Thanks, I will give that a try in a bit. Last night what I did was use Irfanview to "TILE" the original image and place that on a background track. But that can be slow doing it to each image.

Their preview video for the software made it sound as if there was a very simple step/method to accomplish this but I may have been overly optimistic.

Again, thanks very much.

Thank you for the reply. Please post back with details of how well, or otherwise, this method worked.

As to wanting a "very simple method", I think you will find this altogether much quicker, and simpler, than your use of Irfanview to tile an image, presumably a single frame from the video?

Well, I am probably a novice although I've been using Magix software for ages creating video Slide Shows of mostly vacation digital stills, some digital camera videos and the occasional sound files like Swiss cows and their wonderful bells, church bells pealing and water running through a slot in Zion National Park. But "portrait" (vertical) images have always left a visual anomaly in the resulting video. Their preview seemed like a good way to fixing that excess white space.

I also try creating smooth zooms starting with an image, zooming in on some aspect of the image and ending with it stopped on the enlarged portion. Seems hit and miss even doing and re-doing after playing for years at this. Although in the end, the results are usually pretty darn good.

THANKS.

@Jeff,

I think that there is a new effect in MEP2017 Plus/Premium that does this for you. I don't have 2017 and the new effect has not made its way to VPX(8). Maybe someone who has the latest MEP update can show how this effect works.

John

Hi

@ Jeff and John CB

. . . . I think that there is a new effect in MEP2017 Plus/Premium . . . .

I agree with John CB that this looks like a new effect in MEP 2017, after extensive searching on my PC, I cannot find it, however this may be due to the fact I cannot update MEP on my PC yet - posted on this in this topic.

I will check my laptop later which is up-to-date to see if it the effect was in the November or January updates.

John EB

Warning: I have never tried this but I would guess the procedure to be as follows:

• Insert your original footage twice, on two adjacent tracks.
• Click on the "eye" symbol at the beginning of track 1 to temporarily turn off this track's video.
• On the second track footage, use the Size/Position effect to enlarge the image so that it fills the whole screen. (You may wish to experiment with checking/unchecking the "Maintain aspect ratio" box.) Clearly, you will "lose" some of the height of your original footage.
• Use Effects>Color>Saturation to make this second track greyscale (drag the Saturation handle all the way to the left).
• Use the on-clip handle to "fade" this background.
• Switch the first track video back on by clicking again on the eye symbol.
• You may need to ensure that this portrait video is in the centre of the screen and fully visible by again using the Size/Position controls. You may also need to adjust the fade level of track two.

As I wrote above, I have never tried this so my apologies if it does not work as you wish.  Always remember that any editing in MEP is non-destructive, i.e. no permanent changes are EVER made to your original file(s) so you can very easily discard any "errors" (simply close the project without saving) and start again!

HTH

Jeff

Emmecs - thanks.

I may not understand your terms:

"Use the on-clip handle to "fade" this background."

(I also don't see the EYE to "hide" tracks but that may be a change in their icons??)

But playing a bit, here's what I managed and it needs some work.

Thanks, everyone for commenting. It may also be true that while I just purchased what I thought the AD was showing (the newest version), that may not be the version that I wound up downloading. So the Border Effect may not be as present or as easy to implement.

If you view that small video clip of Border effects, they show it being used with both a Video (to fill out the frame) and with just a single photo to also fill out the frame.

Or one should learn NOT to use the cell phone to grab some quick shots at dinner or on the run. But I see this as an advantage to fill out frames anytime a PORTRAIT image is thrown into a slide show mix. I do tend to take mostly Landscape oriented (wide) images but those tall trees and cliffs and waterfalls sometimes demand a Portrait orientation.

Again, thanks.

Hi,

Did you update to the latest version of MEP (see under Help at the top for online update)? The effect may not be in the initial download file. I presume that you are using the latest version of MEP Plus or Premium.

For the other things, like handles and the eye to hide tracks, you should watch my .

Your image looks pretty good. You can play around with the effects on the background until you get what you want. I would also zoom in a bit on the image to make it a bit larger, cutting off some of the sky and the foreground.

Hi

To follow up on my previous post the effect you require was added in the latest update ( v16.0.3.63 ) .to MEP Premium.

You can check the program name and version number you have under Help, About . . .

Update as John CB has suggested if you have the Premium version and your version number is not the above.

HTH

John EB

Browj2 - thanks for the video link. And NICE video. It definitely helped put names to some of the things I have been using like the handles. I've been fading Titles for ages and probably just forgot what they are called. Also, I've used them to boost and lower the main musical audio track (which I split) when I want the cow bells up front and center.

I've never tackled some of the range stuff you do with inserted videos. I will have to look at your video again to learn those tricks.

And THANKS to the UPDATE "suggesters" - I did have to do that. I do wish Magix was more clear on versions and years and Pro and Plus. They did HOOK me on being able to better OR EASILY integrate some of my Portrait oriented shots whether from the cell phone or Canon camera into the overall video I'm creating with less visual white space to detract from the experience.

Still lots to learn and/or relearn when I have not pieced together a new vacation video in about a year or so.

Hi

. . . . I do wish Magix was more clear on versions and years and Pro and Plus . . . .

Movie Edit Pro is no longer on an annual new version cycle. It is now called Movie Edit Pro Premium and comes in 3 flavours, Basic, Plus and Premium.

Updating/upgrading is on a regular cycle with new features being added and an annual subscription after the first year if you want to continue to receive upgrades/updates- see here for more information. Note if you do not take out the subscription then the program will continue to work, however you will not receive any more new features or patches which are included in the updates.

This is the same as several other software manufacturers have gone eg Microsoft with Windows 10.

HTH

John EB

I guess I'm finding Border Effects to animated or too busy and they detract from the narrower Portrait oriented image that I'm trying to fill out. But I added one and now I've done too much additional editing and can't get back using UNdo to remove the effect. Border Effects does not seem to have the Double Arrow Undo option shown in the attached image.

It appears it changes the image so it can't be undone (like you can Reset Zooms and Pans). Anyone know another way. I know that I can go grab another copy of the original image but that can be a pain to find.

But again, thanks for the replies and the links. After these years I've been doing Zooms in some convoluted manner and not using Camera Focus.

I don't have 2017 so I can only guess. What do you see on the timeline? Was a second image added? If so and grouped, then ungroup. Also, in your image, look lower down to the keyframe window. You should see some effects there. Drag to make the window higher. Whar do you see there?

Also, can you give us a screen shot of what the Border effects window looks like.

Thanks for the quick response. I don't see a second image added. Not sure where to look for the keyframe in this series.

Here's some screen captures.

Stay in timeline mode. With the composited image selected, click on View/Animation under Effects.

In the image below, you will see the keyframe area. You may have to expand the window by dragging the edge of it upwards.

In the timeline, scroll downwards (vertical scrollbar at the right of the timeline), there are probably more images on tracks 7, 8 or 9 or below. Make the track heights the default to see more tracks as well. If you don't know how to do these things, you should watch my tutorial on Basic Editing on my YouTube channel where I explain about the windows and tracks, etc.

When you do effects like this, definitely do not use Storyboard mode.

If you find more objects grouped on higher numbered tracks below your effect, you can ungroup them and select them individually to make modifications.