|
Jimco Software Reviews - Sony Vegas 6 (continued)
Tracks
Most of your work in Vegas will be done in the
Tracks window. In figure 3, you can see several of
the features of the Tracks window. (We've highlighted a
video transition and a Fade to Color envelope.) Notice
that audio tracks provide a visual indicator as to the level of
the audio. This makes it incredibly easy to synchronize
audio with video such as in a slide-show presentation.
Other programs we've tested didn't work this way. It's
such a simple concept, but it makes a world of difference as
you're producing a video.
Figure 3 - The Tracks Window
The Fade to Color envelope appears as a light
burgundy-colored line. This is just one of the many
envelopes that you can insert in Vegas. You can easily add
points at any point along this line and drag those points to
create your envelope. Perhaps the easiest way to explain
this concept is to use the Event Velocity envelope as an
example.
The Event Velocity envelope allows you to
precisely control the playback speed of a video clip over time.
When the envelope is in the vertical center of the clip, the
playback speed is 100% of normal speed. When the envelope
is above center, playback speed is above 100%. When the
envelope is below center, playback is below 100%. The
range for an Event Velocity envelope is -100% to 300%.
That means that you can use this envelope to control not only
playback speed, but playback direction.
Have a look at figure 4. We have
used an Event Velocity envelope to affect the playback of a
small video clip. First, have a look at the clip without
the Event Velocity envelope applied by clicking here.
Now have a look at the clip
after applying the Event Velocity envelope pictured in figure
4.
Figure 4 - Event Velocity
Envelope In this example, we've shown
you a silly application of this technique, but you can clearly
see how powerful it is. Not only that, but as with
everything else in Vegas, it's incredibly intuitive.
One more thing to notice about the clip shown in figure 4.
At the beginning and end of the clip we have added a fade-in and
fade-out respectively. To add a fade, you simply drag the
upper corner of the clip to the right or left. The farther
you drag the fade, the longer the transition. You can also
right-click on the fade and choose from many different types of
fades.
|