@CubeAce

Hi Ray

This looks like either a long delay in the screen refresh or the Caches are in a indeterminate state - try emptying the Cache and Undo folder - Edit, Empty undo and cache memory then try again.

John EB

@Former user @johnebaker

Thanks for both suggestions guys.

Hi John.

Tried but nothing improved.

Hi Gid.

You gave me an idea and I pressed the reset program. Then went through what the default settings used to be re-enabling them back to what I am using one at a time. First in the movie settings settings and it looped OK. A bit stuttery but looping. Then the program settings were put back to my working settings and all was still good but stuttery. Blue lightning symbol next, one at a time. It is specifically the reduce frame rate causing the problem. Reducing resolution seems fine as does using proxies. So reducing frame rate is now off. I willlet you knowis I seem to get problems with the proxy files Gid.

Thank you both for your input.

Ray.

@CubeAce 👍 I had a quick play & reducing frame rate made the vid stutter as you say, the other settings in the lightening button don't have adverse effects, at the moment & I'm lucky to have a PC that rarely needs those reductions in order to play a simple vid,

Sometimes if i add effects & get lag, prerender should fix that, it should consolidate the effects & video clip so it plays smoothly but on more than one occasion it has messed the effects/timeline up, hard to explain. I avoid using either if i can.

@Former user

Hi Gid.

Reducing the frame rate didn't make my playback stutter. it was dropping out the video altogether as shown above. Before the last nvidia driver update two days ago it was freezing the video image when repeating a loop. It seems each driver update is making my nvidia GPU perform worse. I may try going back to the studio driver.

Ray.

@CubeAce

Greetings Ray,

For what it's worth, when I started using MS 2023 I was using the Nvidia game drivers and had all sorts of weird things happening in the preview window and also occasionally no MS screen at all after waking the computer from sleep.

I changed to the Nvidia studio drivers and all has been well since.

AndyW

ps - probably jinxed it now.

@CubeAce I've always used the Studio driver, don't know if that why mine just stutters & doesn't completely cut out or it's because I have more power than you 💪 Got too many programs open at the mo to test it,

PS, just tried it with Reduce Frame Rate on, after it's 1st loop play it just froze, played once through but not a second time 🤷‍♂️

@Former user

I swapped driver back to the Studio driver. I can't it is either better or worse.

It may not be the driver but the program. Weirdly VPX 14 is running more smoothly than MEP 2022 now.

I thought I had removed the popup program but upon resting the program it has come back with added options.

Allow adds, Don't show this ad again, Don't show ads. I wonder which one to chose?🤪🤪🤪

Ray.

@CubeAce yeah hmmm adds or no adds 🤔 I'll have to get back too you on that one 👍

@me_again

Hi Andy.

Sorry I missed your comment above. I can't say I've noticed, both drivers seem to behave the same way on my machine. There are just less updates to the Studio drivers over a given period.

@johnebaker @Former user

A word of warning to anyone contemplating using the program reset button. Do Not have an open project in the program when you decide to do it. It has also deleted all of my most recent MVP and associated imported saved files and I am left with just the original MPV, BCK, and project files. The last 12 hours of work I did to update the project for use has gone. I have done a Windows search for the files for the past 9 hours just in case and they are gone.

Why this never occurred to me this might happen I have no idea.

Ray.

@CubeAce

Hi Ray

. . . .  It has also deleted all of my most recent MVP and associated imported saved files and I am left with just the original MPV, BCK, and project files.  . . . .

If the project that was open was not saved before the reset then all changes made to it since the last edit and save/autosave would be lost from the file history, however saved projects should not have been deleted.

Did you check all the BAK files? It looks like BAK2 at 01:14 is the last one.

John EB

@johnebaker

Hi John.

I always have two MVP files on the go. files end in V1 or a V2 or a way to differentiate the titles so I can save manually at regular intervals. I alternate between saving both and I had been working on saving the project over two days. Everything is gone. No H0, BAK, files, nothing. Everything that was done to the original project in 2018 is there. The updated files should have been in the same folder but I did a Windows search across all drives to make sure. The file you see is dated 2018 but I tried all of them just in case.

I even tried looking manually but it would take forever as I have 8TB of files spread across four drives currently connected.

[Edit] I say always but only started doing it that way about a year ago now.

Ray.

Hi Ray

Missed the date on that bak file 😕.

If the files are nowhere to be found then I would suggest you raise a support ticket as this could be a major issue.

John EB

@johnebaker

Hi John.

Newly created jpegs, and additional video clips are still in their original places as files came from different locations and folders. The project files were supposed to be in the same folder as the copy of the original folder I used but are not. The original files and folder are on two unconnected backup drives and my offsite storage so not currently on my system.

My thought is, had I used the reset program button without a loaded project the files would have been okay, as other folders are OK even though they were no longer on the startup list of recently opened projects. As I had never used that reset function before I have no idea how it is supposed to behave.

The manual only states. "Reset standard program settings: Use this function to reset all program settings you made in MAGIX MOVIE EDIT PRO to their original settings".

There have been a few options within the editing programs I have become wary of using such as combine audio and combine audio and video as I have found no way to undo such functions later if I want to alter something at a later date. Although useful to reduce project load at the time if it is needed I can't find a way to make it backward compatible which is useless if you can't then keep the additional work and the original files that were in place for further possible alterations.

I will put this one down to experience.

Ray.

@CubeAce

Hi Ray

. . . . The manual only states. "Reset standard program settings: Use this function to reset all program settings you made in MAGIX MOVIE EDIT PRO to their original settings". . . .

That is what it should do, by replacing the current .ini file, AFAICS, from a 'copy' that is created on first install and stored elsewhere.

John EB

I doubt that such a serious bug has gone unnoticed. I've just tried a reset here and haven't lost any files from an open project.

@CubeAce Ray, I suggest you reformat your machine. Something's cockeyed somewhere.

@AAProds

Hi Al.

My project was on an internal drive and was one first created in 2018 using that version of MEP.

That project is still in tact. Other files to be added to the project were created on another two internal drives and the files kept in those two drive locations. Only reference to them were part of the new project MVP. Those files, jpegs and video files as well as one sound track file remain. The originally created MVP in the project folder remains and opens the project as first created.

One thing I have just noticed is where the other files were created, associated titled H0. HDP and proxy files were created for the video clips. One for each MP4 file and another for each proxy file created. Nothing for added jpeg files.

But on the second drive only new HDP files exist for the MP4 files used and the H0 files remain untouched.

Thankfully I did export a render of the final new project before I lost the new version with the alterations.

Old project section.

New project section alteration

There are another four altered sections including the sub titling .

So while I appreciate the effort I'm not sure if the same project conditions exist between your comparison and my experience or whether you were using the same version of MEP (2022) for your experiment or the same version that created it, 2018. Too many variables I think for a direct comparison.

A combination of things could have caused this and I have learned a lesson from it so this problem should not happen again.

Are you even suffering a dropout of video (or freezing of the video only) when looping a short section of a project to begin with, caused apparently by activating the 'reduce frame rate' setting?

Apart from this one anomaly my system is running as well as it has done.

I also doubt if i did report this to Magix that a patch for an older version of the program would be made. I doubt there will be any more patches for the current versions so I would suggest people try this looping problem with reduced frame rates applied in any new version so it gets reported earlier. In fact all know verified bugs should be tested and reported as early as possible to see if any are fixed in a subsequent patch while they are still possibly able to address such matters and turn their attention towards the 2025 versions.

Ray.

@CubeAce

Ray, I can't get looping to run. How do I do that? Hitting Range playback (or /) plays the range and then stops.

The other issue is that you're not using the latest version. That might be a factor here.

I have learned a lesson from it so this problem should not happen again.

What is the lesson?

@AAProds

Hi Al.

Looping is set in the movie settings, 'Play movie in loop mode'.

The lesson is to always export the whole project to another drive at the end of a session so an updated version exists on another drive. The old version can then be deleted. Normally exporting a project to a new drive only takes a few minutes on my system. In the past I have only done this when I have completed the editing.

As VPX 14 is not exhibiting this behaviour you could be correct. If that is the case then older versions of the program cannot be relied on to perform properly in the newer versions of Windows 10 and 11. That's a scary thought. Then again what is the chance of anyone else going through the same set of actions for this to happen?

I find looping a small section at a time is useful if I'm trying to time the action within a PiP to other actions in other PiPs occurring at the same time which can involve time stretching as well as clip positioning.

Here is the new version to show you what I mean.

Ray.

@CubeAce

Hi Ray,

Excellent video, except that I would be going for cleaning, not uncleaning. I don't like the old look so I clean up old video. I understand why one does this, to get the old look, but...

I have never experienced VPX or MEP/MS deleting any Project files (.MVP). They have occasionally saved them in unintended locations. Could that be your case? Search for MVP files with a similar name and wildcards across your system.

A few things.

1. Looping - using VPX14 and Project Settings, Movie Settings, Play movie in loop mode, does not work for me. The playback marker gets to the end and keeps going. I only tried on my laptop, not the desktop. Looping a range works fine.

There have been a few options within the editing programs I have become wary of using such as combine audio and combine audio and video as I have found no way to undo such functions later if I want to alter something at a later date.

2. Combine audio/video is what is also referred to as a mixdown. See my tutorial on Mixing down audio to get a wave file to be able to use the external audio editor in MS/VPX. It also applies to the Video mixdown. Mixdown all or limit to a range/unmuted tracks.

Work flow is important here. If you want to keep the original, then simply copy everything to another Movie and do the mixdown in one or the other. You still have the original. You then have the choice of continuing with the movie containing the mixdown or copying the mixdown to the untouched Movie. If you copy the mixdown to the untouched movie, then Mute all tracks that made up the mixdown and continue on. If you have to go back and edit something that was mixed down, you can do it and replace the mixdown object or just a part of it. This is what I do with the audio that gets mixed down.

Remember, mixing down is just a simple way of exporting to get an intermediate file to keep on working with reduced overhead.

As for the Movie, you can export the Movie with the original material then remove it from your current Project to reduce overhead. You can always reimport the Movie if needed.

One of the main uses of mixing down video is when you have parts with Mercalli and Neat Video that drag editing down to impossible. Mixdown that part, and keep on editing, including the mixed down part.

So, you have plenty of options.

3. Video Pro X - Project Temp Folder (PTF)

I don't use MS/MEP for my projects, only for making tutorials - or rather recording tutorials. I edit the tutorials in VPX. I don't see any sense in going from one to the other and not have access to the VPX tools. You seem to find things that don't work in one or the other. I don't except when the patches are out of sync.

That said, VPX has the PTF and you should learn to use it. Create a simple test project with a few video clips on the timeline. They are added automatically to the PTF. Select one clip, trim it, add quickly some effects, right-click and select "Insert objects in project folder." The filename will show in the PTF with _001 appended. You can change the name and add a description. The description will be copied to the original entry, so you have to change the description on the _001 entry a second time to get a different description.

Delete the clip from the timeline.

Save, close and reopen the project.

Drag the ..._001 file onto the timeline where the gap was or somewhere else. It will contain all of your effects, including the trim.

You can do a similar thing in MS/MEP by saving as a take. However, you don't have the PTF.

Another thing is to import clips into the PTF either in the root or a folder but not onto the timeline. You can park objects in the PTF for future use, or not. You will see the red dot once the object has been used.

You can save a PTF and open it in another project. Doing so does not put anything on the timeline.

4. Nested loops in VPX - You can create a sequence in on movie and use that as an object in the main movie. Just drag the second movie onto the timeline of the first movie from the PTF. You can now edit the result as though it's one object (which it is).

If you have created a sequence with effects, etc. and then decide that you don't want to use it right now but don't want to lose it, copy it to another movie. Then you can export the Movie with an appropriate name or just keep that sequence for future use - and possibly insert it as a nested object.

BTW, Vegas does not have multiple timelines. Nested objects are external project files so Vegas users have to revert to the original project to make any changes. In VPX, just change the nested object in its Movie and the object is updated in the main Movie.

John CB

@browj2

Hi John.

With the sub titles saying the dockyard will take you back in time and playing a soundtrack from 1939/40 it seemed to me to go from new footage and age it. If you look closely you will see a brief section that does the reverse 😂.

I agree, I have never had that happen before but then again I had never used the program reset button before either. Yes when the program crashes it sometimes puts an MVP file in the default program folder. I did check.

Looping only occurs when using the play button for use between range markers [▶] and (Or it plays from beginning to end of a project.) not the standard play button ▶. I assume if you are using keyboard shortcuts, that would be a different key or key combination, if it exists. I haven't found one.

Thankfully I haven't had the need to do any combining of audio or video tracks but I experiment from time to time. So far I'm not impressed with that particular solution but it is an option for those that need or want it. There are tons of options in these programs that most users will never use or even know exist. I doubt I use more than 20% of what the base program offers.

In my experience MEP will play a VPX project accurately assuming the copy of MEP / MSS is at least as new a version as the version of VPX that created it. You then just can't edit it further accurately because of the more limited controls of the program.

The reason I don't use VPX more is the layout. I don't need two monitor windows most of the time or media pool to show. I would prefer to have a larger view of the project in the main monitor. I could add a third monitor so I can still have the timeline on monitor 2 (I have an unused monitor lying around) but the additional strain on my nvidia card makes the program more sluggish and would involve more head movement which I hate as I like to be able to view all screens at once at a reasonable distance from the screens. I have played around with the VPX layout but so far I just can't find a layout I'm comfortable with. Maybe one day.

Again, just personal preference.

Vegas behaves the way the majority of editors do and I'm familiar with using Boris effects which is a very familiar workflow to me now so not a major hassle as I'm a mouse guy mainly so don't get confused by differing shortcut keys, if they exist (I don't know).

Ray.

@Former user @browj2 @me_again @AAProds @johnebaker

[Update]

Weirdness continues.

Trying to rebuild the newer version of the project again but this time making sure all files used that were used now reside in the project folder I also copied over any H0 HDP or other associated files I found alongside the created jpegs, video clips etc.

I've been slowly putting these files back into the project one by one, removing old replaced files, etc. Then I tried to put the additional wav file back into the into the project and roughly selected the section I had used before and dropped it onto an empty track whereupon it placed itself in the same position I had had in the last version of the deleted new version along with the edits I had made.

What is really odd is there is only one copy of that wave file in the project and it is already in use on two other tracks. I'm not complaining, just observing and reporting back for anyone interested.

Ray.

@CubeAce 🤷‍♂️🤣