|
| |
WHEN MAKING YOUR
MOVIE TO TAPE...
- Don't try to make long movies in one go - break them down into short 'segments' of, say,
around ten minutes each. You can easily use a link between the segments - a fade to black
for the end of one segment and a fade from black for the next, or end with a full screen
title and start the next with the same - or another full screen title, and so
on. This cuts down the possibility of long remakes if something goes wrong near the
end of a Make Tape process. See also the tip on 'Make Tape failures...
- If you don't have Time Code, and you are Making a movie from two (or more) tape
sources, make sure 'new' tapes are rewound to the start (and the counter is zeroed) by
rewinding them from the Camcorder's own controls before clicking on 'GO'.
Although Studio 400 rewinds the tape to the start, as a reference point to smartseek the
next location, it can be more accurate, with some systems, if you do it manually.
I CAPTURED WITH TIME CODE - NOW I GET THE MESSAGE MY
SOURCE DOESN'T HAVE IT. WHAT'S HAPPENED? |
Occasionally
you may get a message to the effect that a capture was made with Time Code, but that Time
Code is now not found. You can make sure that Time Code is being recognised by Studio 400,
as follows...
Before Capturing, run the source tape for a few moments
(using its own controls), until the counter on the PC virtual camcorder display registers
and shows 'TC' . Some also suggest running the tape to a point
about ten seconds from the start of the tape (where time code is being registered), and
choosing 'Capture from current position'. I have never found this necessary. Note
that Studio 400 will not capture about the first 5 seconds or so of a tape: it needs a
'run' before the first captured scene.
Before Make Tape, run the source tape using its own
controls until TC registers in the PC virtual camcorder display.
When changing tapes during the Make Tape process, run
the source tape using its own controls until TC registers in the PC
virtual camcorder display before selecting 'OK' to
continue.
.
|
HOW
CAN I MAKE AN HOUR LONG MOVIE WITHOUT ANY HITCHES? |
| The best way to make hitch-free long movies is to break
them up into segments - and separate each segment by ending one with a fade to black and
starting the next with a fade from black, or by ending one with a full screen graphic, and
starting the next with the same graphic. Naturally, the record VCR tape must be
correctly positioned before making the next segment. In the long run, it can be quicker to
create long movies this way.
.
|
I
HAD A FAILURE MAKING A TAPE. DO I HAVE TO START AGAIN FROM SCRATCH? |
It can
be extremely frustrating to be near the end of a fairly complex make tape - only to find
something has gone wrong. The following procedure works for me faultlessly - but I
use time code, which may make a difference. If anyone using Smartseek tries the
method, I would be interested to hear the results...
- As soon as a problem is detected, click on the Cancel button (not
Pause).
- Using single frame advance/retard on the record VCR, find a suitable earlier frame that
can be absolutely positively identified from those around it. Choose a frame that is not
close to an oncoming transition or cut: a frame shortly after a transition
usually works best. Avoid transition and overlaid frames altogether!.
- Return to Edit mode. Using the scrubber and Player Viewer window, locate the same
frame as that selected on the record VCR. Note its time position.
- During the part of the clip between the selection point and the end of the clip, add a
'dummy title' (double click the overlay line to open TitleDeko, then accept the 'blank'
title overlay).
- Go to Options, Make Movie, and select 'Make Movie from current position'
- Reset the scrubber to the exact selected frame again.
- CAREFULLY (so that the scrubber is not displaced!) return to Make Move Mode, make sure
that TC is registering on the virtual camcorder display (if you are using Time Code, of
course!) by running the source VCR from its own controls, if necessary, then press GO!
The movie should be 'picked up' from the break point with no visual or audio glitches.
It works for me. I hope it works for you ... it can be a huge time saver (and
keeps the blood pressure and frustration levels under control!)
.
|
| HOW
CAN I TELL WHETHER MY VCR CAUSES GLITCHES? |
However
perfect Studio 400 may (or may not) be, if your record vcr is not able to perform seamless
joins during the Pause/Record/Pause Make Tape process, you will get sound glitches. A vcr
with flying erase heads helps minimise glitching, but other vcr's can also provide equally
satisfactory results - particularly those that use four rather than two heads. Pinnacle's
testing has also found that the sound card can be a contributory factor in minimizing
glitches across clips and transitions. Here's how to tell if your vcr can create
seemingly seamless joins...
- Connect your camcorder's output directly to your VCR's input (sound and video)
- With a recorded tape in the camcorder, press Play on the camcorder
- Start the VCR recording
- After about 5 seconds, pause the VCR
- After about another 5 seconds, start VCR recording again - usually by pressing 'Pause'
again.
- Repeat this Record/Pause process about half a dozen times, then stop both the camcorder
and the VCR, and rewind the VCR tape
- Playback the VCR tape. Watch for the 'Pause' points - you will see a jump in the video
content, of course. At these points, watch specifically for glitches - static noise or
color distortion. If you dont see any glitches or the glitches you do see are acceptable
to you, your VCR is performing OK.
 Glitch
Doctor will help solve yuor problems
.
|
HOW
DO I CLEAR THE GREEN LINE AT THE BOTTOM OF SOME FULL SCREEN TITLES? |
| PAL
users have suffered from this one from the start. Whatever the cause or reason,
Pinnacle seem to have been unable to clear the problem. Users have suggested that it
is because PAL has 625 lines (550 of which are used), while NTSC has 525 lines - the green
band is in the order of the difference, 25 lines), and the mixer doesn't take this into
account. It has also been suggested that the problem arises with units suffering
from a low level power supply to the mixer (the chip in the mixer requires a supply of 9V
minimum). The debate rages on... and no cure seems to be forthcoming. The green line usual appears at the bottom of
the first of a series of full screen titles, seen in the playback tape and on the Studio
400 player view during Make Tape, but not on avi files created with Studio 400 (which
don't use the mixer). A workaround has been suggested, which may or may not work in
certain circumstances - in any event, using the workaround can preclude the use of a
transition into the title.
The green line cannot be avoided. But
it can be 'minimised', even rendered virtually invisible during playback of the finished
tape, by placing a 'dummy' title immediately before the problem title. This dummy can be a
blank screen, or a copy of the following title - and here's the clever bit - with the top
7/8ths dropped down. This dummy should be as short as your system can cope with - a few
frames if possible.
The dummy title should pick up the
green band - which would normally push the rest of the title up. But by lowering the title
down, it will be pushed back into the position it occupies in the following title.
If it works for you, it is a second
best solution. If it doesn't work for you ... I'm afraid you'll have to wait for Pinnacle
to come up with a solution, or for someone else to come up with a better workaround (and
don't forget to let me know!!!)
.
|
HOW
CAN I STOP MY VCR 'TMING OUT' DURING MAKE TAPE? |
| Most -
if not all - VCRs have a built in safety mechanism that prevents them from being left in
Pause or Record-Pause mode for more than about four or five minutes. Unfortunately,
with a long source tape to search through, it can take Studio 400 longer than that to
locate the next scene. This can mean that the VCR is thrown out of its Record-Pause
mode - and the Make Tape process fails. But it needn't. Pinnacle have catered for this
one - by having a Record-Pause Timeout value (Options>Make Tape).
When the Record-Pause time specified by this value is reached, Studio 400 sends an
active signal to the VCR, to reset its (the VCRs) Pause timeout value. The VCR will
then start counting up the timeout period again, from zero.
Thus, to prevent your VCR from timing
out, set the Record-Pause value in Options lower than the actual timeout value of
the VCR. The VCR manual should state the value for its Pause timeout.
.
|
|
Home of the 
