Thanks Terry for your interest.
I am using Magix Movie Edit Pro Plus v. 20.0.1.73.
I make videos of my own travels for myself. Drawing curved lines from point A to point B has been tiresome for me for a long time. I did this in GIMP and then ported the clip to Magix, but it's labor intensive and inefficient. Recently I read on the Forum the article "Drawing in Movie Edit Pro using a Single Point" by "browj2", but unfortunately I don't understand the idea and the mechanical repetition of the "point by point" algorithm did not work. That's why I asked for help at the Forum. (Sorry for my English)

Ryszard

@Turkana

Hi,

For travel mapping, you've come to the right place. Terry and I do a lot of that.

Forget the Single Point drawing thing; that was a fantasy to show that it could be done in MEP. You cannot draw anything in MEP, but you can in Photo Designer 7 that comes with MEP. I would not use that either.

You have Travel Maps. Have you tried it? In the Media Pool, Import, click on Travel Route. There, you can select a map and make your route, with animation.

John CB

I’d recommend you first check out the program Travel Maps which I think in your version is accessed from Edit, Wizards > Travel Route Animation. I don’t use it personally in my older version, MEP 2016, (preferring to make most of my route maps in Google Earth), but at least two of my friends here have considerable expertise with it.

Terry

Hello John, hello Terry,
how nice to talk to the experts. Thank you both!
Drawing a travel route on the map is not a problem. I use MAGIX Travel Maps, although I prefer animations made in Google Earth.
I'll follow John's advice and take a closer look at Photo Designer 7. I have access to this program, but haven't used it yet.
Animating arbitrary curves (from point A to point B) is a problem for me because I can't do it in Magix. This is stressful. For example, I made an underwater nature movie. There are many animals on the reef, and I want to hand-mark (highlight) one fish and track for 2 or 3 seconds. Or a second example: I am walking through the ruins of Gedi (in Africa) and identifying all subsequent objects. My route slowly grew longer (increased) and formed a complicated pattern.
I did it in GIMP, but I had to work for 3 days.
According to Jon and Terry's opinion, Magix Edit Pro is not suitable for this. Do I understand correctly?
Greetings -
Richard

@Turkana

Hi Richard.

Would it be possible to show a short clip of what you want or have done in the past?

Ray.

@Turkana @browj2 @CubeAce

Hi Ryszard,

Thanks for that fuller description. But the devil as always is in the detail. So, to ensure any suggestions we make are on target, I'd echo Ray's request please. For me at least, "a picture is worth..."

Meanwhile, one factor that I suspect may be important is whether the canvas on which you want to draw your lines is an image or itself a video. I can't immediately think of examples of the latter in which an animated line would be appropriate. Apart from underlining text, etc. In contrast, I often need lines like those in my example below.

P.S. I see John beat me to it last night. 🙂

Terry

@Turkana

Hi

. . . . There are many animals on the reef, and I want to hand-mark (highlight) one fish and track for 2 or 3 seconds. . . .

There is an alternative which can be done relatively easy in MEP a quick example (needs refining) is below - it too uses an image, this time a png image of a black rectangle with a transparent hole in it, and uses keyframing animation of Size & Position to move the hole.

If you would like the image used to play with I will upload it to Dropbox.

John EB

This forum is great. I never thought that I would meet so many kind people here.
While I don't understand Ray's intentions, I am attaching a clip with an animated walking tour of Gedi. However, I emphasize that I made this clip in the GIMP graphics program by displaying multiple, multiple layers sequentially.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/rr2m4bf97lsmb04/Gedi-animacja.mp4?dl=0

This method is actually primitive. I dreamed that Magix would allow me to draw such curves, e.g. by animating keyframes. Unfortunately, it is probably not possible, and such a function is very useful (needed).
Responding to Terry's doubts: I'd like to animate the curves in both clips and photos. Your animation (in the map photo) is OK, but it is made by ANOTHER program, not with Magix (maybe with MAGIX Travel Maps - irrelevant).
Thanks to John EB for the alternative idea to highlight the item in the clip. I also use this method. It's OK, but sometimes you want something different 🙂. Besides, I'm crazy about drawing curves and straight lines in photos and movies.
Thanks again Terry and John CB and Ray and John EB for their interest in my problem and their willingness to help.

@Turkana

I haven't looked at your video yet, but please look at this tutorial about creating animated overlays using Xara Photo & Graphics Designer along with MEP. This is the tool that you want. Other than After Effects, I don't think that there are many, if any, tools that can do this.

John CB

@Turkana @browj2 @johnebaker @terrypin

Hi Richard.

It it were me I would attempt to load my map into Windows Paint and select a suitable line drawing tool. Then in real time draw the path around the map while using a screen recorder to produce a movie file. MEP premium can screen capture but other screen recorders are available. It may also take a bit of practice to get good at drawing your lines in real time. I did try to do that myself just now and it worked. You can use the crop image tool in MEP to get rid of any outer edge of frame distractions.

Uploading the file really helped me understand the problem. Thank you.

Ray.

Hi John CB
The video is fun and has lots of tricks. By the way: the dog (airedale terrier) is amazing !!!
However, this tutorial addresses a slightly different problem. I am looking for a solution for incremental drawing curves, i.e. each successive frame contains the entire previous history of evolution + a new minimum increment.
Greetings -
Richard

Hi Ray
Wow, the idea is perfect. I'll practice it. However, this method requires the "surgeon's hand", but ... it's all a matter of practice.
And how to draw such curves on a moving picture?

@Turkana

Hi

Looking at you video clip of the map I would suggest sticking with something similar to what you know, in this case @browj2 suggestion using Photo and Graphic Designer.

My choice would be to use an different 3rd party software, Blender, which I have used on/off for many years - however it does have a steep learning curve.

John EB

I am looking for a solution for incremental drawing curves, i.e. each successive frame contains the entire previous history of evolution + a new minimum increment.

@Turkana

Hi Richard,

That is exactly what Xara does. You start drawing, you advance the video by pressing on copy, you extend the line, advance, extend, repeat until the end. You get an animated line that is tweened between frames.

I'll draw one up later, have to go out.

I looked at your video and that is exactly what can be done using Travel Maps, or, Vasco da Gama (expensive solution unless it came with a version of MEP).

John CB

@Turkana

Hi Richard.

Unfortunately it would only help with the static map problem.

If you find using a mouse difficult, try buying a cheap drawing tablet and pen. That would be useful in Gimp as well. You only need to choose a brush type or the pencil tool and draw and select the required line width. No need to select a curve or straight line tool in paint. You could also adjust the speed / distance of travel of your mouse as well to try to slow down and make more accurate your drawn lines.

Again another short clip, this time of what you do for your other moving clips may inspire me to think in a different way for your other problem. I always favour the easier to implement solutions if possible.

Ray.

@Turkana

I always favour the easier to implement solutions if possible.

Hi Ray
Your idea and practical solution "I buy whole". It takes a bit of training, but I agree with you: "I always favor the easier to implement solutions if possible."
Thanks - Richard

Hi John CB
It sounds great. But I don't know the Xara program. I haven't even heard of him. I will absolutely install Xara and test it.
Thanks - Richard

@CubeAce @Turkana @browj2 @johnebaker

Hi Richard.

It it were me I would attempt to load my map into Windows Paint and select a suitable line drawing tool. Then in real time draw the path around the map while using a screen recorder to produce a movie file. MEP premium can screen capture but other screen recorders are available. It may also take a bit of practice to get good at drawing your lines in real time.

Hi Ray,

That's the method I used to use, with PaintShop Pro as my editor. I'd use its eraser tool to 'reveal' the track snoothly. The track doesn't have to be drawn all in one go.

If the track was a GPS recording, I would display it in a mapping program, capture the whole image, extract the distinctively coloured track, and copy that in as a layer over the map.

Of course, this doesn't meet Richard's requirement to do it all in MEP!

Terry

@Turkana

Hi

. . . . I made this clip in the GIMP graphics program . . . . But I don't know the Xara program . . . .

As you are already familiar with GIMP - Photo and Graphics Designer is the next step up - it is also an image editing program with features which are not available in GIMP, adapting to the program should be easier than trying to learn to work with something totally new and strange.

HTH

John EB

@terrypin @Turkana

Hi Terry.

It could be done in a number of programs that way but as I don't know what programs Richard has except Gimp (that could be done there as well I guess.) I wanted to keep it to what would already be on the machine. Erase would certainly work and be easier if the line was drawn with more care beforehand. It's a neater alternative for sure and possible easier to control.

Ray.

@Turkana

It is great...when it works and right now it is not working in either VPX12 or MEP2021. In both programs and on my two computers using Xara Designer Pro X16, VPX and MEP freeze almost every time upon exiting Xara and returning to the timeline. If it does work, double-clicking on the XAR object to edit it causes a freeze. As well, Xara does not often open with everything that is supposed to opened in the interface, including the Frame Gallery (Animation), the toolbar and the colour bar.

However, you can try it out.

@johnebaker

Hi John,

Can you please check the above with version 17 of Xara? This is most annoying.

John CB