Video EDITING - Tips, Tricks & Questions

[urednik]

It is not easy to find threads or help regarding video editing on this forum, because there is no dedicated forum for this.
It might be better to post all our questions in one thread, so we can co-operate better.
For start I would recommend everyone working with video in Reaper to download Jon's video presets, since default presets are not enough.
Even Jon himself keeps posting in several threads, which is hard to keep track of.
One of them is here: http://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=167376

Any suggestions?

[EpicSounds]

Hard to believe I've been making videos in reaper for over a year and released more videos than I can count. If v5 didn't have video editing functions I would have given up on making videos a long time ago.


Random tip
I've started using Chroma Key overlays instead of Image overlay. I prepare images in the app Pixelmator. 1920x1080 72dpi

When using the 'Simple Source Chroma Key' preset on graphics

Use these standard colors in your image elements
chroma key green:

0,255,0 or Hex #00ff00

chroma key blue:

0,0,255 or Hex #0000ff

The green should work with the default settings.

Avoid angled lines! They will look terrible.

Now that I've written that out I'll have to experiment with higher dpi or resolution and see if the jagged lines are just because the image is stretched on my monitor.

[urednik]

Jon,
please can you help me:
I have a png image that I would like to overlay over a corner of a video for two seconds. How can I manage it with Simple chroma key?
It is a "dreaming cloud" with either transparent or green #00ff00 background. The second goes a little bit, but I totally mess colours on the video ...

Is this doable in Reaper?

[TonE]

Does video work for you in wine?

[EpicSounds]

Originally Posted by urednik

Jon,
please can you help me:
I have a png image that I would like to overlay over a corner of a video for two seconds. How can I manage it with Simple chroma key?
It is a "dreaming cloud" with either transparent or green #00ff00 background. The second goes a little bit, but I totally mess colours on the video ...

Is this doable in Reaper?

Sure it's possible.



I made a 1920 x 1080 pixel image.
background fill of #00ff00. added the shape.
Exported as png
import to reaper on a track above main video.
track fx chain: video processor "Simple source chroma-key"
K1 -0.5, K2 -0.5, K3 0.75, k4 2

[urednik]

Success, thanks.
But I did it right, just had to reload reaper because first my .png image was done wrong, after correction it did not update, that is why it did not work. Thanks a billion!

[EpicSounds]

that would be because reaper caches the files somehow and doesn't update unless you choose a new file in properties (doesn't work with images), or enable to option to make items offline when the program isn't focused. I just import the file a second time.

[TonE]

video, wine?

[EpicSounds]

Originally Posted by TonE

video, wine?

I honestly don't know if it works. I use OSX exclusively.

[typhonj]

Just so you know;
You can also do video overlay and, of course, video chromakeys

[urednik]

One more request Jon - if possible can the text overlay be UTF-8? All special chars are corrupted ...


Plus one big question with the dreaming bubble (or any image with blue box)
What can I do if I want my bubble to move and not the video below it?
Everything I try to do with envelopes affects also the underlayed video, so I can not bring the image to fly in.
Plus if I do fades on the image above it displays greenish during fades??? Is this supposed to work this way? What to do?

Any ideas?

[urednik]

My question remained - I left out the unmakeable part

typhonj great, can you post for others instructions how you managed that?

Here is my result, using tips and tricks of above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F-p...qXBywJFNX17Azk

[typhonj]

here is the example.


>>>https://i.imgur.com/bwyOFUB.gif

1st track is 'Herbie Hancock' video which is first running in background because it is the first track.
2nd track is 'Rabbit' video in full size and it is forward because it is the second track (Reaper proccess the tracks in order of last being forward first unless your are telling it the oposite in project's prefs)
- - It is using 'Image Overlay' video proccessor then automations for positioning and zooming out of it (zoom, x and y offset)
3rd video track is the little butterfly extract from the Rabbit track.
- - It is using 'Track opacity/zoom/pan' setting of video effect processor.
- - Chromakeys is used but this simple example simply play with the intgrated Opacity processor.

Hope this helps

[EpicSounds]

Originally Posted by urednik

One more request Jon - if possible can the text overlay be UTF-8? All special chars are corrupted ...

This I do not know.

Originally Posted by urednik

Plus one big question with the dreaming bubble (or any image with blue box)
What can I do if I want my bubble to move and not the video below it?
Everything I try to do with envelopes affects also the underlayed video, so I can not bring the image to fly in.

I've also noticed some weird stuff at the edges when moving an overlay. Might want to try an image that's 50% bigger so you can move it without seeing the edges.

Originally Posted by urednik

Plus if I do fades on the image above it displays greenish during fades??? Is this supposed to work this way? What to do?

Any ideas?

automate opacity instead of using a fade.

[urednik]

Thank you both!

So Jon you think the font problem might be within Reaper or are you not sure?

[zacki]

Originally Posted by typhonj

here is the example.

Thank you Typhonj for that brilliant example! I was asking myself long time how to do overlays.

Thanks also to Urednik and Epic.

[EpicSounds]

tried something new with my latest edit.

i synced the two cameras with the audio.
Then I copied camera B video item and pasted as a take into camera A item.
Each one had color adjustment as item fx (potential issue) and overall it was very fast to split and switch takes as each person was speaking.
I could have also switched the audio track at the same time though I'm not positive that would have been better.

Pros
- fast to edit multicam

Cons
- can't explode to separate tracks and keep your selected angles
- huge amount of video processor instances with no way to mass update settings.
- long undo wait time as the edit got more complex.

Other than color correcting destructively in another program at the start, I can't think of a better way to do the color adjustments to follow the angles. If you do separate tracks you have to split both angles, mute cam B item without grouping.

You can see the video here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IWFlLN1siI

[Fran Guidry]

I shot a self-duet and edited the clip in REAPER, it turned out to be a snap thanks to the new video processor and the "horizontal wipe" preset. I did a blog post http://www.homebrewedmusic.com/2016/...eos-in-reaper/ and a tutorial video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNhzJoHGuUo in case anyone else gets the urge to play with themselves.

Fran

[Melvin J.]

Whoa! Awesome tip on the Horizontal Wipe function!

[Paul99]

Well done Fran Guidry and well explained!

[Fran Guidry]

Originally Posted by Melvin J.

Whoa! Awesome tip on the Horizontal Wipe function!

I futzed around with several different presets and was getting a little frustrated until I tried horizontal wipe just for jokes. The joke was on me!!

Originally Posted by Paul99

Well done Fran Guidry and well explained!

Thanks, I hope you have fun with it.

Fran

[sjs94704]

I did do a search here on the forum before posting this and either I did not type in the right search criteria or there is nothing on this subject.

I have a software called VideoPad from NCH software that can do split screen, but, to me, everything that Reaper can do with video seems so much easier than this video editing software.

Anyways, I did an experiment with VideoPad and here is a link to my very first video and it does the kind of split screen that I'm looking for.

My parents came for my 54th birthday to visit and I videoed them as my backup singers to the song 'Fly Like the Wind' by Christopher Cross.

I have the music in Reaper and recorded their audio of them singing into Reaper as well. I then just synced the video with the audio.

Now, when it is time for the two of them to sing, I want to put them both up on the screen together the same way as I have it in my video on my YouTube channel.

If there is a way to do this, I learn best by watching videos, but, if there is not one of those, if there is any kind of documentation I would be grateful for a referral to whatever is out there to show me how to do it.

If not I will figure it out in VideoPad.

Here is the link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBHv80bn0aY

[Sleep opposed]

I've got a question...I've been using reaper for years with audio but am a complete dunce when it comes to video.

I have a clip that was recorded on an iphone, in portrait mode. I've added some audio to it and want to export it in the same size/aspect ratio/quality as the original version. I thought i did exactly this when rendering it but it turned out smaller/lesser quality.

Am I missing something? I really know very little about video, I've looked up basic tips and stuff online but it doesn't come naturally to me at all, so it could be something really obvious that I'm missing.

Thanks!

[sjs94704]

Are you saying that after rendering the video it looks 'squashed up' and out of proportion?

If so, I am not sure if this will work or not, but, try rotating the video first in Windows to check it before putting it into Reaper again.

If that does not work then maybe someone else has another idea....

[Sleep opposed]

Originally Posted by sjs94704

Are you saying that after rendering the video it looks 'squashed up' and out of proportion?

If so, I am not sure if this will work or not, but, try rotating the video first in Windows to check it before putting it into Reaper again.

If that does not work then maybe someone else has another idea....

I dont have it on this computer to take a screenshot, but its not squashed in any way, its the same proportions, just smaller and seems lesser quality. I do social media for work and i have a video that was taken on a phone...id like to add some stuff to it in reaper, then re-use the video via the phone and onto instagram.

Thanks!