NewbieQ: How to prevent dragging/cropping the videoclips from breaking the audio track?

Oorworm

Hello all,

I'm just making my first few steps with Videopad I must confess that I haven't read much about it, nor have I watched most of the video tutorials. The program description claims that it is highly intuitive, and this is true, and I like to learn while doing/creating something I like anyway.

However, I've run into some sort of problem/annoyance, and I'd like some specific tips/advice.

My first project is a simply one (or so it seems to my layman's perception; it is very well possible that I am wrong here!):

One audio track (a song)
Several sniplets of an old movie that I want to add up to create a video clip (I already unlinked them from their audio)

Now, the problem/annoyance is, that whenever I move one of the video clips, the audio track is broken: a pause is inserted at the place where I moved/cropped etc. the video clip.

I presume (hope!) that it must be very easy to somehow click a setting, that prevents the program from this behavior. I don't want the audio file to be broken. I want to space out the video clips, matching them to the sound as I seem fit. And it's rather slowing me down that the audio file is being fragmented into smaller parts (I know I can line them up, but they remain different audio clips, and chances are that I might hastily miss a few microseconds. Besides, it really shouldn't be necessary to have the audio track been cut.)

But sofar I haven't discovered such a setting! The 'lock' setting is not just for the audio track; it locks the entire project.

So, any tips / advice anyone?

borate

The "lock" icon to the left of the audio track should lock ONLY that track. Does here. Then, video can be tweaked without affecting audio.

[deleted]

Place your clips on Video track 1....audio will appear on Audio track1. Don't bother unlinking the track, just mute it using the button at the left hand end with the loudspeaker icon. The track will go grey. You can now collapse it out of the way with the button at the end with the - icon.

Now place your music on Audio track 2. If you add it to the sequence, it gets placed at the end and you will probably have to drag it down to Audio track 2 and then along to the left. You could also "Click the gap" and close it when the audio will move along to the start of the sequence on Audio track 2..

You should now be able to grab and move the video clips on Video track 1up and down the sequence, drag them one over the other etc.without making a gap in Audio track 2. Note that the clips are still linked to their own audio which will also move as expected but being muted will not play. Audio track 2 will not be affected.

If you unlink your sound track as you say you did then this seems to make VP link sections on Video Track 1 to the equivalent portion of Audio Track 2. Consequently moving the video clip will move a section of the audio or create a gap.

So mute the audio for your clips as described but don't unlink them.

Nat

Oorworm

Thanks!! I managed to get it working.

(And then, I found out that the free version of the program is actually a trial, and several options become unavailable unless you buy it. But that's another matter.)