Preventing or correcting Sound Forge AS 17 90* rotation of mp4 file

murrayatuptown wrote on 10/26/2024, 2:48 PM

Hello:

I am doing audio enhancement on .mp4 camera files in Sound Forge 17. Saving-As causing transcoding, rendering, whatever the proper term is, which takes some time. I expect that. However, this batch changed all the horizontal videos to rotated vertical.

I can probably re-rotate them in Vegas Pro 21, but I would like to prevent it from happening, rather than double rendering. I am trying ffmpeg gui display-rotation but it doesn't accept my filenames in place of the cookie-cutter example I got the command format from. In FFMPEG_GUI, that extra action of rotation still seems to require a command line entry.

The files are from DJI Osmo Pocket 3, which produces both .mp4 and .LRF low resolution file.

I am attempting my audio editing with the .LRF files by first renaming them with a .mp4 extension. I have not had them rotated 90 degrees previously by Sound Forge.

Thank you

Comments

johnebaker wrote on 10/26/2024, 4:16 PM

@murrayatuptown

Hi

Personally I use the reverse workflow ie, import the video into the video editor and then enhance the audio from there, in my case Video Pro X with Sound Forge set as the external editor.

In your case Vegas, has an extensive set of audio correction/enhancement tools an no external FFMEG adjustments are necessary.

If you try the Vegas first route then this is not the forum for posting any issues you have with the Vegas tools, there is a link at the bottom of this page to the Vegas Community forum.

HTH

John EB
Forum Moderator

Last changed by johnebaker on 10/26/2024, 4:17 PM, changed a total of 1 times.

VPX 16, Movie Studio 2025, and earlier versions 2015 and 2016, Music Maker Premium 2024.

PC - running Windows 11 23H2 Professional on Intel i7-8700K 3.2 GHz, 16GB RAM, RTX 2060 6GB 192-bit GDDR6, 1 x 1Tb Sabrent NVME SSD (OS and programs), 2 x 4TB (Data) internal HDD + 1TB internal SSD (Work disc), + 6 ext backup HDDs.

Laptop - Lenovo Legion 5i Phantom - running Windows 11 23H2 on Intel Core i7-10750H, 16GB DDR4-SDRAM, 512GB SSD, 43.9 cm screen Full HD 1920 x 1080, Intel UHD 630 iGPU and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (6GB GDDR6)

Sony FDR-AX53e Video camera, DJI Osmo Action 3 and Sony HDR-AS30V Sports cams.

murrayatuptown wrote on 10/26/2024, 11:56 PM

Hi John:

I had four videos in this batch. 2 needed silence trimmed from the beginning. All 4 required audio improvements. I could not figure out how to split in my Magix s/w, so I do this using MP4Splitter that someone here recommended. Others gave me feedback that they don't split or join, they use other methods I have not yet figured out, starting with terminology. (Events are frames are not in my vocabulary yet).

Since I am learning the video program I won't mention, at such a sad rate (I take responsibility, but that doesn't help me advance), I use other tools. It's possible I bought the wrong program for my infrequent needs.

If I don't need any video functions I go directly to Sound Forge. That's the simplest workflow. If I open Sound Forge from at video program, I seem to end up in Sound Forge, where I Save-As my results, and SF completes saving the video with the audio enhancements.

With no video needs, it doesn't make sense to open SF thru a video program menu.

So Fridays' workflow was 4 audio edits, and 2 split/trims via 3rd party freeware, for now. I didn't need any video functions other than trim/split, until Sound Forge saved my MP4 videos with unexpected video rotation. It could be me unknowingly making an error, but I now have a video transcode problem because my intended workflow path detoured.

Let's say I can, and know how to, correct the unexpected rotation in another program, I could do the video action, re-render, then open SF, do the audio action, and save-as (transcode? re-render transparently via Save-As?).

I don't know and belong in the other forum to find out if I can correct my unwanted video rotation with my other software.

Since the problem happened during use of SF (it may not be an SF problem), that's my current focus...to figure out if I made a Save-As error, asked SF to process a non-fully-compliant file, or something else.

I will go ask in the other forum whether my unexpected need can be accomplished that way.

I came to this forum rather than the SF Pro one, because I do not see the word Pro when I open SF 17.

Believe me, it's pretty frustrating to keep presenting myself as an idiot with every new quest that seems simple. One could install screws with a hammer, but nor correctly. One cannot install nails with a screwdriver.

I seem to keep using a wrong sub-tools or creating unexpected results.

One more simple Sound Forge question please: If I open an mp4 video in Sound Forge 17, am I correct in realizing one cannot trim a video by highlighting and deleting a section of time in the audio waveform timeline?

I definitely cannot (directly) do so in the video timeline. I had previously attempted deleting time sections in Sound Forge, and, thankfully, (eventually) realized I was probably creating A/V time shift problems, rather than creating sections of silence. It's not ideal to add silence, but I think a way to do that without 'unsynching' is to perform an audio edit on a time line, and reduce the amplitude or volume). It's a inelegant solution, but preserves the relative audio & video synchronization.

Thank you

johnebaker wrote on 10/27/2024, 7:18 AM

@murrayatuptown

Hi

Below is a demo of editing the audio in Sound Forge (SF) from a video clip in Vegas Pro (VP), SF should be the default external editor in VP.

Once Sound Forge has opened, you have access to all the SF tools for audio restoration, clean up etc.

. . . . I don't know and belong in the other forum . . . .

For issues, questions and help with respect to Vegas Pro, you will have to ask in the Vegas forum, use the same email address, password and username as here to join it.

. . . . find out if I can correct my unwanted video rotation with my other software. . . . .

Depending on the video recording device, the rotation may be corrected automatically in Vegas Pro.

John EB

Last changed by johnebaker on 10/27/2024, 7:22 AM, changed a total of 2 times.

VPX 16, Movie Studio 2025, and earlier versions 2015 and 2016, Music Maker Premium 2024.

PC - running Windows 11 23H2 Professional on Intel i7-8700K 3.2 GHz, 16GB RAM, RTX 2060 6GB 192-bit GDDR6, 1 x 1Tb Sabrent NVME SSD (OS and programs), 2 x 4TB (Data) internal HDD + 1TB internal SSD (Work disc), + 6 ext backup HDDs.

Laptop - Lenovo Legion 5i Phantom - running Windows 11 23H2 on Intel Core i7-10750H, 16GB DDR4-SDRAM, 512GB SSD, 43.9 cm screen Full HD 1920 x 1080, Intel UHD 630 iGPU and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (6GB GDDR6)

Sony FDR-AX53e Video camera, DJI Osmo Action 3 and Sony HDR-AS30V Sports cams.

rraud wrote on 10/27/2024, 11:56 AM

I frequently 'mux 'in replacement audio to a rendered video which leaves the picture element untouched, Naturally if the replacement audio is cut or added to, A/V sync will be lost. There are free muxing utilities available like MeGUI, MP4Box and Avidmix.

murrayatuptown wrote on 1/5/2025, 12:22 PM

I am having unwanted random rotation of phone mp4 videos after audio processing in SF17. This is occurring directly in SF17. I would like to figure out why - I am unaware of a phone setting that could cause this, and it does not happen on all videos, but has happened with both vertical and horizontal oriented videos that don't look abnormal until having audio enhancements like compression & EQ performed in SF17.

To correct this I am then forced to perform video FX in Vegas. That has been hit or miss, but questions for that don't belong in this forum. For clarity, last night's attempt to reorient a vertical video that acquired a +90 degree rotation, was Scene Rotated -90 degrees. The result of this was a vertical video in a horizontal 'frame', cutting off a singer's entire head. EDIT: THIS IS NOT AN ACCURATE DESCRIPTION. WHAT I ACTUALLY SAW ON LAST NIGHT'S ROTATION CORRECTION WAS THAT A VIDEO THUMBNAIL IN WINDOWS, AND ON YOUTUBE, SHOWS THE FULL HEIGHT, BUT SQUARE WITH BLACKENED SIDES. ON PLAYBACK, IN WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER AND ON YOUTUBE, THE VIDEO THEN 'EXPANDS' INTO A VERTICAL FORMAT INSIDE THE HORIZONTAL 'FRAME'. THIS SEEMS TO BE WHAT CAUSES THE UNWANTED CROPPING EFFECT. THE SMALLER FIRST IMAGE IS THE THUMBNAIL AS SEEN IN YOUTUBE STUDIO. NOT SHOWN IS THE YT STUDIO VIDEO PREVIEW WHICH LOOKS THE SAME AS MY SECOND IMAGE BELOW, A SCREENSHOT OF 'NORMAL' YOUTUBE PLAYBACK IN A BROWSER (NOT YOUTUBE STUDIO). THE YT STUDIO AND YT VIA CHROME PLAYBACKS LOOK LIKE MY SECOND SCREENSHOT.

 

So this unwanted rotation has been occurring randomly in SF17 with two different Android phones and a DJI Osmo Pocket 3.

I have not been opening SF17 thru Vegas because I don't see the point if I start out not NEEDING any video editing.

I want to believe the videos are being imported with a property that causes or allows the unwanted rotation to randomly occur, but three cameras?

An operator error/workflow quirk?

Thank you for any help.

 

johnebaker wrote on 1/5/2025, 1:42 PM

@murrayatuptown

Hi

. . . .  unwanted random rotation of phone mp4 videos . . . This is occurring directly in SF17. I would like to figure out why . . . . An operator error/workflow quirk? . . .

This is a common issue caused by the operator holding/mounting the phone/camera vertically, horizontally and even upside down, and not being consistent in which orientation is being used. Generally for portrait recordings the cameras lens(es) should be at the top, for landscape, on the left, when looking at the phone screen - check this for your phone.

The software is reading the orientation flag embedded in the video header and rotating the video accordingly to protrait or landscape, sometimes this flag may be incorrectly set by the phone.

For existing recordings you may be able to fix the orientation flag with a video converter such as Handbrake, however this may cause other issues with the video aspect ratio, alternative fix the issue in Vegas and export as a new file for use on Sound Forge

John EB

VPX 16, Movie Studio 2025, and earlier versions 2015 and 2016, Music Maker Premium 2024.

PC - running Windows 11 23H2 Professional on Intel i7-8700K 3.2 GHz, 16GB RAM, RTX 2060 6GB 192-bit GDDR6, 1 x 1Tb Sabrent NVME SSD (OS and programs), 2 x 4TB (Data) internal HDD + 1TB internal SSD (Work disc), + 6 ext backup HDDs.

Laptop - Lenovo Legion 5i Phantom - running Windows 11 23H2 on Intel Core i7-10750H, 16GB DDR4-SDRAM, 512GB SSD, 43.9 cm screen Full HD 1920 x 1080, Intel UHD 630 iGPU and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (6GB GDDR6)

Sony FDR-AX53e Video camera, DJI Osmo Action 3 and Sony HDR-AS30V Sports cams.

murrayatuptown wrote on 1/5/2025, 9:14 PM

Thank you. Glad, and not, simultaneously, that there is a reason.

I was using phones on a gimbal stabilizer with external mics, which affected clearance space, compounding the balancing act challenge. I was definitely guilty there, of having the phone oriented however it would work.

I think I will disable the auto-orientation feature on the phone, to see if it either reduces 'unfriendly' header data, or just reminds me to be more mindful.

The OSMO, nice camera, but its audio processing is so aggressive in a noisy venue the audio results are worse than the phone...quieter, yes, but instruments are unrecognizably altered. Can't even understand how...maybe it's DSP that stumps my analog brain.

Solve one problem, discover or invent two others...not ready to go back to film, but I can joke about it.

Thanks for the patient help.

 

Murray