how do I add a video to a background?

[ikarus2010]

I'm totally new in this video editing hobby, and don't know if I have the right terminology so I apologize in advance for that.

I have an avi file that my friend sent me that he wants me to translate and embed the subtitles in the video so that different family members of his can watch.

The video he sent me is a very small video (according to gspot, the dimensions are 288x202). I created the subtitle file but no matter how big i make the subtitles (.ass file being edited on aegisub), the subtitles remain very tiny and they are not so easy to read.

In the past I have seen videos where somebody actually puts a background, and the small video is part of the larger video, like the image below.


So on the pic above, the TV is just a background and the video plays, and in this specific video, the idea is that the video is playing on the image of the tv, if that makes sense. I don't care for the tv...I just want the video to be imposed on a larger background so that the subtitles are not limited in size. Or in other words, the smaller video, would be used to create a larger video....

So the question is....what tool would I use to accomplish this, and what type of tutorial would i have to search to teach myself how to do this type of editing? My problem is that I don't know what this technique is called and I've been searching and searching on google, but I can't seem to find anything on this subject, and I know is because I'm not describing the right technique.

thanks in advance!

[guns1inger]

Simplest would be virtualdub. You can use the resize filter to do two things. First, slightly increase the size of the video. What you have now is literally a postage stamp, and is going to be dwarfed by the subtitles. If you can increase the size, even by 15 - 20 %, then you are better off. Next, you can add borders (in the same filter, at the same time) to increase the overall resolution of the video. In virtualdub these will be a single colour, not actual video, but frankly I believe that is better and less distracting than having some unrelated film running by in the background.

[ikarus2010]

yes...that would work...adding borders; i just didn't know what can be/could be done and the only thing i could think of, was what I've seen before; the video is already very grainy and as the video is a lecture, what really matters to them are the subtitles because the video itself is just one person speaking the whole time and somebody in the audience asking quiestions.

Thanks for the tip,

will give it a try.

[pepegot1]

VideoStudio Pro x3-it's a piece of cake-just overlay and resize, locate on the overlay track. Place background on main track. You can add subtitles