[SOLVED] [VSDC] Keeping only parts of a video track?

[yetanotherlogin]

Hello,

I'm getting started with VSDC and am not clear at how to edit a video track so that only remain the parts I do want. VSDC only provides a PDF with its Pro version, not even online help through F1, which doesn't help.

Youtube videos seem to mean that the way to do it is to actually start by removing the parts I don't want. A bit counter-intuitive. I'm more familiar with Vegas' way, which is to open the file in the trimmer, select a part I want, copy/paste it onto the video track, etc.

Is the following the VSDC way?

1. Drag 'n drop the video file onto the video track
2. Move the cursor, split, repeat
3. Once done, select (how?) a part you want to remove, delete, let VSDC slide the video track to the left
4. Repeat

?

Incidently, how are the two tools named?

Thank you.

[yetanotherlogin]

Through trial and error, I found the (an?) answer:

1. Click on the video track (layer) IMPORTANT!
2. Move the cursor (the red, vertical line) where you want the part to start
3. CTRL+K to split
4. Move the cursor where you want the part to end
5. CTRL+K to split
6. Click elsewhere to remove the focus from the video layer IMPORTANT!
7. Drag and drop the part to a new layer below
8. Repeat for other parts you want to extract from the original, full video.

As cutting/pasting doesn't work, the only way I found to move and join the split parts to the beginning of the second layer is by…

1. zooming out to the max
2. drag and dropping parts around
3. SHIFT+clicking them
4. moving the whole thing to the beginning of the layer/track.

Finally, delete the original layer where the full video used to be, and export the project with just the layer where the split parts are now located.

I'm still looking for keyboard shortcuts to fastforward/rewind. Neither CTRL/SHIFT/ALT+left/right arrow works. Hard to believe there aren't any more than those:
http://www.videosoftdev.com/news/audio-filteres-3d-charts

BTW, the object at the bottom in the screenshot is called the "work area". At this point, I don't know what it's for and how to use it.

[yetanotherlogin]

Turns out VSDC creates a whopping 242MB file for just a 5mn, MP4, 720p HD file

Also, it doesn't seem to support keyboard shortcuts to move around (eg. jump forward/backward 1sec/10sec/1min, etc.), and doesn't let the user jump to a specific point by typing a timestamp.

I assume those basic features are only available in the Pro version. Besides being free, the only advantage I see compared to Sony Vegas is that it starts faster and seems to use less RAM to run.

[yetanotherlogin]

A free, albeit a bit less convenient, alternative to a commercial NLE like Vegas is using AviDemux to slice parts of a video, and reassemble them into a single file:

1. Launch AviDemux, and open the full input file
2. Select one slice
3. Export, re-encoding if not sliced at keyframes
4. Repeat for all the parts you want to extract
5. Close the original file
6. Open the first slice
7. File > Append the next slice
8. Repeat
9. Save the whole thing as copy (no re-encoding necessary, since all the slices were encoded with the same settings)

Experts might know of a way to automate part of this (Tools > Scripting Shell? avsproxy?).

If you start from scratch instead of going through a list of slices with time points — in which case, removing parts messes with your list of groceries —, an easier alternative is to use the A/B buttons to select and remove parts you do not want, ignoring tne "The end point of the deletion is not on a keyframe. Video saved in copy mode will be corrupted at this point" message if applicable, and re-encode the edited file.