Eighth Edition

DIGITAL VIDEO
& AUDIO PRODUCTION
A hands-on guide to creating rich
multimedia with Vegas™ Pro 11 software

Includes:
DVD with lesson files, sample media, and
a complete Vegas Pro 11 manual in .pdf format

by Gary Rebholz and Michael Bryant

Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software
Copyright © 2011, Sony Creative Software, Inc. All right reserved.

No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher. No patent liability
is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken in
the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Nor is any
liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.
International Standard Book Number: 0-9713458-0-5
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2002090858
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing: March 2002
Second Printing: April 2003
Third Printing: February 2006
Fourth Printing: November 2006
Fifth Printing: November 2007
Sixth Printing: May 2009
Seventh Printing: October 2010
Eighth Printing: November 2011
Trademarks
ACID, DVD Architect, Sound Forge, and Vegas, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Creative Software,
Inc. or its affiliates in the United States and other countries. Sony, HDV, AVCHD, and XDCAM are trademarks of
Sony. Windows, Microsoft, and Windows Media are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other terms mentioned
in this book that are known to be trademarks or service marks have been appropriately capitalized. Sony Creative
Software cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. Use of a term in this book should not be regarded as
affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark.
Warning and Disclaimer
Every effort has been made to make this book as complete and as accurate as possible, but no warranty or fitness is
implied. The information provided is on an “as is” basis. The authors and the publisher shall have neither liability nor
responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damages arising from the information contained in
this book or from the use of the companion disc accompanying it.
Credits
Revisions by Cassandra Krause and Gary Rebholz
Executive Editor: Brad Reinke
Copy Editor: Kevin Canney
Technical Editors: Gary Rebholz, Michael Bryant, Cassandra Krause
Graphics Designer and Editor: Gary Rebholz
Cover and module artists: Tim Mair and Dave Remy
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software iii

Contents
Introduction to the original edition ................................................................... 1 

Introduction to the updated edition................................................................... 2 

Module 1: Vegas™ Pro interface ........................................................................ 3 

Lesson 1: Menus............................................................................................................................................................................. 4 
Task 1: Using Vegas Pro menus ................................................................................................................................4 
Lesson 2: Toolbar .......................................................................................................................................................................... 5 
Task 2: Using Vegas Pro buttons ..............................................................................................................................5 
Lesson 3: Track list area ................................................................................................................................................................ 6 
Task 3: Selecting a track for editing ..........................................................................................................................7 
Lesson 4: Timeline ......................................................................................................................................................................... 8 
Task 4: Starting and stopping project playback ......................................................................................................8 
Lesson 5: Window docking area .................................................................................................................................................. 9 
Task 5: Opening and closing Vegas™ Pro windows .............................................................................................9 
Task 6: Viewing obscured windows ........................................................................................................................10 
Task 7: Repositioning dockable windows ..............................................................................................................11 
Task 8: Resizing dockable windows ........................................................................................................................11 
Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................................................................12 
Exercises ........................................................................................................................................................................................12 
Essays .............................................................................................................................................................................................12 
Module 2: Adding media to your project—basic methods ........................................ 13 
Lesson 1: The Explorer window ............................................................................................................................................... 14 
Task 1: Navigating to your media............................................................................................................................14 
Task 2: File management with the Explorer window ..........................................................................................16 
Lesson 2: Previewing media ....................................................................................................................................................... 17 
Task 3: Previewing video files ..................................................................................................................................17 
Task 4: Previewing audio files ..................................................................................................................................18 
Lesson 3: Repositioning the project cursor ............................................................................................................................. 20 
Task 5: Repositioning the project cursor ...............................................................................................................21 
Lesson 4: Adding media to your project .................................................................................................................................. 22 
Task 6: Adding your first media files ......................................................................................................................22 
Task 7: Adding files with the drag-and-drop method ..........................................................................................23 
Task 8: Adding multiple files simultaneously ........................................................................................................24 
Task 9: Automatically overlapping multiple events ..............................................................................................24 
Task 10: Adding media files across time ................................................................................................................25 
Task 11: Adding media files across tracks .............................................................................................................26 
Task 12: Working with multiple takes ....................................................................................................................26 
Task 13: Adding still images to your project .........................................................................................................27 
Lesson 5: Creating and deleting tracks ..................................................................................................................................... 28 
Task 14: Adding new tracks from the Insert menu ..............................................................................................28 
Task 15: Adding new tracks from track headers ...................................................................................................29 
Task 16: Duplicating a track .....................................................................................................................................29 
Task 17: Adding a new track on the fly ..................................................................................................................30 
Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................................................................31 
Exercises ........................................................................................................................................................................................31 
Essays .............................................................................................................................................................................................32 
Module 3: Adding media to your project—advanced methods .................................. 33 
iv

Lesson 1: Capturing video .......................................................................................................................................................... 34 

Task 1: Connecting your DV or HDV™ camcorder to your computer ..........................................................34 
Task 2: Getting ready to capture video ..................................................................................................................35 
Task 3: Capturing video ............................................................................................................................................36 
Task 4: Adding clips from the Project Media window ........................................................................................38 
Lesson 2: Recording audio ......................................................................................................................................................... 39 
Task 5: Connecting a microphone to your computer ..........................................................................................39 
Task 6: Preparing to record with a microphone ...................................................................................................41 
Task 7: Recording with a microphone....................................................................................................................42 
Lesson 3: Extracting Audio from CD ...................................................................................................................................... 44 
Task 8: Extracting Audio from a CD .....................................................................................................................45 
Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................................................................46 
Exercises ........................................................................................................................................................................................46 
Essays .............................................................................................................................................................................................47 
Module 4: Generating media ........................................................................... 49 
Lesson 1: Generating solid-color elements .............................................................................................................................. 50 
Task 1: Adding a media generator to the timeline ................................................................................................50 
Task 2: Working with presets...................................................................................................................................52 
Task 3: Changing the color parameters ..................................................................................................................53 
Lesson 2: Using the keyframe controller.................................................................................................................................. 54 
Task 4: Creating additional keyframes ....................................................................................................................55 
Task 5: Selecting and manipulating keyframes ......................................................................................................56 
Task 6: Keyframes—putting it all together............................................................................................................56 
Lesson 3: Generating color gradients ....................................................................................................................................... 58 
Task 7: Changing the colors of control points ......................................................................................................58 
Task 8: Repositioning control points ......................................................................................................................59 
Task 9: Creating different gradient types ...............................................................................................................59 
Task 10: Working with control points ....................................................................................................................60 
Task 11: Reordering control points to create interesting effects .......................................................................61 
Lesson 4: Generating basic text elements ................................................................................................................................ 62 
Task 12: Adding a text event to the timeline and modifying the font...............................................................63 
Task 13: Specifying text color and adding animation...........................................................................................63 
Task 14: Adjusting text placement and scale .........................................................................................................64 
Task 15: Manipulating text properties ....................................................................................................................64 
Task 16: Creating text effects ...................................................................................................................................65 
Lesson 5: Generating scrolling text elements .......................................................................................................................... 67 
Task 17: Creating scrolling text ...............................................................................................................................67 
Task 18: Setting credit roll properties .....................................................................................................................68 
Task 19: Defining the text line styles ......................................................................................................................68 
Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................................................................70 
Exercises ........................................................................................................................................................................................70 
Essays .............................................................................................................................................................................................71 
Module 5: Navigation and zoom/view techniques ................................................. 73 
Lesson 1: Using the transport buttons ..................................................................................................................................... 74 
Task 1: Controlling project playback ......................................................................................................................74 
Task 2: Playing from the start ..................................................................................................................................75 
Task 3: Navigating to the beginning and end of the project...............................................................................75 
Lesson 2: Using loop playback mode ....................................................................................................................................... 76 
Task 4: Setting up loop playback .............................................................................................................................76 
Task 5: Playing your project in loop playback mode ...........................................................................................77 
Lesson 3: Keyboard shortcuts and focus ................................................................................................................................. 78 
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software v

Task 6: Experimenting with focus ..........................................................................................................................78 

Lesson 4: Controlling project view (zoom levels) .................................................................................................................. 79 
Task 7: Using the Zoom tool ...................................................................................................................................80 
Task 8: Using the Zoom In/Out Time buttons ...................................................................................................80 
Task 9: Using the horizontal scroll bar to zoom ..................................................................................................81 
Task 10: Zooming track height ................................................................................................................................81 
Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................................................................82 
Exercises ........................................................................................................................................................................................82 
Essays .............................................................................................................................................................................................83 
Module 6: Basic editing techniques ................................................................... 85 
Lesson 1: Selecting events .......................................................................................................................................................... 86 
Task 1: Selecting single events .................................................................................................................................86 
Task 2: Selecting multiple events .............................................................................................................................87 
Task 3: Using the Selection Edit tool .....................................................................................................................88 
Lesson 2: Moving events ............................................................................................................................................................ 89 
Task 4: Moving events ..............................................................................................................................................89 
Task 5: Event shuffling .............................................................................................................................................91 
Lesson 3: Edge trimming an event............................................................................................................................................ 92 
Task 6: Edge trimming events .................................................................................................................................92 
Task 7: Keyboard trimming .....................................................................................................................................94 
Lesson 4: Additional selection techniques ............................................................................................................................... 95 
Task 8: Making a time selection ...............................................................................................................................95 
Task 9: Making a time and event selection ............................................................................................................96 
Lesson 5: Cut/copy/paste/delete ............................................................................................................................................. 97 
Task 10: Cutting and pasting a single event ...........................................................................................................97 
Task 11: Cutting and pasting multiple events........................................................................................................97 
Task 12: Cutting a time selection.............................................................................................................................98 
Task 13: Cutting selected events within a time selection.....................................................................................98 
Task 14: Cutting with selected events that fall both within and outside of a time selection .........................98 
Lesson 6: Ripple edit mode ........................................................................................................................................................ 99 
Task 15: Applying a simple ripple edit ................................................................................................................ 100 
Task 16: Applying ripple edits to multiple tracks .............................................................................................. 100 
Task 17: Using ripple edit with the Delete command....................................................................................... 100 
Task 18: Using ripple edit with a trimmed event ............................................................................................... 101 
Task 19: Using ripple edit with the paste command ......................................................................................... 101 
Task 20: Using Auto Ripple mode. ...................................................................................................................... 102 
Task 21: Using ripple edits with a time selection. .............................................................................................. 102 
Lesson 7: Splitting events .........................................................................................................................................................103 
Task 22: Splitting events ........................................................................................................................................ 103 
Lesson 8: Markers and regions ................................................................................................................................................105 
Task 23: Using markers to organize your edits .................................................................................................. 106 
Task 24: Creating a region ..................................................................................................................................... 107 
Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................................................................108 
Exercises ......................................................................................................................................................................................108 
Essays ...........................................................................................................................................................................................110 
Module 7: Enhancing your project ................................................................. 111 
Lesson 1: Creating fades ...........................................................................................................................................................112 
Task 1: Creating fades with ASR and event envelopes ..................................................................................... 113 
Task 2: Creating fades with track envelopes....................................................................................................... 114 
Task 3: Creating fades with the Video and Master Bus .................................................................................... 116 
Lesson 2: Basic audio mixing ...................................................................................................................................................117 
vi

Task 4: Adjusting the volume of a track and the overall mix .......................................................................... 118 
Task 5: Normalizing an event ............................................................................................................................... 118 
Task 6: Adding compression ................................................................................................................................. 119 
Task 7: Ducking an audio track ............................................................................................................................ 121 
Task 8: Panning audio ............................................................................................................................................ 122 
Lesson 3: Creating slow/fast motion......................................................................................................................................124 
Task 9: Slowing down a video clip with a velocity envelope ........................................................................... 124 
Task 10: Creating a freeze frame with a velocity envelope .............................................................................. 125 
Task 11: Creating reverse motion with a velocity envelope ............................................................................. 125 
Task 12: Changing event properties to alter the playback rate of an event ................................................... 126 
Task 13: Altering the playback rate of an audio event ...................................................................................... 127 
Lesson 4: Adding effects and filters ........................................................................................................................................128 
Task 14: Creating an effects chain for a video event ........................................................................................ 128 
Task 15: Adjusting plug-in parameter settings ................................................................................................... 129 
Task 16: Alternatives for adding filters and effects ........................................................................................... 129 
Lesson 5: Color correction .......................................................................................................................................................132 
Task 17: Applying a complementary color to your video ................................................................................ 133 
Task 18: Correcting problem video with the Color Corrector tool ................................................................ 134 
Task 19: Using the Color Corrector (Secondary) filter ..................................................................................... 136 
Lesson 6: Creating crossfades and other transitions ............................................................................................................137 
Task 20: Creating a crossfade transition.............................................................................................................. 137 
Task 21: Using transition plug-ins ........................................................................................................................ 138 
Lesson 7: Video composites.....................................................................................................................................................139 
Task 22: Controlling track and event transparency to create video composites .......................................... 139 
Task 23: Creating composites using video filters............................................................................................... 140 
Task 24: Creating composites using a masking track ........................................................................................ 141 
Task 25: Creating composites using track motion ............................................................................................. 143 
Lesson 8: Using the Pan/Crop tool ........................................................................................................................................144 
Task 26: Using Pan/Crop to create motion on a still image............................................................................ 144 
Task 27: Using Pan/Crop to crop unwanted material out of a still image .................................................... 145 
Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................................................................146 
Exercises ......................................................................................................................................................................................146 
Essays ...........................................................................................................................................................................................148 
Module 8: Delivering your project .................................................................. 149 
Lesson 1: Saving your project ..................................................................................................................................................150 
Task 1: Saving your project with trimmed media .............................................................................................. 152 
Lesson 2: Rendering your project............................................................................................................................................153 
Task 2: Rendering your project............................................................................................................................. 154 
Task 3: Batch rendering your project................................................................................................................... 155 
Task 4: Printing a rendered file to tape ............................................................................................................... 158 
Task 5: Printing to tape from the Vegas Pro timeline ...................................................................................... 158 
Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................................................................159 
Exercises ......................................................................................................................................................................................159 
Essays ...........................................................................................................................................................................................160 
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas® Pro software vii

Acknowledgements
Thanks to the entire Vegas™ Pro engineering team for being there when we need help and answers and for the
dedication to making the best software anywhere. Thanks to Kevin Canney and Dennis Adams for their excellent
editing work, insightful suggestions, and endless pool of knowledge (which we tapped over and over). Thanks to Dave
Hill, Brian Orr, Tony Jedlovsky, Curt Palmer, Peter Haller, Ivan Calderon, and Stephanie Pfeiffer for tirelessly
answering our questions, and solidifying our understanding, as well as for challenging us to write a book as good as
their software. Thanks to Brad Reinke for making the whole project possible. Thanks to John Allhands for helping us
get this book printed and distributed. Thanks to Dave Chaimson and the marketing team for handling the marketing
chores. Thanks to the excellent Sony Creative Software sales and support staff for spreading the word and
championing the cause. Finally, thanks to the Wingra Herron Hops & Derailleur Society bicycling club and the
AMEBA Acrobatic & Aerial Dance company for allowing us to use footage of them in the figures for this book and
the accompanying projects.
About the authors
Gary Rebholz is the Training Manager and Michael Bryant the Director of Product Marketing for Sony Creative
Software. Even after all their wild successes, they remain really nice fellows.
viii
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 1

Introduction to the original edition

The next phase for multimedia
Although the term multimedia has been around for several years now, two basic factors drive the fact that the number
of people involved in the creation of multimedia continues to grow. First, the rapidly increasing demand for a
dynamic entertainment and information delivery format is rapidly increasing. People consume audio and video
content at the movies, on cable, satellite, and broadcast TV, on their computers at home and work, and even on hand-
held devices. You find multimedia in your car, 30,000 feet above the earth on a transatlantic flight from New York to
Paris, on a kiosk at your local department store, and even in your kitchen. It’s everywhere, and it looks and sounds
better than ever. Secondly, the tools needed to create multimedia are now accessible to more content creators than
ever before. In the past, it took a great deal of expensive equipment to put together even a simple video or audio
production. Then, along came the personal computer, and everything changed. Now, even those with a modest
budget can experience broadcast-quality video and CD quality audio.
Putting this power to create compelling, high-quality multimedia in the hands of the professional as well as the
hobbyist is what Vegas™ Pro software is all about. If you’re a seasoned professional, you’ll find Vegas Pro software
to be an important addition to your arsenal of production tools. In many cases, it may be the only tool you need. If
you’re new to digital audio and video production, you’ll find Vegas Pro software amazingly powerful, yet easy to use.
You’ll find yourself spending more time on the creative aspects of your production, and less time on the mechanics.
Vegas Pro software is more than just a nonlinear digital video editor. It’s an integrated tool that combines editing,
compositing, and titling on the video side, with multitrack recording, mixing, editing, and mastering on the audio side,
and allows you to encode it all for multiple delivery formats. Whether you intend to print you production to tape for
broadcast delivery, stream it over the Internet, or burn it to CD or DVD, Vegas Pro software can help every step of
the way.
You also have the freedom to experiment. Since Vegas Pro software is a nondestructive editor, you never change your
original media no matter how you slice and dice it in your project. Because you can see the results of your edits in real
time, you don't have to wonder what it will look like or sound like, or wait to find out. Make a change, try a new filter,
add a different transition—you instantly see the results. The road to your creative destination just got shorter.
Vegas Pro software provides hardware freedom as well. You don’t need to purchase additional or special hardware to
get up and running. A typical business PC fresh off the show room floor is more than likely way above the minimum
hardware requirements. Just capture your video and start editing. The same goes for audio. As long as your sound
card is Windows compatible you're ready to record, edit, master, and burn a Red Book standard audio CD. That's
right. Vegas Pro software has more audio power, tools, and capabilities than most dedicated audio software.
If you want to move beyond simple multimedia into the realm of rich media, Vegas Pro software stands ready to take
you there. Rich media is a combination of audio, video, and supporting collateral information. Vegas Pro software
enables you to embed metadata into the finished product. Metadata can take many forms, from simple location
markers, which allow the user to navigate through the media in an interactive fashion, to command markers, which
synchronize and issue browser commands with the playback of the streaming media. Metadata really puts the multi in
multimedia, and brings a full rich, interactive experience to those who consume your productions.
We’ve written this book for multimedia enthusiasts of all levels. Advanced users will pick up tips and tricks even in
the basic sections, while beginners will find even the advanced topics easy to understand. We clearly define new terms
when we use them. Every lesson contains plenty of step-by-step tasks that solidify the concepts discussed in that
lesson. The included DVD-ROM contains all the media and project files you’ll need to complete the tasks. We’ve
included a healthy number of “Private Tutors” (like the one below) to further explain concepts, explore related topics,
suggest further resources, and share tips and power-user techniques. This is a hands-on book. You’ll learn by doing—
and that’s the best way to learn. Open the book, open Vegas Pro software, and start editing video and audio right
away. Use the techniques we teach here, even as you learn them.
2 Introduction

Private Tutor: Completing the tasks

pt Video makes extremely high demands on your computer processor.
Therefore, we suggest that you copy the projects (lesson files) and sample
media files that are used in the tasks to your hard drive for better performance.
The book is divided into eight modules. Module 1 introduces the Vegas Pro interface and takes you through the
process of customizing the workspace to meet your individual needs. In Module 2, you learn how to preview and add
audio and video media to your project. Module 3 introduces some advanced methods of adding media to your
projects. It shows how to use a video capture utility, and how to record audio directly into a project. Module 4
concentrates on generated media such as text, scrolling credits, and background elements, and teaches some very
important concepts that you will use often. In Module 5, you learn advanced navigation techniques, as well as how to
use loop mode and some useful keyboard shortcuts. Module 6 discuses the basic editing techniques you will use in
every project. Module 7 covers some fun stuff such as transitions, slow/fast motion, filters and effects, as well as basic
audio mixing techniques. Module 8 wraps the whole thing up with a discussion of how to save and render your
project, and add metadata to create a rich media presentation.
These eight modules give you a solid foundation upon which you can build your knowledge and expertise with this
powerful multimedia creation tool. Throughout the book we give you very specific step-by-step instructions on how
to achieve results. We give you the base knowledge you can use to explore the application further and uncover even
more advanced techniques. Pop the hood and take a good look around. The more familiar you become with all of the
filters, effects, envelopes, and encoding features, the more creative ideas will present themselves to you. Your only
bounds are defined by the limits of your creativity. You may very well find ways to use this software that haven’t been
thought of yet. If you do, don't forget to tell your fellow Vegas Pro users—and us!
We hope you enjoy reading the book, and working through the sample projects in each module. Now, let's dive in and
create some rich multimedia with Vegas Pro software!

Gary Rebholz
Michael Bryant

Introduction to the updated edition

Vegas Pro software continues to evolve and grow with the demands of the professional world. In this revised edition
of Digital Video and Audio Production, we’ve included updates that incorporate changes made to version 11.0 of the
application. If you’re new to Vegas Pro software, this book will get up to speed quickly. Still, even experienced users
report that they learn a lot by going through the discussions and exercises here.
Our goal has always been to give you—in a succinct and straightforward fashion—the knowledge you need in order
to start using Vegas Pro software right now. Please feel free to let us know if there is any way we can more effectively
accomplish that goal. Good luck with all of your Vegas Pro projects!

Gary Rebholz
October, 2011
Module 1: Vegas™ Pro interface
Before you can get started using Vegas Pro software, you’ll
need to spend a few minutes familiarizing yourself with the
program’s user interface. If you’re already familiar with other
Sony Creative Software products, such as ACID Pro™ or
Sound Forge™, you’ll quickly feel right at home with Vegas
Pro software. Even if you haven’t used Sony Creative Software
products before, a little general knowledge and experience with
the Windows® operating system helps you quickly become
comfortable with Vegas Pro software. This module familiarizes
you with the three general sections of the Vegas Pro user
interface.
In this module you’ll do the following:
• Explore the Vegas Pro menus and buttons.
• Learn about the track list and track view areas.
• Work with the window docking area.
• Discover techniques for customizing your
Vegas Pro workspace.
 Module 1
4 The Vegas™ Pro Interface

Lesson 1: Menus
The top section of the Vegas™ Pro screen contains menus and buttons that work just like those in other Windows®
programs. In fact, some of the commands and buttons are identical to those that you probably already use in your
favorite word processing program. Other commands and buttons are common to Sony Creative Software products,
so you may already be familiar with some of them. Finally, some of the commands and buttons are specific to Vegas
Pro software, and therefore may not look familiar to you at all. The tasks in this lesson concentrate on the menu bar,
and the next lesson focuses on the toolbar.
Vegas Pro software features multiple ways to access most features including the familiar menu system. The following
list summarizes each menu and the general function of the most important commands found beneath it.
• File menu: Create new projects, open existing projects, close projects, and save projects. Import media into
your project and access project properties.
• Edit menu: Select basic editing functions such as cut, copy, and paste. Choose editing tools. Access event-
specific features.
• View menu: Show and hide various objects and windows.
• Insert menu: Insert objects and controls (such as new tracks, media, markers, busses, and more).
• Tools menu: Add video and audio effects, access preview aid tools, create DV and HDV™ tapes and
compact discs, access the application’s powerful scripting tools.
• Options menu: Customize certain behaviors of Vegas Pro software. Enable/disable snapping, define grid
spacing, ruler format, and more. Access project preferences.
• Help menu: Access resources for ideas, definitions, and assistance. Register and access the Sony Creative
Software Web site.

Private Tutor: Keyboard shortcuts and accelerators

pt Many of the commands in Vegas Pro software have keyboard equivalents,
or shortcuts. Keyboard shortcuts can increase your efficiency tremendously,
so learn the shortcuts for the operations you perform most often. For commands
that have an associated keyboard shortcut, the shortcut appears to the right of the
command in the menu. For example, arguably the most important shortcut to
learn is for the Save command under the File menu: Ctrl+S. We’ll mention many
useful shortcuts as we explain the various functions they perform.
Although we don’t mention them specifically, there are also keyboard accelerators
associated with many menu commands. Vegas Pro software underscores one
letter from each menu to indicate which letter acts as the accelerator (press the Alt
key to see the underscores). Type the underscored letter to open the associated
menu. With the menu open, type the underscored letter for the command you
want to choose from the list.

Task 1: Using Vegas Pro menus

This task shows you how to use the File menu to open and close an existing Vegas Pro project.
1. In Vegas Pro software, choose File | Open to display the Open dialog.
Alternatively, press Ctrl+O on your computer keyboard.
2. In the Look in drop-down list, navigate to the DVD-ROM that accompanies this
book. (We suggest you copy the contents of the companion disc to your local
machine for the best performance.)
3. Navigate to the LessonFiles\Module01 folder.
4. Select M01Task001.veg.
5. Click the Open button.
6. After the project opens, choose File | Close to close it.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 5

Lesson 2: Toolbar
The Vegas™ Pro toolbar, shown in Figure 1.1, provides alternative methods for completing many of the same tasks
found in the menus.
Figure 1.1
The Vegas Pro toolbar provides quick access to frequently used commands.

Open Automatic Crossfades

Save Cut Copy Paste Auto Ripple Interactive Tutorials

Many of the toolbar buttons should look quite familiar to you. For instance, most Windows programs use the same
icons for the Open, Save, Cut, Copy, and Paste buttons. Other buttons are specific to Vegas Pro software such as
the Automatic Crossfades and Auto Ripple buttons. To perform the action associated with a button, click the
button.

Private Tutor: Customizing the toolbar

pt You can customize the toolbar so that it contains the buttons you use most
often. To do so, choose Options | Customize Toolbar. In the Customize
Toolbar dialog, select the button in the left pane that you want to add to the
toolbar and click Add. To remove a button from the toolbar, select the button in
the right pane and click Remove. To change the order of the buttons in the
toolbar, select the button you want to move, then click Move Up to move the
button one position earlier in the bar or Move Down to move it one position
later. Click Reset to return the toolbar to its default state. After you finish with
your adjustments, click Close to dismiss the Customize Toolbar dialog.

Private Tutor: Button ToolTips

pt Every button has a ToolTip that tells you the name of the button as well as
the keyboard shortcut for that button (if one exists). If you don’t know
what a button does, point to the button until the ToolTip appears. This helps you
learn the keyboard shortcuts for the buttons that you use most often.

Private Tutor: Built-in interactive tutorials

pt Vegas Pro software features unique interactive tutorials that make getting
started even easier than ever. These tutorials walk your through techniques
as you work on your real-world project so that you get work done even as you’re
learning. To utilize the interactive tutorials, click the Interactive Tutorials
button, select a topic, and follow the instructions.

Task 2: Using Vegas Pro buttons

Now use the Vegas Pro buttons to open another project file.
1. Click the Open button in the Vegas Pro toolbar.
2. In the Open dialog, navigate to the LessonFiles\ Module01 folder, and open the
project M01Task002.veg.
3. Since there is no button available to close a project, choose File | Close.
 Module 1
6 The Vegas™ Pro Interface

Lesson 3: Track list area

Figure 1.2 shows the main workspace area. It contains two sections: the track list area (sometimes referred to as the
track header area) and the timeline (sometimes referred to as the track view area). In this lesson, you’ll learn about the
track list area.
Figure 1.2
The main Vegas Pro workspace contains the track list area and the timeline.

Track list area Timeline

If you have not added any tracks to your project, the track list (on the left side of the main workspace) remains blank.
When you add a track to your project, a track header appears in the track list. The track header, shown in Figure 1.3,
contains controls that enable you to adjust the behavior of the track. For instance, you can mute or solo the track,
change the track color, maximize or minimize the track, and perform various other tasks.
Figure 1.3
Track headers contain controls used to adjust track behavior.

Video track header

Audio track header

The typical Vegas Pro project contains two types of tracks—video and audio. While the track headers for both of
these track types share certain controls, each type has unique controls as well. You’ll use track headers to adjust many
of the parameters of individual tracks in your projects to achieve the audio and video effects you want to create.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 7

pt Private Tutor: Hiding the track list

To hide the track list temporarily and gain more workspace in the timeline,
press Shift+F11. Press Shift+F11 again to show the hidden track list.

Private Tutor: Locating missing media files

pt Vegas™ Pro software includes tools that help locate media that you’ve
moved to a different location than that to which the project references
point. If when you open a Vegas Pro project a dialog informs you that the
application can’t find the media it needs, select the Specify a new location or
replacement file radio button and click OK. Navigate to your files, select the
specified file, and click Open. To load the file you specify, click Yes. To load all
files that Vegas Pro finds in that location, click Yes to All. If you’ve copied the
content disc to your hard drive as we suggested, might encounter this situation.

Task 3: Selecting a track for editing

This task shows you how to use the track header to select a track that you want to edit.
1. Use either of the methods you learned in the previous two tasks to navigate to the
LessonFiles\Module01 folder, and open M01Task003.veg.
2. This project contains two tracks, one video track and one audio track.
3. Compare the buttons and controls on the two tracks. While the two types share
some common buttons and controls, differences also exist. You’ll quickly become
familiar with these differences, and soon be able to identify audio or video tracks
instantly by the controls present on the track header.
4. Notice that the shading for track 1 differs from the shading for track 2. The darker
shading identifies the selected track. A small white dot in the upper-left-hand corner
of the track icon also identifies the selected track.
5. Click the track icon for track 2. Now the track shading and the white dot indicate
that you have selected track 2.

Private Tutor: Scrolling through track headers

pt Once you click a track icon to select the track, use your Up and Down
Arrow keys to scroll through the track headers in your project. Press the
Up Arrow key to select the track directly above the currently selected track and
the Down Arrow to select the track directly below the currently selected track.

Private Tutor: Application focus

pt You might have noticed that when you first opened the project, the cursor
in the timeline flashed and the white dot in the track header for the selected
track did not. As soon as you click a different track header to select that track, the
white dot begins flashing and the timeline cursor stops flashing. This flashing
identifies the section of your Vegas Pro project window that currently has focus.
We’ll talk more about these concepts as we progress through the book but it’s
important to realize which section has focus. As you’ll see later, focus impacts the
function of the Vegas Pro keyboard shortcuts. It’s possible that the same
keyboard shortcut may result in different actions depending upon which section
of the project window has focus when you press the shortcut keys.
 Module 1
8 The Vegas™ Pro Interface

Lesson 4: Timeline
The timeline (sometimes called the track view), shown in Figure 1.4, holds all of the information regarding what
video and audio files should play during a specific point in the project. You’ll learn about the powerful editing that
you can perform in the timeline in later lessons.
Figure 1.4
When you’re building your projects, most of the action takes place in the timeline.

Play Stop Timeline

Task 4: Starting and stopping project playback

This task shows you how to use the buttons at the bottom of the timeline to control the playback of your
project. Figure 1.4 shows the Play and Stop buttons in the Transport toolbar.
1. Use one of the methods you learned earlier to navigate to the LessonFiles\Module01
folder on the companion disc and open M01Task004.veg
2. Hover over the Play button until its ToolTip appears. From the ToolTip, make
note of the keyboard equivalent equivalents (there are three—you’ll use the
Spacebar most often when the timeline has focus).
3. Click the Play button to begin project playback.
4. The video track shows thumbnails of the video that appears in the Video Preview
window, and the audio track contains the waveform for the audio that you hear. As
the project plays, the cursor moves along to indicate the exact spot currently playing.
5. Click the Stop button to stop project playback. Notice that when you click the Stop
button, not only does the project stop playing, but also the cursor returns to its
starting location.

Private Tutor: Maximizing the timeline

pt To create more space for the timeline on screen, press Ctrl+F11. This hides
the track list and the window docking area (discussed in the following
lesson). Press Ctrl+F11 again to show the hidden areas.

Private Tutor: Resizing the track list and timeline

pt Point to the bar that separates the track list from the timeline. The pointer
changes to the Resize Window icon: . Drag the bar to a new position to
change the width of both areas. Drag the bar that separates the top of the window
docking area from the track list/timeline to change the height of these areas.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 9

Lesson 5: Window docking area

The window docking area of the Vegas™ Pro window provides a place to store many of the windows that you will
use while working on your Vegas Pro projects. By default, four windows appear in separate sections of the window
docking area. Moving let to right, the windows shown by default are the Project Media window, the Trimmer window,
The Video Preview window, and the Mixer. We’ll talk in more detail about these in later lessons.
Many windows can be docked in the window docking area. The third section of the View menu lists most of these
windows. Choose a window name from the list to close an open window (an open window has a check mark before
its name), or open a closed window.

Task 5: Opening and closing Vegas™ Pro windows

This task shows you how to use the View menu to open a closed window and two methods you can use to
close an open window.
1. In any Vegas Pro project (even a new, blank project), choose View | Video
Preview to close the Video Preview window.
2. Choose View | Video Preview again to reopen the Video Preview window.
3. A Close button appears in the upper left-hand corner of each of the windows in the
window docking area. Click the Close button for the Video Preview window to
close it.
4. Press Alt+4 to reopen the Video Preview window. Note that Alt+4 also gives focus
to the Video Preview window if it does not currently have focus. The keyboard
shortcuts for all of the other windows work the same way.

In addition to the four windows mentioned previously, many other windows are open by default as indicated by the
check marks next to the window names in the View menu. However, the Project Overview window obscures these
additional windows. Tabs for each window appear at the bottom of the window docking area as shown in Figure 1.5.
Click a tab to see its associated window.
Figure 1.5
Click the tab at the bottom of the window docking area to access the associated window. Keep in mind that your system’s icons
may appear differently than what is shown on our screen shots.

Tabs
 Module 1
10 The Vegas™ Pro Interface

Task 6: Viewing obscured windows

This task shows you how to view a window when another window obscures it in the window docking area.
1. In any Vegas™ Pro project (even a new, blank project), the tabs below the Explorer
window indicate that the Explorer window hides several other windows.
2. Click the Transitions tab to bring the Transitions window forward. The Transitions
window now hides the Explorer (and other) windows.
3. Click the Explorer tab to bring the Explorer window to the front again.

The window docking area can contain as many sections as you want. Windows can also be “torn” out of the window
docking area to float freely anywhere on your screen (or another screen in a multiple-monitor setup). To move a
window, drag the six vertical dots at the left edge of the window. To create a new section in the window docking area,
drag the window to a spot between two existing sections. To set the window to float freely, drag it away from the
window docking area, as shown in Figure 1.6.
Figure 1.6
Drag a window away from the window docking area to allow it to float over any other area of the screen.

Floating Transitions
Window

Private Tutor: Creating a floating window over the window docking area
pt As soon as you drag a window over the window docking area, Vegas Pro
software prepares to dock the window. However, sometimes you don’t
want the window to dock. To prevent a window from docking in the window
docking area, hold the Ctrl key while you move the window.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 11

Task 7: Repositioning dockable windows

This task shows you how to create a new section in the window docking area, how to create a floating
window, and how to return a window to the window docking area.
1. In any Vegas™ Pro project (even a new, blank project), drag the six vertical dots at
the left edge of the Explorer window to the right about halfway between its original
position and the Mixer window.
2. Release the mouse button.
3. A new section of the window docking area now holds the Explorer Window.
4. Drag the vertical dots for the Explorer window to the project timeline.
5. Release the mouse button and the Explorer window now floats freely above the
Vegas Pro workspace.
6. Drag the Explorer window’s title bar to reposition the window, and drop the
Explorer window back to its original position in the window docking area.

From time to time, you may want a docked window to be larger so that you can see more of the information it holds.
You can adjust the width and height of the window docking area and each section within the area, or you can
maximize any window so that it fills the entire window docking area.

Task 8: Resizing dockable windows

This task shows how to resize a window in the window docking area.
1. In the Explorer window of any Vegas Pro project (even a new, blank project), click
the Maximize button just below the Close button. This maximizes the Explorer
window. Every window in the window docking area has a Maximize button.
2. Click the button again to restore the Explorer window to its previous size.
3. Hover your mouse over the bar that separates the Explorer window from the Mixer
window. The pointer changes to the resize icon.
4. Drag the bar to a new position.
5. Drag the bar that separates the top of the Explorer window and the track
list/timeline.

pt Private Tutor: Hiding the window docking area

To hide the window docking area, press F11. Press F11 again to show the
hidden window docking area.

pt Private Tutor: Saving and retrieving window layouts

With all of this flexibility for changing the configuration of your Vegas Pro
screen, you might soon find that you have more than one favorite
configuration depending upon your current project. For instance, an audio-only
project doesn’t require the Video Preview window, so you might choose to close
it. If you work on color correction projects, you’ll want the Video Scopes window
open, and so on. A window layout defines the sizes and positions of all windows
and floating window docks in the Vegas Pro workspace. You can save up to 10 of
your favorite window layouts and call them up any time you need them. To save
the current layout, Choose View | Window Layouts | Save Layout As. Enter a
name for the layout and assign it to an empty shortcut . When you want to
retrieve one of your saved layouts, Choose View | Window Layouts and select
the desired layout from the list.
 Module 1
12 The Vegas™ Pro Interface

Conclusion
The lessons in this first module have focused on familiarizing you with the Vegas™ Pro interface. You now know
how to use menus and buttons, have a basic understanding of the track list and timeline, and have become familiar
with the window docking area. You also learned how to resize areas, hide and show areas, and show, hide, dock, and
undock windows to customize your workspace. In the next module, you’ll add media files to your project.
Exercises
1. True or false: The Vegas Pro interface follows many of the standards established by the Windows® operating
system so that many parts of it have a familiar look.
2. Which two of the following techniques can be used to open an existing project in Vegas Pro software.
a. Choose File | Open.
b. Double-click a blank area of the track list.
c. Click the Open button.
d. Choose Help | Find and Open File.
3. True or false: A track header’s sole purpose is to identify a track as a video or audio track.
4. Which two of the methods below allow you to select a track?
a. Drag a marquee around the entire track.
b. Choose Select | Track.
c. Click the track icon.
d. Click a track icon, and then press the Up or Down Arrow key.
5. True or false: The Spacebar starts project playback when the timeline has focus.
6. True or false: The Spacebar stops project playback when the timeline has focus.
7. Which of the methods below can be used to close the docked Explorer window?
a. Choose File | Close.
b. Click the Close button at the top-left corner of the window.
c. Choose Window | Close | Explorer.
d. Choose View | Explorer.
8. True or false: Each section of the window docking area can hold exactly one window.
9. True or false: Once a window is docked, it must remain docked until you are done with your Vegas Pro
project.
10. Draw a line connecting the keyboard shortcut to the action it performs:
a. F11 Maximize the timeline.
b. Ctrl+F11 Save the project.
c. Ctrl+S Show the Video Preview window.
d. Ctrl+O Hide/Show the window docking area.
e. Alt+4 Open a project.
Essays
1. Briefly explain the concept of keyboard shortcuts. Describe not only why you would want to learn them, but
also one way to use the Vegas Pro interface as a tool for discovering new keyboard shortcuts.
Module 2: Adding media to your
project—basic methods
In this module, you’ll learn techniques for adding media to
your project. The term media refers to the pieces and parts you
use to construct your project. Media comes in two general
forms: audio and video. You’ll learn in this module that you
use the same techniques to add media of either type when that
media already exists on your computer drives, and you will just
as easily add a movie clip to your project as a musical
soundtrack.
Before you add media to your project, you need to understand
more about the Explorer window, so this module starts at that
point. From there, you’ll explore supported media file types,
learn how to preview media before you add it to your project,
and how to add the media to your timeline.
In this module you’ll do the following:
• Learn in detail how to use the Explorer window.
• Discover which file formats you can use in your project.
• Preview your media before adding it to your project.
• Manipulate the project cursor in order to set the insertion
point for adding your media.
• Add audio and video media to your project.
• Create new tracks in your project.
 Module 2
14 Adding media to your project—basic methods

Lesson 1: The Explorer window

The Explorer window is obscured by the Project Media window in the default layout. Click its tab to bring it to the
front. You can use the Explorer window to search for, navigate to, preview, and add media files to your project, all
without ever leaving Vegas Pro software. You can also create folders and a favorites list, rename, delete, and organize
files, and perform other file-management functions through the Explorer window. If you already know how to find
files on your computer using the Windows Explorer, then you already know much of what you need to know about
the Explorer window in Vegas Pro software because the two function almost identically.
By default, the Vegas Pro Explorer window, shown in Figure 2.1, displays three sections. The top section contains
navigational tools and buttons. Under these tools, a panel on the left shows a tree view of your computer’s folder
structure, and a panel on the right shows the contents (list view) of the folder selected in the tree view.
Figure 2.1
Use the Explorer window to add media to your project.

Tree view
List View

Task 1: Navigating to your media

This task shows you how to navigate to a folder that contains media to use in your Vegas Pro projects. You’ll
notice many similarities in this process to navigating to files with Windows® Explorer.
1. Click the Explorer tab to bring the Explorer window forward.
2. In the tree view section, click the Desktop icon. In the list view section on the right,
you see the details of your Windows desktop, including any shortcuts.
3. If necessary, click the Expand button (+) for the My Computer icon to expand it.
4. Click the Expand button for the D: drive (or the drive that holds the companion
disc that accompanies this book) to expand it.
5. Click the Expand button for the Sample Media folder in the tree view.
6. Click the Video folder. The contents of the Video folder now appear in the list view
section of the Explorer window, so you can see all of the sample video files on the
companion disc.
7. Click the file BlackHorse.avi to select it.

Figure 2.2 shows the Explorer window toolbar. The Address Bar, gives you a way to find your current location in
your computer’s file structure. Next, the Up One Level button moves up one level in your file hierarchy—in other
words, up one level in the path listed in the Address Bar.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 15

Start
Figure 2.2 Refresh Delete Preview Auto Preview Views

The Explorer window toolbar.

Address bar Up One Level New Folder Add to My Stop Preview Get Media
Favorites From the Web

We’ll skip the Refresh button for now and return to it in a few moments. The New Folder button creates a new
folder in your file structure and the Delete button deletes the selected file or folder.
The Add to My Favorites button enables you to create a list of shortcuts to folders you use often during the course
of your projects. Once you’ve added a folder to your favorites list, expand the Desktop icon in the tree view, and then
click the My Favorites icon to access the folder you added.

Private Tutor: File management in the Explorer window

pt Since the Explorer window works so much like Windows® Explorer, many
of the same options are available in both. For instance, right-click a file in
the list view of the Explorer window to view a number of options related to file
management. You can rename files, check file properties, delete files, and more—
just as you can within Windows Explorer. Right-click a blank area of the list view
to access shortcuts to many of the buttons available at the top of the window.

Private Tutor: Changing your file structure

pt When you make a change to your computer’s file structure from the Vegas
Pro Explorer window, you make that change to your computer hard drive
or network folder. In other words, a change (such as adding or deleting a folder)
in the Explorer window has exactly the same effect as a change made in Windows
Explorer. Of course, an exception always exists! The Add to My Favorites
button creates a list of shortcuts that resides only within Vegas Pro software and
has no effect on your computer’s file structure.

You’ll explore the next three buttons during Lesson 2 of this module, Previewing Media. For now, let’s move to the last
two buttons available in the Explorer window. The Get Media from the Web button allows you to start your
browser and surf the Internet for resources you can use in your movies. Of course, you must have a connection to the
Internet to use these three features.
The Views button adjusts the layout of the Explorer window. Click the arrow at the right edge of the button to
display the Views drop-down list which contains the following options:
• Tree View: Toggles the tree view section of the Explorer window on and off.
• Region View: Toggles the region view on and off. We’ll talk about regions in detail later. For now, it is
enough to know that some media files contain specified areas (called regions) that can help organize your
work. If the selected file contains regions, the regions appear in the region view section when you choose the
file in the Explorer window.
• Summary View: Toggles the summary view on and off. With the summary view on, details about a media
file appear at the bottom of the Explorer window when you choose the file.
• Details: Toggles the details view on and off. The details view gives you extended information about the
selected file such as size, type, and so on.
 Module 2
16 Adding media to your project—basic methods

• All Files: Toggles between showing only the files Vegas™ Pro can read (in the off state), and all files in a
given folder regardless of whether Vegas Pro software can read them or not (in the on state).
Click the main portion of the View button to toggle through the four combinations of the first two options in the
drop-down list.
Now let’s return to the Refresh button. The Refresh button ensures that the Explorer window always shows the
current contents of a folder. For instance, if you have a folder open in the Explorer window and add or delete
something from that folder in Windows Explorer, the change is not automatically updated in Vegas Pro software
because Windows® Explorer cannot inform Vegas Pro software of the change. In cases like this, click the Refresh
button to instruct Vegas Pro software to check the file structure and reflect the appropriate changes.

Task 2: File management with the Explorer window

This task familiarizes you with the Explorer window. In it, you will perform a bit of file management.
1. In the Vegas Pro Explorer window, use the Address Bar drop-down to navigate to
your computer desktop.
2. Click the icon for the My Documents folder in the tree view. The list view now shows
the files and folders that exist within your My Documents folder.
3. Switch to Windows Explorer and create a new folder within My Documents called
Vegas ProTestFolder.
4. Switch back to Vegas Pro software. Notice that the Vegas Pro Explorer window
does not display the new folder.
5. Click the Refresh button. Now the Vegas ProTestFolder appears in the list view of the
Explorer window.
6. Right-click the Vegas ProTestFolder in the Vegas Pro Explorer window, and then
choose Rename from the shortcut menu. Name the folder DeleteFromVegas Pro.
Switch back to Windows Explorer and notice that the Windows Explorer reflects
the change.
7. Switch back to Vegas Pro software and click the DeleteFromVegas Pro folder in the
list view.
8. Click the Delete button. In the dialog that appears, click Yes to confirm that you
want to delete the folder.
9. Switch back to Windows Explorer, and notice that the folder has been deleted.
10. The Windows Recycle Bin now contains the folder just as if you deleted the folder
using Windows Explorer.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 17

Lesson 2: Previewing media

In this lesson, you’ll preview files to consider whether or not to add them to your project. In the process, you’ll learn
about many of the file formats supported by Vegas™ Pro.
In most cases, you’ll use the Vegas Pro Explorer window to add files to your project. The Explorer window provides
an easy way to preview your files before you add them to your project.
Let’s start with video files. Navigate to the SampleMedia\Video folder on the companion disc. The list view of the
Explorer window shows that the Video folder holds several video files.
Vegas Pro software can import the following video file formats:
• Apple QuickTime movie (.mov, .qt, .dv, .mp4)
• Microsoft Video for Windows (.avi)
• Motion Pictures Expert Group. Both MPEG-1 and MPEG-2. You must register your software to gain this
functionality (.mpg, .mpeg, .mmv, .m1p, .m1a, .mp1, .mp2, .mpa, .m2t, .m2p, .m2a)
• Shockwave Flash (.swf)
• Sony® DSR-DU1 (.dlx)
• Sony MXF (.mxf)
• Windows Media® Video (.wmv, .asf)
• H.264 AVC (.mp4)
• Sony AVCHD™ format (.mts)
• Sony XDCAM® EX format (.mp4)
• RED ONE® and RED EPIC® video (.r3d)

All file types from this impressive list can be added painlessly to the same project—in fact, even to the same video
track if you want—without any extra work to first transform them into a common format.
In the previous lesson we skipped three of the buttons in the Explorer window. You use these buttons to preview
your files. With a video file selected (and assuming you have not added any media to your project), the Trimmer
window remains blank. Click the Start Preview button to preview the selected file. The file begins to play in the
Trimmer window. Click the Stop Preview button to stop the preview. Click the Auto Preview button and select
another video file—the file previews automatically.

Task 3: Previewing video files

This task shows you how to use the three preview-related buttons in the Explorer window to preview video
files in the Video Preview window before you add them to your project.
1. Use the techniques you learned in Lesson 1, The Explorer window to navigate to the
SampleMedia\Video folder
2. Select Mr&MrsDuck.avi.
3. Click the Start Preview button, and watch the file in the Video Preview window.
4. If Mr&MrsDuck.avi has already finished playing, click the Start Preview button
again, and before the video ends, click the Stop Preview button.
5. Select Lake.avi and click the Auto Preview button to turn on the automatic preview
function. The file begins to preview.
6. Click other files and they previews automatically too.
7. Click the Auto Preview button again to turn off automatic preview mode.

In addition to video files, Vegas Pro software supports several still image file formats so you can easily add still images
to your project. Vegas Pro software can import the following still file formats:
• Photoshop (.psd)
• Graphics Interchange Format (.gif).
• Joint Picture Experts Group (.jpg, .jpe, .jpeg)
 Module 2
18 Adding media to your project—basic methods

• Portable Network Graphics (.png)

• Tagged Image File Format (.tif)
• Targa (.tga)
• Windows Bitmap (.bmp, .dib)
• Digital Picture Exchange (.dpx)
• Image format (.exr)

Again, this list includes most commonly used file formats; including both of the popular file formats for the World
Wide Web (.gif and .jpg). This allows you to download images from the Web (assuming you have permission from the
copyright holder) for use in your projects. Vegas™ Pro software also supports the transparency settings of file
formats that provide transparency (such as .gif and .png).
To preview a still image file, follow the same procedure as outlined in Task 3.

Private Tutor: Combining video files with still images

pt You don’t need to do anything special to use your still images in the same
project as your video files. In fact, you can mix and match any combination
of videos and still images in one project, even on the same track. In Vegas Pro
software, you spend less time worrying about file formats so that you can get on
with the job of editing your project. This helps tremendously when you work with
media that comes from a wide variety of sources and in a wide variety of formats.
By now you’ve probably already guessed that Vegas Pro software supports numerous audio file formats too. Vegas
Pro software can import the following audio file formats:
• CD Audio (.cda)
• Audio Interchange File Format (.aif, .aiff, .snd)
• Dialogic VOX ADPCM (.vox)
• Intervoice (.ivc)
• MP3 Audio (.mp3)
• NeXT/Sun (Java) (.au, .snd)
• OggVorbis (.ogg)
• Scott Studios Wave (.wav)
• Sonic Foundry Audio (.sfa)
• Sony® Perfect Clarity Audio (.pca)
• Sony Wave64 (.w64)
• Sound Designer 1 (.dig, .sd)
• Wave (Microsoft) (.wav
• Windows Media® Audio (.wma)
• AAC (.aac)
• Free Lossless Audio Codec (.flac)

Now you’re getting the hang of previewing files in Vegas Pro software. Follow the same procedure to preview your
audio files. Obviously, with audio files you hear the preview as opposed to seeing it. You control the preview volume
with the Preview fader. To see the Preview fader, choose View | Mixer Preview Fader.

Task 4: Previewing audio files

This task shows you how to preview audio files and how to adjust the volume of the preview.
1. Use the techniques you learned in Lesson 1, The Explorer window to navigate to the
SampleMedia\Audio folder.
2. In the list view of the Explorer window, select DarkContinent.wav.
3. Use the three preview buttons to control the preview playback of the file.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 19

4. Choose View | Mixer Preview Fader to show the Preview bus in the Mixer
Window as in Figure 2.3.
5. While the file plays, drag the Preview volume fader up to increase the preview
volume or down to decrease the volume. Notice that the volume meters give you a
visual representation of the volume of the file.

Figure 2.3
The Preview fader allows you to monitor and adjust the volume of the audio as you preview it.

Fader
 Module 2
20 Adding media to your project—basic methods

Lesson 3: Repositioning the project cursor

Soon we’ll talk about the many ways you can add files to your project. Some of these methods use the position of the
cursor to define where the new media file will be added. Therefore, in this lesson you’ll learn how to reposition the
cursor to establish the insertion point for adding new media.

Private Tutor: Other reasons to reposition the cursor

pt During your editing work, you’ll constantly reposition the cursor to play
back different portions of the project, perform edits, align various elements
of the project, and more. The techniques you learn here will come in handy time
after time as you assemble your Vegas™ Pro projects.
To use the most common method of repositioning the cursor, click the timeline at the location to which you want to
move the cursor. To move the cursor to the beginning or end of the project, click the Go To Start or Go To End
buttons on the transport controls shown in Figure 2.4.
Figure 2.4
You can quickly navigate to the beginning or end of your project.

Go to Start Go to End Cursor Position

Once you’ve clicked within the timeline, you can move the cursor with your keyboard. The Right Arrow and Left
Arrow keys move the cursor to the right and left. By default, the cursor moves one screen pixel for each press of an
arrow key. To move in larger intervals, Vegas Pro software uses the gray grid lines that run vertically through the
timeline. Press Page Up to move to the previous grid line, or press Page Down to move to the next grid line.
You can also specify an exact time to which to move the cursor. Notice the three text boxes to the right of the
navigation buttons shown in Figure 2.4. The Cursor Position box (on the left) updates whenever the cursor moves.
You can also type a value into the Cursor Position box to move to that position. To enter a new value in the box,
double-click the current value or press Ctrl + G on your keyboard. This highlights the current value of the box. Type
a new value and press Enter. In the timeline, the cursor jumps to the point you specified.
Finally, click the Play button to play the project. When you get to the point in your project that you want to place the
insertion point, click the Pause button. Vegas Pro software stops playback, and unlike when you click the Stop
button, the cursor remains at that location.

Private tutor: Opening project files from the Explorer window

pt In the following task, you’ll open a Vegas Pro project file from the Explorer
window. To do so, you can either double-click the file or right-click the file
and choose Open Project from the shortcut menu. Do not drag the project file
into your timeline as you would a media file. If you do so, you don’t actually open
the project file, rather you add—or nest—the project file into the currently open
project as media. The ability to nest one project within another is a powerful
feature, and you’ll find many reasons to use the technique. For instance, if you
have more than one editor working on separate sections of a project, you can nest
all of their separate Vegas Pro projects into a master Vegas Pro project and tie
them all together in a neat package. However, it’s not what you want to do when
working through this book unless we specifically instruct you to do so.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 21

Task 5: Repositioning the project cursor

In this task, you’ll reposition the cursor to define the insertion point for adding media to your project.
1. Navigate to the LessonFiles\Module2 folder, and double-click the MO2Task005.veg
project to open it.
2. Click the Play button.
3. After a few seconds, click the Pause button. Notice that the cursor stops and
remains where it was when you clicked Pause.
4. Click the Go To End button to move the project cursor to the end of the project.
5. Press the Page Up key to jump the cursor to the previous grid mark.
6. Click in the timeline between the beginning of the project and the first grid mark.
7. Press Ctrl+G to select the value in the Cursor Position box. Type 0.12.6 (that’s
zero minutes, 12 seconds, and six frames) and press Enter.

Private tutor: Time Format

pt If you’ve changed the time format from the Vegas™ Pro default, step seven
in the previous task may not have worked for you. In that case, choose
Options | Ruler Format | SMPTE Non-Drop (29.97 fps, Video) and try the
task again.
 Module 2
22 Adding media to your project—basic methods

Lesson 4: Adding media to your project

You’ve used the Explorer window to navigate to your media, previewed it to make sure it’s what you want to use, and
decided where in the timeline you want it to appear. Now you’re ready to add the media to your project. This lesson
presents several methods you can use to do so. Unless specifically specified, all of the techniques discussed here apply
equally to adding media to either audio or video tracks.
To use the easiest method to add a file to your project, double-click the file in the Explorer window. Or, select the file
you want to add and press Enter. Both of these methods add an event at the current cursor position in the selected
track (if the track type matches the media type) or a new track (if no track of the proper type exists). Think of an
event as a container that holds a media file in your project: a video event displays thumbnail images of the video
frames while an audio event displays the audio waveform.

Private Tutor: Determining the target track

pt You already learned that you can click a track icon to select that track. You
can also click in the timeline to select a track. For instance, click track 2 in
the timeline of any project and observe that not only does this reposition your
project cursor, but it also selects track 2 as indicated by the highlighted track
header. When you use either of the methods for adding a media file discussed
above, the current cursor position and the currently selected track determine the
destination of the file, so make sure you aim for the desired track when you click
in the timeline to establish your insertion point.

Private Tutor: Understanding events

pt Think events of as containers that hold media files. You can also think of an
event as a window through which Vegas™ Pro software sees a media file. A
single track can contain an unlimited number of events. The arrangement of
events in the timeline determines the sequence of media files in your project.
You’ll learn all about working with events throughout the remainder of this book.

Task 6: Adding your first media files

In this task, you’ll use the two basic techniques discussed above to add media files to a project.
1. Open MO2Task006.veg in the \LessonFiles\Module02 folder on the companion disc.
This project contains two empty video tracks and two empty audio tracks.
2. On track 1 (a video track), click the first grid marker in the timeline to select track 1
and place the cursor.
3. Navigate to the \SampleMedia\Video folder and double-click RidersGathering.avi to
add it to the selected track at the cursor position. Vegas Pro software adds an event
containing the video portion to the selected track and another event containing the
audio portion of the file to the audio track directly below the target video track. (If
there was not an audio track directly below the target video track, Vegas Pro
software would create an audio track to hold the audio event.)
4. Click anywhere in track 3 to select track 3 and establish a new insertion point.
5. Navigate to the \SampleMedia\Audio folder and select Dark Continent.wav in the
Explorer window.
6. Press Enter to add the selected file. Notice what happened. In Step 4, you selected a
video track, and in Step 5 you added an audio file to your project. Since an audio
event cannot reside on a video track, Vegas Pro software automatically added the
file to a new event on the audio track directly below the selected track. (If there was
not an audio track below the selected video track, the software would create one.)
7. Close the project without saving.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 23

You can also use the simple drag-and-drop technique to add media to your project. To do this, drag the media file
from the Explorer window to the timeline. When you drag the file over the correct track type (for instance, drag a
video file over a video track), an outline of an event appears and guides you in the placement of the event. You can
position the event anywhere on the timeline (in the appropriate track type) regardless of whether or not the track to
which you drag the file is the currently selected track. When you’ve decided where you want the file to appear,
position the event outline at that location, and release the mouse button. The event then appears on the target track.

Task 7: Adding files with the drag-and-drop method

In this task, you’ll use the drag-and-drop technique to add media to your project.
1. Open MO2Task007.veg in the \LessonFiles\Module02 folder on the companion disc.
This project contains two empty tracks: one video and one audio.
2. Navigate to FixingDerailuer.avi in the \SampleMedia\Video folder.
3. Click FixingDerailuer.avi, and hold the mouse button down.
4. While still holding the mouse button, move the pointer to one of the empty tracks
on the timeline. Two event outlines appear, one over the video track, and one over
the audio track.
5. Move the mouse back and forth to reposition the outlines on their respective tracks.
6. When you decide on a location for the event (anywhere toward the beginning of the
timeline on the existing tracks will do just fine for this task), release the mouse
button. The events now appear in the timeline.
7. Add RemovingWheel.avi to the timeline directly after the event you added in the
previous steps.
8. Drag FixingDerailuer.avi to the project directly after the event that holds
RemovingWheel.avi. Notice how quickly you can create a sequence of events with the
drag-and-drop method. Notice also that the two tracks each contain three separate
events, for a total of six events in your project. On each track, the first and third
events hold exactly the same piece of media.
9. Close the project without saving.

Vegas™ Pro software makes it easy to add multiple files to your project in one operation. You can use standard
Windows® techniques to select multiple files and follow the same procedures we’ve already discussed for adding
them to your project (the double-click method discussed earlier does not work for multiple files).

pt Private Tutor: Standard Windows selection techniques

You can use the Ctrl or the Shift keys to select multiple items. For instance,
in the Explorer window, select a media file. Hold the Ctrl key and click
another file. This adds the second file to the selection. In this way, you can add as
many files as you want to the selection. Hold the Ctrl key and click a previously
selected file to remove the file from the selection. Next, release the Ctrl key, and
click the first file in the list. This selects the first file while deselecting any others.
Now, hold the Shift key, and click the last file in the list. This adds the last file,
and every other file between the first and the last, to the selection.

Private Tutor: Working with a source window

pt Here we talk about adding a file to your project directly from the Explorer
window. Later you’ll learn how to trim the file to your desired in and out
points. Vegas Pro software offers a more traditional “source window” approach
to editing too. In this style of editing, you can load your media into the Trimmer
window, mark your in and out points, and then add the media—already trimmed
to the portion you want—to the timeline.
 Module 2
24 Adding media to your project—basic methods

Task 8: Adding multiple files simultaneously

In this task, you’ll employ two of the methods you already know for adding files to your project to add
multiple files at the same time.
1. Open the Vegas™ Pro project MO2Task008.veg in the LessonFiles\Module02 folder
on the companion disc. This project contains two empty tracks, one video and one
audio.
2. Click in the timeline to place the cursor.
3. Select 01FiveRidersRoundcorner.avi in the SampleMedia\Video folder.
4. Hold the Shift key on your keyboard and click 04GroupPassesPond.avi. This adds
02RidersGoingAway.avi, 03RidersThroughWeeds.avi, and 04GroupPassesPond.avi to the
selection. You now have all four of these files selected simultaneously in the
Explorer window.
5. Press the Enter key. Vegas Pro software adds the four files to the timeline, one after
the other, in the order in which they appear in the Explorer window list.
6. With all four files still selected in the Explorer window, drag 04GroupPassesPond.avi
to the existing tracks on the timeline. Again, this adds all four files to the tracks, but
notice the order. The 04GroupPassesPond.avi event appears before the other three in
the timeline, even though it appears after them in the Explorer window list. This
illustrates that when you use the drag-and-drop method to add multiple files, the file
you drag appears first in the timeline. Remaining files appear according to their
order in the Explorer window.
7. Close this project without saving your changes.

Normally, when you add multiple files simultaneously, Vegas Pro software automatically positions the events so that
they appear end to end on the same track. However, you can also add multiple files so that the edges overlap and
create automatic crossfades. Choose Options | Preferences to open the Preferences dialog, and click the Editing
tab. Use the Automatically overlap multiple selected media when added check box in conjunction with the
Amount (seconds) settings in the Cut-to-overlap conversion section to modify the default behavior so the files overlap
one another. With Vegas Pro software in Automatic Crossfades mode (the default state), overlapping events creates a
crossfade from the first event to next.

Private Tutor: Crossfades

pt We’ll talk more about crossfades later, but here’s a simple definition: a
crossfade occurs when two events overlap, and the first event fades out
(disappears gradually over a given period of time) while the second event
simultaneously fades in (appears gradually over the same period of time).

Task 9: Automatically overlapping multiple events

In this task, you’ll change the Vegas Pro default settings in order to create automatic crossfades when you add
multiple events to your project.
1. Choose Options | Preferences to open the Preferences dialog, and click the
Editing tab.
2. Select the Automatically overlap multiple selected media when added check
box.
3. Double-click the Amount (seconds) box to select the current value.
4. Type “3.0” in the box and click the OK button.
5. Select 02RidersGoingAway.avi, 03RidersThroughWeeds.avi, and 04GroupPassesPond.avi in
the Explorer window.
6. Drag 02RidersGoingAway.avi into the existing tracks of the timeline. The events now
overlap by three seconds as indicated by the “X” in the overlap area of the events.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 25

7. Click the Play button and notice that when the cursor reaches the crossfaded area
between two events, the first event fades out while the second fades in.
8. You can also access the Preferences dialog directly from the track list or the
timeline. Right-click a blank spot in either area (do not click within an existing track
or track header), and choose Preferences from the shortcut menu. Click the
Editing tab.
9. Click the Default All button to restore the Vegas™ Pro Editing preferences to their
default settings.
10. Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.
11. Close the project without saving your changes.

Think of the next method for adding media to your project as a set of extensions to the drag-and-drop method we
discussed earlier. These extensions offer several useful commands for exactly how you want to add your files. To
access these commands, use the right mouse button to drag a file (or files) to the timeline. When you release the
button, a shortcut menu displays several commands.
For now, note the three commands at the top of the shortcut menu:
• Add Across Time
• Add Across Tracks
• Add As Takes
Before we discuss each of these in detail, notice that the second section of the shortcut menu contains two
commands: Video Only and Audio Only. You saw earlier that when you added a video file to your project, the video
was added to a video track, and the audio was added to an audio track. The Video Only and Audio Only commands
enable you to use only the portion of the file you need.
For instance, perhaps you have a video file with usable video but unusable audio. In such a case, choose one of the
Video Only options, and Vegas Pro software adds just the video portion to your project. Thus, you can skip the step
of deleting the audio after you add the file. You can then proceed to add more appropriate audio.
Hover your mouse over the Video Only and Audio Only commands, and notice that a submenu appears. The
submenu contains the same three commands mentioned above. Let’s talk about those commands now.
The first two commands only have an effect when you add multiple files. The Add Across Time command behaves
much the same as the procedures we discussed earlier for adding multiple files. All of the selected files are added to
the target track one after the other. The Add Across Tracks command adds each file to a separate track. If your
project does not contain enough tracks to hold all of the files, Vegas Pro software adds new tracks.

Task 10: Adding media files across time

In this task, you’ll add the video portions of three media files across time on the same track.
1. Follow Steps 1 through 4 in Task 8 to select four video files
(01FiveRidersRoundCorner.avi, 02RidersGoingAway.avi, 03RidersThroughWeeds.avi, and
04GroupPassesPond.avi).
2. Right-click and drag the files to the video track in the timeline. Remember that the
file you drag appears as the first file in the sequence.
3. Release the mouse button, and choose Video Only | Add Video Across Time
from the shortcut menu. Four events appear one after the other in the video track
containing the video portions of each file. The audio track remains empty since you
did not add the audio.
 Module 2
26 Adding media to your project—basic methods

Task 11: Adding media files across tracks

In this task, you’ll add just the video portions of three media files across tracks.
1. Follow Steps 1 through 3 in Task 8 to select four video files.
2. Right-click and drag the files to the video track in the timeline. Remember that the
file you drag appears as the first file in the sequence.
3. Release the mouse button, and choose Video Only | Add Video Across Tracks
from the shortcut menu. Notice that the first clip appears on track 1. Track 2 (the
audio track) is empty since you added video only. Three new tracks (tracks 3, 4, and
5) have been added to your project to hold the remaining video files. Notice that all
of the events start at the same point in the timeline.

The Add As Takes option allows you to add more than one media file to a single event. This is very useful for
making multiple versions of the same video. For instance, perhaps you need to deliver a 30-second commercial that
tells your customers where they can buy a product. You need one version for “The Art Shop” in Chicago and another
for “Art’s Arts Cart” in Los Angeles. In this case, add both versions to the same event as separate takes. Takes allow
you to quickly switch between different versions of the video or audio recording.
On an event that holds more than one take, right-click the event and choose Take from the shortcut menu. A
submenu appears with a number of commands. The bottom section of the submenu lists all of the takes available for
the event. Select a name from the list to make that clip the active take. The thumbnail in the event reflects the active
take. In an audio event, the waveform for the active take appears in the event.
To scroll through the takes in an event, choose Next Take or Previous Take from the submenu. Alternately, click
the event, and press T for the next take or Shift+T for the previous take.
To remove the active take from an event, choose Delete Active from the submenu. To delete a take other than the
active take, choose Delete from the submenu to open the Delete Takes dialog. Click the name of the take you want
to remove. Click the Play button (in the Delete Takes dialog) to preview the take and confirm that you have selected
the correct take. Click OK to delete the selected take. Deleting a take does not delete the file from your hard drive. It
simply deletes the take from the event.

Task 12: Working with multiple takes

In this task, you’ll add just the video portions of three media files as takes to one event and then perform
various operations on those takes.
1. Open MO2Task008.veg in the LessonFiles\Module02 folder on the companion disc.
2. Navigate to the \SampleMedia\Video folder, and select 02RidersGoingAway.avi,
03RidersThroughWeeds.avi, and 04GroupPassesPond.avi.
3. Right-click and drag 03RidersThroughWeeds.avi to the video track in the timeline. (The
file you drag defines the length of the event.)
4. Release the mouse button and choose Video Only | Add Video As Takes from
the shortcut menu. Vegas™ Pro software adds one event to the timeline. This event
holds all three media files as separate takes.
5. Right-click the event and choose Take | 02RidersGoingAway from the list at the
bottom of the shortcut menu. The event thumbnail now shows RidersGoingAway
(now the active take).
6. Press T to switch takes quickly. Continue to press T to cycle through each take.
7. Close the project without saving your changes.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 27

Private Tutor: Adding takes to an existing event

pt You can also add files as alternate takes to an event that already exists in the
timeline. Use the same right-click procedure for adding the files to the
timeline, but make sure to drop the files directly onto the event to which you want
to add the multiple takes. Choose Add As Takes from the shortcut menu. The
event now contains multiple takes.
So far we’ve talked mostly about adding video and audio files. As mentioned earlier, Vegas™ Pro software also
supports a number of still image file formats. For the most part, you use the same techniques discussed above to add
still image files. However, when you add a video file, the length of the media dictates the length of the event. For
instance, if you add a video clip that lasts for 3.5 seconds, Vegas Pro software creates a 3.5-second event to hold it. In
contrast, still images have no intrinsic length, so Vegas Pro software chooses a length for you.
You can change the default length for your still images in the Editing tab of the Preferences dialog. To do so, change
the value in the New still image length (seconds) box.

Task 13: Adding still images to your project

In this task, you’ll add still images to your project and change the default length of new still images.
1. Open MO2Task008.veg in the LessonFiles\Module02 folder on the companion disc.
2. Navigate to the SampleMedia\StillImages folder on the companion disc.
3. Select BlackKitten.jpg and click the Start Preview button to preview the file before
you add it to your project.
4. Use any of the techniques you learned earlier to add the file to your project. Vegas
Pro software creates an event to hold the image that lasts for the default length.
5. Choose Options | Preferences. In the Preferences dialog, click the Editing tab.
6. Double-click the New still image length (seconds) box to highlight the value.
7. Type “10.0” to make the default length of still images 10 seconds. Click OK to close
the Preferences dialog and apply the change.
8. Add RedFlower.jpg to your project.
9. Open the Editing tab of the Preferences dialog again.
10. Click the Default All button to restore the Vegas Pro defaults.
11. Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.
12. Close the project without saving your changes.

Private Tutor: Alpha channel support

pt Some still image formats support a transparent layer or color. Vegas Pro
software also supports this transparency information, so you can freely
utilize the alpha channel and transparency for creating overlays and titles in your
projects.
 Module 2
28 Adding media to your project—basic methods

Lesson 5: Creating and deleting tracks

So far, most of the media you’ve added to your projects has been added to existing tracks. In reality, every new project
contains no tracks, so you’ll have to add tracks to hold your events. As your projects become more complex, you’ll
use many tracks. In this lesson, you’ll learn the many ways to add new tracks to hold media. You’ll also learn how to
delete tracks that you no longer need.
The Insert menu provides the most basic method for adding new tracks. Choose Insert | Audio Track or Insert |
Video Track. With this method, the new audio track always becomes the last track in your project, and the new video
track always becomes Track 1.

Task 14: Adding new tracks from the Insert menu

In this task, you’ll use the Insert menu to add new tracks to a blank project.
1. Click the New button to start a new Vegas™ Pro project.
2. Choose Insert | Video Track to add a video track to the project (or press
Shift+Ctrl+Q).
3. In the same way, add an audio track (the keyboard shortcut is Ctrl+Q). Notice that
the audio track appears at the bottom of the track list.
4. Make note of the color of the track icon for track 1. Repeat Steps 1 and 2. You can
see by the color of the track icons that the new video track was added as the first
track in the project.
5. Make note of the color of the track icon for the audio track. Insert another audio
track. The track icon colors show that the new track was added as the last track in
the project.

Private Tutor: Starting a new project

pt In the previous task, you used the New button to start a new project. You
can also choose File | New to start your new project. However, when you
start a new project with File | New, Vegas Pro software opens the New Project
dialog which contains many options and settings that exactly match the settings in
the Project Properties dialog. Thus you can establish your project properties for a
new project in the New Project dialog. If you want to accept the default
properties, click the New button to bypass the New Project dialog. This book
does not discuss the advanced topics of project properties, so consult the help
files and .pdf manual if you need more information.

pt Private Tutor: Utilizing 3D Workflow

Vegas Pro software includes robust stereoscopic 3D editing features that
streamline the 3D video editing process. To set your project up for 3D editing,
choose File| Properties. On the Video tab of the Properties dialog, select the
appropriate mode for your workflow from the Stereoscopic 3D Mode
dropdown list. Click Apply and OK. Then, add your footage to the timeline, let
the software know what type of 3D file you’re working with, and edit as usual.
The Stereoscopic 3D Adjust plug-in enables you to rectify camera misalignments
and set the 3D depth. When you’re done editing, you can deliver your 3D movie
in a wide variety of formats that can be viewed through anaglyphic, polarized, and
active-shutter glasses.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 29

The track list area and the timeline also provide tools for adding new tracks. Right-click a blank area in the track list or
the timeline. The shortcut menu contains commands to insert tracks, and these commands achieve the same results as
adding tracks through the Insert menu.
Track headers allow you to add tracks and achieve slightly different results. Right-click any track icon. A command in
the shortcut menu enables you to add a track of the same type as the track you right-clicked. For instance, right-click
the track icon for a video track, and choose Insert Video Track to add a new video track. On an audio track, the
command is Insert Audio Track. Tracks added with this method do not follow the same ordering rules as those
discussed earlier. Tracks added from the track header shortcut menu always appear directly above the track you right-
clicked. This can be a valuable tool when your project contains more tracks than can fit on your screen at one time
because the new track appears close to where you were already looking.

Task 15: Adding new tracks from track headers

In this task, you’ll use the track header to add new tracks. You’ll learn how the results differ from the method
you used in the previous task.
1. Click the New button to start a new Vegas™ Pro project. Click No if you are asked
if you want to save changes to the current project.
2. Right-click the track list area and choose Insert Audio Track from the shortcut
menu.
3. Right-click a blank area of the timeline (aim for the dark gray area, not within the
light gray of the new track you added in step 2), and choose Insert Video Track
from the shortcut menu.
4. Use any method to add another video track.
5. Right-click the track icon for the audio track (track 3). Choose Insert Audio Track.
Recall that with the methods you learned earlier, an audio track is added at the
bottom of the track list. But with this method, the new track appears directly above
the track you clicked.
6. Right-click the track icon for Track 2 and choose Insert Video Track from the
shortcut menu. Recall that so far new video tracks have always appeared as the first
track in the track list. As you saw in Step 5, with this method, the new track appears
directly above the track you clicked.

You can also duplicate an existing track in order to create a new one. This technique creates an exact duplicate of the
existing track, meaning that any events on the original track also appear on the duplicate track. To duplicate a track,
right-click its track icon and choose Duplicate Track from the shortcut menu. The duplicate track appears directly
below the original track.

Task 16: Duplicating a track

In this task, you’ll learn how to make a duplicate of an existing track. You’ll see that all of the events and
settings of the original track also appear on the duplicate track.
1. Open MO2Task016.veg in the LessonFiles\Module02 folder on the companion disc.
2. Right-click the track icon for the existing track and choose Duplicate Track from
the shortcut menu. You now have two identical tracks in your project.

Private Tutor: Modifying the duplicate track

pt In Task 16, Duplicating a track, you used the Duplicate Track command to
make an exact copy of an existing track. Even though the two tracks are
identical, they are also independent of one another. You can change either of the
tracks and the events on them without affecting the other. Using techniques that
you’ll learn in later lessons, you can use this independence to create interesting
special effects.
 Module 2
30 Adding media to your project—basic methods

If you do not have enough tracks in your project to hold all of the media files you want to add across tracks, Vegas
Pro software creates the tracks you need. Similarly, you can drag a file from the Explorer window to a blank area of
either the track list or the track view (timeline). Since you have not dropped the file into an existing track, Vegas Pro
software creates a new track to hold it. We sometimes refer to this method as adding a new track on the fly.
Many times you’ll actually want to delete an existing track. To do so, right-click a track icon and choose Delete from
the shortcut menu. Alternatively, right-click a blank spot in the timeline for the track and choose Delete from the
shortcut menu. As a final option, click the track icon for the track you want to remove and press the Delete key. Of
course, when you delete a track, you also remove all events on that track.

Task 17: Adding a new track on the fly

In this task, you’ll learn how to add a new track to your project while simultaneously adding a media file to
the timeline. Along the way, you’ll also learn how to delete a track that you no longer need. You’ll see that the
results you achieve depend upon the current configuration of your project and exactly where you drop the
new file.
1. Open MO2Task016.veg from the \LessonFiles\Module02 folder on the companion
disc.
2. Navigate to the \SampleMedia\Video folder.
3. Right-click and drag 04GroupPassesPond.avi to a blank spot in the existing track. From
the shortcut menu, choose Video Only | Add Video Across Time. Since you
dropped the file onto an existing track and you did not add the audio, Vegas™ Pro
software does not create a new audio track.
4. Right-click and drag 01FiveRidersRoundCorner.avi to a blank area in the timeline (not
within the existing track). From the shortcut menu, choose Video Only | Add
Video Across Time. This time, since you did not drop the file onto an existing
track, Vegas Pro software creates a new track to hold the new event. Notice that the
new track appears below the existing track.
5. Now add both the video and audio portions of a file. Drag 02RidersGoingAway.avi to
a blank space on track 2. Vegas Pro software adds the video portion of the clip to
the existing video track, but since no audio track exists, Vegas Pro software adds
one to your project to hold the audio portion of the media file.
6. Drag 04GroupPassesPond.avi to a blank space in track 1. The video portion of the file
appears on track 1, but since there was no audio track directly below track 1, Vegas
Pro software created a new one to hold the audio. If there had been an audio track
directly below the video track, no new track would have been created.
7. You’re accumulating a number of tracks, so let’s remove a few. Right-click the track
icon for track 2. Choose Delete Track from the shortcut menu.
8. Notice that the new track 2 is selected. Press the Delete key to delete it. Press the
Delete key again to remove one more track.
9. Drag 03RidersThroughWeeds.avi to a blank spot on the timeline. Vegas Pro software
creates two new tracks to hold the file: one for the video and one for the audio.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 31

Conclusion
You learned a lot in this module. You now know all about the Explorer window and how to use it to navigate to,
preview, and add media files to your project. You can now easily define the exact point in your project at which you
want to add your media, and add that media using any of several methods. Finally, you learned how to add and delete
tracks. By now you realize the powerful flexibility built into Vegas™ Pro software that provides many different ways
to accomplish a task. As you work more and more with Vegas Pro software, most of what you learned by completing
the tasks in these lessons will become second nature to you.
Exercises
1. The Explorer Window in Vegas Pro software works very much like Windows® Explorer. What then is the
major advantage to using the Explorer window to navigate to your files?
a. The Explorer window works faster.
b. The Explorer window allows you to change the names of your files.
c. The Explorer window allows you to quickly preview your media files.
d. The Explorer window uses less of your computer’s RAM.
2. True or false: Changes you make to your files in the Explorer window (such as deleting or renaming files)
have the same effect as making those changes in Windows Explorer.
3. Which of the following are ways to preview a media file in the Explorer window?
a. Select the file and click the Preview File Now button.
b. Select the file and click the Start Preview button.
c. Drag the file from the Explorer window to the Video Preview window.
d. Click the Auto Preview button then select the file.
4. True or false: Although Vegas Pro software supports many file formats, .avi is the only video format that you
can preview before adding a file to the project.
5. True or false: Vegas Pro software supports many video, audio, and still image formats, and it’s easy to use any
of these formats in the same project without doing anything special to prepare the files before adding them to
your project.
6. Which of the following is a legitimate method of placing the cursor in your timeline in preparation for adding
media to your project? Choose all that apply.
a. Click the Go To Start button.
b. Click in the timeline at the point where you want to position the cursor.
c. Type a specific value into the Cursor Position box.
d. Click in the timeline, then press the Page Up or Page Down button on your keyboard.
7. Which phrase below best defines an event in Vegas Pro software?
a. The result of clicking one of the interface buttons.
b. The video that appears in the Video Preview window when you play your project.
c. A container in the timeline that can hold one or more media files.
d. The process of navigating to, previewing, and adding a file to your project.
8. True or false: When using the drag-and-drop method to add multiple files to the timeline, the file you drag is
added to the timeline before all the other files you’ve selected and the remaining files appear in the order in
which they appear in the Explorer window.
 Module 2
32 Adding media to your project—basic methods

9. Which of the following is not a valid option when using the right-click-and-drag method for adding multiple
files?
a. Add Across Tracks
b. Add as Takes
c. Add as Overlapped Events
d. Add Across Time
10. True or false: Before you can add a clip to the timeline, you must always add a new track to your project to
hold it.
11. Which of the following is a handy way to make an exact copy of an existing track?
a. Select the track, choose File | Copy, and then choose File | Paste.
b. Right-click the track header and choose Clone Track from the shortcut menu.
c. Select the track and press Ctrl+D.
d. Right-click the track header and choose Duplicate Track from the shortcut menu.
12. Draw a line connecting the keyboard shortcut to the action it performs:
a. Ctrl+G Add a file to the current selection.
b. Right Arrow Select the previous take in an event with multiple takes.
c. Ctrl+Click Move the timeline cursor to the right.
d. Shift+T Highlight the value in the Current Cursor Position field.
e. Shift+Ctrl+Q Insert a new video track.
Essays
1. Briefly explain the term crossfade.
2. Describe the fundamental difference in the results achieved between adding a new track through the Insert
menu as opposed to adding a new track through an existing track’s right-click shortcut menu.
3. Describe how you add files as multiple takes. Discuss a scenario in which it would be helpful to add several
media files as multiple takes of one event in the timeline.
Module 3: Adding media to your
project—advanced methods
Module 2 showed you how to add existing media to your
project, but sometimes you want to create your own media.
For instance, you may want to add the video that you shoot
with your camcorder or add your voice as narration. This
module shows you how to get video from your camera to your
computer, how to record audio, and how to extract audio from
your CD collection for use in your projects (assuming you have
permission from the copyright owner to do so). Once you’ve
captured video or recorded/extracted audio, you can work
with it just like any other file you use in Vegas™ Pro software.
In this module you’ll do the following:
• Learn what hardware you need for capturing video.
• Capture video that you can use in your projects.
• Learn how to set up a basic audio recording system.
• Record audio into your Vegas Pro software project.
• Extract audio from an audio CD.
• Add the media that you create into a project.
 Module 3
34 Adding media to your project—basic methods

Lesson 1: Capturing video

The real fun (and usefulness) of Vegas™ Pro software comes when you start editing video that you shoot yourself.
But how do you get the video from the camera to your computer? That’s what this lesson teaches you.

Private Tutor: Learning about the technology of digital video

pt Much of the discussion below relating to the hardware required to capture
video may be completely new to you. If so, we suggest you visit the Web or
your favorite bookstore and pick up a good beginner’s discussion on the
technology involved.
Vegas Pro software has been built to work seamlessly with your digital video (DV) and your high definition
HDV™camcorders, as well as XDCAM®, XDCAM EX, AVCHD™ formats, and more. We’ll limit our discussion to
DVD and HDV. Use an IEEE-1394 (commonly known as iLink or FireWire) cable to connect your DV or HDV
camcorder to an OHCI-compliant IEEE-1394 card installed in your computer (usually in an available PCI slot, but
often built into the computer). If you’ve purchased an OHCI-compliant video capture card, Vegas Pro software (and
the video capture application that we’ll talk about in a moment) can communicate with your DV or HDV camcorder
via the IEEE-1394 connection so you can control the camera (play, stop, rewind and so on) from your computer.

Task 1: Connecting your DV or HDV™ camcorder to your computer

In this task you’ll connect your camcorder to your computer’s IEEE-1394 video capture card.
1. Make sure your computer has a properly installed IEEE-1394 video capture card.
2. Connect your DV or HDV camcorder to your capture card with an IEEE-1394
cable.

pt Private Tutor: Working with other types of media

If you’re working with XDCAM footage from an optical XDCAM disc,
choose View | XDCAM Explorer to open the XDCAM Explorer
window. This window provides robust and elegant XDCAM workflow. If you’re
working with XDCAM EX or AVCHD footage, choose View | Device
Explorer to open the Device Explorer window. You can use this window to
preview files directly from the SxS card in your EX camera or the hard drive of
your AVCHD camera. Once you find the clips you want, you can import them to
your computer using the same Device Explorer window.
When you installed Vegas Pro software, the Sony® Video Capture utility was also installed automatically. You’ll use
that application in a few moments. You can, if you choose to in the future, specify a different video capture
application. Choose Options | Preferences, click the Video tab in the Preferences dialog, and select the Use
external video capture application checkbox or leave it unchecked if you plan on capturing HDV. Click the
Browse button next to the Preferred video capture application box. Then browse to your desired application and
click OK to close the Preferences dialog.
To prepare to capture video from your DV camcorder, connect your camcorder to your PC (as discussed above) and
turn it on in VCR or VTR mode. If Windows asks what you want to do with the new device, choose the Take no
action option. Choose File | Capture Video. The Capture Video dialog prompts you to choose one of two video
capture applications. You would select the Use internal video capture application (HDV/SDI) option when you
want to capture HDV footage from your Sony HDV camera or deck. For this discussion, we’re using DV, so select
the Use external video capture application (DV, Video for Windows, or third-party capture application)
checkbox and click OK. This starts the Sony Video Capture utility (assuming you have not changed your preferred
application as discussed above) with the Capture tab active.
The Verify Tape Name dialog appears (this dialog may not appear if you do not have a DV camcorder or tape deck
connected to your computer). Here you can assign a name to the tape from which you are capturing video or choose a
name from the list. The tape name is embedded in the file that is created during the capture process. You can leave
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 35

this box blank, but naming each tape helps you keep your tapes organized and find the original source footage that
you used in old projects. You have three options on how to proceed:
• Select the Don’t capture any clips right now radio button to delay starting capture momentarily.
• Select the Start capturing all clips from the current tape position radio button to capture everything on
the tape starting from the current position on the tape.
• Select Start capturing all clips from the beginning of the tape to automatically rewind the tape to the
beginning and then capture the entire tape.

After you make your choice, click OK. If you choose the second or third option, Video Capture begins playback of
your DV camcorder or tape deck and starts capturing video from your tape. If you choose the first option, Video
Capture waits for further instructions from you. The video display area says “Device Stopped.”

Task 2: Getting ready to capture video

This task shows you how to open the Sony® Video Capture utility.
1. Click the New button to start a new Vegas™ Pro project.
2. Set your DV camcorder to VCR or VTR mode.
3. Insert the DV tape from which you want to capture video into your DV camcorder
or tape deck.
4. Choose File | Capture Video.
5. Select the Use external video capture application radio button.
6. Click OK to dismiss the Capture Video dialog.
7. In the Verify Tape Name dialog, enter “Test Capture” in the Tape Name box,
select the Don’t capture any clips right now radio button, and click OK.

Before you capture your video, specify the location on your computer drive to which you want to capture. Choose
Options | Preferences and click the Disk Management tab in the Preferences dialog. This shows you the current
capture location (the My Documents folder) and gives you several controls with which you can change the location.
Click the Add Folder button and Browse to your computer’s C: drive. Click the Make New Folder button. Name
the new folder TestCaptures and click OK. This adds the new folder as the first location in the Capture Folders list.
Your captures will now go directly to this folder until they fill your hard drive at which point they will go to the next
folder on the list if that folder is on a different hard drive with available space. Since the second folder on the list is on
the same hard drive, click the second item in the list to select it and click the Remove Selected Folder button to
remove it from the list. Click OK to close the Preference dialog.
Use the transport controls, as shown in Figure 3.1, to preview your tape and find the exact spot at which you want to
begin capturing video. Remember that the transport buttons control the playback of the tape in your DV device. The
Play, Pause, and Stop buttons work the same as the physical buttons on your camcorder. If you’ve paused the
camera’s playback, click the Step Backward or Step Forward button to move the tape backward or forward one
video frame. Click the Rewind (Shift+Left Arrow) or Fast Forward (Shift+Right Arrow) button to rewind or fast-
forward the tape to the desired position. Drag the Shuttle slider in either direction to view the tape at various speeds.
The farther away from the center point you drag the slider, the faster the video plays back.
Figure 3.1
The buttons in the Video Capture transport bar give you various options for previewing and capturing video.

Play Pause Stop Step Step Rewind Fast Shuttle

Backward Forward Forward
 Module 3
36 Adding media to your project—basic methods

pt Private Tutor: Capturing heads and tails

In Module 6, Basic Editing Techniques you’ll learn to trim the beginnings and
ends of your events. You can use those techniques to trim unwanted
material from the beginning and end of your captured clips too, so you don’t have
to worry about capturing exactly what you think you’ll use. We suggest you start
capturing a few seconds before the material you think you’ll use starts (known as
capturing a “head”) and stop capturing a few seconds after the desired material
ends (known as capturing a “tail”). Remember, it’s a lot easier to trim the head
and tail if you don’t need them than it is to recapture the clip if you didn’t capture
enough the first time.
Figure 3.1 also shows the various buttons used in the capture process. To automatically rewind the tape to the
beginning and then capture the entire tape, click the Capture Tape button. To begin capturing at the current tape
position, click the Capture Video button (Ctrl+R). Video Capture begins playback of the tape on your camera and
simultaneously captures the video to your computer. Click the Capture Image button (Ctrl+Shift+R) to capture a
still image of the current frame.
When you’ve captured your footage, click the Stop button in the transport bar. The Capture Complete dialog displays
information about the video you just captured. Select the Add captured clips to the Media Pool check box. Click
the Show Clips button to view thumbnails of the clips you captured.

pt Private Tutor: Smart capture

You may have captured several clips even though you only clicked the
Capture Video or Capture Tape button once. Video Capture has several
ways to detect new scenes. For instance, Video Capture detects a new scene every
time you turned the camera off and then back on in record mode. It then captures
each of these scenes as a separate video file.
Click the Rename All button to open the Rename All dialog. Type a name in the Base name for clips box. Video
Capture uses this name as a prefix to the clip number that can help you organize your clips later. Click OK. To
rename a single clip, right-click the thumbnail and choose Rename from the shortcut menu.
If you decide that you don’t want these clips after all, click the Delete All button to remove them from your hard
drive. To delete a single clip, right-click the thumbnail and choose Delete from the shortcut menu.
Click the Done button to close the Capture Complete dialog. The Save As dialog opens to give you the opportunity
to save this video capture session. Saving a session allows you to reopen it and work further with it later. Usually, you
don’t need to save the session, so click the Cancel button. The captured clips appear in the Clip Explorer area at the
bottom of the Video Capture window. Click the Close button at the top-right corner of the Video Capture window.
You may be asked again if you want to save the session. Click Yes if you do, or click No if you don’t.

Task 3: Capturing video

In this task you’ll capture video from your DV camcorder or tape deck to your computer.
1. Choose Options | Preferences and click the Disk Management tab.
2. Click the Add Folder button.
3. Browse to your C: drive and click the Make New Folder button. Name the new
folder TestCaptures.
4. Click OK to dismiss the Browse For Folder dialog.
5. In the Capture Folders list on the Disk Management tab of the Preferences dialog,
select the second folder in the list (the My Documents) folder.
6. Click the Remove Selected Folder button.
7. Click OK to dismiss the Preferences dialog.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 37

8. Click the Play button in the Video Capture transport bar to begin playback of the
tape.
9. When you reach the point in the tape where you want to start capturing, click the
Pause button to suspend playback.
10. If you didn’t pause the tape at the exact spot where you want to begin capturing, use
the Step Backward and Step Forward buttons or the Shuttle slider to adjust the
start position.
11. Click the Capture Video button to begin capturing.
12. When you reach the end of the material you want to capture, click the Stop button.
13. In the Capture Complete dialog, click the Show Clips button if the thumbnails are
not visible.
14. Select the Add captured clips to the Media Pool check box if it is not already
selected.
15. Click the Rename All button to open the Rename All dialog.
16. Select the current text in the Base name for clips field, type “LearnToCapture”
and click OK.
17. Click the Done button.
18. Click the Cancel button to skip saving the capture session.
19. Click the Close button to close the Sony Video Capture window. Click No if asked
if you want to save your changes.

After you closed the Sony® Video Capture window in the last task, you were taken back to Vegas™ Pro software. In
the window docking area, the Project Media window has been brought forward, and it already contains the files that
you just captured (it may also contain other files that you have already added to your project).

pt Private Tutor: Introducing the Project Media window

The Project Media window helps you organize all of the assets (media files)
of your Vegas Pro project. When you add a clip to the timeline or capture
video using Sony Video Capture, Vegas Pro software creates a reference to that
file in the Project Media window. You can create bins to organize media clips into
logically related groups. Bins help you organize your media and easily search for
related clips using, keywords, file types, frame rates, and other media properties. If
you decide to add the media to your project again (or possibly for the first time
with captured files), you can use the Project Media window instead of the
Explorer window to quickly find the media that you want.
As shown in Figure 3.2, the Project Media window includes the same preview buttons you used in the Explorer
window. You can preview your clips and then use the techniques you learned with the Explorer window to add clips
to the timeline right from the Project Media window.
 Module 3
38 Adding media to your project—basic methods

Figure 3.2
The Project Media window gives you another easy way to preview and add files to your project. You access many
other functions from the Project Media window also.

Task 4: Adding clips from the Project Media window

In this task you’ll add a media file to your timeline directly from the Project Media window.
1. In the Project Media window, select one of the clips you just captured.
2. Click the Start Preview button to view the clip in the Video Preview window.
3. Drag the clip from the Media Pool to the timeline.
4. Position your cursor at the beginning of the event and click the Play button in the
Vegas™ Pro transport bar to view your captured clip in the timeline.

Now that you’ve captured your video and added it to the timeline, you can combine it with any other media to create
your movie.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 39

Lesson 2: Recording audio

In the previous lesson, you learned how to capture video from your DV camcorder. As you would expect, this
process also added the audio associated with the captured video to your project. That’s one way to add original audio
to your project. You can also record audio directly into an audio track and you’ll learn how to do that in this lesson.

Private Tutor: Setting the default track properties

pt You can customize several properties of a track and then save those settings
as the default so that all new tracks start with those track properties. To set
your default track properties, change them to the settings you want on one track,
then right-click that track’s track icon and choose Set Default Track Properties.
In the Set Default Track Properties dialog, select the check boxes for the
properties you want to set as defaults. Click OK. This determines the default
settings of the selected properties for all new audio tracks in this project and in all
of your projects.
As with capturing video, you’ll need to make sure you have the proper hardware before you begin. In the most basic
setup, you’ll have an audio input device (normally a microphone or an electronic device such as an electric piano or a
tape deck) connected to the inputs of your computer sound card. In a slightly more complex setup, you might connect
your audio device to a mixing console (mixer) and connect the mixer to the sound card in your computer.

pt Private Tutor: Matching input devices to sound card inputs

Many computer sound cards have two types of input jacks: microphone-
level (Mic) and line-level (Line-In). Almost without exception, you’ll only connect
to the Mic input when you plug a microphone directly into the sound card.
Because the typical microphone sends a relatively weak signal, the microphone
input on your sound card boosts the signal. Because line-level devices (electronic
keyboards, tape decks, and mixers) send a stronger signal, you don’t need this
extra boost. Therefore, line inputs on your sound card provide no extra
amplification. If you connect a microphone to a line input, the signal will likely be
too weak to be usable. Conversely, if you connect a line device to a microphone
input, the resulting signal will be too strong and may cause an unpleasant sound
known as distortion, and could even damage the input circuitry. However, if you
first connect a microphone to a mixer, you’ll typically connect the mixer to a line
input on the sound card since the mixer provides the amplification that the
microphone needs, then outputs a line-level audio signal.

Private Tutor: Making the connection

pt Many computer sound cards use 1/8-inch mini plug connections.
Electronic keyboards usually use a 1/4-inch connector, tape decks normally
use RCA or phono connectors, and microphones often use yet another type of
connector, called XLR. You might need an adapter to properly connect your
audio device to your computer’s sound input.

Task 5: Connecting a microphone to your computer

In this task you’ll connect a microphone to the sound card in your computer.
1. Compare the connector on the end of your microphone to the microphone input on
your sound card. If the microphone connector does not match the mic-in jack, find
an adapter to convert the microphone plug.
2. Plug the microphone into the microphone input jack on your computer sound card.
 Module 3
40 Adding media to your project—basic methods

After you connect the audio device, you need to establish proper recording levels. To do this, you’ll have to step out
of Vegas™ Pro software for a moment and use the Windows Recording Control or the recording control software
that came with your sound card. We’ll talk about the Windows Recording Control here; if your sound card has its own
recording controls, check the sound card’s documentation to learn how to set your recording levels.
The Windows Recording Control determines the audio level sent to Vegas Pro software during recording. In
Windows, choose Start | Control Panel | Sound and in the Sound dialog box, click the Recording Tab.
In the Windows Volume Control, select the desired recording source and click Properties to open the Properties
dialog.

Private Tutor: Choosing the sound card input

pt Typically, a computer has only one sound card. But some computers have
multiple sound cards. Other computers have one sound card that has more
than one input jack. If you have multiple sound cards or multiple inputs, choose
the desired card or input from the Mixer device drop-down.
Click the Levels tab. The Recording Control, shown in Figure 3.3, opens with a fader for Line and/or Microphone.
Leave the Record Control open because you’ll use these controls in a few minutes to adjust the recording level of your
input device. You might want to resize Vegas Pro software so that you can see Vegas Pro software and the Record
Control on your computer screen simultaneously.
Figure 3.3
Use the Windows® Record Control to set the record input level in Vegas Pro software.

Back in Vegas Pro software, choose Insert | Audio Track to add a new audio track to your project. In the track
header for the new track, click the Arm for Record button, shown in Figure 3.4. The Project Recorded Files
Folder dialog appears. Here you specify or browse to the folder on your computer where you want to store the audio
file you are about to create. Once you’ve specified the recorded files path, click OK to close the dialog.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 41

Figure 3.4
Click the Arm for Record button to prepare the track for recording.

Arm for Record

An audio record meter appears in the track header. This meter helps you monitor the recording level so that you can
set it properly. Send a signal to your sound card input (that is, talk into the microphone, play your tape, or play your
electronic keyboard). While watching the meter react to the signal, adjust the appropriate volume control in the
Windows Record Control to adjust the signal as necessary.

Private Tutor: Setting proper recording levels

pt A number appears at the right end of the track’s recording meter. This
number indicates the highest level (or peak) reached by the meter as it
receives signal. To achieve a good recording level, make certain that this number
falls somewhere between –6 dB and –3 dB. Anything below –6 could be too weak
to provide a good recording, and anything over –3 dB might begin to approach a
point of distortion of the audio. If a red box encompasses the number, the signal
has clipped (meaning the computer cannot accurately record the audio) and the
recording level should be brought down. To reset the number so that you can see
the new peak (after adjusting the Record Control), click the number.

Task 6: Preparing to record with a microphone

This task shows you how to get ready to record with a microphone.
1. In Windows, choose Start | Control Panel | Sound
2. Click the Recording Tab.
3. Choose your sound card and click the Properties button.
4. In the Properties dialog, click the Levels tab.
5. Position or resize the Vegas™ Pro window so that you can see the Microphone
Properties while working in Vegas Pro software.
6. In a new Vegas Pro project, insert an audio track.
7. Click the Arm for Record button for the new track.
8. Click the Browse button in the Project Recorded Files Folder dialog.
9. In the Browse For Folder dialog, navigate to the My Documents folder.
10. Click the New Folder button. Name the new folder Vegas ProRecord.
11. Click the OK button.
12. Click the OK button in the Recorded Files Folder dialog.
13. Speak into the microphone, and use the Windows Record Control to adjust the
input level until it peaks between –6 dB and –3 dB.

With your input device properly connected, your record path specified, and your recording levels properly set, click
the Record button in the Vegas™ Pro transport bar (or press Ctrl+R). Talk, sing, or play. In other words, send an
audio signal from your input device to Vegas Pro software. As you do, you’ll see the signal’s audio waveform drawing
into a new event in the Vegas Pro timeline. To stop recording, click the Stop button.
 Module 3
42 Adding media to your project—basic methods

The Recorded Files dialog (shown in Figure 3.5) opens. If you’re not happy with your performance, click the
Delete or Delete All button. To rename the recorded file, click the Rename button and type a new name. When
you’re finished, click the Done button. A new event now holds the recorded file in the timeline and the Project Media
window contains the recorded file so that you can easily add it to the project again. Click the Arm for Record button
in the track header to take the track out of Arm for Record mode.
Figure 3.5
Use the Recorded Files dialog to save, rename, or delete your recording.

Task 7: Recording with a microphone

In this task you’ll record original audio to a Vegas Pro audio track.
1. With your microphone connected, track armed for record, and levels properly set,
click the Record button.
2. Talk or sing into the microphone.
3. When finished, click the Stop button.
4. In the Recorded Files dialog, click the Delete button. When asked if you are sure
you want to delete the file, click Yes. The file no longer appears in the Recorded
Files dialog.
5. Click Done. The track remains empty and the event that was drawn during the
recording process disappears (because you deleted the file in Step 4).
6. Repeat steps 1 through 3.
7. In the Recorded Files dialog, click Rename, and then type “MyFirstRecording” as
the new name for the recorded file.
8. Click Done. The new event appears in the timeline.
9. Click the Arm for Record button to take this track out of Arm for Record mode.

Congratulations! You’ve just made your first recording in Vegas Pro software!
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 43

Private Tutor: Recording multiple tracks simultaneously

pt If your computer has multiple sound cards, or a sound card with multiple
inputs, you can record to multiple tracks simultaneously. This is important for
times when you have multiple sources of audio that you’d like to keep separated
in your Vegas™ Pro project. To set your project up to record two or more tracks
simultaneously, choose Windows Classic Wave Driver or your sound card’s
ASIO drivers from the Audio device type drop-down on the Audio Device tab
of the Preferences dialog as shown in Figure 3.6. Then choose the specific input
that you want to use for the default in the Default audio recording device
drop-down and click OK Arm each track for recording, click the track’s recording
device button, and choose the desired input from the shortcut menu.
Figure 3.6
Select the Windows Classic Wave Driver in the Audio device type drop-down.

Private Tutor: Accessing the Project Recorded Files Folder dialog

pt Notice that the Project Recorded Files Folder dialog does not open the
second time (or subsequent times) you arm a track for recording. It
remembers the setting you chose the first time you armed a track for recording in
the current project. To choose a different location for saving your recorded files,
hold the Shift key when you click the Arm for Record button. This reopens the
Project Recorded Files Folder dialog and you can now choose a new location.
 Module 3
44 Adding media to your project—basic methods

Lesson 3: Extracting Audio from CD

There is yet another way to acquire audio for your project: you can extract audio from an audio CD and create a .wav
file that you add to your project. You can extract individual tracks, the entire disc, or a specific range of audio on the
disc. To extract audio from an audio CD, insert the CD into your computer’s CD-ROM drive. If an application
automatically opens to play the CD, close it. If Windows XP asks you what you want to do, select the Take no action
option.
Choose File | Extract Audio from CD. After Vegas™ Pro software runs a short search for audio devices, the
Extract Audio from CD dialog opens as in Figure 3.7. If you have more than one CD-ROM drive in your computer,
you may need to choose the drive where you inserted the CD from the Drive drop-down list.
Figure 3.7
The Extract Audio from CD dialog offers three ways to extract audio from a CD.

Action drop-down

Tracks to read list

Drive drop-down

The Action drop-down list contains three options for extracting your music from the CD. The first choice, Read by
track, enables you to pick the specific track or tracks to extract. Click a track in the Tracks to read list to select it for
extraction. Use the Windows selection techniques you learned earlier to select multiple tracks for extracting. Click the
Play button to play the selected track so you can hear the track before extracting it and make sure it’s the one you
want. Click OK to begin the extraction process. A Save As dialog opens so that you can specify a file name and a save
location for the extracted file. Click Save when you’re ready to extract the audio and create the new .wav file.
The second choice in the Action drop-down list, Read entire disc, extracts every track from the CD to one .wav file
in one operation. Since you don’t choose individual tracks, the Tracks to read list is not necessary (as shown in
Figure 3.8) Again, when you click OK, the Save As dialog opens. Specify a name and save location and click Save. In
this mode, Vegas Pro software saves all tracks to a single .wav file.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 45

Figure 3.8
The Read entire disc option automatically extracts all tracks on the CD to a single .wav file.

Use the third choice, Read by range, to select a specific start and end point to extract. This is useful in a CD where
the audio you would like to extract is a portion of a long track.
Regardless of the extraction method you use, Vegas™ Pro software adds the extracted file (or files) to your Project
Media window. This makes it very easy to add the file to your project timeline. You can also use any of the other
methods you’ve learned for adding a file to your timeline.

Task 8: Extracting Audio from a CD

In this task you’ll extract a single track from a CD.
1. Place an audio CD with at least 2 tracks in your CD-ROM drive. If another
application opens to play the CD, close that application. If the operating system asks
you what you want to do, choose the Take no action option.
2. In a new Vegas Pro project choose File | Extract Audio from CD. Vegas Pro
software scans your computer for supported CD-ROM devices.
3. When the Extract Audio from CD dialog opens, choose Read by track from the
Action drop-down list.
4. Click track 2 to select it.
5. Click the Play button to listen to the track
8. Click OK
6. In the Save As dialog, navigate to your My Documents folder.
7. Name the file TestExtraction in the File name box.
8. Click Save.
9. Open the Project Media window and drag the file TestExtraction.wav to the timeline.
10. Click the Play button and listen to the extracted audio.
 Module 3
46 Adding media to your project—basic methods

Conclusion
In this module, you learned how easily you can add original media to your video projects. You learned how to set up
your system for capturing video, recording audio, and extracting audio from your CD collection. You then learned
how to perform these functions using the easy Vegas™ Pro controls. With this knowledge, you have greatly expanded
your creative horizons. In the next module, you’ll learn how to add colored backgrounds and text to your projects.
Exercises
1. True or false: There are special procedures you must follow in order to install Sony® Video Capture after
you’ve installed Vegas Pro software.
2. The Verify Tape Name dialog presents three options. Which of the following is not one of the options?
a. Don’t capture any clips right now
b. Capture the current clip only
c. Start capturing all clips from the beginning of the tape
d. Start capturing all clips from the current tape position
3. Which two of the following options describe one aspect of how the Shuttle slider works?
a. Drag the slider all the way to the left to stop video playback.
b. Drag the slider to the left of the center position to play the video in reverse.
c. Double-click the slider to step through the video one frame at a time.
d. Drag the slider farther from its center position to play the video faster.
4. True or false: You should always avoid capturing heads on your video, but capturing tails is acceptable.
5. What does it mean if you end up with three captured clips even though you think you only clicked the
Capture Video button one time?
a. You had a momentary interruption in the communication between your DV camcorder
and your capture card.
b. You accidentally double-clicked the Capture Video button.
c. Video Capture has detected three scenes on the tape during the capture procedure.
d. You have used a low-grade DV tape, and the low quality is causing capture problems.
6. True or false: When using Sony Video Capture, your captured clips can be added to the Project Media
window automatically.
7. True or false: Once a clip is in the Project Media window, you must drag it to the Explorer Window in order
to preview it and add it to the timeline.
8. Which of the following best describes a microphone-level input jack on your computer’s sound card?
a. A jack that accepts XLR plugs.
b. An input jack that does not boost the signal coming into it.
c. An input jack that boosts the signal coming into it.
d. A jack that is only available on sound cards with multiple inputs.
9. True or false: You must use the Master fader in the Vegas Pro Mixer to control the recording level.
10. True or false: When setting record level, you should never let the record meter peak above –6 dB.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 47

11. When recording audio into your Vegas™ Pro project, which of the following describes how best to add that
file to your timeline for the first time?
a. Vegas Pro software adds the file automatically as you record it.
b. Double-click the file in the Project Media window.
c. Navigate to the file in the Explorer window, and then drag it to the timeline.
d. Right-click and drag it from the Project Media window to the timeline, and then choose
Audio Only | Add As Takes from the shortcut menu.
12. Which of the following is not a method for extracting audio from an audio CD?
a. Read by range.
b. Read by track.
c. Read entire disc.
d. Read by song.
13. Draw a line from the keyboard shortcut to the action it performs
a. Ctrl+Shift+R Capture Video
b. Shift+Left Arrow Record Audio
c. Ctrl+R Rewind (video capture)
d. Shift+Right Arrow Capture Image
e. Ctrl+R Fast Forward (video capture)
Essays
1. Briefly explain a situation in which you would plug your audio source into the microphone jack of your sound
card. Describe a situation in which you would plug into the line-in jack. Include a discussion of why you
might sometimes use a microphone as your input source, yet still plug into the line-in jack.
2. Study the Project Media window for a few minutes. Describe the Project Media window’s value to you when
working in Vegas Pro software. Include what you learned from the brief discussion of the Project Media
window, but also explore the various buttons and come up with some ideas of your own.
3. Explain the advantages of using Sony® Video Capture in conjunction with Vegas Pro software as opposed to
a third-party video capture application.
 Module 3
48 Adding media to your project—basic methods
Module 4: Generating media
You learned in Modules 2 and 3 that there are many ways to
add files to your project, but not all of the possibilities have
been exhausted. All of the media you’ve added so far has come
from outside of Vegas™ Pro software. You can also generate
your own media inside the application. Media generators allow
you to create text, test patterns, solid colors, noise textures,
color gradients, and patterns that you can then use for anything
from basic color backgrounds to dynamic sequences of
intricate gradients with shifting colors, moving text, and more.
Media generators, as you’ll learn in this module, open up
unlimited possibilities for creative effects. Here, you’ll learn
how to add media generators to your project and manipulate
them to enhance your video projects.
In this module you’ll learn how to do the following:
• Add backgrounds to your project.
• Create gradients that change over time.
• Add text overlays to your video.
• Quickly build interesting credit rolls.
 Module 4
50 Generating Media

Lesson 1: Generating solid-color elements

With Vegas™ Pro media generators, you can create completely customizable text and backgrounds without leaving
your project. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use media generators to easily create solid-color backgrounds and
graphic design elements.
Vegas Pro software provides a few different methods you can use to add generated media to your project. First, click
the Media Generators tab in the window docking area to bring the Media Generators window forward. If you don’t
see the tab, use the scroll buttons to find it. If you still don’t see it, choose Views |Media Generators (Alt+9) to
open the window. In the Media Generators window, you see the various media generators listed on the left and
various preset thumbnails on the right.
Click Solid Color in the list. The thumbnails change to reflect several solid-color options. To add one of the presets
to your project, drag the thumbnail to the timeline. This creates a new event containing the generated media. It also
opens the Video Media Generators window. Although you can use any of the presets without changing them, each
media generator can be completely customized for your exact needs. In a moment, you’ll use the controls in the Video
Media Generators window to customize the generated media you add to your project.

Task 1: Adding a media generator to the timeline

In this task, you’ll use the Solid Color media generator to add an event to the Vegas Pro timeline.
1. Create a new Vegas Pro project.
2. Click the Media Generators tab at the bottom of the window docking area. If the
tab is not visible, you may need to scroll the tab area to see it or choose View |
Media Generators to open it.
3. Click Solid Color in the list of media generators on the left side of the window.
4. Drag the Red preset thumbnail to the beginning of the timeline.
5. Keep this project open so you can build upon it in the next task.

As we mentioned, two things happen when you release the mouse button after you drag a preset thumbnail to the
timeline. First, an event that holds the generated media appears on the timeline. Second, the Video Media Generators
window (shown in Figure 4.1) opens. Here you can change the parameters of the media generator from the preset
that you chose in the Media Generators window.

Private Tutor: Resizing the Video Media Generators window

pt It’s possible that the Video Media Generators window could be too small to
properly display all of the parameter controls for your generated media. To
make sure you’re seeing all of the available controls, double-click the window’s
title bar. This makes the window as large as it needs to be in order to show all of
the controls. Get into the habit of double-clicking the title bar any time you open
this type of window in order to avoid the risk of missing important controls. And
if all else fails, you can always grab any edge of the window and resize it that way.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 51

Figure 4.1
The Video Media Generators window provides the controls you use to adjust the properties of your generated media.

Match Event
Length

Media Properties

Replace Plug-In

Delete Preset

Save Preset

Pick Color From Screen

Private Tutor: Do you really need the Video Media Generators window?
pt Often, you’ll choose the preset that gets you closest to what you want and
then adjust the parameters in the Video Media Generators window until you
create exactly what you’re after. Other times, you won’t need to make any changes
to the preset you added to your timeline. If not, go ahead and close the Video
Media Generators window. To avoid opening the Video Media Generators
window altogether, hold the Shift key as you drag the preset to the timeline. If
you need to open the Video Media Generators window later to make an
adjustment, click the Generated Media button on the right edge of the event.
At the top of the Video Media Generators window, you can adjust the properties of the generated media. For
example, the Frame size boxes allow you to specify the dimensions of the media. By default, the frame size for the
media matches the frame size of your video project (which you set in the Project Properties dialog), so you typically
won’t change it, but you can change it here if you want. Change the value in the Length box to change the duration
of the generated media.

Private Tutor: Changing the length of generated media

pt Changing the length of the media does not change the length of the event
that holds the media, so you may need to adjust the length of the event to
match your new length for the media. You’ll learn how to adjust the length of
events in Module 6, Basic editing techniques, Lesson 3, Edge trimming an event. You can
also quickly change the media length so that it matches the event’s length exactly.
To do this, click the Match Event Length button.
The Media Properties button, shown in Figure 4.1, opens the Properties dialog where you can change many
advanced properties of the media.
 Module 4
52 Generating Media

Private Tutor: Generated media properties

pt Although the Properties dialog gives you a great deal of control over the
properties for the generated media, you’ll rarely need to make any
adjustments. Since the generated media takes on the properties of the project, you
don’t usually need to make adjustments.
The Replace Plug-In button (shown in Figure 4.1) opens the Plug-In Chooser where you can choose a different
media generator than the one you originally chose. For instance, you may have originally chosen the Solid Color
generator, and now decide to use the Color Gradient generator instead. In this case, click the Replace Plug-In
button, select Sony Color Gradient in the Plug-In Chooser, click Add, and click OK.
The middle section of the Video Media Generators window contains the parameters of the media generator. The
Preset drop-down list allows you to choose a different preset from the one you originally chose when you added the
generated media to the project. If you change the parameters of the generator and decide that you’ll want to use those
settings again in the future, save the current parameter settings as a custom preset. To do so, change the parameters of
the generated media (as discussed below), and select the text in the Preset box. Type a new preset name and click the
Save Preset button. The preset you created now appears in the drop-down list. To remove it, select it from the list
and click the Delete Preset button. (Figure 4.1 shows both of these buttons.)

Task 2: Working with presets

The concept of presets appears in many different areas of Vegas™ Pro software. This task shows you how
you can work with presets to streamline your editing job.
1. If the project you started in the previous task is no longer open, repeat Task 1.
2. In the Video Media Generators window, choose Blue from the Preset drop-down
list. The event changes from red to blue.
3. Double-click the preset name (“Blue”) in the Preset box.
4. Type “MyNewPreset” and press Enter.
5. Click the Save Preset button.
6. Expand the Preset drop-down list again, and notice that MyNewPreset now
appears in the list. Choose any preset other than Blue or MyNewPreset from the
list. The event changes to the color of the preset you choose.
7. Expand the list again and choose MyNewPreset. The event changes again.
8. Click the Delete Preset button to remove the preset from the list. Keep this project
open so you can use it in the next task.

The middle section of the Video Media Generators window contains the controls for adjusting the media parameters.
The controls for the Solid Color generator are fairly simple and give you a number of ways to change the color of the
generated media. The current color is shown in the HSV color model. The H stands for Hue. To adjust the color’s
hue, drag the Hue slider up and down through the various colors. Once you’ve established the hue you want drag the
target to the location in the color field that gives you the saturation and value (the S and V of the color model) of the
color you want. Use the Alpha slider to adjust the alpha channel (which controls the color’s transparency) of the
generated media.
The Pick Color from Screen button, shown in Figure 4.1, allows you to choose a color from anywhere on your
computer screen. Click the Pick Color from Screen button and then click the color you want. The object you click
need not be part of Vegas™ Pro software.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 53

Private Tutor: Changing the alpha channel value

pt The alpha channel controls transparency. The maximum alpha value (255)
creates completely opaque media. The minimum value (0) creates
completely transparent media. The checkerboard background in the alpha channel
control indicates transparency. As you adjust the alpha value, the event in the
timeline also reflects the amount of transparency (again, as represented by the
checkerboard pattern in the event itself). Transparency allows you to see through
the event on the top track of your project to an event on a track below it. This is
one form of compositing, a topic we discuss in Module 7, Enhancing your project,
Lesson 6, Video composites.

Task 3: Changing the color parameters

In this task, you’ll use several different techniques to choose the color for your media generator.
1. If the project you worked on in the previous task is no longer open, use the Solid
Color media generator to add an event at the beginning of the timeline in a new
project. Choose the Blue preset.
2. In the Video Media Generators window, drag the Hue slider up to change the color
of the event to magenta.
3. Drag in the color picker to see how changes to the saturation and value levels affect
the color.
4. Click the Pick Color from Screen button.
5. Click the blue bottom edge of the Vegas™ Pro logo in the Vegas Pro title bar (at
the top-left corner of the Vegas Pro window). This samples the color and sets the
event to that color.
6. Click the Pick Color from Screen button again and click anywhere else on your
computer screen to sample the color there.
7. Adjust the Alpha slider to change the Alpha value of your color. If you don’t have
any event under the one that holds your generated media, the black background of
your video begins to show through as you lower the color’s Alpha value.

You will become very familiar with the Animate button in the Video Media Generators window, not so much because
you’ll use it often with generated media (although you might), but because you’ll see it in many windows in Vegas Pro
software. This button leads to a tool—the keyframe controller—which enables you to change the parameters you set
for your generated media over time within the same media event and control the way Vegas Pro transitions between
the different parameter settings. We’ll spend the next lesson exploring how this critical tool works. Once you master it
and begin to fully utilize it, you’ll expand your creative potential radically.
For now, once you’ve adjusted the parameters in the Video Media Generators window, click the Close button in the
upper-right corner of the window to close the window. If you later decide to change the parameters of the generated
media, click the Generated Media button on the event that holds the generated media (see Figure 4.2). Alternatively,
right-click the event and choose Edit Generated Media from the shortcut menu. Either of these methods reopens
the Video Media Generators window.
Figure 4.2
Click the Generated Media button in the event to reopen the Video Media Generators window and adjust the parameters.

Generated Media
 Module 4
54 Generating Media

Lesson 2: Using the keyframe controller

In this lesson, you’ll learn techniques that you’ll use many times while working with Vegas™ Pro software. The
keyframe controller appears at the bottom of various windows throughout the application when you click the Animate
button for any parameter control. Figure 4.3 shows the keyframe controller in the Video Media Generators window.
Mastering keyframe techniques opens up a huge array of possibilities.
Figure 4.3
The keyframe controller gives you countless ways to customize your project.

Keyframe

Click the Generated Media button on an event that holds a solid-color media generator to open the Video Media
Generators window. Click the Animate button. The keyframe controller opens. On the left, a label identifies this as
the keyframe controller for an event that holds media created with the Solid Color generator. Since Color is the only
keyframe bar showing, it is automatically selected and ready for you to edit.
The keyframe timeline appears to the right of the label. At the top, the time ruler indicates the length of the generated
media. Just below the time ruler, the keyframe timeline holds the keyframes associated with the generated media. At
least one keyframe always exists and by default it appears at the beginning of the timeline as shown in Figure 4.3.
When only one keyframe exists in the timeline, it defines the parameters of the generated media for its entire duration
regardless of where on the timeline the keyframe appears.

Private Tutor: What is a keyframe?

pt You may hear a lot of different usages of the word keyframe. For purposes
of this discussion, a keyframe defines the state of an object (in this case, the
parameters of the generated media) at a specific point in time.
The timeline can hold as many keyframes as you want to add. You can create additional keyframes in the timeline and
change the parameters of the generated media at those new keyframes. Thus, you can create a generated media event
with parameter settings that change over time. For example, you can add keyframes to create a generated media event
that starts out as one color, but ends up a different color by the time the playback cursor reaches the end of the event.
The keyframe controller contains several buttons beneath the timeline (see Figure 4.4). We’ll skip the first button, the
Sync Cursor button, for now and defer discussion of that button until Module 7, Enhancing your project, Lesson 6,
Video composites. We’ll also skip over the next four buttons for just a moment, and talk first about the Create
Keyframe button.
To create a new keyframe, click the keyframe timeline at the point where you want the keyframe to appear.
Alternatively, double-click the value in the keyframe controller’s Cursor Position box, type a new value, and press the
Tab key. The flashing cursor moves to the point you chose. Click the Create Keyframe button to add a new
keyframe at the cursor position. The currently selected keyframe is outlined in white.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 55

Figure 4.4
Add as many keyframes as you need to the keyframe controller.

Create Cursor Position

Sync Cursor Keyframes
Keyframe
When you change the parameters of the media generator, the changes apply to only the currently selected keyframe.

Task 4: Creating additional keyframes

This task shows you how to create additional keyframes for an event holding generated media.
1. Add a solid color media generator to a new project. Use the Blue preset.
2. Click the Animate button.
3. Click the middle of the Color keyframe timeline to position the cursor.
4. Click the Create Keyframe button to add a keyframe.
5. Double-click the Cursor Position field for the keyframe timeline to select the
current value.
6. Type “8.15” and press the Tab key to place the cursor at 8 second, 15 frames.
7. Click the Create Keyframe button again to add another keyframe. You now have
three keyframes. Keep this project open so you can use it in the next task.

Let’s return to four of the buttons we skipped earlier. You can use these buttons, shown in Figure 4.5, to navigate
quickly from one keyframe to another. The First Keyframe button takes you to the first keyframe in the timeline.
The Previous Keyframe button takes you to the keyframe to the left of the currently selected keyframe. The Next
Keyframe button takes you to the keyframe to the right of the currently selected keyframe. The Last Keyframe
button takes you to the last keyframe in the timeline. You can also click the desired keyframe to select it.
Figure 4.5
The buttons in the keyframe controller.

Delete Keyframe
First Keyframe
Create Keyframe
Next
Keyframe Last Keyframe
Previous Keyframe

Private Tutor: Selecting multiple keyframes

pt Once again, those standard Windows selection techniques (using the Shift
key and Ctrl key) come in handy because they allow you to select multiple
keyframes simultaneously.
To remove a keyframe, select it and then click the Delete Keyframe button. Alternatively, select the keyframe and
press the Delete key on your computer keyboard. You can also cut, copy, and paste keyframes. To do so, right-click a
keyframe and choose the desired command from the shortcut menu. To reposition a keyframe, drag it to a new spot
on the timeline.
 Module 4
56 Generating Media

Task 5: Selecting and manipulating keyframes

In this task, you’ll use the techniques you just learned to navigate to and manipulate the keyframes you added
in the previous task.
1. If the project you started in the previous task is no longer open, repeat the previous
task.
2. Click the First Keyframe button to select the first keyframe.
3. Click the Next Keyframe button to select the next keyframe in the timeline.
4. Type “9.0” into the Cursor Position box and press Enter.
5. Drag the last keyframe in the timeline to the right until it snaps to the cursor at 9.0
seconds. You might have to zoom into the timeline in order to hit the cursor
exactly. If so, use your mouse wheel or your Up and Down Arrow keys to zoom in
and out. When you’ve placed the keyframe, zoom back out so you can see all of the
keyframes in the timeline.
6. Right-click the middle keyframe and choose Copy from the shortcut menu.
7. Click between the first and second keyframes to reposition the cursor.
8. Right-click the timeline (but not on a keyframe) and choose Paste from the shortcut
menu to paste a keyframe at the cursor position.
9. Click the third keyframe in the timeline and press the Delete key to remove the
keyframe.

You can also define how you want Vegas™ Pro software to handle the transition from one keyframe to the next. By
default, the first keyframe transitions into the next evenly along a linear transition path so, for instance, the color
might change from blue to red at an even (linear) rate. To change the transition style, right-click the first keyframe and
choose a command from the shortcut menu:
• Linear—The parameters of the first keyframe transition evenly into the parameters of the second keyframe.
• Fast—The transition starts out fast, and then slows down as it approaches the second keyframe.
• Slow—The opposite of the Fast transition style described above. The transition starts out slowly, and then
picks up speed as it reaches the second keyframe.
• Smooth—Here, the transition starts out slowly, speeds up until reaching the midpoint between the two
keyframes, and then slows down again as it approaches the second keyframe.
• Sharp—The transition starts out fast, slows down as it reaches the midpoint between the two keyframes,
then speeds up gradually until the end when it ends fast again.
• Hold—The parameters of the first keyframe remain active until the cursor reaches the second keyframe, at
which point the parameters of the second keyframe take over immediately. No transition exists between the
two keyframes.

pt Private Tutor: Quickly identifying the transition style

Vegas Pro software supplies color cues so you can quickly see what
transition style has been applied to your keyframes. Red indicates a
keyframe set to “Hold,” gray indicates “Linear,” green means “Fast,” yellow
means “Slow,” purple indicates that the transition is set to “Smooth,” and pink
indicates that the transition is set to “Sharp.”

Task 6: Keyframes—putting it all together

You now know how to use the keyframe controller. In this task, you’ll use what you know to create generated
media that transitions from one color to another.
1. In a new Vegas Pro project, add a solid color generated media event to the very
beginning of a new project. Use the Blue preset.
2. In the Video Media Generators dialog box, click the Animate button to show the
keyframe controller area.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 57

3. Click the end of the keyframe timeline to place the cursor, and then click the Create
Keyframe button to add a new keyframe at the end of the timeline.
4. With the new keyframe still selected, move the Hue slider all the way to the top to
select red.
5. Click the Play button to play your project. Watch as the Video Preview window
transitions evenly from blue to red according to the linear transition style between
the two keyframes. Click the Stop button.
6. Right-click the first keyframe, and choose Slow Fade from the shortcut menu.
7. Play the project again, and notice that this time the transition from blue to red starts
out slowly and picks up speed as it approaches the second keyframe. Stop playback.
8. Add a new keyframe between the two existing keyframes. Set a different color at
this new keyframe.
9. Right-click the middle keyframe and notice in the shortcut menu that the transition
style matches that of the keyframe directly before it. Choose Smooth from the
shortcut menu.
10. Right-click the first keyframe and choose Hold from the shortcut menu.
11. Play the project and watch as the event remains blue until it reaches the second
keyframe, at which point it turns instantly to the color you defined at the second
keyframe, and then transitions to red as it reaches the end keyframe. Notice that the
transition style of the last keyframe has no effect because there is no keyframe into
which to transition.

Private Tutor: Using a shortcut to create keyframes

pt You can quickly create a new keyframe without clicking the Create
Keyframe button. To do so, click the keyframe timeline to reposition the
cursor. Now, go directly to the parameters section and change any attribute of the
media generator. As soon as you make an adjustment, Vegas™ Pro software adds
a new keyframe to the timeline.
Now that you understand how to use the keyframe controller, we’ll resume our discussion of other types of media
generators in the next few lessons.
 Module 4
58 Generating Media

Lesson 3: Generating color gradients

Now that you know how media generators work, you can use any of the available generators in Vegas™ Pro software.
The main differences between the various generators are the contents of the media each one creates, and (based on
that) what parameters can be changed within the generator. In this lesson, you’ll explore the Color Gradient generator.
The Color Gradient generator offers many more possibilities than Solid Color generator. Click Color Gradient in the
list of media generators in the Media Generators window. Take a moment to look at all of the gradient presets. Several
of the presets contain the checkerboard pattern that indicates transparency, and these can be used to create special
effects. Others have no transparency, and these would typically be used as backgrounds or graphic design elements,
much like the Solid Color generator. Add a Color Gradient generator to your project just as you added the solid-color
generators in the previous lesson.
To create gradients (sometimes called blends), the Color Gradient generator lets you assign colors to two or more
control points. It then creates a gradient between each point and the next-closest point (or points) to it. To see how
this works, choose the Linear Red, Green and Blue preset in the Video Media Generators window. This gradient contains
three control points, as you can see in the Control Points section of the Video Media Generators window. Click
control point #1 to display its color properties in the Control Point Properties section. You can change the point’s
properties if you want using the techniques you learned earlier.
Click control point #2 to display or change its color properties. Notice that control point #1 is set to blue, and point
#2 is set to green. Vegas Pro software builds a blue-to-green blend between the two points. A similar blend goes from
the green of point #2 to the red of point #3.

Task 7: Changing the colors of control points

This task shows you how to change the color of control points to create a custom blend based on a preset.
1. In a new project, click Color Gradient in the list of media generators on the left
side of the Media Generators window.
2. Drag the Linear White to Black preset to the timeline to create a new gradient.
3. Two control points create this gradient. Click control point #1 (at the far left of the
Control Points area) to display the properties for that point. The selected control
point flashes.
4. Set the color for control point #1 to R=255, G=0, B=0. The control point changes
to red, and the gradient now goes from red to black instead of white to black.
5. Click control point #2 (at the far right of the area). Change its color to R=0,
G=255, B=0. The gradient now blends from red at point #1 to green at point #2.

You can also drag control points within the Control Points area to further modify a gradient. As you move points
closer together, the gradient between them becomes less gradual. When you change a point’s position along an
imaginary line that runs through all of the points, the value in the Distance box of the Control Point Properties
section updates accordingly. This value reflects the point’s distance from the center of the Control Points field
(identified by the white cross). You can type a new value in the box if you know exactly where you want to position
the point.
When you change the position of a control point in any direction other than exactly along an imaginary line that runs
through all of the points, you also affect every other control point and change the blend angle. This causes the value
in the Aspect Ratio Angle box to change. If you know an exact angle you want to use for the blend, enter it in the
Aspect Ratio Angle box.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 59

pt Private Tutor: Moving a point off axis

All points are always in a straight line. In other words, they must always
share the same axis. Therefore, if you move one point off of the line, all the
other points have to move in order to maintain the line through them. The axis
remains perpendicular to the blend angle in a linear blend. In elliptical and
rectangular blends (which we’ll discuss in a few minutes), the blend angle affects
the shape of the blend.
You can also move the center of the control points to a new location by dragging them to the desired location. When
you click the center cross, the X and Y boxes replace the Distance box in the Control Point Properties section. You
can type values in the X and Y boxes to specify an exact location for the center point.

Task 8: Repositioning control points

This task shows you how reposition control points and the center point to modify your gradient.
1. From the Preset drop-down list in the Video Media Generators window, choose
Linear Red, Green and Blue.
2. Double-click the Aspect Ratio Angle box to highlight the current value, type “0.0,”
and press Enter to change the blend angle.
3. Drag control point #1 to the top, center of the Control Points area. The other
points move as necessary to maintain the axis through the three control points, and
the blend angle changes accordingly.
4. Move control point #3 up toward point #2. The blend between the two points
becomes more sudden as the two points converge.

So far, we’ve worked only with linear gradients, but Vegas™ Pro software offers two other options: elliptical and
rectangular. Choose a preset to add one of these types of gradient or choose the type you want from the Gradient
Type drop-down list.

Task 9: Creating different gradient types

In this task, you’ll learn how to work with elliptical and rectangular gradients.
1. From the Preset drop-down list in the Video Media Generators window, choose
Elliptical White to Black.
2. Experiment with the two control points and the center position to get an idea of
how you can customize the gradient.
3. After experimenting, choose Elliptical White to Black from the Preset drop-
down list again to restore the gradient.
4. Notice that there is no Rectangular White to Black preset, but you can easily create
one. From the Gradient Type drop-down list, choose Rectangular.
5. Double-click the Preset box to select the current value, and type “Rectangular
White to Black.”
6. Click the Save Preset button. You now have a Rectangular White to Black
preset.
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60 Generating Media

Private Tutor: Grabbing a hidden center point

pt In Task 9, Creating different gradient types you added the Elliptical White to
Black preset to your project. Earlier you learned that you can change the
center point of the Control Points area. But you might notice that if you want to
change the center point of the Elliptical White to Black preset, you have a
problem: control point #1 prevents you from grabbing the center point. To get
around this problem, right-click the Control Points area and choose Reset. This
selects the center point, and you can now drag it to a new position. Experiment
with different center points for elliptical and rectangular gradients; you’ll find that
you can create many interesting effects.
To further modify a gradient, you can add or delete control points. The bottom of the Control Point area displays
four buttons you can use to work with control points (remember, double-click the Video Media Generators window’s
title bar to ensure that you’re seeing all of the controls). Click the Add a new gradient control point button to place
a new control point into your gradient. You can then change the position and attributes of the new control point to
achieve the desired gradient effect. Click the Remove currently selected gradient control point button to delete
the currently selected control point. Click the Select previous gradient control point button to select the control
point with the next lowest number from the currently selected point. Click the Select next gradient control point
button to select the control point with the next highest number.

Task 10: Working with control points

This task shows you how to use the control point buttons to select control points, and add and delete control
points. You’ll learn how additional control points help create many different blend effects.
1. From the Preset drop-down list of the Video Media Generators window, choose
Linear White to Black.
2. Click the Add a new gradient control point button to add a new control point.
3. Move the new point so that it sits over the center point.
4. Adjust the color parameters of the new point to R=255, G=0, B=0, A=255. The
colors now blend from white to red, and then from red to black.
5. Click the Select previous gradient control point button to select control point #2.
6. Change the colors of point #2 to R=0, G=0, B=255. The colors now blend from
white to red, and then from red to blue.

The final two buttons change the number assigned to the selected control point. The Increase gradient control
point position number button swaps the number assigned to the selected control point with the control point that
contains the next highest number. For example, with control point #2 selected, this button causes button #2 to be
labeled “3” and button #3 to be labeled “2.” The Decrease gradient control point position number button has the
opposite effect.
In many cases, the button order makes no difference, but the button order does come into play when you use the
keyframe controller to create transitions from the settings at one keyframe to different settings at the next. In this
case, Vegas™ Pro software blends control point #1 at the first keyframe to control point #1 at the second keyframe.
Point #2 blends to the #2 at the new keyframe, #3 to # 3, and so on. To create interesting effects, change the order
of the buttons at the second keyframe and experiment to see what happens during the transition from the first
keyframe to the next.
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Task 11: Reordering control points to create interesting effects

In this task, you’ll manipulate control points to create different transitional effects between two keyframes.
1. From the Preset drop-down list in the Video Media Generators window, choose
Linear Red, Green and Blue.
2. Click the Animate button to show the keyframe controller area.
3. Click near the midpoint of the keyframe timeline to place the cursor.
4. Type “-45.0” in the Aspect Ratio Angle box and press the Tab key. This creates a
new keyframe.
5. Play your project and notice how the keyframes cause the blend to change as
Vegas™ Pro software transitions from the first keyframe to the next.
6. Click the end of the keyframe timeline and type “-90.0” in the Aspect Ratio Angle
box. Again, this creates a new keyframe.
7. Play your project to see how it looks to this point.
8. Click the last keyframe to select it.
9. Click control point #1 to select it, and then click the Increase gradient control
point position number button twice. What was control point #1 is now #3.
10. Click control point #1 (which is now the middle control point), and then click the
Increase gradient control point position number button once. The control
points now start with #1 at the top of the Control Points area, #2 in the middle,
and #3 at the bottom.
11. Play your project, and notice how changing the order of the points has changed the
effect you achieve.

Private Tutor: Exploring endless possibilities

pt Imagine how you can add or delete control points, change the color
attributes of control points, and even change the gradient type from one
keyframe to another to create even more interesting effects. Now you’re learning
how the keyframe controller makes Vegas Pro software truly limitless in terms of
customizing effects. Experiment to see what you can come up with.
 Module 4
62 Generating Media

Lesson 4: Generating basic text elements

Vegas™ Pro software also provides four media generators you can use to add text to your movies. The (Legacy) Text
tool is the same as the Text tool in previous versions of the application. It has been replaced with more sophisticated
tools, but is still included so that you can open older projects in which you may have used it for your text. Of the
remaining text generators in Vegas Pro software, the Titles & Text generator is the most basic. In this lesson, you’ll
learn how to create great-looking text for your videos with the Titles & Text generator.
To add the Titles & Text media generator, click Titles & Text in the list at the left side of the Media Generators
window. Look at the various preset thumbnails to see what’s available. Most of the presets have transparent
backgrounds. You can use transparent backgrounds to create text overlays where you see the text printed over
another clip in your movie. The Default thumbnail creates simple, static text, while the other presets all feature some
sort of animation. Point to each thumbnail to see the animation in action inside the thumbnail.
To add text to your project, drag a preset to the timeline. The Video Media Generators window for the Titles & Text
generator contains some controls that you probably recognize from using other Windows applications that support
text. The Font Family drop-down list sets the typeface you want to use for your text. Specify how large you want
your text to be in the Font Size box, or choose a size from the Font Size drop-down list. The Bold and Italic
buttons apply those attributes to your text. The three alignment buttons allow you to specify left, center, or right
alignment. Below these controls, the words “Sample Text” appear as a placeholder. Select the sample text and then
type the text you want.
Figure 4.6
Control the look of your text in the Video Media Generators Window.

Size Alignment

Font Italic

Bold
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Task 12: Adding a text event to the timeline and modifying the font
This task takes you through the process of adding text media and then modifying the font. Here you’ll learn
how to adjust type font, size, and other attributes.
1. In the Media Generators window, click Titles & Text in the list of media
generators on the left side.
2. Drag the Default preset thumbnail to the timeline. This adds the text event and
opens the Video Media Generators window.
3. Locate your cursor somewhere within the text event so that you can see the text in
the Video Preview window.
4. Select the current text in the text field.
5. Type “My First Text.” Press the Enter key after the first and second words so that
each word sits on a separate line.
6. Select your new text in the text field.
7. From the Font Family drop-down list, choose Comic Sans MS. (If you don’t have
this font on your computer, any other font will do for this task.)
8. From the Font Size drop-down list, choose 24.
9. Click the Bold button and the Italic button to turn them on and see how they
affect the text. Click them again to turn them off.
10. Click the Align Right and Align Center buttons to see how they affect the text.
Leave the alignment set to Center.
11. Keep this project open, so you can use it in the next task.

Next, let’s change the text color. Click the Text Color drop-down arrow. This opens color chooser tools that are
identical to those you learned to use when we were working with the Solid Color generator a bit ago. Keep in mind
that you may need to use the scroll bar on the right to scroll down so you can see all of the window’s parameters. Use
the color chooser tools to specify a new color for your text. Click the Text Color drop-down arrow again to hide the
color controls.
Next, click the Animation drop-down arrow. You can apply any animation from the list to your current text. The
animations listed here are the same as those used in the Titles & Text presets that you previewed before you added the
Default preset to your timeline. Pick one of the animations from the list to apply it to your text. When you’re done
experimenting, choose None from the list to remove the animation.

Task 13: Specifying text color and adding animation

In this task you’ll learn how to change the color of your text and add animation to it.
1. If the project you worked on in the previous task is no longer open, repeat Task 12,
Adding a text event to the timeline and modifying the font.
2. Click the Text Color drop-down arrow and adjust the controls to set the text color
to dark blue.
3. Click the Text Color drop-down arrow to hide the color controls again.
4. Choose different animation settings from the Animation drop-down list and then
choose None from the list.
5. Keep this project open so you can use it in the next task.

To change the size of your text without changing the font size, adjust the Scale slider. Move it to the right to make
the text block bigger and to the left to make it smaller. Now click the Location drop-down arrow to access the text
locator tools. Drag the locator around inside the location field to place your text into a different area of your video.
When you’re done placing your text, click the Location drop-down arrow to hide the locator tools again.
 Module 4
64 Generating Media

Task 14: Adjusting text placement and scale

In this task you’ll learn how to position your text so that it appears exactly where you want it on the screen.
1. If the project you started in the previous task is no longer open, repeat Task 13,
Specifying text color and adding animation.
2. Drag the Scale slider all the way to the right, then to the left, and notice how large
and small you can make the text using this control. Double-click the Scale slider to
return it to its default position.
3. Click the Location drop-down list and drag the locator to a new spot in order to
change the placement of your text on the video.
4. Double-click the locator to reset it back to its default position
5. Click the Location drop-down arrow again to hide the location tools.
6. Keep this project open so you can continue with it in the next task.

Click the Advanced drop-down arrow. Here you can change the text background and a couple other parameters.
Click the Background drop-down arrow to reveal the Background color controls which by now you’re familiar with
from other color controls. Change the color of your text background and when you’re done experimenting, set the
background’s Alpha value to 0 to make it completely transparent again. Click the Background drop-down arrow
again to hide the Background Color controls.
The Tracking slider controls the amount of space between letters in your text, while with the Line spacing slider
you control the amount of space between lines of text. Make a few adjustments to these settings now to see how they
work. Notice that if you drag these sliders all the way to the left, the text reverses. You can use this along with
animation to create special effects. When you’re done, click the Advanced drop-down arrow again to hide the
advanced controls.

Task 15: Manipulating text properties

This task shows how to use the controls on the Video Media Generators window to add a color background
to your text and adjust the spacing between letters and lines of text.
1. If the project you started in the previous task is no longer open, repeat Task 14,
Adjusting text placement and scale.
2. Click the Advanced drop-down arrow and then the Background drop-down
arrow to access the background color tools. Adjust the background color to a pale
green and raise the Alpha slider all the way up to make the background completely
opaque.
3. Drag the Tracking slider all the way to the right, and then the left to see how far
you can spread and squeeze the text. Double-click the Tracking slider to return it
to its default.
4. Drag the Line spacing slider all the way to the right, and then to the left to see the
range of space between lines. Double-click the Line spacing slider to return it to its
default position.
5. Click the Advanced drop-down arrow to close the advanced tool section.
6. Keep this project open so you can continue with it in the next task.

You can also add outlines and shadows to your text. Click the Outline drop-down arrow. With these controls you can
add an outline around your text. Drag the Outline width slider to the right to make the outline thicker and click the
Outline color drop-down arrow to access the now-familiar color tools that you can use to define the outline color.
Click the Outline drop-down arrow again to hide the outline controls.
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A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 65

Finally, click the Shadow drop-down arrow. Select the Shadow enable checkbox to turn the shadow on. Then use
the color controls to specify the shadow color. Adjust the Shadow offset X and Shadow offset Y sliders to place the
shadow where you want it in relation to the text and adjust the Shadow blur slider to make the shadow more or less
blurry.
When you’re done with all of these text settings, close the Video Media Generators window.

Task 16: Creating text effects

This task shows how to use the Outline and Shadow controls to change the appearance of your text.
1. If the project you worked on in the previous task is no longer open, repeat Task 15,
Manipulating text properties.
2. Click the Outline drop-down arrow and adjust the Outline width slider to change
the width of the text outline.
3. Use the Outline color tools to define a new color for the outline.
4. Double-click the Outline width slider to set the outline width back to 0.000. Click
the Outline drop-down arrow to hide the outline controls.
5. Click the Shadow drop-down arrow and select the Shadow enable checkbox.
6. Use the Shadow color tools to change the shadow color. Set the shadow color back
to black.
7. Set the Shadow offset X and Shadow offset Y controls to 0.050 to create a very
tight shadow on the text.
8. Adjust the Shadow blur slider to 0.700 in order to create a very fuzzy shadow.
9. Keep this project open so you can continue with it in the next task.

Private Tutor: By the numbers

pt In the Task 16, Creating text effects, you’re instructed to set the shadow offsets
and blur to exact values. You can use the sliders to do this, but when you
know the exact values you want (as in this case), it might be quicker for you to
“do it by the numbers.” To enter exact values for these controls, double-click the
current values to select them and then type the new value you want. Press the
Tab key to finalize your new value and move focus to the next field. This
technique works in many places inside Vegas Pro software.

Private Tutor: Tricks with sliders

pt In several of the tasks in this section, you double-clicked various sliders to
set them to their default values. This technique works the same throughout
Vegas Pro software. Any time you want to reset a slider or a fader (like a Volume
fader for instance) to its default value, double-click it. Another technique that
helps when working with sliders allows you to make fine adjustments. You might
notice that it can be difficult to hit an exact value with a slider because small
mouse movements cause large jumps in the slider value. To overcome this
problem, hold the Ctrl key while you drag a slider. Alternatively, hold down the
left and right mouse buttons simultaneously while you drag the slider. Either
method forces the slider to move in much smaller increments.

pt Private Tutor: Don’t forget to set up keyframes

You can create all kinds of special effects on your text with the keyframe
controller. For instance, you could add a series of keyframes that turn the
text from tight to spread out, and from red to blue to black to green. Once again,
the possibilities are absolutely endless, and only the limits of your creativity (and
good taste) stand in the way of interesting text effects.
 Module 4
66 Generating Media

Private Tutor: Creating more sophisticated text elements

pt For simple text treatments, the Titles & Text media generator that you used
in this lesson does a great job. For more sophisticated text treatments,
Vegas™ Pro software offers another media generator: The ProType Titler.
With the ProType Titler, you have fine control over your text’s appearance,
placement, and movement. With it you can create complicated animated text
sequences for more impressive titling.
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Lesson 5: Generating scrolling text elements

You could easily use the keyframe controller along with the Titles & Text media generator that you studied in
Lesson 4, Generating basic text elements, to create moving text like you see at the end of your favorite Hollywood
blockbuster (known as scrolling text or a credit roll). However, the Credit Roll media generator makes the job even
easier. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use the Credit Roll media generator.
To add scrolling text to your project, click Credit Roll in the list of media generators in the Media Generators
window. Hover over each preset thumbnail. Since these presets all have motion built into them, the animations show
you the motion you will get. Drag the desired thumbnail to the timeline.
You can use three line types in the Credit Roll generator: header, single item, and dual item. In the Credits Text
section of the Video Media Generators window, you can add as many of each type as you want. By default, each
preset has four lines of text: one heading, followed by one single-column entry, followed by two two-column entries.
To create additional lines, click the blank square next to where it says, “<Insert text here>” and choose the
appropriate icon from the menu. To delete a line, click the icon for the line and press the Delete key. To change an
existing line from one line type to another, click the icon for the line type and choose the icon for the desired line type
from the menu.
To change the content of a line, double-click the text area for that line and type the new content.

Task 17: Creating scrolling text

In this task, you’ll create your first credit roll using the Credit Roll generator.
1. Click Credit Roll in the list of media generators in the Media Generators window.
2. Drag the Plain Scrolling on Black preset thumbnail to the timeline. This adds the
event to the timeline and opens the Video Media Generators window. Place your
cursor within the event so you can see the text in the Video Preview window.
3. Double-click the content area of the first line to select the words “Title Text.”
4. Type “My First Credit Roll.”
5. In the same way, type “A movie by me” in the second line. Then type “Starring” in
the left column of the next line and “As” in the right column of the same line. In
the fourth line, type “Dash Riprock” on the left and “Slip Skidmoore” on the right.
6. Click the blank square at the beginning of the last line and choose the icon for a
Dual Item (shown in Figure 4.8) from the menu. In the left column, type “Angelica
Voycis” and in the right column, “Doris Overthar.”

Figure 4.8
Choose Dual Item for a new row in the Credits Text section.

Dual item
 Module 4
68 Generating Media

7. Play the movie, and watch the Video Preview window to view your first credit roll.
8. Keep this project open. You’ll build upon it in the next task.
The Properties tab contains controls that enable you to define the behavior of the text on the screen. From the
Effect drop-down list, choose Scrolling Credits to make the kind of credit roll you created in Task 18, Creating
scrolling text. Choose Timed Sequence to create other effects for the entry of text onto the screen and its exit from
the screen.
The Position section determines where to place the text on the screen. Specify the left and right positions, and (for a
timed sequence) the distance the text should appear from the top of the screen.
For scrolling credits, choose the scroll direction from the Scroll Direction drop-down list in the Effect Parameters
section. For a timed sequence, use this section to specify the effects with which the text should enter and exit the
screen. Also, specify how much text should appear at one time in the Display drop-down list.

Task 18: Setting credit roll properties

This task shows you how to use the controls in the Properties tab to control credit roll behavior.
1. If the project you started in the previous task is no longer open, repeat Task 17,
Creating scrolling text.
2. With Scrolling Credits selected in the Effect drop-down list, drag the position
handles (on each side of the position box) to define the right and left position of the
text. When you’re done experimenting, right-click the position box and choose
Reset from the shortcut menu to restore the default settings.
3. Choose Down (Backward) from the Scroll Direction drop-down list.
4. Play the project and watch as your credits roll by in the opposite direction.
5. Choose Up (Forward) from the Scroll Direction drop-down list.
6. Choose Timed Sequence from the Effect drop-down list.
7. Choose Fast Fade In from the In drop-down list.
8. Choose Zoom Out from the Out drop-down list.
9. Choose One at a Time from the Display drop-down list.
10. Play your project, and watch your new credit roll.
11. Keep this project open so that you can build on it in the next task.

The Styles tab contains controls that let you define the appearance of the text in your credit rolls. To define the style
for each type of credit line, choose the name of the line from the Name drop-down list and then make adjustments to
the controls. Most of the controls are familiar to you from working with basic text back in Lesson 4, Generating basic
text elements. The two unique controls—Space Above and Space Below—enable you to set the amount of space
between one line and the next.
When you choose Dual Item from the Name drop-down list, several new options appear. Font-related selections
now exist for each text column so they can be set independently. The Center Width slider adjusts the amount of
space between the left and right entries when you use the “Align Center” style, and the Connect Sides With drop-
down list provides several options for creating a visual connection between the two columns. Set the background
color with the Background Color box at the bottom of the Styles tab. The controls and options on the Styles tab
are the same whether your credit roll is a timed sequence or rolling credit as described above.

Task 19: Defining the text line styles

In this task, you’ll modify the appearance of each of the text line styles.
1. If the project you worked on in the previous task is no longer open, repeat Task 18,
Setting credit roll properties.
2. Choose Scrolling Credits from the Effect drop-down list.
3. Click the Styles tab.
4. Choose Header from the Name drop-down list.
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5. Choose Impact as the font, set the font size to 36, and click the font color square
to set the font color to R=255, G=150, B=0.
6. To add extra space after the main headline, adjust the Space Below slider to .25
(slide it all the way to the right).
7. Choose Single Item from the Name drop-down list.
8. Set the font to Comic Sans MS, the font size to 28, and click the font color square
to set the font color to R=255, G=0, B=0.
9. Enter 1.000 into the Space Below field.
10. Choose Dual Item from the Name drop-down list. Notice that there are several
new options. For instance, font-related selections now exist for each text column so
they can be set independently.
11. Move the Center Width slider to .125. This adjusts the distance between the two
columns.
12. Choose Dashes from the Connect Sides With drop-down list to add a dashed line
between the left and right entries.
13. Play the project to view your new credit roll in the Video Preview window.

pt Private Tutor: Reordering your credits

What happens in the event that you thought you finished your credits only
to realize that you left a line out somewhere in the middle? Since no
“reorder” buttons exist, you might think you have to do a lot of retyping, but a
hidden solution exists. Insert a new line, and enter the desired information into it.
Of course, the line is out of order since it was added to the end, but you need it in
the middle. Select the new line and press Ctrl+X to cut the new line. Select the
line you want to appear immediately after the new one in your credit roll and press
Ctrl+V to paste the new line above the selected line.

pt Private Tutor: Creating credits externally

You can also use your favorite word processor or other application to
compose your credits. When you’re done, copy them from the other
application and paste them into the Credit Roll generator. If you used tabs in your
word processor, the credits are automatically formatted as Dual Items.

Private Tutor: Additional Media Generators

pt The Media Generators window contains other types of media generators
that we haven’t discussed in this module. Now that you know how media
generators work, you’re well equipped to get the most out of these additional
generators. It’s fun and informative to experiment with the different types of
media generators and their various settings, and that’s also a great way to learn
more about them. In particular, work with the Checkerboard and Noise
Generator media generators to create interesting backgrounds and graphic
elements for your video projects.
 Module 4
70 Generating Media

Conclusion
As you learned in this module, a lot of power lies in generated media. You learned how to make solid color events
that you can use as backgrounds. You also added gradients that can enhance the look of your video presentation and
create interesting special effects. You now know how to create text overlays, and understand the power that media
generators give you for making professional-looking scrolling credits. One of the most significant things you learned
in this module was how to use the keyframe controller and various parameter settings to make your generated media
more dynamic. You will use the keyframe controller many times to enhance a wide variety of Vegas™ Pro tools.
Exercises
1. True or false: You must install media generators separately in order to use them with Vegas Pro software.
2. Vegas Pro features the Titles & Text generator that was added as a new feature to version 11. You may have
created projects in older versions of the application. Since older versions didn’t include the Titles & Text tool,
what must you do to make the text appear properly when you open those old projects in Vegas Pro 11?
a. First open the project in your old version and use the ProType Titler to recreate all of
your text.
b. Click the Convert Text to Titles & Text button.
c. Nothing. The old titler is still included in Vegas Pro 11 with the new name Text (Legacy).
d. In Vegas Pro 11, delete all old text events and recreate them with the Titles & Text tool.
3. True or false: In the preset thumbnails, a checkerboard pattern indicates transparency so that the better you
can see the checkerboard, the more transparent the color will be.
4. True or false: The keyframe controller appears only in the Video Media Generators window and thus is only
useful for generated media.
5. Which of the following best describes a keyframe as used in the keyframe controller?
a. The first frame of a new scene in your movie.
b. The state of an object at a specific point in time.
c. The most important frame in the movie.
d. A special frame that helps the movie play more efficiently.
6. True or false: A gradient can also be called a blend.
7. Which of the following is not an option for the transition from one keyframe to the next?
a. Hold
b. Smooth
c. Fast
d. Exponential
8. True or false: Credit rolls can only roll up.
9. True or false: Test patterns are used to make sure Vegas Pro software is working properly.
10. How many keyframes can you add to a single keyframe controller?
a. The answer depends upon how much RAM you have on your computer.
b. 10 for credit rolls and 15 for all other generators.
c. Unlimited.
d. 20.
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11. Which of the following is not a valid gradient type in Vegas™ Pro software?
a. Linear.
b. Triangular.
c. Elliptical.
d. Rectangular.
12. True or false: In order to create a transparent portion in generated media, you must use the Checkerboard
media generator.
13. Which of the following is not a valid text control in the Text & Title generator?
a. Line Spacing
b. Text Squeezing
c. Tracking
d. Shadow offset Y
Essays
1. Explain how you would use the keyframe controller to create a video sequence in which the background
color starts out red and remains red for a few seconds, changes suddenly to blue, and transforms to yellow at
an even pace over the next few seconds.
2. Describe the process you would go through to create a credit roll at the end of your movie that contains the
following elements:
• A headline
• Two subheadings (on different lines)
• 10 lines of text, each of which contains two columns
3. Describe how you would add a new subheading between the fifth and sixth lines of two-column text in a
credit roll.
 Module 4
72 Generating Media
Module 5: Navigation and
zoom/view techniques
Back in Module 1, The Vegas™ Pro Interface, you learned how to
play and pause your project. In this module, you’ll learn how to
use the other transport buttons in Vegas Pro software. You’ll
create a loop region and explore its usefulness when editing a
project. This module also discusses zoom and view techniques
that help you find exact edit points in your project and make it
easier to focus on a specific track or event.
In this module you’ll do the following:
• Use the Vegas Pro transport controls to play and navigate
through your project.
• Master loop playback techniques.
• Learn how to resize tracks.
• Use zoom techniques to make it easier to work with
specific areas of your project.
 Module 5
74 Navigation and zoom/view techniques

Lesson 1: Using the transport buttons

The transport bar, shown in Figure 5.1, contains all of the buttons that enable you to navigate through, play, and
record audio into your project. This lesson takes a close look at each of the buttons, with the exception of the Record
button, which you learned about in Module 3.
Figure 5.1
The transport buttons are located at the bottom of the timeline.

Play From Start Pause Go to Start Previous Frame

Loop Playback Play Stop Go to End Next Frame

You’ve also already used the Play button, but let’s quickly review what you know about it. Click the Play button (or
press the spacebar) to begin project playback from the cursor position. The project begins to play back, and you see
the cursor moving through the project. Notice that Vegas™ Pro software marks the point where the cursor started
with a stationary vertical line. With the project still playing, click the Play button again. The cursor instantly returns to
the starting point and continues playing from there.
With the project still playing, click the Pause button (or press the Enter key). This stops the cursor right where it is.
Like the Pause button, the Stop button also stops project playback. Play your project again. With the project playing,
click the Stop button and notice that the project cursor jumps back to the starting point. Remember, the Stop button
first stops playback and then automatically rewinds the project, while the Pause button stops playback and maintains
the cursor position.

Task 1: Controlling project playback

In this task you’ll use the Play, Pause, and Stop buttons to control the playback of your project.
1. Open M05Task001.veg in the LessonFiles\Module05\ folder on the companion disc.
2. Click the Play button.
3. As soon as you see the scene change from the wide-front shot to the tight-side shot,
click the Pause button. The cursor stops where it is.
4. Click the Play button again.
5. When the scene changes from the tight-side to the wide-side shot, click the Stop
button. Now the cursor returns to the location where you started playback.
6. Keep this project open so you can use it in the next task.

Private Tutor: Spacebar behavior

pt Vegas Pro software has its roots deep in the digital audio world. From the
beginning with all Sony® Creative Software products, the spacebar has
acted as the shortcut for the Play button when the project is stopped and for the
Stop button when the project is playing. On the other hand, digital video editing
packages have traditionally used the spacebar as a shortcut for the Play button
when the project is stopped and for the Pause button when the project is playing.
If you prefer the traditional video-editing behavior (play/pause), choose Options
| Preferences to open the Preferences dialog. On the General tab, select the
Make spacebar and F12 Play/Pause instead of Play/Stop check box (about
half way through the list). Click OK to close the Preferences dialog. The spacebar
now behaves according to the traditional video-editing model.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 75

The Play From Start button begins playback of your project from the beginning regardless of the cursor position.
Click the Play From Start button. When you click the Stop button, the cursor returns to its position when you
clicked Play From Start and not to the beginning of the project.

Task 2: Playing from the start

In this task, you’ll learn the difference between the Play button and the Play From Start button.
1. If the project you worked on in the previous task is no longer open, open
M05Task001.veg in the LessonFiles\Module05\ folder on the companion disc.
2. Click the Play button. The project begins playing from the current cursor position
(near the change from the wide-front shot to the tight-side shot if you completed
Task 1).
3. Click the Stop button.
4. Click the Play From Start button (Shift+Spacebar). The project begins playing
from the beginning without regard to the location of the cursor.
5. Click the Stop button. The cursor returns to its original position.
6. Keep this project open so you can use it in the next task.

The Go to Start and Go to End buttons help you move quickly to the beginning and end of your project. Click the
Go to Start button (Ctrl+Home) to return the cursor to the beginning of the project. If the project is playing when
you click this button, the cursor returns to the beginning of the project and continues playing from there.
Click the Go to End button (Ctrl+End) to move the cursor to the end of the last event in the project. If the project
is playing when you click this button, the cursor moves to the end of the project and continues playing from there
(even though there is nothing more in the project to see or hear).
The Previous Frame and Next Frame buttons enable you to move through your project one frame at a time in either
direction. This is helpful when you want to find an exact edit point or when you see a problem (such as a glitch in the
video) and need to find the exact frame where it starts and ends.

Task 3: Navigating to the beginning and end of the project

In this task, you’ll use the Go to Start and Go to End buttons to navigate instantly to the start and end of
your project.
1. If the project you worked on in the previous task is no longer open, open
M05Task001.veg in the \LessonFiles\Module05\ folder on the companion disc.
2. Click the Go to End button. The cursor moves instantly to the end of the last event
in the project.
3. Click the Go to Start button to move the cursor to the beginning of the project.
4. Click in the middle of an event on the project.
5. Click the Previous Frame button to move your timeline cursor one frame
backwards.
6. Click the Next Frame button to move your timeline cursor one frame forward.
7. Leave this project open so you can use it in the next task.
 Module 5
76 Navigation and zoom/view techniques

Lesson 2: Using loop playback mode

The Loop Playback button (refer to Figure 5.1) toggles Vegas™ Pro software into and out of loop playback mode.
In loop playback mode, you can define an area within your project that you want to play repeatedly (known as looping
the area) while you evaluate that section of the project and make edits or adjustments to it. To enter loop playback
mode, click the Loop Playback button or press Q. Alternatively, choose Options | Loop Playback.
Above the time ruler at the top of the timeline, you can see the loop region indicator, shown in Figure 5.2. If you
don’t see it, drag your mouse above the time ruler to create a region. When not in loop playback mode, the bar is gray.
When in loop playback mode, the bar is blue, and vertical lines run down through your project to identify the
beginning and end of the loop region. You may also see shading in the timeline between the ends of the loop region.
We’ll talk more about this shading in Module 6, Basic editing techniques, Lesson 4, Additional selection techniques.
Figure 5.2
The Loop region turns blue when you enter loop playback mode.

Loop Region

Since you can adjust the length of the loop region, it may not appear to be a bar as in Figure 5.2. It may look like only
one yellow triangle at the beginning of the timeline, or like two triangles next to each other. Both of these cases
indicate that the loop region is too narrow to see. To adjust the length of the loop region, drag one of the yellow
triangles left or right. Double-click an event to set the loop region to the exact length of the event. To move the loop
region without changing its length, drag the bar.

Task 4: Setting up loop playback

This task shows you how to enter loop playback mode and adjust the loop region to the length you want.
1. If the project you worked on in the previous task is no longer open, open
M05Task001.veg in the LessonFiles\Module05\ folder on the companion disc.
2. Double-click the event that holds the tight-side clip. This sets the loop region to the
length of that event.
3. Click anywhere on the timeline and notice that clicking in the timeline does not
change the length of the loop region (although it does make the shading disappear
from the timeline).
4. Click the Loop Playback button to enter loop playback mode.
5. Drag the yellow triangle at the left end of the loop region to the left to make the
loop region longer, then right to make it shorter. Do the same with the yellow
triangle on the right end of the bar.
6. Drag the middle of the loop region to move it.
7. Leave this project open so you can work more with it in the following task.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 77

With Vegas™ Pro software in loop playback mode, the project plays normally until it reaches the end of the loop
region. At that point, the cursor returns to the beginning of the loop region and continues to play. This cycle—or
loop—continues until you stop playback or turn off loop playback mode. If the cursor is already located after the loop
region when you click the Play button, loop playback mode has no effect on playback since the cursor never reaches
the end of the loop region.

Task 5: Playing your project in loop playback mode

In this task, you’ll play your project in loop playback mode to see how you can continually play a section of
your project while working on it.
1. If the project you worked on in the previous task is no longer open, repeat Task 4,
Setting up loop playback.
2. Click in the timeline before the loop region to place the cursor.
3. Click the Play button. Let the project play through the loop region to see how it
starts over when it reaches the end.
4. After you’ve seen it play through the region a couple of times (and with the project
still playing), click the Loop Playback button to turn off loop playback mode.
When the cursor reaches the end of the region, it plays right through since you are
no longer in loop playback mode.
5. Close the project without saving your work.
 Module 5
78 Navigation and zoom/view techniques

Lesson 3: Keyboard shortcuts and focus

Now that we’ve talked about using shortcuts to play, stop, and pause your project, we need to turn our attention to
focus for a moment. In this lesson, you’ll learn how the focus of the interface affects keyboard shortcuts.
You know already that the Vegas™ Pro window contains several sections. When you click in a specific section, that
section gains focus, or becomes the active portion of the interface. Vegas Pro software usually provides some visual
cue so you can identify the section of the screen that has focus. For instance, when the timeline has focus, the cursor
flashes. When a track header has focus, a small dot in the track icon flashes. When the Explorer window has focus,
you’ll generally see an item in the folder/file list selected or with a dotted line around it.
Make sure you know which section of the screen has focus, because keyboard shortcuts affect the portion of the
Vegas Pro window that has focus. For example, the spacebar has different functions depending upon which area of
the screen has focus. For instance, as you’ve seen, if the timeline or track list has focus, the spacebar works as the
shortcut for the Play/Stop buttons in the timeline. However, if the Explorer window has focus with a file selected,
the spacebar works as the shortcut for the Start Preview/Stop Preview buttons.

Task 6: Experimenting with focus

In this task, you’ll see how the function of the spacebar depends upon which window has focus.
1. Create a new project.
2. In the Explorer window, browse to the \SampleMedia\Video folder on the
companion disc.
3. Add PaceLineFromFront.avi to the timeline and click to place your cursor at the
beginning of the event. Notice that the cursor flashes within the timeline to indicate
that the timeline currently has focus.
4. Press the Spacebar. Since the timeline has focus, this shortcut starts playback on
the timeline.
5. Select PaceLineFromSideTight.avi in the Explorer window.
6. Press the Spacebar. Instead of stopping project playback, this time
PaceLineFromSideTight.avi begins to preview. Since the Explorer window has focus,
the spacebar works as the shortcut for Start/Stop Preview.

Private Tutor: Shortcuts for play no matter which window has focus
pt Since playing your project is obviously such an important function, Vegas
Pro software provides a couple of shortcuts to start playback regardless of
focus. Press Ctrl+Spacebar or F12 to play/stop the project even if the timeline
doesn’t have focus. You might even want to get into the habit of using
Ctrl+Spacebar to play your project whether the timeline has focus or not so you
don’t have to worry about it.
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A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 79

Lesson 4: Controlling project view (zoom levels)

In the next Module, Basic Editing Techniques, you’ll learn some of the most common methods you can use to edit your
video. As you work with your projects, you’ll find that sometimes you would like to concentrate on an event or an edit
point. In this lesson, you’ll learn to use the various zoom tools in Vegas™ Pro software to make it easier to do so.
In Vegas Pro software, you can zoom horizontally (called “zoom in/out time”) and vertically (called “zoom in/out
track height”). Both zoom methods play important roles in your editing, and several methods exist for zooming in
both directions—either individually or simultaneously.
The Zoom tool provides a familiar zoom method for anyone who has used graphics software. You can access the
Zoom tool in these ways:
• Choose Edit | Editing Tool | Zoom.
• Click the Zoom Edit Tool button in the Vegas Pro toolbar (see Figure 5.3).
• Click the Zoom Edit Tool button in the lower-right-hand corner of the timeline.

Figure 5.3
There are several ways to access the Zoom tool.

Normal Edit Tool Zoom Edit Tool

Click anywhere within the timeline with the Zoom Edit Tool to zoom out as far as possible. This makes every track in
your project as small vertically as possible (known as minimizing each track), and resizes the project horizontally to fit
the entire project in the visible area of the timeline.
To zoom in, select the Zoom Edit Tool, and then drag around an area in the timeline. This enlarges the selected area
as much as possible (as dictated by the size of the visible timeline). When you’re done zooming, click the Normal
Edit Tool button, shown in Figure 5.3 (or choose Edit | Editing Tool | Normal Edit) and resume working on
your edits.

Private Tutor: Switching between edit tools

pt Choose Edit | Editing Tool to view the list of available tools. You can use
keyboard shortcuts to change from one tool to another. Press D on your
keyboard to switch to the next editing tool in the list. Press Shift+D to switch to
the previous tool in the list. Press Ctrl+D to return to the Normal Edit Tool
regardless of the currently active tool.
 Module 5
80 Navigation and zoom/view techniques

Task 7: Using the Zoom tool

This task shows you how to zoom in time and zoom in track height simultaneously with the Zoom tool.
You’ll also see an example of when zooming into your project is critical for proper editing.
1. Open M05Task007.veg in the LessonFiles\Module05\ folder on the companion disc.
2. Notice the video events in track 1. When your project is zoomed far out, they look
as though they touch one another. Click the Play button to view the project. If you
watch closely, you’ll notice a quick flash of black in your Video Preview window
between the first and second events. We’ll zoom in to find the problem.
3. Click the Zoom Edit Tool button.
4. Drag from the right edge of the first event to just past the left edge of the second
event. In other words, create a zoom area that includes the spot where the first clip
ends and the second clip begins.
5. When you release the mouse button, you zoom in instantly. At this increased zoom
level, you can see that the two events do not actually touch. The gray area between
the two events is the blank track showing through the gap between the two events,
and you see this as a black flash when you preview the project.
6. With the Zoom Edit Tool still selected, click anywhere on the timeline to zoom all
the way out again.
7. Click the Normal Edit Tool button.
8. Close this project without saving any changes (if you made any).

To zoom in or out on the timeline (horizontally), use the zoom time controls located in the lower-right corner of the
timeline. Click the Zoom In Time button (or press the Up Arrow key) to zoom in step by step, or click and hold the
button to zoom all the way in. Click the Zoom Out Time button (or press the Down Arrow key) to zoom out step
by step, or click and hold the button to zoom all the way out.
Drag the bar between the Zoom In Time and the Zoom Out Time buttons to the left and right to zoom in and out
horizontally. This control provides a quick way to zoom in and out in large increments.
When you use the zoom time controls, the focal point of the zoom is the cursor so that as you zoom in, the cursor
always remains visible on your screen. Therefore, these controls are most useful when (as in the task below) you click
to place the cursor at or very near the exact point in your project you want to inspect at a different zoom level.

Task 8: Using the Zoom In/Out Time buttons

In this task, you’ll use the Zoom In Time and Zoom Out Time buttons to change the horizontal
magnification of your project.
1. Open M05Task007.veg in the LessonFiles\Module05\ folder on the companion disc.
2. Click in the timeline to place the cursor close to the point where the first event ends
and the second event begins.
3. Click the Zoom In Time button until you can see the space between the two events.
4. Click and hold the Zoom Out Time button until the project zooms all the way out again.
5. Drag the bar between the Zoom In Time and Zoom Out Time buttons to the left
until you can see the space between the two events again.
6. Drag the bar between the Zoom Time In and Zoom Time Out buttons to the
right until the project is zoomed all the way out.
7. Keep this project open so that you can work with it more in the next task.

Private Tutor: Zooming with the mouse wheel

pt If you have a mouse with a mouse wheel, hover over the timeline and use
the mouse wheel to quickly zoom in or out in time.
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A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 81

The horizontal scroll bar at the bottom of the timeline also functions as a zoom time tool. It acts differently from the
zoom time controls we just discussed in that it does not use the cursor as the focal point of the zoom. Instead, it uses
the earliest visible spot in the timeline or the latest visible spot in the timeline as the focal point as described below.
To use the scroll bar to zoom in and out, drag either end of the scroll bar. If dragging the left end of the scroll bar,
Vegas™ Pro software uses the latest visible spot in the timeline as the focal point. Drag right to zoom in or left to
zoom out. When you drag the right end of the scroll bar, the earliest visible spot in the timeline becomes the focal
point. Drag left to zoom in and right to zoom out. Finally, double-click the scroll bar to zoom all the way out.

Task 9: Using the horizontal scroll bar to zoom

This task shows you how the scroll bar functions as a zoom tool.
1. If the project you worked on in the previous task is no longer open, open
M05Task007.veg in the LessonFiles\Module05\ folder on the companion disc.
2. Drag the left edge of the scroll bar to the right to zoom in as far as you can. Notice
that since the last visible spot on the timeline contains no events, eventually you
zoom in so far that no event is visible.
3. Double-click the scroll bar to zoom out completely.
4. Drag the right edge of the scroll bar to the left until you’ve zoomed in as far as
possible. This time, the earliest visible spot in the timeline (in this case, the
beginning of the project) serves as the focal point.
5. Double-click the scroll bar to zoom out completely.
6. Keep this project open so that you can work with it in the next task.

pt Private Tutor: Zooming in other places

You’ll see zoom controls appear in other windows within Vegas Pro
software in addition to the timeline. For instance, you’ve already zoomed in
the keyframe controller, and may have noticed that these have similar zoom tools.
Look for zoom controls whenever you find yourself wishing you could get a
closer look at what you’re working on. If you wish you could zoom in or out,
you’ll probably find zoom controls to let you do just that.
Use the zoom track height controls when you want to make all tracks in your project taller or shorter. Click the Zoom
In Track Height button repeatedly to increase track height one step at a time. Click and hold the Zoom In Track
Height button to increase track height of all tracks until the selected track occupies the entire height of the timeline.
Click the Zoom Out Track Height button repeatedly to decrease track height one step at a time. Click and hold the
Zoom Out Track Height button to zoom out completely.
Drag the bar between the Zoom In Track Height and Zoom Out Track Height buttons up to increase track
height and down to decrease track height. This control provides a quick way to zoom in and out in large increments.
If not zoomed out completely already, double-click the vertical scroll bar to zoom out completely. If zoomed out
completely, double-click the vertical scroll bar to return all tracks to the default track height.

Task 10: Zooming track height

In this task, you’ll change track height with the Zoom Track Height controls and the vertical scroll bar.
1. If the project you worked on in the previous task is no longer open, open
M05Task007.veg in the LessonFiles\Module05\ folder on the companion disc.
2. Click the Zoom In Track Height button to increase the track height. Click and
hold the button to increase the track height until the selected track occupies the
entire height of the timeline.
3. Drag the bar between the Zoom In Track Height and Zoom Out Track Height
buttons down to decrease the height of each track to the smallest height possible.
4. Double-click the vertical scroll bar to return each track to the default track height.
 Module 5
82 Navigation and zoom/view techniques

Conclusion
In this module, you learned how to get at the details of your project by using the zoom tools. You also learned how to
quickly navigate from one end of your project to the other. You used loop playback mode and discovered how this
can be helpful when working on a specific section of your project. You also learned how focus affects the behavior of
shortcut keys. You’ll use these techniques often, so mastering them now will help you quickly increase your
productivity.
Exercises
1. Which of the following best describes the difference between the Play button and the Play From Start
button?
a. You can click the Play button at any time, while you cannot click the Play From Start
button while the project is playing.
b. The Play button adjusts the position of the cursor; the Play From Start button does not.
c. Double-clicking the Play button plays the project at double speed, but double-clicking the
Play From Start button has no effect.
d. The Play button begins project playback from the current cursor position, but the Play
From Start button begins playback from the start of the project regardless of the location
of the cursor.
2. True or false: The spacebar must always act as a toggle between Play and Stop.
3. True or false: There is no functional difference between the Pause and Stop buttons.
4. Which of the following describes the usefulness of loop playback mode?
a. You can play an area of your project repeatedly without having to repeatedly click Play.
b. You can use audio loops in your project to create special sound effects.
c. You can create a movie that can loop endlessly.
d. Loop playback mode ensures that the media you use to build the current project can also
be used in a later project.
5. True or false: You can drag the yellow triangles on either end of the loop region to adjust the length of the
loop region.
6. True or false: Once you define the loop region, its position cannot be changed.
7. Which of the following describes a situation in which the loop region has absolutely no effect on playback of
the project?
a. You hold the Ctrl key when you click the Play button (the Ctrl key overrides Play Looped
mode).
b. You start project playback with the Play From Start button instead of the Play button.
c. The cursor is currently located after the loop region has ended, and you click the Play
button to begin project playback.
d. The cursor is currently located before the loop region has begun, and you click the Play
button to begin project playback.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 83

8. Why is focus important when using keyboard shortcuts?

a. Some keystrokes produce different results depending on which window has focus.
b. Focus makes your video look clearer to the viewer.
c. Assigning focus “pairs” enables you to use a single keyboard shortcut to accomplish two
or more functions simultaneously.
d. Focus has nothing to do with keyboard shortcuts.
9. True or false: Because the play function is so important, you can press F12 to play your project no matter
which window has focus.
10. Which two of the following describe ways to zoom into or out of the timeline?
a. Zoom In/Out Time.
b. Zoom In/Out Horizontally.
c. Zoom In/Out Events.
d. Zoom In/Out Track Height.
11. Draw a line from the keyboard shortcut to the action it performs:
a. Spacebar Play regardless of focus
b. Ctrl+Spacebar Zoom In Time
c. Up Arrow Loop playback mode
d. Q Play/Stop
e. Ctrl+D Select the Normal Edit Tool
Essays
1. Describe the difference between the results of clicking the Stop button and the results of clicking the Pause
button.
2. Describe a situation in which you would make use of loop playback mode. How could you use the zoom
techniques you learned in this module in conjunction with loop playback mode?
 Module 5
84 Navigation and zoom/view techniques
Module 6: Basic
editing techniques
So far, you’ve learned many ways to add media files to your
projects. You’ve seen that not only can you add a variety of
media files, but you can also create your own media using
media generators, video capture techniques, and audio
recording. The real strength of Vegas™ Pro software,
however, lies in what you can do with the media files once
you’ve added them to the timeline. This module focuses on the
basic editing techniques that you use to build exactly the video
or audio project you envision. We call them basic, but there’s a
lot of power in the techniques we discuss here.
In this module you’ll learn how to do the following:
• Make simple and complex selections on the timeline.
• Reposition events.
• Edge trim events.
• Cut, copy, paste, and delete events.
• Use ripple editing techniques
• Split one event into two or more.
• Use markers and regions to organize your work.
 Module 6
86 Basic editing techniques

Lesson 1: Selecting events

Throughout this module, you’ll perform a number of operations on events in the timeline to create the exact edits you
want, but before you can edit events, you must select them. As you’ll see in this lesson and Lesson 4, Additional selection
techniques, you have several different selection options. You’ll see that sometimes the same editing technique achieves
different results depending upon the selection you make. These selection techniques are therefore quite important
because once they become second nature to you, you’ll more fully understand the wide variety of options you have
available at virtually every editing decision point in your project. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to select one or more
events in preparation for editing.
To select an event on the timeline, click it. An unselected audio event has a white background as shown in Figure 6.1,
and the waveform within the event is the color of the track icon in the event’s track header. When you select an audio
event, Vegas™ Pro software changes the event’s background color to match the color of the track icon and changes
the color of the waveform to lighter shade of that color.
Figure 6.1
Unselected events have white backgrounds.

The background of a selected video event also changes to match the color of the track icon in the track header. You
can see the background of the video event along the top and bottom edges of the event (and before and after each
thumbnail in events long enough to hold more than one thumbnail).
To select a different event, click it. The previously selected event becomes deselected, while the event you click on
simultaneously becomes selected. To deselect all events, click anywhere in the timeline that does not contain an event.

Task 1: Selecting single events

In this task, you’ll select an audio event and then a video event. You’ll compare the look of the selected
events to deselected copies of the same events.
1. Open M06Task001.veg in the LessonFiles\Module06\ folder on the companion disc.
Track 1 holds two events that contain the same piece of audio media. Track 2 holds
two events that contain the same piece of video media. Notice that both video
events look the same, as do the two audio events.
2. Click one of the audio events to select it. Its background changes to red, and the
waveform changes to a pale shade of the same red.
3. Click one of the video events to select it. This deselects the audio event you selected
in Step 2. Compare the gold background of the selected event to the background of
the unselected video event (which remains white).
4. Click a blank area of the timeline to deselect all events in the project.

Private Tutor: Repositioning the cursor without deselecting events

pt As you saw in the previous task, you can click anywhere in the timeline that
does not contain an event to deselect events. Sometimes, however, this
presents a bit of a problem because often you’ll want to reposition the cursor
without losing your selection. To accomplish this, click the blank area right above
the time ruler (the area that holds the loop region). The cursor moves to the point
at which you click and any selected events remain selected.
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A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 87

You can select several events at the same time and then apply an edit to all of those events. You can use several
different techniques to select multiple events. Hold the Ctrl or Shift key while clicking events to select more than one
event on the timeline.
Vegas™ Pro software also provides a quick way to select an event and every event that comes after it in the same
track: right-click the first event you want to select and choose Select Events to End from the shortcut menu. You
might use this technique to deal with a situation in which you decide that an event should occur at a different point in
your project, but that all the events that follow it should maintain their current relationship to the original event. In
this case, select all the events and move the first one to the desired point in the project. All of the other selected
events move accordingly. You’ll discover many other uses for this selection technique as you get more familiar with
Vegas Pro software. (You’ll learn how to move events in Lesson 2 of this module, Moving events.)

Task 2: Selecting multiple events

In this task, you’ll use the two techniques you’ve learned for selecting more than one event at a time.
1. Open M06Task002.veg in the LessonFiles\Module06\ folder on the companion disc.
2. Click the first audio event to select it.
3. Hold the Ctrl key and click the last audio event to add it to the selection.
4. If you’re not still holding down the Ctrl key, do so again now. Click the second
video event in track 2 (the middle event on track 2) to add it to the selection.
5. Click a blank area of the timeline to deselect all selected events.
6. Click the second audio event to select it.
7. Hold the Shift key and click the second event in track 3. This adds that event and
every event between it and the second audio event (selected in Step 6) to the
selection. Notice that between the events means horizontally across the timeline and
vertically across tracks.
8. Click a blank area of the timeline to deselect all events.
9. Right-click the second audio event and choose Select Events to End from the
shortcut menu. This selects the second event and every event that occurs after it in
the same track. The first audio event remains unselected.
10. Click a blank area of the timeline to deselect all events. Keep this project open so
you can use it again in the next task.

Private Tutor: Combining two selection techniques

pt You’ve learned two ways to select more than one event at a time. You can
also combine these two techniques to select all events from a certain point
on the timeline to the end of the project even if the events are on different tracks.
To do this, first use the Ctrl+click method to select the first event in each track
that you want to select. Now, right-click any one of the selected events and
choose Select Events to End from the shortcut menu. This selects all of the
events in the project that follow each of the selected events.
The Selection Edit tool lets you draw a selection rectangle anywhere in the timeline and thus select more than one
event at a time. To use the Selection Edit tool, choose Edit | Editing Tool | Selection, or click the Selection Edit
Tool button, shown in Figure 6.2.

Figure 6.2
Click the Selection Edit Tool button to use the Selection Edit tool.

Selection Edit Tool

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88 Basic editing techniques

The Selection Edit tool has three states. In the default state, you define the length and width of the selection area
rectangle in a free-form manner. In the second state, you control only the width of the rectangle; the height of the
rectangle always stretches across every track in the project. Use this mode to quickly select all of the events within a
certain time range. The third state allows you to control only the height of the rectangle; the width of the rectangle
stretches across the entire length of the project. Use this mode to select every event on a track or multiple tracks.
To rotate through the three selection states, click and drag to begin defining a rectangle in the default free-form state.
Continue to hold the left mouse button, and then click the right mouse button. The first click changes to the
horizontal-adjustment-only state, the next click changes to the vertical-adjustment-only state, and the third click
returns to the free-form state.

Task 3: Using the Selection Edit tool

This task shows you how to use the various states of the Selection Edit tool to define a selection area.
1. If the file from the previous task is no longer open, open M06Task002.veg in the
LessonFiles\Module06\ folder on the companion disc.
2. Click the Selection Edit Tool button.
3. Click the second audio event, and hold the mouse button while dragging the
selection rectangle down and to the right until you reach the last event in track 3,
then release the mouse button. Notice that this selects all events that fell at least
partially within the selection area you defined (which does not include the first event
on track 1 or track 2).
4. Click a blank area of the timeline to deselect all selected events.
5. Click the second audio event and hold the mouse button while dragging the
selection rectangle down and to the right until you reach the blank area between the
second and third video events on track 2. Do not release the mouse button.
6. While still holding the mouse button, click the right mouse button. This changes the
state of the Selection Edit tool so you can now change only the width of the
selection rectangle. Notice that this adds the first event in track 3 to the selection.
7. While still holding down the left mouse button, click the right mouse button again.
This changes the state of the Selection Edit tool so you can now change only the
height of the selection rectangle. Notice that this removes the event in track 3 from
the selection and adds every event in tracks 1 and 2.
8. Click the right mouse button again to return to the default free-form state.
9. Click the Normal Edit Tool button.

Private Tutor: Adding or removing events from a selection “on the fly”
pt Any event the selection area touches becomes selected but as soon as you
back the selection off so that it no longer touches an event, that event
becomes deselected. Thus you can make exactly the selection you want without
having to “shoot perfectly” the first time you drag the selection area rectangle.

Private Tutor: Returning to the Normal Edit Tool

pt A common mistake that new users make is to switch from the Normal Edit
Tool—either intentionally like you did in the previous lesson, or
unintentionally with an errant click or a mistyped keyboard command. If Vegas™
Pro software begins “acting strangely” and not doing what you expect, check to
make sure you’ve got the Normal Edit Tool selected.
A final, familiar selection technique allows you to quickly select all of the events in your project. Click anywhere in the
timeline and choose Edit | Select | Select All or press Ctrl+A.
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Lesson 2: Moving events

Rarely (if ever) will you be perfectly content to leave your events exactly where you originally dropped them onto the
timeline. Once you’ve selected an event, you can move it to the desired position in your project. In this lesson, you’ll
learn how to move an event to exactly the right spot in the timeline.
Moving an event on the timeline couldn’t be easier. Simply drag the event to the left or right to move it later or earlier
in the project. When you have it positioned where you want it, release the mouse button. You can also drag an event
to any position within a different track, or even drag the event to a blank spot in the timeline to instantly create a new
track to hold the event at that point in the timeline.
As the edge of an event approaches one of several objects, it snaps to these objects (which we’ll call snap points). These
snap points include the cursor, the right edge of another event, markers, region markers, the beginning and end of a
time selection, and grid markers (if you enable them from the Options menu). You’ll learn more about time selections
in Lesson 5, Additional selection techniques, and more about markers and regions in Lesson 8, Markers and regions.
Snapping helps you position your event at an exact location in your project. For instance, when one event snaps to
another, you can rest assured that no space exists between the two events that might cause a momentary flash of black
in your final video. Without snapping, you’d have to zoom in to make sure that no space existed between the two
events, which would become very time consuming (and annoying) over the course of a long editing session. As you
drag an event along the timeline or in the Trimmer window, a color indicator highlights snap points. When you snap
to an event, the snap indicator appears at the edges of the two events, even if the events exist on different tracks. If
you snap to the cursor, a marker, either edge of a time selection, or the grid, the snap indicator stretches across the
height of the timeline.
Although usually a very useful tool, sometimes snapping can get in your way. For instance, if you try to move an event
just a small amount but you get too close to a snap point, your event might jump past where you want to place it and
land at the snap point instead. In these cases, you can turn snapping off. Choose Options | Enable Snapping to
toggle snapping on or off.
You can also suspend snapping for grid lines and/or markers while keeping snapping on for all other snap points. To
toggle snapping to the grid on or off, choose Options | Snap to Grid, or choose Options | Snap to Markers to
toggle snapping to your markers on or off.

Task 4: Moving events

In this task, you’ll move events and experiment with snap objects.
1. Open M06Task004.veg in the LessonFiles\Module06\ folder on the companion disc.
2. Click between the two grid lines that lie between the two events (at about 25
seconds into the project).
3. Drag the second event to the left. Notice that it does not snap to the grid line
(unless you’ve enabled Snap to Grid).
4. Drag the event farther to the left until its left edge snaps to the cursor, which you
placed between the grid lines in Step 2. A yellow highlight indicates that the event
has snapped to the cursor.
5. Drag the event even further to the left until its left edge snaps to the right edge of
the first event on the track. This time a blue appears indicates that the event has
snapped to another event.
6. Drag the second event back to the right until you have a good deal of space between
the two events.
7. Drag the second event into a blank area of the timeline. This creates a new track to
hold the event.
8. Drag the event on the new track until it snaps to the event on the first track. The
blue indicator spans the two tracks to indicate that you have snapped to the event
on the upper track.
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90 Basic editing techniques

pt Private Tutor: Quantize to Frames

The Quantize to Frames feature works much like snapping. With
Quantize to Frames turned on, Vegas™ Pro software does not allow you
to create an edit (on an event that holds a video file) in the middle of a video
frame on the timeline. This helps you avoid unpredictable editing results caused
by editing mid frame. Your events and cursor placements always snap to the
nearest frame boundary. To toggle Quantize to Frames on or off, choose
Options | Quantize to Frames. Unless you’re zoomed quite far into your
timeline, you often won’t even notice the results of this feature when you’re
moving video events. If you’re making an edit to an event that holds audio—and
assuming there is no video event grouped to the audio event—Vegas Pro software
ignores the Quantize To Frames setting. This enables you to make audio-only
edits with audio sample accuracy—accuracy far greater than the video frame level.

pt Private Tutor: Temporarily overriding snapping

You can temporarily override snapping (but not Quantize to Frames)
when you want to position an event without being influenced by snap
points. To do so, after you begin to drag the event, hold down the Shift key to
override snapping.
Although you can move events quite easily (as you just learned), things become slightly more complicated when you
want to change the sequence of events on the timeline as, for instance, when you want to assemble a rough
storyboard edit in your project. For example, if you want to change the order of events from 1, 2, 3, 4 to 1, 4, 2, 3. ,
you need to first move events 2 and 3 out of the way to make room for event 4 after event 1, then move event 4 into
place, and finally move events 2 and 3 into place behind event 4.
You can use the techniques you just learned to accomplish the task, but event shuffling provides a more efficient one-
step method. To use event shuffling to accomplish the edit in the example mentioned above, use your right mouse
button to drag event 4 until the mouse points to 2. Release the right mouse button and choose Shuffle Events from
the shortcut menu as shown in Figure 6.3. This moves event into its new position and shuffles every event that
follows its new position (on the same track) toward the end of the project to make room for the moved event. This
makes it easy to do a quick rough edit so you can view the video and see how it flows before you begin the real fine
detail editing.
Figure 6.3
Use the Shuffle Events command to quickly reorder your clips and create comp edits.
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Task 5: Event shuffling

In this task you’ll use event shuffling to quickly rearrange the order of both video and audio events.
1. Open M06Task005.veg in the LessonFiles\Module06\ folder on the companion disc.
Notice that you have a dance, horse, and bicycling clip in that order.
2. Use your right mouse button to drag the bicycling event over the top of the dance
event.
3. Release the mouse and choose Shuffle Events from the shortcut menu. The
bicycling event moves to the first position, and the dance and horse events shuffle
to the right to make room for the bicycling event.
4. Right-click and drag the horse event over the top of the dance event and choose
Shuffle Events to make the horse event the second event and the dance the third
event. You now have bicycling, horse, and dance.
5. Close the project without saving your changes.
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92 Basic editing techniques

Lesson 3: Edge trimming an event

Sometimes you don’t want to include an entire media clip in your project. In this lesson, you’ll learn to edge trim
events to cut out or add portions of media at the beginning and/or end.
At first glance, edge trimming seems to simply make the event longer or shorter. This is only a partially accurate
explanation of what happens when you perform an edge trim. It may help to imagine that when you add a media clip
to the timeline, that media clip has a certain length and a certain position on the timeline, as indicated by the event
that Vegas™ Pro software creates to hold the media. By default, the length of the event matches the length of the
media clip it holds. However, you can edge trim the event so the two lengths no longer match. Keep in mind that you
are changing the length of the event, but not the length of the media the event holds. You never alter the original media clip
in any way when you edit in Vegas Pro software. However, when you edge trim an event, you do change the amount
of the media you choose to show inside the event that holds it. Think of an event as a window through which shows
some or all of the media file on the other side.
To edge trim an event, hover your mouse over the right or left edge of the event. The pointer changes to this edge
trim icon if you’re trimming the left edge of the event or this if you’re edge trimming the right edge. The
distinction between these two icons becomes particularly important when you’re trimming the edge of an event that
sits right next to another event because it indicates which event will be trimmed. When you see the appropriate edge
trim icon, drag the edge of the event until you have covered or revealed as much of the media within the event as you
want.

pt Private Tutor: Snapping and edge trimming

The snapping feature that we discussed in the previous lesson also affects
edge trimming. As you drag the edge of an event, it snaps to all of the
normal snap points. Remember, to temporarily override snapping, hold the Shift
key after you begin edge trimming.
When you trim the edge to make the event smaller, you can easily see that you cut out a piece of the media. For
example, when you trim the beginning of the event, you cut out the beginning of the media within the event.
On the other hand, when you extend the edge to make the event longer, a couple of possibilities exist. If you
previously trimmed the event, you can uncover the media that you cut out earlier. However, you could also make the
event longer than the media it holds. By default, Vegas Pro software fills in the extra length of the event with
repetitions (or loops) of the media. If you don’t want the media to loop within the event, right-click the event and
choose Switches | Loop to turn off looping. With looping off, you cannot extend the left edge of the event past the
beginning of the media, and when you extend the right edge past the end of the media, Vegas Pro software repeats the
last frame of the media, creating a freeze frame, to fill in the extra event time.

Task 6: Edge trimming events

In this task, you’ll become familiar with edge trimming events to edit out portions of media that you don’t
want to appear in your movie. You’ll also explore the results of extending an event out longer than the media
it holds.
1. Open M06Task006.veg in the LessonFiles\Module06\ folder on the companion disc.
2. Look at the waveform for the audio event in track 1 and notice that towards the end
the audio fades to create a break in the song indicated by the fact that the waveform
begins to grow smaller. Later, it gets loud again and then fades out to end. Click to
place your cursor just before the musical break and click the Play button to listen to
the end of the event.
3. This break, at 1:28:05, could serve as the end of the song. Press Ctrl+G to highlight
the time value in the Cursor Position box.
4. Type 1.28.05, then press the Enter key to move the cursor to that time.
5. Hover your mouse over the right edge of the audio event until you see the edge trim icon.
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6. Drag the right edge of the event to the left until it snaps to the project cursor, a
yellow highlight indicates that you have snapped to the cursor.
7. Listen to the new ending for the event.
8. Extend the right edge of the event back out to the right, and notice that this reveals
the original waveform. Since the edit you made was nondestructive, the trimmed
portion of the file was not deleted when you trimmed the event in Step 6.
9. Click to place your cursor just before the video clip on track 2.
10. Click the Play button, and watch as the aerial dancer starts out lying atop the
trapeze and then falls to a hanging position. Click the Stop button.
11. Trim the left edge of the event. Watch the thumbnail, which updates as you drag the
edge to the right. Stop when the dancer is hanging completely below the trapeze.
12. Position the cursor before the event and play the project again. You’ve successfully
edited your video so that it starts with the dancer hanging below the trapeze.
13. Trim the right edge of the video clip until it lasts for as long as the music in track 1
lasts, a blue highlight indicates that you have snapped to the audio event on the
upper track.
14. Notice the triangular indentations at the top of the event (see Figure 6.4). These
indicate where one loop of the video ends and the next begins. These also function
as snap points. Play the project and notice that the dancer clip repeats several times
until the end of the event.
Figure 6.4
Triangular indentations indicate that the media loops in order to fill the entire event.

Media loop Points

15. Right-click the dancer event and choose Switches | Loop from the shortcut menu.
This turns looping off and creates a freeze frame at the end of the event. Notice that
most of the indentations disappear. The one remaining indentation indicates the end
of the original media and the point at which the freeze frame begins.
16. Play the project and notice that after the media plays entirely, the last frame remains
on screen until the event ends.

Now that you know how trimming works, you can use keyboard trimming to speed your editing process significantly.
With keyboard trimming, you can edge edit events without reaching for your mouse. First, engage the Num Lock
feature on your keyboard. Then, click the event that you want to edit and press 7 on your numeric pad. This selects
the first event edge to the left of the cursor. A red bracket identifies the selected event edge. If two events touch, you
can determine which event's edge is selected in two ways. First, the event itself changes colors to indicate that it is
selected (exactly like it does if you click to select it), and second the tails of the red selection bracket point in the
direction of the selected event. Press the 7 key again to choose the next event edge to the left of the currently selected
edge. If the currently selected edge is the left edge of the event, the selection bracket jumps to the right edge of the
event to the left of the currently selected event. In the same way, press the 9 key to select the next edge to the right of
the currently selected edge (or to the right of the cursor if you have not yet selected an event edge).
Now that you've selected the event edge that you want to edit, press 4 on your numeric pad. This trims the selected
edge to the left one screen pixel per each press. Depending upon your zoom ratio, one screen pixel may represent
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94 Basic editing techniques

several video frames. Press the 6 key to trim the edge to the right by one screen pixel per key press. The Video
Preview window updates as the cursor moves, so you can press and hold the keys and watch for the exact spot to
which you want to trim.
When you get close to the spot to which you want to trim the event, press 1 on your numeric keypad to trim the event
to the left again. This time, however, you trim one frame at a time regardless of your zoom ratio. Press the 3 key to
trim one frame to the right. The 4 and 6 keys enable you to get close to the right spot by taking larger jumps through
your video (again, depending upon your zoom level), while the 1 and 3 keys let you zero in on the exact frame to
which you want to edit.
When you're done trimming the current event edge, use the 7 and 9 keys to move to the next event edge that you'd
like to trim. Note that while you can play your project when in edge trimming mode, the Video Preview window does
not update. Instead, it continues to show the edge being trimmed. When you're completely done edge trimming, press
the 5 key to exit edge trimming mode.
Some computer keyboards don't have a separate numeric pad (although many laptops have one built into the main
keyboard—press the Fn key to access it), but you can still take advantage of enhanced trimming if you have a mouse
with a wheel on it. To select the next event edge to the left without a numeric keypad, click the event you want to edit,
and then choose Edit | Select | Select Event Start (or press the [ key) to select the event edge to the left of the
cursor, or Edit | Select | Select Event End (or the ] key) to select the event edge to the right of the cursor. Now,
hold Ctrl+Shift and roll the mouse wheel up (away from you) to edit to the left, or down (toward you) to edit to the
right by screen pixels. This action emulates pressing the 4 and 6 keys on the numeric keypad. Hold Alt+Ctrl+Shift
and roll the mouse wheel up to edit one frame at a time to the left, and down to edit one frame at a time to the right.
This action emulates pressing the 1 and the 3 keys.

Task 7: Keyboard trimming

In this task you’ll use the keyboard to edge edit an event.
1. Open M06Task007.veg in the LessonFiles\Module06\ folder on the companion disc.
2. Click on the bicycling event to select it.
3. If you need to, press the Num Lock key on your keyboard to turn Num Lock on
and press the 7 key to select the left edge of the bicycling event.
4. Press the 6 key to edge edit the event until you see the first rider appear fully in the
Video Preview window.
5. Press the 4 key to trim it back until he’s out of the Video Preview window again.
6. Press the 9 key as many times as necessary to select the right edge of the dance
event.
7. Press the 4 key until you see the dancer in pink leave the right edge of the Preview
window. Use the 1 and 3 keys to find the exact frame just before she enters. This
edits out the portion of the event where the flipping dancer performs.
8. Click the audio event in the second track.
9. Use the keyboard techniques you’ve learned to trim the silence off the end of the
audio event.
10. Close the project without saving your changes.

pt Private Tutor: Trimming heads and tails

Recall our discussion of heads and tails from Module 3, Adding media to your
project: advanced methods, Lesson 1, Capturing Video. You can now use these
edge-trimming techniques to remove the heads and tails from the video that you
shoot with your camcorder and capture for use in your Vegas™ Pro projects. Of
course, if you later decide that you would like to use the heads and tails, simply
extend the event to include them again.
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Lesson 4: Additional selection techniques

In Lesson 1, you learned how to select events. While that’s certainly an indispensable editing technique, it’s not the
only way to make selections in the timeline. In this lesson, you’ll learn two additional selection techniques: time
selections and combination time and event selections. You’ll use the three different selection techniques depending
upon the editing results you want to achieve. This lesson shows you these additional selection techniques. In the next
two lessons, you’ll learn how your choice of selection technique can affect the edits you make.
Time selections are related to the loop region that we discussed in Module 5, Navigation and Zoom/View techniques,
Lesson 2, Using loop playback mode. You saw earlier that a shaded area sometimes appears beneath the loop region bar in
the timeline. If you don’t see the shading, double-click the loop region, and the shading appears. This shading
indicates a time selection. Use the techniques you learned for adjusting and moving the loop region to adjust and
move the time selection. To clear a time selection, click anywhere in the timeline.
When you make a time selection, any event that falls outside the selection remains unselected, and any event that falls
within the selection becomes selected. What’s not quite as obvious is what happens to events that fall partially within
and partially outside of the selection. In this case, the edit you make only affects the portion of the event that falls
within the time selection. Later in this module you’ll see how a time selection that cuts through the middle of an event
can affect your edits.

pt Private Tutor: Time selection shortcuts

A few shortcuts help you make exact time selections very quickly. For
example, double-click an event to make a time selection equal to its length.
Or, double-click the blank space between two events on the same track to make a
time selection that covers the space between them. In the same way, double-click
between the beginning of the project and an event to instantly select the time
between these two points. Finally, double-click a blank area of the timeline (the
dark gray portion where no tracks exist) or in the blank space just above the loop
region to create a time selection that spans the entire project.

Task 8: Making a time selection

This task shows you how to make a time selection and adjust the position and length of the selection.
1. Open M06Task008.veg in the LessonFiles\Module06\ folder on the companion disc.
2. In the blank area above the time ruler, click at about the 20-second mark and drag
to about 50 seconds.
3. The time selection fully includes the second audio event, and the event appears
selected (as shown by the event’s colored background). Notice that the first audio
event remains unaffected because it falls outside of the time selection you created in
Step 2.
4. The first and second video events on track 2 fall partially within and partially outside
the time selection. The portions of the events that fall within the time selection
appear selected, and the portions outside of the selection remain unselected.
5. Click anywhere in the timeline to remove the time selection.
6. Double-click the loop region to restore the time selection.
7. Drag the loop region to the left and notice that this also moves the time selection.
8. Drag the yellow triangles at the ends of the loop region to adjust the length of the
loop region and the time selection.
9. Keep this project open so you can use it in the next task.
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Private Tutor: Remembering your time selections

pt Vegas™ Pro software remembers your last five time selections and allows
you to rotate through them so you can quickly restore them. To rotate
through your last five time selections, press the Backspace key. Each time you
press the Backspace key, you move one selection earlier. The sixth time you
press the Backspace key, Vegas Pro software starts over with the last time
selection you made and continues rotating through the last five selections again.
Now that you know how to select events and select time, you can easily make the third type of selection in the
timeline: selecting time and events simultaneously. To make this type of selection, select one or more events using the
techniques you learned in Lesson 1. Then, establish a time selection using the techniques you learned earlier in this
lesson. In the next two lessons, you’ll learn how this type of combination selection affects your edits.
When you use this type of selection, only events (or portions of events) that are both selected and fall within the time
selection appear time selected. If an event is selected, but no selected event falls within the time selection, none of the
events in the time selection are selected by the time selection.

pt Private Tutor: A quick combination selection

To quickly make a time-and-event selection, double-click the event you
want to select. This selects the event and establishes a time selection that matches
the length of the event. If you then need to add more events to the selection, hold
the Ctrl key while you click the desired events.

Task 9: Making a time and event selection

In this task, you’ll become familiar with how the time-and-event selection affects the events on your timeline.
1. If the project you worked on in the previous task is no longer open, open
M06Task008.veg in the LessonFiles\Module06\ folder on the companion disc.
2. In the blank area above the time ruler, click a point between the two audio events in
track 1 and drag to a point after the second event. This is the same time selection
you made in the previous task. Notice how the time selection affects each event that
it touches.
3. Click the first audio event to select it. This also removes the time selection you
created in the previous step.
4. Press the Backspace key to rotate back to the time selection you made in Step 2.
5. Notice that time selection no longer affects the events it touches because now a
selected event exists outside of the time selection.
6. Drag the loop region to the left until the beginning of the time selection rests near
the midpoint of the first audio event (which should still be selected). Notice that the
portion of the selected event that falls within the time selection has darker shading
than the portion that falls outside of the time selection to indicate that this portion
is both event selected and time selected.

You now know how to make all three types of selections in the timeline. In the next two lessons, we’ll explore how
these different types of selections can affect the edits you make in your project.
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Lesson 5: Cut/copy/paste/delete
Just like your favorite word processing application allows you to cut, copy, paste, and delete text, Vegas™ Pro
software allows you to perform these operations on many of the items in your project. In this lesson, you’ll learn how
to cut, copy, paste, and delete events on the timeline. You’ll also learn how the type of selection you make before you
perform these operations affects the results of the edits.

pt Private Tutor: Understanding cut, copy, paste, and delete

Let’s take a quick look at how these operations work. When you cut an
object, you remove it from your project and place it on the clipboard. When
you copy an object, you place it on the clipboard but it also remains in your
project. When you paste an object, you add the clipboard’s contents to your
project. The clipboard can hold the results of only one cut or copy operation at a
time. When you delete an object, you remove it from your project but do not
place it on the clipboard, so you cannot paste a deleted object back into your
project. Vegas Pro software uses all of the standard shortcuts for these operations:
Ctrl+X for cut, Ctrl+C for copy, Ctrl+V for paste, and Delete for delete.

The simplest cases to understand are those in which you select an event and then perform a cut, delete, or copy. For
instance, to cut an event from your project, first select the event. You now have several options. In addition to the
keyboard shortcuts mentioned in the Private Tutor above, you can choose Edit | Cut, or right-click the event and
choose Cut from the shortcut menu. Finally, you can click the Cut button. From this point on, we’ll use only the
keyboard shortcuts to accomplish the task, but remember that you can use any of the alternatives.
After you cut (or copy) an event, reposition the cursor and press Ctrl+V to paste the event at the cursor position. If
you attempt to paste a video event into an audio track, Vegas Pro software creates a new video track to hold the
pasted event.

Task 10: Cutting and pasting a single event

This task shows you how to cut an event and then paste it back into your project.
1. Open M06Task008.veg in the LessonFiles\Module06 folder on the companion disc.
2. Select the first audio event in track 1.
3. Press Ctrl+X to cut the event from the project.
4. Click the audio track at the first grid line after the remaining audio event on track 1.
5. Press Ctrl+V to paste the cut event back into your project.

When you cut or copy multiple events and then paste them back into your project, Vegas Pro software preserves the
spatial relationship between the events. For example, when you cut or copy events which sit on different tracks and
then paste, they are pasted in on separate tracks. If a five-second gap exists between two events when you cut or copy
them, a five-second gap exists between the pasted events too.

Task 11: Cutting and pasting multiple events

In this task, you’ll discover the results of pasting multiple events into the timeline.
1. Open M06Task009.veg in the LessonFiles\Module06\ folder on the companion disc.
2. Select the first and third audio events and the first video event.
3. Press Ctrl+C to copy the three events.
4. Click in track 1 somewhere to the right of the last event in track 2.
5. Press Ctrl+V to paste the copied events into your project. Close this project
without saving your changes.
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98 Basic editing techniques

You can use a time selection to perform operations on several events across multiple tracks without having to select
each event. When you make a time selection and then perform a cut, copy, or delete, the operation affects only the
events (or portions of events) included in the time selection.

Task 12: Cutting a time selection

This task shows you the results of cutting using a time selection.
1. Open M06Task008.veg in the LessonFiles\Module06\ folder on the companion disc.
2. Make a time selection that extends from the middle of the first audio event to the
middle of the first video event.
3. Press Ctrl+X to cut the time selection. This cuts only the portions of each event
that fall within the time selection.
4. Close this project without saving your changes.

When you have a combination time-and-event selection, the results of a cut or delete operation become just a little
more complicated. Let’s talk first about the case in which you have at least one selected event and a time selection that
contains all of the selected event. When you cut or delete, you remove the entire event. Any non-selected events—
even those that fall within the time selection—remain unaffected.

Task 13: Cutting selected events within a time selection

In this task, you’ll cut a selected event that lies within a time selection.
1. Open M06Task009.veg in the LessonFiles\Module06\ folder on the companion disc.
2. Double-click the first video event in track 2 to select the event and create a time
selection the same length as the event. Notice that the time selection also includes
the second audio event. However, you have not made an event selection on the
event.
3. Press Ctrl+X to remove the selected video event. Track 1 remains unaffected since
no events were selected in that track.
4. Leave this project open so you can continue working with it in the next task.

If you have more than one selected event and only some of the selected events fall within the time selection, the edit
affects only the portion of a selected event that falls within the time range.

Task 14: Cutting with selected events that fall both within and outside of a time selection
This task demonstrates how a time range affects selected events with a combination time-and-event selection.
1. Using the project you started in the previous task, select the first audio event and
the remaining video event.
2. Create a time selection that starts over the space between the first and second audio
events and ends at the middle of the video event.
3. Press Ctrl+X. This removes the portion of the video event that fell within the time
selection. The edit does not affect track 1 even though an event was selected (since
it didn’t fall within the time selection).
4. Close this project without saving your changes.

If the project contains selected events, but none of those events fall within the time selection, the cut or delete
operation has no effect.
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Lesson 6: Ripple edit mode

You may have noticed that each time we cut, trimmed, or deleted an event—or portion of an event—in the tasks
above, only the event was removed. The project time was unaffected and consequently all events to the right (later in
time) stayed where they were. In some cases this is exactly what you want to happen. However, other times you need
to cut, trim, or delete an event and the time associated with it so that when you alter the event all the events later in
time move to the left (earlier in time) to fill in the gap left by the altered event. This is known as a ripple edit. Vegas™
Pro software features post-edit rippling that you can apply manually or automatically.
When you make an edit, Vegas Pro software notes not only how the edit affects events, but also how it affects the
project time, and adjusts the project accordingly. For instance, when you move an event so that it occurs later (or
earlier) in the timeline and then apply a post-edit ripple, Vegas Pro software moves every event that occurs after the
start of the moved event in its original position so that they maintain their relationship to the moved event.
Vegas Pro software offers three options for how you want the post-edit ripple to affect your project:
• Affected Tracks - Ripples only the tracks where you preformed the edit and includes events, keyframes, and
envelopes.
• Affected Tracks, Bus Tracks, Markers and Regions – Ripples only the tracks where you preformed the
edit and includes events, keyframes, envelopes, markers, regions, and associated bus tracks.
• All Tracks, Markers and Regions – Ripples all tracks in the project and includes events, keyframes,
envelopes, markers, regions, and associated bus tracks.

Vegas Pro software uses manual ripple edit mode by default. You may have noticed that whenever you move an event
in the timeline or edge trim an event, an arrow appears in the top portion of the marker bar. Figure 6.5 shows the
arrow that results from moving event 1 from its original location at the beginning of the project to the location shown
in the figure. This arrow indicates the direction and distance of the move. Next to the arrow, a text readout displays
the amount of the edit measured in the project time measurement. The arrow also indicates the direction and distance
that the project will ripple if you perform a post-edit ripple. To complete the ripple edit, choose Edit | Post-Edit
Ripple | Affected Tracks. As shown in Figure 6.6, the first two events in track 1 ripple to the right the amount
indicated by the ripple arrow. The events in track 2 remain unaffected.
Figure 6.5
The ripple arrow shows the distance and direction the event was moved
and the distance and direction the other events will ripple.
Ripple arrow
and amount
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100 Basic editing techniques

Figure 6.6
Once you ripple the track, events 1, 2, and 3 resume their original relationship.

Task 15: Applying a simple ripple edit

In this task you’ll move an event and then apply a ripple edit.
1. Open M06Task010.veg in the LessonFiles\Module06\ folder on the companion disc.
2. Drag event 1 to the right on the same track. Watch the ripple time readout and
move the event approximately 50.0 seconds. Notice the blue ripple arrow at the top
of the timeline. The arrow starts at the point in the timeline at which event 1
originally started, and ends at the point in the timeline that the event now starts.
This represents the amount of time that the other events will ripple.
3. Choose Edit | Post-Edit Ripple | Affected Tracks. Events 2 and 3 ripple to the
right by the length of the ripple arrow so they maintain their original relationship to
the moved event. Events 4, 5, and 6 do not move, nor does the project marker.
When you choose Affected Tracks, you ripple only the events that sit on the same
track as the edited event.
4. Move event 1 back to the beginning of the project. You see that the ripple arrow
now points the other direction. Press the F key. Events 2 and 3 ripple to the left to
maintain their original relationship to event 1. You have just learned that the F key
is the keyboard shortcut for Edit | Post-Edit Ripple | Affected Tracks and that
ripple editing works in both directions.
5. Leave the project open for the next task.

Task 16: Applying ripple edits to multiple tracks

In this task you’ll simultaneously move two events on different tracks and apply a ripple edit.
1. Using the project you started in the previous task, select event 1 in the first track.
Hold the Ctrl key and click the event labeled 4 in the second track to add it to the
selection.
2. Drag event 1 to the right again approximately 50 seconds. Notice that event 4 also
moves since you selected it along with event 1.
3. Choose Edit | Post-Edit Ripple | Affected Tracks (or press F). This time, not
only do events 2 and 3 ripple, but so does event 5. Since you moved both events 1
and 4, you had two affected tracks in your project, so the ripple edit was applied to
both tracks. The edit does not affect the events in track 3 or the marker.
4. Close the project without saving your changes.

Task 17: Using ripple edit with the Delete command

In this task you’ll delete an event and then apply a post-edit ripple that affects events and markers.
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A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 101

1. Open M06Task010.veg in the LessonFiles\Module06\ folder on the companion disc.

2. Click event 1 to select it and press the Delete key on your keyboard.
3. Choose Edit | Post-Edit Ripple |Affected Tracks, Bus Tracks, Markers, and
Regions. Notice that this time the marker ripples along with event 2 and 3 (from
the affected track).
4. Press the Undo button twice to undo all of the edits. Leave the project open for the
next task.

Task 18: Using ripple edit with a trimmed event

In this task, you’ll trim an event and then apply a post-edit ripple that affects all tracks.
1. Using the project from the previous task, point to the right edge of event 2 in track
1 and trim it so that it ends after event 3.
2. Choose Edit | Post-Edit Ripple | All Tracks, Markers, and Regions. This time
all events in the project that start later than the edited event ripple, as does the
marker.
3. Click the undo button until twice. Leave the project open for the next task.

Task 19: Using ripple edit with the paste command

In this task you’ll copy and paste an event into a different track and apply a post-edit ripple that affects all
tracks.
1. Using the project form the previous task, right click on event 1 in track 1 and
choose Copy from the shortcut menu.
2. Click in track 2 to place the cursor at about the 4-second mark. Right-click in track 2
and choose Paste from the shortcut menu and select the Create a new copy of
source media radio button in the Paste Options dialog.
3. Choose Edit | Post-Edit Ripple | All Tracks, Markers, and Regions. Events 2,
3, 4, 5, and 6 as well as the marker ripple to the right.
4. Close the project without saving your changes.

To significantly improve the speed of your editing, learn the keyboard shortcuts for the three post-ripple edit modes:
Press F for Affected Tracks, Ctrl + F for Affected Tracks, Bus Tracks, Markers, and Regions, and Ctrl + Shift + F
for All Tracks, Markers, and Regions.

To make editing even faster, use automatic post-ripple edits. Click the Auto Ripple button, as shown in Figure 6.7,
to activate automatic mode. Click the arrow next to the Auto Ripple button and choose the desired mode from the
menu shown in Figure 6.8. Now make an edit. Your project ripples automatically according to the mode you chose.

Figure 6.7
Click the Auto Ripple button to toggle between automatic and manual ripple mode.

Auto Ripple
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102 Basic editing techniques

Figure 6.8
Click the arrow next to the Auto Ripple button to select one of the three modes.

Task 20: Using Auto Ripple mode.

In this task you’ll move and delete an event while in auto ripple mode.
1. Open M06Task010.veg in the LessonFiles\Module06\ folder on the companion disc.
2. Click the Auto Ripple button to enter Auto Ripple mode.
3. Click the drop-down arrow next to the Auto Ripple button and select Affected
Tracks.
4. Move event 1 about 50 seconds to the right. Events 2 and 3 automatically ripple
while the other events and marker remain unaffected.
5. Click the drop-down arrow next to the Ripple Edit button and choose All Tracks,
Markers and Regions.
6. Delete event 6 in track 3. All events in all tracks and the marker ripple.
7. Close the project without saving your changes.

Task 21: Using ripple edits with a time selection.

You can use ripple edits with all of the selection techniques you learned earlier. In this task you’ll delete
project time in ripple edit mode.
1. Open M06Task011.veg in the LessonFiles\Module06\ folder on the companion disc.
2. Click the Auto Ripple button to exit Auto Ripple mode and then double-click
between events 4 and 5 in track 2 to select a time range.
3. Press Delete, and then choose Edit | Post-Edit Ripple | Affected Tracks. Since
no events were selected, the time range affected all tracks, and all events on all the
tracks rippled to fill in the deleted time range.
4. Click the Undo button twice.
5. Make a time selection that encompasses the middle third of event 6 on track 3. This
selection also contains a portion of event 4 on track 2.
6. Press Delete and then F to ripple edit. Again, because no events were selected, the
time range affected all tracks.
7. Click the Undo button twice.
8. Select event 6 in track 3 and double-click the loop region indicator to reselect the
same time range as before.
9. Press Delete and then F to ripple edit. This affects only track 3 according to the
rules of selecting both time and events that we discussed earlier.
10. Click the Auto Ripple button to activate Auto Ripple mode and select All Tracks,
Markers and Regions from the drop-down list.
11. Double-click between the beginning of the project and the first event on track 3 to
select the time at the beginning of the project.
12. Press Delete. All tracks and the marker ripple automatically.
13. Click the Auto Ripple button to exit Auto Ripple mode.
14. Close the project without saving your changes.
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Lesson 7: Splitting events

You’ll often run into situations in which edge trimming isn’t the best way to shorten an event. For example, it would
be cumbersome to trim the right edge of an event that lasts for 20 minutes when all you want is the first 20 seconds.
In such a case, splitting the event would be much faster. Splitting an event creates two events where once there was
only one. In the example given here, you could split the event at the 20-second point and then delete the second of
the two resulting events. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to split an event or several events simultaneously. You’ll also
see how the selection type determines the results of the split function.
To split events, choose Edit | Split or press S. The results of the split operation depend upon the type of selection
you made before executing the split. With no selection, a split occurs on every event that the cursor touches. If the
cursor touches no events, the split command has no effect.
With one or more events selected, the split command affects only the selected events that the cursor touches. In this
case, the split command does not affect unselected events even if the cursor touches them, nor events that the cursor
does not touch even if you first selected them.
When you make a time selection without selecting any events, splits occur at both edges of the time selection in any
events that cross the time selection edges. That means that if the beginning and end of the time selection touch a
single event, the operation splits that event twice: once at the beginning of the time selection, and once at the end.
If you make a combination time-and-event selection, splits occur on every selected event touched by either edge of
the time selection. The operation does not split unselected events even if the time selection edges touch them.

Task 22: Splitting events

This task teaches you how to split events. You’ll learn how the type of selection you make before splitting
determines the results you experience.
1. Open M06Task014.veg in the LessonFiles\Module06\ folder on the companion disc.
2. Click a blank area of the timeline just above the event on track 3 so the cursor runs
through the middle of the event on track 3.
3. Choose Edit | Split. This splits the event on track 3 and the audio event on track 4.
4. Select the second of the two audio events in track 4 and press the Delete key to
remove it from the project. This shows that the original audio event has been split
into two and you can edit (in this case, delete) the two events independently.
5. Click the Undo button twice to undo the deletion and the split you made in Step 3.
6. Click the event in track 3 to select it.
7. Press S. This splits only the event on track 3. The audio event on track 4 remains
unaffected because you didn’t select it.
8. Click a blank area of the timeline to deselect all events.
9. Make a time selection that starts in the middle of the first event in track 1 and ends
in the middle of the second event in track 1.
10. Press S. This splits both of the events in track 1 because one edge of the time
selection touches each of them. Note that this does not split the second event in
track 2 because neither edge of the time selection touches it. Likewise, the events in
track 3 remain unaffected. The audio event in track 4 is split in two places since
both edges of the time selection touch the event.
11. Press Ctrl+Z to undo the splits created in Step 10.
12. Select the two events in track 1.
13. Double-click the loop region or press the Backspace key until you reestablish the
time selection you made in Step 9.
14. Press S. This splits the events in track 1 since they were both selected and touched
by a time selection edge, but not the unselected audio event in track 4 (even though
it was touched by the time selection edges).
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104 Basic editing techniques

Private Tutor: Keeping your splits straight

pt With all of these possibilities, how do you remember just how the split
command is going to affect your project? You need to remember three
simple rules. First, splits can only happen at the intersection of an event and the
cursor or the edges of a time selection. Second, with no events selected, the
command splits every event touched by the cursor or time selection edges. Third,
if any event in the project is selected, then only it and other selected events will be
split (if a selected event exists on your timeline, unselected events are never split).

Private Tutor: Split and trim

pt If you know you want to split an event and trim the edges of either of the
two resulting events, you can make a quick combination split/trim edit. To
do this, hold Ctrl+Alt+Shift, click at the point on the event where you want the
split to occur, and—without releasing the mouse button—drag in the direction of
the event that you want to trim. As you drag, you trim the edge of the event that
lies in the direction that you dragged. This is a very fast way to “erase” a section
of an event. If you drag to the very beginning of the event to the left of the split
or the end of the event to the right of the split, you will delete the event
completely. So, this also works as a quick way to trim the beginning or end of an
event out in order to change its start or end time.
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Lesson 8: Markers and regions

Markers and regions are valuable tools that help you in a number of ways. Among other things, they help you organize
your project into sections, flag important points or edits on the timeline, assist you in navigating to various places in
your project, and make it easy to quickly select portions of your project. You can export region names as a text file
that can then be imported into DVD Architect™ software as subtitles, and you can embed markers into rendered files
that then show up as chapter markers in your DVD Architect timeline. You can add as many markers and regions to
your project as you need. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use markers and regions. You saw a marker earlier in this
lesson during our discussion of ripple editing.
To place a marker in your project, move the cursor to the location in the timeline you want to mark. Choose Insert |
Marker or press M. You can even do this while you play your project. In fact, a common technique is to play your
project and when you see or hear an important point, press M to place a marker without stopping playback. An
orange marker appears in the timeline, as shown in Figure 6.9. The marker tab appears in the marker bar above the
time ruler. With Snap to Markers turned on, a solid marker line runs through all the tracks in your project. With Snap
to Markers turned off, a dotted marker line runs through your tracks.
Figure 6.9
Press M to place a marker at the current cursor position.

Marker

Notice that the marker tab contains a number to identify the marker. These marker numbers help you to quickly
navigate your cursor to the marker location. For instance, to jump directly to the location of marker 4, press 4 on your
keyboard. Alternatively, click the marker tab.
If you place a marker when the project is not playing, a text box appears next to the marker. Type a descriptive label
into the text field (such as “In-place flips” in Figure 6.9), and then press Enter. To change the label or add a label to
a marker that doesn’t have one, right-click the marker tab and choose Rename from the shortcut menu. You can also
double-click to the immediate right of the marker.
To move a marker, drag the marker tab to its new location. Moving a marker follows all of the snapping rules we
talked about earlier. To delete a marker, right-click the marker tab and choose Delete from the shortcut menu.
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106 Basic editing techniques

Private Tutor: Deleting multiple markers

pt Often you’ll have several markers that you’ve used while editing your
project. At some point, the markers may no longer be needed. To quickly
delete all your markers at once, right-click a blank area of the marker bar (the area
that holds the marker tabs) and choose Markers/Regions | Delete All from the
shortcut menu. To delete just some of your markers, make a time selection around
the markers you want to remove, right-click the marker bar, and choose
Markers/Regions | Delete All in Selection from the shortcut menu. Notice
that this shortcut menu also gives you another alternative for inserting markers
into your project. You can also use the Marker Tool to delete several markers at
once. Click the Marker Tool button (just above the vertical scroll bar to the right
of the timeline), then click a marker to select it. Hold the Ctrl key and click
another marker to add it to the selection. Once you’ve selected all the markers you
want to remove, press the Delete key. Click anywhere in the timeline to return to
the Normal Edit tool.

Task 23: Using markers to organize your edits

In this task, you’ll add a marker to your project, label it, and then use that marker to quickly align several
events so that they all have exactly the same start time. When you’re done aligning the events, you’ll rename
the marker.
1. Open M06Task015.veg in the LessonFiles\Module06\ folder on the companion disc.
2. Press Ctrl+G and type “22.23” into the Cursor Position box. Press Enter to move
your cursor to that location.
3. Press M on your keyboard to add a marker at the current cursor position. In the
box, type “Alignment position.” Press Enter when you finish typing.
4. Click the Go To Start button to move the cursor away from the marker. Drag the
event in track 1 to the right until its beginning snaps to the marker.
5. Drag the video events in the other tracks so that their beginnings also snap to the
marker.
6. Double-click the marker label (“Alignment Position”) and type in a new label,
“Events Aligned.” Press Enter when finished typing.
7. Keep this project open so that you can continue working on it in the next task.

In some respects, regions work much like the marker you added to your project in the previous task—for instance,
they contain several common shortcut menu options—but some important differences exist too. When you add a
region to your project, you really add two markers simultaneously: one marker identifies the beginning of the region,
and the other identifies the end of the region. You’ll use regions to set apart various sections of your project. For
instance, in a musical project, you might create a region for each verse, the chorus, and any other unique sections. In a
video project, you might set a region over an important scene or video sequence. Once you’ve identified a region, you
can quickly navigate back to it to work on it further. You can also copy the entire region (all of the events within the
region) and paste a copy of it to a new portion of your project. You’ll find many other uses for regions as you work
on your projects.
To add a region to your project, make a time selection of the area you want to identify, and then press R (or choose
Insert | Region). Two green markers appear in your project, both of which contain the same number in the region
tab. The first marker coincides with the beginning of the time selection, and the second with the end of the time
selection. Click away from the region, then double-click between the marker tabs to make a time selection over the
entire region.
To change the length of the region, drag either of the markers to a new position. To move the region without
changing its length, hold the Alt key while you drag one of the markers to a new position. To jump directly to the first
maker, type the number of its marker tab. Notice that this automatically creates a time selection over the entire region.
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Task 24: Creating a region

This task shows you how to create a region and then use that region to make a copy of the events within the
region that you’ll then paste into a new portion of your project.
1. If the project you worked on in Task 15 is no longer open, repeat Task 15.
2. Right-click the tab for Marker 1 and choose Delete from the shortcut menu. (This
step isn’t completely necessary, but it helps to avoid confusion because you won’t
end up with a region and marker at the same spot in your project.)
3. Double-click the audio event in track 1 to establish a time selection.
4. Press R to make a region using the time selection. Name the region, “My first
region.” Press Enter to accept the name.
5. Click a blank spot on the timeline to deselect all events and time.
6. Press 1 to move the cursor directly to the first marker of the region and create a
time selection over the region.
7. Press Ctrl+C to copy the events within the region.
8. In track 1, click in a blank spot later in the timeline to place the cursor there.
9. Press Ctrl+V to paste the copied events into the project again.

Private Tutor: Undoing your edits

pt If you make an edit that you wish you hadn’t made, Vegas™ Pro software
allows unlimited undo and redo operations. If you get far down the road,
and begin to wish you could go back to where you were five edits ago, 50 edits
ago, or 500 edits ago, just click the Undo button (or press Ctrl+Z) as many times
as necessary to get back to where you want to be. You can also click the drop-
down arrow next to the Undo button and choose the edits you want to undo
from the Undo History list. If you decide you really liked those edits better after
all, use the Redo button and drop-down list to get your edits back.
 Module 6
108 Basic editing techniques

Conclusion
In this module, you’ve learned many basic techniques for editing in Vegas™ Pro software. The techniques may be
basic, but they contain tons of editing power and allow you to assemble your projects quickly. You learned how to
make simple and complex selections in your timeline, move events within the timeline, trim unwanted portions of
your media, split events, cut/copy/paste/delete events, apply post-edit ripples, and add markers and regions to help
you organize your work. In the next module you’ll learn some of the more advanced editing techniques that make
Vegas Pro so powerful, but you already know enough to start creating compelling video and audio projects right now!
Exercises
1. True or false: Vegas Pro software doesn’t change the thumbnail within a selected video event because that
would change the color of the clip in the final output of your video.
2. True or false: You can use common Windows selection techniques to select more than one event at a time.
3. Which of the following techniques allows you to change the state of the Selection Edit tool?
a. Choose Options | Define Selection Rectangle Size.
b. Hold the Ctrl key and use the left and right arrow keys on your keyboard.
c. Hold the left mouse button down and click the right mouse button.
d. Click continually on the Selection Edit Tool button.
4. Which of the following is not a snap point in the timeline?
a. The edges of an event.
b. The midpoint of an event.
c. The cursor.
d. Project markers.
5. True or false: To temporarily override snapping, hold the Shift key while moving an event.
6. True or false: Before you edge trim an event, make sure to make a copy of the original media because the
trimmed portion will be lost for good.
7. True or false: If your mouse has a wheel, you can emulate keyboard trimming commands with your mouse.
8. True or false: With the Loop switch for an event on, if you extend the event so that it lasts longer than the
media it holds, Vegas Pro software repeats the media as many times as necessary to fill the entire event.
9. Which of the following is not a selection type in the Vegas Pro timeline?
a. Time selection.
b. Event selection.
c. Grid line selection.
d. Time and event selection.
10. True or false: You can use event shuffling to quickly reorder the events in your project’s timeline when
roughing out an edit sequence or storyboarding.
11. Which of the following techniques lets you scroll through your previous five time selections?
a. Press the Backspace key.
b. Press the S key.
c. Press Ctrl+D.
d. Triple-click the loop region.
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12. Which of the following is the main difference between cutting an event and deleting it?
a. Cutting removes the event, but preserves the original media; deleting removes the event
and the media.
b. Cutting leaves an empty event on the timeline, while deleting removes the event.
c. You can store three cuts on the clipboard, but only one delete.
d. Cutting stores the event on the clipboard, while deleting does not.
13. True or false: If two events are within a time selection and one of them is selected, the Copy command will
place both of them on the clipboard.
14. Which of the following is not a valid post-edit ripple type?
a. All Tracks, Markers, and Regions.
b. Selected Tracks.
c. Affected Tracks.
d. Affected Tracks, Bus Tracks, Markers, and Regions.
15. Which of the following is not true when you press S on your keyboard?
a. If no events are selected and there is no time selection, every event in the project that is
touched by the project cursor will be split.
b. If no events are selected and a time selection exists, all events touched by the edges of the
time selection are split, and any event falling fully within the time selection is deleted.
c. If one event is selected and a time selection exists—but does not touch the selected
event—nothing happens.
d. If a selected event is touched by both the beginning and end of a time selection, the event
is split twice, resulting in three events.
16. True or false: You can combine markers and regions in the same project, but you are limited to a total of 10
markers and five regions.
17. Which of the following is not true about markers and or region markers (select all that apply)?
a. They are snap points.
b. Once established, region length cannot be changed.
c. They can be labeled with descriptive text.
d. They can be moved out of the way, but not deleted from your project.
18. Draw a line connecting the keyboard shortcut to the action it performs:
a. S Paste
b. Ctrl+V Select All
c. Ctrl+A Insert Marker
d. M Split
e. R Insert Region
 Module 6
110 Basic editing techniques

Essays
1. Describe a situation in which you would use markers in your project. Describe a situation where you would
use regions in your project.
2. Describe the three rules that determine the behavior of the Split command.
3. Discuss the three different selections that you can make on the timeline and give example scenarios of when
you would use each type of selection.
Module 7: Enhancing
your project
The techniques you learned in Module 6, Basic editing techniques
helped you to begin assembling your Vegas™ Pro project.
Those techniques can take you a long way, but there’s still a lot
more you can do. The techniques in this module show you
how to enhance your project to make it more interesting. After
you’ve completed this module, you’ll have enough knowledge
to construct very sophisticated projects that include interesting
special effects and advanced techniques.
In this module you’ll learn how to do the following:
• Create fade-ins and fade-outs.
• Mix audio tracks.
• Create fades with the master bus.
• Put movie clips into slow motion.
• Alter the look and sound of your media with filters and
effects.
• Use the color correction tools.
• Create sophisticated transitions between clips.
• Make multiple video clips visible at the same time.
 Module 7
112 Enhancing your project

Lesson 1: Creating fades

• Lesson 1: Creating fades
You’ve seen throughout the book that when you first add media to the timeline, Vegas™ Pro software creates an
event to hold the media. The event has an abrupt beginning and end. A simple but interesting technique involves
creating fades for the beginning and end of an event. This lesson shows you how to create audio and video fades.
Every event in your project has its own controls for creating fades. These controls, called the ASR envelopes for audio
events, and event envelopes for video events, allow you to create a fade-in and a fade-out.

pt Private Tutor: Controlling the sustain and opacity

In this lesson, we talk about the “A” (attack) and “R” (release) portions of
the ASR envelope. We’ll talk about the “S” (which stands for “sustain”)
portion in Lesson 2 when we talk about mixing your audio and in Lesson 6 when
we talk about video compositing techniques.
To create a fade-in, hover your mouse over the upper-left corner of the event. When your pointer changes to the
Fade In icon ( ), drag to the right. As you drag, you create a slightly shaded area with a curved line running
through it. The curved line represents the fade. The width of the shaded area represents the length of the fade.
You have several options for how the event fades into the project. To access these fade options, right-click inside the
fade area. Choose Fade Type from the shortcut menu. A submenu presents you with thumbnails representing the
following options, which are shown in Figure 7.1:
Figure 7.1
You have 25 fade-type options from which to choose.

• Fast—the fade starts very quickly at the beginning and slows down at the end. (This is the default for audio
events.)
• Linear—the fade takes place at a constant rate.
• Slow—the fade stars slowly and speeds up toward the end.
• Smooth—the fade starts slowly, speeds up toward the middle, and then slows down again. (This is the
default fade type for video events.)
• Sharp—the fade starts quickly, slows down toward the middle, and then speeds up again.

To create a fade-out, point your mouse to the top-right corner of the event. When your pointer changes to the Fade
Out icon ( ), drag your mouse to the left. As with a fade-in, you can change the shape of the fade. Right-click
inside the fade out area and choose Fade Type from the shortcut menu. A submenu presents you with thumbnails
representing fade types described above.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 113

Task 1: Creating fades with ASR and event envelopes

In this task, you’ll create a video in which the audio and video fade in and out together.
1. Open M07Task001.veg from the LessonFiles\Module07\ folder.
2. Click the beginning of the video event in track 1 to place the cursor there.
3. Drag the audio event in track 2 to the left until its left edge snaps to the cursor.
The events in these two tracks now start at exactly the same time. Play the
project and make note of how the video and audio start suddenly.
4. Click the end of the video event to place the cursor there.
5. Trim the right edge of the audio event in track 2 until it snaps to the cursor.
Play the project and note how abruptly it ends.
6. Hover your mouse over the upper-left corner of the video event until you see
the Fade In icon.
7. Drag to the right about one quarter of the way through the video event to
create a fade-in.
8. Right-click inside the fade area, choose Fade Type from the shortcut menu,
and then choose the Slow Fade icon from the submenu.
9. Create a slow fade out on the video event that lasts for about the last quarter of
the event.
10. Play the project. The video fades nicely now, but the audio still starts and stops
abruptly.
11. Click the video event at the edge of the fade-in.
12. Create a slow fade-in on the audio event that matches the one on the video
event. Drag the fade area until it snaps to the cursor.
13. Create a slow fade-out on the audio event that matches the one on the video
event.
14. Play your project and notice how the video and audio fade in and out together.
15. Close this project without saving your changes.

Private Tutor: Finding important locations in an event

pt To quickly jump to the beginning and end of an event as well as the end of
a fade-in and the beginning of a fade-out, press Ctrl+Alt+Left/Right
Arrow. The cursor jumps to the next important event location.
Sometimes you want a custom fade type. Track composite level (for video tracks) and track volume (for audio tracks)
envelopes give you the flexibility to create the exact fade type that you want. To add one of these envelopes to a track,
click the track header icon and choose Insert | Video Envelopes | Track Composite Level or Insert | Audio
Envelopes | Volume. Choose these options again to remove the envelope. Alternatively, right-click the track icon
and choose Insert/Remove Envelope | Composite Level or Insert/Remove Envelope | Volume from the
shortcut menu, as shown in Figure 7.2 (you can also press V on your keyboard to add or Shift+V to remove a
volume envelope).
 Module 7
114 Enhancing your project

Figure 7.2
Right-click a track icon, and choose Insert | Remove Envelope from the shortcut menu.

When you add a composite level envelope on a video track, a blue line appears at the top of the track. This line
represents the envelope for the track. The volume envelope runs through the vertical center of an audio track. For
this discussion, we’ll use video tracks, but the same techniques apply to working with envelopes on audio tracks.
Drag the envelope up or down within the track. With the envelope at the top of the track, the video appears
completely opaque. With the envelope at the bottom of the track, the video appears completely transparent. Right-
click the envelope line and choose Add Point from the shortcut menu (alternatively, double-click the line). Drag this
point to another location in the track to create a fade between this point and the point at the beginning of the line
(which Vegas™ Pro software puts there by default). Add as many points to the envelope as you want.
Right-click the envelope between two points and choose one of the fade types from the shortcut menu. Right-click a
point on the line and choose a setting from the shortcut menu, or choose Set To, type a percentage into the text box,
and press Enter. To delete a point, right-click the point and choose Delete from the shortcut menu. (You can’t delete
the first point on the line.) To return the envelope to its default state, right-click the envelope and choose Reset All
from the shortcut menu.

Task 2: Creating fades with track envelopes

In this task, you’ll create a video in which the audio and video fade in and out together. This time, however,
you’ll create custom track envelopes to do the job.
1. Follow the first five steps of Task 1, Creating fades with ASR and event envelopes.
2. Right-click the track icon for track 1 and choose Insert/Remove Envelope |
Composite Level from the shortcut menu.
3. Drag the envelope to the bottom of the track. Play the project. You don’t see video
because you’ve made the track transparent.
4. At the beginning of the video event, right-click the composite level envelope and
choose Add Point from the shortcut menu.
5. Double-click the envelope a quarter of the way through the video event to add
another point.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 115

6. Drag the point you added in Step 5 to the top of the track. This creates a curve from
the second point to the third.
7. Add another point at the middle of the event.
8. Right-click the point you added in Step 7 and choose Set To from the shortcut
menu. Type “50” in the box, and press Enter. This sets the composite level at that
point to 50%.
9. Add another point about three quarters of the way through the event and set the
composite level at this point to 100%.
10. Add another point at the end of the event and set its composite level to 0%.
11. Now create a similar volume envelope on the audio track, but use the following
settings for the envelope points:
-First and second points: -Inf
-Third point: 0 dB
-Fourth point: -12 dB
-Fifth point: 0 dB
-Sixth point: -Inf
12. Play the project to preview your new fade envelopes.
13. Close the project without saving your changes.

Private Tutor: Understanding the volume envelope settings

pt In the previous task, you set the audio envelope to specific settings, but why
didn’t we have you set some of the points to the very top of the track like
you did with the video track, and what do those settings we had you enter for the
points mean? You’ll discover the answers to those questions in Lesson 2, which
explores the basics of working with audio.

Private Tutor: Drawing your fades freehand

pt There are a few different ways to create fades on your envelopes. You used
one method in the previous task. There is a faster way to alter the shape of
your envelopes. Point your mouse to the envelope line. Now, hold the Shift key.
The mouse icon changes to a pencil with an envelope under it. Continue to hold
the Shift key, then hold the mouse button and drag across the envelope. This
enables you to draw whatever curve you want in the envelope. This works for all
video and audio track-level envelopes.
Creating a fade-out ending on one track is easy, but your project may have many tracks. If so, using track envelopes
on every track could be a time-consuming and potentially inaccurate method of making the project fade out. You can
use bus tracks to solve this problem.
Every project has two bus tracks by default (although an additional bus track appears for every bus you insert into
your project): the video bus track, which controls the output of all video tracks in the project and the master bus
track, which controls the output of all audio tracks in the project (as long as you have not rerouted any of the tracks to
bypass the master bus). To view your project’s bus tracks, choose View | Audio Bus Tracks (or type B) and View |
Video Bus Track (or type Shift+Ctrl+B). Bus tracks appear in a separate section at the bottom of the timeline. This
section of the timeline has its own scroll bars so you can scroll to see other bus tracks if you have more than one.
Drag the horizontal bar that separates bus tracks from regular tracks to resize the bus track area so you can see more
than one bus track at once.
Notice that bus track headers contain many of the same controls as regular track headers, as well as some of the
controls available in the buses themselves. Right-click a bus track header, and notice that you can add envelopes to
bus tacks in the same manner as you did with individual tracks in the previous task.
 Module 7
116 Enhancing your project

Task 3: Creating fades with the Video and Master Bus

In this task you’ll explore a way to create a fade on multiple audio tracks using the master bus and then match
the audio fade to the video fade using the video bus.
1. Open M07Task003.veg in the LessonFiles\Module07\ folder on the companion disc.
2. Play the project and notice that both audio and video end abruptly.
3. Choose View | Audio Bus Tracks and View | Video Bus Track
4. Adjust your project layout so that you can see tracks 1 and 2 and the video bus and
the master bus.
5. Notice that the Fade To Color envelope is applied to the video bus track by default,
so you don’t need to turn it on.
6. Right-click the track icon for the master bus and choose Insert/Remove Envelope
| Volume.
7. Place a marker at 00:00:24:00 (place the cursor and press the M key to place a
marker) and label it “fade start.”
8. Place another marker at the end of the video and label it “fade end.”
9. Double-click the envelope in the video bus track at the first marker to create a
point. Create a point at the second marker as well.
10. Drag the second point all the way down to 100% Bottom Color. This creates a
video fade-out.
11. Place points at the first and second markers on the envelope for the master bus.
12. Drag the second point all the way down to –inf. The audio now fades to match the
video fade.
13. Play the project and experience the results of adding these envelopes.
14. Close the project without saving the changes.
15. Choose View | Audio bus tracks and View | Video bus track to hide the bus
tracks again.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 117

Lesson 2: Basic audio mixing

Your Vegas™ Pro projects will typically contain one or more audio tracks. When you add audio to your projects,
Vegas Pro software gives you powerful tools to use in creating the perfect mix of all the audio elements. In this lesson,
you’ll learn the basics of creating a pleasant audio mix.
Vegas Pro software supplies several tools for use in creating the perfect audio mix. The most obvious tools are in the
track header for each audio track. When you first add an audio track, the Vol fader (volume fader) rests at 0.0 dB.
Drag the Vol fader to the right to increase the volume of the track or to the left to decrease the volume.

Private Tutor: Understanding volume

pt Volume is measured in decibels (abbreviated dB). A decibel level of 0.0 dB
indicates the natural volume for the sound. In other words, when you set
the Vol fader on a track to 0.0 dB, you neither raise nor lower the volume of the
audio on the track. A positive dB level indicates that the volume has been turned
up. For every 6-dB increase in the volume setting, the audio is perceived to be
twice as loud, so a setting of 6 dB sounds twice as loud as a setting of 0 dB. Vegas
Pro software allows you to raise the volume of the audio on a track by 12 dB,
which is four times as loud as the original volume. Likewise, a negative dB level
indicates a cut in volume. A setting of –6 dB indicates that the audio plays at half
its normal volume. A setting of -Inf indicates no volume at all.
By default, when you play your project, the audio from each audio track is sent (or routed) to the Master fader in the
Mixer window. From the Master, the audio goes to your computer sound card and then to your speakers from which
you hear the audio. If you can’t see the Mixer in the window docking area, choose View | Mixer.
The Master meter has a scale for each channel; left and right. Use the meter to monitor the overall volume of your
project. For a good target volume, aim for a peak level (the loudest portion of the audio material) between –6 dB and
–3 dB. The numbers above the volume meters (called peak indicators) show the highest volume, so play your project
and watch these numbers. If they peak at too high a level, the audio is too high, and you should decrease the volume.
Use the Vol faders on the track headers to adjust the volume of individual tracks, or you can use the Master fader in
the Mixer to adjust the volume of the entire mix. The numbers below the volume meters indicate the setting of the
Master fader. By default, the Master fader rests at 0.0 dB so it neither boosts nor cuts the overall volume of the
project.

Private Tutor: Clipping and resetting peak indicator values

pt When your audio level is too high, the peak indicator values in the Master
meters may jump above the desired range of –6 dB to –3 dB. In extreme
cases, they may go above 0.0 dB: this is known as clipping. Clipping causes
unwanted noise and distortion in your mix. Remember, shoot for a value between
–6 dB and –3 dB because that leaves you a little margin for error. For instance, if
you set your volume so the audio peaks at 0.0 dB, louder audio later in the project
may clip and cause distortion. If you leave a bit of headroom (a safety margin),
unexpected increases in the volume will still likely peak beneath 0.0 dB. When the
Master meters do peak at or above 0.0 dB, the peak numbers above the meters
appear in a red box as a visual warning that you have too high an audio level and
you should make the proper volume adjustments. After adjusting the volume,
click the peak indicators to reset them so you can monitor your new peak values.
 Module 7
118 Enhancing your project

Private Tutor: Saving your project

pt During the remainder of this module, you’ll work on several tasks to build
one project. We’ll talk more about saving a project in the next module, but
since the work you do in each task builds upon the previous task, you might want
to save your work as you go along just in case you need to stop in the middle of
this module. Use the standard Windows save techniques to save your Vegas™
Pro project. The easiest method is to press Ctrl+S.

Task 4: Adjusting the volume of a track and the overall mix

This task shows you how to adjust the volume of an individual audio track and the volume of the entire mix.
1. Open M07Task004.veg in the LessonFiles\Module07\ folder on the companion disc.
We’ll work with this mock television promotional video through the next several
tasks.
2. Play the project. Watch the Master meter and note that the audio peaks well below
the suggested peak range.
3. Drag the Vol fader on track 2 to the right to increase the volume of the audio on
that track. As you do so, watch the Master meter, and stop increasing the volume
when the meter peaks between –6 dB and –3 dB. (A setting of about 9.0 dB works.)
4. Double-click the Vol fader to reset it to 0.0 dB.
5. Play the project again, and this time use the Master fader to boost the audio until it
peaks within the desired range.
6. Keep this project open so you can work on it in the next task.

pt Private Tutor: Setting your audio levels

When adjusting the audio for your tracks, don’t confuse the setting of the
Vol fader with the peak level in the master bus. In Step 3 of the previous
task, a setting of 9.0 dB for the Vol fader results in a peak level that falls within
the desired –6.0 dB to –3.0 dB range in the Master volume meter. The peak level
in the Master is the important thing to concentrate on. Set the track’s Vol fader to
whatever level achieves an acceptable peak in the Master.
Notice that the waveform for the audio event in track 2 of the project is very small. This indicates that the levels were
not properly set when this file was recorded. To fix the problem, normalize the event. The normalization process
raises the volume of the audio so that loudest point reaches a specified level. To normalize an event, select the event
and choose Edit | Switches | Normalize. Alternatively, right-click the event and choose Switches | Normalize
from the shortcut menu.

Task 5: Normalizing an event

In this task, you’ll normalize an audio event and then adjust the volume levels to avoid clipping.
1. If the project you began in the previous task is no longer open, repeat Task 4,
Adjusting the volume of a track and the overall mix.
2. Right-click the audio event in track 2, and choose Switches | Normalize from the
shortcut menu. The waveform now shows much more prominently.
3. Play the project and watch the Master meter. You now have a clipping problem, and
you can probably hear the distortion that it causes in the audio.
4. Double-click the Master fader to reset it to 0.0 dB. Play the project and notice that
although the project no longer clips, the peaks are still too loud.
5. Adjust the Vol fader in the track header to decrease the volume until you achieve an
acceptable peak level in the Master meter. A setting of about -3.0 dB does the trick.
6. Keep this project open so you can work with it in the next task.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 119

Private Tutor: Setting the normalization level

pt To specify a normalization level, choose Options | Preferences, select the
Audio tab, and change the value in the Normalize peak level (dB) box.

Private Tutor: Using other switches

pt When you right-click an event and choose Switches from the shortcut
menu, you notice several other switches in addition to Normalize. We
discussed Loop in Module 6, Basic editing techniques, Lesson 4, Edge trimming events.
You should also become familiar with two of the other audio switches. Mute
removes the event’s audio from the mix; although the muted event remains visible
in the project, you can’t hear it. Lock prevents you from inadvertently editing an
event that you don’t want to alter.
Another common problem in audio files occurs when one part of the file is louder than other parts. Although a quiet
section of the audio will be made louder with normalization, it remains quiet in comparison to the louder portion of
the audio. Compression has the effect of evening out the audio level of various portions of the audio file so that the
quiet sections’ peaks more closely match those of the louder sections. To apply compression to an audio track, click
the Track FX button to open the Audio Plug-In window, shown in Figure 7.3. This window contains three track
filters: Track Noise Gate, Track EQ, and Track Compressor. Click the Track Compressor button at the top of
the window. Choose a preset from the Preset drop-down list or make manual adjustments to the controls.
Figure 7.3
The Audio Plug-In window with the Track Compressor plug-in screen active.

Plug-In Chain

Task 6: Adding compression

This task shows you how to add compression to the narration so that the quiet portions’ levels more closely
match those of the loud portions, thus creating a more even narration.
1. If the project you worked on in the previous two tasks is no longer open, repeat
Tasks 4 and 5.
2. Play the project and watch the Master meter as the narration plays. Notice that
when the narrator says, “A young nation,” the meter hovers around –9 dB. When he
says, “a young country lawyer,” the meter hovers around –15 dB.
 Module 7
120 Enhancing your project

3. Click the Track FX button to open the Audio Plug-In window. If the Audio Plug-
In window obscures the Mixer window, move one or the other to a new location so
that you can see them both.
4. Click the Track Compressor button.
5. Choose 3:1 compression starting at –15 dB from the Preset drop-down list.
6. Play the project and notice that the two sections mentioned in Step 2 now generally
hover around much more similar levels.
7. The compression increases the overall volume of the track slightly, so adjust the
Output gain setting downward. A setting of around –2 dB works well.
8. Click the Close button in the Audio Plug-In window.
9. Keep this project open so you can work on it in the next task.

Private Tutor: Default track effects

pt You saw in the task above that each audio track contains three plug-ins by
default: Track Noise Gate, Track EQ, and Track Compressor. Because
these three filters are so commonly used in audio mixing, we’ve put them on every
track for you. However, if you don’t make any changes to the settings of these
filters, they have no affect on your project, nor do they waste your computer’s
processing power. They’re simply there if you need them.

Private Tutor: Using Vegas™ Pro software audio effects

pt You can add many more audio effects to your track. Click the Plug-In
Chain button (shown in Figure 7.3) to open the Plug-In Chooser
window (we’ll talk more about the Plug-In Chooser in Lesson 4). From there, you
can add any of the available plug-ins to the chain. You can then adjust to achieve
the sound or effect you want. You can also add audio filters and effects to the
master bus if you want to apply them to the entire mix.

pt Private Tutor: Applying FX to an audio event

You can apply an audio effect to a single audio event. To do so, click the
event’s Event FX button. Note that you may need to use the Up Arrow key or
your mouse wheel to zoom in on the event and expose the button. In the Plug-In
Chooser, double-click the Sony folder, then select an audio effect, like Reverb.
Now click Add and OK. You can make any necessary adjustments to the effect
in the Audio Event FX window.
Since the output of each track routes to the Mixer, you have two issues to consider in creating a final mix when your
project contains more than one audio track. First, you need to make sure that the volume levels of the various audio
tracks creates a pleasing mix (for example, the narration should be louder than the background music, or the singer
should be heard clearly above the drums), and second, you must make sure that the combined audio output from all
tracks does not cause the Mixer meters to peak at too high a level.
Two buttons on the audio track header help you create your mix. The Mute button temporarily removes the track
from the mix so that you can concentrate on other tracks. The Solo button mutes every other track so that you can
concentrate on the soloed track.
Sometimes simply setting the Vol fader on a track doesn’t solve all of your problems. For instance, imagine a project
that has a musical introduction. The music continues to play while a narrator begins to speak. Ideally, you want the
music to be at a certain level during the introduction, but to quiet down (or duck) when the narrator begins to speak.
Simply setting the Vol fader on the music track doesn’t accomplish this. A loud enough level for the intro might be
too loud for the narrator to be heard. A level low enough to make it possible to hear the narrator might be too quiet
during the introduction. In such a case, use the track volume envelopes you learned about in Lesson 1 to automate the
mix (create a duck in the music track when the narration begins).
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 121

Task 7: Ducking an audio track

In this task, you’ll add a music bed to another audio track, set the volume level for the music, and then use a
track volume envelope to duck the music during the narration.
1. If the project you worked on in the previous three tasks is no longer open, repeat
Tasks 3 through 6.
2. Add SampleMedia\Audio\Abe'sTheme.mp3 to the beginning of a new track.
3. Use the Normalize switch to normalize the event that holds the music.
4. Play the project and notice how the music overpowers the narrator. The music track
also causes the Master meter to peak at too high a level.
5. Click the Solo button for track 3 so that you can only hear that track.
6. Play the project, watch the meter, and adjust the volume of the music track until it
peaks at an acceptable level. A setting around -3.0 dB works.
7. Click the Solo button for track 3 again to bring the rest of the audio back into the
mix.
8. Play the project. This mix works better, but the music should still be a little quieter
when the narrator speaks.
9. With track 3 selected, press V on your keyboard to add a track volume envelope.
10. Add four points to the envelope on track 3 at these locations: 3.09, 3.29, 12.02, and
12.29. (Remember, press Ctrl+G, and type the numbers into the Cursor Position
box to move the cursor to these locations.)
11. Drag the segment of the envelope between the second and third points you added
in Step 10 until the value in the ToolTip reads -9 dB. This creates a duck in which
the volume of the track plays half as loud as non-ducked portions of the track.
12. Play the project, and notice that now you can hear the narrator much better.
13. Keep this project open so that you can work on it in the next task.

pt Private Tutor: The fast way to duck

To create an audio duck quickly, add a volume envelope to the track. Then,
make a time selection over the area that you want to duck. Now, with the
time selection still active, drag the portion of the volume envelope that falls within
the time selection down. Vegas™ Pro software automatically adds all the
necessary points to the envelope for you to quickly create the duck. If you want to
change the position of a group of points on an envelope while maintaining their
relationship to one another, make a time select that encompasses all of the points
and then change the position of one of them. All points within the time selection
will be adjusted and new points will be added to the edges of the time selection so
that no other portion of your envelope is affected. These techniques work for all
video and audio track-level envelopes.

pt Private Tutor: Controlling volume with track envelopes

The default position for volume envelopes lies through the middle of the
track instead of at the top. With 0.0 dB at the midpoint of the track height,
envelopes allow you to boost or cut the volume depending upon whether you
drag the envelope above or below the midpoint.

With the Master bus mode set to stereo, Vegas Pro software can send audio along two channels (left and right) to
your sound card (and thus out your speakers) to create a true stereo effect. In a stereo system, sometimes sound
comes out of only the left speaker (hard left), and sometimes out of only the right (hard right). Sometimes sound goes
equally to both speakers at the same time (straight up), giving the illusion that the sound comes from an invisible
source between the speakers. Much of the time mixing engineers place a sound within the stereo field that runs from
 Module 7
122 Enhancing your project

hard left to hard right so that it comes out of both speakers, although it may be louder in one speaker than the other.
Controlling the location of a sound in the stereo field, called panning, is an important part of the mixing process.
Use the Pan slider in the audio track header, shown in Figure 7.4, to control the placement of the audio in the stereo
field. Drag the Pan slider to the left to send the sound more to the left channel and less to the right. Drag to the right
for the opposite effect. By default, the Pan slider rests at Center so the sound goes equally to both channels. As you
move the slider, a percentage replaces the word Center to indicate that you have moved a certain percentage of the
audio from the opposite channel and added it to the channel toward which you are moving the slider. For example, a
setting of “50% L” indicates that you have taken half of the volume away from the right channel and added it to the
left channel.
Figure 7.4
Each audio track header contains both Vol (for adjusting track volume) and Pan (for panning the track signal) controls.

Keep a close eye on the Master meters while you adjust the Pan slider. As you pan to one channel, your peak level for
that channel increases (while the peak level for the other channel decreases), and you may run into clipping problems.
You can also control the panning on a track with a track pan envelope. Select the track to which you want to apply the
envelope and choose Insert | Audio Envelopes | Pan. Alternately, right-click the track header and choose
Insert/Remove Envelope | Pan (or press P). Pan envelopes are red. Add points to the envelope line and move
segments of the line up to pan the audio left or down to pan the audio right.

Task 8: Panning audio

In this task, you’ll add a couple of sound effects to your project and use a track pan envelope to distribute the
sound effects in different locations within the stereo field.
1. If the project you worked on in the previous four tasks is no longer open, repeat
Tasks 3 through 7.
2. Click toward the end of the music in track 2 to position the cursor there, and click
the Play button. Press the M key to place markers as soon as you see the letter “e”
appear in the Video Preview window. Place additional markers when the “d” and
“u” appear, and when the word “television” first appears on the screen.
3. Add another marker a couple of seconds before marker number 1. This marker (marker
9) will make it easy to play the file back from a specific point in the timeline so you can
view and hear the results of the work you’ll complete in the next several tasks.
4. In all likelihood, you did not manage to place the markers in exactly the right
positions. Navigate to marker 1. Hold the Alt key while you use your left and right
arrow keys to move through your project one frame at a time until you find the
exact frame where the “e” appears. Move the marker until it snaps to the cursor.
Repeat the process to precisely place the other markers. You should now have
markers in these positions: 16.08, 16.21, 17.04, and 18.06.
5. Drag SampleMedia\Audio\Arcade Beep 05.pca from the Explorer window to a blank
area of the timeline to create a new track (track 4). Snap the event to marker 1.
6. Paste copies of the Arcade Beep 05 event at markers 2 and 3 (all on track 4).
7. Add SampleMedia\Audio\Arcade Alarm 01.pca to track 4 at marker 4.
8. Navigate to marker 5. Play the file and notice how the sound effects line up
perfectly with the video. Notice also in the master bus meter that the peak levels for
these effects are too high.
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A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 123

9. Adjust the volume of track 4 so that the peak levels are more acceptable. A setting
of about –3.0 dB works well.
10. With track 4 selected, press the P key to add a track pan envelope.
11. Drag the pan envelope all the way to the top to pan the track hard left.
12. Add points to the pan envelope in the following positions: just before the first
Arcade Beep 05 event, just after the third Arcade Beep 05 event, just before the
Arcade Alarm 01 event, and just after the Arcade Alarm 01 event.
13. Drag the second point you added in Step 12 all the way down to pan the track hard
right. Do the same for the last point on the line.
14. Navigate to marker 5. Play the project and notice how the sound effects move
across the stereo field.
15. Notice also that the panning causes the master bus meter to clip. Adjust the volume
of track 4 until the peaks are acceptable again. A setting around –8.0 dB solves the
peak problem, but the sound effects are a little loud for a pleasant mix. Decrease the
volume even more to achieve a better overall mix. Around –12.0 dB sounds nice.
16. Keep this project open so you can work on it in the next task.

Private Tutor: Moving the cursor one frame at a time

pt The right and left arrow keys move your cursor by one screen pixel.
Depending upon your zoom level, this could mean that a pixel on your
screen contains several video frames. Hold the Alt key while you press the right or
left arrow key to restrict your cursor movements to one frame at a time, even if
that means the cursor moves less than one screen pixel.

Private Tutor: Control volume with the ASR envelope

pt In Lesson 1, you learned to use the event ASR envelope to create fades.
You can use the “S” (sustain) portion of the envelope to decrease the
volume of an audio event separately from all other events. To decrease the
volume with the ASR envelope, point to the top of the event. When the icon
changes to a pointing finger/arrow combination, drag the sustain line down. A
ToolTip indicates how much you are decreasing the volume.

Private Tutor: 5.1 surround mixing

pt If you really want to do some fancy mixing, set the Master Bus Mode on
the Audio tab of the Project Properties dialog (choose File | Properties)
to 5.1 Surround. This gives you enhanced panning controls that you use to place
audio anywhere in the 5.1 surround space. Naturally, to take advantage of 5.1
surround mixing, you’ll need a sound card and speaker setup that supports 5.1
surround audio.
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124 Enhancing your project

Lesson 3: Creating slow/fast motion

Many video editors like to alter the speed at which certain clips play back to create slow- and fast-motion effects. In
this lesson, you’ll learn not only how to alter the speed of your video clips, but also how to adjust the playback rate of
audio without changing pitch and how to change the pitch of your audio without changing the playback rate.
You can use a velocity envelope on a video event to speed up or slow down the playback. Velocity envelopes are
applied directly to a video event (rather than to the track). Even so, you’ll use the same techniques to manipulate
velocity envelopes as those you already know from working with track volume, pan, and composite level envelopes.
To toggle the velocity envelope for an event on and off, select the event and choose Insert | Video Envelopes |
Event Velocity. Alternatively, right-click the event and choose Insert/Remove Envelope from the shortcut menu
and select Velocity from the cascading menu. A green envelope runs through the center of the event which
represents 100% velocity (normal speed). Raise the line to increase the velocity (speed the video up) by up to 300%
(three times normal speed). Lower the line to create slow motion. Set the line at 50% to show the clip at half normal
speed. Lower the line to 0% velocity to create a freeze frame. Lower the line past 0% into a negative percentage to
show the video clip in reverse. You can lower the line to –100%, which plays the video at normal speed, but in
reverse.

Task 9: Slowing down a video clip with a velocity envelope

At the end of the video you created in the previous lesson, the word “television” zooms across the screen too
fast to read. In this task, you’ll create a velocity envelope to slow the video down at that point.
1. Open M07Task009.veg in the LessonFiles\Module07\ folder on the companion disc
2. Press 5 on your keyboard to navigate to marker 3.
3. Play the project and notice how difficult it is to read the word “television” as it
zooms across the screen.
4. Right-click the video event in track 1 and choose Insert/Remove Envelope |
Velocity from the shortcut menu.
5. Add a new point to the velocity envelope where it intersects with marker 4.
6. Add another point to the envelope just to the right of the one you added in Step 5.
7. Drag the point you added in Step 6 down and to the left so it snaps to marker 4 (see
Figure 7.5).
Figure 7.5
Align the two points so that the first is directly above the second.

8. Right-click the lower point and choose Set To from the shortcut menu. Type “50”
in the box to set the velocity at that point to half of normal speed.
9. Navigate to marker number 5 and play the project.
10. Keep this project open so you can work with it in the next task.
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Task 10: Creating a freeze frame with a velocity envelope

The word “television” is a little easier to read at 50% of normal speed, but it is still difficult to focus on it. In
this task, you’ll modify the velocity envelope to create a freeze frame to give the viewer time to read the word.
1. If the project you worked on in the previous task is not open, repeat Task 9.
2. Hold the Alt key and use your arrow keys to move the cursor through the project
until you find the point in the video where the word “television” is near the center
of the screen.
3. Add a point to the envelope where it intersects with the cursor.
4. Add another point to the envelope to the right of the one you added in Step 3.
5. Drag the point you added in Step 4 down and to the left until it snaps to the cursor.
6. Set the velocity for the point you added in Step 4 to 0%.
7. Navigate to marker number 5 and play the project. Notice that the word
“television” now stops on screen so you can read it. You might have to adjust the
position of the two points you added in this task to freeze the video more toward
the center of the screen.
8. Since you’ve frozen the video, it no longer fades out at the end. Use the event
envelope for the video event to create a one-second fade out.
9. Play the end of the video again to see your new ending.
10. Keep this project open so you can work with it in the next task.

pt Private Tutor: Understanding video interlacing

Depending upon the size of your Video Preview window and your preview
quality settings, the word “Television” in the previous task may look unreadable.
The difference between progressive and interlace techniques helps explain this.
Film cameras typically shoot at 24 complete frames per second, a technique
known as progressive recording. Video cameras on the other hand typically record
60 fields per second (50 for PAL video), and each field contains only half of the
image (either the even rows of the image or the odd). Thus, it takes two fields to
create a full frame—a technique known as interlacing. In interlaced video, you see
the second field one-half frame later in time than the first field. Because of this,
and because of certain techniques Vegas™ Pro software uses to smooth out the
motion of speed-altered video, fast-moving objects or generated text (like the
word “Television” in this case) may appear to have jagged edges. This is a normal
part of working with video on computers. You won’t notice this in the final
version of your project.

Task 11: Creating reverse motion with a velocity envelope

In this task, you’ll use the velocity envelope to play your video in reverse. You’ll make the word “television”
fly off the same side of the screen from which it flew on.
1. If the project you worked on in the previous task is not open, repeat Task 10.
2. Add a new point to the velocity envelope at the 19.20 position, and another one just
to the right of that.
3. Drag the second point down and to the left until it is below the other point and its
velocity is set to –100%.
4. Play the project to watch your new ending.
5. Keep this project open so you can work with it in the next task.

As an alternative to using a velocity envelope, alter the properties of an event to adjust the playback rate of the media
the event holds. To do this, right-click the event and choose Properties from the shortcut menu. The Properties
dialog opens with the Video Event tab active. By default, the Playback rate is set to 1.000, which indicates normal
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126 Enhancing your project

speed. Increase the value in the Playback rate box to speed the video up (up to 4 times normal speed), or decrease
the value to slow the video down (down to .250, or one-quarter normal speed). When you’ve set the desired rate, click
OK to close the Properties dialog and apply the new playback rate.
A jagged black line runs through the length of the event to indicate that you have changed the playback rate. Closer
“jags” in the line indicate a faster playback rate. Since changing the playback rate does not change the length of the
event, you may find that the media in the event finishes before the end of the event once you increase the playback
rate. As you’ve seen in the past, the media loops to fill the entire event. Conversely, if you slow the playback rate too
much, the event may end before the media has had a chance to finish. In this case, you may need to edge trim the
event to see the entire clip.

Task 12: Changing event properties to alter the playback rate of an event
In this task, you’ll remove the velocity envelope you’ve been working on and alter the properties of the video
event to change the playback rate.
1. If the project you worked on in the previous task is not open, repeat Task 11.
2. Right-click the video event and choose Insert/Remove Envelope | Velocity from
the shortcut menu. Also, remove the fade that you created in the video event.
3. Since you want to decrease the playback rate of the end of the video without
affecting the rest of the media, split the event at marker number 4.
4. Right-click the second video event and choose Properties from the shortcut menu.
5. On the Video Event tab, change the value in the Playback rate box to “0.500”
(half normal speed).
6. Click OK.
7. Navigate to marker number 5 and play the project. The results of this task are
identical to the results you achieved in Task 8 where you used a velocity envelope to
slow the video to 50% of normal speed.

pt Private Tutor: A shortcut for changing the playback rate

Vegas™ Pro software also offers a shortcut for changing the playback rate.
Hover over the edge of the event as if you are going to edge trim it. Press the Ctrl
key, and the mouse icon changes to include a jagged line beneath the normal icon.
Hold the Ctrl key and drag the edge of the event. The jagged line appears in the
event to indicate that you have altered the playback rate. This method also
changes the length of the event, so make sure that’s what you really want to do
before using the shortcut! This shortcut works for both video and audio.

pt Private Tutor: Splitting grouped events

In an earlier module, we gave you three rules to remember when using the
split command. One of those rules states that if you have one or more selected
events on your timeline, the split command will never affect a non-selected event
even if the cursor touches it. Well, in the previous task, you may have noticed the
exception to that rule: a non-selected event will be split by the split command if it
is grouped to a selected event that is split by the split command. In the previous
task, since the audio event on track 2 was grouped to the selected video event on
track 1, when you split one, you also split the other.
Although you can’t alter the playback speed of an audio event with a velocity envelope, you can change its playback
rate in the Properties dialog just as you did for the video event in Task 11. Right-click an audio event and choose
Properties from the shortcut menu. The Properties dialog opens with the Audio Event tab active. In the Time
stretch/pitch shift section, choose Classic Method drop-down list. The Original length field shows you the natural
length of the event. Type a new length into the New length field. Leave the Lock to stretch checkbox deselected if
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A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software 127

you want to preserve the original pitch of the audio, or select it to change the pitch of the audio (much like the sound
you create when you slow down or speed up an analog tape player).
If you leave the Lock to stretch box unselected, you can choose the option from the Stretch Attributes drop-down
that most closely suits your audio. When you’re done, click OK to close the Properties dialog.
You can also use a shortcut to change the pitch of an audio event without changing the event’s length. Select an event
and press the Plus (+) key to raise the pitch of an event by one semitone or the Minus (-) key to lower the pitch. To
make it visibly obvious that you’ve changed the pitch of an event, choose View | Active Take Information. This
reveals several pieces of information including the name of the current take in the event, the percentage of velocity
change (if the event velocity has been changed) and the amount of pitch shift (if the pitch has been changed).

Task 13: Altering the playback rate of an audio event

In the previous task, you slowed the word “television” so it moved across the screen at half its normal speed.
You now have a problem because the sound effect that goes with the movement of the word “television”
doesn’t last long enough. In this task, you’ll change the playback rate of the audio event that holds the sound
effect so the sound once again matches the video and change the pitch of a couple events.
1. If the project you worked on in the previous task is no longer open, repeat Task 12.
2. Place your cursor at the spot in the video where the word “television” has fully
disappeared off the right edge of the screen (19.14).
3. Hold the Crtl key and drag the right edge of the last event on track four until it
snaps to the cursor.
4. Navigate to marker number 5 and play the project. The sound effect now matches
the video once again but you may notice that this has changed the pitch of the
audio, which you don’t want to do.
5. Right-click the event and choose Properties from the shortcut menu. Noticed that
your actions in Step 3 have changed the Time stretch/pitch shift settings.
6. Confirm that the Lock to stretch checkbox is not selected and click OK.
7. Play the project again and notice that the sound effect lasts longer but has now
retained its original pitch.
8. Choose View | Active Take Information.
9. Select the second of the three Arcade Beep 05 events in track 4 and press the Equal
key three times to raise the pitch of the event three semitones.
10. Repeat Step 9 for the third Arcade Beep 05 event, but this time raise the event’s
pitch five semitones (press the Equal key five times).
11. Navigate to marker number 5 and play the project to hear all the changes you’ve made.

pt Private Tutor: Giving audio its due

Don’t ever let anyone convince you that you can skimp on the audio
portion of your video. Audio has a huge effect in how viewers perceive your
video. Prove it to yourself. Listen to the final result of all the work you’ve done
over the last 10 tasks. Now, open MO7Task004.veg again. Play the project, and
see—rather, hear—just where you started. Which version delivers the most
punch? What’s the difference? Aside from a few slow-motion tricks on the end of
the video, the differences are all audio!
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128 Enhancing your project

Lesson 4: Adding effects and filters

In Lesson 2, you added a compressor to the narration track to balance the audio level. As mentioned in that lesson,
you can add many other effects (plug-ins) to your audio. Likewise, Vegas™ Pro software includes many plug-ins you
can use to enhance the look of your project. This lesson shows you how to add video plug-ins and gives you a taste of
some of the filters and effects included with Vegas Pro software.
To add a filter or effect to an event, click the Event FX button, shown in Figure 7.6. At the moment, the button is
gray, indicating that no plug-ins have been added to the event. Alternatively, right-click the event and choose Video
Event FX from the shortcut menu. Both of these methods open the Video Event FX window or, if no effect already
exists on the event, the Plug-In Chooser window.
Figure 7.6
Each video event contains an Event FX button.

Event FX

The Plug-In Chooser lists all of the video filters and effects that were loaded on your computer when you installed
Vegas Pro software so you can choose the ones you want to apply to the event. You can apply a chain of as many as
32 plug-ins to an event. To add a plug-in to the chain, select the plug-in in the list, and then click the Add button
(alternatively, double-click the plug-in in the list). A chain of buttons (one for each plug-in you add) appears across the
top of the Plug-In Chooser. To remove a plug-in from the chain, select the button for that plug-in and click Remove.
To change the order of the plug-ins in the chain, select the button of the plug-in you want to move, and then click the
Move Plug-In Left/Right buttons. When you’re done adding plug-ins to the chain, click OK.

Task 14: Creating an effects chain for a video event

This task shows you how to create a chain of effects for a video event.
1. Open M07Task014.veg in the LessonFiles\Module07\ folder on the companion disc.
2. Click the Event FX button.
3. In the Plug-In Chooser, double-click Sony Black and White to start a plug-in
chain.
4. In the same way, add Sony Film Effects and Sony Sepia to the chain.
5. Click OK.
6. Keep this project open so you can work on it in the next task.

When you close the Plug-In Chooser, the Video Event window remains open. The plug-in chain you created in the
Plug-In Chooser appears at the top of the Video Event FX window. To change the order of the chain without going
back to the Plug-In Chooser, drag the button you want to move to a new position in the chain. Click the Plug-In
Chain button to reopen the Plug-In Chooser. To remove a plug-in from the chain from within the Video Event FX
window, select the button for the plug-in you want to remove and then click the Remove Selected Plug-In button.
Alternatively, right-click the button and choose Remove from the shortcut menu.
Each plug-in is initially added with neutral settings so it does not affect the video. To adjust a plug-in so it has an
effect on the video, click the plug-in button in the plug-in chain. The parameter controls for that plug-in appear in the
middle of the Video Event FX dialog. Choose a setting from the Preset drop-down list or adjust the controls to apply
the plug-in to the video. To bypass a plug-in so that you can see what the project looks like without it, deselect the
check box next to the plug-in name in the chain.
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Task 15: Adjusting plug-in parameter settings

In this task, you’ll adjust the parameter settings of plug-ins to apply the effects to your video.
1. If the project you started in the previous task is no longer open, repeat Task 14.
2. Double-click the video event in the timeline to set the loop region over it. (You
don’t need to close the Video Event FX window, but you might need to move it out
of the way. If you do close it, click the Event FX button on the event to reopen it.
Notice that the Event FX button is now green, which indicates that one or more
plug-ins have been applied to this event and that the Plug-In Chooser will not
open.) Press Q to turn on Loop Playback mode and play the project.
3. In the Video Event FX window, click the button in the chain for the Black and
White plug-in. Choose 100% Black and White from the Preset drop-down list. As
you see in the Video Preview window, the video now appears black and white.
4. Click the Film Effects button in the Video Event FX window and choose the
Circa 1980 preset. This introduces video noise to the event to give it an old film
look.
5. Click the Sepia button and set the Blending strength to .400. This adds a
greenish-yellow tint to the video.
6. Drag the Black and White button from the first position in the chain to the last
position. Notice (in the Video Preview window) that the different order changes the
video’s appearance, proving that the order of your plug-ins can make a difference on
your project’s final look.
7. Clear the check box in the Black and White button to temporarily bypass the Black
and White plug-in. Select it again to toggle the effect off and on to compare what
the video looks like in color and black and white. End your experimentation with
Black and White on.
8. Close the Video Event FX window.
9. Keep this project open so you can work on it in the next task.

Click the Animate button and use the keyframe controller at the bottom of the Video Event FX window to change
the settings over time. Each plug-in in the chain has its own row in the keyframe controller, and each effect’s
keyframes can be adjusted independently. Revisit Module 4, Adding media to your project: media generators, Lesson 2, Using
the keyframe controller for help with the keyframe controller.
The event is just one of four places in Vegas™ Pro software where you can add filters and effects. You can use the
same techniques you just learned to add effects to the media clip (as opposed to the event as you did in the past few
tasks), an entire track, and the whole project. Here’s a summary of how adding filters and effects at these various
locations affects your project:
• Event effects—Adds the plug-ins to a single event. The plug-in affects no other event, even if other events
contain the same piece of video media.
• Media effects—Adds the plug-ins to the media file. Applies the plug-in to the media itself: no matter where
or how many times you use it in your project, the media contains the effect.
• Track effects—Adds the plug-in to the track. Applies the plug-in to the output of the track so that every
piece of media used on the track appears affected.
• Video output effects—Applies the plug-in to the project at the final output so as to affect the entire video.

Task 16: Alternatives for adding filters and effects

This task demonstrates how adding plug-ins at the four different locations affects the output of your project.
1. If the project that you started in the previous task is no longer open, repeat Task 15.
2. Right-click and drag SampleMedia\Video\PaceLineFromSideWide.avi from the Project
Media window to the existing track in the timeline. Position it just after the event
that’s already in the project. When you release the mouse, choose Video Only |
Add Video Across Time.
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130 Enhancing your project

3. Adjust the loop region so that it spans both events. (The project should still be
playing in looped playback mode but if it’s not, play it now.) Notice that in the
timeline, the two events look identical, except that the first event has a green Event
FX button to indicate that you have applied a plug-in to it. However, you can easily
see the difference between the two events in the Video Preview window.
4. Click the Event FX button in the first event. In the Video Event FX window, click
the Remove Selected Plug-In button three times to remove all plug-ins from the
chain. Now the two events are identical.
5. Open the Project Media window if it’s not still visible.
6. In the Project Media window, you see a thumbnail for the bike clip (notice there’s only
one thumbnail, even though you’ve used the clip in two different events). If you had
more clips in your project, you’d see a thumbnail here for each of them. Click the
thumbnail to select it (if necessary, use the Views button to toggle to thumbnails
view), and then click the Media FX button at the top of the Project Media tab.
7. In the Plug-In Chooser, double-click Sony Spherize to add it to the chain and click
OK.
8. Choose Maximum Sphere In from the Preset drop-down list. Notice that now
both events are affected by the plug-in (even if you move one of them to a different
track) because you’ve added the plug-in at the media level.
9. Right-click the Spherize button in the plug-in chain and choose Remove from the
shortcut menu.
10. Delete the second bike event.
11. From the Explorer window, add SampleMedia\Video\DancersInBlue.avi and
SampleMedia\Video\BlackHorse.avi (video only for both) to the space left by the event
you deleted in Step 9. Adjust the loop region to cover all three events.
12. Click the Track FX button for the track that holds the three events.
13. In the Plug-In Chooser, add Sony Convolution Kernel to the plug-in chain.
Choose the Bump preset. The filter affects the output of the entire track and thus
affects all three events.
14. Move the Horse clip from track 1 straight down to a new track. The track effect on
track 1 no longer affects the Horse clip because it’s no longer on track 1.
15. Delete the Sony Convolution Kernel from the plug-in chain.
16. In the Preview window, click the Video Output FX button.
17. Add the Sony Light Rays plug-in to the chain and close the Plug-In Chooser.
18. Choose the Intense Light Rays preset. This adds the light rays effect to the final
output of the project so that it affects every clip in the project.
19. Close the project without saving your changes.

pt Private Tutor: Bypassing video plug-ins

To bypass any video plug-ins you’ve applied to the video bus track, click the
Bypass FX and Envelopes button on the video bus track header. To
bypass all video FX regardless of how they were added to your project, choose
FX Bypassed from the Split Screen View drop-down list in the Video Preview
window. The screen splits in half to show the video without effects on the left and
with effects on the right. Drag a selection area across the Video Preview window
to define the portion that shows the bypassed view, or choose one of the presets
from the Split Screen View drop-down list. Click the Split Screen View button
to turn split-screen view off.
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pt Private Tutor: Dealing with dropped frames

Filters and effects require extra computer processing power. If your
computer can’t keep up with the video, Vegas™ Pro software skips (or
drops) frames during preview. Every time a frame is dropped, the video looks a
little less smooth. Click the Quality button at the top of the Video Preview
window (if you’ve never changed it, it has the label Preview Auto). Choose Draft
Auto from the menu. Vegas Pro software displays the video at a lower quality,
which allows your computer to process more of the frames from the video so you
can see smoother motion.
You can also build a dynamic RAM preview that loads all of the frames within the
loop region into your computer’s RAM (or at least all that the specified amount of
RAM can hold). To build a dynamic RAM preview, define a loop region and then
choose Tools | Build Dynamic RAM Preview (or press Shift+B). To allocate
more RAM to this feature, choose Options | Preferences and click the Video
tab. Increase the setting in the Dynamic RAM Preview max (MB) box. One
more alternative is to temporarily bypass all of the video plug-ins in your project
to decrease the processing demand on your computer. To do so, click the Bypass
FX and Envelopes button in the track header of the Video bus.

pt Private Tutor: Copying event effects

You’ve just gone to a lot of trouble setting up various effects and switches
on an event, and now you’d like to use the same setup on another event. To
do so quickly, right-click the event with the settings you’d like to duplicate and
choose Copy. Next, right-click the event to which you want to apply the same
effects and choose Paste Event Attributes. This function pastes event pitch
shift, playback rate, undersample rate, effects, effects keyframes, pan/crop
settings, velocity envelopes, and switch settings into the target event.

Private Tutor: Stabilizing Media

pt The media stabilization tool helps you salvage video that might otherwise be
too shaky to use. Add your video clip to the timeline. Right-click the event and
choose Media FX from the menu. From the Plug-In Chooser, Sony Stabilize.
Click the Add button and then click OK. In the Media FX window, click the
Preset drop-down list and choose a preset. Us the Pan smoothing and
Stabilization amount controls to dial in the settings that work best for your
footage. Select the Rolling shutter correction checkbox to compensate for
wobbly distortion that sometimes results from quick camera pans. Click Apply to
complete the media stabilization.
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132 Enhancing your project

Lesson 5: Color correction

Vegas™ Pro software gives you great control over the color of your video with powerful color-correction tools that
make highly accurate and professional color adjustments. When used in conjunction with the video scopes (see
Private Tutor following this lesson), these tools make working with colors in your videos easy yet powerful. This
lesson looks at two of the color correction tools: Sony Color Corrector and Sony Color Corrector (Secondary).
Use the Video FX window or the Event FX button to apply the Sony Color Corrector filter to an event. The Color
Corrector filter, shown in Figure 7.7, contains three color wheels. The first wheel on the left adjusts the color for the
low tones in your video (for example, shadows and other dark areas). The middle wheel adjusts the midtones (for
example, colors of medium brightness such as a neutral blue or green), and the wheel on the right adjusts the high
tones (for example, areas of the video that are in bright light or contain bright colors such as yellow). On each wheel,
adjust the white point at the center of the wheel to pick from a range of colors (the hue value) that runs
counterclockwise from blue to magenta to red to yellow to green to cyan, and specify how much of that color (the
saturation amount) you want to add to the affected tone range.
Figure 7.7
The Sony Color Corrector filter gives you independent control over the low, mid, and high tones of your video.

pt Private Tutor: Seeing all of the controls

Sometimes when you open the Video FX window, you might not realize
that you’re not seeing all of the controls it holds. That’s because the window
always reopens to whatever size you last set it to. If you the last video effect didn’t
have as many controls as the one you’re using now, you might have made the
window smaller in order to conserve space on your screen. To ensure that you’re
seeing all of a window’s controls, double-click the window’s title bar. This resizes
the window to the minimum size it can be and still show all of its controls.
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The angle at which you drag the color selector point determines the hue you add to the tone, and the point’s distance
from the center of the color wheel determines the saturation (or amount) of the color you add. The farther you drag
the point from the center, the more saturated your video clip becomes with the hue toward which you drag. For
example, to add more red to the midtones of your video, drag the point for the Mid color wheel toward the R just
inside the edge of the color wheel (just over the 90-degree mark). As you drag the point, the values in the Angle box
(which indicates the hue value) and the Magnitude box (which indicates the saturation value) update dynamically.
You can also enter values directly into these text boxes to change hue and saturation. Double-click the point to reset
the Angle and Magnitude values to 0.0 (that is, no color added).
Use the Choose Complementary Color eyedropper tool under each color wheel (shown in Figure 7.8) to sample a
color from anywhere on your screen. Colors that appear exactly 180 degrees apart on the color wheel are
complementary. For instance, yellow is the complementary color to blue, and red is complementary to cyan. When
you use this tool to sample a color, the tool adds that color’s complementary color to your video clip for the affected
tone to counteract an overabundance of the color.
Figure 7.8
Use the eyedropper tools to sample a color from anywhere on the screen.

Choose Adjustment Color

Choose Complementary Color

Task 17: Applying a complementary color to your video

In this task you’ll experiment with the Choose Complementary Color tool to see its effect on a solid color.
1. Start a new Vegas™ Pro project
2. Open the Media Generators window, choose Solid Color. Drag the Red preset to
the timeline, and click the event to place the cursor within it. Your Video Preview
window now shows the red event.
3. Add the Color Corrector filter to the red event.
4. Click the Choose Complementary Color tool for the low tones, and click the red
event in your timeline or the Video Preview window. This adds the maximum value
of cyan to the low tones of your video clip, which has the affect of neutralizing the
red to some extent. The red event now looks much darker.
5. Double-click the white color selector to reset it to its default position.
6. Close the project without saving your changes.

Click the Choose Adjustment Color eyedropper tool for the desired color wheel, and then click a color on your
screen. This samples the color you clicked and adds it to the video clip.
The Saturation slider adjusts the video clip’s overall saturation. Raising the saturation level creates more vibrant and
intense colors. Lowering the saturation level essentially removes all color, giving you a black-and-white image.
The Gamma slider adjusts the overall brightness of the video. A higher setting brightens the video.
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134 Enhancing your project

The Gain slider multiplies the luminance values by the gain setting. This has the general effect of lightening the video
(raising the gain value) or darkening the video (lowering the gain value.)
The Offset slider enables you to set an offset value to be applied to all luminance values in the video. This provides
another method of lightening or darkening the video.

Task 18: Correcting problem video with the Color Corrector tool
In this task you’ll use the Color Corrector filter to salvage an otherwise unusable video clip.
1. Open M07Task018.veg in the LessonFiles\Module07\ folder on the companion disc.
2. Play the project and see that the video clip has an unpleasant blue tint.
3. Position the cursor in the event so you can see the riders in the Preview window.
4. Add the Color Corrector filter to the event.
5. Drag the color selector point for the Low color wheel in a circle around the edge of
the wheel. Notice that this only affects the darkest areas of the video where you
have low color tones.
6. Adjust the Mid and High color wheels too and notice what portions of the video
these controls affect.
7. Double-click the points in each wheel to return them to their default positions.
8. Click the Choose Complimentary Color button for the Low color wheel and then
in the Preview window, click the trunk of one of the dark trees in the background.
9. Notice that the color wheel adjusts to add some yellowish-red to the video, thus
offsetting the blue tint in the low color range. You can already see a vast
improvement in the Preview window.
10. Use the Choose Complimentary Color button for the Mid color wheel to sample
a portion of the road behind the riders, and for the High color wheel to sample on
of the riders’ white helmets. The video quality improves with each sampling. These
adjustments have made a huge difference in the video quality and you can make
further manual adjustments if you feel it’s necessary to do so.

The Sony Color Corrector (Secondary) Correction filter, shown in Figure 7.9, enables you to define a range of colors
within your video to which you want to limit the color adjustments you make. With this tool, you can make very
specific color adjustments to portions of the video without affecting other portions. Add the Sony Color Corrector
(Secondary) to an event in your project. Try to pick a video clip that has a large area of solid color such as a red car, a
blue wall, or a green shirt.
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Figure 7.9
The Sony Color Corrector (Secondary) filter enables
you to isolate specific portions of your video to pinpoint your color corrections.

Use these tools

to make color adjustments

Use these tools

to define a mask

Using the Secondary Color Corrector is a two-step process. First, define the area of the video that you want to affect.
Then, make the desired color adjustments.
Let's break these two general steps into specifics. First, add the Secondary Color Correction filter to the event you
want to work with. Click in the timeline to place the cursor within the event. As usual, you see the video in the Video
Preview window. Often, you can define the area you want to affect fairly closely with the Select Effect Range button.
Click the button, then click and drag inside the Video Preview window over a portion of the color that you want to
correct. For example, if you want to color correct a wall in the background of the video, click and drag over a portion
of the wall without including anything other than the wall. You've just defined a mask, that is, the range of colors that
the filter will act upon when you start making color adjustments. Select the Show Mask check box to see how
accurately you've defined the desired area.
Usually, you'll notice that the area is not perfectly defined. You'll need to fine-tune it so that you affect only the object
you want and not other objects in the video that may share similar colors. First, you might try sampling different
portions of the object. Try larger and smaller sample areas to see which gets you closest to a perfect mask. Then, make
adjustments to the various controls in the Limit luminance, Limit saturation, and Limit hue sections until you've
isolated the object you want to color correct as completely as possible (it may not be possible to define the area
perfectly, but experiment with different combinations of these controls, and you should be able to get very close in
most cases.) There's an art to defining a good mask. The process requires a lot of experimentation, but with a little
experience, you'll soon begin to learn what works and what doesn't.
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136 Enhancing your project

Once you've defined the mask as accurately as possible, deselect the Show Mask check box. Now you're ready to
make the color adjustments. The color wheel provides the easiest method for making color adjustments. You're
already familiar with the color wheel from working with the 3-wheel Color Correction filter earlier. The color wheel in
this filter works exactly the same way. Click the Chrominance drop-down arrow. Reposition the point to define the
hue and luminosity of the color correction. The color changes affect only the area you defined with the mask.
The Rotate Hue slider changes the angle assigned to the colors on the color wheel. For instance, with this slider set
to 180 degrees, each color on the wheel now occupies the position exactly opposite of its default position on the
wheel, so that red now occupies the position formerly held by cyan.
Drag the Saturation slider to the right to make the colors more vibrant, or to the left to tone the colors down a bit. A
very low saturation removes all color and results in a grayscale image. A high saturation setting causes the corrected
color to completely override the original color.
The Offset, Gamma, and Gain, sliders work as described for the Color Corrector filter. Adjust the Alpha slider to
raise or lower the alpha value of the mask. The alpha value represents transparency. An alpha value of 1.000 makes
the mask totally opaque, while a value of 0.000 creates a completely transparent mask. To see the effect of the alpha
setting, place another video clip on a new track below the one to which you are applying color correction. As you
lower the alpha value, you see the clip on the lower track begin to show through the mask.

Task 19: Using the Color Corrector (Secondary) filter

In this task you’ll use the Color Corrector (Secondary) filter to adjust a single color.
1. Open M07Task019.veg in the LessonFiles\Module07\ folder on the companion disc.
2. Add the Color Corrector (Secondary) filter to the event.
3. Undock the Video Preview window and double-click its title bar to maximize it.
4. Click the Select effect range: button in the Color Corrector (Secondary) filter and
draw a rectangle that covers a portion of the red shorts just below the rider’s waist
which includes various shades of red.
5. Select the Show mask check box. The white area represents the area that can be
color controlled. The black areas will be unaffected by your color corrections.
6. Use the Limit saturation, Limit hue, and Limit luminance controls to adjust the mask.
7. Deselect the Show mask check box.
8. Click the Chrominance drop-down arrow and use the color wheel to adjust the
color of the masked area. Nothing outside of the masked area is unaffected.
9. When you have a setting you like, play the project and notice that these color
changes follow the video. This points out that with this tool you’re affecting a color
and that color defines the affected areas of your video.
10. Close the project without saving your changes.

Private Tutor: Other color-correction tools

pt Vegas™ Pro software offers more than these two color correction tools.
Browse through the Video FX window for more color adjustment tools.

Private Tutor: Video Scopes

pt When professionals color correct their images, they rely on scopes to give
them valuable information about the color of their video. Vegas Pro
software supplies four different scopes. Choose View | Video Scopes to open
the Video Scopes window. Choose All from the drop-down list to see all four
scopes at the same time. Click the Update Scopes while Playing button to see
the scope information update as you play the video.
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Lesson 6: Creating crossfades and other transitions

When you position two events on the timeline so that one begins as soon as the other ends, you’ve created a butt edit
or cut—a very common editing technique that you’ll use often. Sometimes, however, you’ll want to have a more
gradual switch from one event to the other, so that the first clip can be seen disappearing while the second appears.
This is known as a transition. Vegas™ Pro software gives you many ways to control the look of your transitions. This
lesson shows you how to create interesting transitions from one clip to the next.
Way back in Lesson 1 you learned about fades and how to create them. The simplest and arguably the most common
transition effect, known as a crossfade, simply combines two simultaneous fades—a fade out on the first event and a
fade in on the second. By default, Vegas Pro software creates crossfades automatically when you overlap two events.
To toggle this Automatic Crossfades mode on and off, choose Options | Automatic Crossfades, or press
Ctrl+Shift+X. To create a crossfade, add two events to the same track. Position the second event so that its
beginning overlaps the end of the first event. The amount of the overlap between the two events (indicated by an
“X”) determines the length of the crossfade transition.
In a crossfade, you can choose any of the five shapes (fast, slow, linear, smooth, and sharp) for both the fade out and
the fade in, giving you 25 possible fade in/out combinations. Right-click in the crossfade area and choose Fade Type
from the shortcut menu. A submenu appears with thumbnails of the possible in/out combinations. Choose a
thumbnail to assign it to the crossfade.

Task 20: Creating a crossfade transition

In this task, you’ll create a crossfade between two events.
1. Open M07Task020.veg in the LessonFiles\Module07\ folder on the companion disc.
2. Vegas Pro software should be in automatic crossfade mode already but if not, click
the Automatic Crossfades button.
3. Drag the second event (the dance) to the left so it snaps to the end of the horse
event (this is a cut edit like several that you’ve made before). Create a loop region
over the two clips, turn on loop playback mode, and play the project.
4. Drag the dance event to the left so it overlaps the horse event. This creates a
crossfade and a text box appears in the crossfade area to indicate the exact length of
the crossfade. Move the dance event left or right to adjust the crossfade length.
5. Right-click in the crossfade area and choose Fade Type from the shortcut menu. In
the submenu, choose the slow/slow combination (the third thumbnail in the third
column) and notice the subtle change in the crossfade.
6. Keep this project open so that you can work on it in the next task.

When it comes to transitions, crossfades just scratch the surface of your options. Vegas Pro software includes many
different transitions. Each of those types has multiple presets and controls for complete customization.

Private Tutor: Crossfading audio events

pt You can use the same technique you used in task 19 to crossfade two audio
events.
To add a transition other than a crossfade, first create a crossfade like you did in the previous task. Once you’ve
positioned the two events, open the Transitions window (click its tab in the window docking area, or choose View |
Transitions). The left side of the window lists the current transition types and thumbnails for each available preset
appear on the right side. Hover over any thumbnail to see an animated example of the transition. When you find the
transition you like, drag the thumbnail from the Transitions window to the crossfade area between the two events.
The new transition replaces the crossfade. A horizontal bar contains the name of the transition and an “X”. The
Video Event FX window also opens. In the Video Event FX window, you can choose a different preset or customize
the parameters of the transition manually. The keyframe controller at the bottom of the window once again allows
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138 Enhancing your project

you to create custom behavior for your transition. Remember, click the Animate button to access the keyframe
controller area. If you decide you don’t like the transition you’ve chosen, drag a different transition to the area
between the two events to replace the existing transition with the new one. If you close the Video Event FX window
and then decide you want to customize the transition, click the “X” in the transition area to reopen the window.

Private Tutor: Applying a transition effect to an event envelope fade

pt You can change the fade-in or -out that you create on a video event with
any of the transitions available in Vegas™ Pro software. To do so, use the
event envelope to create a fade. Drag a transition thumbnail into the fade area.
Now instead of fading from or to black, the video transitions from or to black
according to the transition effect you chose.

Task 21: Using transition plug-ins

In this task, you’ll change the crossfade you created in Task 19 to a new transition type.
1. If the project that you started in the previous task is no longer open, repeat Task 20.
2. Click the Transitions tab at the bottom of the window docking area, or choose
View | Transitions if the Transitions window is closed.
3. Select Clock Wipe in the list at the left side of the Transitions window.
4. Hover over the various thumbnails to view your options. Drag the Clockwise, Soft
Edge thumbnail from the Transitions window to the crossfade area between the
two events in the timeline. Close the Video Event FX window. If you stopped
playback between now and the previous task, play it again in Loop Playback mode.
5. Select Linear Wipe in the transitions window to view the thumbnails for that type
of transition.
6. Drag the Left-Right, Hard Edge thumbnail to the transition area to replace the
clock wipe with this simple transition.
7. Click the Animate button.
8. Add a new keyframe at the end of the keyframe controller of the Video Event FX
window (which opened when you performed Step 6).
9. With the new keyframe selected, adjust the Angle slider until the value in the box to
the right of it reads, “180” (or just enter “180” directly into the box). Increase the
Feather value to “1.000.” You’ve just customized the simple transition to create a
sweeping/fading transition.

pt Private Tutor: Transition Progress envelopes

You can further customize your transitions with a Transition Progress
envelope. To add one, right-click the transition area and choose Insert
Remove Envelope | Transition Progress. With this envelope, you could create
(for example) a linear wipe transition that progresses normally until the half-way
point at which time it reverses and moves backwards until the 25% point and then
continues on normally until done.

pt Private Tutor: User discretion advised

Inexperienced video editors often believe that transitions make the video
look fancy, when in truth they can be very distracting. Most of the time cuts
and simple crossfades do the job best. In addition, over the years of movie
making, certain transition types seem to have taken on their own implied
meanings. Transitions can send a message about the video that is not exactly what
you intended. Other times, you can use that to your advantage. For example, you
sometimes see transitions used this way in campy horror spoofs.
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Lesson 7: Video composites

A video composite occurs when you show two or more video clips on the screen at the same time. Vegas™ Pro
software supports video composites in several ways, often times eliminating the need to use a different software
application to create composites. This lesson provides a quick overview of the various techniques you can use to
create composites.

pt Private Tutor: Creating composites with media generators

You already created video composites (whether you realized it or not) when
you generated media with transparent backgrounds in Module 4, Generating
Media. The transparency of the generated media event’s background allowed
whatever was below your media track to show through (if there is no event below
the transparent portion of the generated media event, the black background of
Vegas Pro software shows through, so it may not look like a composite).
To create a composite, first add two video events to separate tracks and position them so one sits directly underneath
the other. By default, when you view the video in the Video Preview window, you can only see the event you placed
on the top video track (for example, assuming you have just two tracks in your project, you can only see the event on
Track 1). To create a composite, drag the Level slider on the top track to the left. The lower the Level setting, the
more transparent the track becomes, and the better you can see through to the next track below.
You can also use envelopes to create a composite. Drag the center portion of the event envelope on the top event
down to make the event increasingly more transparent. You can also select the top track and choose Insert | Video
Envelopes | Track Composite Level (or right-click the track header, and choose Insert/Remove Envelope |
Composite Level). This action adds a track composite level envelope.

Task 22: Controlling track and event transparency to create video composites
This task shows you how to control the transparency of a track or an event to create composites of events on
two tracks.
1. Open M07Task022.veg in the LessonFiles\Module07\ folder on the companion disc.
Play the project in Loop Playback mode.
2. Drag the Level slider in track 1 to the left. Set the level to 60%. You can now see
the clips on both tracks simultaneously.
3. Reset the level for track 1 to 100%.
4. Hover over the top edge of the dance clip, and when you see the pointer icon change,
drag the center portion of the event envelope down until you reach an opacity of 30%.
5. Reset the opacity of the event to 100%
6. Right-click the track icon for track 1 and choose Insert/Remove Envelope |
Composite Level from the shortcut menu. The composite level envelope appears
as a blue line at the top of the track.
7. Add a new point to the track composite level envelope near the center of the event
and another at the end of the event.
8. Drag the center point on the envelope down to a composite level setting of 0%.
9. Close the project without saving your changes.

Some video filters also give you a means for creating composites. Any filter that causes a portion of the top event to
be at least partially transparent creates a composite. Sony Chroma Keyer, Sony Cookie Cutter, Sony Deform, and
Sony Color Corrector (Secondary) filters all fall into this category.
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140 Enhancing your project

Task 23: Creating composites using video filters

In this task, you’ll use the Sony Chroma Keyer filter to create a composite where the video in the lower track
shows through a portion of the video in the upper track. By the way, movie makers use this technique to put
an actor somewhere other than where he or she was when the video was shot—for instance, putting the high-
priced star on the edge of an active volcano.
1. Open M07Task023.veg in the LessonFiles\Module07\ folder on the companion disc. Make
sure the project cursor is within the dance event, but don’t play the project at this point.
2. Click the Video FX tab in the window docking area.
3. Select Chroma Keyer From the list of filters on the right and drag any of the presets
to the dance event.
4. In the Video Event FX window, clear the check box in the Chroma Keyer button
to temporarily bypass the filter.
5. Click the Pick Color From Screen button.
6. In the Video Preview window, drag a rectangle through the spot-lit area of the wall
behind the dancers with the eyedropper tool. This selects a range of color as the
transparent area through which the event on track 2 will show.
7. Select the check box in the Chroma Keyer button to engage the filter again.
8. Play the project and notice that the video clips in the event on track 2 now show
through behind the dancers in the dance clip which gives the affect of the dancer
performing on the lake in the heron video on track 2.
9. Experiment with the Low and High Threshold settings to improve the effect.
10. Close the project without saving your changes.

You can also create a track that acts as a mask for another track. When you set up a masking track relationship
between two tracks, the event on the top track acts much like a Halloween mask where the mask covers your face but
has holes in it through which you can see your eyes and mouth. In the same way, the top track acts as a mask that
covers most of the lower track, but has holes in it to let parts of the video clips on the lower track show through. The
difference between a mask track and a Halloween mask is that the Halloween mask covers parts of the face so you
can’t see it, whereas the mask track makes the parts that fall outside of the holes transparent, so if there were a third
track below the other two, you’d be able to see through to the third track. It’d be like you could see through your skin
to your skull in the parts of the mask that don’t have holes for the eyes. Now that’d be a scary Halloween mask!
To establish a masking relationship between two tracks, make sure the tracks are positioned next to each other in the
track list (in other words, if the first track is track 3, make the second one track 4). Click the Compositing Mode
button for track 1and choose Multiply (Mask) from the list as shown in Figure 7.10. Any white areas in the top
track (the mask) allow you to see through to content from the next lower track. However you still can’t see through to
a third track.
To make the black areas of the top track transparent so you can see through to track 3, add the Luminance Mask
preset of the Mask Generator filter (use the Video FX window or the Plug-In Chooser) to the event on the top
track. Then, click the Make Compositing Child button, shown in Figure 7.10 on the second track. This makes the
top track the parent track that controls what you see from the child track (the lower of the two tracks.). Any black
areas in the mask cause the content from the lower track to be transparent so you can see through to a third track in
those areas.
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Figure 7.10
Click the Compositing Mode button and choose Multiply (Mask) to establish a masking relationship.

Compositing
Mode

Task 24: Creating composites using a masking track

This task shows you how to use generated media as a mask to show portions of events in lower tracks.
1. Open M07Task024.veg in the LessonFiles\Module07\ folder on the companion disc.
Play the project in Loop Playback mode.
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+Q to add a new video track at the top of your project.
3. Add the Elliptical White to Black Color Gradient media generator to the new
track. Reposition the Video Event FX window if you need to in order to see the
event on the timeline. Trim the generated media event so that it lasts for as long as
the Bicycling event on track 2. Of course, in the Video Preview window you see
only the generated media.
4. In the Control Points area of the Video Event FX window, click Control Point 1
and enter 0.492 in the Distance box. Now both control points sit on the same spot,
so there is a hard edge between the white and black portions of the media.
5. Close the Video Event FX window.
6. Click the Compositing Mode button for track 1 and choose Multiply (Mask)
from the list. You now see through the white part of the event in track 1 to the
bicycling clip on track 2 but the black portion still obscures the clip on track 3.
7. From the Video FX window, drag the Luminance preset of the Mask Generator
filter onto the generated media event on track 1.
8. Click the Make Compositing Child button for track 2. The media on track 3 now
shows through the black areas of the mask on track 1.
9. In the event that holds the generated media in track 1, click the Generated Media
button to open the generated media’s controls in the Video Event FX window.
10. In the Video Event FX window, click Control Point 1 and change the Distance
setting to 0.266 and press the Enter key. This creates a gradient in the generated
media between the black and white. Notice how this makes a soft or feathered edge
on the mask so that the bicycling clip fades out at the edges.
11. Close the project without saving your work.

pt Private Tutor: Creating a full-motion masking track

Use another video clip as the mask instead of a black and white image like
you used in the previous task to achieve some very interesting effects.
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142 Enhancing your project

With the Track Motion feature in Vegas™ Pro software, you can resize the video on a track so it no longer occupies
the entire visible area of the Video Preview window. You can then position the smaller video anywhere in the Video
Preview window. Any video clips on tracks underneath the track you resized show through in areas no longer covered
by the smaller track, creating a picture-in-picture effect. Further, you can use the keyframe controller (which is open
by default in the Track Motion window) to add a shadow and a glow around the smaller track and set different
keyframes to different positions to make the video fly around the screen.
To access the Track Motion window, click the Track Motion button, shown in Figure 7.11, in the track header of
the track you want to work with. Figure 7.12 shows the Track Motion window. Drag a corner of the position box at
the right side of the Track Motion window to resize the box. Drag rotation circle to rotate the box. Drag the box to a
new location to move it. If you want to change the shape of the position box, first click the Lock Aspect Ratio
button (on by default, so you can’t change the box shape until you click the button to turn it off). Next, drag a corner
of the position box. When you change the shape of the box, you distort the video in the Video Preview window.
Right-click the position box and choose Restore Box to reset the box to its original shape, size, and position. Select
the Shadow and Glow check boxes in the keyframe controller to add these effects to the track.
Figure 7.11
Track Motion
Each Video track has a Track Motion button.

Figure 7.12
Lock Aspect Ratio
The Track Motion window.
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Task 25: Creating composites using track motion

In this task, you’ll change the size of the top track to create a picture-in-picture composite. You’ll also use the
keyframe timeline to move the inset picture across the screen.
1. Open M07Task025.veg in the LessonFiles\Module07\ folder on the companion disc.
Play the project in Loop Playback mode.
2. Click the Track Motion button for track 1. In the Track Motion window, drag the
lower-right corner of the position box up and to the left to make the position box
about one-fourth its original size.
3. Click inside the position box and drag the box to up and to the left until there is just
a bit of space between the box and the edge of the darker grid dots (which
represents the area visible in the Video Preview window).
4. Select the 2D Shadow check box in the keyframe controller to add a shadow to the
track. A shadow position box now appears with the regular position box.
5. With the shadow keyframe timeline selected (as indicated by the blue shading of the
label 2D Shadow), drag the shadow position box down and to the right to move it
farther away from the video.
6. Click the word “Position” in the keyframe controller to select the Position keyframe
timeline.
7. In the main project timeline, click the right edge of the dance event to place the edit
cursor at that position.
8. In the keyframe controller of the Track Motion window, click the Sync Cursor button.
This locks the cursor in the keyframe controller to the project edit cursor so that when
you reposition the edit cursor, the keyframe timeline cursor automatically updates.
9. Click the Sync Cursor button again to turn it off.
10. Move the position box to the lower-right corner of the visible area.
11. Select the Shadow keyframe timeline. Drag the shadow to the upper-right corner.
Notice that the track moves independently of its shadow.
12. Close the project without saving changes.

pt Private Tutor: Creating a split-screen effect

You could use track motion on several tracks to split the screen up into
many small sections so that you can show multiple video clips
simultaneously. This technique is a popular way to show the same scene from
multiple angles or to show what several actors in different locations are doing at
the same time.
You can also create a video composite with the Pan/Crop feature in Vegas™ Pro software. Since this is just one of
the uses of this feature, we’ll discuss Pan/Crop in the next lesson.
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144 Enhancing your project

Lesson 8: Using the Pan/Crop tool

In addition to creating video composites, the Pan/Crop tool can emulate camera motion (such as panning and
zooming), crop out unwanted portions of your video clip, and create sophisticated masks of any shape whether
straight-edged or curved. This lesson discusses how to use the basic Pan/Crop features.
Pan/Crop is an event-level technique, which means each event in your project can be treated individually. To access
Pan/Crop for an event, click its Event Pan/Crop button, shown in Figure 7.13 (you may have to zoom in on very
narrow events to see the button). Alternatively, right-click the event and choose Video Event Pan/Crop from the
shortcut menu. The controls in the Event Pan/Crop window look and function much like those in the Track Motion
window but they achieve different results.
Figure 7.13
Each video event (including still images and generated media) contains an Event Pan/Crop button.

Event Pan/Crop

Drag one of the resize handles toward the center point. This has the effect of zooming in on the video. Click within
the position box and drag it to a new location to zoom in on a different area of the video. Drag outside the reposition
box (but still within the dotted rotation circle) to rotate the video. Click the Lock Aspect Ratio button to lock or
unlock the aspect ratio (the shape) of the position box.
The properties in the Source section of the properties area affect how the media within the event react to the changes
you make to the position box. When set to Yes, Maintain aspect ratio property prevents the source media from
distorting when you change the position box aspect ratio. The Stretch to fill frame property (when set to Yes) forces
the source media to stretch until one or both of its dimensions (width and height) reach the edge of the video frame.

Task 26: Using Pan/Crop to create motion on a still image.

This task shows you how to add interest to the still images you use in your video projects. In it you’ll use the
Pan/Crop feature to zoom in on a picture, then scan across the picture.
1. Open M07Task026.veg in the LessonFiles\Module07\ folder on the companion disc.
Play the project in Loop Playback mode.
2. Click the Event Pan/Crop button on the event.
3. Make sure that the Lock Aspect Ratio button is on and drag the bottom-center
resize point up until the top of the position box touches the top of the building.
With the Lock Aspect Ratio button on, the width changes along with the height..
4. Drag the position box to the right until the edge of the box touches the edge of the
building.
5. Click the midpoint of the Position track in the keyframe timeline, and then drag the
position box to the left until the left edge of the position box touches the edge of
the building. Play the project and notice that you’ve now emulated a camera move
that pans across the front of the building.
6. Click the end of the Position track in the keyframe timeline, right-click the position
box, and then choose Restore from the shortcut menu. Play the project and notice
that you’ve emulated a zoom-out camera move.
7. Close this project without saving your changes.
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Task 27: Using Pan/Crop to crop unwanted material out of a still image
In this task, you’ll repeat the first couple of steps of the last task with a slight change to see how different
settings allow you to create cropping.
1. Open M07Task027.veg in the LessonFiles\Module07\ folder on the companion disc.
Play the project in Loop Playback mode.
2. Click the Event Pan/Crop button on the event in track 1.
3. Click the Lock Aspect Ratio button to turn it off.
4. Make sure the Size About Center button is on and drag the bottom-center resize
point on the position box up until the top of the position box touches the top of the
building. Notice that this time you do not change the width of the box. This has the
effect of cropping out the material at the top and bottom of the picture. This creates
a video composite that lets you see through (in the Video Preview window) to the
dancers clip on track 2.
5. Set the Maintain aspect ratio property in the Source property section to No. Since
the picture is no longer bound by the rules of maintaining the proper aspect ratio
(and since the Stretch to fill frame box is still selected), the height is stretched so
that it fills the entire video frame.
6. Right-click the position box and choose Restore from the shortcut menu.
7. Set the Maintain aspect ratio Property back to Yes.
8. Click the Size About Center button to turn it off.
9. Set the Stretch to fill frame property to No.
10. Drag the bottom center point up again. Disengaging Size About Center has
enabled you to crop just the bottom of the picture.

Matching the Output Aspect

pt Quite often the still images you bring into Vegas™ Pro software will have a
different aspect ratio than that of your Vegas Pro project. When this
happens, you’ll see black bars above and below (or on either side of) the still
image when you view it in the Video Preview window. To solve this problems
quickly and automatically, open the Pan/Crop window for the event that holds
the still image and right-click the position box. Choose Match Output Aspect
from the pop-up menu. Vegas Pro software then crops the picture just enough to
make the picture fill the output screen completely.

Private Tutor: Keeping it all straight

pt The controls in the Pan/Crop window don’t have to be confusing. Just
remember that the Source properties determine how the source media
reacts to the changes you make to the position box. Take some time to
experiment with all of the different combinations of the source property options
to see what happens in different scenarios.
 Module 7
146 Enhancing your project

Conclusion
In this module, you’ve learned many advanced techniques you can use to enhance your Vegas™ Pro projects. You
know how to add several different types of envelopes to your project, and you learned how to create fades, crossfades,
and other transitions. You also became familiar with some of the crucial aspects of working with audio that will help
you create pleasing audio mixes for your projects. You can create video composites using a number of sophisticated
techniques such as track motion, pan/crop, and track masking, among others that you learned here. In the next
module, you’ll learn how to save your work and deliver your video or audio project for the world to see and hear.
Exercises
1. True or false: To fade the video out you must use a track composite level envelope; to fade the audio out, you
must use the ASR envelope.
2. Which of the following is a valid fade type for ASR and track envelopes?
a. Saw Tooth
b. Square
c. Smooth
d. Sine
3. How many points can you add to a track envelope?
a. 10 for audio; 25 for video.
b. It depends upon the length of the event on the track.
c. 10.
d. As many as you want.
4. When mixing your audio tracks, which of the following is an acceptable target for your peak meter levels in
the Master?
a. –Inf.
b. Between –Inf and 0.0 dB.
c. Between –6.0 dB and –3.0 dB.
d. Between 6.0 dB and 3.0 dB.
5. True or false: The term clipping refers to an audio level that peaks above 0.0 dB and can cause unwanted audio
distortion.
6. True or false: To normalize an event means to automatically readjust the length of the event to match the
exact, or “normal” length of the media within the event.
7. Which of the following best describes an audio “duck”?
a. When you set the volume of a track to a level below 0.0 dB.
b. When you set up track pan envelopes on two separate tracks to create an effect where when one
track is sent to the left channel, the other track jumps, or “ducks” to the right channel.
c. The use of a track volume envelope to gradually decrease the volume of a track over a given period
of time.
d. The use of a track volume envelope to temporarily decrease the volume of the audio on one track so
that the audio on another track can be better heard.
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8. True or false: When you pan a track more to one channel than the other, you should keep an eye on the
Master meters because extra signal being sent to the one channel might cause the signal on that channel to
peak at too high a level.
9. True or false: To create reverse motion, you can use either an event velocity envelope set to a negative
velocity or alter the event’s properties so that the playback rate is set to a negative number.
10. When changing the speed of an audio clip in the Properties dialog for an event (time stretching the clip), how
can you preserve the audio’s pitch?
a. Set the Time stretch/pitch shift method to None.
b. Deselect the Lock to stretch checkbox.
c. Choose one of the “Music” stretch attributes.
d. Set the New length value to precisely two times the Original length value.
11. At which level should you apply a video filter if you want the filter to affect every event that holds a specific
piece of media, regardless of where those events fall within the project?
a. Video Output Effects
b. Event Effects
c. Media Effects
d. Track Effects
12. True or false: You can build a dynamic RAM preview to help your computer show a section of your project
without dropping frames.
13. How many plug-ins can you add to each plug-in chain?
a. 3
b. 32
c. 26
d. 5
14. True or false: To create an automatic crossfade, you must first set Vegas™ Pro software to Automatic
Crossfades mode, add both events to the same track, and then overlap them.
15. True or false: Each transition type in Vegas Pro software can be fully customized to create custom transitions.
16. When you adjust the Angle parameter in the Sony Color Corrector filter you are adjusting the:
a. Direction of the light
b. Amount of Color Saturation
c. Hue
d. Intensity
17. When you choose a color using the Complementary Color eyedropper tool in the Color Correction filter
Vegas Pro software adds a color that is:
a. 90 degrees apart on the color wheel
b. 50% brighter than the original
c. 180 degrees apart on the color wheel
d. 50% darker than the original
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148 Enhancing your project

18. To make very specific color adjustments to a specific color in the video without effecting other colors, the
best tool to use is:
a. Color Corrector (Secondary)
b. Color Corrector
c. Saturation Adjust
d. HLS Adjust
19. Which of the following techniques cannot be used to create a video composite?
a. Track Motion.
b. Event Pan/Crop.
c. Event Diversion.
d. Masking.
20. True or false: If you change the aspect ratio of the position box in the Track Motion window, you distort that
track’s video in the Video Preview window.
21. Which of the techniques listed below allow you to create camera moves that were not really shot when the
video was shot, or create motion on still images?
a. Track Motion.
b. Event Pan/Crop.
c. Track Pan Envelopes.
d. The Photo-Realistic Motion Generator Filter.
22. True or false: In the Pan/Crop window, the options in the Source section control how the video output
reacts to changes you make to the shape and position of the position box.
23. Draw a line connecting the keyboard shortcut to the action it performs
a. Ctrl+Alt+Left/Right arrow Insert Track Volume envelope
b. V Insert Track Pan envelope
c. P Build Dynamic RAM Preview
d. Shift+B Toggle Automatic Crossfades on and off
e. Ctrl+Shift+X Move cursor to the next important point in an event
Essays
1. Pick two of the video compositing techniques that we discussed in this module and describe how they are
commonly used on the local nightly news.
2. Discuss a situation in which it makes sense to use ASR and event envelopes to create a fade out, and
contrast that to a situation in which it makes more sense to use track composite level (for video tracks)
and track volume (for audio tracks) envelopes.
3. We suggested in this module that the heavy use of transitions could be distracting. Still, there are times
when a special transition effect is just the perfect way to get from one video clip to another. Describe a
scenario in which a fancy transition is more appropriate than a jump cut or simple crossfade.
Module 8: Delivering
your project
We’ve come a long way, and now it’s time to share your
Vegas™ Pro creations with the world. This module shows you
how to save your projects and deliver them to your audience.
Whether you want to make your videos available on DVD,
print them to video tape, or post them to your Web site so that
anyone can view them on demand, Vegas Pro software can
help you deliver.
In this module you’ll learn how to do the following:
• Save your Vegas Pro project.
• Save trimmed copies of the media clips used in
your project.
• Render your project into formats that other computers
can play.
• Prepare your project for delivery via the Internet.
• Print your video project to DV tape using
Sony® Video Capture.
• Print your project to DV tape from the timeline.
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150 Delivering your project

Lesson 1: Saving your project

Of course, as with any other software application, it’s important that you get into the habit of saving your work early
and often when you’re working on your Vegas™ Pro projects. In this module, we’ll explore issues related to saving
your work. In many other applications (such as a word processing application, for instance), what you save is
essentially what you show your audience. In contrast, your audience probably never sees your Vegas Pro project files.
When you save your Vegas Pro projects, you save all the elements that go into making your video or audio project. To
create the final product that you’ll present to your audience, you’ll render your project, and possibly print it to tape.
The next two lessons in this module cover rendering and print-to-tape issues. For now, let’s concentrate on saving
your work so you can come back to it later and work on it further.
You use the same commands to save your Vegas Pro projects as those you use to save your work in most other
Windows software programs. You have all of the traditional options:
• Choose File | Save.
• Choose File | Save As.
• Click the Save button in the Vegas Pro toolbar.
• Press Ctrl+S.
The first time you save your project (regardless of which method you use), Vegas Pro software opens the Save As
dialog. As with most other programs, after you’ve saved your project for the first time, subsequent saves do not open
the Save As dialog unless you use the File | Save As command.

Private Tutor: Saving often

pt One of the most valuable habits you can develop is to press Ctrl+S
frequently. Saving your Vegas Pro project does not affect your ability to
undo your edits, so usually no reason exists not to save often.
In the Save As dialog, use Windows navigation techniques to specify a location on your computer or network drives.
Give your file a name in the File name box. The first time you save your project, you have only one option available
under the Save as type drop-down list—Vegas Pro Project File (*.veg)—so you don’t need to worry about selecting
anything. On subsequent visits to the Save As dialog, you have the following additional three options.
• EDL Text File (*.txt)—This option saves details of all your edits to a text file summary of your project called
an Edit Decision List.
• Edit Protocol Compliant AAF File (*.aaf)—An Advanced Authoring Format (AAF) file enables you to exchange
projects between applications. Choose this if you want to transfer your project to another computer editing
station that does not use Vegas Pro software. With this option, you can select the Embed WAVE/AIFC
media checkbox to embed the project audio directly into the AAF file so that you don’t have to send the
audio files separately.
• Avid Legacy AAF File (*.aaf)—Another Advanced Authoring Format specifically designed for transfer to an
Avid editing station. This format does not support embedded audio.

Select the remaining option—the Copy and trim media with project check box when you want Vegas Pro software
to collect all the media you’ve used to construct your project and save it in the folder you’ve specified as the location
of your project file. This extremely valuable project management tool gathers all of the assets of your project into one
location (regardless of the original location of the assets). Any of your project’s media assets that are not already
located in the same folder as your project (or a folder nested inside the one that holds your project file) will be copied
there. This prevents you from forgetting a clip’s storage location or accidentally deleting a file that you used in a
project (which would cause a problem the next time you try to open the project).
Once you’ve specified the save location and given your project a name, select the Copy and trim media with project
check box, and then click the Save button. The Copy Media Options dialog presents you with two choices on how
to save the media used in the project. Select the Copy source media radio button to save exact copies of all of the
media used.
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In some cases, you’ve used only a small portion of a large media file in your project. It might not be necessary for you
to save the entire media file with your project, and you can instruct Vegas™ Pro software to trim your media to just
the portion you used in the project. You can also save an extra amount at the beginning and end of the section of the
media that you actually used. Select the Create trimmed copies of source media radio button to save just the
portion of the media you used. Enter an amount ( in seconds) in the Extra head and tail box to save more of the file
at the beginning and end of the actual area used. This gives you a little more of the media to work with if at some later
date you decide you want to tweak your edit.
When you’ve made your choices in the Copy Media Options dialog, click OK to complete the save operation.

Private Tutor: Cleaning out the Project Media Window

pt Before you save your project with the Copy and trim media with project
check box selected, make sure that you clean out your Project Media
window. The Project Media window remembers every media file you added to
your project during the editing process—even if you’ve since deleted the file from your
project. If the file still appears in the Project Media window, it could be copied to
the save location. This can mean that you end up copying files that you really
don’t need. To clean the Project Media window of all the files that were not used
in the final project, click the Remove All Unused Media From Project button,
shown in Figure 8.1 in the Project Media window or choose Tools | Clean
Project Media. If you have some media that you didn’t use but still want to keep
in your Project Media window for some reason, don’t use either of these
methods. Instead, right-click the files in the Project Media window you do want
to remove, and choose Remove from project or Remove from project and
delete files from the shortcut menu.

Figure 8.1
Click the Remove All Unused Media from Project button to clear your project of media that you
ended up not using in your final edit.

Remove All Unused

Media from Project
 Module 8
152 Delivering your project

Task 1: Saving your project with trimmed media

In this task, you’ll save a Vegas™ Pro software project and copy the media it uses in the process. You’ll then
add the trimmed media to a project and compare it to the original media to see the results of trimming the
copied media.
1. Open M08Task001.veg in the LessonFile\Module08\M08Task001.veg folder on the
companion disc. Play the project and pay particular attention to the audio file.
2. Choose File | Save As.
3. In the Save As dialog, choose the My Documents folder on your computer as the Save
in location. Name the file Vegas ProTrimTest.veg.
4. Select the Copy and trim media with project check box.
5. Click Save.
6. In the Copy Media Options dialog, select Create trimmed copies of source
media, and specify 1.0 in the Extra head and tail.
7. Click OK. A progress dialog monitors the saving process.
8. When the save finishes, click the New button to start a new project.
9. In the Explorer window, navigate to your My Documents folder. Add the file Dark
Continent–000.wav to the new project. This is the trimmed copy of the audio from
M08Task001.veg. Play the project and note that it includes the audio from
M08Task001.veg plus the one-second head and tail that you specified in Step 6.
10. Navigate to the companion disc and add the file \SampleMedia\Audio\Dark
Continent.wav to a new track. Notice that the original media is much longer than the
trimmed copy.

Private Tutor: Finding your backup files

pt As an extra measure of safety, Vegas Pro software has two automatic file
backup features. First, Vegas Pro software saves a backup of your project
every five minutes. The Temporary files folder box on the General tab of the
Preferences dialog specifies backup file location. These files have the extension
autosave.veg, and Vegas Pro software deletes them when you properly close the
application. Second, every time you save your project, another project file is
created along with the main Vegas Pro project. This file, with the extension
veg.bak, provides you an easy way to go back to your last-saved version of the
project. This comes in handy when you want to experiment with edits: if your
experiments don’t work out, you can always open the veg.bak file to go back to the
previously saved version.
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Lesson 2: Rendering your project

As mentioned, when you save your Vegas™ Pro project, you create a file that only you are likely to see or hear. When
you’re ready for others to experience your work, it’s time to render your project and print your work to tape, burn it
to a CD, stream it from your Website, or prepare files that you can use to burn the video to DVD or Blu-ray Disc ™
with DVD Architect. This lesson explores the basics of rendering. In the following lesson, you’ll learn how to print
your videos to videotape.

Private Tutor: Understanding rendering

pt When you render your project, you create a single file based on the
instructions you’ve given Vegas Pro software during the editing process.
This file can then be played on any computer, as long as the computer has a
media player (such as the Windows® Media Player) that can read the file. In many
cases, you can also bring the file back into a Vegas Pro project. We don’t have the
space in this book to fully discuss all of the file formats, templates, and
customization options available in the Render As dialog but you can find plenty
of resources on video and audio issues both online and at your local bookstore.
To render your project, choose File | Render As. In the Render As dialog box, shown in Figure 8.2, click the
Browse button to open the Save As dialog box and navigate to the location where you want to save the rendered file.
Give the file a name in the File name field. Don’t worry about the file type at this point—you’ll select that in a
moment. Click Save. The save path now appears in the Folder field and the name you specified appears in the Name
field. In the Output Format list, click the Expand arrow for the file type you want. This shows all of the render
templates for the file type you’ve chosen. Select the template you want from the list. If you want to render just a
portion of the project, select the Render loop region only check box to render just the current loop region in your
project (the box will be unavailable if you haven’t define a loop region). When you’ve made all of your choices, click
the Render button
Figure 8.2
The Render As dialog lets you choose the location and format of your rendered project.
 Module 8
154 Delivering your project

pt Private Tutor: Faster Renders with GPU

Rendering video is probably the most processor-intensive part of working
on your project. Complex video projects can take a very long time to
render. Vegas Pro software utilizes the GPU capabilities of any OpenCL™-
enabled graphics card for AVC renders. This speeds up renders substantially
when you render to the AVC file format.

Task 2: Rendering your project

This task walks you through the steps required to render your project as a DV file suitable for viewing on
another computer. Before you render, you’ll establish a loop region so that Vegas Pro software renders only
that portion of the project.
1. Open M08Task002.veg in the LessonFile\Module08\ folder on the companion disc.
2. Double-click the audio event in track 11 to set a loop region.
3. Choose File | Render As.
4. Navigate to your My Documents folder in the Save in drop-down list.
5. Name the file “TheLincolnYears” in the File name box.
6. Choose Video for Windows (*.avi) from the Save as type drop-down list.
7. Choose NTSC DV from the Template drop-down list.
8. Select the Render loop region only check box.
9. Click the Save button. When the render is complete, navigate to your My Documents
folder and double-click the file to watch it in your computer’s media player.
10. Keep this project open so you can work on it in the next task.

Vegas Pro software allows you to render your project in several Web streaming formats. These formats include:
• QuickTime (.mov)—For delivery of video and audio.
• RealMedia (.rm)—For delivery of video and audio.
• Windows Media Audio (.wma)—For delivery of audio only.
• Windows Media Video (.wmv)—For delivery of video files (that could also contain audio).

pt Private Tutor: Learning more about Web streaming

The subject of streaming audio and video files from your Web pages is
another complex issue. For good resources for learning more about
streaming technologies, visit www.microsoft.com and www.real.com.

Vegas Pro software makes it easy to render your project to multiple formats in one operation so that you can let the
software do the work while you do something else. For instance, say you need your project rendered to several
different formats such as .avi, .wmv, and .rm. Vegas Pro software can create each of these for you and free you from
having to babysit the process. This is known as a batch render.
To set up a batch process and render to several formats in one operation, choose Tools | Scripting | Batch
Render. This opens the Batch Render window, shown in Figure 8.3.
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Figure 8.3
The Batch Render window automates the process of creating multiple file types from one project.

Click the Expand button for the file type you want to create and then select all of the checkboxes that corresponds to
the render templates that you want to use for your files. When you’ve made all of your choices, click OK. Vegas™
Pro software starts rendering the first file. You can go do something else—for instance, you can set your process up
to run at night while you’re sleeping—and Vegas Pro software will render to each of the formats that you selected,
one after the other. When the process is complete, you have all of the files you need.

Task 3: Batch rendering your project

In this task, you’ll use the Batch Render script to render your project to four different formats.
1. If the file from the last task is no longer open, open M08Task002.veg in the
LessonFile\Module08\ folder on the companion disc.
2. Choose Tools | Scripting | Batch Render.
3. In the Batch Render dialog box, click the Browse button to select a save location.
4. Click the Expand button for the Video for Windows option.
5. Select the NTSC DV and PAL DV checkboxes.
6. Click the Expand button for the Windows Media Video V11 option.
7. Select the 512 Kbps Video and 3 Mbps Video checkboxes.
8. Select the Render Project radio button.
9. Click the OK button.
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156 Delivering your project

Private Tutor: More Batch Options

pt If you have a small section of your project to render to several different file
formats, first create a loop region in your project over the portion you want
and then open the Batch Render dialog box. Select the Render Selection radio
button to render just the portion of your project included in the loop region. If
you have several different areas in your file, each of which you want rendered to
several formats, create region markers in your timeline that define the areas you
want and then open the Batch Render dialog box. Select the Render Regions
radio button and click OK. The script will render each of the regions you’ve
defined into each of the formats you’ve specified in the Batch Render dialog box.

pt Private Tutor: Other Render As options

When you select the Save project as path reference in rendered media
checkbox, Vegas™ Pro software imbeds the file path that leads to the project into
the rendered file. If you use the rendered file in another Vegas Pro project or in
another Sony Creative Software application, you can then call the project up right
from the rendered media. Select the Stretch video to fill ouput frame size (do
not letterbox) if you want Vegas Pro software to stretch the video to fill the
frame when you’re delivering to a file format that has a different size aspect ratio
than your project. Select the Save project markers in media file checkbox if you
want to embed the markers in your project into the rendered file. If you do so, the
markers show up as Chapter markers when you import the file into DVD
Architect.

Private Tutor: The Power of Scripting

pt The Batch Render dialog box is made possible by the Vegas Pro scripting
architecture. This unique functionality makes Vegas Pro software an even
more powerful tool than ever. You can think of scripts sort of as mini programs
that you can plug into Vegas Pro software to automate repetative functions. While
Vegas Pro software contains several scripts by default, scripts can be written to
automate almost anything that you can do manually in the application. For
instance, say you want to change every jump cut in your project to a crossfade.
You could have a big job on your hands doing it manually, but a script could
handle the job in a fraction of the time it would take to do it by hand.

Private Tutor: Closed Captioning Support

pt Vegas Pro has the ability to import, edit, and export CEA-608 format closed
captioning and includes support for XDCAM HD MXF files and standalone SCC
files as well as several other closed caption file types. If you're working with
footage from an XDCAM deck that has recorded closed captioning from HD SDI
baseband signals to disc in HD or HD422 formats, Vegas Pro software recognizes
the closed captions when you import the footage to your timeline. To create
closed captions, place your cursor in the timeline and choose Insert |
Command, then choose the type of closed caption you want and enter the text.
When you render your final file, you can export your closed captions embedded
into an XDCAM HD MXF file and as a stand-alone SCC file.
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Lesson 3: Printing to tape

You’ll often want to deliver your video projects on videotape. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to transfer your video
from a file on your computer (either a rendered file or a Vegas™ Pro project) to DV tape so that you can play it back
on your DV camcorder or tape deck.
You can use Sony Video Capture to print the rendered file to tape. In order to do this, you must first render the
project as an .avi file in DV format. Turn on your recording device (camcorder set to VCR or VTR mode, or DV
deck), insert a blank DV tape into it, and connect it to your computer via an IEEE-1394 cable. If the operating system
asks you what you want to do with the device, choose the Take no action option.
Choose File | Capture Video. Select the Use external video capture application checkbox and click OK to open
Sony Video Capture. Click Cancel to dismiss the Verify Tape Name dialog. Click the Print to Tape tab. Choose File
| Open and navigate to the DV file you want to print to tape. When you click the Open button, the file appears on
the right side of the video capture utility as shown in Figure 8.4. Click the Record to Device button. Your
camcorder or DV deck begins recording and stops when the entire file has been recorded to the tape.
Figure 8.4
Use the Sony Video Capture application to print a rendered file to DV tape.
 Module 8
158 Delivering your project

Task 4: Printing a rendered file to tape

In this task, you’ll open a rendered file in Sony® Video Capture and print the file to a DV tape deck or
camcorder.
1. Connect your DV camcorder or tape deck to your computer via an IEEE-1394
cable. If the operating system asks what you want to do with the device, choose the
Take no action option.
2. Choose File | Capture Video.
3. Select the Use external video capture application radio button and click OK.
4. In Sony Video Capture, click the Print to Tape tab.
5. Choose File | Open.
6. Navigate to and open the file TheLincolnYears.avi you created earlier and saved in
your MyDocuments folder.
7. Click the Record to Device button.

Private Tutor: Printing a batch of files to tape

pt You can open several files at once in Sony Video Capture. This allows you
to set up a batch of files that you want to print to tape. Video Capture
prints the first file in the list to tape, then moves on to the second, third, and so
on. This type of batch print-to-tape can be a huge time saver because it can be set
up and run without constant supervision.
You can also print your Vegas™ Pro projects to tape directly from the timeline without opening Video Capture
utility. This can save a significant amount of time for projects in which you’ve used mostly DV media because Vegas
Pro software renders only those portions of your project that are not already in the DV format. When you’re ready to
print the project to tape, choose Tools | Print Video to DV Tape. If prompted to select a device, click Yes to go to
the Video Device tab of the Preferences dialog. From the Device drop-down list, choose OHCI Compliant
IEEE 1394/DV and click OK. Follow the steps in the Print to Tape wizard to complete the process.

Task 5: Printing to tape from the Vegas Pro timeline

In this task, you’ll print your project to DV tape directly from the Vegas Pro timeline.
1. With your recording device ready, choose Tools | Print Video to Tape. A dialog
may appear asking if you want to select a Video Device. If so, click Yes, choose
OHCI Compliant IEEE 1394/DV from the Device drop-down on the Print
Device tab of the Preferences dialog (you’ll be taken there automatically), and click
OK.
2. In the Conform Timeline to DV Format page of the Print to Tape wizard, choose
the appropriate option from the DV template drop-down list.
3. If you want to print the portion of your project included within the loop region,
select the Render loop region only check box.
4. Click Next.
5. The Leader and Trailer page adds a test pattern, tone, and leader and trailer (a black
video screen) to your project. Change the settings and click Next, or simply click
Next to accept the defaults.
6. In the Device Setup page, accept the default settings to give Vegas Pro software
control over your recording device. Click Finish. Vegas Pro software renders the
portions of your project that are not already in DV format (if over 80% of your
project needs to be rendered, a dialog asks whether you want to continue). When
the render is complete, the audio portion of your project is rendered to the Sony
Wave64 (.w64) format.
7. When both the audio and video portions are rendered, Vegas Pro software prints
the project to your DV tape.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software
159

Conclusion
In this lesson, you’ve taken the final steps in creating your Vegas™ Pro projects. You learned how to save your
project, render the project to a computer file format that can be played on other computers, and print the project to
video tape so anyone can watch it on a television. You also learned about streaming media and the powerful tools that
Vegas Pro software provides for creating video and audio that you can stream from your Web site. Finally, you
learned how to use the Batch Render script to automate the job of rendering the same project into several different
file formats.
As you’ve seen, the famed Vegas Pro software ease of use by no means diminishes the power packed into the
application. We have only scratched the surface of its capabilities in this book. But you now know enough to get some
very serious video and audio production done. Take time to explore those areas that we didn't dive into here, and dig
deeper into those subjects on which we touched only lightly. Use the Vegas Pro help files and the PDF manual often
for even more ideas—we did! Most of all, let your imagination run wild, and have fun creating rich multimedia with
Vegas Pro software.
Exercises
1. True or false: After the first time you save your Vegas Pro project, you must choose File | Save As to access
the Save As dialog.
2. True or false: Once you save your project, anyone can view your video project on their computer as long as
they have the proper media player.
3. Which of the following describes what happens when you copy trimmed media during the save process?
a. Vegas Pro software clears your project of all media that you imported into it but ended up
not using in the final project.
b. Vegas Pro software trims your project down to a user-defined length.
c. Vegas Pro software places trimmed copies of the media files you used in your project in
the location where you saved the project file.
d. Vegas Pro software lowers the volume of all the audio in your project to prevent clipping.
4. True or false: Every time you save your project, Vegas Pro software creates a backup file so you can always
go back to your previously saved version of the project.
5. Which of the following allows you to render your project?
a. Click the Render Project button.
b. Choose File | Render As.
c. Press Ctrl+R.
d. Choose Options | Render As.
6. Which type of command marker do you use in a streaming media file to automatically take your viewer’s
browser to a different Web page?
a. URL
b. TEXT
c. Title
d. Author
7. True or false: When rendering a file, the .rm or .wmv formats are good choices if you want to allow visitors to
your Web site to view your video.
8. True or false: To print your project to tape, you must first render the project as a DV file.
 Module 8
160 Delivering your project

9. Which of the following is one advantage of using Sony® Video Capture to print your project to tape?
a. You don’t have to render the project before printing it to tape.
b. You can click the Print loop region only button to print just a portion of your project to
tape.
c. Vegas Pro software can print the project to tape at twice normal speed.
d. You can set up a batch and print several files in one operation.
10. True or false: You should render your project in a streaming file format in order to dramatically reduce the
time it takes to print to tape from the Sony Video Capture utility.
11. Which of the following is not an advantage of printing to tape from the timeline?
a. You can set Vegas Pro software up to print a batch of files.
b. You don’t have to wait through a separate render process before printing to tape.
c. It can be significantly faster if most of the clips in your project are already in DV format.
d. You may be able to save storage space on your computer because you may not need to
render the entire project before you print it.
12. Draw a line connecting the keyboard shortcut to the action it performs
a. Ctrl+S Save As (if you’ve never saved your project before).
e. Ctrl+S Save (if you previously saved your project).
Essays
1. Describe both methods of printing to tape and include discussion of when one method might be more
appropriate than the other.
2. Describe why it is important to check your Project Media window before saving your project with the Copy
Trimmed Media option. Describe how what you find in your Project Media window affects what you do next.
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software
161

Previous Keyframe, 55
A  Quality, 131
Accelerators, 4 Record, 41
Add captured clips to the Media Pool, 36, 37 Record to Device, 158
Adding files Refresh, 16
Automatically overlap multiple selected media, 24 Remove All Unused Media from Project, 151
Drag-and-drop, 23 Rename, 42
Multiple files simultaneously, 24 Rename All, 36, 37
Adding Files to a Project Replace Plug-In, 52
Add a file to your project, 22 Save Preset, 52, 59
Adding media, 13, 22, 25, 26, 33 Selection Edit Tool, 87, 88
Alpha channel, 27, 52, 53 Show Clips, 36, 37
Aspect ratio, 58, 59, 61, 142, 144 Start Preview, 17, 27, 38
ASR envelope, 112, 123 Step Backward, 37
Audio device type, 43 Step Forward, 37
Audio event, 22, 26, 86, 112, 123, 126 Stop, 36, 37, 41, 42, 74, 75
Audio meter, 41 Stop Preview, 17
Audio Plug-In, 119 Sync Cursor, 54, 143
Automatically overlap multiple selected media, 24 Track FX, 119, 120, 130
AVCHD, 34 Up One Level, 14
Views, 15
B  Bypassing video plug-ins, 130
Backup files, 152 C 
Blend, 58, 59, 60, 61
Buttons Capture Complete dialog, 36, 37
Add to My Favorites, 15 Clipping, 117
Arm for Record, 40, 41, 42, 43 Composite, 113, 114, 115, 139, 140, 143, 145
Auto Preview, 17 Copy, 97
Auto Ripple, 101, 102 Copy and trim media with project, 150, 151, 152
Capture Image, 36 Copying event effects, 131
Capture Tape, 36 Credit roll, 67, 68, 69
Capture Video, 34, 35, 36, 37 Crossfade, 24, 137, 138
Delete, 15, 16 Cursor Position box, 20, 54, 56, 92, 106, 121
Delete All, 36, 42 Custom preset, 52
Delete Preset, 52 Cut, 97
Event Pan/Crop, 144, 145 D 
First Keyframe, 55, 56, 57, 60, 61
Generated Media, 53, 54, 141 Decibels, 117
Get Media from the Web, 15 Delete, 97
Go To End, 20, 21 active take, 26
Go To Start, 20 Control point, 60
Loop Playback, 76, 77 Envelope Point, 114
Make Compositing Child, 140 Keyframe, 55
Media Properties, 51 Marker, 105, 106
Mute, 120 Recorded File, 42
New Folder, 15 Ripple edits, 100, 102
Normal Edit tool, 79 Track, 30
Normal Edit Tool, 80 Device Explorer, 34
Pause, 20 Digital video (DV), 34
Pick Color from Screen, 52 Distortion, 39, 41, 117
Play, 20 Dropped Frames, 131
Play From Start, 75 DV (digital video), 34
162 Index

Dynamic RAM preview, 131 Audio, 18

Still image, 17, 18
E  Video, 17
Edge trimming events, 92, 94 File menu, 4
Edit menu, 4 FireWire, 34
Edit tools Focus, 78
Normal Edit, 79 Freeze frame, 92, 124, 125
Selection Edit, 87, 88 G 
Switching between, 79
Zoom, 79, 80 Generated media, 50
EDL text file, 150 Gradient, 59, 60, 61
Effects Grid lines, 20
Audio, 120
Copying, 131, 132 H 
Event, 129 Heads and tails, 36, 94
Media, 129 Help menu, 4
Motion, 124
Track, 129 I 
Video, 128 IEEE-1394, 34, 157
Video Output, 129 Input device, 39, 41
Events Insert menu, 4
Adding or removing from a selection, 88 interactive tutorials, 5
Aligning, 106
Audio, 26 K 
Automatically overlaping, 24
Keyboard accelerators, 4
Crossfading, 137
Keyboard shortcuts, 78, 79
Cutting and pasting, 97
Keyframe
Edge trimming, 92
Buttons, 55
Envelopes, 112
Creating, 55, 57
Moving, 89
Defined, 54
Properties, 126
Deleting, 55
Select to end, 87
Keyframe controller, 53, 54
Selecting, 86
Manipulating, 56
Selecting a range, 88
Selecting, 55
Selecting multiple, 87
Keyframe controller, 54, 55, 60, 61, 65, 67, 129, 137,
Selecting single, 86
138, 142, 143
Shuffle, 90
Keyframes
Splitting, 103
Pasting, 55
Understanding, 22
Explorer window, 9, 14 L 
Extracting audio, 44
Line-In, 39
F  Line-level, 39
Lock, 119
Fades
Loop playback, 76, 77
ASR and event envelopes, 113
Loop region
Automatic crossfade, 5
Adjusting the length, 76
Creating, 112, 137
Moving, 76
Crossfades, 24
Rendering, 153
Track envelopes, 114
Time selection, 95
Video and Master buses, 116
Loop region, 129
Fast motion, 124
Looping, 76, 92, 93
Favorites list, 14, 15
File formats
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software
163

M  Preview fader, 18
Previewing media, 17, 18
Markers, 105 Print to tape, 157
Delete, 105, 106 Batch of files, 158
Location, 105 From the timeline, 158
Organizing edits, 106 Project cursor, 20, 21, 74
Snap to, 89 Project Media window, 151
Mask, 135, 136, 140, 141 Properties, 40
Master, 115, 117, 120, 121, 123 Audio event, 126
Media, 13 Event, 125, 126
Add Across Time, 25 Generated media, 51, 52
Add Across Tracks, 25 Media, 51
Adding, 13, 22, 25, 26 Surround sound, 123
Previewing, 14, 17 Text, 64, 68
Media generators Track, 39
Creating composites, 139
Creating gradients, 58 Q 
Credit roll, 67
Quantize to frames, 90
Defined, 49
Generating solid colors, 50 R 
Scrolling text, 67
Text, 62 Recorded Files dialog, 42
Media Pool, 36, 37, 45 Recording, 26, 40, 41, 42, 43
Menus, 4 Recording audio, 39
Mic-in, 39 Recording levels, 40, 41
Microphone, 39, 41, 42 Recording multiple tracks simultaneously, 43
Mixer device, 40 Refresh, 16
Mixer window, 11, 120 Regions, 105
Mixing audio, 122 Render
Mixing console (mixer), 39 Batch Render, 154
Mute, 6, 119, 120 Rendering, 153, 154
Render loop region only, 154, 158
N  Resize Icon, 8
Reverse motion, 125
New still image length, 27
Ripple edit mode, 99, 100, 101, 102
Noise gate, 119
Normal Edit tool, 79 S 
Normalize, 118
Save, 118, 150
O  Scripting, 156
Scrolling text, 67
Open Host Controller Interface (OHCI), 34
Select events to end, 87
Options menu, 4
Selecting
P  A range of events, 88
A track, 7
Pan/Crop, 144 Events, 86
Panning, 122 Multiple events, 87
Paste, 5, 69, 97, 101 Multiple keyframes, 55
Peak level, 117, 118 Time and events, 96
Picture-in-picture, 142, 143 Track icon, 7
Playback rate, 124, 125, 126, 127 Selecting multiple items, 23
Plug-In, 52, 119, 120, 128, 129, 130, 131, 138 Selection Edit tool, 87
Plug-In Chooser, 52, 120, 128 Selection techniques, 23
Preferred video capture application, 34 Shuttle slider, 37
Preset, 52, 119, 137 Slow motion, 124
164 Index

Smart capture, 36 Track headers

Snap points, 89 Defined, 6
Snapping, 89, 90, 92 Scrolling through, 7
Sony, 160 Track icon
Sound card, 39, 40, 43, 117, 121, 123 Color, 86
Source window, 23 Track commands, 29
Spacebar, 74, 78 Track list area, 6
Split, 103, 104 Resizing, 8
Split screen, 130 Track motion, 142, 143
Stereo, 121 Transitions, 10, 137, 138
Still images, 18, 27, 144
Streaming, 154 U 
Surround sound, 123 Undo, 107
Switches
Lock, 119 V 
Loop, 92 VCR mode, 34, 157
Mute, 119 Video capture, 34, 35, 36, 37, 157, 158
Normalize, 118 Video capture buttons
T  Fast Forward, 35
Pause, 35
Tape name, 34, 157 Play, 35
Text, 62, 63, 64 Rewind, 35
Adding, 62, 63 Shuttle, 35
Effects, 65 Step Backward, 35
Font selection, 62 Step Forward, 35
Properties, 64 Stop, 35
Scrolling, 67 Video capture card, 34
Tracking, 64 Video composites, 139
Thumbnail, 26, 36, 50, 86, 112, 137, 138 Video Event FX, 128
Time stretch/pitch shift, 126 Video file formats, 17
Timeline, 6, 88 View menu, 4
Maximizing, 8 Volume fader, 117
Toolbar VTR mode, 34, 157
Customizing, 5
Defined, 5 W 
Tools menu, 4 Waveform, 26, 41, 86
ToolTip, 5 Web streaming, 154
Track Window docking area
Adding, 29 Creating floating windows over, 10
Adding from track header, 29 Defined, 9
Adding new track on the fly, 30 Hiding, 8, 11
Creating, 28 Resizing, 8
Deleting, 30 Tabs, 9
Duplicating, 29 Windows
Inserting new video, 28 Audio Plug-In, 119
Selecting, 7 Explorer, 9, 14
Track compressor, 119 Mixer, 9, 117
Track envelopes Plug-Ins, 50
Composite, 139 Project Media, 151
Pan, 122 Resizing, 11, 50
Velocity, 124 Transitions, 10, 137
Volume, 121 Windows Classic Wave Driver, 43
Track EQ, 119 Windows Record Control, 40, 41
 Digital Video and Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro software
165

X  In/out time, 79, 80

In/out track height, 79
XDCAM, 34 Mouse wheel, 80
XDCAM EX, 34 Track height, 81
XDCAM Explorer, 34 Zoom Edit tool, 79
Z  Zoom time controls, 80
Zoom
Horizontal scroll, 81
 www.sonycreativesoftware.com

Digital Video
& Audio Production
A hands-on guide to creating rich multimedia with Vegas™ Pro 11 software

Launch your video and audio skills to new heights with Digital Video &
Audio Production. Newly revised for version 11, this book puts the stunning
capabilities of Vegas Pro software right where they belong:
In your production arsenal!

The eight logically organized modules contain almost 30 lessons and

over 80 tasks that teach important concepts in a step-by-step fashion.
Over 100 “Private Tutors” further explain concepts, explore related topics,
suggest helpful resources, and share tips and power-user techniques.
Additionally, we’ve included quizzes and food-for-thought essay
questions at the end of each module to solidify your knowledge.

We’ve also included a DVD containing lesson files, sample media,

and a complete Vegas Pro 11 manual in .pdf format!

Learn how to:

• Unlock the power of nonlinear editing and digital video (DV)
• Edit faster than ever with the innovative post-edit ripple model
and keyboard editing
• Incorporate picture-in-picture and other compositing
techniques into your projects
• Bring still images to life with simple pan and scan tools
• Add totally customizable filters, effects, and transitions
• Capture video and record custom audio
• Add text and credit rolls
• Salvage problem video with powerful color correction tools
• Print your finished video projects to tape

Copyright ©2011. Sony Creative Software Inc. All rights reserved. 20459 (11/11) Printed in USA. “SONY” and “make.believe” are trademarks of Sony Corporation.