Virtual Choir/Diana

Diana_HW

I am a church music director and I am putting together virtual choirs for the hymns and special music for our live stream services. I know how to make the individual videos smaller but is there some way to make them all the same size and line them up without just using my cursor. I would like them all to be in straight lines.

Also, can I rearrange the tracks or bring tracks forward in case the overlap isn't what I want.

I have included a youtube of one of my hymns so you can see what I mean.

Thanks, Diana

https://youtu.be/0TG7PX5khbY

borate

Once scaled to the desired size, using the SCALE or MOTION, save those settings as an effect template. Give it a name. This becomes just another choice, at the bottom of the effects configuration window, that can be applied to any clip

One approach to lining up the scaled videos is to use the base X and Y sliders in the MOTION effects dialog. Jot down the vertical (Y) number, for instance, and use it for every video insert.

Place each on its own track, keeping in mind that higher tracks will be the picture-within-the-picture. Track rearrangement should be minimal if needed at all; most pics will occupy a specific area of the screen. But, If an overlap is desired, just remember that higher tracks take precedence over lower tracks.

If you make a mistake, press <ctrl-Z> to step back, edit-by-edit. <ctrl-Y> steps forward. This is the same as EDIT | UNDO and EDIT | REDO.

Back up the project often, using SAVE PROJECT AS. Give it a unique # or name, so as to not overwrite earlier saves. SAVE PROJECT (no "as") will overwrite older projects.

[deleted]

An approach I have seen used is to have individual players in a fixed area of the screen. Assuming each clip is the same AR (e.g. 16:9) here is how an example of 16 players can be done

Place each clip consecutively on Video Track 1
Select all the clips
Scale all clips to 0.25 (for a 4 x 4 matrix)
Click the FX for the first clip and Add Split Screen effect to all clips with matrix of 4 x 4 (use the button at top of the effect screen to add effect to all selected clips)
Now Click the FX for each clip in turn and allocate each to a box.
Place each clip on separate track one above the other. (This is the phaffiest bit!)

Each of the 16 clips will now appear and play in a separate box. A bit like this....

This example uses images but video clips will work the same way. Our orchestra is currently preparing something similar with 15 boxes (I think) with the conductor in the top middle box. The other clips (players) will change according to which part of the piece ("Over the Rainbow") will be playing at that moment. It won't be this software however but VP can do it.

Nat

borate

Nat said: Place each clip on separate track one above the other. (This is the phaffiest bit!)

That it is.

After scaling all clips, select them all, click the split-screen effect and apply it to all those selected by clicking the sixth icon from the left on the effects toolbar. Now DEselect the clips.

Click on each clip in turn and assign it to a different 4x4 letter. Check the placement by dragging the sequence cursor. Or just click on each track.

Then, one-by-one, right-click on each clip and CUT, scroll to see the topmost track, position the cursor far left, right-click in the blank area above the existing tracks and Overlay (paste).

After many tracks are added, you will have to scroll the tracks, as shown below, first to the bottom to see track one, then to the top to see the last uppermost track.

stacking.mp4

[deleted]

That stacking of multiple tracks (i.e. dragging them up from track 1 to, say, track 6) ought to have automatic scrolling. In practice you can only drag them up to the limit of the tracks that are visible and that can be complicated by having the topmost visible track full. Cut/Paste is better. Perhaps if the right click menu offered a choice of placements or "Move to overlay track" it would be better still

Nat

[deleted]

Just noticed a better way that doesn't use Cut/Paste or dragging and dropping on the overlay track 🙂

All the steps ..

Place clips consecutively on Track 1
Select all with Ctrl A and scale each to required size (0.25 with 4x4 matrix)
Add the Split screen effect to all the clips
Allocate each clip to a box in the matrix.
Now drag each clip and drop it into the clip bin (You will see a green clover leaf mouse pointer when you do this.) All the clips are now in the bin and the timeline will be empty.
Set the red cursor to the start of the empty timeline
Select each reduced size clip in the bin one at a time and select to Overlay on the Sequence at the Cursor.

This places each clip in their selected box on the tracks in turn one above the other. No need to phaff with Dragging/Dropping/Scrolling etc.

Nat

borate

Good approach!

Diana_HW

I'm sorry but I am new to all of this technology so please be patient with me.

I figured out how to scale them to the size I want. I don't know what the 4x4 matrix is and how to allocate each clip to a box in the matrix. Where's the matrix!?

borate

In the effects window click the SPLIT SCREEN icon. Click the chevron, to the right of the word "Layout" and from the drop-down menu select GRID 4X4.

Then follow the instructions above to assign each clip to a different letter.

Lastly, stack the tracks per Nat's latest instructions.

[deleted]

Hi Diana

OK, lets look at a simple example. Imagine you have three clips (all the same size) Singer 1; Singer 2 and Conductor.

Place clip 1 (Singer 1)on Video Track 1
Place clip 2 i(Singer 2) on Video track 2
Place clip 3 (Conductor) on Video Track 3
Timeline will look a bit like this.....
-
Click the FX for Track 1. (Singer 1)
Add the Split Screen effect.
In this simple example I want have my project showing from left to right...Singer 1...Conductor...Singer 2. So I need a MATRIX of 3 boxes horizontally....One for each clip (A matrix is simply an across/down arrangement of boxes)
So select your matrix of Horizontal 3 from the Layout option list. It will look like this.....
......Three boxes in a line......a 1x3 matrix
Video Track1 (Singer 1) will now appear in Box A of the matrix by default...but you can choose any of the boxes for your clip by clicking them.
Repeat these steps for the remaining two Video Tracks. (Add Split Screen and selecting a box in which to place the clip. Placing the conductor in Box B and Singer 2 in Box C
Note that each of the clips in the tracks will move to their respective positions without the need for you to move them.
Now check the Sequence preview........

You have your singers on either side of the conductor. These are (obviously!) images but clips will all play together and the sound tracks will mix.

Now this is a very simple example of a 1x3 horizontal matrix but you can choose any matrix in the list up to 5x5 (25 boxes -25 clips)...a more daunting task!

This means more tracks are being used and earlier posts have outlined the phaff of setting them all up. You can do them one at a time like this example or you can do them en masse so to speak using one Track and then mess about getting them one on top of the other..My last post mentioned a simpler way of doing this.

Another thing is that the images above are quite simple with the subject positioned in the middle and the boxes are vertical making it easy with no need to scale. In practice the box shapes depend on their orientation. Using 9 clips you would need a 3x3 matrix to keep them all horizontal and so fit your clips, but of course you would need to scale them down to 1/3 (0.33) in size so they fit across the screen. If you decide on a 4X4 matrix you would need to scale them down to 1/4 (0.25) and so on. Mixing vertical and horizontal clips means a bit of experimenting. That's why I like to have dual preview screens set up.

Hope this explains things a little.

Nat

Diana_HW

Thank you everyone! I will do my best!

Diana_HW

Ok, I've figured out how to get everyone everywhere. Now I need to know how to fix the colour. They are all faded and it isn't looking crisp. What am I doing wrong? I'd attach a picture to show you but I don't know how.

borate

To point to a screenshot that you have uploaded to a free server, see http://nch.invisionzone.com/topic/23659-tips-for-getting-help-on-this-forum/

There you will also find instructions on how to share your project, so others can check it out by seeing what you see.

Each image can be tweaked via the effects editor. Click the FX button on the clip, click the large green + sign and look over the options.

If you don't like an effect that was applied just select it in the effects box and click the X (top-right) to delete it. Or use <ctrl-Z> to undo as many steps as you need. Same as EDIT | UNDO. <ctrl-Y> will REDO.

dmk

This was a very helpful thread! Does anyone have any suggestions on coordinating the starts of each singer's track? I know the "clapping" trick, but I'm still having trouble syncing the singers' recordings in this app. Thanks.

borate

Have you perused the links here?

dmk

I have, thanks, but unless I am missing some thing they seem to be focused on how you get multiple tracks to show up in the sequence side by side but I’m not seeing some thing that helps line up when each singer starts singing. (If everyone records a video singing “row row row boat”, how do you make sure that each video starts with the first “row” at the same time?)