Video editing

I recently recorded a "session" with two cameras. So each camera shows the scene from a different perspective, i.e. an a and b roll. I'm looking for an easy way to cut/disolve real-time from a to b as if it had been switched live. It is very difficult to break everything into clips and stay in sync. Any thoughts would be welcome.

You need to have editing software that will do multi-cam editing. Without knowing what software you are using I would google that for the platform you are using.

I recently recorded a "session" with two cameras. So each camera shows the scene from a different perspective, i.e. an a and b roll. I'm looking for an easy way to cut/disolve real-time from a to b as if it had been switched live. It is very difficult to break everything into clips and stay in sync. Any thoughts would be welcome. Originally Posted by ftime

I use an obsolete version of Avid Xpress Pro.

While it is primarily designed for editing from clips, it will easily ingest each camera shot as a long clip.

Find an identifiable sync point in both shots (video or audio) and use it to apply both clips to the timeline beginning with the 'matched' frame. One of the clips will be on the primary (V1) video layer. The next clip will be on the video track 'above' the primary (V2) layer.

Scroll through the timeline while viewing the V2 layer. When it's desired to switch to the other (V1) camera, simply set "in" and "out" points and delete the highlighted section of video on V2. Be sure to use the "lift" or other equivalent function... NOT "cut", as you do not want to 'sandwich' the remaining pieces together! Do this all the way down the timeline. If you become quick at it, you can actually edit your video in less than real time, as it's not necessary to sit and 'watch' it all while making the cuts.

As long as you do not 'move' any of the clips from their original position on the timeline, the sync will not be disturbed.

Afterward, you can change the cut points to dissolves or any desired transition.

You will only need the audio from one of the cameras, so delete the other audio track.

I have edited weddings and other real time events this way where two or more cameras were used to capture the event. Many TV talk shows are actually edited this way rather than directed 'live', as it can allow quicker access to shots that a live director may have been late getting to.

When you are done, you can play the edited timeline in real time for recording to an output source, or render it to DVD or other file.

I have Adobe Premire 8 but have never really worked with it. Avid is more of a pro/semi pro system. I would prefer something a bit more basic. But I will look into Avid. As I recall, it is somewhat a system hog. While I have a fairly robust set-up - fast HD, 12 gig of memory (RAM), some programs require a lengthy rendering process if you want to see the edits. Prefer real time. I may be out of my financial comfort zone - at least for this project. Back in the old days, we burned time code to the tapes. Yes - I said tapes.

iMovie it's great and easy.

I don't use or like Macs. But from what I've read it sounds good. I'm on Win 7.I didn't see where they had a Windows version.

You could consider Pinnacle-retail version made by Avid-I've used it for years and older versions had some quirks but the latest version I have (14) seems to do everything I want it to-you could drop down an a/b roll into two different lanes (for lack of a better word) and sync/cut as mentioned above.

Again, simple answer multi cam software that you feel you can work with. Pick the maker most allow demo version to try.
No they do not do live TV that way.

I believe they do shoot live TV that is multi camera that way. They cut between cameras the same way I want to cut between digital scenes. Of course it's been 30 some years since I directed live TV, but I think the method hasn't changed that much. JS.

adobe premier does what you want. but it is complex to use.

Again, simple answer multi cam software that you feel you can work with. Pick the maker most allow demo version to try.
No they do not do live TV that way. Originally Posted by 12blue4u

I did not say they do "live" TV that way...

I said they do some talk shows that way. They are pre-recorded multi-camera, and later cut to look as though they are cut live.

Of course different shows may use different methods, and some of them may still be switched 'live' while being taped.

Understand. I did several eposodes of Phil Donahue that were cut that way. I have pushed through one of my multi-camera shoots the hard way. I've got another one to do - and I want it to be easy - and cheap. Adobe is complex and I don't have the time. Same with Pinacle. Good - but not easy.

What else could I do with the play money to get and learn the software? That's where I'm at. But thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunatley I wound up where I started....using movie maker - difficult but possible - or learning Adobe Premire. Oh well. I thought there might be an easy answer.

Understand. I did several eposodes of Phil Donahue that were cut that way. I have pushed through one of my multi-camera shoots the hard way. I've got another one to do - and I want it to be easy - and cheap. Adobe is complex and I don't have the time. Same with Pinacle. Good - but not easy.

What else could I do with the play money to get and learn the software? That's where I'm at. But thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunatley I wound up where I started....using movie maker - difficult but possible - or learning Adobe Premire. Oh well. I thought there might be an easy answer. Originally Posted by ftime

Learning the basics of any of these programs is sometimes not as hard as you would think.

I would recommend looking for online tutorial videos for the specific program you wish to use. You can do this before you even get the software. These are typically much more intuitive that shoving your face into the instruction manual, which tends to be loaded with more 'up front' information than you will need to actually get started. Most of these programs work in a very similar fashion, using a 'timeline' based visual interface.

I mentioned Avid because I personally find it less 'clunky' to use than Adobe Premiere.

BTW, the program that is now known as "Avid Liquid" is what used to be Pinnacle Liquid. It was purchased by Avid a few years ago and was renamed under the Avid brand. It is still the same interface as the previous Pinnacle version, and does not look the same as the other Avid products. It is somewhat similar (in appearance) to Adobe Premiere, in my opinion, though I have only briefly used it once for a very basic project, so those more familiar with it may disagree on the similarity.

A few years back, there was a version of Avid known as "Avid free DV". It was a DV based editing system, and yes, it was FREE!

I don't know if it had any HD capability.

Avid stopped distributing it and supporting it, but it can probably still be found somewhere as a free download.

I have had great luck with "Sony Vegas Movie Studio", the "lite" version of "Sony Vegas Pro". I did a lot of research before I took the plunge several years ago and tried "Movie Studio 4". One of the big selling points was how stable it was. A lot of Avid fans bailed for Sony because of all the wasted time and effort every time Avid locked up. You can find an inexpensive copy of "Movie Studio" a couple of versions back that will run on Win 7.

virtualdub is free and can accomplish all sort of video editing functions and has a multithread 64bit version

probably the best thing to do is go ahead and get both a and b into a compression such as the huffy codec which is almost no compression without the large file size

using virtualdub cut and paste each part and number each one in numerical order

now use virtualdub to combine the pieces by the "append" function to get back to one file

this is the movie the way you want it in almost uncompressed state

compress into H.264 for final video

doing it this way will keep everything in sync and using huffy which makes about every second frame a key frame which is important for breaking apart the movies


i know you wanted real time but the process just posted will give you results better than most all expensive video software for free, the best way to do the parts that take hours like converting to the huffy codec is to start the compression before you go to bed and let the app run all night