Cropping top, bottom or sides of video

[drtalk]

I've been scanning through a lot of the threads here...GOD you guys know your stuff!!! I thought I was pretty well versed in video editing and such...until I read your responses!

Ok, here's where I need help. I've gone ahead and downloaded VirtualDub. It kinda ends there. I'm finding it VERY intimidating and don't really know how to do what I want. All of the available filters look great, but I just don't know how to use them. This is what I'm working on now and need some help: I have a video of a TV show I recorded using my DVD recorder. I've ripped it into my computer and have converted it to both MPEG2 & AVI to save time in the event one format is preferable to the other. Both formats look great and are good quality. The program runs just a little over 2 hours and I want to crop the bottom of the screen. It has that "ticker-tape" type of bar along the bottom that shows sports scores in a continuous loop...like what CNN uses. This video is something of a keep-sake for me and want it just right. Thus, I obviously want to get rid of that bottom bar on the screen as it's simply annoying and just ruins the video. It would seem to me that there should be a simple procedure to accomplish this. I don't mind if this entails giving it the 16:9 wide screen look with black bars on the top and bottom or even out right changing the aspect ratio (if this would work).

I'm pretty much at a loss at this point. Trying to make sense of some of the tutorials is proving to be very difficult to follow. Can someone please help me?

The 2nd thing I am having difficulty with (another project) is removing a logo with the consideration of adding a new logo. I'm also toying with the idea of adding the option of having subtitles on or off at user's choice on the final DVD. These would be subtitles I would have to add manually as the source is without subtitles. Again, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance guys! Please try to keep your responses as simple as possible. I'm used to working with Sony software like Vegas & Sound Forge, Pinnacle Studio 10, Arcsoft Showbiz DVD and TMPENG pro.

[MOVIEGEEK]

Use TMPGEnc ->Setting->Advanced->Clip Frame:





Removing a logo and replacing with another is as simple as using an overlay which most NLE's have.
Adding subtitles are a bit trickier but there are guides to the left.
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/guides/subremoval/default.htm

[hech54]

In VirtualDub....
Video
Filters
Add
*just add SHARPEN but don't actually sharpen. This will open the CROPPING and CONFIGURE boxes when SHARPEN is highlighted in the FILTERS box.
Crop out the top, bottom or whatever....then I usually make it an even/equal crop on all 4 sides.
Then I add the RESIZE filter to correct the crop.

There might be an easier way to enable the CROPPING option but hey...this is how I get rid of the squiggly overscan lines from my DVD Recorder created video material.

[redwudz]

You can add the 'null transform' filter in VirtualDub, which does nothing, but it will let you access the cropping feature.

[hech54]

Ahh....I see said the blind man.
Thank You...

[drtalk]

Thanks to Moviegeek, hech54 & the all knowing redwudz! I really do enjoy using my Tsunami MPEG DVD Author Pro, and their other software looks very good too. But, if I'm not mistaken, I believe at some point, someone told me there was a free version of TMPGEnc. I checked the website and you can download either the retail version or a limited trial version. The price is reasonable, however I've spent a lot on video/audio software and wonder when it's going to end.

For the record, I was doing a little experimenting with Studio 10.7 that came with my Pinnacle capture device, and found that you can apply a filter that allows you to crop one or all 4 sides of your footage very nicely. I cropped the top and bottom of the file and it worked. It simply gave it that 16:9 look. It renders (I believe that's what it's doing) in real time as you can see the green time line bar gradually get brighter as it moves along. I saved it as a project file since I'm not too sure how to create a DVD with titles and such yet. It also helps that if you're using a large file to split the file into 20 minute segments. This was done by default in my case using Total Video Converter.

So I guess it's back to more trial and error! Thanks for the tips guys!

[yoda313]

Just a note about removing logos - it isn't a perfect process. You'll be left with a smudgy watery mark after its gone. It'll be almost unbearable to watch if its a large moving logo. Those are the worst. And the time it takes to process it almost makes it not worth it - at least to me.

I can't comment about adding a personal logo as I've never done that so I really don't know.

Good luck with your project.

Also - don't be afraid to try the delogo stuff but just be prepared for results that might not be what you want.

[MOVIEGEEK]

Here's the link to the old(and IMO best) version of TMPGEnc:
http://www.tmpgenc.net/en/e_download.html

[drtalk]

Thanks a million guys. In case you're interested, or someone else reads this and needs the same help, I've been playing around with Studio 10.7 exhaustively and I think I have this down to a science now...thank God! It's a simple procedure where you add an overlay filter, the one that pops up is the option to add PIP. Simply select "Full Screen". You will then be able to manually drag the border lines to wherever you want. This does NOT squeeze the picture as anticipated! Second, select "Scale" and resize the video to whatever you want. I also discovered there are filters and effects that will give you 16:9 in one simple step. It's turning out that Studio 10.7 is WAAAAAAY better than I thought it was now that I've taken the time to play around with it. I highly recommend this program based on it's ease of use, and incredible amount of filters, effects, chroma keying, sound effect, music beds, etc. It's just loaded with really very good material.

In regards to logo removing, I stumbled upon an online tutorial at some obscure site (I should have book marked it because now I don't remember it) that did a goof job of explaining the process and the various ways to do it. But as yoda313 stated, you're left with artifacts that esthetically do not appeal to anyone. I'm quite sure that there is some form of professional hardware/software that television broadcasters use that can do the trick in no time flat, but I can imagine the price. It's just not worth it.

The only thing I need to look into now is tweaking the settings in Studio 10 or other means, to give a boost in quality. I know the saying..."Garbage in...garbage out". But there are some minor things you can adjust to clean up the picture. Sometimes it's only a matter of increasing the sharpness to give the illusion of slightly higher resolution. So increasing quality, if possible, is what I'm after now. If you have any thoughts or ideas, please let me know!

Thanks again all!