Crime Scene Detective needs advice

[thedinger]

I am looking to produce a short video clip for a trial we have coming involving an officer who was killed in the line of duty during a car chase.

I have made a video clip from a CAD(computer aided drawing) program showing the pursuit using modeled vehicles over a google earth type map. I would like to add audio clips of the radio transmissions to the clip and also show a zoomed in and following the cars shot rather than the overall scene which is a bit large and the cars are a little too small. Any advice on software I could use starting with ease of use first.

Thanks

[edDV]

What software are you using?
What are the file formats?

[thedinger]

The animator built into the cad program saves the frames as jpegs or BMP's. The scene right now is about 3500 jpegs.

[thedinger]

the software is called crashzone

[nTekka]

You might want to try VirtualDub, it will import image sequences (JPG or BMP). Add a wave audio, then do a re-encode to the codec of your choice in AVI format. Couldn't be easier to use than that, plus this program is pretty flexible with a big community and best of all FREE.

[edDV]

Do you have an edit program (e.g. Adobe Premiere)? You need to import the frames to edit as video. The edit program will add the presentation zoom and enhance features but they aren't easy to learn. If this is a one off, hire a skilled freelance video editor. Don't lose the evidence trail. Their edit expert will try to show manipulation.

PS: I agree Virtualdub is an option. The major point is the defense will demand custody of evidence and you must proove that each presentation step relates to the original frames.

[Cornucopia]

Don't know what apps you have available, but even Quicktime (Pro) can import a picture sequence and export to video file.

AFA syncing up audio, you'd want to use a decent video editor (unfortunately, syncing audio in the above-mentioned Virtualdub would be a crapshoot). Tell us what other multimedia software you've got available...

What you've got isn't so much "evidence" as it is "compelling scientific re-enactment" for expert witness testimony (and therefore, is probably work product), but it's a good thing to keep copies of all stages, documenting everything (people involved, places, times, tools used...).

I used to do business with a forensics company in Central. IL, assisting in providing renders such as that.

Scott

[thedinger]

I have access to power director and ulead. We're not worried about the chain of custody issue, it is just an illustration hopefully keyframed to the radion transmissions to give us an accurate time/location sequence.

[thedinger]

NO I have not used either as of yet, whic is why ease of use and maybe keypoints would be a great help. Thanks all for your responses

[adam]

Hello, thedinger. I'm a prosecutor and I can tell you what I'd like to use in court... Rather than have two videos, one global and one zoomed, or a video that zooms in and out, I think it would work best if you showed the global map filling the "screen" and then had a smaller window in the corner showing the closeup version. You ever seen picture in picture on a tv? Like that. All of our agencies are starting to use the software to do this with their dash videos (its all automatic though) and it's about the only thing that keeps the jury awake in a DWI trial.

But... have you checked with an investigator at your DA office yet because they may be better equipped to do this on their own? You may just create the video in both perspectives and then forward it to an investigator and let them edit it how the prosecutor wants.

Its nice to see a detective going the extra mile. I can understand why you'd do that on this case.

[thedinger]

Does anyone know of software that can do the zoomed in view that follows the action?

[Bjs]

A complicated project , but what version of ulead ?

Wax2 is able to handle such projects , but would take time to get accurate timings ... Ive done a few similar projects in the past two years .

[thedinger]

Ulead 11

[thedinger]

we have the video done synchronized with the sound now. The zoomed in view is what I don't know how to do.

[Cornucopia]

By Zoomed View, do you mean a zoom in from the same global view, or a zoom of another angle/image?

Make 2 layers (either a duplicate (if same image) or not (if not)). Apply both a P.I.P. effect (could also be called a "box-wipe" or some other names--just don't animate the wipe; leave it at "mid"-type position), and also apply a Zoom or "Enlarge" or "Image Resize" (whatever it's called in your app of choice) effect to the 2nd/Upper layer. Render a mix of both layers.

Scott

[thedinger]

The problem is how do I get the zoomed view to follow the cars smoothly around the map? Thanks

[Cornucopia]

Make Keyframes (where the zoom level and position is "locked" at that specific point) for Important segments, and have smooth ramps between (Ease-In/East-Out). Often it is best to work from Destination to Origination.

Scott