http://www.deskshare.com

This video editing tool from DeskShare enough complete utility even no experience user will be able to easily use its highly advanced video-editing features.
works with all popular video and audio file formats and runs just as easily on a big, powerful machine, as it does on a laptop. It is one of the most comprehensive tools available to create video for the Web.

System Requirements

Minimum system requirements for Video Edit Magic are:

Microsoft® Windows 98 SE / ME / 2000 / XP / Vista
500 MHz Processor
256 MB RAM
Minimum 200 MB of hard disk space

Supported Media Formats

Most of the commonly used media file formats are supported by Video Edit Magic:

Supported Input Formats

Audio-Video Interleaved (AVI)
WAV
Windows Media Audio (WMA)
Windows Media Video (WMV)
Windows Media Video High Definition (WMV HD)*
Advanced Streaming Format (ASF)
Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG, MPEG-2, VOB and MPEG-4)
QuickTime (MOV)
DVD Video with chapters (VOB)
MP3
AIFF
AU
SND

In addition to video and audio sources, Video Edit Magic also supports the following image file formats

Bitmap (.bmp)
GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)
JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
TGA (Targa or Truevision Graphics Adapter)
TIFF Mode 2 (uncompressed RGB) in 16-bit, 24-bit, or 32-bit formats.

Supported Output Formats

AVI
MPEG Formats (VCD, SVCD and DVD)
Windows Media Video (WMV)
Windows Media Audio (WMA)
Digital Video AVI (DV AVI)
QuickTime (MOV)
WAV Audio (only after registration of the program)

QuickTime Support

QuickTime version 2 and lower is directly supported by Video Edit Magic. Files in this format can be added to the Timeline for editing. QuickTime files version higher than version 2 must be however converted to AVI format before they can be added to the Timeline. Media Converter is a companion utility bundled with Video Edit Magic that is capable of converting a QuickTime file to its equivalent AVI file.

The recommended or full installation of QuickTime is required to convert from AVI to QuickTime and to make movies in QuickTime. QuickTime's online or standalone installer can be obtained from the URL: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/.

MPEG-2 Support

To add MPEG-2 files to the Timeline, you must first install the Free MPEG-2 Decoder available from the following link:
http://www.deskshare.com/download/mpeg2decoder.exe

MPEG-4 Support

To support MPEG-4 files in the Timeline, you must first install the MPEGable Decoder available from the following link:
http://www.deskshare.com/download/mpegabledsdecoder.exe

* WMV HD files are encoded at ultra-high quality settings i.e. 1024 * 720 or 1920 * 1080. Editing such high resolution files is resource intensive hence these files are treated as standard definition WMV files when adding it to Timeline.

Media Editing Terminology

These are some of the terms related to media editing and capturing which are used throughout this document.

Timeline

A Timeline is a graphical representation of media files, video effects or video transitions on a time scale. The time scale runs horizontally on the Timeline. A Timeline consists of multiple tracks.

Group

A Group categorizes tracks. There are four types of groups in Video Edit Magic:

Video Group
Audio Group
Effects Group
Transition Group

Sources in tracks that belong to the same group are represented by distinct colors in the Timeline.

Track

A Track is a linear sequence of clips, effects, or transitions. Each track is associated with a particular group. A track consists of one or more sources.

Source

A source is any media file, video effect or video transition added to and represented in a track of the Timeline. A source is added to a track of a particular group. For instance a video file that consists of both video and audio is added separately to a video track and an audio track (This one file might be called two sources.). Sources can be edited individually.

Media

Video and audio are called "media". A media file may contain both video and audio, or only one.

Stream

A stream is video or audio data that composes a media file. A single media file may contain one or more video and/or audio streams.

Media Properties

Video Properties

Dimension: Measured in pixels, the dimensions of a video are the height and width. For example, a video of 320 x 240 pixels is 320 pixels wide (width) and 240 pixels tall (height).
Color Depth: Measured in bits per pixel (bpp), color depth of a video is the amount of color information it stores per pixel. High color videos are typically of 24bpp. Lower color depth can make pictures and video look "cartoon" and less realistic.
Frame Rate: Measured in frames per second (fps), frame rate of a video is the number of individual video frames that are displayed per second. Higher frame rates are used to shoot high motion videos.
Bit Rate: Measured in bits per second (bps) or kilobits per second (Kbps), bit rate of a video is the amount of data that can be transferred in one second. Bit rates are directly related to frame rates.
Key Frame Rate: The key frame rate of a video is the number of non-key frames that are allowed before a key frame is required. For instance, a key frame rate of 40 means that at least every 40'th frame must be a key frame. Key Frames affects video seeking capabilities and are also used in some high-end compression techniques. In general, more key frames will improve quality at the expense of somewhat larger files.

Audio Properties

Frequency: Measured in Hertz (Hz) or Kilohertz (KHz), frequency of an audio is the number of audio samples transferred in one second.
Bit Rate: Measured in bits per second (bps) or Kilobits per second (Kbps), bit rate of audio is the amount of audio data that can be transferred in one second.
Channels: An audio channel forms a part of an audio stream. Mono channel audio have 1 channel per audio stream while stereo has 2.

AVI (Audio Video Interleaved)

AVI is a simple format that is best suited for editing purposes. Video Edit Magic is capable of making movies in AVI format.

Compressor/Codec

Media files that save uncompressed video, though good in quality, can take up huge amounts of disk space. Using a Compressor/Codec significantly reduces the size of AVI files. Video Edit Magic lists all the Compressors/Codecs installed on a PC. These Compressors/Codecs can then be used to compress AVI files. The compression level achieved depends on the properties of the video being compressed and the Compressor/Codec in use. (Codec="COmpressor/DECompressor)

WMV/WMA (Windows Media Format)

Windows Media Format is a high end video format that is characterized by small size and streaming capabilities. Video files saved in Windows Media Format have the extension WMV (Windows Media Video) and Audio files saved in Windows Media Format have the extension WMA (Windows Media Audio). Some Windows Media Format files may also have the extension ASF (Advanced Streaming Format).

MBR (Multi Bit Rate)

Multi Bit Rate is a type of Windows Medai Format file that contains multiple video and/or audio streams encoded at varying bit rates. This enables MBR media files to be viewed optimally over a wider range of bandwidth. For example a video with 7 video streams encoded at bit rates from 16Kbps to 128Kbps can be viewed by audience with internet connection speeds from 16Kbps to 128Kbps. A streaming server and client (like Windows Media Player and Windows Media Server) will pick the best speed to stream the MBR file at—the speed that will give the best possible quality at the available bandwidth, without the pauses you would get if too high a bit rate was chosen. Files created for playback on the local computer (not across a network) are typically not MBR.

Profiles

A Video/Audio Profile is a file that describes how to create media files with particular properties. When making Windows Media Format files, an appropriate profile is selected. The profiles is read and a file is made following the definition in it. Each profile is intended for a particular audience, and videos made using a profile targets the intended audience. Video Edit Magic is able to list both system and custom profiles in a PC.

Capture Devices

Capture Devices is a collective term used for devices connected to your PC that capture video or sound. Web Cameras (WebCam), DV Cameras, etc. qualify as video capture devices while microphones are audio capture devices. Video Edit Magic can use and capture from all capture devices.

Opening Media Files

The first step in editing is to open your media files in the Collections Window. The files that you open are listed under the Media Files tab. The view of the Media Files list can be changed to Small Icon, Large Icon, List, Detail or Thumbnail by selecting the desired view from the View menu.

When in the Details view, the Media Files list also shows information related to the listed files such as Media Type, Duration, Video Info and Audio Info. You can sort the Media files on the basis of these details by clicking on the tab corresponding to the detail. For example, to sort 3 media files in the alphabetical order of their names, click on the Name Tab.

If the media file being opened has some problem then an error report is shown. Learn more about Trouble Opening media Files.

Media Files can be added to the Media File list in four different ways:

Dragging and Dropping Files

You can add files present in any location on your computer. Open the folder where the files are saved and simply drag and drop the files to the Collections window.

Individually Adding Files

The second method of adding the media files is by individually selecting them and opening them. To do so:

Select Open File from the File menu. The Open File button on the toolbar or the shortcut key Ctrl+I can also be used.
Select Video Files, Audio Files, Image Files or All supported Media Files from Files of Type depending on the files you want to open.
Navigate to the desired folder and select all the files that is to be added to the Media Files list and click Open.

The selected files are verified and opened one by one and listed in the Media File list. Media files can be previewed by selecting them. The preview is displayed in the Instant Preview on the top left corner of the Collections Window. File information related to the selected media file is also displayed along side the Instant Preview.

To close a file, select the file to be closed and select Remove File from the File Menu. The selected file can also be closed by right-clicking it and then selecting Remove File.

To preview a file in the default media player, select the file to preview and select Preview from the File Menu. The selected file can also be previewed by right-clicking it and selected Preview from the context menu. The shortcut key Ctrl+W can also be used.

Opening Projects

Media files can be brought into the Media File list and Timeline by opening an existing project. To do so:

Select Open Project from the File menu. The Open Project button from the toolbar or the shortcut key Ctrl+O can also be used.
Navigate to the desired folder and select the project file to be opened and click Open.

All the files in the selected project are verified and opened one by one and listed in the Media File list. The Timeline is assembled as every file is added to the respective track.

Video Edit Magic does not distinguish between files added individually and files belonging to a project. Once a project is opened, more media files can be opened by adding them individually.

Learn more about Working with Projects...

Adding from the Capture Utility

Media files can also be added by the capture utility. The capture utility, invoked by selecting Tools > Capture, has options to add snaps and captured files from external devices to the Media File tab in the Collections Window. Once added to the Media Files list, captured files are treated as normal files and can be worked upon like normal files.

Preparing for Editing

Once the files are opened in the Media Files list in the Collections window, they are available for editing. To edit these files they must be added to the Timeline.

Adding Media Files to the Timeline

To start editing your media files and give them Effects and Transitions, they must be added to the Timeline. To add media files to the Timeline:

Select one or more media files from the Media Files list in the Collections Window.
Select the Video and Audio track in the Timeline. A thin line appears around the selected track. Video Tracks and Audio Tracks are independently selected.
Go to Edit > Add to Timeline or use the Shift + F2 shortcut key to add the selected file to the selected tracks in the Timeline.

Adding Color Clips to the Timeline

Video Edit Magic can create color clips and add them to the Timeline. A color clip fills the entire window with a solid color. They are especially useful when you want a blank screen for a part of your movie, and as a background you can use to display text effects on. To add a color clip:

There must already be one video clip or still picture added to the Timeline.
Click Edit >> Add to End of Timeline >> Video Color Clip to Track.
Select either Video 1 or Video 2.

Add and Insert Options

You can add a media file present on the Media Files tab in the Collections window to the Timeline by right-clicking on it and selecting any of the following options:

Add to End of the Timeline >> Selected Media File to Track: The source will be added at the end of the Timeline to the tracks you choose. For instance, if you pick Video 1 and Audio 2 then the video stream of the media file will be added to the end of Video 1 track and the audio stream will be added to Audio 2 track.
Insert at Slider Position: This will insert a media file or Video Color Clip at the current position of the Seek Slider. Any existing clips at that position will be cut at that point and the new media inserted into the gap.
Insert at Slider Position On: The user can select any of the track combinations provided. The media file will be inserted at the position of the slider on those tracks, e.g. the video stream would be in added in the video track and the audio stream would be added in the audio track mentioned.

Media files can also be added to the Timeline by dragging the selected media file from the Collections window to any position on the Timeline. This will add the streams of the media file to the selected video and audio track in the Timeline. The slider will move to the position where the file is dropped.

If Fit to Timeline when adding sources is selected on the General tab of the Options window (Tools > Options), the Timeline is automatically zoomed to accommodate the entire length of the added source(s). Clear the option from the Options window if this behavior is not desired.

Zooming the Timeline

If the Fit to Timeline when adding sources is not selected and the media file that you drag into the Timeline has a very long duration then the complete file will not be visible. If you wish to see the entire file, you may zoom the Timeline out using the Tools > Zoom out Timeline Scale menu option. Continue zooming in or out until you find a view that is comfortable for your editing purposes. Most users prefer to zoom out only to see an overview of their media in the Timeline and work in a zoomed in view at all other times (which makes it easier to work precisely with small time intervals).

Previewing the Timeline

Now that the sources are added to the Timeline, they can be previewed. Just click the Play button in the Preview window and watch the preview of your Timeline. The positions of the seek slider in the Timeline and the seek bar in the Preview move gradually to reflect the position that is being currently previewed. The seek slider can be moved by dragging its handle. When the seek slider is moved, the preview also changes to reflect the current slider position. The same can be done with the seek bar in the Preview window. As you edit your files in the Timeline, applying Effects and Transitions to them, you will have to preview your Timeline frequently.

Previewing a Selected Source

If you want to preview only a particular source, you can right-click on it and select Play Clip or double-click on it. This is useful as you do not have to preview the entire Timeline.

Understanding the Timeline

The first step towards producing good compositions is to understand the Timeline. The Timeline has been discussed briefly previously in this document. Now the Timeline must be understood with an editing perspective.

Complete View of the Timeline

This figure shows a portion of the Timeline resized to accommodate the entire contents of the Timeline. None of the components of this Timeline are hidden so that they can be clearly identified and understood.

First Glance

Of the many components that make up the Timeline of Video Edit Magic, the most prominent are tracks. These are the multiple horizontal bars that run across cross the Timeline. There are in all nine tracks in Video Edit Magic. If the tracks are to be categorized as groups then the tracks can be identified as:

Two video tracks labeled Video 1 and Video 2 respectively.
Two effect tracks labeled Effect. One is associated with Video 1 and the other with Video 2.
A single transition Track, labeled Transition, between the two video tracks – Video 1 and Video 2.
Two audio tracks labeled Audio 1 and Audio 2 respectively.
Two volume tracks labeled Volume. One is associated with Audio 1 and the other with Audio 2.

Track Selections

One track out of the two video tracks can be selected and one track out of the two audio tracks can be selected. A selection is displayed as a thin line around the video and the audio track. Video and audio tracks can be individually selected. In the figure, Video 1 and Audio 1 tracks are selected (labels appear in bold). The Transition track cannot be selected. The Effect Track and the Volume Track can be selected only along with its corresponding Video or Audio track.

When the selection sliders are visible then a Range of Timeline is selected. The range of a track that is selected appears with a dotted rectangle spanning the selection sliders. The Lock and Disable option can result in a track not being selected.

When the selection sliders are not visible then the sources in all tracks can be selected by clicking on them. A dotted line appears around the selected source or sources. Multiple sources can be selected by pressing the Ctrl key and then clicking a source.

Hiding/Showing Tracks

The Effects and Volume tracks can be hidden or shown as desired. To hide/show effects track click the white square with a plus/minus sign besides video track labels. The volume tracks can also be hidden or shown in a similar fashion. When Video Edit Magic is opened, the Effect Track associated with Video 2 and both the volume tracks are not shown.

The Scale

A scale, right at the top of the Timeline represents time. Time is expressed in the format “H:MM:SS.LLL”. The first digit expresses hours (H), the next two minutes (MM), the next two seconds (SS) and the last three, after a decimal point, milliseconds (LLL) (1000 millisecond equals 1 second). All the tracks below this scale plot their contents as per the scale. The scale can be zoomed in and out by clicking the Zoom In and Zoom Out button from the Timeline controls at the top left corner of the Timeline (first two buttons). Zooming In and Out the Scale essentially means zooming in and out the Timeline as the tracks use the scale to plot (display) their contents. The Timeline can also be zoomed by going to Tools > Zoom In Timeline Scale and Tools > Zoom Out Timeline Scale or using the shortcut keys F6 and F7 respectively.

Function of different types of tracks

A track represents a stream of (either picture or sound), an effect, a transition or a volume variation depending on its type. When a media file that contains both audio and video is added to the Timeline, the video stream of that file is added to the selected video track and the audio file is added to the selected audio track. The duration of the clip is represented on the track and plotted against the scale. In Figure 1, two separate media files – NewYear.wmv and XMas.mpeg are shown added to the Timeline.

Streams, effects or transitions added to the Timeline are collectively referred to as sources. The sources on the Timeline are labeled by the file names, effect names or transition names. For instance the video stream of the file NewYear.wmv is displayed in Video 1 and the audio stream of the same file is displayed in Audio 1. The Effect and Transition tracks are similar to Video and Audio tracks except that they display effects and transitions (sources) respectively rather than video and audio streams. Each source can be can be selected by clicking on it. The volume tracks are unlike any other tracks. They display volume variation.

Learn about Using Volume Tracks…

Sliders

The Timeline also has three sliders running vertically across the height of the Timeline. Each slider has a handle (in the scale) that is used to reposition them anywhere in the Timeline. The Seek Slider is always present and visible on the Timeline while the Selection Sliders can be activated whenever a selection has to made on the Timeline. The slider with the blue handle is the Seek Slider and the sliders with the red handles are the Selection Sliders.

The seek slider is used to preview the Timeline. The sources that lie at the position (time) of the slider is displayed in the preview window. The seek slider is also used while editing. To move the seek slider, drag its handle along the Timeline. For better editing, you can also select the slider by clicking its handle and then tapping the Left and Right arrow keys to move the slider. To nudge the slider one millisecond at a time, hold down the Shift key while using the Left and Right arrow keys. When you select the seek slider or click anywhere on the scale, a small double-headed arrow appears on the Seek Slider's handle.

The Selection Sliders, a start selection slider and an end selection slider, are not always visible.

Learn about Using Selection Sliders...

Markers

Markers are cueing tools that are used to mark a particular position in the Timeline. Markers can be added and removed to the Timeline as desired by using the Add/Remove Markers in the Timeline controls at the top left corner of the Timeline (the third and fourth buttons).

Learn about Using Markers…

Previewing the Timeline

Video Edit Magic has a Preview window that lets you see how your video composition looks while your are editing it on the Timeline. The preview window always displays the video at the position of the Timeline's slider. Drag the Timeline's slider to preview any portion of the Timeline.

If you want to preview only a particular source, you can right-click on it and select Play Clip or double-click on it. This is useful as you do not have to preview the entire Timeline.

You can also use the preview window as a media player for your Timeline. To control the preview click the Play, Pause and Stop, Rewind and Forward buttons. The Previous Frame and Next Frame buttons lets you preview your Timeline frame-by-frame for precise editing.

Full Screen Preview

To preview the Timeline in full screen, open the View menu and click Full Screen Preview or use the Ctrl+Q shortcut key. To switch back to normal mode press Alt+Tab or Ctrl+Q again.

Understanding the Lock and Disable Options

The Lock and Disable option alter the way a track is displayed or selected. These options can be used to selectively edit and preview the Timeline. The Lock and Disable buttons form two separate columns across the length of the Timeline at the left edge of the Timeline. Each track contains both options. These options for a track can be toggled by clicking on the respective option for the track.

The Lock option is used to prevent accidental editing. Drag, Cut, Copy, Paste, Delete, Crop, Move and Resize (All editing operations) do not affect locked tracks. No sources can be moved in or out of a locked track. A locked track cannot be selected.

Enabled video, effect and transition tracks are shown with the image of an eye and enabled audio and volume tracks are shown with the image of a speaker. No image is shown when a track is hidden.

Hidden tracks remain in the Timeline but are not shown in the preview. This option is very important when the Timeline is to be viewed without a particular track without deleting the contents (sources) in that track. For example to preview the Timeline without the effects, disable the effects track or to preview the Timeline without the audio, disable the audio track. One use of Disable is to turn off volume variations.

Dragging Sources

A media file can be dragged and dropped to anywhere in the Timeline provided that it is dropped in an appropriate track. For instance, video sources cannot be dragged and dropped to effect, transition or audio tracks.

When a file is dropped on the Timeline, the Seek Slider moves to the position that the file was dropped at. A window appears,asking whether you would prefer to drop the file at the slider position, the start of the timeline, or the end of the timeline. You can select any of those and click OK. If you always want to do one of these things, check the Do not show this message again checkbox. Video Edit Magic will handle all future drag-and-drop operations the same way you selected for this one. If you want to change this setting later, you can open the Options window and Reset Warning Dialogs.

In the illustration, we have dropped a new video on the Video 1 track, in a position before any of the current media sources. The Seek Slider has moved to the position of the drop.

TIP:

Simply move the mouse pointer over any source to see its time duration.

Moving and Resizing Sources

Any source in the Timeline can be moved or resized easily. In addition to dragging sources between tracks, they can also be moved to a new location on the same track. The duration of a source can be changed by several methods.

Moving Sources

To move a source to a different location on the same track, simply select it with the mouse and drag it to the desired location. Press the Shift key while dragging with the mouse for smooth movement. You may also select the source and move it by tapping the Right or Left arrow keys. (Each tap moves the source by ½ second.) Keep the Shift key pressed if you want the movement to be slower. (Each shift-tap moves the source by 1/10 second.)

Multiple sources can be moved together in the same track or in different tracks relative to one another. For instance, you can move two videos, say clip 1 and clip 2, present in the video 1 and video 2 tracks respectively. The two videos can be moved in their respective tracks while maintaining their relative positions with respect to one another. Select the desired tracks by clicking on them while holding the Ctrl key. Now move the sources together using the arrow keys on the keyboard. This is very useful when the alignment of two videos or the video and audio streams of the same media file is to be maintained while moving them.

Note that neither dragging nor using the keyboard will move a source unless there's an open area on the timeline to move it into.

Resizing Sources

To resize a source, use the mouse to grab the triangle at the top right hand corner of the clip and drag. This will change the duration of the clip. Whenever you resize a clip, the speed at which the video or audio is played, changes.

For example if an audio clip is 10 seconds long and contains 20 beats of the drum, 2 beats will be audible every second. If you change the duration of this clip to 5 seconds by dragging it, you will hear 4 beats in a second. Technically this is called as a pitch shift.

If the duration of a video file is reduced, it will play faster than normal and if the duration is increased, it will appear to play in jagged slow motion. Thus, resizing sources drastically is not a good idea. However it is an easy way of changing the speed of the media that is being played in that clip.

You may select multiple sources and resize them together. This helps when video and audio belonging to the same file needs to be resized.

When you have more than one source on a track, then resizing one of the sources will not affect the position of the other sources. Their original position with respect to the Timeline remains the same. To view the time duration for which the source will be active, simply move the mouse pointer over the source.

You can also resize a source by selecting the Resize Sources button on the Timeline. See the figure given below.

You can then change the Selected Clip End time of the source, which lets you set the duration in exact numbers.

Restoring a Source to its original size

If you have resized the source and do not like the effect, you may restore it back to its original size (duration). Just select the media clip and choose Edit > Restore Size.

Deleting, Cutting, Copying and Pasting Sources

Deleting, Cutting, Copying and Pasting are basic methods used to create and arrange portions of media files in Video Edit Magic.

NOTE: None of these operations affect the original files. They affect only the way the sources appear in the Video Edit Magic Timeline.

Deleting

To delete a source (it could be a video/audio clip, image file, effect or transition) from the Timeline select it by clicking on it. From the Edit menu select Delete or press Del on the keyboard. A deleted source is removed from its current location in the Timeline.

When a single source is selected then a delete operation will delete the selected source. When multiple sources are selected (by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking on them) then all the selected sources are deleted. Deleting a time range (You first have to select a range of the Timeline which includes sources from all tracks using the Selection Sliders) will delete the sources entirely or partially from tracks that are not locked and are in the selection.

Cutting

To cut a source in the Timeline simply select it by clicking on it. From the Edit menu, select Cut or press Ctrl+X on the keyboard. A cut source is deleted from its current location in the Timeline. This is an effective tool if you wish to move media from one location to another, in your Timeline.

When a single source is selected then a cut operation will cut the selected source. When multiple sources are selected (by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking on them) then all the selected sources are cut when you perform the cut operation. Cutting a range (You first have to select a range of the Timeline which includes sources from all tracks using the Selection Sliders.) will cut the sources entirely or partially from tracks that are not locked and fall in the selection.

Copying

Copying a source does not delete it from the current location in the Timeline. This is the preferred method of duplicating a media selection in the Timeline. To copy a source, select it and go to the Edit menu and select Copy or press Ctrl+C on the keyboard.

When a single source is selected then a copy operation will copy the selected source. When multiple sources are selected (by holding Ctrl key and clicking on them) then all the selected sources are copied. Copying a range (You first have to select a range of the Timeline which includes sources from all tracks using the Selection Sliders.) will copy the sources entirely or partially from tracks that are locked and fall in the selection.

Pasting

A Cut or Copy command is usually followed by a Paste command. Pasting a cut or copied source, inserts it at the position where the slider is currently placed in the Timeline.

Pasting within the same track: You can paste multiple sources within the same track by performing the following steps:

Cut or copy source(s) using any selection method.
Position the slider to where you want to paste the cut or copied sources.
Choose Edit > Paste from the menu bar or Ctrl+V from the keyboard to paste at the current slider position.

Pasting across tracks: You can paste a single source on to a different track. For instance, if you want to copy and paste a video source from Video 1 track to Video 2 track, perform the following steps:

1. Select the Video 1 track.

2. Cut or copy only that video source using any selection method.

3. Position the slider to where you want to paste the cut or copied source.

4. Select the Video 2 track.

5. Choose Edit > Paste from the menu bar or Ctrl+V from the keyboard to paste the source at the current slider position.

Note

When multiple sources are cut or copied using multi selection then they are all pasted at the current slider position irrespective of their relative positions. In contrast to this, when multiple sources are cut or copied using range selection then they are all pasted at the current slider position and their relative positions are maintained. For example, if a video source started at the 10th second and an audio source started at the 15th second when they were cut or copied using range selection (selection sliders are visible) then pasting them will keep a difference of 5 seconds between them. If both of these sources were cut or copied using multi-select (sources are selected individually - selection sliders are not visible) then both are pasted at the slider position starting from the same time.

Learn about Track Selections...

If the slider is positioned over a source in any track then that source will be split into two before a paste is performed. Sources are pasted to tracks that are not locked.

Cropping

Video Edit Magic can "crop" a media source on the Timeline. That is, you can mark a section of the Timeline, and keep only the part between the Selection Sliders, discarding everything else. You can crop the contents of any or all tracks.

To crop, either click the Edit menu and choose Crop, or click the Crop button:

When you Crop a selection, a window appears letting you choose which tracks to crop.

Check the checkboxes for each track you wish to crop. Note: if you crop a track, everything in that track which is not inside the Selection Sliders is deleted, which can include several different media sources. The checkboxes for the Effect Tracks can never be unselected. If you crop a Video Track, the corresponding Effect Track will always be cropped as well.

Undoing Editing

One way of undoing a recent command is to click Edit > Undo. You may use Edit > Undo as many times as you wish to nullify the effects of your commands in a sequential, manner, backtracking each preceding command, step by step.

Redoing Editing

To sequentially redo your undone commands, click Edit > Redo. You will not be able to redo an undone command if you issue a fresh command after the undo operation. The number of Redo operations available to you is equal to the number of Undo operation that you have performed.

Using Stretch Mode

The Stretch Mode feature lets you preserve or change the original aspect ratio of your video source. You may choose between four options that can either keep the whole frame (but risk changing the proportions) or keep the proportions the same (but lose part of the picture), or keep both proportions and all the picture, but not use the entire screen. To change the stretch mode of a video source, select one or more video sources and select Stretch Mode from the Edit Menu.

Stretch Modes

The four types of stretch modes are:

Stretch

This option stretches the video to fit the current dimensions. Video Edit Magic changes the aspect ratio as well as the screen size of the video as found necessary. If there is a huge variance between the original size of the video and the dimensions that you have defined for it in the project, then heavy distortion will occur. It is best to avoid using this option unless there is not much difference between the original dimensions and the dimensions defined by you. This is the default stretch type used by Video Edit Magic.

Keep original dimension

This option preserves the original size AND aspect ratio of the video. If any of the original dimensions are smaller, black bands appear and if any of the original dimensions are larger, then the image is cropped near the edges along the opposite dimension. Effectively, this puts the original video, at its original size, inside a window the size of the new movie you are making.

Read the article about Video Dimension, Aspect Ratio and DVD.

Preserve Aspect Ratio

This option preserves the aspect ratio of the original file and zooms the video NEGATIVELY (zooms out) so that the video image fits the screen perfectly without any stretching. However, there will be 2 black bands at opposite edges of the picture in the X or the Y dimension, whichever is smaller than the defined dimension, by a lesser margin. For example if the screen size that you have defined is 320 x 240 and if the original dimensions of the video are 600 x 480, this option will cause black bands to appear at the sides of the picture because the difference between the original and defined X dimension is not as great as the difference between the original and defined Y dimension. This is sometimes called "letterboxing".

Stretch while Preserving Aspect Ratio

Choosing this option zooms the video POSITIVELY (zooms in) so that it fits the screen perfectly without any stretching. However a part of the picture may be cropped in either the X or the Y dimension. For example if the screen size that you have defined is 320 x 240 and if the original dimensions of the video are 760 x 480, the Y (vertical) axis must be halved to fit (240 is half of 480). However, half of 760 is 380, and the new size is only 320 pixels wide (X-axis). The remaining 60 pixels of the original video are cut off, 30 at the top and 30 at the bottom, and won't be included in the new movie. This is the technique used in "Pan and Scan" video. This option is advisable if the clarity of the picture is more important than the contents near the edges of the frame.

Applying Stretch Mode

Stretch mode can be applied to sources in the Timeline by selecting one of the three options from Apply Mode To

Selected Sources

If this option is selected then the selected stretch mode is applied to all selected sources.

Selected Track

If this option is selected then the selected stretch mode is applied to all the sources in the selected video track. Selected video sources in tracks that are not selected remain unaffected.

Track with Selected Source (s)

If this option is selected then the selected stretch mode is applied to all the sources in all video tracks that have at least one selected video source.

There are several ways to add an effect to a video track. You can:

Select the effect you wish to add from Video Effects tab in the Collections window.
Select the effect track to which you wish to add the Effect.
You may preview the Effect in the instant preview by clicking the Play button.
Double click the selected effect to add it to the effect track corresponding to the selected video track.

You can also:

Click Edit >> Insert at Slider Position >> Effect.
Select an effect from the list.

The effect will be added to the selected effect track at the Seek Slider position. If the Seek Slider is positioned on or before an existing effect, then the selected effect is added at the end of all the existing effects in the same track, instead of the slider position. By default, an effect of ten-second duration is added to the Timeline that can be later resized to the desired duration.

You may also add an effect by dragging and dropping it from the Video Effects list to the Effect track you want. The seek slider moves to the position where you drop the effect.

The default duration of the effect can be changed. Select Options from the Tools menu and select Source Settings and change the duration for effects.

Changing Effect Settings

The Effects that have Settings are:

Effect settings can be changed only after an effect is added to the Timeline. To change Effect settings, select the desired Effect in the Timeline and click on Effect Settings from the Edit menu. You may also right-click the selected Effect and click on Effect Settings.

With the Pixelate Effect, you can create graphic blurs. This effect groups pixels in squares and applies the average color of all contained pixels to the square.

When you apply the Blur Effect, your images are softened. It appears as if they were out of focus while being shot. Fine details are no longer visible.

The Blind Effect places dark horizontal stripes areas across the video. The name refers to Venetian blinds.

three properties of this effect:

Frequency

Frequency is the number of darkened stripes to be displayed across the height of the video. If the frequency high, much of the view would be hidden behind the dark stripes.

Light Strength

Light Strength is the intensity of light falling on the video. The greater the strength of the light, the more distinct the shadows (dark stripes). At higher values, the waves become so strong that they appear to cut the video in strips.

At lower values, the blind may not show at all. A value of 25 - 50 is ideal in most cases.

Phase

Changing the phase changes the vertical locations of the stripes of the blind. It lets you adjust the position of the stripes up or down.

The Image Transform Effect gives you a multitude of ways to manipulate video.

Multiple transforms can be applied together by checking more than one transform effects.

Mirror

The Mirror transform changes the image to its mirror reflection i.e. the left side becomes the right and the right becomes the left.

Grayscale

The Grayscale transform converts a color video image to shades of gray only. This transform is used to convert colored videos to black and white videos.

Invert Colors

The Invert Colors transform converts a video image to its negative by inverting all its colors. This transform is typically used to depict flashbacks or insanity in motion pictures.

X-Ray

The X-Ray transform alters a video image to look like an X-Ray.

Flip Horizontally (Default)

The Flip Horizontally transform turns a video image upside down. This transform can be used to correct captured videos and videos converted from the YUV color space to RGB color space. (The YUV-to-RGB conversion sometimes turns the image upside-down.)

Opacity

The opacity value ranges from 0 to 1 and changes the opacity of the image. Lowering the opacity value will darken a video image.

Brightness/Contrast Effect

This effect lets you adjust the brightness and/or contrast of the movie you are creating. It's commonly used when the video or images added to the Timeline are too dark (or bright) or need sharpening or softening

The Posterize Effect changes a video so that it looks like a poster or canvas drawing. This effect, when combined with the Transparency transition, can give a watermark overlay to your videos. Technically, posterization is reducing the number of color levels per color channel from 256 to some smaller number. Reducing the number of colors produces bigger areas of "flat" color and less shading.

Drag the slider to increase the intensity of one of the colors. Values range from 0 to 255, where 0 is "Don't change the color intensity of this channel."

This effect can be combined with the Transparency Transition to create colored watermarks on the video.

Threshold Value

Threshold Value refers to the amount of threshold effect. This slider ranges from 0 to 10.

Text/Title Effect

Text/Title Effect lets you add text to your videos. Drag and drop this effect to the effect track in the Timeline to add text.

Adding Text On the Video

On the Edit menu, point to Add Text As
Select Title on the Video

Video Edit Magic will add the Text/Title video effect to the selected track at the seek slider's position. The text will appear on the video for a total duration of the Text/Title effect.

Adding Text as Opening Title

On the Edit menu, point to Add Text As
Select Opening Title

The Text/Title effect will automatically shift all clips in the Timeline to make room for the effect at the beginning of the Timeline. It will also add a Video Color Clip to the selected video track. This clip provides a background color to the added Text/Title effect.

Adding Text as Closing Credit

On the Edit menu, point to Add Text As
Select Closing Credit

Video Edit Magic adds the Text/Title effect to the end of the Timeline. It will also add a Video Color Clip to the selected video track. This clip provides you with a background color for the added Text/Title effect.

When you add a Text/Title Effect to the Timeline, the Add Text Properties window appears.

Changing Text

Click on the text once without dragging it or point to the Format menu and click Text. Alternately, click the Text toolbar button or use the Ctrl+T shortcut key.
The text becomes editable.
Change the text and click anywhere around the text to apply the changes.

Changing the Text's Background Color

On the Format menu, click Background Color. Alternately, click the Background Color toolbar button.
Choose a color that you want to use as the Text's background.
Click OK when done.

Changing Video Color Clip's Background Color

When you add text as Opening Title or Closing Credit, Video Edit Magic automatically adds a Video Color Clip to the Timeline. This forms the background color of the video over which the text appears. The default color is Black. To change this color:

Select the Video Color Clip.
Right-click on the clip and select Video Color Clip Settings.

Making Text Background Transparent

On the Format menu, click Transparent Background. You can also click the Transparent Background toolbar button.

Changing Font and Font Size

On the Format menu, click Font.
Choose the font, font style and size.
Click OK to apply the font changes.

Select the desired Font and Font Size from the drop down boxes on the toolbar.

Changing Font Color

On the Format menu, click Font Color. Alternately, click the Font Color toolbar button.
Choose a color that you want to apply.
Click OK when done.

Applying Font Styles

On the Format menu, point to Font Styles and select the style that you want to apply to the current text.

Applying Font Effects

On the Format menu, point to Font Effects and select the font effect that you want to apply to the current text.

Changing Text Position

To change the text position, drag the text to the new position.

To use the preset text positions, go to the Format menu and then to Text Position. Select the position where you want to automatically position the text in the video.

To center the text vertically, point to the the Format menu and click Center Vertically. Similarly, to center the text horizontally, point to the Format menu and click Center Horizontally.

The preset text positions and the options to center text vertically and horizontally are also present on the toolbar.

Rotate Effect

The Rotate effect lets you carry out tasks like rotating, zooming and moving the video. It is particularly useful for correcting the video orientation. The move and zoom transform can be used to crop video images.

The Rotate effect consists of the following effects, which can be applied individually or in combination with each other.

Video Edit Magic avails you with the Take Snap option. Rotation effect works great for photographs as it allows you to align your photos properly. If you hold your camera sideways (to get full-body pictures) these rotation effect allows you to rotate your pictures in the proper direction so you can create “video slideshows” of your picture collections.

Zoom

The Zoom Transform effect allows you to progressively view larger or smaller areas of an image. Zooming-in will enlarge the scale of the image and give the impression that you are moving closer to the image. Zooming-out will decrease the scale of the image, and give the impression that you are moving away from the image.

You can zoom-in and zoom-out of the image by using the 4 arrow controls. The 2 '+' arrows are for zooming-in, while the 2 '-' arrows are for zooming-out. You can specify the factor by which each zoom-in or zoom-out operation is done.

Position

The Position transform effect allows you to specify the position of the image in the video. You can use it in combination with the Rotation effect to correct or improve the orientation of the video. An instant preview is displayed in the Preview window to allow you to position the video better.

The positioning can be done by using the 4 arrow controls. You can also specify the factor by which the positioning changes will be applied.

Rotation

The Rotation effect can be used to change the orientation of the video. You can specify any angle from 0 to 360°.

Background Color

You can specify the background color for the image or the video by clicking on the Choose button. This will launch a color palette, from which you can select a background color.

Reset

The Reset button restores all the settings to the default values.

Pan and Zoom Effect

The Pan and Zoom Effect, also known as the Ken Burns Effect, allows you to make a sweeping movement between different portions of images or videos. You can sweep across the length and breadth of your video frame, zoom into particular parts and create the illusion that a camera was moving across as the video plays.

Read the article about Adding Life To Images: The Pan and Zoom Effect.

Start position: The Start position is the point on the video from which the panning and zooming will start.

The Start position can be specified by using the rectangle present inside the Start Position box. You can resize and reposition this rectangle to accurately specify the start position.

a) To resize the rectangle, move the mouse pointer over a side or corner handle of the rectangle. When the cursor changes into a double-headed arrow, drag the handle.

b) To reposition and move the whole rectangle, move the mouse pointer inside the rectangle. When the cursor changes into a four-headed arrow, drag the rectangle to the area of the picture that you want to want to be seen when the effect starts.

TIP: If you want to start the effect with the entire frame being displayed, double click inside this rectangle. The rectangle would expands to include the entire frame. You can also specify the size of this rectangle by entering the length and breadth values.

End Position: The End position is the point on the video where the panning and zooming will stop.

a) To resize the rectangle, move the mouse pointer to a side or corner handle of the rectangle. When the cursor changes into a double-headed arrow, drag the handle.

TIP: If you want the pan and zoom effect to end with the entire end frame being displayed, double click inside the End Position rectangle. You can also specify the size of the End position rectangle by entering the length and breadth values.

Example:

Consider this family photo. You can use the Pan and Zoom effect to focus on the face of every member briefly, one after the other. To do so, first reposition and resize the Start Position rectangle to include the face of the person present on one end of the frame (the grandfather in this particular example). Now, reposition and resize the End Position rectangle so it includes the face of the person sitting at the other end (the grandmother).

When you play the video with this effect added to it, a panning movement will be carried out, from the start position rectangle to the end position rectangle. As the movement occurs, focus will also fall on the couple sitting in between as their faces lie in the path of the two rectangles.

If you want to highlight a particular portion of the picture, special focus can be placed on it by zooming in. To do so, double click on the Start Position box so that the rectangle includes the full screen. Now move the End Position rectangle to the place you want to zoom in to (at woman in black sitting in between). When you play the video, the scene starts with the entire family being shown. The view gradually shifts and narrows to focus on the woman.

By using various resizing and repositioning combinations, you can Pan and Zoom at the same time and also create other stunning effects. The speed of the panning and zooming will depend upon the effect duration. You can change this duration by resizing the Pan and Zoom Effect bar on the Timeline.

Options

Free form selection: Selecting this option will allow you to specify the Start and End positions without maintaining the aspect ratio of the project. Selecting this option is a good choice when you want more creative freedom in terms of focusing on a particular region accurately.

Set end position to be same as the start position: This option lets you make the size and End Position same as that of the Start Position. You can now reposition the two rectangles anywhere depending on how you want to pan. The advantage is that the resulting panning effect is without any zoom or change in relative image sizes.

Set start position to be the same as end position of the previous effect: This option is useful when you are using more than one Pan and Zoom effect on the Timeline.

For example, you can use a series of Pan and Zoom effects in succession to make a sweeping movement that would focus on points present in different parts of the frame. By selecting this option in a particular Pan and Zoom effect, the Start Position of that effect will coincide with the end position of the previous Pan and Zoom Effect on the Timeline. This will help to maintain continuity while carrying out complex sweeping movements.

This option is available for an effect only if there are one or more preceding Pan and Zoom Effects present on the Timeline.

Animated Transform Effect

With the Animated Transform effect, you can make your videos rotate and move at the same time. When you start from an off-screen position, you can make your videos roll into view. This effect is most commonly used for the "newspaper spins into the frame" effect.

Read the article: Using the Animated Transform Effect.

Start Position

Specify the Start Position from which you want to start moving and rotating the video. Use the sizing handles to resize the rectangle that shows the Start Position of the video. You can also use the Left, Top, Width and Height boxes to set the Start Position accurately, in pixels. To quickly position your video, you can also use one of the Presets.

End Position

The effect will move and rotate the video up to the End Position you specify. Use the sizing handles to resize the rectangle that specifies the End Position of the video. You can also use the Left, Top, Width and Height boxes to change the End Position accurately, in pixels. To quickly position your video, you can also use one of the Presets.

Free form selection

By default, when you change one dimension of Start or End position, the Animated Transform effect automatically resizes the other dimension to keep the same aspect ratio. For example, when you increase the width of a video that has a width to height ratio of 4:3 by 40 pixels, then Animated Transform will automatically increase the height of the video by 30 pixels. You can switch off this behavior by checking the option Free form selection. This permits you to distort and stretch the video during the transform.

Set end position to be same as start position

When you keep this option checked then the Animated Transform will move both, the Start Position and End Position rectangles together. In short, this option keeps the size and position of both rectangles the same.

Set start position to be same as end position of the previous effect

This option sets the start position of the current Animated Transform effect to be the same as the end position of the Animated Transform effect that appears just before this current effect on the Timeline. This option is disabled if the current Animated Transform is the first effect on the Timeline.

Number of Rotations

Specify the number of rotations that the Animated Transform effect must complete while moving from the specified Start Position to the End Position. For example, for 2 rotations, specify 2.00 and for 2 full rotations and 1 half rotation, specify 2.50. By default, the video rotates clockwise. To make it rotate in the other direction, select the option Rotate Counter Clockwise.

Background Color

When the video occupies only a portion of the entire view then the background appears black. To select a different background color, click Choose. To pick up a color from any place on the screen, click and hold the mouse button on the eye dropper icon. Drag the cursor to the color on the screen that you want and release the mouse button.

The Wave Effect gives a impression of the video being under water, with waves dashing against it and moving it back and forth.

Frequency

Frequency is the number of wave-like forms to be displayed across the height of the video.

Wave Speed

With this setting, you can choose to move the wave slowly or rapidly.

Wave Strength

Wave Strength is the prominence of the waves in the video. Greater the strength of waves the more distinct they appear in the video.

Adding Transitions to Timeline

Video Edit Magic provides over 150 transitions sorted under 24 categories. Transitions must be added to the Timeline to use them. Transitions can be added to the Transition track between the two video tracks (Video 1 and Video 2) only.

Read the article about Applying Transitions Correctly.

Transitions can be added anywhere to the transition track in the Timeline. However, to make them useful, you must position the transition where a source in Video 1 overlaps a source in Video 2. (If Video 1 is empty, the transition will be between Video 2 and a blank black screen. If Video 2 is empty you cannot use a transition.)

Transitions define how source(s) in the Video 1 track combines with the source(s) in the Video 2 track.

Video Edit Magic provides two types of transitions:

Transitions that interpolate (change) over time.
Transitions that remain the same over time.

Most of Video Edit Magic’s transitions remain the same over time.

To add a transition:

Select a transition category from the Video Transitions list in the Collections window.
You may preview the selected Transition in the instant preview by clicking the Play button.
Double-click the selected transition to add it to the Transition track corresponding to the selected video track.

You can also click Edit >> Insert at Slider Position >> Transition and select a Transition from the list.

The transition, with default settings, is added to the Transition track in the Timeline at the Seek Slider position. If the slider is positioned on an existing transition, then the selected transition is added at the end of all the existing transitions in the same track instead of the slider position. By default, a transition of one second duration is added to the Timeline. It can be resized to the desired duration. You may also add a transition by dragging the selected transition from the Video Transitions list and dropping it to the Transition Track. The Seek Slider moves to position where the transition is dropped.

The default duration of Transitions can be changed. Select Options from the Tools menu and select Source Settings and change the duration of the Transition. You can change the duration of any transition that is added to the Timeline by dragging the triangle that appears on the top right corner.

Changing Transition Settings

All transitions have configuration options. Different choices of transition settings yield completely new transitions.

Video Edit Magic includes these transitions:

Key Color (includes Chroma Key, Non-Red, Luminance, and Hue transitions)
Picture-in-Picture
Wipe (in several Wipe Categories)
Cross Fade
Pixelate
Checker Board
Slide
Stretch
Random Dissolve
Iris Transition
Picture Arrange

Transition settings can be changed only after a transition is added to Timeline. To change transition settings, select the desired transition in the Timeline and click on Transition Settings from the Edit menu. You may also right click the selected transition and select Transition Settings.

Depending on the selected transition, an appropriate settings screen is displayed.

Key Color Transition

There are four Key Color Transitions included in Video Edit Magic. All involve varying the colors in an image. All four of the Key Color Transitions are explained here.

Chroma Key Color

Chroma Key makes all areas of one video track, that are a particular color, transparent, letting the other video track "show through". It is used, for instance, to let actors perform in front of a "blue screen" and then add a separately-filmed background to the scene later.

To use a chroma key color :

In the Collections window, click the Transitions tab.
Add Chroma Key Color by double-clicking on it or dragging and dropping it to the Timeline.
Select the color to be made transparent. You may select a color using either of the following method:

Selecting it from the primary colors.
Specifying the Red, Green and Blue composition of the color
Selecting a color from the color palette invoked by clicking on the Custom button or
Selecting a color from the image. Simply drag the eyedropper icon to the preview area of the Chroma Key Color Transition window and release the mouse over the color that should be transparent.

Optionally, select Invert Chroma Key. This will render all colors other than the selected color as transparent.
If you want to apply to the effect to a wider range of colors, around the currently selected color, you can increase Similarity.
To reverse the effect of the transition, select the Swap video tracks for this transition option.

The chroma key does not vary over time. Use this transition to overlay one image over the other.

Read the article: Using the Green Screen Techniques.

Non Red Key

Non Red Key makes blue and green colors of the overlay images / videos transparent. To use a Non Red Key Transition:

In the Collections window, click the Video Transitions tab.
Add Non Red Key by double-clicking on it or dragging and dropping it to the Timeline.
Optionally, select the Similarity (in terms of percentage). Higher values of similarity makes wider range of non-red colors transparent.
To reverse the effect of the transition, select the Swap video tracks for this transition option.

The non red key does not interpolate (vary) over time. This transition can also be used to compose overlays and to superimpose videos.

Luminance Key

Luminance Key is keying based on luminosity of an image. As the transition takes place, one image appears to "fade" into another, as if one image is transparent and another shows through it. To use a Luminance Key Transition:

In the Collections window, click the Video Transitions tab.
Add Luminance Key by double-clicking on it or dragging and dropping it to the Timeline.
Select the Luminance. The range is from 0 to 100.
You can also choose to Interpolate intensity or Keep Intensity Constant. If you select Interpolate, the strength of the Luminance Transition will vary over the duration of the Transition, making it seem that one video is "fading in" over the other. If you choose to Keep Intensity Constant, one video will appear to remain at a constant level of transparency, with the other one visible through it.
Optionally, select Invert Operation for a reverse effect.
To reverse the effect of the transition, select the Swap video tracks for this transition option.

Use Luminance key to achieve fade in and fade out effects. Luminance key is very effective when its operation is inverted. It's also very useful if you want to add a watermark to your movies.

Read the article: Watermark Your Videos.

Hue Key

Hue of an image is the color produced by visible light. The common color terms such as green, red or orange refer to hue. The key type alters hue over time. To use a hue key :

In the Collections window, click the Video Transitions tab.
Add Hue Key by double-clicking on it or dragging and dropping it to the Timeline.
Select the hue value. The range is from 0 to 360.
You can also choose to Interpolate intensity or Keep Intensity Constant. If you select Interpolate, the strength of the Hue Key Transition will vary over the duration of the Transition, making it seem that one video is "fading in" over the other. If you choose to Keep Intensity Constant, one video will appear to remain at a constant level of transparency, with the other one visible through it.
Optionally, select “Invert Operation” for a reverse effect.
To reverse the effect of the transition, select the Swap video tracks for this transition option.

Use hue key to achieve fade in and fade out effects with image burns. Hue key is also very effective when its operation is inverted.

Once the desired key type is selected and configured, click ‘Ok’ to apply the key type to the transition.

Swap video tracks for this transition

Normally, for Key Color Transitions, the picture from Video Track 2 appears in front of Video Track 1 (and the transition makes Video 1 visible). If you Swap Video Tracks For This Transition, Video 1 will be in front of Video 2.

Picture-in-Picture Transition

This transition is used to place a video inside another video. By default, the Video 2 track is placed inside Video 1 track. Select 'Swap video tracks for this transition' to have Video 1 track placed inside Video 2 track. It is helpful to think about the Picture-in-Picture transition in terms of Foreground Video and the Background Video. Depending on the 'Swap video tracks for this transition' option, either Video 2 (default) or Video 1 will form the Foreground Video.

Read the article: Applying Picture-in-Picture Transition.

The Picture-in-Picture Transition uses two rectangles to position the foreground video on the background video - The View Rectangle and the Bounding Rectangle. Both these rectangles relate to the foreground video. The Background video cannot be changed.

View Rectangle

The View Rectangle is the position of the foreground video on the background video. The position is measured in terms of pixels. To specify a view rectangle, either move or resize the rectangle using the sizing handles or enter the Left, Top, Width and Height of the Rectangle.

Bounding Rectangle

The Bounding Rectangle also applies to the foreground video. This rectangle defines the part of the foreground video that shows up and fits in the View Rectangle.

For example if the Bounding Rectangle is placed at the top-right quarter and the View Rectangle is placed at the bottom-left quarter then the top-right quarter of the Foreground Video will show up at the bottom-left quarter on the Background Video.

To use one of the many Picture-in-Picture configuration available, select a preset from the Preset box. Click "Ok" when done.

Make View Rectangle and Bounding Rectangle size same

When this option is checked, the dimension of both, the View as well as Bounding Rectangle become the same.

Swap video tracks for this transition

When you arrange the pictures of the two video tracks such that they overlap each other then the Second Video appears over the First Video. Check this option if you want the First Video to overlap the Second Video.

Note

Video Edit Magic provides you with the option of changing the dimension when making movies. You can select a dimension other than the preview dimension (selected when creating a new project). If the dimension selected while making the movie (referred to as "movie dimension") is different than the preview dimension then the View and Bounding Rectangles of the Picture-in-Picture Transition is mapped to the movie dimension. The mapping is done by scaling up or scaling down the co-ordinates of the preview dimension to the movie dimension. If the difference between the two dimensions varies significantly then some precision is lost during the mapping operation and the Transition may appear cropped.

Wipe Transitions

Video Edit Magic provides a variety of Wipe Transitions. All wipe transitions change over time. These transitions are sorted into 11 categories so that they can be located and managed easily. In a Wipe transition, the old image is smoothly replaced by the new one, as if the first image was painted on top of the second and a sponge (or several sponges) wiped it off.

Transition Mask JPEG is displayed under the General tab in the settings dialogue; Scale, Origin and Replicate under the Dimension tab and Border Width, Border Smoothness and Border Color under the Border tab.

Every transition under a wipe transition category is known as a mask. A set of common settings can be specified for every transition. The settings are:

Transition Mask Property

This option lets you select among various wipe transitions. For example, a Triangle Wipe involves one or more triangles moving over the first clip, replacing it with the second. Every category includes variations. For example, the Triangle Wipe category contains all triangle-type transitions, with different starting positions, different numbers of triangles,

Transition Mask JPEG

A transition mask image specifies a JPEG file that is used as a transition. Areas that match in color to the selected JPEG will transition to the second image before other areas. To use a Transition Mask JPEG transion, select Transition Mask JPEG, browse for the JPEG file and click OK.

Scale

Scale defines the percentage of scaling to be applied to the original transition. A transition can be scaled / stretched horizontally or vertically by specifying the horizontal and vertical scale values respectively.

Origin

Origin defines the center from where a transition originates. The X (Horizontal) and Y (Vertical) axis of a transition can be specified by setting the origin values. Alternately, the origin can also be roughly set by dragging your mouse over the origin pad.

Replicate

Replicate defines the number of times a transition is repeated horizontally and / or vertically. Smart usage of replicate can provide you with a completely new transition. The illustration below shows a Wedge, Left transition which has been replicated twice vertically:

Border Width

Border width determines the border width in pixels of a transition.

Border Softness

Border softness reduces sharp border edges of a transition.

Border Color

Border color specifies the color to be given to the border of a transition. To set the border color you may:

Select a primary color.
Select the Red, Green and Blue composition of a color.
Select the color from the palette by clicking the Custom button.

Swap video tracks for this transition

Normally, Video Track 2 replaces Video Track 1 in a Wipe. Check this option if you want Video Track 1 to replace Video Track 2.

Cross Fade Transition

The classic cross fade video transition gradually fades out the first video while fading in the second video creating a video cross-fade. This transition is typically used while creating slideshows.

Overlap Intensity

The overlap intensity ranges from 0 to 100, which specifies when the transition should start fading out the second video while the fading in of the first video is in progress. At 100, the transition will start fading in the second video and fading out the first one at exactly the same time. At 0, the transition will fade out the first video completely to black and then it will start fading in the second video (no overlap).

Swap video tracks for this transition

By default this transition starts from the video in Video Track 1 and ends with the video in Video Track 2. Check this option to transition from Video Track 2 to Video Track 1.

Pixelate Transition

The Pixelate transition starts with the first video or image, blurs it like the pixelate effect (by dividing the image into squares, and filling each square with the average color of all of the squares), and increases the size of the squares over time. Halfway through (at maximum pixelation), it switches to an equally-pixelated version of the second video, and then decreases the size of the squares over time, until at the end what remains is a perfectly-sharp other video or image.

Pixel Size

This value defines the maximum size of the averaging squares which the Pixelate transition uses. The larger the squares, the fewer of them in the video (and the most detail lost).

Swap video tracks for this transition

By default this transition starts from the video in Video Track 1 and ends with the video in Video Track 2. Check this option to transition from Video Track 2 to Video Track 1.

Checker Board Transition

The checker board transitions starts with one video track, and reveals the second by replacing alternating squares in a grid pattern.

Direction

The direction in which the squares of the checker board uncover the second image. Possible options are Left, Right, Up and Down.

No. of Rows

The number of rows in the grid may range from 2 to 50.

No. of Columns

The number of columns also ranges 2 to 50.

Swap video tracks for this transition

By default this transition starts from the video in Video Track 1 and ends with the video in Video Track 2. Check this option to transition from Video Track 2 to Video Track 1.

Slide Transition

The slide transition treats the entire image in each video track as a separate object, and moves them around before replacing one with the other.

Slide Style

This transition supports three types of slide styles:

Open

The Open style slides the first video away, to reveal the second. The second image remains stationary.

Push

In a Push Slide transition, the both video images move together. The first slides off to the left as the second slides on from the right, as if one was pushing the other out of the way. The illustration above shows a Push Slide transition.

Swap

A Swap Slide transition shows both cards pulling back halfway, the second moving in front of the first, and then both moving back to their original positions.

Bands

The slide transition splits the video horizontally into the number of specified bands and then applies the selected slide style. The bands move in alternate directions (if the top band is moving right, the next one down will move left).

Swap video tracks for this transition

By default this transition starts from the video in Video Track 1 and ends with the video in Video Track 2. Check this option to transition from Video Track 2 to Video Track 1.

Stretch Transition

The Stretch transition expands one image, starting from having no width and growing until it covers the whole window.

Stretch Style

The Stretch transition supports 3 types of styles:

Spin

The second image grows out from the center and covers the first.

Hide

The second image starts at the left edge of the screen, and grows to fill the whole window. The first image does not change as it is covered. The illustration above shows a Hide transition.

Push

In the Push style, the first image is squeezed and becomes smaller as the second grows, until it is completely squeezed out of the frame.

Swap video tracks for this transition

By default this transitions starts from the video in Video Track 1 and ends with the video in Video Track 2. Check this option to transition from Video Track 2 to Video Track 1.

Random Dissolve Transition

The Random Dissolve Transition replaces the first image with the second, by replacing individual tiny dots in random locations on the screen until the second movie is completely visible.

Swap video tracks for this transition

By default this transition starts from the video in Video Track 1 and ends with the video in Video Track 2. Check this option to transition from Video Track 2 to Video Track 1.

Iris Transition

The Iris transition replaces one image with another by either growing or shrinking a shape, with all the area crossed by that shape's border replaced by the second image.

Iris Style

This option lets to select various shapes: diamond, circle, cross, plus, star and square.

Direction

The Iris Transition can be In or Out. If it's In, the shape appears to shrink inward from the edges of the screen toward the center. If it's out, the shape appears in the center of the screen, and grows outward until the video it contains fills the whole screen.

The illustration is of Iris Out with a Diamond Style.

Swap video tracks for this transition

Normally the media in Video 2 replaces Video 1 during the transition. Check this option if you want Video 1 to replace Video 2.

Picture Arrange Transition

You can use the Picture Arrange Transition to place the two video tracks on the same video screen. This transition provides you with presets to quickly place the videos side-by-side horizontally, vertically or diagonally. This transition is very useful when you want to prepare a movie that shows comparison.

Presets

The Picture Arrange transition provides presets for the most common video arrange placements. To use a preset, click the appropriate icon present under Preset. The green colored rectangle represents the Video Track 1 and the blue colored rectangle represents the Video Track 2.

Visually Arranging the Videos

You can visually arrange the pictures of the Video Track 1 and the Video Track 2 by dragging green and blue rectangles marked with a "1" and "2" respectively. The green rectangle represents Video Track 1 and the blue colored rectangle represents the Video Track 2. To change the size of the picture, drag the rectangles using the sizing markers at the corners and sides of the rectangle.

Actual Co-ordinates in Pixels

Using presets is the quickest means to arrange the pictures. For custom arrangement, it is best to use visually arrange the videos by dragging the picture's rectangles. After arranging the rectangles roughly on the screen, you can change the Actual Co-ordinates of the two videos by directly specifying the values.

You can change the left co-ordinate, right co-ordinate, width of the picture and height of the picture by entering the values in the Left, Top, Width and Height boxes respectively. The transition accepts all values in pixels. The screen in which you can fit the two pictures has the same width and height as that of the current project. For example if the project's dimension is 320 x 240 pixels then the screen's width is 320 pixels and height is 240 pixels. Thus, you can arrange the pictures within the bounds of the project's dimension.

Background Color

By default the background color of the screen on which you arrange the two videos is black. You can change the background color to any color of your choice. To select a custom color, select Choose. To select a color present anywhere on the desktop, drag the eye dropper around the desktop and over the portion of the desktop where the color you want is located.

Swap video tracks for this transition

Video Edit Magic Tools

Editing in Video Edit Magic is not just about moving, cutting, copying, pasting and changing the duration of sources. You will now see some of the more sophisticated editing capabilities of the application.

· Using Markers

· A marker is a visual cue that you can apply on your Timeline. You may insert markers to locate and remember a certain event in the Video or Audio tracks. To create a marker at a certain point in the Timeline, simply bring the Seek Slider to that exact location and choose Tools > Add Marker. You may add as many markers as you like, to your Timeline.

· To remove a marker, select the marker by clicking on it and choose Tools > Remove Marker. To add and remove markers, the Add and Remove Marker buttons from the Timeline controls at the top left corner of the Timeline can also be used.

· Markers can be repositioned after they are added to the Timeline. Just grab the marker by its handle and slide it to its new position. The first marker is always present in the Timeline and cannot be removed. All markers added after the first marker can be removed.

Media Converter

Media Converter is a convenient utility to convert from all popular media file formats to compressed AVI format.

Content

Supported Media File Formats

Most of the commonly used media file formats are supported by Video Edit Magic:

Supported Input Formats

Audio Video Interleaved (AVI)
WAV
MP3
Windows Media Audio (WMA)
Windows Media Video (WMV)
QuickTime (MOV)
Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG 1, MPEG 2, MPEG 4, VOB)
AIFF
AU
SND

QuickTime Support

The recommended or full installation of QuickTime 7 is required to convert from QuickTime to AVI. QuickTime's online or standalone installer can be obtained from the URL: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/.

MPEG-2 Support

It is recommended that you install the free MPEG-2 decoder setup from: http://www.deskshare.com/download/mpeg2decoder.exe

MPEG-4 Support

It is recommended that you install the free MPEG-4 decoder setup from: http://www.deskshare.com/download/mpegabledsdecoder.exe

Using Media Converter

To open Media Converter:

On the Tools menu, click on Media Converter.
Click Next on the welcome screen of the Media File Conversion Wizard.
Select one or more Files to Convert by clicking on Add button. Specify the Destination Folder where you want to save the converted file by clicking on Browse. Click Next.
You may also select a Video Compressor and/or an Audio Compressor to reduce the file size of the converted AVI file. The Auto select settings based on: option chooses video and audio compressors based on the requirements you specify. Click Next to start the conversion process.

The conversion process may take time depending on the duration and dimension of the source files you select. A Video and/or Audio compressor may also slow down the process of conversion. When you are converting an AVI file, the Media Converter displays the estimated time left for the conversion to be completed.

Using AVI Compression

Recommended Video Compressors

Microsoft Video 1
Cinepak Codec by Radius
Indeo Video Compression filters
MJPEG compressor

Not all Video and Audio compressors may give you desired results. Some installed compressors are specific to an application and may not work. A good choice of compressors can result in both good quality and a small file size.

Note:

In batch conversion, temporary files are created in a separate folder, with the folder name VEMTemp. This folder is created in the destination folder itself.

Splitting Track

With the Split Track option, you can split any source in the Timeline by simply clicking the source. After splitting, a source is divided into two independent sources (clips). To use this option:

On the Tools menu, click Split Track. You may also click the Split Track toolbar button or use the F4 shortcut key.
Move your mouse over the source you want to split in the Timeline. The mouse cursor will change to indicate the position of the split.
Click once to split the source.

To split multiple tracks at once, you can use the Split Timeline option.

Splitting Timeline

With the Split Timeline option, you can split more than one track at once. To split a single track only, the Split Track option is more convenient to use. Unlike the Split Track option, this option splits the Timeline at the seek slider position.

To Split the Timeline:

Drag the seek slider to the position where you want to split the Timeline.
Unlock all tracks that you want to split.
On the Tools menu, click Split Timeline. You may also use the F11 shortcut key or the Split Timeline button on the toolbar.
When you Split the Timeline, this window appears:

5.Packing Tracks

6. If you pack the tracks, all gaps between sources on the Timeline are removed. Every source is moved to the left, so that each track starts at time 00:00 and is continuous until the end of the last source.

7. To pack all the tracks in your Timeline open the Tools menu and select Pack Timeline, or press the F12 key.

8.Repeating Audio

9. Sometimes, if the video and audio in your Timeline are from separate files, the duration of the audio may be shorter than the video. Stretching the audio to match the video’s duration is not always a good idea- it slows down the audio.

10. Select the audio source you want to repeat and click on Tools > Repeat Audio. If you have a video track that is five minutes long and an audio track that is one minute long, choosing the ‘Repeat Audio’ option will copy the audio four times into the Timeline sequentially so that it matches the length of the video.

11. Repeat Audio affects only the last audio source in the an Audio Track, and extends it to the the end of the last piece of video in the Timeline.

12. When more the one audio source is present in the Timeline, the Repeat Audio option can be used only for the last audio source.

Resetting Volume Track

This option lets you reset the volume track of the selected audio track. This removes all volume points that you had added and resets the volume of that track to 100 percent.

To reset the volume:

Select the audio track for which you want to reset the volume.
On the Tools menu, click Reset Volume.

Taking Snaps

This option lets you take a snap of the preview window. This is, it lets you turn a single frame of your video into a still picture.

Read the article: Create photos from your videos with Video Edit Magic.

To take a snap from any place in the Timeline:

Position the Seek Slider over the Timeline so that the image that you want capture is visible in the preview window.
On the Tools menu, click Take Snap.
The Take Snap dialog displays three consecutive images. Select the image that you want to save.
By default, the Take Snap dialog saves images in the current project's dimension. To change the dimensions (resize the snap), specify the width and height in the Dimensions boxes. To keep the aspect ratio (ratio of the image's width to the image's height) when Take Snap resizes the image, check the Lock Aspect Ratio option.
To save the image in the JPEG format, select the JPEG option from Output Format. Specify the JPEG quality using the Quality slider. To save the image in the Bitmap format, select the Bitmap option from Output Format.
In the Save To box, specify the file name and location where you want to save the snap. Click Browse to navigate to the desired location.
Check the Add Snap to Collections Window option if you want the Take Snap dialog to automatically add the saved snap the Collections Window for possible use in the Timeline.
Click OK to save the image.

Narration

Adding narration to your videos can do wonders for the atmosphere and professionalism of your video. By adding witty remarks, a running commentary or descriptions of certain objects, you can make watching your videos fun. All you need is a microphone and some imagination.

To add narration:

Make sure that you have a microphone connected to your PC and that it is correctly configured.
Open the Tools menu and click Narration. The Narration window appears.
To change Audio Properties, click Options in the Narration dialog. You can select a device from Audio Devices list. Select the Audio Frequency. You can select the Audio Bit Size as 8 Bits/Second or 16 Bits/Second. Audio Type can be selected as Stereo or Mono. Audio Properties like Sound Quality, Input and Mixing can be changed. Click OK.
Tune Audio option opens the Audio Tuning Wizard. You can set the Playback Level, Select Audio Recording Device and adjust Recording Volume using this wizard.
To start recording your narration, position the slider where you want to start narrating and click Record in the Narration window. The Timeline will automatically start playing in the Preview window, allowing you to synchronize your narration to the image.
Click the Stop button on the Narration dialog when you are done with the narration. You will be asked to save the audio file. Save it at a location you like. Once the file is saved, it will automatically be added to the Collections window and to the Timeline at the position of the Seek Slider.

Aligning Clips

The Align Clips option moves all selected clips to begin at the same time as the clip with the latest start time on the Timeline. Suppose you have selected three clips: one beginning at ten seconds on the Timeline, the second beginning at seven seconds and the third starting at fifteen seconds on the Timeline scale. When you align them, the first and second clip will be moved to the same time scale as the clip that starts latest i.e. the third one starting at fifteen seconds on the Timeline. Now all three clips will start at fifteen seconds.

The Align Clip also moves non-selected clips that follow the selected clip in the same track. In this case, the Align Clip option moves the non-selected clips by the same amount that it moves the selected clip.

To align clips on the Timeline:

Press the Ctrl key and select all clips that you want to align by clicking on them. To select a range of clips, select the first clip in the range, hold down the Shift key and then select the last clip in the range.
On the Tools menu, click Align Clips.

3.Extract VOB Chapters

4. Video on DVDs is stored in files with the extension ".VOB". VOB files can contain multiple chapters, each of which can be linked from a separate menu entry. If you add a VOB file directly to the Collection, it will be converted into a single AVI file containing all the chapters one after another. If you only want to use some of the chapters, you can extract each individually.

5. To extract VOB chapters, click the Tools menu, and choose Extract VOB Chapters. You will be prompted to select a VOB file. Video Edit Magic will then extract each chapter as a separate AVI file and add all of them to the Collection.

6.Understanding Volume Tracks

7. A volume track is used to vary volume of its corresponding Audio Track. The volume variations are measured in percentage of the originally authored volume and do not represent an absolute volume value.

8. Read the article: Useful Audio Effects.

9. Components of the Volume Track

10. The volume tracks consist of many dark gray parallel lines running parallel across them and dark gray lines running vertically at every major tick of the scale forming a grid. This is called a Volume Grid.

11. Initially a red line runs across the length right in the middle of the volume track. This is the Volume Graph and shows no variations initially. In this figure, however, the volume graph shows variations. The volume graph in Audio 1 starts at normal (no variations - original volume) and then gradually decreases in the last few seconds. The volume graph in Audio 2 starts from the bottom (no volume) and then gradually increases in the first few seconds to its normal (no variations – original volume). This produces an audio cross fade effect.

12. The white dots that appear on the volume track are called Volume Points. These points are used to manipulate the volume graph. The volume graph runs from volume point to the next volume point. Volume points can be added and deleted as and when required. The volume graph is manipulated by dragging volume points with the mouse and changing their position. When a volume point is moved upwards, above the normal, volume increases and when a volume point is moved downwards, below the normal, volume decreases.

Setting Volume

Volume points are used to manipulate the volume graph and therefore affect the volume variations. The volume graph is manipulated by grabbing the volume graph and changing its position, creating a volume point. When a volume point is moved upwards, above the normal, volume increases and when a volume point is moved downwards, below the normal, volume decreases.

Setting a Volume Point

To vary the volume, simply click on the volume graph at the time at which you wish to set the volume. You will notice a volume point plotted at that point. The volume graph (red line) runs through the volume point, and you can simply move the point up or down to change the volume. You may preview the Timeline to hear the difference.

Changing a Volume Point

To change an existing volume point, simply click on the volume point and drag it to its new location. The graph (red line) changes to reflect the volume point’s new position. You cannot move a volume point beyond the previous or the next volume point. If you attempt to do so, the volume point is deleted.

Deleting a Volume Point

To delete a volume point right-click on a volume point. You cannot delete the first and the last volume point of a volume track.

Resetting Volume

The volume can be brought back to its original level (100% volume throughout) by selecting Reset Volume from the Tools menu.

Note

Volume tracks are not subject to editing operations (cut, copy, delete etc.). When you edit an audio track then its corresponding volume graph section is not affected.

Creating New Projects

By default, whenever you open Video Edit Magic, a new untitled project with default properties is opened for you. While creating a new project, you can specify the dimension and frame rate.

Creating a new project with preview dimension same as the first video you add to the Timeline

On the File menu, click New Project.
In the New Project dialog, select the Use the Dimensions of the first Media File added to the Timeline option.
When making movie, some compressors may not work when the dimension of the movie is not in a multiple of 4. To automatically convert the preview dimension to the nearest multiple of 4, select the Automatically convert the project dimensions to the nearest multiple of 4 option.
Click OK.
On the File menu, click Open File.
Browse for a video file and click Open.
Drag and drop the file from the Media Files list of the Collections window to a video track in the Timeline.

The preview window will automatically resize itself to the width and height of the video file (up to a maximum of the available space).

Creating a new project with a standard video dimension

On the File menu, click New Project.
In the New Project dialog, select the Let me specify the Project Dimensions option.
From the Dimensions dropdown, select a standard dimension.
When making movie, some compressors may not work when the dimension of the movie is not in a multiple of 4. To automatically convert the preview dimension to the nearest multiple of 4, select the Automatically convert the project dimensions to the nearest multiple of 4 option.
Click OK.

Creating a new project with a custom video dimension

On the File menu, click New Project.
In the New Project dialog, select the Let me specify the Project Dimensions option.
From the Dimensions dropdown, select Custom.
Under Custom Dimensions, specify the width and height of the preview in pixels. Select the Lock Aspect Ratio option to keep the dimension in aspect.
When making movie, some compressors may not work when the dimension of the movie is not in a multiple of 4. To automatically convert the preview dimension to the nearest multiple of 4, select the Automatically convert the project dimensions to the nearest multiple of 4 option.
Click OK.

Creating a new project with the frame rate same as the first video you add to the Timeline

On the File menu, click New Project.
In the New Project dialog, select the Use the Frame Rate of the first Video File added to the Timeline option.
Click OK.
On the File menu, click Open File.
Browse for a video file and click Open.
Drag and drop the file from the Media Files list of the Collections window to a video track in the Timeline.

The Timeline will use the same frame rate as that of the video file.

Creating a new project with a custom frame rate

On the File menu, click New Project.
In the New Project dialog, select the Let me specify the Frame Rate option.
In the Frame Rate box, specify the frame rate.
Click OK.

Note

The project dimensions and frame rate of the current project in the Timeline are displayed in the status bar of Video Edit Magic.

Configuring MPEG Properties

MPEG is the file format used to create DVD, VCD and SVCD. This high quality compressed format can be used across all platforms. DVDs, VCDs and SVCDs contain MPEG files that conform to their respective standards.

The table below lists down the format in which Video Edit Magic creates MPEG files, depending on the type of video disc to be authored.

Video Disc			MPEG Format (Standard)
Disc Format	Picture Standard	Disc Type	MPEG Type	Dimension (pixels)	Frame Rate (FPS)	Video Bit-rate (Kbps)	Audio Bit-rate (Kbps)	Variable/Constant Bit-rate (VBR/CBR)
VCD	NTSC	CD	MPEG 1	352 x 240	29.97	1152	224	CBR and VBR
VCD	PAL	CD	MPEG 1	352 x 240	25	1152	224	CBR and VBR
SVCD	NTSC	CD	MPEG 2	480 x 480	29.97	2500	224	CBR only
SVCD	PAL	CD	MPEG 2	480 x 576	25	2500	224	CBR only
DVD	NTSC	DVD	MPEG 2	720 x 480	29.97	6000	224	CBR only
DVD	PAL	DVD	MPEG 2	720 x 576	25	6000	224	CBR only

NTSC is the picture standard used in USA while PAL is used in almost all European countries. The MPEG 1 format also supports Variable Bit-rate video that can be used to achieve high compression ratios depending on the specific video present in the Timeline.

Making MPEG Movies for VCD, SVCD and DVD

Creating DVD, VCD, or SVCD involves:

Making MPEG movie conforming to the standard that the disc uses.
Burning the created movies to an appropriate disc (CD or DVD).

Video Edit Magic is able to make MPEG movies for various Video Discs as discussed in the table above. However, a separate CD or DVD burning software is required to burn these MPEG movies to a CD or DVD.

To make movie for VCD, SVCD or DVD, select the required format from MPEG Output Format box and click OK. The values required to create the correct MPEG format are automatically filled up.

The options available are:

MPEG 1 VCD (NTSC)
MPEG 1 VCD (PAL)
MPEG 2 SVCD (NTSC)
MPEG 2 SVCD (PAL)
MPEG 2 DVD (NTSC)
MPEG 2 DVD (PAL)
MPEG 1 (Custom)

Aspect Ratio

In DVD - NTSC, movies are created in 720x480 video dimension, whereas in DVD - PAL, movies are created with 720x576 video dimension. Besides the video dimensions every DVD video stream even has a DAR (Display Aspect Ratio) flag. The flag tells the media player for what kind of target display the stream has been encoded. Depending on the display you want to view your movie you can change the DAR. By default the movie will be created in a 16:9 display aspect ratio. You can choose to view your movies in the following:

4:3 - For Standard Television
16:9 - For Widescreen
2.21:1 - For Cinemascope Movie

Note: The DAR (Display Aspect Ratio) is not necessarily the ratio of the actual video dimensions that you encoded the video stream at. So, even though Windows Media Player will continue to show the accurate video dimensions in the properties, it will play the video using the DAR you have chosen. For example, if you have created a movie in DVD-NTSC and DAR as 16:9 the video will appear in widescreen when playing in Media Player but will still have a dimension of 720x480.

Making Custom MPEG Movies

Although, MPEG is primarily used to create movies for VCD, SVCD and DVD, Video Edit Magic can also make movies in custom MPEG 1 format. To make custom MPEG movies, select MPEG 1 (Custom) from the MPEG Output Format. Specify custom values for:

Video Dimensions: Select the width and height in pixels from the ones available.
Frame Rate: Select the frame rate in frames/second (FPS) from the ones available.
Audio Bitrate: Specify the bit-rate from the ones available.
Audio Frequency: Select the Audio Frequency from amongst the two options given. By default, it is 44.100 kHz. You may also opt for 48.000 kHz.

The Estimated File Size of the resulting media file is also displayed.

Configuring Digital Video AVI Properties

Movies made in this format can be exported to a Digital Video (DV) camera attached to your PC. Video Edit Magic includes Digital Video Manager for exporting to Digital Video cameras.

Type

Select the Digital Video AVI Type. Video Edit Magic supports both Type I and Type II. Both types are identical in both picture and sound quality.

Type I DV files are not backward compatible with older Video for Windows (VFW) systems. In cases where you want the minimum file size or minimum amount of processing required, Type-1 is preferable. Type II DV files cannot be created without an audio. For this purpose, Video Edit Magic automatically inserts a blank audio when the Timeline contains no audio. As the audio data is stored twice in the file, once in the DV stream and once in the AVI stream, a Type-2 DV AVI file is around 5% larger than the Type-1 equivalent. Uploading and capturing Type-2 AVI files to and from a DV camcorder takes slightly more processor power, as the extra audio AVI stream needs to be added or removed. Type-2 is the more compatible format for editing.

Picture Standard

Select NTSC or PAL depending on the standards supported by your Digital Video camera. The DV AVI specifications for these standards are:

NTSC

Frame Rate: 29.97 frames/second
Dimension: 720 x 480 pixels

PAL

Frame Rate: 25 frames/second
Dimension: 720 x 576 pixels

Note

Digital Video AVI files are variants of uncompressed AVI files. Similar to uncompressed AVI, Digital Video AVI does not use a compressor and can take up large amount of disk space. While saving to Digital Video AVI, it is a good idea to also make a movie in AVI format using a video and audio compressor that produces good quality output. This movie can be stored for future use. After the DV AVI is exported to the camera, you may delete the DV AVI file.

Having Trouble Making Movie?

This section discusses the problems you may face when making a movie.

Movie synchronization problems

The video and audio in the created movie may go out-of-sync due to the following reasons:

A significantly large difference between the video frame rate of the output movie and the original movie may cause the video and audio streams of the created movie to go out of synchronization. If there are multiple video clips added to the Timeline then the “Auto Select” feature selects the highest frame rate to preserve the video smoothness. Try keeping the frame rate as close to the original video clip as possible.
The audio compressor MPEG Layer-3, in rare cases, causes the video and audio streams of the created movie to go out of synchronization. The audio or video may finish first. However, MPEG Layer-3 is a very good compressor and usually provides higher compression compared to other compressors. If you face this problem then select another audio compressor. Almost all Microsoft compressors are safe to use.
Synchronization problems may even come up if the start time of both video and audio clips is different. Please ensure that the start time of both the streams is the same. To know the start time select the clip and view its start time in the status bar.

Video created is of much shorter duration

The created movie may be of a much shorter duration than what you might have edited in the Timeline. This may happen due to the following reasons:

If the selection sliders are visible when you select Make Movie then Video Edit Magic makes a movie of only that portion of the Timeline. Please ensure that the selection sliders are not visible when you select Make Movie.
When making movie after selecting Microsoft ADPCM as the audio compressor, the make movie process may not render the entire movie. Generally, the make movie process completes normally up to 50% and then jumps to 100% complete. This means that you will have only a part of the movie saved. If you face this problem then select another audio compressor.
If the original file is a WMV file and converting this file completes midway then ensure that this WMV is seekable. Open the original WMV file in Windows Media Player and see if you are able to seek to any random position. If not, then the WMV file is not indexed and hence cannot be edited. To fix this problem, we have to make the file seekable. You can convert the file to AVI format using the Media Converter.

Saving AVI files with odd dimensions:

When saving to AVI format you might get this message "The selected video and/or audio compressor cannot be used. Please select another compressor and try again." Then here are a few points that might help:

Many of the compressors do not support odd dimensions. By default the dimension is automatically converted to multiple of 4 and it is strongly recommended to do so, to avoid the error message above. Please be sure that this option is checked.
Some video and audio compressors may also be incompatible. From the Audio Compressor box, select Uncompressed and try making the movie. If you are able to make the movie then the problem is with the selected audio compressor.

Adding Video Files to Export

To add files to export:

Click Browse.
Navigate to the file that you want to export and click Open.
If the selected file is a DV AVI file then it can be exported.

Export Conditions

A video file can be exported by the DV Export tool only when:

The video file that you want to export is DV AVI Type I or Type II.
The Video Standard (NTSC or PAL) of the video file and the DV camera must be the same.

Making Movie to correct DV AVI Type and Video Standard

If the video file is not a DV AVI file or is not in the correct Video Standard (NTSC or PAL) then convert it by using Video Edit Magic. To convert the video file:

From Video Edit Magic, on the File menu, click Open File.
Navigate to the video file that you want to convert and click Open.
Select the file in the Media Files list of the Collections tab if not already selected.
On the Edit menu, click Add to Timeline.
On the File menu, click Make Movie.
Select Digital Video AVI from Output Formats and click Next.
In DV AVI Properties (Step II of the Make Movie Wizard) select the appropriate Type and Video Standard.
Click Next to proceed making the movie.
After Make Movie completes, export the created movie.

Exporting Video Files

To export video files to the Digital Video (DV) camera:

Start the DV Export utility from Video Edit Magic.
Select a video file that you want to export.
Use the Digital Video preview and the Rewind, Play, Forward, Pause and Stop controls to seek to the desired position. Files are exported starting from the current position.
Click Export to start exporting the DV AVI files.

Resources

Here are some important links to web pages that you can use to obtain Video Edit Magic's support from DeskShare.

Purpose	Visit	Link
To get tips and information about Video Edit Magic	DeskShare Articles Page	http://www.deskshare.com/resources/articles/articles_main.aspx
Buy Video Edit Magic	Pricing Page	http://www.deskshare.com/pricing_details.aspx?ID=1
Discussions, Comments or Questions	Video Edit Magic Support Forum	http://www.deskshare.com/Forums/default.aspx
Questions about use and installation	Technical Support Page	http://www.deskshare.com/contact_tech.aspx
New Feature Request	New Feature Request Page	http://www.deskshare.com/new_feature.aspx
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Trouble Opening Media Files

Video Edit Magic has been enhanced to not only give you More Information on why the media file did not get added but also suggest ways to help you add the file for editing. This troubleshooting section discusses the messages you may receive when trying to add media files to the Collections window.

Read the article: Troubleshooting Compatibility Problems.

Most of the common file adding problems can be solved in one of the following ways:

1. Make sure you have the latest version of DirectX. Often installation of other video programs, brings along incompatible decoders, that may cause Video Edit Magic to fail. You can try re-installing the latest version of DirectX. You may download the latest version of DirectX from:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/directx/default.aspx?url=/windows/directx/downloads/default.htm

2. Make sure you have the latest version of Windows Media Player installed for Windows XP or newer operating systems. To download Windows Media Player, visit: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/11/default.aspx

3. For Window 2000 operating system or older, make sure you have Windows Media Player 9 installed on your PC. You can download Windows Media Player from the following URL: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/9series/default.aspx

4. Try playing the file in Windows Media Player. The player may be able to determine, download and install the appropriate compressors required to play the file.

5. If you are unable to add a QuickTime MOV file, make sure you have the latest QuickTime player installed on your PC. Reinstalling the latest version QuickTime Player may solve the problem. QuickTime Player's online or standalone installer can be obtained from the URL: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download

6. If you are unable to add a MPEG-2 or VOB file, make sure you have the latest MPEG-2 decoder installed on your PC. The setup can be downloaded from: http://www.deskshare.com/download/mpeg2decoder.exe

7. If you are unable to add a MPEG-4 file, make sure you have the latest MPEG-4 decoder installed on your PC. The setup can be downloaded from: http://www.deskshare.com/download/mpegabledsdecoder.exe

8. If none of the above solutions work, you can look into the more specific messages given below or visit Video Edit Magic Support Forum at http://www.deskshare.com/forums/default.aspx

The following are few common messages that you may get when you try to add a media file in Video Edit Magic:

The video in this media file cannot be rendered. A video codec required to play this file is missing.

This message is shown when the necessary video codec required for rendering the video data is not present. For example if you are trying to add a DivX encoded file then the DivX codec needed to play the file should be installed on the PC. The message may include the missing video codec name. You can take the following steps to include such a file.

Click 'Download DivX'. Video Edit Magic will open up the DivX download page. You can then download and install it on your PC.
After downloading and installing the codec click 'Retry'. Video Edit Magic will reattempt to include the file. However certain codecs cannot be recognized unless the the application is re-launched.

If you are still not able to include the file try opening your video file in Windows Media Player. The player may be able to determine, download and install the appropriate compressors. If Windows Media Player cannot determine the required compressor and you know which compressor is needed to play the file then you can search and download it from the internet.

The audio in this media file cannot be rendered

This message is shown when the appropriate audio codec in use by the file is not installed on your computer. This message is similar to the above message. For example, an audio codec in use by a WMV file is absent. On opening the file in Windows Media Player, the player may be able to determine, download and install the appropriate compressors. If Windows Media Player cannot determine the required compressor and you know which compressor is needed to play the file then you can search and download it from the internet.

Some of the streams in this media file are in an unsupported format

This message is shown when either the video or audio data present in the file could not be read. Windows Media Player does not have the ability to play all type of files. For example, you will not be able to view an MPEG2 file without having appropriate MPEG-2 Video Decoder installed on your PC.

There are two types of MPEG files, MPEG – I and MPEG – II. Video Edit Magic completely supports converting
MPEG – I files. MPEG – II files can be edited with Video Edit Magic only when:

An appropriate MPEG video decoder is installed.
The MPEG decoder is correctly configured.
The MPEG decoder has features capable of editing Media Files.

Incorrect decoder or configuration can result in unexpected results. If you already have MPEG hardware or software installed on your system, it is very likely that the hardware/software might have installed its own set of MPEG decoders. If the file is MPEG-2 or VOB format then Video Edit Magic may prompt you to download and install the "Free MPEG-2 Decoder". This set of decoders have been optimized for its use with Video Edit Magic, hence DeskShare strongly recommends downloading and installing it. This set of decoders are safe and can be installed even if you have other MPEG-2 Decoders installed on your PC. Irrespective of the compatibility settings, if you have the "Free MPEG-2 Decoder" decoder package installed then Video Edit Magic will give priority to it over any other MPEG-2 Decoder

You can take the following steps to include such a file:

Click 'Download GPL Decoders'. Video Edit Magic will prompt you to 'Run' or 'Save' the decoder setup. The "Free MPEG-2 Decoder" setup can also be downloaded separately from http://www.deskshare.com/download/mpeg2decoder.exe
Click 'Run'.
After the installation is complete click 'Retry'. Video Edit Magic will reattempt to include the file for conversion. However certain codec's cannot be recognized unless the the application is re-launched.

Video Edit Magic does not support DVR-MS files

DVR-MS cannot be opened and edited using Video Edit Magic.

Copy Protection Error - The read failed because the sector is encrypted.

Video Edit Magic does not support adding Copy Protected files and may give this message.

Conversion of files taken directly from a DVD is not supported. Please copy your files to a local hard drive and then try adding it again.

Video Edit Magic cannot convert VOB files directly from a DVD. You can copy the files over to your hard disk drive and then try adding.

Video Edit Magic does not support encrypted VOB files

Encrypted VOB files are not supported by Video Edit Magic and they cannot be opened and edited.

Opening VOB file with chapters

Video Edit Magic does not add a VOB file with chapters directly to the Timeline. You can either convert it to AVI. Say yes to use Video Edit Magic's Conversion Wizard which extracts and combines all chapters to make an AVI file. You can now work with this AVI file which is automatically added to the Collections window.

No combination of filters could be found to render the stream of this media file

This message reports the absence of one or intermediate filters required for rendering the media file. For example, you will see this message if the media file is a 24-bit RGB color and the appropriate filter to render this RGB type is absent.

No combination of intermediate filters could be found to make the connection

This message is shown when no combination of intermediate filters could render the media file. This is similar to the message above.

The source filter for this media file could not be loaded

This message is shown when the codec required for rendering the media file could not be loaded. For example Windows Media Player gives a similar message if you try to load a QuickTime MOV file which it does not support. Try updating Windows Media Player to the latest version. You can then try and play the source file with the player and see if it works.

The file format is invalid

This message is shown when the format of the file is such that it cannot be rendered. For example, if you rename a Word File (.doc) to .mpg and try rendering that file then Windows Media Player gives a similar message.

Unable to add file

Though Video Edit Magic supports directly adding MPEG files and editing them on the Timeline, MPEG files that use a splitter or have built in chapters cannot be directly added to the Timeline. You will get the "Unable to add file" when to try opening such files. You are asked to convert them to AVI format for editing purposes.

The media type of this file is not recognized

This message is shown when the media type reported by the file cannot be recognized or determined by Windows Media Player.

Cannot play back the file: the format is not supported

This message is shown when the appropriate codec in use by the media file is not installed on your PC. For example, you may get this message when trying to include a MPEG-4 file and the required decoders are absent. Video Edit Magic may prompt you to download 'MpegableDS Decoders'. You can take the following steps to include such a file:

Click 'Download MpegableDS Decoders'. Video Edit Magic will prompt you to 'Run' or 'Save' the decoder setup. The 'MpegableDS Decoders' can also be downloaded separately from http://www.deskshare.com/download/mpegabledsdecoder.exe
Click 'Run'.
After the installation is complete click 'Retry'. Video Edit Magic will reattempt to include the file for conversion. However certain codec's cannot be recognized unless the the application is re-launched.

If your still not able to include the file try opening your video file in Windows Media Player. The player may be able to determine, download and install the appropriate compressors. If Windows Media Player cannot determine the required compressor and you know which compressor is needed to play the file then you can search and download it from the internet.

QuickTime 7 is recommended for rendering this kind of file.

This message is shown when your trying to add a QuickTime MOV file for conversion but your PC does not have the installation of QuickTime 7 or higher. To allow Video Edit Magic to include QuickTime MOV files for conversion take the following steps:

Click Download QuickTime Player 7.
Video Edit Magic will launch the site to allow you to download the QuickTime Player's online or standalone installer.
After downloading and installing the player click 'Retry'. Video Edit Magic will reattempt to include the file for conversion. However certain codec's cannot be recognized unless the the application is re-launched.

Unable to open this file because the file could not be rendered

This message is shown when the file open operation fails. This file might be a non-standard QuickTime MOV file. Try opening the QuickTime file with the QuickTime Player.

Unable to open 0 KB file

This message is shown when the file size is zero KB.

This file is protected by Digital Rights Management. It cannot be opened

This message is shown when file is protected by the content owner and/or broadcaster and it cannot be played back. This message can appear for Windows Media Format files (.wmv, .wma, .asf)

My Image is Upside down

In Video Edit Magic, from the Collections window click on the Media Files tab.
Drag and drop the Video File under the Media Files tab to the Timeline.
In the Collections window, select the Video Effects tab.
Under the Video Effects tab, select the Image Transform effect.
Drag and drop the Image Transform effect to the Effect track of the Timeline.
In the Effect Image Transform dialog, check the Flip Horizontally option.
Click OK.

Opening 16 color Bitmap files

Video Edit Magic may prompt you to convert your bitmap file to a higher color bitmap file if the file you are trying to open has a color depth of 16 color or lower. If you say yes, Video Edit Magic will convert it to a higher color bitmap.

What best about Video Edit Magic?

Supported Media Formats

Supported Input Formats

Supported Output Formats

QuickTime Support

MPEG-2 Support

MPEG-4 Support

Media Editing Terminology

Timeline

Group

Track

Source

Media

Stream

Media Properties

AVI (Audio Video Interleaved)

Compressor/Codec

WMV/WMA (Windows Media Format)

MBR (Multi Bit Rate)

Profiles

Capture Devices

Opening Media Files

Dragging and Dropping Files

Individually Adding Files

Opening Projects

Adding from the Capture Utility

Preparing for Editing

Adding Media Files to the Timeline

Adding Color Clips to the Timeline

Add and Insert Options

Zooming the Timeline

Previewing the Timeline

Previewing a Selected Source

Understanding the Timeline

First Glance

Track Selections

Hiding/Showing Tracks

The Scale

Function of different types of tracks

Sliders

Markers

Previewing the Timeline

Full Screen Preview

TIP:

Moving and Resizing Sources

Moving Sources

Resizing Sources

Restoring a Source to its original size

Deleting, Cutting, Copying and Pasting Sources

Deleting

Cutting

Copying

Pasting

Note

Cropping

Undoing Editing

Redoing Editing

Using Stretch Mode

Stretch Modes

Applying Stretch Mode

Changing Effect Settings

Frequency

Light Strength

Phase

Mirror

Grayscale

Invert Colors

X-Ray

Flip Horizontally (Default)

Opacity

Threshold Value

Text/Title Effect

Adding Text On the Video

Adding Text as Opening Title

Adding Text as Closing Credit

Changing Text

Changing the Text's Background Color

Changing Video Color Clip's Background Color

Making Text Background Transparent

Changing Font and Font Size