Badly Needed Global Move/insert Function

[PeterPan]

I was embarrassed I couldn't figure out how to do this, until a call to tech support told me it wasn't available. I had created a Video Production, added some nice background music clips in various places, as well as some text overlays. Then I decided I wanted to add a custom intro page with some text. OK, there is no way (apparently) to "insert" a blank area to the beginning of the production, but an easy workaround is to just insert a JPG that is basically just a blank background. But here's my beef! When I insert something like that, it only pushes the existing Video that comes after the insert point forward in time. Meaning, all the work you might have done to carefully synchronize and position subsequent audio clips, text objects, or effects, is now all off by the duration of your insert. I couldn't even "select all" and move it manually, because "select ALL" does NOT select ALL.. it only selects the Video portion. Ditto for select all followed by cut/paste... the "cut" operation on,y includes the video. No, you can't even save the whole production and append it to a new one (with the blank area already in the new one), because you can't append productions together!

 

Unless I'm missing something, it is a serious omission not to be able to select all tracks (video, audio, text,k everything) to move them as a group, or move them together during an insert!

 

Can anyone recommend any workarounds?

[PeterPan]

You can right click on the Timeline and select "Insert Color Panel" to make your Intro page with text. That, however, doesn't solve the problem of moving the other elements to line up with your Main track.

 

What I've done is to select the first item (left-most) and then shift select on the last item (right-most) in the group. This should select most of your other elements. Just check for any strays that didn't make it into the group and then Control click on them to add them to the group. Now you should be able to move all that as a unit into the new position.

 

I remember some people reported this method didn't work for them, so I only offer it for what it's worth. Hope it helps

 

 

 

 

Edit: Or what Walt said lol

 

 

well thanks everyone. I did have a lengthy discussion with the Roxio folks about this. At least they seemed to agree there is a need for such a feature. It's just like with Desktop Publishing... You have to be able to group and lock all kinds of objects together and move/edit their positions all together, and ungroup them just as easily. At the very least, Select All should REALLY select ALL! :-)

 

 

I guess for now the best thing to do is wait until my video is all in place before adding audio with critical timing. Adding audio to the native tracks is a good way to keep them bound together too, if the program lets ya do that! :-)

 

 

 

[grandpabruce]

well thanks everyone. I did have a lengthy discussion with the Roxio folks about this. At least they seemed to agree there is a need for such a feature. It's just like with Desktop Publishing... You have to be able to group and lock all kinds of objects together and move/edit their positions all together, and ungroup them just as easily. At the very least, Select All should REALLY select ALL! :-)

 

 

I guess for now the best thing to do is wait until my video is all in place before adding audio with critical timing. Adding audio to the native tracks is a good way to keep them bound together too, if the program lets ya do that! :-)

 

Put it on your wish list. I have had the need to do what you are talking about, myself. But, show me a consumer grade software that has 35 video, audio, text, and overlay tracks, like the Roxio software. You won't find it.

 

The main thing that has to be done, before you do anything, is make a flow chart, of sorts, on what you want to accomplish. You can then go about creating your productions a bit easier than shooting in the dark, like we do most of the time. There is nothing easy, once you go beyond just capturing the video, then burning it to a DVD.

[PeterPan]

Put it on your wish list. I have had the need to do what you are talking about, myself. But, show me a consumer grade software that has 35 video, audio, text, and overlay tracks, like the Roxio software. You won't find it.

 

The main thing that has to be done, before you do anything, is make a flow chart, of sorts, on what you want to accomplish. You can then go about creating your productions a bit easier than shooting in the dark, like we do most of the time. There is nothing easy, once you go beyond just capturing the video, then burning it to a DVD.

 

Don't get me wrong. I like VideoWave. It has already allowed me to do a LOT of great things that many others programs are incapable of. Regardless of how difficult or complex, "first base" with software is always whether or not a task CAN be done, and doing it easier is secondary. But at the same time Videowave is NOT a version 1 or 2 product, and it has gone through enough revisions to be mature. But yes...its reasonable price means that resources for improvements have to be prioritized. So I do think its very important to let the company know when features are lacking, and suggest ways to improve work flow. I'm not the least bit alergic to hard work when it comes to creative projects, regardless of the software or hardware involved. But anything that requires creativity needs to be fun too, with as few roadblocks as possible. Yeah, you have to have your work organized to avoid roadblocks where they do exist. But few creative processes lend themselves well to flow charting. I've written lots of songs that ended up completely different from my original intent, and good software has often been the key being able to incorporate my ideas in the order they come to mind. There should never be a time when changing something you did in step 1 means negating everything you've done in steps 2 through 20, and the lack of this simple feature was one of those instances that on a coding level, should be easy to fix.

 

Thankfully, the company seems to have a lot of folks that actually use the product, and hopefully listen to customer's wish lists.

[karri]

The main thing that has to be done, before you do anything, is make a flow chart, of sorts, on what you want to accomplish. You can then go about creating your productions a bit easier than shooting in the dark, like we do most of the time. There is nothing easy, once you go beyond just capturing the video, then burning it to a DVD.

 

Completely agree with you Bruce. I think planning saves time in the long run. I've been storyboarding my projects and find the the work flow much easier once in VW.

[Jim_Hardin]

Then you never worked in the real world

 

Some supervisors will make several changes every time you present something just to maintain their Alpha Male/Female status.

 

Likewise no matter how well you plan, you may reach the end and not be satisfied and want to make many changes..

 

Part of my duties were teaching CAD/CAM. I figure it was 30% 'how to' and 70% on editing.

 

[Merv]

I was embarrassed I couldn't figure out how to do this, until a call to tech support told me it wasn't available. I had created a Video Production, added some nice background music clips in various places, as well as some text overlays. Then I decided I wanted to add a custom intro page with some text. OK, there is no way (apparently) to "insert" a blank area to the beginning of the production, but an easy workaround is to just insert a JPG that is basically just a blank background. But here's my beef! When I insert something like that, it only pushes the existing Video that comes after the insert point forward in time. Meaning, all the work you might have done to carefully synchronize and position subsequent audio clips, text objects, or effects, is now all off by the duration of your insert. I couldn't even "select all" and move it manually, because "select ALL" does NOT select ALL.. it only selects the Video portion. Ditto for select all followed by cut/paste... the "cut" operation on,y includes the video. No, you can't even save the whole production and append it to a new one (with the blank area already in the new one), because you can't append productions together!

 

Unless I'm missing something, it is a serious omission not to be able to select all tracks (video, audio, text,k everything) to move them as a group, or move them together during an insert!

 

Can anyone recommend any workarounds?

 

One other option. If you are satisfied with your original production, render that to a MPEG2 or DV AVI file. Open a new Videowave project, insert the "custom intro panel", and then insert the rendered MPEG2 or DV AVI file.

 

On the plus side, this will accomplish what you want. On the negative, you will not be able to easily modify the original production (now a MPEG2 or DV AVI file) in the new project.

 

Hope that gives you another workaround to consider.

 

[bimicher]

I was embarrassed I couldn't figure out how to do this, until a call to tech support told me it wasn't available. I had created a Video Production, added some nice background music clips in various places, as well as some text overlays. Then I decided I wanted to add a custom intro page with some text. OK, there is no way (apparently) to "insert" a blank area to the beginning of the production, but an easy workaround is to just insert a JPG that is basically just a blank background. But here's my beef! When I insert something like that, it only pushes the existing Video that comes after the insert point forward in time. Meaning, all the work you might have done to carefully synchronize and position subsequent audio clips, text objects, or effects, is now all off by the duration of your insert. I couldn't even "select all" and move it manually, because "select ALL" does NOT select ALL.. it only selects the Video portion. Ditto for select all followed by cut/paste... the "cut" operation on,y includes the video. No, you can't even save the whole production and append it to a new one (with the blank area already in the new one), because you can't append productions together!

 

Unless I'm missing something, it is a serious omission not to be able to select all tracks (video, audio, text,k everything) to move them as a group, or move them together during an insert!

 

Can anyone recommend any workarounds?

 

 

You can add audio, text, etc. to the internal tracks of a video and/or photo and then when the main video gets moved the associated parts on the internal tracks also move.

[karri]

I was embarrassed I couldn't figure out how to do this, until a call to tech support told me it wasn't available. I had created a Video Production, added some nice background music clips in various places, as well as some text overlays. Then I decided I wanted to add a custom intro page with some text. OK, there is no way (apparently) to "insert" a blank area to the beginning of the production, but an easy workaround is to just insert a JPG that is basically just a blank background. But here's my beef! When I insert something like that, it only pushes the existing Video that comes after the insert point forward in time. Meaning, all the work you might have done to carefully synchronize and position subsequent audio clips, text objects, or effects, is now all off by the duration of your insert. I couldn't even "select all" and move it manually, because "select ALL" does NOT select ALL.. it only selects the Video portion. Ditto for select all followed by cut/paste... the "cut" operation on,y includes the video. No, you can't even save the whole production and append it to a new one (with the blank area already in the new one), because you can't append productions together!

 

Unless I'm missing something, it is a serious omission not to be able to select all tracks (video, audio, text,k everything) to move them as a group, or move them together during an insert!

 

Can anyone recommend any workarounds?

 

You can right click on the Timeline and select "Insert Color Panel" to make your Intro page with text. That, however, doesn't solve the problem of moving the other elements to line up with your Main track.

 

What I've done is to select the first item (left-most) and then shift select on the last item (right-most) in the group. This should select most of your other elements. Just check for any strays that didn't make it into the group and then Control click on them to add them to the group. Now you should be able to move all that as a unit into the new position.

 

I remember some people reported this method didn't work for them, so I only offer it for what it's worth. Hope it helps

 

 

 

 

Edit: Or what Walt said lol