Linking Audio and Video?

meed96

I'm having a really annoying time keeping all of my video and audio clips in the same place on the timeline. I'd like to be able to link an audio clip to a video clip but can't seem to figure out how to do this. Can someone explain how?

borate

Once A/V are aligned, take care in how splits are made, to help preserve sync...

Click the arrow to the right of the SPLIT icon and note the many choices.

Also, multiple tracks can be selected so - in some instances - the action taken will affect them all.

meed96

borate wrote:

Once A/V are aligned, take care in how splits are made, to help preserve sync...

Click the arrow to the right of the SPLIT icon and note the many choices.

Also, multiple tracks can be selected so - in some instances - the action taken will affect them all.

Yeah, these are great tips, but what about linking audio and video?

[deleted]

Audio and video can only be unlinked and relinked when from the same clip but not unlinked, repositioned and relinked in the new position.

Neither can you link unattached audio and video tracks, however.....

Once you have finalised the position of your video track and separate audio track for a section of the timeline, you can prevent them being moved by clicking the padlock button for the tracks concerned. This is the end button of the row of 4 just beneath the word "Storyboard" at the left hand end of each track.

This will essentially immobilise the tracks, so clicking the button for an audio track and a separate video track will link them together whilst still enabling you edit any unfixed tracks. The problem with this approach is that you can't now move them.

Unfortunately as far as I know you can't link two independant tracks and drag them about.

As an alternative, you could work with short lengths of timeline, set the audio against the visuals and save each as a sequence. This will produce new linked clips (sequences) which can then be used to recreate the timeline.

Unfortunately a bug in the program (v4.08) does not replace the audio track on the timeline when the sequence (any sequence) is reused although it will play when previewing. This bug has been reported to NCH

Nat

c_major_2

You can also try grouping the video and audio clip:

Select both clips by holding [Ctrl] and click on them.
Right click on one of the clips and choose Group Selected Clips.

The result will be same as linked in editing respect.

[deleted]

Hi c-major

That's the answer....so now I know! The menu option to group clips only appears if you use Ctrl and not Shift. Pressing shift does suggest that you have "grabbed" both clips as their colour changes but, of course there is no Group Clips option.........so why do both clips turn blue when Shift is used?..................and Thanks.

Nat

borate

Hummm. I see the same GROUP/UNGROUP right-click choices using <ctfl> or <shift> in 4.08, when dealing with one video and one unrelated audio clip.

[deleted]

Hi borate

. Yes, you're right both Shift and Ctrl do work.. :wacko: However... You have to select with a right click on the second clip not select both clips first and then try a right click...like c-major suggests..that menu does not seem to bring up the option every time. In fact if you play about a bit I think you will find the option doesn't always appear.

The thing is...if you have adjusted the position of, say, the audio clip it remains selected (blue) and if you then press Shift and select the video clip, it, too will select. (both will be blue). If you do this with a right click the option appears but if you have selected the video clip with a left click (so both clips are blue) and then a further right click as c-major suggests, (using shift) it brings up a menu without the options....It's a bit confusing.

Anyway, the main thing is if you click in the correct order the option does work.

Nat

c_major_2

Even you guys (the most experienced users) didn't know this feature meaning that it need to be worked on. We'll review this feature and expose it properly.

This is how it works by design:

User Ctrl + Click to add the clip to current selection.
User Shift + Click to select all clips between current selected clip and the clip you clicked on. If the selected clip and the clip you clicked on are in different track, all clip inside the rectangle forming by the two clips are selected.
To have the grouping option on the right click menu, you must right click on one of the selected clip.

As Nat pointed out, it seems to be a bug Shift + Right Click will clear current selection and no grouping option.

[deleted]

Hi c-major

Well I never! Got my head around this now. It's probably best just to say you can select multiple clips one at a time by pressing Ctrl and left clicking each clip followed by a right click to get the Grouping option up. Using shift only selects the last two clips each time and there is no grouping option.

Having realised this I just discovered you can continue to add further video or sound clips to a group i.e. You can group a video and sound clip with the Ctrl right click option (once you get the hang of the order etc.as discussed) and then later during editing select other clips (audio or video), even if they are on different tracks and group them with the first ones so you can move them all as one without losing synch and that is useful!

(Initially I thought there might be a problem with selective ungrouping as clicking on a grouped clip selects all the group and Ctrl right click would only ungroup the lot! but you have included the Remove clip from group option.....which was originally inactive.

Wish I had known this before.. I have just completed a short fireworks display video where every audio track apart from cut-aways etc., had to be shifted back 1.3 seconds to synch the explosions with the visuals. I had to keep locking the tracks that had been synched and edit other clips on a separate one.

As an enhancement to this very useful feature, would it be useful or possible to show grouped clips in a different colour (say reddish) to distinguish them from selected clips which come up blue?

One other point is that having clicked the ungrouping option nothing changes on the timeline...all the grouped clips remain blue as if to suggest they are still linked. Shouldn't they all return to normal when the option is clicked? You have to click an empty space on the timeline to clear the selection colour.

Nat

smallmonkey

"I have just completed a short fireworks display video where every audio track apart from cut-aways etc., had to be shifted back 1.3

seconds to synch the explosions with the visuals."

What I liked to learn is HOW to specify I want to shift my audio track back PRECISELY 1.3 seconds, or any amount (without having to hit or miss by sliding the mouse)?

borate

It's best to start a new thread, rather than tack onto one that's seven months old. But now that we're here...

UNlink audio, if necessary, by right-clicking the audio clips and clicking on UNLINK.

Select (highlight) all contiguous audio clips that are to be moved.

Place the pointer on the audio track, left-click and hold while dragging left or right...

The popup can be used to choose the precise offset desired. When on target let go of the mouse button.