Sony Vegas 6 Manual

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Capturing a timeline snapshot
You can create still images of a single frame of your project. Once saved, the snapshot can be used just like 
any other still image.
1.Position the cursor on the frame of the project you wish to capture as a still image.
2.Click the Save Snapshot to File button () on the Video Preview window. The Image Filename dialog 
appears.
3.Select a file format (JPEG or PNG) and enter a name for the new still image file.
4.Click Save. The image is added to the Project Media window. 
Creating a slide show
A slide show composed of still images and an accompanying soundtrack can be an excellent way to show off 
your pictures. You can insert multiple images to instantly create a slide show, complete with crossfades. 
Importing high-resolution still images and using panning, cropping, and track motion tools can add interest 
to an otherwise static slide show. For more information, see Cropping video on page 223 and Adding track motion 
on page 281.
1.In the Options menu, verify that Automatic Crossfades is selected.
2.From the Options menu, choose Preferences. Adjust the following settings on the Editing tab:
 Enter the length for the still images in the New still image length box.
 Select Automatically overlap multiple selected media when added. 
 Enter the length of the automatic overlap in the Amount box in the Cut-to-overlap conversion section of 
the dialog.
3.Click OK. The Preferences dialog closes.
4.Select all of the images you want to use in the Explorer.
5.Right-click and drag these files to the timeline.
6.From the shortcut menu, choose Add Across Time. 
						

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If you want, you can replace the crossfades between images by dragging transitions to the crossfade regions at 
a later time. For more information, see Using transition effects on page 268.
Note: When using photographs or other media that is not the 
same frame aspect as your video, youll see black bars on the 
sides or above and below the image.  To create a crop 
rectangle that matches the project frame aspect, right-click the 
image and choose 
Match Output Aspect from the shortcut 
menu.
Creating titles
Most video projects include titles and credits. There are two ways to add text to your project. You can use the 
titling engine (text generator) or you can use an external image-editing program to create titles. For more 
information, see Using generated media on page 247.
Creating titles from images
While every software application is slightly different, the general procedure for creating titles with a 
transparent background is as follows.
1.Start your image-editing application.
2.From the File menu, choose New. Set the dimensions of the new image to be the same as the frame size for 
the project. For more information, see Correcting images for DV pixel aspect ratios on page 226. Make the 
default canvas (background) color a solid color. The background will be transparent in the final image, so 
any solid color works.
3.Select the Text tool and enter the text for your title.
Note: Size and position your titles carefully to fit within the 
Title Safe Area or the titles may extend beyond the edges of 
your television. For more information, see Identifying safe 
areas on page 293.
4.From the File menu, choose Save As.
5.From the Save as type drop-down list, choose TGA, PNG, PSD or BMP (PNG is recommended). Make 
sure that you save the alpha channel information (for TGA and PNG), which is used for transparency.
6.Enter a name and click Save.
7.Insert the image in a track just above the one with the video that will be in the background.  
						

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8.Click the Compositing Mode button () on the title track and choose Source Alpha if your image has an 
alpha channel associated with it. If it does not, you may need to add a chroma key filter to the image and 
key out the background. For more information, see Chroma keying on page 264.
Note: The alpha channel is saved as a selection area in some 
programs. If you cannot save the alpha channel, use a black 
background and a mask will be created from the background. 
The alpha channel of TGA images may not be detected 
automatically. For more information, see Modifying media 
file properties on page 239.
Fading titles
Another common technique is to fade a still title in and out. You can create this effect by using an opacity 
envelope on a title event. For more information, see Using opacity envelopes on page 177.
You can also create multiple title images and then use crossfades or custom transitions between them. For 
more information, see Using transition effects on page 268.
Adding closed captioning to Windows Media Video (WMV) files
Closed captioning makes your final video accessible to a wider audience. You can use text commands to add 
captions line-by-line to a Windows Media
® Video (WMV) file, or for longer projects, you can add 
captioning from a script. 
						

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Adding closed captioning line-by-line
1.Position the cursor where you want the closed captioning 
text to appear.
2.From the Insert menu, choose Command. The Command 
Properties dialog appears.
3.From the Command drop-down list, choose Te x t.
4.In the Parameter box, enter the closed captioning text you 
want to display.
5.Click OK.
6.Repeat steps 1-5 for each line of closed captioning text you want to add.
7.Render your file in Windows Media Video format. For more information, see Rendering a project on page 307.
Tip: Take steps to ensure that the closed captioning displays 
when the video is played. For more information, see 
Displaying closed captioning on page 232.
Adding closed captioning from a script
This feature is available only in the full version of Vegas software.
Using a script to generate closed captioning involves several steps. First, you must copy and paste the lines 
from the script into a spreadsheet. You can create the spreadsheet from scratch (using the steps that follow) 
or use the sample shell (Vegas Captioning Shell.txt) provided in the Sample Projects folder on the Vegas 
software CD. You can open this tab-delimited shell with a spreadsheet application or, in the absence of a 
spreadsheet application, any text editor.
Once the spreadsheet is complete, you can copy and paste the lines into the Edit Details window. You can 
set the position for each line of closed captioning during playback.
Creating a script spreadsheet
1.Create a four-column, tab-delimited spreadsheet.
2.In the first column, enter 00:00:00:00 in each of the cells as a placeholder. You will set the actual position 
of each line during playback.
3.In the second column, enter TEXT in each of the cells to specify the command type.
4.In the third column, enter the text that you want to display as a closed caption. Enter each line in its own 
cell.
Tip: If you have a script, you can copy and paste individual 
lines into the cells.
5.In the fourth column, enter a label to identify your captions. An entry such as Line 001 can help you sort 
the captions once you paste them into your Vegas project. 
						

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Note: The final caption displays in the Microsoft® Windows 
Media
® Player until the end of the video. To clear the final 
caption sooner, add a final command with no text (as shown 
above).
Copying and pasting captions into Vegas software
1.Select the cells in the spreadsheet and copy them.
2.Switch to Vegas software and choose Edit Details from the View menu. The Edit Details window appears.
3.From the Show drop-down list, choose Commands.
4.Right-click the gray box in the upper-left corner and choose Paste from the shortcut menu. The 
spreadsheet data is pasted into the Edit Details window.
5.Click the column header for the Comments column. This sorts the captions by line number.
Setting closed captioning timing
1.Position the cursor shortly before where you want the first caption to occur.
2.Select the row for the first caption in the Edit Details window.
3.Click the Play button () to start playback.
4.When playback reaches the place where the first caption should 
occur, press 
. The first caption is inserted at the cursor 
position, updates the 
Po si t io n setting in the Edit Details window, 
and selects the next caption.
5.Press  to insert each subsequent caption.
6.Render your file in Windows Media Video format. For more information, see Rendering a project on page 
307.
Click the Comments column header
to sort the captions by line number.Right-click to paste the spreadsheet
contents into the Edit Details window.
Ctrl+K
Ctrl
+K 
						

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Displaying closed captioning
You may use one of two methods for displaying the closed captioning when the video is played:
 Instruct your audience to turn on captioning:
In Windows Media Player 7 and 8: from the View menu, choose Now Playing Tools, and then choose 
Captions from the submenu.
In Windows Media Player 9: from the Play menu, choose Captions and Subtitles, and then choose On if 
Available
 from the submenu.
 Create an HTML page with the Windows Media Player embedded in it. See the online help for a sample 
HTML page.
Resampling video
Resampling allows Vegas software to interpolate frames in an event when the frame rate of a media file is 
lower than the project’s frame rate. With resampling, the intervening frames are interpolated from the source 
frames, much like a crossfade between the original frames. 
You can instruct Vegas software to resample the video of a single video event or to resample the entire 
project at the time of final rendering:
 To resample an event, right-click a video event and choose Properties from the shortcut menu. In the 
Video Event tab of the Properties dialog, choose the Smart resample, Force resample, or Disable resample radio 
button. For more information, see Accessing event properties on page 174.
 To resample the project, choose Render As from the File menu. In the Render As dialog, click the Custom 
button to access custom rendering settings. Select the 
Resample the frame rate of all video check box. For 
more information, see Customizing the rendering process on page 311.
Without resampling, the intervening frames are simply the previous frame repeated.
With resampling, the intervening frames are interpolated from the source frames.  The original media file looks
To convert these three frames into nine frames for a faster frame rate, Vegas software must generate something like this over
three frames.
It is similar to a crossfade effect between the original frames. the intervening frames. 
						

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Resampling at either the event or project level perform the same function. There are few cases where 
resampling may be particularly important:
 When the frame rate of the source media for an event is slower than the project’s frame rate. For example, 
when you are using a source media file that has a 10 fps rate in a 29.97 fps rate project, resampling is 
recommended.
 When changing the speed of a video event. For example, when slowing a clip to 30% using a velocity 
envelope, resampling is recommended.
 When creating vertically scrolling titles.
When any of the above situations are true, there are only ten frames of source material for every second of 
project time. When the project is rendered, there must be roughly thirty frames in each second. The frames 
must be created between the source media frames, sometimes known as padding. The easiest way to do this is 
to simply duplicate the previous frame. This can result in less than smooth video playback. Resampling 
allows Vegas software to interpolate the intervening frames more smoothly.
Using Edit Decision Lists (EDL)
This feature is available only in the full version of Vegas software.
Vegas Edit Decision Lists (EDL) are text lists of all of the media files used, where they are placed, and how 
they are trimmed. Vegas EDLs are not the same as those used in traditional linear editing suites and are not 
intended as a project interchange for other editing applications.
Creating an EDL
1.From the File menu, choose Save As. The Save As dialog appears.
2.From the Save as type list choose EDL Text File (.txt).
3.Enter a name for the file and browse for a destination.
4.Click Save.
You can open EDLs created in another application in order to work with a rough copy of a project. For 
example, you could create an EDL from a project in a third-party editing application and then import the 
project into Vegas software via the EDL. For best results, save the EDL file and source media files in a single 
folder before opening the EDL. 
Opening an EDL
1.From the File menu, choose Open.
2.Locate the EDL file, select it, and click the Open button. If you are working on another project, you are 
prompted to save your work before a new project is opened.
Note: EDLs do not contain any information about the 
location of source media. Therefore, the EDL file should be 
saved in the same directory as the source media. If it is not, or 
if media is stored in a number of different locations, you are 
prompted to relink these files when the EDL is imported.
Because of the significant differences between editing applications, third-party EDL files may not bring all of 
the project data into Vegas software. Among other differences, events are inserted into the timeline on a 
single track, all transition effects are replaced with crossfades, and only four audio tracks can be imported. 
						

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Working in DV format
Vegas software is optimized for DV editing. If your project is destined for tape or television, the DV format is 
an excellent choice. The Sony Media Software DV codec provides video with excellent image quality, even 
over multiple generations, and provides audio that is better than CD-quality. If you start with well-shot DV 
footage and stay within the DV format throughout the editing process, you can output broadcast-quality 
video programs. This section provides guidelines for working in the DV format.
Selecting source media
Wherever possible, use DV source video clips. You can capture video from DV cameras and decks using an 
IEEE-1394 card with no quality loss. You can also convert analog footage to DV using a media converter or 
by passing the video through a DV camcorder.
Setting project properties
Set your project to match the DV format of your final output. This provides a true WYSIWYG view of the 
project when you use an external monitor for previewing. This also prevents you from stretching output or 
changing field order unnecessarily. You can match the project settings to a video source file by using the 
Match Media Settings button () in the Project Properties dialog. For more information, see Setting video 
properties based on a media file on page 44 and Modifying project video properties on page 238.
Selecting templates
Always select a DV template when performing any of the following tasks in a DV project:
 prerendering video (pg. 289)
 rendering to a new track (pg. 153)
 printing video to tape from the timeline (pg. 323)
 rendering a project (pg. 307)
When prerendering video or rendering to a new track, a DV template not only optimizes playback 
performance, but also helps you avoid needless recompression of DV footage. DV material is recompressed 
only when necessary. Cuts-only DV sequences are not recompressed when you output the project to DV 
from the timeline or in Video Capture.
The DV templates are designed to provide high quality, pixel aspect-correct, DV-compliant renders when 
rendering a project or printing to tape from the timeline. Do not select an uncompressed setting when 
choosing rendering or print-to-tape options. An uncompressed setting produces a large file that will not print 
back to DV tape from Video Capture or from the timeline. 
						

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Eliminating out-of-range colors
The DV format allows color values to exceed 
broadcast NTSC and PAL color level standards. If 
you have a scene whose colors are too hot, or if you 
want to be sure that your video stays within legal 
broadcast levels, apply the Broadcast Colors effect to 
specific events or the entire project. 
Be aware that applying the Broadcast Colors effect 
results in recompression of the video. As a result, 
render times can increase significantly when the 
effect is applied to the entire project.  
						

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Working in HDV format
This feature is available only in the full version of Vegas software and in Vegas Movie Studio Platinum software.
HDV cameras record high-definition video to standard DV tapes using a highly compressed variation of the 
MPEG-2 format. Because of this compression, you can capture HDV clips at data rates that are no higher 
than DV capture. 
However, editing and previewing this highly compressed video is impractical without a very powerful 
computer that is optimized for working with high-definition video. We recommend converting your HDV 
files to an intermediate format for editing.
Depending on your final delivery format, working with HDV source material requires some adjustments to 
your workflow. This section will help guide you through the decisions to streamline the process.
Choosing a capture format
If you will be delivering your project in standard definition (SD) via DVD or DV tape, you can use the 
camera’s built-in down-conversion (if available) to convert your HDV video to the DV format. Use the 
camera’s Options menu to set the camera to output DV, and you can capture and edit video in the same way 
that you normally use DV in Vegas projects with no need for intermediate files.
If you will be delivering your project in a high-definition (HD) format, in both SD and HD formats, or as SD 
24p video, capture HDV clips and convert them to an intermediate format after capturing.
Creating intermediate files
If you’ve captured HDV clips, converting to an intermediate, lower-resolution format will streamline the 
editing process and allow you to preview your project.
1.Start a new project.
2.Add your captured HDV clips (MPEG-2 transport streams) to the timeline.
3.Render your clips to an appropriate intermediate format. 
You can verify a template’s codec by looking at the Video format drop-down list on the Video tab of the 
Custom Template dialog.
If you’re performing frame rate or frame size conversion, ensure the Video rendering quality is set to Best on 
the Project tab of the Custom Template dialog.
DestinationIntermediate Format
HDCAM over HD-SDIRender an .avi file that uses the Sony YUV codec. The frame rate and 
frame size should match your HDCAM master.
Digital Betacam or XDCAM 
over SD-SDIRender an .avi file that uses the Sony YUV codec. The frame rate and 
frame size should match your master.
24p DVDRender an .avi file that uses one of the following codecs:
-Sony YUV (offers the highest quality, but requires a high-performance 
drive array).
-CineForm HD (offers excellent quality with good playback performance).
-Sony NTSC DV Widescreen (use the NTSC DV Widescreen 24p (2-3-3-2) 
pulldown .avi template).
Windows Media HDRender an .avi file using one of the following templates. Choose the 
template that matches your HDV source:
-HDV 720-30p intermediate.
-HDV 720-25p intermediate.
-HDV 1080-60i intermediate.
-HDV 1080-50i intermediate.