Syncing video from 2 cameras

JoeV

Newbie Joined: Jan 03, 2011 19:54 Messages: 3 Offline

Solved by

Jan 03, 2011 20:15

I recently shot a video of a concert where I used 2 cameras. One camera was used as the master audio track and full stage view. The other camera was for taking close ups of performers. I used powerDirector 9 to edit this video. Getting the 2nd camera shots to sync up with the master track audio was VERY VERY PAINFUL and made me want to scream. You should try it sometime and see how difficult this is to do. Does anyone know a good way to do this?

The only way I could do it was by expanding the timeline and using drag and drop. Unfortunately it's very hard to make the small changes necessary to get the clips synced up accurately using this method. The other aspect of doing this that is very difficult is you must make these synchronizations in time order of the video. Forget about going back and inserting or deleting a cut video because it will ruin the sync of all clips that come after it!!! I spent hours and hours trying to do what I wanted to do and ended up completely starting over multiple times.

Suggestions to the PowerDirector programmers to make this process much easier:

1) You should be able to SLIDE a clip back and forth on a timeline a SINGLE frame at a time. I suggest holding down a control or ALT key at the same time as you press the left right arrow keys when a clip is selected. Trying to make these adjustments using drag and drop is very difficult because it's not accurate enough. Sliding a single clip frame at a time should have NO impact only any other clip on the same timeline - UNLESS the other clips are grouped with the clip you are sliding.
2) When you drag a clip into a timeline you need to be able to control whether it is an insert or replace (IF there's any video to right of that clip) EVEN WHEN the clip is not dragged on top of another clip. If you've already synced a clip and drag a new clip in front of it - it will ruin all syncing you've done after it!!! Same for deleting a clip. If I decide to remove a cut clip, it ruins all the later syncing I've done on that track.
3) Locking the clips together in a group should freeze the relative time position of the clips. It doesn't in the current program so making any changes in front of previously synced clips ruins the synchronization.

If it's possible to do any of the above and I just couldn't figure out how to do it - please let me know.

The speed of PD9 is awesome!!

James Dotson

Senior Contributor Location: Tennessee Joined: Aug 24, 2009 20:40 Messages: 3066 Offline

Jan 03, 2011 21:36

First, when I am using two or more cameras to shoot the same thing from different angles, I try to use the audio from the master track, and mute the audio from the others, so no blending necessary. If I need to use audio from a secondary camera I try fade between the two or leave the master running and set the secondary audio to about 50% volume.

2 and 3, I think there is a setting for those, but it's either or. No selecting at run time. I don't remember for sure. I will have to check it out. __________________________________
CORNBLOSSOM

Spiral

Newbie Joined: Nov 23, 2010 13:09 Messages: 16 Offline

Jan 04, 2011 02:13

Quote: I recently shot a video of a concert where I used 2 cameras. One camera was used as the master audio track and full stage view. The other camera was for taking close ups of performers. I used powerDirector 9 to edit this video. Getting the 2nd camera shots to sync up with the master track audio was VERY VERY PAINFUL and made me want to scream. You should try it sometime and see how difficult this is to do. Does anyone know a good way to do this?

I've done some vids where I sync video to separate audio or even two vids to separate audio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvwOLYDvMhc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmPWecML4yY

This is where multiple tracks come handy. Do not try to do it in one or two tracks!

I experienced the same problems with finetuning of the sync. What I found that you need to go to the beginning of the clip to fine adjust the starting point, then you can move it one step (frame?) at the time. Often the easiest point to find the sync isn't in the beginning of the clip, so it's not most convenient, but that's how it works.

So, when you have synced the main video, leave that on track one, and lock the track.
Every time you need a close-up, you just add it to the later tracks (2-...) and they'll be shown on top, but do not mess with the original sync.
If you need to add something in between, again, use a track that has nothing after the timepoint you're inserting to.
You can also split clips you have already synced and to avoid resyncing, just move the unwanted part to another track and delete it there. If you just delete it, everything that comes after it moves backwards.

I hope that helps even a little.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at Jan 04. 2011 02:14

JoeV

Newbie Joined: Jan 03, 2011 19:54 Messages: 3 Offline

Jan 04, 2011 14:29

Jaime-esque - I am using the master track for the audio and muting the clips from the second camera. However, it is necessary to get the 2nd camera clips synced exactly to sound of the master track to make the mouth movements in the 2nd camera clips synchronize with the sound track from the first camera. I was recording a concert so any games regarding switching from the master sound track to the second camera sound would sound really bad.

Spiral - Thanks for the reply. Good point - using separate tracks for each clip would partially solve the problem. I'll experiment with this idea. However, there doesn't seem to be a way to lock the relative time positions from clips in separate tracks. If I make a change to master track in front of the synced clips, it will ruin the sync between the clips in other tracks. Am I missing something? So if you get the master track edited exactly the way you want it, and then add the 2nd camera clips to other tracks this method will work. However, I always WANT to change it, but it's just too much work to have to resync every clip AGAIN. Using drag and drop to make fine synchronization adjustments is just a bad UI; I constantly overdo my adjustments - I wish there was a way to make frame-at-a-time clip positioning changes using the arrow keys. And then once I achieve perfect sync, there should be a way to truly lock the synced clips together so it would be impossible to change the relative timings of the clips no matter what you do to either track involved (unless you unlock the clips of course).

pjc3

Senior Member Location: Australia Joined: May 29, 2010 19:33 Messages: 247 Offline

Jan 04, 2011 15:01

I know this isn't going to help your current project but I have had this tedious problem several times (I record about two concerts a year).

I now have both cameras recording continuously and create an audio mark at the beginning of the recording.

The master track of the whole stage is in track 1, second video of close ups and pans in track two as a continuous track and then sync the audio mark at the beginning.

I then shrink the the second track so on the preview screen I can see both tracks simultaneously and then perform the in/out points for cuts. Once this is done re-size the second track to full frame again and delete the cuts out. Audio all still in sync.

Also the opacity "band" on the video track does a nice fade job if you prefer fade transitions to cuts. Panasonic SD9, Panasonic TM700, Panasonic SD600, GoPro HD Hero.

Spiral

Newbie Joined: Nov 23, 2010 13:09 Messages: 16 Offline

Jan 04, 2011 17:00

What kind of changes you want to do the master track afterwards? If you want to cut segments away, you could make a cut and move the cut part to an empty track and delete it. Then, link all objects that come after the cut to the remaining master track (after the cut) and move them as a group to start from the right point of the master track.

JoeV

Newbie Joined: Jan 03, 2011 19:54 Messages: 3 Offline

Jan 04, 2011 18:42

pjc3 - Thanks - I can see how your method would work very well as long as the entire concert was continuous. If the concert had breaks in the middle is there a way to delete portions of the master track AND the video cut track maintaining sync between the remaining portions of the two tracks, or would you have to re-synch every time you make a delete in the middle?

Spiral - I'd add or alter some intro title screens for example.

Thanks for your help. I'm just coming up to speed with PD!

pjc3

Senior Member Location: Australia Joined: May 29, 2010 19:33 Messages: 247 Offline

Jan 04, 2011 22:30

Quote: If the concert had breaks in the middle is there a way to delete portions of the master track AND the video cut track maintaining sync between the remaining portions of the two tracks, or would you have to re-synch every time you make a delete in the middle?

During the intermission I turn off both cameras. When I power up them both again I just repeat the process and make a audio mark for both cameras for the second half.

If you want to chop a segment out of both tracks in PD just place the marker at the same point and split both tracks. Panasonic SD9, Panasonic TM700, Panasonic SD600, GoPro HD Hero.