User manual ULEAD VIDEO STUDIO 8

User Guide Ulead Systems, Inc. March 2004 English edition for Ulead VideoStudio 8, March 2004. © 1992-2004 Ulead Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or storing in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form without the express written permission of Ulead Systems, Inc. Software license The software described in this document is furnished under a License Agreement, which is included with the product. This Agreement specifies the permitted and prohibited uses of the product. Licenses and trademarks ICI Library © 1991­1992 C-Cube Microsystems. All rights reserved. Ulead and the Ulead Systems logo are registered trademarks and Ulead VideoStudio is a trademark of Ulead Systems, Inc. Intel, Pentium and MMX are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of Intel Corporation. Microsoft, Windows, DirectX and/or other Microsoft products referenced herein are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Adobe, the Adobe logo, and Acrobat are trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated. All other product names and any registered and unregistered trademarks mentioned in this manual are used for identification purposes only and remain the exclusive property of their respective owners. Sample files Files provided as samples on the program CD can be used for personal demonstrations, productions and presentations. No rights are granted for commercial reproduction or redistribution of any sample files. North & South America Ulead Systems Inc. http://www.ulead.com Support: http://www.ulead.com/tech International Ulead Systems, Inc. http://www.ulead.com http://www.asiapac.ulead.com http://www.ulead.com.tw Support: http://www.ulead.com/tech http://www.asiapac.ulead.com/tech http://www.ulead.com.tw/tech Japan Ulead Systems Inc. http://www.ulead.co.jp Support: http://www.ulead.co.jp/tech China Ulead Systems, Inc. http://www.ulead.com.cn Support: http://www.ulead.com.cn/tech Germany Ulead Systems GmbH http://www.ulead.de Support: http://www.ulead.de/tech United Kingdom http://www.ulead.co.uk Support: http://www.ulead.co.uk/tech France http://www.ulead.fr Support: http://www.ulead.fr/tech ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE 3 Welcome to Ulead VideoStudio .................................... 7 How VideoStudio works ......................................... 7 What's new .......................................................... 8 System requirements ...........................................12 Installing and running VideoStudio .........................13 Setting up your computer .......................................... 15 Installing a capture card .......................................15 Connecting a video camera to the computer ............15 DV or Digital 8 camcorder ....................................... 15 Analog video sources .............................................. 19 USB camera .......................................................... 24 Preparation for video capturing and editing .............25 Getting started ........................................................... 26 VideoStudio Movie Wizard .....................................26 Step 1: Add video and images ................................. 26 Step 2: Select a template ....................................... 29 Step 3: Finish ........................................................ 32 VideoStudio Editor ...............................................33 The The The The The The The user interface ................................................. 33 Step Panel ...................................................... 34 Menu Bar ..................................................... 35 Options Panel ................................................. 36 Navigation Panel .............................................. 36 project timeline ............................................... 37 Library ........................................................... 41 Starting a new movie project .................................44 Saving your project ................................................ 45 Setting your preferences ......................................... 46 Setting project properties ....................................... 46 Adding clips .......................................................... 47 Previewing ............................................................ 47 Capture ...................................................................... 49 Seamless DV and MPEG capture ............................49 The Capture Step Options Panel .............................50 Capturing video ...................................................51 Digital Video (DV) .................................................. 53 Analog video ......................................................... 55 4 ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE Direct video capturing to MPEG format ......................58 Direct video capturing to Windows Media Video ..........59 Batch Capture ..................................................... 62 Capturing still images ........................................... 63 Edit ............................................................................. 64 Adding clips to the Video Track .............................. 64 Video clips .............................................................64 Images .................................................................65 Color clips .............................................................65 The Edit Step Options Panel .................................. 66 Split by Scene ..................................................... 67 Trimming a clip ................................................... 69 Multi-trim Video .................................................. 71 Saving trimmed clips ............................................ 73 Playback Speed ................................................... 73 Capturing still images in the Edit Step .................... 74 Pan & Zoom ........................................................ 75 Applying video filters ............................................ 77 Key frame settings .................................................79 Effect .......................................................................... 81 Adding transitions ................................................ 81 The Effect Step Options Panel ................................ 82 The Album transition ............................................ 83 Overlay ....................................................................... 87 Adding clips to the Overlay Track ........................... 87 The Overlay Step Options Panel ............................. 91 Adding decorations .............................................. 92 Title ............................................................................ 94 Adding text ......................................................... 94 Modifying text attributes ....................................... 97 The Title Step Options Panel ................................. 98 Applying animation .............................................. 99 Animation effects ...................................................99 Audio ........................................................................103 The Audio Step Options Panel .............................. 103 ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE 5 Adding voiceover narration .................................. 104 Adding background music ................................... 106 Adding audio files .............................................. 107 Trimming audio clips .......................................... 108 Fading-in/out ................................................... 108 Mixing audio tracks ............................................ 109 Using the Clip Volume Control ................................109 Using the Audio Mixing Panel ..................................109 Volume rubber banding .........................................110 Applying audio filters .......................................... 111 Share ........................................................................ 112 The Share Step Options Panel .............................. 112 Creating movie templates ................................... 112 Creating and saving a video file ........................... 114 Burning a DVD, VCD or SVCD .............................. 116 Assembling files ....................................................117 Adding/Editing chapters .........................................118 Creating selection menus .......................................120 Previewing ..........................................................122 Burning your project onto a disc .............................122 Project Playback ................................................ 124 Exporting your movie ......................................... 126 Exporting videos to Ulead DVD-VR Wizard ................126 Recording back to a DV camcorder ..........................129 Posting your video on a Web page ...........................130 Sending a movie by e-mail .....................................131 Electronic greeting cards ........................................132 Creating an audio file ......................................... 133 Appendix A: Menus and dialog boxes ...................... 134 Menus .............................................................. 134 File menu ............................................................134 Edit menu ............................................................135 Clip menu ............................................................136 Tools menu ..........................................................137 Help menu ...........................................................138 Dialog boxes ..................................................... 139 Audio Save Options ...............................................139 Batch Convert ......................................................140 6 ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE Burner Advanced Settings ..................................... 141 Border/Shadow/Transparency ................................ 142 Capture Options ................................................... 143 Change Capture Plug-in ......................................... 144 Output Advanced Settings ..................................... 144 Preferences: File menu .......................................... 145 Preferences (Create Disc) ..................................... 151 Preview Playback Options ...................................... 152 Project Properties ................................................. 153 Project Options .................................................... 153 Project Settings (Create Disc) ................................ 154 Preview Files Manager ........................................... 155 Select Device Control ............................................ 156 Video and Audio Capture Property Settings .............. 157 Video Color Manager ............................................. 159 Video Save Options ............................................... 160 Appendix B: Shortcuts .............................................166 Menu command shortcuts .................................. 166 Step Panel shortcuts .......................................... 166 Navigation Panel shortcuts .................................. 167 Timeline shortcuts ............................................. 168 Multi-trim Video shortcuts ................................... 168 Others ............................................................. 169 Appendix C: Technology Overview ...........................170 Analog vs. Digital .............................................. 170 SmartRender Technology .................................... 171 DV SmartPlay .................................................... 171 DVD, VCD, and SVCD ......................................... 172 Appendix D: System tweaks ....................................173 Enabling DMA for IDE disks ................................. 173 Disabling Write-Behind Caching ........................... 176 Setting the Paging File size ................................. 179 Appendix E. Tips and techniques .............................182 Glossary ...................................................................184 Index ........................................................................194 ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE 7 Welcome to Ulead VideoStudio Thank you for purchasing VideoStudio, the video editing software that allows even beginners to come up with professional-looking movies. It provides you with a complete set of tools to capture videos, edit them, and share your final production on tape, DVD, CD, or the Web. How VideoStudio works VideoStudio follows a step-by-step paradigm so that editing tasks remain uncomplicated from start to finish. VideoStudio also offers more than a hundred transition effects, professional titling capabilities and simple soundtrack creation tools. Learn in seconds, create in minutes. To make a movie production, first capture footage from a camcorder or another video source. You can then trim the captured videos, arrange their order, apply transitions, and add overlays, animated titles, voiceover narration, and background music. These elements are organized in separate tracks. Changes to one track do not affect other tracks. Components of a project as displayed in Timeline View A movie production is in the form of a VideoStudio project file (*.VSP), which contains information on the path location of the clips and how the movie has been put together. After you have finished your movie production, you can burn it to a DVD, VCD or SVCD or record the movie back to your camcorder. You can also output your movie as a video file for playback on the computer. 8 ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE VideoStudio uses the information in the video project file to combine all the elements in your movie into a video file. This process is called rendering. What's new Take advantage of VideoStudio's latest features and enhancements: VideoStudio Movie Wizard The new VideoStudio Movie Wizard helps novice users finish stylish movies in only three steps. Choose from preset styles such as romantic, travel, celebration and more. (See "VideoStudio Movie Wizard" on page 26). Batch Convert Batch Convert your video, audio and image files to other formats and save valuable time. (See "Batch Convert" on page 140). Shuttle Control Shuttle Control lets you navigate to exact scenes in your DV camcorder. (See "Controlling the DV camcorder with the Navigation Panel" on page 54). ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE 9 More effects, filters and content Stylize your videos with objects and frames. (See "Adding decorations" on page 92). The Album transition simulates leafing through a book full of memories. (See "The Album transition" on page 83). Pan and Zoom lets you scan over and gives you a closer view to add more emphasis to your still images. (See "Pan & Zoom" on page 75). The Auto Exposure filter repairs uneven brightness. Amaze your viewers with effects like the Duotone Filter for tints on videos ­ perfect for creating scene flashbacks ­ or the Diffuse Glow Filter for a dream-like appearance. Filters are fully adjustable to match your theme. (For information on applying video filters, see "Applying video filters" on page 77). 10 ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE Audio Filters like Audio Normalization, Remove Noise, Amplify, Long Echo and Stadium, can repair tracks or add special effects. (See "Applying audio filters" on page 111). Enhanced Overlay Step VideoStudio gives more flexibility in using video and image overlays. You can now apply filters and special effects on overlays; and also move and resize them directly on the screen. (See "Overlay" on page 87). Versatile title design Easily make informative and eye-catching titles. · Multiple Text Objects can be placed anywhere on a single title clip, each with its own look and animation, directly on the screen. (See "Adding text" on page 94). · Title animations such as Drop, Swing, and Moving Path give new options in making text move gracefully on the screen. directly on the screen. (See "Applying animation" on page 99). · Add Solid and Gradient Bars behind Titles to increase the visibility of text. (See "Modifying text attributes" on page 97). ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE 11 Greater audio control VideoStudio helps you match volume with particular scenes in the movie. · Audio Mixer is ideal if you want to change the volume of specific points in your audio track or decrease background music during dialogue. (See "Using the Audio Mixing Panel" on page 109). · Rubber Banding Timeline lets you visually adjust audio levels at any point simply by clicking and dragging. (See "Volume rubber banding" on page 110). · Stereo Panning allows you to mix and balance the volume for left and right audio channels. This can be used to direct sounds to the left or right speaker. For example, make the realistic sound of an object moving from left and right. (See "Using the Audio Mixing Panel" on page 109). Auto Music Generator Need background music for a scene? VideoStudio's Auto Music Generator uses award-winning SmartSoundTM technology that provides original tunes to fit perfectly with each scene's mood and duration. (See "Adding background music" on page 106). Enhanced DVD authoring wizard DVDs without Pre-Rendering can be accomplished by sending projects to the DVD Wizard directly from the Timeline. Choose from a wider choice of DVD menu templates for more variety and customization in layout and design. (For information on creating movie projects on disc, see "Burning a DVD, VCD or SVCD" on page 116). Full Screen Preview Full Screen Preview lets you see your movie on the entire screen with no distortion at any time during the project. (See "Tools menu" on page 137). 12 ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE System requirements Video demands a lot from your computer. When setting up your system for video editing, the basic factors to consider are the size and speed of your hard drive, RAM, and processor. These determine how much video you can store and how quickly you can process or render your files. If you can afford a bigger hard drive, more RAM, and faster chip, go with it. Just remember that technology is changing so rapidly and by evaluating first the kind of video editing projects you plan to do, you can better determine the setup that works best for you. The following are the system requirements for VideoStudio: · Intel® Pentium® III 800 MHz or higher · Microsoft® Windows® 98 SE, ME, 2000, XP · 256MB of RAM (512MB or above for editing) · 600MB of available hard drive space for program installation · 4 GB+ hard drive space for video capture and editing · Windows-compatible display with at least 1024x768 resolution · Windows compatible sound card · CDROM, CD-R/RW or DVD-R/RW Real-time features perform best with at least: · Pentium 4, 2.0 GHz CPU · 512 MB of RAM · 7200 rpm IDE hard drive Input/Output device support · 1394 FireWire cards for use with DV/D8 camcorders · Support for OHCI Compliant IEEE-1394 and 1394 Adaptec 8940/8945 · Analog capture cards for analog camcorders (VFW & WDM support) · USB capture devices and PC Cameras ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE 13 · Windows-compatible DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, CD-R/RW · Sony MicroMVTM Tip: Follow the installation instructions of your hardware components carefully (especially your capture card), and consult the operating manual of your camcorder or capture device. File format support · Video: AVI, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MICROMV, WMV, QuickTime, FLC, FLI, GIF, UIS · Image: BMP, CLP, CUR, DCS, EPS, FPX, GIF, ICO, IFF, IMG, JPG, PCD, PCT, PCX, PIC, PNG, PSD, PXR, RAS, RLE, SCT, SHG, TGA, TIF, WMF · Audio: AIF, AIFC, AIFF, AU, AVI, MOV, MP3, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, QT, WAV Output formats · Disc: DVD, Video CD (VCD), and Super Video CD (SVCD) movie titles · Video: AVI, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, QuickTime, WMV, FLC, FLI, FLX, UIS, WMV · Image: BMP, CLP, EPS, FPX, GIF, IFF, IMG, JPG, PCX, PNG, PSD, PXR, RAS, RLE, SCT, TGA, TIF, WMF · Audio: WAV, MPA, RM, WMA Installing and running VideoStudio The VideoStudio CD has an autorun feature that automatically starts up the installation. Back up your projects and media files first before installing the new version of VideoStudio. 14 ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE Note: If you have a previous version of Ulead VideoStudio installed in your system, it is recommended that you uninstall it only after installing Ulead VideoStudio 8. During installation, the Setup Wizard will auto-detect your capture device plug-in and specially supported codecs (such as MPEG-4, AC-3, 3GP, DivX) from the previous VideoStudio version and integrate them onto VideoStudio 8. However, if you installed Ulead VideoStudio 8 then you uninstalled the older version, program files and fonts that are used by both versions will also be deleted. To install them back to VideoStudio 8, double-click Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel, select Ulead VideoStudio 8, click Change/Remove, then click Repair. To install VideoStudio: 1. Insert the VideoStudio CD into your CD-ROM drive. 2. When the Setup screen appears, follow the instructions to install VideoStudio onto your computer. Note: If the Setup screen does not appear after loading the CD, then you can manually start it by double-clicking the My Computer icon on your desktop, then double-clicking the icon for the CD-ROM drive. When the CD-ROM window opens, double-click the Setup icon. 3. Install also the following applications for playing back video files and for viewing the electronic file of this user guide. The installation program will walk you through the installation. · · · · QuickTime SmartSound Windows Media Format RealPlayer · · · · Acrobat Reader DirectX Sony MicroMV Indeo Note: Skip this step if you already have newer versions of the above supporting applications installed in your PC. To run VideoStudio: · Double-click the VideoStudio icon on your Windows desktop. OR, · Select the VideoStudio icon from the VideoStudio program group on the Windows Start menu. ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE 15 Setting up your computer Before you can start making movie projects using your own video footage, you first need to capture video from your video camera into your computer. Your computer needs to be equipped with the proper capture card or interface port for connecting your video camera and for capturing video to your computer. Since capturing and video editing require a lot of computer resources, your computer must also be properly set up to ensure successful capturing and smooth editing of your videos. Installing a capture card If your capture card is a PCI-based card, install the card on your computer by inserting it in an available PCI slot on the computer's motherboard. Connecting a video camera to the computer To connect your video camera to your computer, the type of capture card or interface port that you will need depends on the type of video camera you are using. DV or Digital 8 camcorder If you are using a DV (Digital Video) or Digital 8 camcorder, you will need an IEEE-1394 interface on your computer. Some newer computers already have built-in IEEE-1394 ports. If you do not have them on your computer, install an IEEE-1394 card. 16 ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE 6-pin IEEE-1394 ports on a desktop computer 4-pin IEEE-1394 ports on a notebook computer Connecting the camcorder to the IEEE-1394 interface Use an IEEE-1394 cable to connect your digital camcorder to the IEEE-1394 port. Before purchasing one, check first the pin connectors used on your camcorder and your computer. Most DV and Digital 8 camcorders have a 4-pin connector, whereas desktop computers that come with IEEE-1394 ports or installed with IEEE1394 cards usually have 6-pin connectors. The IEEE-1394 cable that is required for desktop computers is a 4-pin to 6-pin cable. Most notebook computers have 4-pin connectors which require a 4pin to 4-pin cable. Connecting the IEEE-1394 cable to the DV camcorder Connecting a 4-pin to 6-pin IEEE-1394 cable to a desktop computer ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE 17 Connecting a 4-pin to 4-pin IEEE-1394 cable to a notebook computer Checking the hardware setup After connecting your digital camcorder to the computer, check if the device is detected by your Windows system. If you installed an IEEE-1394 card on your computer, check also if the card is detected. To check if the IEEE-1394 card and digital camcorder are detected: 1. Insert your video tape into the camcorder and switch it on. Make sure it is in playback mode (usually named VTR or VCR). Check your camcorder's manual for specific instructions. 2. Open the Control Panel, then open System: Hardware Device Manager. 3. Make sure the following device names are listed in the Device Manager. Under Windows XP or Windows Me: · 1394 Bus Controller · DV Camcorder (The brand name depends on the DV camcorder connected to the IEEE-1394 interface.) Under Windows 2000 or Windows 98SE: · 1394 Bus Controller · Image Device: Microsoft DV Camera and VCR (For Microsoft DV driver only.) 18 ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE · Sound, video and game controllers: 1394 camcorder (For Texas Instruments DV driver only.) Windows XP: Device Manager Windows 2000: Device Manager Note: In addition to commonly used Texas Instruments and Microsoft DV drivers, there are other drivers available. Consult your camcorder's manual for suitable drivers. 4. If your digital camcorder has been detected properly, it will be listed as a source device in VideoStudio's Options Panel. In VideoStudio, select the Capture Step and check if your camcorder is displayed under the Source list in the Options Panel. ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE 19 Analog video sources VHS, S-VHS, Video-8, and Hi8 camcorders and VCRs are examples of analog video sources. To capture video from analog sources, you will need to install an analog capture card in your computer. (See "Installing a capture card" on page 15). Conventional broadcast television is also an analog source. To capture TV footage, you need to have a TV tuner card installed in your computer. Note: TV capture cards provide S-Video/Composite inputs and a TV tuner, which can be used to capture both video and TV footage. Connecting the video device to the analog capture card To connect your video device to the analog capture card, use either an S-Video or RCA Composite cable depending on your device's video output. If your video device has both types of output, use the S-Video connection for higher video quality captures. S-Video cable Connecting the S-Video source to the capture card 20 ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE If you want to use the Composite output of your video device, connect the yellow plugs of the Composite cable to the video output of your video device and the video input port of the analog capture card. Composite cable Connecting the Composite video source to the capture card Tip: If your analog capture card provides SVideo input only and you are using a Composite video source, you need a Composite to S-Video adapter to make the connection. Most higher-end analog capture cards do not have the Composite/ S-Video input ports crowded on the side of the cards. Instead, these cards come with an external breakout box that provide all the video input ports at the front of the box. Video devices can be connected to the capture card more easily through the breakout box. ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE 21 Connecting a TV antenna to the tuner card A tuner card has a TV antenna input just like the regular television monitor. Plug your TV antenna to the TV connector of the tuner card. TV antenna cable Connecting TV antenna to the tuner card Note: When purchasing a tuner card, make sure you acquire one that provides the correct TV system (NTSC or PAL) for your region. Connecting the capture or tuner card to the sound card Most capture and tuner cards only allow video capture. To preview the audio from your video device or TV and to capture the audio into your computer, you need to connect the audio output of the capture or tuner card to the sound card's Line In port. The required cables for connecting to the sound card are different for each type of video source: Line-in and audio cables for S-Video S-Video connection 22 ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE Line-in and audio cables for Composite video Composite video connection Line-in cable for TV tuner card TV tuner connection Line-in cable for high-end TV capture card High-end TV capture card connection ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE 23 Checking the hardware setup After connecting your analog source to the capture or tuner card, check if the card is detected by your Windows system. To check if the capture or tuner card is detected: 1. If you are using a video device such as a camcorder as your source, insert your videotape into the video device and switch it on. Make sure it is in the playback mode (usually named VTR or VCR). See your machine's manual for specific instructions. 2. Open the Control Panel, then open System: Hardware Device Manager. 3. In the Device Manager, doubleclick Sound, video and game controllers. Check if your capture or tuner card is listed in this folder. 4. If your capture or tuner card has been detected properly, it will be listed as a source device in VideoStudio's Options Panel. In VideoStudio, select the Capture Step and check if your capture or tuner card is displayed under the Source list in the Options Panel. Note: If your capture device supports multiple video sources, the Video and Audio Capture Property Settings dialog box allows you to select your desired video source such as Composite, Tuner, or S-Video. Likewise, if you have multiple audio sources, this dialog box allows you to select your desired audio source. (See "Video and Audio Capture Property Settings" on page 157). 24 ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE USB camera To capture live video and still images from a USB camera, connect the camera to an available USB port on your computer. USB ports Connecting a USB camera USB cameras may require installation of a device driver, depending on the Windows version you are using. For information on how to install your USB camera, refer to its accompanying manual. After properly installing your USB camera, check if it is detected by your Windows system. To check if the USB camera is detected: 1. Open the Control Panel, then open System: Hardware Device Manager. 2. In the Device Manager, doubleclick Imaging devices. Check if your USB camera is listed in this folder. 3. If your USB camera has been detected properly, it will be listed as a source device in VideoStudio's Options Panel. In VideoStudio, select the Capture Step and check if your USB camera is displayed under the Source list in the Options Panel. ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE 25 Preparation for video capturing and editing Capturing and video editing are tasks that require a lot of computer resources. Your computer must be properly set up to ensure successful capturing and smooth video editing. Below are some tips on how to prepare your digital camcorder and optimize your computer for capturing and editing. · For better workability of batch capture and camcorder device control, correct timecode on the DV tape is a must. To do this, before shooting your video, use the standard playback (SP) mode and shoot a blank video (for example, leaving the lens cover on while recording) without interruption from start to end of a tape. · It is recommended that you close all other applications when working with VideoStudio. You should also turn off any automatically-launched software like screen savers to avoid possible interruptions while capturing. · If you have two hard drives in your system, it is recommended that you install VideoStudio to your system drive (usually C:) and store captured videos in your other drive (usually D:). The choice of what hard disk to use is also crucial. Using a dedicated video hard drive, preferably with Ultra-DMA/66 7200 rpm and 30GB free space, is recommended. · Make sure DMA is enabled for your hard disk. (See "Enabling DMA for IDE disks" on page 173). · Disable Write-Behind Caching on the hard drive used for video capture. (See "Disabling Write-Behind Caching" on page 176). · Increase the Paging File (Swap File) size to twice your amount of RAM. (See "Setting the Paging File size" on page 179). 26 ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE Getting started When you run VideoStudio, a startup screen appears which allows you to choose between two modes of video editing: · VideoStudio Movie Wizard is ideal for users who are new to video editing. It guides you through the movie production process in three quick, easy steps. · VideoStudio Editor gives you the full editing features of VideoStudio. It provides you total control over the movie production process, from adding clips, titles, effects, overlays, and music to making the final movie on disc or other medium. VideoStudio Movie Wizard If you are new to video editing or you want to quickly make a movie, you can use the VideoStudio Movie Wizard to assemble video clips and images, add background music and titles, then output the final movie as a video file, burn it onto a disc, or further edit the movie in VideoStudio Editor. Step 1: Add video and images Assemble your video and images into a movie. To add video and images: 1. If you have not captured any video footage or images into your computer yet, click the Capture tab and capture. (See "To capture video and images:" on page 28). 2. Use these buttons to collect video and images for your movie. ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE 27 Click Insert Video to add video files of different formats such as AVI, MPEG, and, WMV. Click Insert Image to add still images. (You can create a photo slideshow if you choose to only add images.) Click Insert DVD/DVD-VR to add video from a DVDVideo or DVD-VR formatted disc. Tip: Click Library to open the media library that contains media clips that come with VideoStudio. To import your own video or image files to the Library, click . 3. If you selected multiple clips, the Change Clip Sequence dialog box will appear where you can arrange the order of the clips. Drag the clips to the desired sequence then click OK. 4. The video and image clips that you selected for your movie will be added to the Media Clip List. 28 ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE Tip: You can also arrange clips in the Media Clip List by dragging them to the desired sequence. 5. To preview the clips, select each clip in the Media Clip List and use the Jog Bar and Navigation Panel buttons. When trimming a clip, drag the Mark-in and Mark-out handles on the Trim Bar to select the desired start and end points of the clip. 6. Click Auto Edit Options. In the Auto Edit Options dialog box, select Split by scene to automatically split lengthy video clips into smaller clips based on their shooting dates and times. Select Auto-trim each clip if you want the wizard to analyze individual clips based on video properties such as color and lighting, and automatically remove poorly-shot scenes. Clips that have long audio pauses in between scenes (such as pauses in between dialogues) will also be segmented into smaller clips so that they can be blended smoothly to the background music's beat and tempo. This option is only available when Split by scene is selected. 7. Click Next. To capture video and images: 1. Connect your camcorder to your computer and turn on the device. Set it to Play (or VTR / VCR) mode. 2. Check if your camcorder is selected in the Source list. 3. Click the Capture tab in the VideoStudio Movie Wizard. ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE 29 4. Select the video file format to use for saving captured video files from the Format list. Specify the Capture folder in which to save the files. Note: Click Options to customize capture settings specific to your video device. For details, see "Capturing video" on page 51. 5. Play the videotape in your camcorder, and position the tape on the part of the video where to start capturing. Tip: If you are capturing video from a DV camcorder, use the Navigation Panel to play your videotape. 6. Click Capture Video to start capturing. Click Stop Capture or press [Esc] to stop capturing. 7. To capture a still image from the video footage, pause the video on the desired image then click Capture Image. Step 2: Select a template Select a style template to apply to your movie. Each template provides a different theme which comes with preset start and ending video clips, transitions, title and background music. To apply a style template: 1. Select a template from the Style template list. 30 ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE 2. To customize the overall length of your movie, click . In the Duration dialog box, select how you want the movie duration to be adjusted: · Fit to video duration: Keeps the current movie duration. · Fit to background music: Adjusts the movie duration to fit into the length of the background music. (The background music is added to your movie in the second step of the Movie Wizard.) · Specify duration: Lets you define a custom duration for the whole movie. 3. Click to view more options. ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE 31 4. To replace the background music, click the desired music file. . Locate and select Note: Make sure that your background music is 30 seconds or longer if you want to fit the video to the music. If the music duration is less than 30 seconds, the music will not be looped leaving the remaining video without any background music. 5. Use the Volume slider to adjust the volume of the background music with respect to the video's audio. Dragging the slider to the left increases the volume of the background music and decreases the volume of the video's audio. 6. To replace the title, first select the preset title from the Title list. Double-click the preset text in the Preview Window, then type in your text. 32 ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE 7. Click to change text formatting. In the Text Properties dialog box, select a font type, size and color for the text, and set the desired shadow color and transparency. 8. Click Next. Note: If you opened the VideoStudio Wizard within VideoStudio Editor, clicking Next will skip the last step and directly insert the clips onto the Timeline in the VideoStudio Editor. Step 3: Finish Select how to output the final movie: Click Create Video File to output your movie as a video file that can be played back on the computer. Click Create Disc to burn your movie onto a disc. (For details, see "Burning a DVD, VCD or SVCD" on page 116). Click Edit in Ulead VideoStudio Editor to make further edits to your movie using VideoStudio Editor. ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE 33 VideoStudio Editor VideoStudio Editor provides a step-by-step workflow that makes creating movies simple and easy. This section introduces you to the VideoStudio Editor interface and briefly explains the steps involved in creating a movie. Refer to the succeeding chapters for more in-depth information on each step. The user interface 1 Step Panel Contains buttons that correspond to the different steps in video editing. 2 Menu Bar Contains menus that provide different set of commands. 3 Options Panel Contains controls, buttons, and other information that you can use to customize the settings of the selected clip. The contents of this panel change depending on the step you are in. 4 Preview Window Shows the current clip, video filter, effect, or title. 34 ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE 5 Navigation Panel Provides buttons for playback and for precision trimming of clips. In the Capture Step, this also acts as the device control for the DV camcorder. 6 Library Stores and organizes all of your media clips. 7 Timeline Displays all the clips, titles, and effects included in your project. The Step Panel VideoStudio simplifies the process of creating movies into seven simple steps. Click the buttons in the Step Panel to switch between steps. Once a project is opened in VideoStudio, video can be recorded directly to your computer's hard disk in the Capture Step. Footage from a videotape can be captured as a single file or automatically divided into multiple files. This step allows you to capture video and still images. (See "Capture" on page 49). The Edit Step and the Timeline are the heart of VideoStudio. This is where you arrange, edit, and trim your video clips. Video filters can also be applied to your video clips in this step. (See "Edit" on page 64). The Effect Step lets you add transitions between video clips in your project. Choose from the variety of transition effects in the Library. (See "Effect" on page 81). The Overlay Step allows you to superimpose one clip over another to create a picture-inpicture effect. (See "Overlay" on page 87). ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE 35 No movie would be complete without opening titles, captions and closing credits. In the Title Step, you can create animated text titles or choose from various presets in the Library. (See "Title" on page 94). Background music sets the mood of your movie. The Audio Step lets you select and record music files from one or several CD-ROM drives attached to your computer. You can also dub over your video in this step. (See "Audio" on page 103). When your movie is complete, you can create a video file for sharing on the Web or output the movie on tape, DVD, or CD in the Share Step. (See "Share" on page 112). Note: These steps do not necessarily need to be followed in the order that they are presented. The Menu Bar The Menu Bar provides various commands for customizing VideoStudio, opening and saving movie projects, working with individual clips, and more. For details on each command, see "Appendix A: Menus and dialog boxes" on page 134. 36 ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE The Options Panel The Options Panel changes depending on the program's mode and the step or track you are working on. The Options Panel may contain one or two tabs. The controls and options in each tab vary, depending on the selected clip. See the Options Panel sections in the succeeding chapters for details. The Navigation Panel The Navigation Panel is used to preview and edit the clips used in your project. Use the Navigation Controls to move around a selected clip or your project. Use the Trim Bar and Jog Bar to edit your clips. When capturing video from a DV camcorder, the Navigation Controls are used for device control. Use these buttons to control your DV camcorder or any other DV device. (See "Controlling the DV camcorder with the Navigation Panel" on page 54). 1 Play Mode Select whether you want to preview your project or only the selected clip. 2 Play Plays, pauses or resumes the current project or a selected clip. ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE 37 3 Home Returns to the starting frame. 5 Next Moves to the next frame. 7 Repeat Loops playback. 4 Previous Moves to the previous frame. 6 End Moves to the end frame. 8 System Volume Click and drag the slider to adjust the volume of your computer's speakers. 10 Mark-in/out Use these buttons to set a preview range in the project, or to mark the start and end points where to trim a clip. 12 Jog Bar Allows you to scrub through the project or clip. 14 Enlarge Preview Window Click to increase the size of the Preview Window. You can only preview, not edit, your clips when the Preview Window is enlarged. 9 Timecode Allows you to directly jump to a part of your project or selected clip by specifying the exact timecode. 11 Trim Bar Allows you to set a preview range in the project or trim a clip. 13 Split Video Cuts the selected clip into two. Position the Jog Bar to where you want the first clip to end and the second one to start, then click this button. The project timeline The project timeline at the lower part of the VideoStudio Editor window is where you assemble your movie project. There are three types of views for displaying the project timeline: Storyboard, Timeline, and Audio View. Click the buttons at the left side of the project timeline to switch between different views. 38 ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE Storyboard View Storyboard View is the fastest and simplest way to add video clips to your movie. Each thumbnail in the storyboard represents an event in your movie, an event being a video clip or a transition. Thumbnails show at a glance the chronological order of events in your project. The duration of each clip is shown at the bottom of each thumbnail. You can drag and drop video clips to insert and arrange them. Transition effects can be inserted between video clips. A selected video clip can be trimmed in the Preview Window. (See "Trimming a clip" on page 69). Click Enlarge to maximize the storyboard display. With a larger workspace, you can arrange video clips and apply transitions more easily. Furthermore, there is a small screen at the bottom of the window where you can preview clips. ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE 39 Timeline View Timeline View gives you the most comprehensive display of the elements in your movie project. It divides a project into separate tracks for video, overlay, title, voice, and music. Timeline View allows you to perform frame-accurate editing of your clips. 1 Track buttons 2 Video Track Click the buttons to switch between Contains video/image/color clips the different tracks. and transitions. 3 Overlay Track Contains overlay clips, which can be video, image or color clips. 5 Voice Track Contains voiceover clips. 4 Title Track Contains title clips. 6 Music Track Contains music clips recorded from audio CDs or acquired from Auto Music's Library. 8 Project scroll controls Use the left and right buttons or drag the Scroll Bar to move around your project. 10 Selected range This color bar represents the trimmed or selected part of a clip or project. 7 Insert media files Displays a menu allowing you to place video, audio or image clips directly on the project. 9 Timeline ruler Displays the project's timecode increments in hours:minutes: seconds.frames, which helps you determine clip and project length 40 ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE 12 Fit project in Timeline window 11 Zoom controls Fits the whole project within the Increase or decrease the number Timeline window. of frames displayed in the Timeline. 13 Zoom to Allows you to change the timecode increments in the Timeline ruler. To switch to different tracks: · Click a Step button in the Step Panel that corresponds to the track. · Click the Track buttons. · Double-click the desired track, or click a clip on the track. Tip: If you have a wheel mouse, its scroll wheel can be used to scroll through the Timeline. Audio View Audio View allows you to visually adjust the volume levels of video, voice and music clips. Clips that contain audio are displayed with a volume rubber band that you can click and drag to adjust their volume. For details, see "Volume rubber banding" on page 110. ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE 41 In Audio View, the Options Panel also displays the Audio Mixing Panel that can be used to adjust the volume levels of the Video, Overlay, Voice, and Music Tracks. For details, see "Using the Audio Mixing Panel" on page 109. The Library The Library is a storage depot for everything you need to create a movie: video clips, video filters, audio clips, still images, transition effects, music files, titles and color clips. These are collectively known as media clips. To add media clips to the Library: 1. Click Load media to open a dialog box for locating the media clip to insert in the Library. Load media allows you to locate the clip you want to add to the Library. 2. Select the desired file. 3. Click Open when you are finished. Note: You can also drag and drop files from Windows Explorer straight to the Library. 42 ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE Right-click a clip in the Library to view the clip's properties as well as copy, delete, or split by scene. Hold [Ctrl] or [Shift] to select multiple clips. To delete media clips from the Library: 1. Select the clip to remove from the Library, then press [Delete]. Or, Right-click the clip in the Library and select Delete. 2. When prompted, verify whether you also want to delete the source file from your hard disk. Note: Deleting source files from your hard disk permanently removes them from your computer. You may not be able to recover them. ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE 43 Sorting clips in the Library To arrange clips in the Library, click in the Library to open the Options menu, then select Sort by Name or Sort by Date. The way video clips are sorted by date depends on the file format. DV AVI files (i.e., AVI files captured from DV camcorders) will be arranged by order of the shooting date and time of the footage. Other video file formats will be sorted by order of file date. Notes: · You can also right-click on the Library then select the desired sorting type in the Sort By submenu. · To toggle between ascending and descending order, select Sort by Name or Sort by Date again. Library Manager The Library Manager organizes your custom Library folders. These folders help you store and manage all kinds of media files. To use the Library Manager: 1. Click Tools: Library Manager to launch the Library Manager dialog box. You can also click the Folder arrow and select Library Manager from the drop-down list. The Folder arrow button 44 ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE 2. Select a media type from the Available custom folders list. 3. Click New to display the New Custom Folder dialog box and create a new folder. Specify a library Folder name and a Description. Click OK. Click Edit to rename or modify the description of a selected custom folder. Click Delete to remove a selected custom folder from the Library. 4. Click Close. Starting a new movie project When you run VideoStudio, it automatically opens a new project and lets you start composing your movie production. A new project always uses VideoStudio's default settings. To check what these settings are, click File: Project Properties. Project settings determine how your movie project is rendered when you preview it. Rendering is the process by which VideoStudio converts raw video, titles, sounds, and effects into a continuous stream of data which can be played back in your computer. You can modify the project settings in the Project Properties dialog box. For details, see "Project Properties" on page 153. When you capture or insert your first video clip into the project, VideoStudio automatically checks the properties of the clip and your project. If properties such as file format, frame size, etc. are ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE 45 not identical, VideoStudio automatically adjusts the project settings to match the clip's properties. Changing the project settings to conform with clip properties allows VideoStudio to perform the SmartRender function. For information on SmartRender, see "SmartRender Technology" on page 171. Tip: To toggle between displaying or not displaying the above message box, select or clear Show message when inserting first video clip into the Timeline in the Preferences dialog box. Saving your project While composing your movie project, select File: Save [Ctrl + S] to frequently save your project and avoid accidental loss of your work. VideoStudio project files are saved in .VSP file format. To open an existing project, select File: Open Project [Ctrl + O]. To create a new project again, select File: New Project [Ctrl + N]. 46 ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE Setting your preferences Customize the program's working environment through the Preferences dialog box. You can specify a working folder for saving files, set undo levels, choose preferred settings for program behavior, and more. To open the Preferences dialog box, select File: Preferences [F6]. For details, see "Preferences: File menu" on page 145. Setting project properties Project Properties serve as your template for previewing your movie projects. The project settings in the Project Properties dialog box determine the appearance and quality of a project when it is previewed on-screen. To customize project settings, select File: Project Properties. When customizing project settings, it is recommended that you make the settings the same as the attributes of the video footage that will be captured to avoid distorting the video images and have smooth playback without jumping frames. When you customize project properties to be the same as the desired output settings for your project (for instance, setting project properties to DVD settings if you will output the project to a DVD disc), you can have more accurate previews of your final movie. ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE 47 Adding clips There are three ways you can do to add clips to your project: · Capture video clips from a video source. The video clips will be inserted onto the Video Track. · Drag clips from the Library onto the correct tracks. · Click to directly insert media files to the different tracks. Previewing The Play button in the Navigation Panel serves two purposes: for playback of your entire project or a selected clip. To play back, click Project or Clip, then click Play. While working on your project, you will want to preview your work frequently to see how your project is progressing. VideoStudio offers you two preview options: Instant Playback and High Quality Playback. Select File: Preferences - General, then choose the preview method that you prefer. Instant Playback allows you to quickly preview changes in your project without the need to create a temporary preview file, however, playback may be jerky depending on your computer resources. High Quality Playback renders your project as a temporary preview file then plays this preview file. Playback is smoother in High Quality Playback mode, but rendering your project for the first time in this mode may take a long time to complete depending on the size of your project and computer resources. 48 ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE Note: When Perform non-square pixel rendering is selected in the Project Options dialog box (opened from Project Properties dialog box), Instant Playback performance may be affected if computer resources are insufficient. In High Quality Playback mode, VideoStudio uses SmartRender technology which renders only the changes you made such as transitions, titles and effects, and eliminates re-rendering the entire project. SmartRender saves time when generating previews. Setting a preview range For faster previews, you may choose to play only a part of your project. The selected range of frames to preview is referred to as the preview range, and it is marked as a red bar in the Ruler Panel. To play the preview area only: 1. Use the Trim Bar or the Mark-in/out buttons to select the preview range. The Preview range mark-in and Preview range mark-out timecodes will then be displayed in the Options Panel. 2. To preview the selected range of frames, hold [Shift], select what you want to preview (Project or Clip), then click Play. ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE 49 Capture The bulk of video work involves working with raw footage. Transferring footage from a source device to the computer involves a process called capturing. When capturing, video data is transferred from a source (usually a video camera) through a capture card to the computer's hard drive. Seamless DV and MPEG capture VideoStudio runs on Windows operating systems and is subject to limitations in file size when capturing or rendering video. VideoStudio automatically performs seamless capture, saving video into a new file every time the maximum allowable file size for a single video file has been reached. Seamless capture will be performed only when capturing DV Type-1 or DV Type-2 (from DV camcorder), or when capturing MPEG video (from DV camcorder or analog capture device). The maximum captured file size per video file is 4 GB in Windows operating systems (such as Windows 98 SE and Me) that use the FAT 32 partition file system. Captured video data in excess of 4 GB are automatically saved to a new file. In Windows 2000 and Windows XP which can use the NTFS file system, there is no limit in the captured file size. Seamless capture is not available in VFW (Video For Windows) capture. 50 ULEAD VIDEOSTUDIO USER GUIDE Note: VideoStudio automatically detects your file system and performs seamless capture only in a FAT 32 partition file system. The Capture Step Options Panel The Capture Step Options Panel consists of two tabs. The Capture Settings tab allows you to switch between video sources to capture from, customize capture settings, and capture video or still images. The Batch Capture tab allows you to select segments of video from a digital camcorder then capture them all at once. Capture Settings tab · · Duration: Sets the length of time for the capture. Source: Displays the detected capture device and lists other capture devices installed in your computer. Format: Where you select a file format for saving your captured video. Split by scene: Automatically separates captured video into several files based on changes in shooting date and time. (This feature can be used only when capturing video from a DV camcorder.) Capture folder: Where a copy of your captured file is saved. Options: Displays a menu allowing you to modify your capture settings. Capture Video: Transfers video from your source to your hard disk. Capture Image: Captures the displayed video frame as an image. Enable Audio Preview: Allows you to preview audio on the computer while capturing DV. If the audio sounds choppy, there may be a problem with previewing audio on your computer during DV capture. This does not affect the audio capture quality. If this happens, click Disable Audio Preview to mute the audio while capturing. · · · · · · ·