VPX16 Shot Match - How to (Help?!)

Can-Dive wrote on 3/22/2025, 1:20 AM

Luckily I have the MMS 2024 version of Shot Match to understand its concept. If I only had VPX16, I would have been completely lost! Note: VPX Shot Match is an enhanced version to MMS Shot Match - it has a very different interface and workflow.

MMS Shot Match is straight forward to use and the Help explanation is clear. VPX16 Help, is absolutely confusing. Essentially they incorporated the MMS Shot Match Help explanation along with the VPX explanation! I'm surprised the writer didn't pick up such a mistake!

That is the first error. The second issue for me was the VPX Shot Match help explanation still wasn't detailed enough to understand even though I completely understood how to use the same effect in MMS!

In VPX16 Help, they list the following 3 steps that pertain to VPX Shot Match before explaining the advanced manual adjustment feature. It starts as Step 8 because the first 7 steps pertain to MMS Shot Match which has no relevance to VPX's workflow. Lets go through the 3 steps and expand on them to fully understand the process:

8. Click on 'Start comparison mode' to switch the source monitor to preview mode.

This step is jumping the gun a bit. You first need to select the object you want to change and select the Shot match effect. These two steps are listed as steps 1 and 2 in VPX16 Help but that leads you to step 3 which pertains to MMS Shot Match; not VPX. If you are not familiar with MMS Shot Match, you would be completely lost at this stage but even with this knowledge I still was lost!

So once the target object is selected and Shot Match is active, pressing the Start comparison mode, places the first frame of the target object into the Source (Preview) window.

9. Then select a source image from the program monitor (left) and a target image from the source monitor (right).

So how do you select the source and target images? In MMS Shot Match it was easy. In MMS Shot Match, I used the timeline playback marker to first select the target frame, then hit the "Select target frame" button. Then I move the timeline playback marker to the reference frame and hit the "Select reference frame" button. Notice that you could use the playback marker within the Program monitor to achieve the same result, but I never did. I always used the timeline playback marker. I watched a number of YouTube tutorials on MMS Shot Match; both presenters used the timeline playback marker.

That's the problem. In VPX, the key is; do not use the timeline playback marker. Rather you use the playback markers associated with each monitor to select the Target frame and the Reference frame.

While this is apparent to me now, based on my MMS experience, I could not understand how to do it in VPX! Every time I used the timeline marker to select the target frame and hit the 'Start comparison mode' button, the frame would jump from my target frame to the first frame of the target object. Why? Was it a bug? No, its not a bug. You need to move the Source monitor playback marker to select the target frame!

Once done, you can then use the timeline playback marker to find the reference frame but to be consistent with the VPX workflow, use the Program playback marker to select the reference frame.

10. Now click on "Apply shot match" to transfer the source image characteristics (left) to the target object (right).

No problem there.

So I decided to rewrite VPX Shot Match Help. If I ever forget how to do it again, I can always come back to this post. Hopefully Magix will make the appropriate corrections to their VPX Help regarding Shot Match.

Select the object on the timeline where you want to match a shot ("target").
Open the "Shot match" effect in the Media Pool "Effects" tab > "Video effects".
Click on 'Start comparison mode' which will display the first frame of the target object in the Source monitor.
Using the Source Monitor playback marker, (not the timeline playback marker) move the playback marker to the target frame within the Source Monitor.
Then, using the Program Monitor playback marker, move the marker to the frame with the look you want to use ("reference").
Now click on "Apply shot match" to transfer the reference frame characteristics in the Program Monitor to the target object displayed in the Source Monitor.

Looking for feedback from VPX users. Are my 6 steps understandable or do they need some fine tuning?

Comments

CubeAce wrote on 3/22/2025, 3:19 AM

@Can-Dive

I think your image is sufficient in itself.

johnebaker wrote on 3/22/2025, 4:42 AM

@Can-Dive

. . . . Are my 6 steps understandable or do they need some fine tuning? . . . .

Looks fine to me.

I would add that if the match is not good, you can reset the 'match' by unchecking the Match Shot button then repeat steps 4 - 6..

The manuals from earlier versions that have the Shot Match effect are not as confusing.

If you wish, do a Tutorial , a PDF file with the instructions and screenshots, I prefer this for some tutorials so a user can print it out for reference, and upload to the tutorial section.

John EB

browj2 wrote on 3/22/2025, 9:40 AM

@Can-Dive

Hi,

Every time I used the timeline marker to select the target frame and hit the 'Start comparison mode' button, the frame would jump from my target frame to the first frame of the target object. Why? Was it a bug? No, its not a bug. You need to move the Source monitor playback marker to select the target frame!

You select the target clip by clicking on it, not by moving the playback marker.

When you click the Shot match effect in the Media Pool, the message is to select a photo or video object.

Put the playback marker somewhere on the timeline for what you want the reference image to be, or thereabouts and click on the clip to select it. Shot match details now appear. The source frame is at the playback marker of the selected clip. Now see the Hint when you put the mouse over "Start comparison mode."

Here I have a problem with the hint instructions. If I click on Start comparison mode, then click on the target clip, it will show in the Source Monitor and be at the first frame, but the details in Shot match are no longer accessible. I have to click on Start comparison mode again. (I was sure that the first time I did this it worked okay, but maybe not.)

So, I first click on the target image/video on the timeline, not moving the playback marker. This works, so long as you're at the Shot Match effect. The target clip/image will show in the Source Monitor but the fields in the Shot Match UI will not yet be accessible. Now click on Start comparison mode.

"Then select a source image from the program monitor and a target image from the source monitor."

This is where Magix should have explained how to do this, as you have pointed out. A user can easily be confused by the use of the phrase "select a source image" and may click on it instead of moving the playback marker.

Adjust the location of the reference frame using the playback marker on the timeline or in the preview monitor, so long as the playback marker is within the Source clip. You can see the time location in the Shot Match window below Reference image.

For the target, to use a different target frame or image, move the playback marker in the Source Monitor and you'll see the time from the start of the Target clip in the Shot match window below Target Image. Note that by default, before you move the playback marker in the Source Monitor, the time value below Target Image is probably wrong. It should actually be all 0's. You'll see this as soon as you move the playback marker in the Source Monitor.

In the image below, look at the Target Image time. It's wrong, as the Target (Source Monitor) playback marker is at the beginning of the clip by default. Not that it matters, it's just wrong and should automatically adjust to 0.

Now, the problem that I have is which frame to select for the target image. As far as I can tell, the target is changed depending on both source and target. Test this by redoing by keeping the same source frame, but changing the target frame, then applying Shot match again. This assumes that the target clip is a video and has some changes during the clip. Shot match affects the entire target clip, applying the same changes all along the clip, not varying depending on changes to the target. So, you have to check that what you did works for the entire target clip.

The other problem that I have is that it would be nice to know what effects were used for this. There are no changes showing under Brightness/Contrast, Color or Color correction.

John CB

johnebaker wrote on 3/22/2025, 10:50 AM

@Can-Dive, @browj2, @CubeAce

When using the Shot match the position of the Program and Source monitors cursor is important as you can get different results to what you expect, this is a quick demo where the position of the target cursor is moved.

The range of 'matches' is fully variable dependent on the relative positions of the 2 cursors.

. . . . it would be nice to know what effects were used for this. There are no changes showing under Brightness/Contrast, Color or Color correction . . . .

AFAICS the effect is remapping the target clips colours.

John EB

Gid wrote on 3/22/2025, 12:11 PM

@Can-Dive

Select the object on the timeline where you want to match a shot ("target").

Open the "Shot match" effect in the Media Pool "Effects" tab > "Video effects".

Click on 'Start comparison mode' which will display the first frame of the target object in the Source monitor.

Using the Source Monitor playback marker, (not the timeline playback marker) move the playback marker to the target frame within the Source Monitor.

Then, using the Program Monitor playback marker, move the marker to the frame with the look you want to use ("reference").

Now click on "Apply shot match" to transfer the reference frame characteristics in the Program Monitor to the target object displayed in the Source Monitor.

I agree with this 👍

& the pop-up is correct albeit a bit confusing, 'Source monitor becomes the preview, then select a source in the program monitor & a target in the source monitor' 🤯🤦‍♂️

The main timeline cursor doesn't need to be touched, (that is synced to the Program Monitor cursor)

As the OP wrote.

Select the object on the timeline.
Apply Shot Match.
Click - Start comparison mode. (the Source Monitor becomes the preview) it actually just shows the selected target timeline object. They've confused it by calling it 'preview'
Drag the Program monitor cursor to the frame you want to copy the look of. (as this is synced to the timeline cursor it could be any frame on the timeline, I just added 20 images & could pick any of them)
Drag the Source Monitor cursor to the frame you want to apply that look.
Click - Match shot.

Gid wrote on 3/22/2025, 1:02 PM

johnebaker wrote on 3/22/2025, 1:13 PM

@Gid, @Can-Dive, @browj2, @CubeAce

. . . . I just added 20 images & could pick any of them . . . . Drag the Source Monitor cursor to the frame you want to apply that look. . . .

Can you try selecting multiple target images/video clips before starting, and during, the comparison/applying the effect?

It appears you can, however, wherever the 'target' Source monitor cursor is, that is the frame that will be used to re-map all the selected objects colours. I am getting the odd results, as I showed in my previous post.

John EB

Gid wrote on 3/22/2025, 1:37 PM

@johnebaker Hi,

If I select these 3 the only one that shows in the Source monitor is the one that's highlighted dark yellow.

If i select this image (I suspect it doesn't matter if it's a video or pic)

The three videos selected get the Shot Match colour.

-------------------------------

I just added a video to the end that already has had it's colour altered previously, a pinky blue with cars in the Program monitor.

Again the three videos selected get the Shot Match colour.

----------------

Just reread your msg, yep I suspect the frame on the darker yellow selected object will get the look, the other videos might get the look applied across them in the same way as it gets applied across the rest of the darker yellow selected object does. Like it's classing them all as one object & applying it to that one selected frame for all.

Maybe it chooses the first frame of the other's as a starting point for each object.. I'd have to test with videos that have a fade in at the start, if it does choose the first frame that object may end up being quite dark.

I just pissed VPX off tho n it crashed..

Gid wrote on 3/23/2025, 6:58 AM