Melissa,

1. PE needs to be below the video. The hierarchy is upside down, meaning lower tracks have priority.
2. If you are getting a partial video, did you accidentally reposition it in the preview window or accidentally add a mask? Bill Spicer
Spicer Pro, LLC, Ocean City, MD
Win7 Professional 64-bit, Xeon 2.80GHz (4 CPUs)
6144MB RAM, NVIDIA Quadro FX 580
It takes a community to resolve editing software issues.

Thanks for the reply....it makes more sense for effects to be lower, but received this reply on another thread:

When you put a video/ particle effect etc. in a higher number track the lower numbers wont show. Unless you either resize the item on the higher track or lower the opacity so it's partially see through. You can also use a mask.
All of these items are available in the PIP editor which you can acses by clicking on the clip then clicking modify.

I interpreted this to mean "move the PE to the first track which is not user intuitive but did so. And this is where it is when I can only see the PE on left and right side of the viewer.

When PE is in the track below the video, I can't see video at all! It's as if the PE is its own video.

Don't think I put mask on anything.......just assumed that after I dragged the lovely PE universe to the track, that it would add the effects to my rotating moon video. Instead, it covers it up.

Ideas? Thanks SOOO much. This has taken two days of trying to figure it out. Time certainly flies when you get into editing, eh?

Thanks again,
Melissa

Melissa,

I appreciate fully your confusion, higher/lower numbers and higher/lower tracks. I guess it depends on what experience you have had with other programs that prioritize tracks according to hierarchy (top tracks affect those below). You are correct, it is counter intuitive if it is outside your sphere of experience. With PD9, everything below affects everything above.

Can you attach a screen capture of your PD9 screen? That would help.

Another suggestion is to try different variations on the same timeline. IOW, place your video on Track 1 and the PE (10_Flowers) on Track 2, and next to it, place the PE on Track 1 and the Video on Track 2. Experimentation shows you what works and why.

Also, try dragging a clean copy of your video onto Track 1. Is there a possibility your video is Standard Definition (4:3) and is being imported into a 16:9 project? Perhaps that is why you are seeing stuff on either side. Just thinking out loud here. When I imported a SD 4:3 video into a Widescreen 16:9 project, I saw black on the sides.

To change the Project Aspect Ratio, look to the top of the PD9 screen, you will see a little window with "16:9" in it. Click it and switch it to 4:3.

Attached is a pair of screen captures to demonstrate experimentation.

Bill Spicer
Spicer Pro, LLC, Ocean City, MD
Win7 Professional 64-bit, Xeon 2.80GHz (4 CPUs)
6144MB RAM, NVIDIA Quadro FX 580
It takes a community to resolve editing software issues.

Hey Bill -

Great explanation!

Higher/lower (positionally/geographically) & higher/lower (numbered) causes confusion. You've covered that well. I'm sure Melissa has it sorted now.

One question... in the second screen shot, what happened to your swans video? It should be hiding the particle effect. Perhaps it was just a temporary display issue.

Cheers - Tony

I meant ducks!
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Tony,

In the second screen shot, you are right, I moved the marker, but did not hit play (oops). I inserted a replacement screen capture that indeed shows that the ducks in Track 2 take priority over the PE (Particle Effects) on Track 1. Bill Spicer
Spicer Pro, LLC, Ocean City, MD
Win7 Professional 64-bit, Xeon 2.80GHz (4 CPUs)
6144MB RAM, NVIDIA Quadro FX 580
It takes a community to resolve editing software issues.

You guyz are great....it must have something to do with 4:3 and 16:9 settings (although neither will let my moon video appear IN the galaxy stars PE. Would send screen shots but dont know how. Basically, I have mirrored your setup and get different results.

I think this because when I change/stretch vid, then can't see anything (as if it were BELOW the PE)

EXCEPT, and I find this to be odd......I tried some other PE. Balloons float up quite nicely through my moon viceo....so too some other things that are mostly on transparency. But a "bubbles" PE with a black background, like the dark background of the stars PE, will not perform like the balloons.

Sorry for the trouble with this and I do appreciate your help. I've had my PE and vid in the 3 permutations you sent.....with vid in track one and PE below it, balloons do well but not black background bubbles (either see the bubbles, like the starz, in the extra black bars on either side (that ration thing) or, if I stretch vid out to fit 16:9 PE---can't see anything at all.

Feels like it's time to start fresh: delete what I've got from timelines and give it another go. If anything strikes you as "aha! That's what is going on," please let me know. Otherwise, I feel pretty silly taking up your time.

Again, thank you so much for your screen shots and the help from everybody.

Melissa from a crazy, wicked, record breaking hot Maine

Hi Melissa -

Here's a little visual tutorial on attaching screenshots in the forum http://www.youtube.com/user/ynotfish77#p/u/34/uz4KbvDA8Vw

Here's another about displaying your image on the forum pages http://www.youtube.com/user/PDtoots#p/u/11/P03_IRi7n2g

There are written instruction for attaching files here... http://forum.cyberlink.com/forum/posts/list/15/9621.page#45200

** You may have found the cause of your current issue. The galaxy/stars particle effect... it has a background - yes? That is possibly the issue.

If so, here's the solution:
1. Right click on the PE you want
2. Select Modify template
3. Click on background in the objects list
4. Delete it (which will leave it transparent)



- now you should be able to see your moon video!

You can also modify the particle effect right in the timeline, if you don't want to create a new template.



Yeh - OK - I have to admit it's not really a moon video.
Cheers - Tony
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Yeah!! Thanks, Tony, and everybody else who babied me through this. You're right....the black backgrounds were blocking the vid so I guess they're not truly PE after all, eh? Unless you remove the background. Great instructions and screen shots to help me along.

Thank you as well for the links. PDTOOTS are my most favorite tutorials and I will definitely learn the screen shots etc.

Again, thanks for all the patience and help.

Grateful in Maine

Melissa and my Moon video