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Virtual Choir
JSC [Avatar]
Member Joined: Apr 20, 2012 09:22 Messages: 71 Offline
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I'd like to produce a virtual choir video, which I've not done before. I'm sure you've seen them, but if not, here's an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BumCkswUUDA. I am reading lots of information of how to do it in general. Specifically, once I've imported all my video tracks (each singer recorded at home) and have them in sync, how do I create the grid (or tiles) of groups of people, inidividuals, or all the singers on the screen (like a Zoom meeting screen, or the Brady Bunch opening)? I'll probably have about 30 tracks/singers. PowerDirector 365.

Thank you,

Jim

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at May 23. 2020 17:12

AshWilliams [Avatar]
Member Location: Michigan Joined: Mar 28, 2013 23:38 Messages: 109 Offline
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It's interesting that you asked, as I just finished reading this new article posted by CyberLink about different ways to create just that kind of video:

https://www.cyberlink.com/prog/learning-center/detail.do?product=powerdirector-video-editing-software&uniqueId=3039&urlName=how-to-make-a-virtual-concert-with-powerdirector&isDraft=1&pid=8509

You can also check out the video posted by a Cyberlink user in the article, which has a link to their blog about making the video.

30 videos will be very taxing on your hard drive, so I hope your computer is up for the challenge.

Let us know if you have any trouble or questions. That article does a decent job showing you three different ways you can try and also some helpful tips.

Ash

This message was edited 4 times. Last update was at May 24. 2020 22:27

JSC [Avatar]
Member Joined: Apr 20, 2012 09:22 Messages: 71 Offline
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Thank you so much! This gives me a good starting point. I'll have to use the first method since I'll have more than seven video tracks in use. Now I hope to find a way to add some variety to the layout, like changing from one subgroup to another and add some transitions. But this is a good start.

Thanks again,

Jim
MarkH [Avatar]
Newbie Joined: Apr 10, 2020 16:16 Messages: 4 Offline
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Thank you, Ash, for your helpful article.

In the video sample you provided the players remain in the same place on the screen the entire time.

How do you add simultaneous motion to groups or rows of singers, like they do at the 1:33 point of this video:
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=indianapolis+symphonic+choir+virtual+choir&docid=13985685991269&mid=A92C40663F0D1EFB6176A92C40663F0D1EFB6176&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

Do you have to apply motion to each individual clip or can you create groups of clips that all move with synchronicity?


Quote It's interesting that you asked, as I just finished reading this new article posted by CyberLink about different ways to create just that kind of video:

https://www.cyberlink.com/prog/learning-center/detail.do?product=powerdirector-video-editing-software&uniqueId=3039&urlName=how-to-make-a-virtual-concert-with-powerdirector&isDraft=1&pid=8509

You can also check out the video posted by a Cyberlink user in the article, which has a link to their blog about making the video.

30 videos will be very taxing on your hard drive, so I hope your computer is up for the challenge.

Let us know if you have any trouble or questions. That article does a decent job showing you three different ways you can try and also some helpful tips.

Ash
JSC [Avatar]
Member Joined: Apr 20, 2012 09:22 Messages: 71 Offline
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Mark,

This is Jim, the original poster. I completed my first virtual choir and am about to start on my second. In my first, I did not get to the point of creating the kind of visual effects and transitions you're asking about, but I have an idea that I will be trying out: render ("Produce") the full video or portions of the the video. If you do it in portions, create different scenes throughout, i.e., section 1, only sopranos on screen; section 2, only altos, etc. Then import them back into your're project. (I believe PowerDirector actually imports them automatically.) Then put them on their own tracks in the project, replacing the individual singers' tracks (or just uncheck the boxes on the far left). You should then be able to apply effects and transitions to those newly imported clips. You could also import these newly rendered clilps into a new project and do the work there, which might be easier/cleaner.

I probably won't start work on my next one for several weeks, so if you try this, let me know how it works.

Jim
AshWilliams [Avatar]
Member Location: Michigan Joined: Mar 28, 2013 23:38 Messages: 109 Offline
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Quote Thank you, Ash, for your helpful article.

In the video sample you provided the players remain in the same place on the screen the entire time.

How do you add simultaneous motion to groups or rows of singers, like they do at the 1:33 point of this video:
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=indianapolis+symphonic+choir+virtual+choir&docid=13985685991269&mid=A92C40663F0D1EFB6176A92C40663F0D1EFB6176&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

Do you have to apply motion to each individual clip or can you create groups of clips that all move with synchronicity?





Wow, that's some cool editing they did. I think JSC is on the right track, but you'd need to use masks as well on the clips. Both the combined clips and the mask would need to move in sync somehow.

When I have time I will try some test editing to see if I can do something similar.

Ash
MarkH [Avatar]
Newbie Joined: Apr 10, 2020 16:16 Messages: 4 Offline
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Quote Thank you, Ash, for your helpful article.

In the video sample you provided the players remain in the same place on the screen the entire time.

How do you add simultaneous motion to groups or rows of singers, like they do at the 1:33 point of this video:
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=indianapolis+symphonic+choir+virtual+choir&docid=13985685991269&mid=A92C40663F0D1EFB6176A92C40663F0D1EFB6176&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

Do you have to apply motion to each individual clip or can you create groups of clips that all move with synchronicity?




Thank you for referring me to that article. Unfortunately, it did not address how one can group multiple PiPs/frames and simultaneously move the group.

I'm still having to create motion for each individual PiP/frame.

Mark

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at Sep 13. 2020 02:22

MarkH [Avatar]
Newbie Joined: Apr 10, 2020 16:16 Messages: 4 Offline
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Quote Mark,

This is Jim, the original poster. I completed my first virtual choir and am about to start on my second. In my first, I did not get to the point of creating the kind of visual effects and transitions you're asking about, but I have an idea that I will be trying out: render ("Produce") the full video or portions of the the video. If you do it in portions, create different scenes throughout, i.e., section 1, only sopranos on screen; section 2, only altos, etc. Then import them back into your're project. (I believe PowerDirector actually imports them automatically.) Then put them on their own tracks in the project, replacing the individual singers' tracks (or just uncheck the boxes on the far left). You should then be able to apply effects and transitions to those newly imported clips. You could also import these newly rendered clilps into a new project and do the work there, which might be easier/cleaner.

I probably won't start work on my next one for several weeks, so if you try this, let me know how it works.

Jim


Thanks, Jim. This approach, while time-consuming, will work. I'll give it a try.
optodata
Senior Contributor Location: California, USA Joined: Sep 16, 2011 16:04 Messages: 8630 Offline
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Please take a look at this post to see a couple of options.

Another approach that might be easier if you're going to keep all the windows in the same rows would be to set a solid color background on the topmost track (add one if needed), disable the existing background and all the other windows on the other rows, and produce that whole track.

Do the same thing for each line of windows, so you'll have 4 finished clips with one line of windows each. Make sure you're producing to the same profile that your finished video will use.

The only thing you'll need to do is to chroma-key out the solid background for each row, then use the PiP Designer as needed to shift the vertical location of each row. You can set opacity keyframes to fade rows in/out for the move, and placing any "foreground" clips lower on the timeline will allow them to show "on top of" the other clips as they fade in to view.

When you produce the final version, you might be able to use SVRT to quickly stitch all the clips and your desired background together.
Maliek [Avatar]
Senior Contributor Location: San Antonio, Texas USA Joined: Nov 10, 2012 12:01 Messages: 851 Offline
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Quote Another approach that might be easier if you're going to keep all the windows in the same rows would be to set a solid color background on the topmost track (add one if needed), disable the existing background and all the other windows on the other rows, and produce that whole track.

When you produce the final version, you might be able to use SVRT to quickly stitch all the clips and your desired background together.


As I was reading through this thread I thought "Why not create composites of the sections you want, bring them all back into the project, and apply any desired effects?" Just as I was about to post my magnificent solution I get to the botom of the thread and see good ol' optodata has beat me to the punch again!

smilelaughingsmile
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