A Wish for Video Editting

[moviebuff2]

Hello:

In audio, there are many softwares that allow dividing an audio file (wave) into several parts. Each part can be editted - de-clicked, de-noised, equalized, stereo imaging, etc. - independently from the others. After being editted, the original wave file can be saved as just one audio file as if it were never divided.

I wonder if there are any softwares in video which would allow a similar editting?

Thanks

[guns1inger]

To do what, exactly ? Any editing software of any worth allows you to cut a video into pieces, alter those pieces, then produce a finished work that puts it all back together again. I can do this easily with Vegas. I can colour correct or adjust individual scenes or even frames if necessary. I can extract certain scenes, process them in other packages, then drop them back in and keep working.

You can do the same with Premiere, Vegas Movie Studio, Premiere Elements, the Ulead products. You just have to learn your tools of choice.

[Cobra]

If you are careful, you could use VirtualDub to do this. You can take an AVI file, cut it into segments, modify each segment as you please using the filters on VirtualDub (modify audio by extracting a WAV file then re-integrating it), and finally use the "Append AVI segment" option to bring them all back together.

[moviebuff2]

Wow! such quick and helpful replies! Thank you.

guns1inger, did you mean that I could divide a video file into several parts, edit each part, and save all these parts as just one video file, without having to save them individually? That's what I was looking for.

As for what I want to edit, these are 2 things I can think of now: color, sound levels. I made an AVI from an old VHS tape of a live performance. The tape itself is old, so part of the video was bad (color fading) and also the original audio set up was not good and many quiet parts were filled with noise.

cobra, I did think of VirtualDubMod. But, as you cautioned me, I am concerned about not being able to put these parts back together due to the differences (changes) made in each of them.

[guns1inger]

Have you never used a non-linear editor before ?

If you have the right filters inside your editor, then yes, you can do it all in one project and output a single clip at the end.

If the restoration is more complex then you might have to save out the scene you need to work on, use virtualdub or avisynth to restore it, then put it back afterwards. You still save out a single video at the end of the day.

What software do you have at the moment, or have oyu used in the past ?

[moviebuff2]

Have you never used a non-linear editor before ?

I have to admit I am lost here?

I am using VirtualDubMod with a lot of filters in it. That's all I have now as for video editing. I am using Windows 98SE. Consequently, I cannot use a lot of new softwares because they were written for WinXP.

[edDV]

...

As for what I want to edit, these are 2 things I can think of now: color, sound levels. I made an AVI from an old VHS tape of a live performance. The tape itself is old, so part of the video was bad (color fading) and also the original audio set up was not good and many quiet parts were filled with noise.
...

The audio problem is due to a cheap camcorder AGC (automatic gain control) hunting for a level. If if can't determine a level, it cranks it wide open causing the noise floor to rise. Such audio is very difficult to correct. Vegas and Sound Forge are as good as any for this. You will need to reverse the gain hunting with keyframes and splined velocity paths. This should be done before applying noise reduction filters or equalization.

AGC should never be used for music. Get a camcorder with manual audio gain and leave it constant.

[moviebuff2]

Hi edDV, thank you for your input.

The tape was made by some "professionals" I hired to tape my graduation piano recital many many years ago. I don't know what kind of media they used to tape the recital. The end product they gave me is an VHS tape (luckily, they did not give me a Beta or I would be stuck! ).

I cannot find the people who taped my recital any more. All I have is an old VHS tape which I have been preserving with utmost care. Regardless of all the precautions I have been taking, the tape degraded over time.

As for sound, I am pretty sure the "professionals" did not use a commercial camcorder with a cheap microphone since I did see some microphones set up near the piano. Nevertheless, the quiet passage was fill with noise and hums.

[edDV]

Hi edDV, thank you for your input.

The tape was made by some "professionals" I hired to tape my graduation piano recital many many years ago. I don't know what kind of media they used to tape the recital. The end product they gave me is an VHS tape (luckily, they did not give me a Beta or I would be stuck! ).

I cannot find the people who taped my recital any more. All I have is an old VHS tape which I have been preserving with utmost care. Regardless of all the precautions I have been taking, the tape degraded over time.

As for sound, I am pretty sure the "professionals" did not use a commercial camcorder with a cheap microphone since I did see some microphones set up near the piano. Nevertheless, the quiet passage was fill with noise and hums.

Well maybe they did the recording correctly but used AGC when dubbing to VHS. This causes the same result. A good VHS dubbing deck will use manual audio gain controls. If you could find the original master tapes, you might find excellent audio.

[thecoalman]

I have to admit I am lost here?

You don't know what you're missing, here's a quick screenshot from my editor. The video was a single video, I simply snipped it at the poin where you see, dragged it to the other track and added a transition in between. Took all but a few seconds. The red arrow you see is a TGA with alpha channel which will give you a transparent background, I alos a apliied a transpanrency to the arrow itself. Also note audio tracks on the bottom, they automatically crossfade as that is how I have the editor set. You can add up to 99 seperate vide tracks. The pieces themselves are unlimited....



The resultant frame:

[moviebuff2]

Hi coalman:

Wow! What's the name of the software? How much does it cost?

Thanks

[thecoalman]

That's Ulead MSP, it's the older version. Probably in the $400 range for the new one. The above example is quite simple and can be accomplished with Ulead Video Studio which is in the $100 range. Download the free trial and give it a try. Should work on a 98 system but you'd have to check.

FYI that red arrow is quite small hence the blockiness on the edges.

[thecoalman]

Here's another quick example... I threw a B&W filter on one of the clips.



This is pretty basic stuff and can be accomplished with any entry level editor. With the higher end ones the only limitations are your imagination. Taking the arrow for example that is a single image which I lengthened on the timeline simply by dragging the end to the length I wanted. You can also apply moving paths if for example you wanted it to move around, set the size... the same can be done with video clips. With a decent editor you can do anything.

[moviebuff2]

Thank you for all your help.

I think I will be able to salvage my recital. Not anything worthy of a Grammy , but a precious souvenir.

[lordsmurf]

I use Adobe Premiere for this sort of NLE work.