Hi Terry

How many images on the screen at one time?

Do you want them to scroll in form the right or fade in at the right end then start moving across?

At the left end do you want them to scroll off the page or just fade out as they approach the left?

This sounds like a job for the collage procedure - apply to one set, eg 5, of images create the effect and then you can apply it as many times as you wish.

I did this a while ago with a fill strip green screen on top, before the collage procedure you posted - required the effect saving in six seperate stages and applying to the appropriate image.

Will see if I can find the project from my archive or one similar after German class !!

John

Hi Terry,

Do you have ProDAD Heroglyph? There is a videowall tool in it that looks interesting. I've only tried it once. But, I don't think that you can have various shapes and sizes

Hi John,

No Heroglyph, just Adorage and VitaScene.

In VPX6, not MEP, I did try out the 4 images that I used in the other query about copying them. I lassooed the 4, set a key, moved the playback and changed the left and top positions by typing in new values. All 4 objects took on the kf and moved together.

Does that mean that in VPX6 after grouping objects you can truly treat them as a single object? And in particular apply size and position KFA to the new group, s that the individual objects move and zoom identically? Great feature if so!

Hi Terry

How many images on the screen at one time?

Hi John,

It will vary depending on their widths.

Do you want them to scroll in form the right or fade in at the right end then start moving across?

The latter. So the x,y co-ords of A would be (1920, Ay) where 'Ay' means the y value of A.

At the left end do you want them to scroll off the page or just fade out as they approach the left?

As currently envisaged, the former. But on reflection, as they will be moving quite slowly, emptying the last screen-full might be a bit boring. So I think when the final object has come fully into view on the right I'll just stop and (optionally) fade out.

This sounds like a job for the collage procedure - apply to one set, eg 5, of images create the effect and then you can apply it as many times as you wish.

I did this a while ago with a fill strip green screen on top, before the collage procedure you posted - required the effect saving in six seperate stages and applying to the appropriate image.

Will see if I can find the project from my archive or one similar after German class !!

John

Thanks, but don't go to any effort. I'm quite hopeful that my manual entry method might prove less tedious than I'd thought, if tackled methodically.

Hi

. . . . manual entry method might prove less tedious than I'd thought, if tackled methodically . . . .

Very true if you treat the images as sets - once one set has been done you can save the individual effects and apply them in the correct sequence to the next set and so on.

The only downside is that each set is identical regarding the number, size and orientation and positioning of the images.

John

Here's an example of my working with 8 objects:

First I entered the values from Size/Position for each object.

Or for better quality: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4019461/MEP-SlidingObjects-Start.jpg
The x values are not subsequently used but I included them for tidiness.
Note: Cell D8 should be 1920, not 2052.

Then three simple calculations were needed to determine the start and end KFs for each object. In each case the formulae were copy/pasted down the column, so it was quick work.

Or for better quality:https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4019461/MEP-SlidingObjects-1.jpg

Or for better quality: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4019461/MEP-SlidingObjects-2.jpg

Or for better quality: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4019461/MEP-SlidingObjects-3.jpg

Finally, with each object in separate tracks, I adjusted the duration to suit (about 25 s).

The result flowed smoothly from a start with the screen empty to a similar end, as the 8th image disappeared leftwards.

Hi Terry,

It looks too labourious for me. Good luck.

I retried my tests with MEP2014, 2015 and VPX6 and the results were different in each. This gets back to the other exercise that we went through. This time I captured the event. Take a look, VPX6 works the best, but, moving a kf after creating one messes it up a bit.

Here is the test with VPX6 again but coming in from the top right, leaving a bottom left. The kf's were made by lassooing the 4 objects as before, going along the timeline, putting in only 1 set of coordinates, moving, another set of coordinates. All 4 objects moved together.

Sorry, this doesn't help you, but it is interesting to know the possibilities.

Hi Terry

excuse me that I try to learn something here - and I beg pardon for my limited english.

When I understood right: You have a lot of pictures/movies on the screen.

And they go together in any way?

So I followed brow2.

Step 1 all pictures get the kf  value - but important : start with this in the Corner above and left.

When all pics are in the correct position: mark them all and than set a kf.

Now you change to the end position and give in the value - I#m sure you see at first the value of the first one - change this and set a kf - all are still marked.

Looks than like this

I did one step more: when I did the above I went to the start , give in a size of 2 pixel and set a keyframe - still all marked :-)

Hi Walter,

In my case I want the objects to be 'joined' side by side.They would look roughly like this if joined in an image editor:

Or for better quality: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4019461/SlidingObjectsImageEditor.jpg

Here's what my example looks like:

(Keen eyed viewers will see that there's an unwanted gap between the 7th and 8th objects. I'm still trying to find my error.)

I wish my Geman was a fraction as good as your English!

Hi Terry,

It looks too labourious for me. Good luck.

Hi John,

Interesting, but before I take a harder look is there any chance you could upload those videos at their original resolution please? I'd like to be able to read the KF data.

However, if I've understood correctly, this looks like MEP 2015 correctly assigns KFs to a group of objects, while MEP 2014 does not.

My spreadsheet method looks more cumbersome that it is in practice!

But I'd still like to find a simpler way entirely from within MEP.

In this case: I have here some similar

I gave one pic a moving from left outside to right outside.

Than I copy this effect and bring it too all pics than.

Each pic get than one track and the start position is different for this time the picture above comes full in the screen.

the problem I see: the pics have not the same size - so you have try the one or other a few

Hope you understand me...

here a similar screenshot

Hi Walter,

That looks good! Is it with MEP 2014?

I'm having a bit of difficulty understanding exactly. Would it be possible for you to use File > Backup > Copy project and media into a folder, zip it up and upload it somewhere, or email it to me please?

--------------------

Edit 10 mins later: I think the biggest difference is that I need to use objects with significantly different shapes and sizes. But for identical objects your method is obviously very easy.

Which parts were done by experiment until you got the gap between each object correct?

And how did you get that special effect? Was it using one from the DVD templates?

I want to get quickly from arranging each of my individual objects as shown here, to the 'sliding object' effect I demonstrated earlier.

I made a simple change to the spreadsheet to allow a user-settable gap between objects.

I also slowed it down a bit from 25 to 35 s.

As I mentioned earlier, one of the main obstacles to doing this entirely in MEP (at least in MEP 2014 - it sounds like MEP 2015 might be able to do it) is the need to support widely different sizes and shapes of object.

BTW, I found the minor error. It's all too easy to accidentally add unwanted KFs that get completely hidden behind an existing one.

the special effect is really simple: I did what you have done here.

Than I made an export as mxv.

Put this on tree tracks.

Two of them with 3D effect.

Than make it synchro...

Hi Terry,

Here is the link to my previous video. MEP2015 still gave some anomalies, but it was much better than 2014.

It looks like you've pretty much sorted it all out.

Your problem inspired me to look at it another way and I discovered something. I thought that if I could create a panorama of dissimilar images that it might do the trick. I couldn't do it in MEP2015, but I noticed that on the Create panorama dialog, there is a button at the bottom that says "More possibilities.." I clicked this which opened another dialog and then the Magix site, selected a language and ended up on a screen showing Magix Panorama Studio 2.5. This looked vaguely familiar, and sure enough, I have the basic version. I received it with Xara Designer Pro X10 as a standalone. I did some tests trying to figure out how to best arrange the dissimilar images. I created a couple of panoramas, imported them into MEP and kf'd to start off-screen from l to r. See the video below. The second series in the video shows more distortion so I imagine the trick is to use less images, but I'm still working on that. The horizon location changes things dramatically and there are some very interesting features to modify the interfaces.

Here is another test (image only) of 4 images with the horizon centred. Note the arc effect of the frames. I want to reduce this. Depending on where the top and bottom line is placed, the program crops the image for the final rendering.

Note the little anomallies at the bottom of the interface between the first to images. The first one works and creates sort of a drag down of the frame. The second one is a piece outside that I should have undone. Lots to learn.

Do you have this program?

Thanks for inspiring me to discover a useful program sitting on my computer.

Hi John,

Thank for the follow-up. I don't have Panorama Studio but it looks interesting. Of course, quite a lot can be done by making the panorama externally in IrfanView or your new PSP. As a general point, I seem to be doing a lot of that sort of thing - dipping into PSP8 or IrfanView and then importing back into MEP.

I'm going to try automating my spreadsheet approach. Eliminating the work in Excel and instead using a self-contained Macro Express script to capture the required data, do the calculations, and create the KFs. Not sure if it will prove too complex, but it might be fun finding out!

I would be satisfied when ich have the possibility to bring Excel Data into the keyframes....

copy and past woul be perfect.

I have here two tutorial - the excel sheet are the basic

one and two

the second clip

http://www.magix.info/de/cube-wuerfel.video.51092.html

Many thanks, Walter, you are so far ahead of me in your skill at customising MEP! I wish I'd been taught German instead of Latin at school so that I could study your tutorials.

Meanwhile I'm hoping John EB, who does have good German, will take a look and distill the key points for us in the coming weeks.

But one thing is already very clear: using Excel to help working with KFA can be a very powerful tool. This 'sliding objects' project is my first tentative use of it. But you obviously discovered it a long time ago and are now plainly an accomplished master.

One specific question: can you please summarise how you are entering into MEP/VDL the data calculated in your spreadsheet? Is that entirely manually? If so, how long did that take for your brilliant cube demo?

wabu ...........................der nie auslernt
Der genauso ist!

A new idea!

Set the pics in the tracks with the same(!) starting point.

Than click one after the other and give in your datas.

Fill in the datas for  the the sizes and the position from above. Now you have zto calculate with width and the distances. For e.g. pic one for left: 192o than pic2:  3840 (better 3860 if you want 20 pixel distance) ans so on...

If all pics are ready: mark them all and set the cursor in the starting position and set a keyframe.

Now go to the end - they are still all maked in give in for left for e.g. 7600 When the row of the pics is so long!

now youse the cursor ( and thanks to bowi2)

Hi Walter,

That sounds very similar to the method I've used in my macro, which I finished a couple of days ago. I arrange all my objects (any size and shape) on the timeline in track 1. The macro then automatically does the rest, setting the start and end KFs for each object.

By design, object #1 starts at Left = 1920 and Top = the existing value. It's end is set to Left  = - (Total width of all objects), and it's Top value again remains unchanged. Others are calculated along the same lines you described, but they are all in a single line at the start, like a set of railway carriages. I also allow for setting a gap.

At the end of the macro, all objects are still on track #1, as I haven't found a way to automate the task of arranging them in their vertical stack.

The duration is set on each object at the start, to avoid having to use 'Combine effect with object length'.

Unfortunately I cannot share it because Insight, the developers of Macro Express Pro, require users to have the program installed. And anyway it's highly customised to my precise layout in terms of pixel locations etc. In any case, I'm using XP so I don't expect it would run on a 64 bit system. Same for my other hundred or so macros used with MEP!

Hi,

@Walter,

I love your effects! A lot of work.

@Terry,

In my first reply here, I mentioned Heroglyph videowall. After a lot of playing around with it, I managed to get it to work right (almost) and included some script writing in and out. I had a most difficult time getting the effect to complete rather than restart before completing. My solution was to add in a background image that had no effects on it to cover the other effects. Maybe I was doing something wrong because even making the videowall longer or shorter had no effect on the object that went back to the timeline. I'm still looking at some of the other effects for the in and out of the videowall, but here is my latest effort. I was looking for something to start off my travel video. The first one in the video seems to work ok, but the second one shuts off the videowall and the titles abruptly instead of completing the fading out over the length I indicated in Heroglyph. The effect looks ok when I view it within Heroglyph and I can export it to an avi and it works ok, but that is not optimal. I am using the cheap limited version that came with VPX6. I wonder if the real version works better.

I thought that I would show you a little something even though you don't have Heroglyph. After my experience so far with the stripped down version, I can't say that the full version would be worth the money, which is a lot.

Since some month I am looking over the channel (again)

my english is limited so I understand somethings not really complete - but I got some points to test somethings....

When you look to my tutorials - sorry, all in german - but the clips with the examples may enjoy somebody....

Hi John,

Nice work.

The first part is the sort of thing you might do in MEP with a collage. I do have a couple with rotation but I also like the following type, e.g. when I want to quickly review some favourite clips:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/zuuex0waqt61z0o/Collage4x4Example-1.wmv?dl=0

The second part I suppose you'd use 3D Distortion and Size/Position KFA.

I do actually have Heroglyph, but not integrated with MEP 2014. In fact it seems I have two versions. Heroglyph Rapid 2.6 (registered) has an executable that runs the program. I also have a large folder C:\Program Files\proDAD\Heroglyph-4.0, but I cannot find any relevant executable on a brief look.

And I've still never got a round to playing properly with Heroglyph Rapid 2.6.