel file (AC-3, WMA, and WMV). You can then use an authoring application to create the final 
DVD-Video or 5.1-channel music project from the rendered files.
Note: Before rendering your surround project, check your 
surround authoring application’s documentation to determine 
its required audio format with respect to the LFE channel. 
For more information, see Setting up surround projects on 
page 210.
1.From the File menu, choose Render As. The Render As dialog appears.
2.From the Save in drop-down list, choose the drive and folder where the file will be saved.
3.Enter a new name for the project in the File name box.
4.From the Save as type drop-down list, choose the desired file format.
5.Choose 44,100 Hz, 16 Bit, Mono, PCM from the Te m p l a t e drop-down list if you want to render six monaural 
files, or choose an appropriate 5.1-channel template if the selected file type supports it.
6.If necessary, click Custom to customize the rendering settings. For more information, see Customizing the 
rendering process on page 311.
7.Select the Render loop region only check box if you want to save only the portion of the project that is 
contained within the loop region. 
Loop Playback does not need to be selected on the workspace for this 
option to work.
8.If the selected file type supports it, you can select the Save project markers with media file check box to 
include markers, regions, and command markers in the rendered media file. If the information cannot 
save in your media file, it will create an .sfl file (using the same base name as your media file). 
						

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9.Click Save. 
Note: You can use an application such as the Sony Media 
Software 5.1 Surround Plug-In Pack to encode 5.1-channel 
audio to AC-3 for use in DVD authoring.
Creating a DVD with DVD Architect Software
If you have DVD Architect™ software from Sony Media Software, you can create menu-based DVDs, music 
compilations, picture compilations, or a single-movie DVD that will play back automatically in your DVD 
player.
DVD Architect software includes support for many file types and can convert your media to the formats 
required for DVD as needed. However, for best performance (decreased disc preparation time and 
recompression), render your files in the appropriate format.
MPEG-2 video files rendered with the DVD NTSC or DVD PAL templates will not need to be 
recompressed. Audio will not need to be recompressed if rendered as stereo or surround AC-3 files with a 
bitrate of less than 448 kbps or as stereo, 48-kHz, 16-bit, WAV (PCM) files. 
Note: AC-3 audio may not play back on some PAL DVD 
players. To ensure compatibility with PAL DVD players, use 
48-kHz, 16-bit, WAV (PCM) files for audio.
Rendering the surround project SampleProject.wav... ...results in six WAV files. 
						

							13
CHP. 13USING ADVANCED VIDEO FEATURES
CHAPTER223
Using Advanced 
Video Features
While simple to learn, Vegas® software is a powerful application with many advanced features. This chapter 
covers some of the advanced video features of this powerful tool.
Cropping video
With the Event/Pan Crop window, you can resize media in a video event or selectively crop media without 
resizing. The 
Stretch to fill frame drop-down list allows you to resize the media to fill the output frame (when 
Ye s is selected), or to crop out a portion of the media without resizing (when No is selected).
When keyframes are added, you can use this window to create scrolling, panning, or zooming effects. For 
more information, see Using keyframe animation on page 273. 
Tip: If you apply plug-ins to a event with panning or 
cropping, you can choose whether to process the plug-ins 
before or after the panning or cropping. For more 
information, see Processing plug-ins on events with panning 
or cropping on page 245.
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Open the Event Pan/Crop window by clicking the Event Pan/Crop button () on the event.
Note: If any controls shown in the figure above are not 
visible, enlarge the Event Pan/Crop window by dragging the 
lower right corner until all controls are revealed.
The Smoothness control and the keyframe controller are used when adding keyframe animation to create 
panning, zooming, or scrolling effects. For more information, see Animating event panning and cropping on page 
277.
Cropping
Cropping is the process of removing the outside edges from an image or video, thereby re-framing the 
subject. In the following example, the Event Pan/Crop window on the left has been used to create a selection 
area around the subject, removing extraneous information from the outside of the video. This creates a zoom 
effect that is similar to zooming in with a camcorder. The Video Preview window on the right displays the 
event after cropping.
Normal Edit Tool
Zoom Edit Tool
Enable Snapping
Lock Aspect Ratio
Size About Center
Move Freely or Show Properties
Keyframe controllerHandles
Move in X or Y onlySelection areaRotation area
Presets
Smoothness
Crop Area
Preview
output 
						

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1.Click the Event Pan/Crop button () on the event.
2.Drag the handles (small boxes) located around the perimeter of the selection area to change the size.
3.Move the mouse to middle of the selection area until the cursor changes to a move icon (). Drag the 
selection area to reposition it.
Be aware of the following as you crop a video event: 
 To keep the selection area centered as you resize, select the Size About Center button ().
 To maintain the proportion of the selection area, select the Lock Aspect Ratio button ().
 To prevent distortion of the source media file, ensure that Maintain aspect ratio is is set to Ye s.
 To restore the selection area to full frame, right-click the image and choose Restore from the shortcut 
menu.
 To set the selection area to a standard aspect ratio proportion, choose a preset from the Preset drop-down 
list.
 When using photographs or other media that is not the same frame aspect as your video, youll see black 
bars on the sides or above and below the image.  To create a crop rectangle that matches the project frame 
aspect, right-click the image and choose 
Match Output Aspect from the shortcut menu.
The cropping occurs instantly and the results are updated in the Video Preview window. Cropping applies to 
the entire event and can be animated with keyframes. For more information, see Using keyframe animation on 
page 273. 
Bézier masks
This feature is available only in the full version of Vegas software.
You can use the Event Pan/Crop dialog to create masks using Bézier curves. For more information, see Bézier 
masks on page 260.
Rotating
You can also rotate the selection area in the Event Pan/Crop 
window. If you rotate the entire frame, the background 
behind the video shows through. Position, size, and rotation 
can all be animated with keyframes. For more information, see 
Using keyframe animation on page 273.
1.Click the Event Pan/Crop button () on the event.
2.Resize and move the selection area as desired. For more 
information, see Cropping on page 224.
3.Move the mouse outside the selection area until it 
becomes a rotate icon (
). Drag to rotate the selection 
area. Alternately, you may enter precise rotation values in 
the 
Angle (degrees) box.
Adding animation
Keyframe animation dramatically increases the variety of panning, zooming, and rotating effects you can 
create using the Event Pan/Crop window. A later chapter provides examples of zooming in on a still image 
and using pan-and-scan techniques. For more information, see Animating event panning and cropping on page 
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Working with still images
You can use still images for a number of purposes including slide shows, overlay graphics, and titles. You can 
insert still images into projects just like any other media files. The default length for a still image event when 
it is first added to a track is five seconds (this is an adjustable preference), but this duration can be modified 
by dragging the edges to create a still image event of any length. Images cannot be looped, but share many 
characteristics with video files, including transparency. In addition, you can use many of the same tools on 
image events that you can on video events, such as track motion, panning and cropping, and video effects 
plug-ins. For more information, see Zooming in on a still image on page 277.
Creating still images for use in Vegas software
Many image formats can be imported, including BMP, GIF, JPG, PNG, TIFF (requires QuickTime™), PSD 
(flattened), and TGA. If you have the option to create PNG files in your graphics software, this is the 
recommended file type. PNG files use lossless compression and can also include alpha channel information, 
which is one of the cleanest methods of creating transparency for overlays. an alpha channel can 
automatically be detected, if present, in PNG files. 
Note: The alpha channel may not be automatically detected 
in TGA images. Right-click a TGA image in the Project 
Media window or an event on the timeline and choose 
Properties. Then, in the Media Properties dialog, select the 
type of alpha channel from the list.
If you know your media file has an alpha channel and it is not detected properly, right-click the media file in 
the Project Media window or an event on the timeline and choose 
Properties from the shortcut menu. Then, 
in the 
Media tab, select the appropriate alpha channel type from the Alpha channel drop-down list. 
Premultiplied is the recommended setting. You can save this setting so that the alpha channel is properly 
detected on other media files with the same properties. For more information, see Setting custom stream 
properties on page 240.
Correcting images for DV pixel aspect ratios
For best results when importing still images, create images that account for the pixel aspect ratio of your 
desired output format. Vegas software does a good job stretching images to fit the output format, but some 
distortion occurs if the pixel aspect ratio for the source format does not match the destination format. 
To calculate pixel aspect ratio correction, use this formula:
Output frame pixel width X Output format pixel aspect ratio = Still image pixel width
For example, this is the formula for NTSC DV format:
720 (DV screen frame pixel width) X .9091 (DV pixel aspect ratio)= 655 (pixel width)
Use these figures as a guide when creating images:
 Full frame, pixel-aspect-corrected still images for use in NTSC DV projects are 655x480.
 Full frame, pixel-aspect-corrected still images for use in PAL DV projects are 787x576.