Trimming with the Clip Properties Tool

 < Day Day Up > 

Trimming video is the process of removing unwanted frames from the beginning and end of your captured scenes, often referred to as the heads and tails. Since this is probably the most common editing activity, Studio's Clip Properties tool (Figure 7.46), a mechanism for trimming your clips, is accessible in all three Movie window views. See Table 7.1 for a list of the controls that the Clip Properties tool provides.

Figure 7.46. The Clip Properties tool is great for precision trimming of video, still image, and audio files.


Table 7.1. Controls in the Clip Properties Tool

CLIP PROPERTIES

TOOL CONTROLS

Name field

Contains the scene name specified in the Album.

Duration field

Displays the video duration with new start and end frames.

Start Frame Preview window

Displays the currently selected start frame.

End Frame Preview window

Displays the currently selected end frame.

Transport controls

Like the Trim scrubber, can be used to move loadedvideo to any desired frame, or can play back the trimmed clip.

Transport Control counter

Displays the current edit point in the video.

Set Start Frame

Sets the start frame to the current edit point.

Start Frame counter

Displays the current start frame location in standard hours:minutes:seconds.frame format. You can select the desired start frame by entering the time code directly or by adjusting the start frame position using the jog controls at the right.

Set End Frame

Sets the end frame to the current edit point.

End Frame counter

Displays the current end frame location in standard hours:minutes:seconds.frame format. You can select the desired end frame by entering the time code directly or by adjusting the end frame position using the jog controls at the right.

Start Frame Trim caliper

Shows the location of the currently selected start frame; can be dragged to the desired location.

Trim scrubber

Reflects the edit point of the currently loaded video. You can use the scrubber to drag video to any desired frame to set the frame as the start or end frame using the appropriate icon or keyboard command. As you scrub through the video, frames appear in the Player window to the right of the Clip Properties tool, not in the Start or End Frame Preview window. These displays change only as you move the Start and End Frame Trim calipers or the clocks beneath them.

End Frame Trim caliper

Shows the location of the currently selected end frame; can be dragged to the desired location.


You can also trim your videos directly on the Timeline (see "Trimming a Clip on the Timeline," later in this chapter), although generally you have greater precision with the Clip Properties tool.

Planning Your Trimming Activities

Before trimming your clips, consider whether you intend to fade into the first scene, fade out of the final scene, and/or use transitions between the scenes. If you use any of these effects, you need to account for them in your trimming.

Briefly, transitions are animated effects inserted between video scenes either to smooth or emphasize the passage from one clip to the next (for details, see Chapter 8). The most commonly used transition is a cut, which is actually the absence of a transition: the video simply jumps from the last frame of the first clip to the first frame of the second clip. Other frequently used transitions are dissolves, wipes, and fades, which you implement using frames that overlap between two clips.

If you were trimming two clips to be joined by a cut, the end frame for your first video clip would be the last frame you want to appear in the production. Similarly, the start frame for the second video clip would be the initial frame you want visible.

For example, one fun scene for me that I shot during the Fiddler's Convention here in Galax shows my daughters looking at some dodo-bird puppets (Figure 7.47). The visual is key because of the comment my eldest daughter made at the time: "Daddy, can we take these due-due birds home?" This brought a lot of chuckles from those around us.

Figure 7.47. Two seconds can make a huge difference. If I cut into this clip at 7 seconds, 15 frames in, viewers see DODO BIRDS and get the joke. If I transition in using a 2-second transition, the first complete frame viewers see is O BIRDS, and the context of the joke is lost.


Anyway, if I cut from the previous scene into this scene, the frame shown on the left of Figure 7.47, which is located at 7 seconds and 15 frames into the scene, will be the first one shown, so the viewer will understand the visual context of the remark. In contrast, if I transition from the previous scene using Studio's default 2-second transition, the first completely visible frame will be 2 seconds later, shown on the right of Figure 7.47, located at 9 seconds, 15 frames into the clip. As you can see, "DODO BIRDS" is no longer visible (extinct, so to speak), and though the audio is still there, the visual context is lost.

What this boils down to is that you need to leave sufficient frames at the front of the scene so that the target frame becomes the first visible frame after the transition. If you're using 2-second transitions or fades, this means 2 seconds before the target start frame.

Of course, the same approach applies at the end of the scene if you plan to fade out or transition into another scene. Specifically, if you're using a 2-second transition or fade, leave 2 seconds of video after the last frame to be completely visible before the transition or fade.

A similar approach is a good rule to use when shooting and capturing your video in general. Always start shooting 5 to 10 seconds before you think you actually want to start and let the camera roll for a similar duration after the end of the shot. When capturing, always start the capture a few seconds before the target first frame and continue a few seconds after the target last frame to provide the extra footage needed during editing.


To open the Clip Properties tool

  • Do one of the following:

    • Double-click the video you want to trim.

    • Select a clip and click the Camcorder icon at the top left of the Movie window (Figure 7.48).

      Figure 7.48. Click the Camcorder icon to open the Clip Properties tool for video or still images.


    Studio opens the Video toolbox, which contains the Clip Properties tool. If the toolbox doesn't open to the Clip Properties tool, click the Scissors icon at the upper left of the screen to open it.

    If you haven't yet trimmed the clips, the tool opens with the start frame time set to 0:00:00.00 and the end frame time set to the final frame of the clip. If you have trimmed the clip, the values will be those set in the previous session.

To set a new start frame

  • Do one of the following:

    • Click the Start Frame Trim caliper and drag it to the desired start frame (Figure 7.49) or enter the desired start frame in the Start Frame counter either manually or via the jog controls.

      Figure 7.49. The fastest way to set the start frame is with the Start Frame Trim caliper.


    • Studio immediately sets the new start frame, shifting to the left all videos placed after the edited clip to close any gaps on the Timeline.

    • Move the Trim scrubber to the desired start frame by manually dragging the Trim scrubber to the desired start frame or by using the transport controls located in the center of the Clip Properties tool to play or advance the video until it reaches the frame you want. Then set the new start frame by clicking the Set Start Frame icon to the left of the Start Frame counter (Figure 7.50) or pressing the I (for in) key.

      Figure 7.50. Or you can use the Transport controls to find the perfect frame and click the Set Start Frame icon.


To set a new end frame

  • Do one of the following:

    • Drag the End Frame Trim caliper to the desired end frame (Figure 7.51), enter the desired end frame in the End Frame counter either manually or via the jog controls, or enter a new duration in the duration field either manually or by using the jog controls.

      Figure 7.51. To set the end frame, drag the End Frame Trim caliper to the desired shot.


    • Studio sets the new end frame, shifting to the left all videos placed after the edited clip to close any gaps on the Timeline.

    • Move the Trim scrubber to the desired end frame by dragging it or using the Transport controls located in the center of the Clip Properties tool. Then set the new end frame time by clicking the Set End Frame icon to the right of the End Frame counter or pressing the O (for out) key.

Tips

  • Trimming doesn't affect the actual captured video file in any way. You're not really deleting any frames; you're just telling Studio to use a different start frame and end frame when incorporating the scene into your production. For this reason, you can easily reverse your trims by clicking the Undo icon or using the steps in the preceding tasks to locate new start and end frames.

  • Once you're in the Clip Properties tool, you can select additional clips to trim by clicking them or moving the Timeline scrubber to another clip.


     < Day Day Up > 


    Pinnacle Studio 10 for Windows. Visual QuickStart Guide
    Pinnacle Studio 10 for Windows Visual Quickstart Guide
    ISBN: B001E08S6S
    EAN: N/A
    Year: 2005
    Pages: 189

    flylib.com © 2008-2017.
    If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net