How to remove unwanted scenes from the video

ianmaitland wrote on 5/23/2012, 10:55 AM

Dear People,

I am a retired move director/editor who has not edited with video, only film.

I have transferred a number of operas from Laser Disc to High DVD Quality onto a very large stand alone hard drive. The recordings have material (such as the disc side number and end of disc 1, etc., etc.) that I need to cut out in my final transfer to BluRay disc. I would like the opera to end up as one continuous recording.

This is what I propose to do:

Re-record each opera editing out the unwanted parts as stated above, onto my hard drive and then making a straight transfer to BluRay Which I can record on my computer.

I am having trouble with the editing out the unwanted sections. Each opera looks like this.

Head                                                                                                                            Tail
Start playback | Garbage | Start opera |   garbage | opera   | garbage | end opera | garbage
______________________________________________________________________
     Cut out           cut out        keep            cut out    keep       cut out        keep        cut out

Would you please take me through step-by-step how to do this?

e.g. From the program start page 22 of manual click on ???? then you will see…etc. etc.

I know this is a lot to ask and may be I have missed some of the direction in the tutorial.

I would also like to know if I can fade from black into the image I have recorded?
And
Can I dissolve from one scene to another in 30 frames or longer if necessary? I think you call it “cross fade.”

I apologize for such a long request but it may be of use to others.

Thank you.

Ian Maitland D.G.A.
Retired professor of Motion Picture Production - NYU

Comments

john-auvil wrote on 5/23/2012, 12:08 PM

I can try to help you out, but first, what version of Movie Edit Pro do you have?

The functionality for each Movie Edit Pro has been the same since it's creation, but so I can customize the documentation for you, it would be beneficial so it looks identical do what you have.

You can dissolve or fade from one image (video or photo) to another and, you can start off with a fade FROM black and end with a fade TO black using the Timeline Mode and object handles.

In the illustration above, I am using a photo object (an object is a container that holds the media [audio, photo, video, text] for the purpose of editing). I can use the handles of each object to add in a simplified effect, Fade In, Fade Out as well as Trim, which would allow me to set the point in which I want a video or audio to start and end.

This might not explain the need you have by itself, but once I know exactly what version you have, I can make sure I use the correct captured information.

johnebaker wrote on 5/23/2012, 5:03 PM

Ensure you are in timeline mode. Position the timeline cursor to the place where you want to make a cut. Depending on where the section is that you want to cut use one or more of the following:-

To delete from the start of the clip (or previous cut) to the cursor - press D

To delete from the cursor to the end of the clip to the cursor - press U

To cut a section press T then reposition the timeline cursor to the point where the section to be cut finishes then press D

Practice first on a test project.

Note all the editting is non destructive so your original video clips stay intact and the keyboard shortcuts assume you have not changed the default keyboard map.

HTH

John (another one!!)

john-auvil wrote on 5/24/2012, 8:19 AM

You can edit them from any drive, but I recommend that the material is not on a slow drive connection as the edits you make in the programs project are virtual... meaning they do nothing to the original content. At first, this might be hard to grasp, but ultimately, you will be thankful for never having to worry about destroying the original movie.

Once you have completed an edit, saved with the software, that edit change is only viewable within the software. To make the edit permanent, you will need to export the project or burn to disc (DVD or blu-ray depending on your burner capability and desire). This will create a NEW video based on the changes you made in the project.

I am going to be holding free webinars for the Movie Edit Pro in the not so distant future. You might want to attend one, so you can really get a jumpstart into the program.