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Hi, Zabo!
In answer to your question: "Is there a way to keep the timeline integrity while adding transitions?", sorry, no, there isn't. This is common to many, or even all makes of video editing software. Each time you add a transition, you shorten the length of your video by the amount of time of the transition, e.g.: Transition time = 2 seconds; 5 transitions inserted, duration shortened by 10 seconds.
Best method might be to place all the clips(images) on the master video track, then add your transitions, then add your images onto the overlay(PiP) tracks, then add your audio. If the images are stills, compensate for loss of time by setting the stills times longer on the master video track, so that when you add your transitions, the amount of time lost comes back to the running time you initially invisaged.
Hope that's useful to you.
Cheers!
Neil
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G'day, TonyL!
You and I must be "on the same page" with this subject, it seems. Imagine if, in the days before computers, record companies applied a licencing requirement that you could only play your 45s or LPs on one phonograph only in your house and couldn't use those same records on any other player you may have had. There'd be no market for recorded music at all! It's that situation with computer software that has been applied, and it's very restrictive. Okay, Cyberlink doesn't acually "apply" the rule but other software makers do so very strictly, and considering the large amounts money they make off the backs of consumers like us, they should "back off" and let us use the software as "we" see fit.
Cheers!
Neil.
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Jeff,
Re: your desire for "better audio volume control", I've found a way around that in PD8 and hope to apply the same, or similar practice in PD14. Using the native audio with the video in the "master" timeline(not any PiP tracks) as an example, and assuming, for the moment it's a finished edit, for which you want to boost the volume before adding it to some other clips, open your audio mixing room, highlight your clip(not entirely necessary but useful anyway), put the "scrubber" at the beginning of the clip, and in the box above the slider, type in the value you want for the audio level(say, 75 for example). That trick will work for all PiP track audio as well as the music and other audio-only tracks.
If you're adding narration and don't want the native audio to drown you out(or any music you may have added, for that matter), at each position where your narration sits, at a point just before the narration starts, click on the video's audio track, a little dot will appear. Step the video forward a few frames and type in a new audio value in the box above the "master" audio slider(suggest, say 10 or 15), you'll see the audio line has dipped at that point, a sharp drop to your chosen level. At the end of that narration, click on the master audio track again, step forward a few frames, then type in your original volume level, you'll see the line on the audio track has jumped back up to that point. Repeat the process as often as necessary for each point where you've inserted narration, and use the same procedure on the audio track on which you've placed any music, if you want your narration heard above it.
Hope the above was useful to you, Jeff.
Cheers!
Neil.
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Ynotfish,
Those images are likely "samples" to be used or ignored as desired, as decorative images in your video production. I note one of them is an image of Australia but our Tasmanian friends would be a bit miffed at being cropped out of the image(ha-ha).
Cheers!
Neil.
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Hi, Optodata!
In any case, I was just "musing" about possibilities. It's more than likely I won't get a laptop computer, but if I did, I wouldn't waste my time putting a cut-down version of PD14 Ultra on it, no. I'd install the full version and have it on both desktop and laptop so I could perform edits with the same degree of facilitation on the laptop as I would on my desktop computer. I forked out $119.96 to buy this PD version, so I should be able to use it on 1, 2, 3 or more computers if I so choose. But that's not going to happen as I'm content to use my trust desktop "tower" computer for all my computing work.
Cheers!
Neil.
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Hi, Mike!
As you'll have read, I managed to order and pay for PD14 Ultra today(Tuesday, 12/10/2015). As I write this, it's still Tuesday but with just over 40 minutes to midnight(AEDT). I'm looking forward to getting PD14 Ultra, I'll "mix & match" my use of PD14 and PD8, and I'll keep my other video editing programme as well, as it has some transition effects I like. Each will come into their own for various purposes.
Cheers!
Neil.
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Hello, Mike and Carl!
Here's the update on where I'm at, re: chasing Power Director 14 Ultra. On Friday, 9th October, I enquired at Leading Edge Computers in Nelson Bay, as of today, Monday, 12th October, that enquiry drew a blank, so I thought I'd try my local Jaycar reseller, that also drew a blank, but, on spec, I tried the Harvey Norman electrical goods store, near me in Salamander Bay(near Nelson Bay)......
PAYDIRT! Third time lucky, as thay say, and what's more I've saved roughly $20(Australian) as well! So I've ordered PD14 Ultra and paid for it($119.96 Australian) and I should have it between one and two weeks from today. I'll be notified by phone when I can pick it up. So this now brings me back to the original question. And in my case, it will be, "can I keep PD8 Ultra installed and add PD14 Ultra" to my "software mix"?
Cheers!
Neil.
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Carl,
I never said, or even implied that "MY WAY WAS THE ONLY WAY!" I used the term, "For my own purposes" instead, which should be clear enough to anyone that the method I use works for me, personally. Those who want to let the computer do all the work, fine!
But for me, a hands-on approach has always worked best and given me the result I wanted.
Cheers!
Neil.
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Hello everyone!
This is what I wish to clarify. And as for "shaming" Cyberlink about licencing, Cyberlink is "in the same boat" as any and all other software manufacturers, whatever software they produce, and for whatever purpose. Software is NOT cheap! In some cases you really have to "save your pennies" to buy it. So the software companies have made their money off us "end users", so it really should be our choice as to how we use it, and how many computers on which we want to install it. To be fair, though, there should be the requirement for us to "own" each computer, be it desktop or laptop, on which we install these programmes. Currently I have PD8 Ultra on my computer but have ordered, paid for, and await dlivery of PD14 Ultra(between one and two weeks from today). If I owned a laptop as well as my desktop computer, I may want to istall PD14 on that, so, if I go camping, I can copy content from my camera into PD14 on the laptop, edit what I've shot together for one day's shooting, likewise for any subsequent day's shooting, drop the lot on a flash drive from the laptop, copy to my desktop and "polish it up" on PD14 on the desktop. What's so wrong with that?
Neil.
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Hello, 7Phil77.
You can adjust all audio content(including the native audio from the video itself) using the Audio Mixing Room. On PD7 and PD8 it's identified with a treble-cleff and three sliders as its icon. Click on that and it will provide you with all you need to boost or cut ALL audio content, even on the video PiP overlay tracks.
Hope that's of some help.
Cheers!
Neil.
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Hi, Heavytiger!
Here's the trick.
Type in all the names you require into your End Credits scrolling title, don't worry if they're aligned or not. That can be fixed after you've completed entering the "details". When all the details are entered, highlight the text, and, at the top on the animation window, next to the font selection, click to aligne text left, right, or centre.
Watch it through as a "dry run" to check if it's the way you want by clicking on the Play icon in the animation window. If it's as you want, click Okay and it's done. If not, make whatever alterations you need and give it another "dry run". Do this as often as needed until you're satisfied with the result, then click Okay.
Cheers!
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Hello, Mau1wurf1977!
Normally I'd agree, but occasionally, even with a computer, there are some things that you cannot just leave to "automation". For my own purposes, I much prefer to do the work in the way I described. Time-consuming, certainly! But it gives me the result I want.
Cheers!
Neil.
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Hi, dianddra9999!
Re: Blue Yeti, I was having a bit of a joke there! My microphone is analogue and feeds in via an audio mixer. I only use it for narration purposes. It's mounted on a desk stand with a "gooseneck" between the base(nice & heavy so it doesn't move around too much) and the clip that holds the microphone.
Cheers!
Neil.
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Apart from the desire that PD15(or any PD product) should come in a boxed container with installation disc and "owners manual, one item would be useful, two, maybe three title tracks! A third-party video edit programme I have features a second title track that can be called up as and whenn needed and I've used it to amazing effect. It would be very useful in creading interesting "closing credit" sequences where one set of titles comes in over the top of another, or appears to push out the previous set. Another use is, a music track credit in one part of the screen and a location identification in another, both appearing almost simultaneously(but could be offset by anything from a frame up to any number of seconds). That would be a very useful tool.
See ya!
Neil.
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This situation doesn't just apply to Cyberlink profuct, it applies to any and all software, but considering the cost to buy the product, the licencing requirements are a bit over the top, in my view. If I buy a video or audio record(or capture) and editing software, then it should be my choice on how I use it, and how many desk-top or laptop computers, on which I install it.
At this moment, I only have a desktop computer(tower, keyboard, screen, printer, scanner and three external hard-drives, add to that, capture card device, SD-Card reader, and analogue audio mixer connected into the line-in auxilliary, audio fed to a good ol' stereo amplifier. Should I, at a future date, wish to acquire a laptop computer, I would wish to use software I hold now, on that laptop.. That should be MY choice, and mine alone to make. The software companies have already made their money, it's now up to me, and me alone, how I use that software.
Cheers for now!
Neil.
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I use the tried-and-true manual method for adjusting volume of music behind my voice. Using PD's audio mixing "room" I just click on the audio track for the music, creating a point at where the existing level will be attenuated, step forward a few frames, click again and, at that point, either manually pull down the level, or type in a new "value" in the space above the "slider" level control. Where I want the music to go back to its original level(after my comment), I follow the same proceedure, click once on audio timeline, step forward a few frames, click again and at that point, either drag up to original level, or type in original level's value in the box above the slider., Might be time-consuming but it ensures you get the wanted effect.
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Hi Optodata!
Thanks for the info!
"Blue Yeti"? Sounds like the abominable Snowman caught out in the cold and extremely miserable!
Cheers!
Neil.
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I had Audacity on my computer, very briefly! I was NOT impressed with it. I use Sound Forge instead!
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Hi, Optodata!
At the moment I'm sussing out the possibility of getting my hands on PD14 through my local Leading Edge Computers reseller, though I won't know until Monday, 12th October.
The microphone I currently use is analogue, and fed to my computer through an audio mixer connected to the computer's audio line-in.
In general practice, though, I don't record my narration directly to the Power Director audio track, my practice is(normally) as follows:
Edit video and render to a point where I can view the video and make notes about what to say and where on the video to insert the comment(I prepare a narration script, in other words. My community radio trainng comes in handy). On completing the script(written in Microsoft Word) I print it out and open an audio recording programme, record my narration track, then edit it and clean it up(take out breaths and any other "noises") then save as MP3 with a file name appropriate to my video. I then import the narration track along with the video, I then drag and drop the narration track onto the narration track. To place the comments where I want them, the narration track is placed at the point where my first comment should be, play to the end of that comment, pause and split the highlighted audio, then, with Ctrl+X, cut the audio(goes to clipboard), play the video to the next point where I want comment, then with Ctrl+V, paste the narration, repeating this process until all comments are where I want them. I might then add music then do the final render(title already added before I add the narration). That's my method, somewhat involved but it works for me! But should I need to do a direct narration straight to the voice track, will PD14 "recognise" my analogue microphone? As it comes in via the inbuilt sound card(Realtek).
Cheers!
Neil.
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Hi, Mike and Carl!
Thought I'd bring you up to date re: my chasing latter versions of Power Director. Today(Friday, 9th October, 2015) I visited my local Leading Edge Computers store in Nelson Bay(40-50 minutes' drive north of Newcastle, roughly 57kilometres) and enquired about Cyberlink product, particularly Power Director. The person I spoke with, called up Cyberlink PD on the store's computer, showing four distinct versions of Power Director 14, from the Suite down to the delux version. I've asked about the Ultra version which was priced at Aust$139.00. Trouble was, his supplier hadn't got back to him by closing time(5.00pm AEDT - we're in daylight saving time as of Sunday, 3rd October) so I won't know until Monday, 12th October if it's available. I do not wish a download, I much prefer the boxed retail version, this way, if I require a new computer at any time in the future, I'll have the disc to install PD14 on that new computer.
I know what I said about moving from PD8 to PD9 being the natural progression, this move by me is, by comparison, a quantum leap. But I figure that PD9 might no longer be available anywhere.
So that's where Im up to at the moment. I'll have a better idea on Monday.
Cheers for now!
Neil.
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Hi, Mike(Fenman)!
No, we don't have Amazon in Australia, we just have those ones I mentioned earlier. One,that has a store in Newcastle is Office Works, but the range of video editing software they carry is limited(I bought another brand of editing programme from there a couple of years back, but hadn't seen any Cyberlink product there). What I might do, before I attempt to get PD13 from Cyberlink, is to try another of those store I mentioned, JB Hi-Fi has a store in the Newcastle suburb of Kotara. If I can get it there, I might not need to get it through Cyberlink directly(though I don't hold out much hope of success). All I can do is see what they've got. I might phone them first or google them and see what they carry.
Cheers for now!
Neil.
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