Hello there! Let's see in this video how to apply professional Slow, Fast
Motion and variable speed effects on your videos with Vegas Pro 14!
Leave us comments below to help us improve our future video guides for
Vegas Pro!
The Slow Motion effect consists in reducing the playback speed of your
video clip, in order to highlight its content.
To apply Slow Motion, just stretch the video clip from its edges, while
holding CTRL down, in order to apply a Time Stretch. If you right-click
on the the clip frames, and go to Properties... you can see that the
Playback rate has been reduced from 1 (original) to a lower value. The
maximum Slow Motion you can apply, in this way, is up to 400% slower
speed.
In order to make very good Slow Motion videos, you have to use source
videos that have a very high frame rate. The frame rate is the number of
video frames per seconds (fps) the video has while you playback: the
higher this rate is, the better the Slow Motion will be. Let's see a
clear example.
Let's suppose to have a 60fps video. Even if we reduce its playback
speed by 400%, it remains quite smooth. But, if we have the same video
clip in 15fps, we can see that the video is not smooth at all, but shows
its single video frames following one by one. You may improve a little
the Slow Motion, by enabling the resample on the video frame Properties,
but its final effect won't be as much good as seen for the 60fps one. So
remember to take videos with a very high frame rate depending on the
Slow Motion you want to apply!
Whereas, the audio part of the video clip is managed differently.
When you Time Stretch the video clip, you will act on audio as well,
slowing its playback speed. This is done without changing its pitch by
default, but this may cause high distortion in case you apply an heavy
Slow Motion. If this happens, just right-click on the audio part, go to
Properties... and tick on Lock to stretch. This will change the audio
pitch, but sound will be much better, and well adapted to your video
anytime you stretch or shorten it.
Let's now see all you need to know to make a great Fast Motion effect,
which is the opposite effect that increases the playback speed.
This is done by shortening the video clip always using the Time Stretch.
But, in this case, you don't have to care of the video frame rate, since
the Fast Motion effect also looks great if this is lower.
Even more, the audio part will sound great, whether you choose to keep
the original pitch or not.
What you really have to care for a good Fast Motion is to render at a
very high frame rate. In fact, the Fast Motion increases the playback
speed of the clip, that needs a high frame rate to be effective.
To render at high frame rate, choose your most favorite render settings,
and, as Frame rate, type 60 to render in 60fps. When you will upload your
video in YouTube, you will be able to play it in 60fps by choosing
1080p60 for the HD quality, and 2160p60 for the 4K one.
Check out our render settings tutorial to know how to render in HD and
4K UHD!
Eventually, you can improve your Fast Motion video by applying any
Motion Blur effect on it, in order to make it more realistic. To add
Motion Blur, go to View, and then to Video Bus track. Then right-click on
it, go to Insert/Remove Envelope and then to Motion Blur amount. A pink
envelope line appears, and you can pull this up or down to increase or
decrease the effect. Check the Video Preview!
Inside Vegas, you can also playback in reverse both audio and video
frames. Just right-click on these and go to Reverse.
Even more, you have the possibility to change the playback speed in time.
The Time Stretch effect is very comfortable if you want to apply a
slower or faster playback speed, that remains constant in time.
But, if you want to make the playback speed change, you have to follow
another way.
If you right-click on the video frames, and go to Insert/Remove Envelope
and then to Velocity, a green envelope line appears, showing how the
playback speed of the clip changes in time. By default, this is set at
the original speed (100%), but, if you pull it up or down, you can
increase or decrease the playback speed. If it is over 100%, you will
apply a Fast Motion; if it is below 100% a Slow Motion; if it is negative,
you will play the clip in reverse. This envelope line actually allows
you to apply any playback speed, even over the 400% limit seen on the
Time Stretch method.
In case you apply a deep Fast Motion, several grey markers appear at the
top of the video clip, indicating the points where the video clip loops
from its beginning.
To change the playback speed in time, you can add points on the envelope
line by double-clicking on it. Each point saves the playback speed
value on a fixed point on the clip. You can click and drag each point
to move them in time and velocity amount. This changes the shape of the
envelope line and each of its fades. Also, right-click on each point to
to change the shape of the fade and to delete the point if you like.
Also the Motion Blur envelope line works like this, by adding points and
shaping the fades.
Another nice feature inside Vegas Pro is the Rate bar, in the bottom
left corner. This changes the playback speed of the whole project, by
moving and holding the grey marker, or fixing the orange triangular one.
But remember that this acts just on the playback speed of the Project
Preview. It does not change, at all, the playback speed of the project
that will be rendered.
Thanks for watching this video! Check out our complete guide for Vegas
Pro for more amazing and professional tips!