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you need to know to start using the newest VEGAS Pro 16!
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VEGAS Pro is a professional video-editing product developed by MAGIX
Company, excellent to realize videos and slideshows. You can edit
any media deeply, apply amazing effects and transitions, and add
customized pieces of text. In this video we will see the most important
features and tools you need to start as a beginner.
When opening VEGAS Pro its workspace shows up, divided in two. On top
you get all the main windows, that collect all the media files imported,
all the effects and transitions available, or show a preview on your
project in progress. Use the cross button to close any window, and go
to View and then to Window to reopen any.
At the bottom you have the Project Timeline, which is where you import
and edit your files to create your own video.
To start with a new project, just click
on New Empty Project in the top left corner.
First thing to do is to add all the media files to work with, such as
videos, pictures and audio files.
To import media, just drag and drop these files into the Timeline, from
any computer folder, or directly from the Explorer window inside the
workspace. All imported files are listed inside the Project Media
window, and are shown as rectangles called clips (or Events) inside
the Timeline.
In this video we are going to see how to work with the Timeline. You
can also work in Storyboard mode by using the Storyboard Bins folder
inside the Project Media window.
Video frames and pictures are contained inside rows called Video Tracks;
whereas audio files such as music, recordings and speech are collected
inside Audio Tracks. To insert other Tracks, just right-click on an
empty space and go to Insert Track. To remove any existing Track with
all of its content, just right-click on it and go to Delete Track.
To zoom in and out on your Timeline, just use your mouse wheel. As you
zoom in, you can see several information and buttons on each clip. On
top, the clip shows its file name on the left, and several buttons on
the right that we will see. At the bottom, you get a quick preview of
the clip content, such as thumbnails on the picture or video frames in
case of visual clips, and audio waveforms (one for mono, more for
stereo) in case of audio clips. The overall clip background is colored
with the same color of the Track that contains it.
You can use the Video Preview window to get a complete preview on your
project in progress. This shows the project frame right where the black
timeline marker is. You can place this marker by clicking on the
timeline, in order to check different video frames on the preview.
In addition, if you click and hold down while dragging on the timeline,
you create a blue region called Loop Region, which moves the marker
through time. This allows to check the project content frame after
frame, without any sound.
To playback both video frames and sound, you have to use the player
below the Video Preview. You can also use the Space bar or the Enter
key to play and stop quickly. Consider that the Space bar key always
restarts from the starting point.
To playback a specific part in loop, just include this within a Loop
Region and enable the Loop Playback button. At this point, such section
will be played in loop continuously, as long as the timeline marker
remains within it.
Above the Video Preview you have several buttons to manage the way to
preview the project content.
Use Project Video Properties... to adjust the video properties of the
Preview, such as resolution and frame rate. Consider that these options
are completely independent from the final video you will create.
Use the second button to go in Full screen mode
exiting with the Escape key.
On Preview Quality choose the quality for the Video Preview, according
to your computer specifications. Use the last button on the right to
save and export the current video frame as a picture.
Inside VEGAS Pro 16 you can now import and work with 360° videos.
Inside Project Video Properties, click on the 360 Output to enable the
360° button. When you click on it, the Preview will enter in 360° view
mode, where you can click and drag on the Preview to change the view.
Now, let's see how to edit clips by using the Normal Edit Tool.
Click and drag a clip to move it in time, through the same Track or in
another one. You can also move multiple clips together if you select
these first.
To select multiple clips, click on each clip while holding down the
CTRL key, or enable the Selection Edit Tool and click and drag on the
Timeline to create a selection area that selects all the clips that
touch it. To deselect all, just click on an empty space.
When moving videos with audio, both frames and audio are moved together.
Use the U key to make these independent and move them singularly. If
frames and audio are no more synched, these get a red background color.
In case you get visual clips overlapped in time, the Video Preview
shows these according to the Tracks order. The clip placed inside the
top Video Track is always shown above all the clips contained inside
lower Video Tracks in order.
To split a selected clip, just place the Timeline marker and use the S
key.
To cut, copy and paste a selected clip just use CTRL+X, CTRL+C and
CTRL+V respectively. You can cut a clip to remove it quickly from the
project.
All these operations are always applied on the whole clip selected,
unless you use the Loop Region. For example, to cut
create a Loop Region on it and then cut.
If you make any mistake, use CTRL+Z to undo. You can also use the Undo
and the Redo buttons in the top left corner to check your past actions
made and come back to these if you need.
You can stretch and shorten clips in time in two ways: by editing their
content or their playback (or speed) rate.
Click and drag from the clip edges to edit its duration. You won't have
any problem with pictures, but in the case of videos and audio that have a
limited duration in time, you will affect their content. In fact, if
you stretch these clips over their original duration, you will put
these in loop, every time you see a top black marker. If you shorten
these clips, you will cut part of their content.
If you click and drag from the clip edges while holding down the CTRL
key, you stretch and shorten the clip by changing its speed rate instead
of its content. In this case, a shorter clip is played faster to last
less in time and a stretched clip is played slower vice versa.
All these time-stretched clips show a triangular wave on the background.
In case of audio clips, these will be played at a different speed by
saving their pitch. To change the pitch, just right-click and go to
Properties, checking on Lock to stretch.
To add time-shift on the clip content, you can use the Slide and the
Slip Tool, by clicking and dragging on the clip.
On the left side of the Timeline you have several options to manage the
content inside your Video and Audio Tracks. Use the Mute button to make
transparent all the clips inside a Video Track, and muted all the clips
inside an Audio Track. Use the Solo button to mute all the Video or
Audio Tracks except the interested one.
Inside each Video Track, you can use the Level bar to adjust the opacity
level of all the clips inside it. Inside Audio Tracks, you have the
Volume bar to adjust the Track volume and the Panning bar to balance
the output volume between the left and the right stereo channels.
Next to these you also have the deciBel meter, showing the instant
volume level coming from the Track itself. This should always stay
within green levels, in order to avoid any saturation or distortion on
the output.
You can adjust opacity and volume levels on each single clip as well.
Below their file name, you can click and pull down an envelope line to
lower the opacity level on visual clips, and the volume level on audio
clips. Hold down the CTRL key to move smoother.
To move, zoom or crop the clip content, just go to Event Pan/Crop....
This opens the Video Event FX window with a rectangle representing the
clip content. You can move it to place the clip and use the nodes on the
corners to zoom in and out. Rotate it to add any inclination.
You can also crop the clip by disabling Lock Aspect Ratio on the left
and using the other nodes on the rectangle.
Let's see how to apply effects and transitions to the clips!
The Video FX window collects all the visual effects available inside
VEGAS Pro. Choose the effect on the left and its template on the right,
and drag and drop it on a clip to apply it. The Video Event FX will
show up, in order to edit the effect properties while looking at the
Video Preview. You can click on Event FX... to open the Video Event
FX window on the effect properties if you need it again.
Use Split Screen View above the Preview to check the effects result
on the media clip in respect to its original appearance.
As you apply effects to the clip, these will be applied in order and
shown on the effect chain at the top of the window.
To apply effects to audio clips just click on Event FX..., browse for
the effect, and use the Add button on the right to apply it.
Inside VEGAS you can use transitions to introduce or finish a clip in a
smooth way or with special effects inside.
To add fade-in and fade-out transitions to a clip, just click and drag
from its top corners as much as you want the transition to last in time.
On visual clips, these transitions affect the opacity level; on audio
clips the volume level.
To apply transitions between two clips, just overlap these within the
same Track as much as you like, with Automatic Crossfades on.
You can change the transition envelope by right-clicking on it and
going to Fade Type.
You can add special effects to visual fade transitions by using the
Transitions window. As seen for the effects, choose the transition
effect to apply, drag and drop it on a fade transition, and use the
Video Event FX to adjust its properties. You can use the Transition
Properties... button to change the transition properties.
Inside your project you can also add pieces of text and titles.
Inside the Media Generators window, go to ProType Titler, Titles & Text
or (Legacy) Text to browse for title templates to import inside the
timeline as text clips, contained inside Video Tracks and edited just
like standard visual clips. With Video Media Generators you can type in
and adjust the text properties. You can reopen this window by clicking
on Generated Media... on the text clip itself.
VEGAS is also able to make recordings with your microphone. Just enable
the Record button and choose where to save your recordings. At this
point, VEGAS records what comes from your microphone on a new Audio
Track, starting from the timeline marker. You can stop recording by
using the Record button or the Enter key.
Let's see how to save and export your video! To save the project, just
go to File, and then to Save As.... Choose where to save it and type a
name for the file. VEGAS projects are .veg files that save everything,
such as project settings, effect properties and clip modifications.
Inside VEGAS there is also the possibility to save and backup your
project automatically. If you go to Tools, and then to Advanced Save...
you can add live savings and advanced backup by fixing time intervals.
Check it out!
To create the final video to share and upload it online, you have to
render it. Go to File and then to Render As.... Then, choose the video
format to use on the left and the template to use on the right. Below,
choose where to save the video under Folder and type its Name. Use the
Render button to start rendering.
The project will be rendered from the beginning of the Timeline to the
end of the last clip. To render just a part of the project, just select
it with the Loop Region and enable Render loop region only inside the
Render Options list.
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