MEP2016 Plus 'Download Components'

CubeAce escrito el 01.07.AM a las 09:41 horas

Hi Mike.

I assume any/all 'Menu Templates' are for DVD Menus with chapters etc? How bout 'Movie Templates' 1 thru 7?

I don't think so Mike, at least I have never used them for that purpose. The first 15 seconds of this video of mine shows how I used one or them. Basically used to pre-cut a set of clips into a timed 'cut to the beat' intro.

Typically what/how/where are 'Design Elements' used?

They are similar to the templates above only this time they place clips into the patterns provided to play at once.

They can be very heavy resource wise on a computer and in the past I have had trouble with the exporting of them as sections within them can disappear or stutter.

This video shows a few of the variations in use.

I'm guessing 'Slideshow Maker Styles' insert a random style of fades, titles etc?

I don't appear to have that one. Where is it?

NewBlue Titler EX?

NewBlue Titler FX?

Personally i love this type of plugin to alter the presets and produce my own variations of the templates. Others will hate it and have their own favorite plugin or produce their own in their own ways.

I had produced a video showing the types of things that can be done with such a plugin. NewBlue Titler is fairly new to my collection of plugins so my demo uses Boris effects Titler Pro instead but both programs are very similar in use. Both are very processor and graphics intensive in use and what limited use of the NBT 7 I have had so far is IMHO best used as the standalone version and then export a mov file from there to be used as a movie clip within MEP / MMS afterwards.

I've got the MPEG-2 Codec installed ... (would a prior purchase & activation of MPEG-4 Codec work)?

I think apart from the HEVC codec, everything you need is supplied now apart from the old Main Concept wrapper which has been withdrawn. [Edit] From MS 2022 onward I assume.

Of course I could be wrong about any of my thoughts on these subjects. It is just my take on things.

Ray.

johnebaker escrito el 01.07.AM a las 11:22 horas

@CarpentersMate, @CubeAce

Hi Mike

. . . . I assume any/all 'Menu Templates' are for DVD Menus with chapters etc? . . . .

They are.

. . . . I'm guessing 'Slideshow Maker Styles' insert a random style of fades, titles etc? . . . .

They do however you do have some control over them -

Ray - see Slideshow Maker under Edit, Wizards.

. . . . Typically what/how/where are 'Design Elements' used? . . . .

Try playing with them in a test project - the Collage and Picture in Picture are probably the most useful for your projects.

Do note with the Intro/Outros you can only apply one or the other to a single clip, if you have one long single video clip on the timeline you would need to make a cut in it so you have 2 separate objects to use both.

The MC codec is still available for MEP 2016 - downloaded and installed this morning.

HTH

John EB

CubeAce escrito el 01.07.AM a las 11:34 horas

@CarpentersMate @johnebaker

Hi Mike.

John is correct, the MC codec is still downloadable for the older versions of MEP. I should have mentioned that.

Have amended my post

Sorry.

You can see from John's response how little I actually use these bits myself.

Ray.

CarpentersMate escrito el 01.07.PM a las 23:28 horas

Thank You Ray!

Thank You John!

browj2 escrito el 02.07.PM a las 15:16 horas

@CarpentersMate

Hi Mike,

How bout 'Movie Templates' 1 thru 7?

There are 2 types of Movie Templates - Editing Templates Basic and Film Templates Basic. The former comes with several durations from 15 to 180 seconds.

Watch this tutorial to see how to use these templates:

I'm guessing 'Slideshow Maker Styles' insert a random style of fades, titles etc?

Something like that, but you can limit the fades. You make the titles, not the program.

The styles are mostly music-based and by type of music. You can select the style of which gives you a listing of songs that go with that style. You can have your photos/videos cut to the beat. You can have several selections in case your slideshow is longer than one song.

You can actually use these songs outside of Slideshow Maker by putting them on the timeline, like most other things.

Here are the songs available for me; you may have less. There are songs under each of the folders.

NewBlue Titler EX?

This is a old and light version of NewBlue Titler. You may find some interesting style with effects, but you will need to do some reading to learn how to do it, or a lot of playing around.

@CubeAce it is not NewBlue "FX" but is "EX."

One of the great features of MEP is the vast amount of content. Lot's to play with.

John CB

CarpentersMate escrito el 03.07.AM a las 00:39 horas

Hi There John CB - Thanx for the tutorial - "u can limit the fades & make the titles" Yes fer sure ... I've worked with FCP since 2007 and of course MEP for as long. Most of my work is 'editing' (not so much DVD creation), just wanted to make sure (before I install these). I enjoy working with MEP. As mentioned previously, (debates unnecessary), 🙂 I've pondered the 'practicality' (vs) 'impracticality' of switching over? As Alwyn pointed out its unwise if 'RE-Encoding' is involved... I look forward to 'playing around' with NewBlue "EX" "Lot's to play with" Fer sure ... 🤓

MEP2016 'sample edits' below (the composition/copyright is my own).... aside from occasional narration most of these archival SD reference clips were totally silent ...

39th Regiment 9th Division

General Patton Awards The 9th Division

Interesting edit regarding Erwin Rommel; Although the Nat'l Archives is a 'Treasure Chest', rarely we find only partial content. I had to refer to 'other sources' to obtain precious few seconds of Erwin Rommel's actual voice. This was quite a challenge trying to mechanically/visually 'match' voice synchronization.

Field Marshal Erwin Rommel

Thanks Again!

Mike

CubeAce escrito el 03.07.AM a las 01:46 horas

@CarpentersMate

Hi Mike.

I assume that the interlacing of the General Patton Awards The 9th Division is now baked in.

That interlacing is tight. Never seen so many fine lines.

It's a pity as the other two were extremely good transfers. I would say better than most I've encountered.

Some of the footage is so good it would probably benefit from some AI resolution.enhancement.

Ray.

CarpentersMate escrito el 03.07.AM a las 03:03 horas

Hi Ray .... thank you for the compliment 🙂

I always try to clarify; (for now) these clips are posted primarily for 'topic & content interest'. When the time comes, I'll reach out for critique before exporting to a final project. But I can tell you from experience, in other cases, (as we've already discussed), 'some' of this SD footage is definitely not high res, but more than acceptable for production especially if 'rare and obscure' and obviously it 'zero's' in on topic. Trust me I have plenty of it (in the public domain & still in the can), captured over a 15 year period at NARA, (was not an easy task). For example; captured, despondent American & British POW's as well as slain soldiers 😰 on all sides rarely seen in 'any' documentary. I'm disabled now but fortunate to aquire all this before injury 👍

Anyway, (God Willing), 😍 we'll revisit this down the road and look at 'all options' to improve the images... 😘

Thank You Again!

Mike

5 Minute Trailer

CubeAce escrito el 03.07.AM a las 05:04 horas

@CarpentersMate

Hi Mike.

In no way am I criticizing any of your efforts which seem to have been heroic. I was just wondering about that one specific video.

The upping of resolutions question is just one of future proofing. It may be a while yet before we jump from 4K to 8K and above but as screen sizes get more resolution over time, eventually and maybe sooner than I would like to think such images will either be represented as a percentage of screen space or the results at full screen will look like early broadcast video tape played back at HD resolutions. and that does concern me as already my early digital photos I took when I had a computer with an SVGA analog screen already look pretty poor on my monitors now due to the shrinkage of the pixels on modern monitors. The definition I once had is gone. Not because it isn't there but modern equipment can't replay it properly.

I am just amazed that most of this stuff you have accumulated is not already researched and categorized by your own organizations and easily obtainable. Here in the UK, the Imperial War Museum pretty much has all our archival film footage and what they don't have can normally be found at the Greenwich National Maritime Museum or the National archives or Pathe or similar interest groups. I can even research digital copies or national and local newspapers back to the late 17th century.

Not only categorized but properly archived and available digitally. Only the earliest ships logs and papers are still in the process of being digitized at Greenwich. A lot is being done by armies of volunteers around the country still.

I'm not sure to what end as I have done my own small share of digitizing material locally but mainly documents or magazines now in dilapidated states due to previous poor storage facilities.

So I am with you on preserving history as you never know what will be of interest or importance in the future.

Ray.

CarpentersMate escrito el 03.07.AM a las 07:06 horas

"I am just amazed that most of this stuff you have accumulated is not already researched and categorized by your own organizations and easily obtainable"

Ray, you're missing quite a bit about NARA. Since 2006, I learned quite a bit from independent researchers who worked for PBS. They actually have more at NARA than you can imagine (with little or no cost). I spent thousands at IWM for a meager license to use a few photographs. You can view a clip again, (if you'd like below) for reference and content only. *These clips eventually need to be properly re-exported with FCP.

I never expected this project to be aired on PBS. (Never) However I'll be using more relevant footage than the average documentary on You Tube. To reproduce everything I aquired over the years in HD, it would take Steven Spielberg to finance it 😁

National Archives and Records Administration

CubeAce escrito el 03.07.PM a las 12:24 horas

@CarpentersMate

Hi Mike.

Trust me I do understand.

I believe there is probably as much archival footage and other material held in other locations that will probably never see light of day. I was first made aware of that fact in the 70s when I was sent by my company to various locations just around London. Some were at Military sites and as well as footage there were broadcast made 18 inch 78s that were cut during wartime concerts over seas. I saw stacks of them in a room with no visible means of playing them on the premises. At the studio I worked at one of my jobs was to try to recover older copies of such records that had been transferred to tape but the tapes had already started to disintegrate as the base material was unstable. Fist the tapes were baked along with a small amount of beeswax to try to get the oxides to stick back to the correct surface of the tape before touching them, Then carefully placed on a horizontal open reel tape deck and carefully unwound by hand with the reel motors and brakes switched off. Splicing tape was then placed on the back of the tapes for their whole length before setting up a second machine ready to record the result. Often even then the tapes would have to be stopped every few minutes of play to clean the tape heads as oxide still shed away from the tape surface. Often You only got one or two passes of play from a tape before it became unusable. We used BASF Pro 50 tape to transfer to because of BASFs claim for a 50 year storage life span which if true would mean if not already converted to digital on disks or similar would need to be done again about now.

There were similar processes for nitrate film as you may be well aware of and how much of that footage disappeared before it was saved I have no idea.

I did on the odd occasion go to Studio Film Labs in Soho London and watch them digitally add colour to black and white film. That was the very first digital transfer system I ever saw and was possibly what eventually peaked my current interest in historical archiving as a volunteer where possible.

The archive I have done a bit of work on (there have been hundreds of thousands of hours put in from various volunteers at our local centre and my contribution is minuscule) and they are open to anyone with genuine research interests whether professional, student or interested member of the public. They just have to book a session in the public library section of the archive. Permission of use is fairly easy to get as long as it is presented as part of other material and contributes to new information gathered together for historical context.

At The Historic Dockyard Trusts website Chatham, they do a lot of online archival material such as this page but to my mind those pages are hard to find unless you know how to find those pages on the website and they appear not to be visited that often which is a pity considering the effort that goes into making them. They get accessed so rarely even Google search doesn't seem to pick up on their existence.

So I do appreciate your dedication and hard work and hope that the material gets to a wider audience. A worthwhile pursuit in my opinion and I wish you the best of health to continue.

Ray.