Launching the Title Editor.. 178 The Title Editor controls... 179 Title-type buttons... 179 Object toolbox... 180 Editing-mode selection buttons... 183 Object layout buttons... 185 Clipboard and delete buttons... 187 Text-styling controls... 187 The Title Editor Album... 189 The Looks Browser.... 189 The Backgrounds section... 191 The Pictures section.... 192 The Buttons section.... 193
CHAPTER 11: SOUND EFFECTS AND MUSIC. 197
The Timeline audio tracks.. 199 The CD audio tool... 201 The SmartSound tool... 203 The Voice-over tool.... 205 Trimming audio clips.... 208 Trimming with the Clip properties tool.. 208 Audio volume and mixing... 210 Anatomy of an audio clip... 211 Adjusting audio on the Timeline.. 213 The Volume and balance tool.. 215

Table of contents vii

Audio effects.... 220 Noise reduction... 221 Equalizer.... 223 Grungelizer... 224 Karaoke.... 225 Leveler.... 226 Reverb.... 226
CHAPTER 12: MAKING YOUR MOVIE. 229
Outputting to a camera or video recorder.. 231 Output your movie to videotape... 232 Save your movie as an AVI file... 234 Save your movie as an MPEG file.. 237 Save as RealVideo or Windows Media.. 239 Share your movie via the Internet... 240 Output your movie to DVD, VCD or S-VCD.. 242 Copying an AVI file to tape... 245
APPENDIX A: SETUP OPTIONS.. 247
Capture source settings.. 248 Capture format settings.. 252 Edit settings.... 256 CD and voice-over settings... 260 Make tape settings... 262 Make AVI file settings.. 264 Make MPEG file settings... 266 Make RealVideo file settings... 268 Make Windows Media file settings... 271 Make disc settings... 272
APPENDIX B: TIPS AND TRICKS.. 277
Hardware... 277 Software.... 279 Increasing the frame rate... 281 Studio and computer animation... 282 Smart Capture Tips (DV only).. 282

viii Pinnacle Studio 9

APPENDIX C: TROUBLESHOOTING.. 285
Technical help on-line... 286 Studio crashes in Edit mode... 289 Capture error occurs on starting capture... 294 Studio hangs when rendering... 297 CD or DVD burner is not detected.. 299 Studio hangs on launch or does not launch.. 300 HollywoodFX transitions are still watermarked after upgrading. 302 Cannot initialize the DV capture device error appears in Capture mode.... 302 Installation problems.... 306 Operation problems... 308

86 Pinnacle Studio 9

To combine clips in the Movie Window: Select the clips you wish to combine, then right-click and choose Combine Clips. The operation is allowed only if the combination of clips will also be a valid clip that is, a continuous excerpt of the source video. On the Timeline, clips that can be combined meet along a dotted edge.
ADVANCED TIMELINE EDITING
Availability: The advanced editing techniques discussed below are not supported in the SE and QuickStart versions of Studio. The additional advanced features of Studio Plus, making use of the overlay track, are covered in Chapter 6: Two-track editing with Studio Plus.
During most editing operations, Studio automatically keeps the clips on the various Timeline tracks synchronized. For instance, when you insert a scene from the Album onto the video track, the relative positions of all clips to the right of the insertion remain unchanged. Sometimes, though, you might like to override the default synchronization. You might want to insert a new video clip into your project without displacing any clips of other types. Or you might want to edit video separately from its accompanying original audio a valuable technique with several variations, discussed below. Such special edits are possible using the track lock buttons along the right edge of the Movie Window in
Chapter 5: Video clips 87
Timeline view. Each of the standard tracks (all except the menu track) provides a lock button. See Track locking on page 65 for more information on track locking. A locked track is grayed out in the Timeline view, indicating that the clips on the locked track cannot be selected or edited in any of the three views; nor are they affected by editing operations on unlocked tracks. Apart from the menu track, any combination of tracks can be locked.
Locking the title track, for example prevents the duration of a title from being changed even when you trim clips on the main video track at the same time index.
When the title track is unlocked, trimming the main video clip above it automatically trims the title.

88 Pinnacle Studio 9

Insert editing
In ordinary Timeline editing, a video clip and the original audio that was captured with it are treated as a unit. Their special relationship is symbolized in the Movie Window by the dotted line connecting the video track indicator with the original audio track indicator, showing that the latter is dependent on the former. The track lock buttons make it possible to deal with the two tracks independently for operations like insert editing, which typically means replacing part of a clip on the video track while the original audio track continues uninterrupted.

Parameter settings for the Picture-in-picture effect. Position: The Horizontal and Vertical sliders set the offset of the center of the PIP frame from the center of the background frame. Size: The Width and Height sliders set the size of the PIP frame as a percentage of its original dimensions. Cropping, if used, can further reduce the final size of the PIP frame on the screen. Cropping: The four sliders in this group trim away a percentage of the original PIP video frame, allowing you to remove unnecessary portions of the image and focus on the main subject.
Chapter 6: Two-track editing with Studio Plus 127
Video: The Transparency slider lets the main video show through the PIP overlay to any desired degree. Border: The parameters in this group are equivalent to the Border settings on the PIP tool, allowing you to set the overlay borders color, thickness, transparency and edge softness, and to select the rounded corners option if desired. One bonus of the effect interface is that there are separate Width and Height controls to control the border thickness, rather than the single setting provided by the tool. Shadow: As with the Border group, these parameters are essentially the same as those on the PIP tool, except that the Horizontal offset and Vertical offset parameters afford slightly more flexibility in positioning the shadow than the tools Distance and Angle settings.

The Chroma key tool

Chroma key is a widely-used technique that allows foreground objects to appear in a video scene even though they were not present and often could not have been present when the scene was shot. When an action star tumbles into a volcano, or battles a giant cockroach, or saves the crew with a daring space-walk, the chances are that chroma key or a related technology was involved in the scene. Chroma key effects are often called blue-screen or green-screen effects because the foreground action is shot in front of a uniform blue or green background. The background is then electronically removed, leaving only the foreground action to be superimposed on the actual background of the final scene, which has been separately prepared.

128 Pinnacle Studio 9

Blue and green are the generally-preferred colors for chroma key use because their removal from an image will not affect human skin tones, but in principle any hue can be used with Studios chroma key tool.
Creating a scene with chroma key: A clip on the video track (L) is chosen as the background for a green-screen clip on the overlay track (C). Chroma keying removes the green to complete the scene (R). As with picture-in-picture, the first step in using chroma key is to drag some video clips onto the Timeline. Drop the clips you want for background video onto the video track. The foreground clip, which should have a uniform, highly-saturated background like the center clip in the illustration above, goes on the overlay track below the main clip. With the clips in place, select the foreground clip and open the Picture-in-picture and Chroma key (PIP/CK) tool. It is the sixth tool in the Movie Windows video toolbox. Select the Chroma key tab to display the controls you will need.

Chapter 7: Transitions 137
Diagram: Five snapshots from the life of a 2-second diagonal wipe transition. If a transition is to last for two seconds (the default transition duration in a fresh Studio installation), the second clip begins to run two seconds before the first clip is finished. At the outset, only the first clip is visible; by the end, the second clip has completely replaced the first. The details of what happens in between, as the first clip is gradually removed and the second gradually appears, depend on the transition type. Since the video clips overlap, the total duration of the pair of clips is reduced by the duration of the transition.
Here is the same transition as above, this time using actual video. For clarity, the transition boundary in the three center frames has been emphasized in white. Both clips continue to run while the transition is in progress.
Transition types and their uses
Like all effects, transitions should be used not for their own sake but to serve the overall needs of your movie. Well-chosen transitions can subtly reinforce the meaning of the movie and how it plays without drawing attention to themselves. Observing the way transitions are used in professionally-produced video on television will suggest many ways to improve your

138 Pinnacle Studio 9

own movies. Generally, it is advisable to refrain from overusing transitions that cause abrupt changes or otherwise draw attention to themselves: theres a big difference between a subtle dissolve and a heart-shaped wipe. The basic transitions discussed below fades, dissolves, wipes, slides and pushes are all among the first group of transitions (the Standard Transitions) in the Album. A set of more elaborate transitions is found in the Alpha Magic group, which is the second entry in the dropdown list of transition groups in the Album. The many other groups on the list all belong to the Hollywood FX, a large set of complex transitions featuring three-dimensional graphics. The Hollywood FX transitions are discussed at the end of this section (page 140). Cut: A cut is the minimal transition an instantaneous shift from one scene to the next. In Studio, it is the default transition. A cut is appropriate when there is a strong inherent connection between one clip and the next; for instance, when the camera changes position or angle within a scene. Fade: This transition fades into the beginning of a video clip from a black screen, or from the end of a clip to a black screen. A fade dropped between two clips creates a fade down followed by a fade up. The fade transition is the first transition icon in the Album. A fade is usually used at the beginning and end of a movie, or when there is a large break in continuity, as when a new section begins. For example, a movie of a play might benefit from inserting a fade between acts.

When you decide that this reminder is no longer needed, check the Dont ask me this again box before clicking the OK button.
Chapter 9: Disc menus 175

CHAPTER 10:

The Title Editor
Studios built-in Title Editor is a powerful facility for creating and editing titles and other graphics. Its extensive suite of text and image effects and tools provides endless possibilities for the visual design of your movie. The Title Editor is not limited to creating passive titles. For disc projects, you can also add and edit the special buttons needed for handling viewer interaction with the menus of VCD, S-VCD and DVD movies.
Creating a title in the Studio 9 Title Editor tool. The large area containing the picture and the text is the Edit Window, while the panel occupying most of the right-hand side is the Title Editor Album. Other controls are in clusters around the Edit Window.
Chapter 10: The Title Editor 177
Launching the Title Editor
Reflecting the versatility of the Title Editor is the variety of ways of accessing it from Studios Edit mode, using either one of the tools in the Video toolbox (see page 69) or a mouse command on one of the Timeline tracks (see page 63).
To create a full-screen title or menu: Select Go to
Title/Menu Editor from the right-button context menu in the Timeline video track. To create an overlay title or menu: Double-click the Timeline title track. To create a title or menu from the toolbox: Open the Create title tool and click Title Overlay or Full Screen Title. To edit a full-screen title: Double-click the title in any Movie Window view, or right-click the title and select Go to Title/Menu Editor. To edit a full-screen menu: Double-click the menu in any view and click the Edit Menu button, or rightclick the menu and select Go to Title/Menu Editor. To edit an overlay title or menu: Double-click the clip on the title track or in List View, or right-click it in any view and select Go to Title/Menu Editor. To edit a title or menu from the toolbox: With the clip open in the Clip properties tool, click the Edit Menu or the Edit Title button.
If the list seems overwhelming, dont let it concern you. In practice, getting to the Title Editor by the nearest available means will give the result you want. If you do accidentally create an overlay when you want a full178 Pinnacle Studio 9
screen title or menu, or vice versa, just drag it onto the other Timeline track. If you find yourself creating a title when you wanted a disc menu, you can easily switch over in the Title Editor.

202 Pinnacle Studio 9

the CD (if it is not already in the drive), so that the audio data can be captured. You wont need to repeat this step subsequently unless you lengthen the clip. CD recording options Depending on your CD drive, Studio offers a number of recording options. The choices are found in the CD. Voice-over and Surround options panel (Setup CD, Voice-over and Surround):
The default method is digitally ripping from your CD to Studio. If you have an older CD drive that cant transfer the audio digitally, Studio lists alternative options based on the capabilities of your systems audio hardware.

The SmartSound tool

SmartSound automatically creates background music in the style of your choice. Within that style, you select one of several songs, and within that song, any of a number of versions. The list of versions available also depends on the duration of background music you specify. To create music for a particular set of clips, select those clips before opening the SmartSound tool. (To select your whole movie, use Edit Select All or press
Chapter 11: Sound effects and music 203
Ctrl+A.) The total length of the selected clips will determine the initial setting for the music duration, though you can modify the value at any time by trimming on the Timeline or directly editing the Duration counter in the tool.
In the SmartSound tool, choose a style, song and version from the lists provided. Each style offers its own selection of songs, and each song its own selection of versions. Use the Preview button to audition the song while the tool is open. Enter a name for the clip in the Name field and adjust its duration with the Duration counter, if desired. The music clip you create will be adjusted to fit exactly the duration you select. If you would rather work with SmartSound sound effects instead of songs, select Sound effects rather than Music on the Type dropdown list. You can change the selection of songs available to you by choosing a different option on the Scope dropdown list. Choosing All will give you access to the entire SmartSound catalog, if you have an Internet connection. You can preview any of the songs, and purchase any that your movie may require.

204 Pinnacle Studio 9

When you have made your choice, click the Add to Movie button. Studio creates the new clip on the background music track beginning at the current time index (as shown by the Timeline scrubber and the preview frame in the Player). The SmartSound button at the bottom right of the tool opens a dialog with options and tools for maintaining your SmartSound library.

The Voice-over tool

Recording a voice-over in Studio is as easy as making a telephone call. Just open the Voiceover tool, click Record and speak into the microphone. You can narrate as you watch the movie play so your words match the action on the screen. You can also use the tool as a quick way of capturing ambient music or home-made sound effects via your microphone.

AUDIO VOLUME AND MIXING

The audio levels and stereo positioning of individual clips can be adjusted either directly on the Timeline, or with the Volume and balance tool. Each technique offers its own advantages. Adjusting on the Timeline gives you a good sense of time versus volume or balance, whereas the Volume and balance tool facilitates mixing separately adjusting the volume and stereo balance of each of the audio tracks. For disc authoring, the Volume and balance tool lets you choose to create a surround soundtrack, rather than stereo. The tool lets you dynamically position any of the audio tracks from front to rear as well as left to right.

Anatomy of an audio clip

An audio clip icon on the Timeline has several parts. The boundaries of each clip are denoted by vertical bars. The actual content of the audio is indicated by a waveform graph:
Waveform graph excerpt from three neighboring clips. The appearance of the waveform graph tells you something about the character of the sound. A quiet sound has a narrow waveform, close to the centerline of the clip. A loud sound has a waveform with larger peaks and troughs, reaching almost to the borders of the clip. A continuous sound, such as a car engine, has many pulses packed closely together. A staccato sound has brief pulses separated by silences where the waveform is a horizontal line. Adjustment lines The blue volume line graphically models the volume changes you have made to the track and clip. If you have not adjusted the volume at all, the line runs straight along the clip at about three-quarters of the clip height. This is the zero gain (0 dB) level, where the clips original volume has been neither increased nor decreased. If you raise or lower the volume of the entire track, the volume line remains horizontal, but is now higher or lower than the zero-gain base level.
Chapter 11: Sound effects and music 211
Finally, if you make volume adjustments within the clip, the line consists of sloping segments that meet at volume adjustment handles.
Unlike the waveform graph, or the adjustment lines for balance and fade (see below), the volume adjustment line is scaled logarithmically. Perceived volume varies logarithmically with the strength of an audio signal, so this feature allows the adjustment line to model more accurately what you really hear. For instance, an upward-sloping line segment will produce a smooth, steady fade up from the starting to the ending level. The green stereo balance line and the red front-back balance (fade) line work similarly to the volume line, except that in both cases the neutral position is the vertical center of the clip, and the adjustment scale is linear. Raising the stereo balance line positions the audio clips output further to the listeners left, while lowering it positions the clip further to the listeners right. Similarly, raising the fade line moves the clip away from the listener, and lowering it brings the clip towards the listener.

Chapter 11: Sound effects and music 217
digital signal ensure that the meter level never quite reaches the top of the bar. The fade buttons produce a fade-in from or a fadeout to the current position of the movie. For a visual confirmation of their effect, watch the behavior of the clips volume adjustment line when the fade buttons are clicked. The fade duration is variable from zero to fifty-nine seconds. Adjust it in the Edit options panel (Setup Edit) under Volume fades. Fades are not available too close to the beginning or end of a clip. The balance control This control has two modes, stereo and surround, which you select from the dropdown list above the control. In either mode, the position of each track at each point in the movie is shown by a corresponding speaker icon. The icon matches the one on the muting indicator for the corresponding track. In stereo mode, you set the position of the track by dragging its speaker icon left and right between a pair of main speakers:
The original audio track (L) and the background music track (R), on opposite sides of a stereo mix. The sound effect and voice-over track icon is shown as a gray outline (left of center), indicating either that the track has been muted or that there is no clip on the track at the current time index. In surround mode, you can position each track from front to back (fade) as well as from left to right

218 Pinnacle Studio 9

(balance). Each track can be independently placed anywhere within the rectangular listening area.
Surround mode: Here, the original audio track has been placed farthest from the listener, near the left front speaker. The sound effect and voice-over track is on the right, closer to the listener. The background music track is centered, and closer still. There are two ways to set the position of a tracks icon in the balance control. Either click on any tracks icon and drag it to the desired position, or move it by dragging the triangular locator knobs below and to the right of the control. The locator knob below the balance control adjusts the left-right positioning of the audio output from the currently-selected clip, while the knob on the right adjusts the front-back positioning.
Drag track icon directly (L) or with locator knob (R).
Chapter 11: Sound effects and music 219
Viewing volume and balance contours Each audio clip in your project displays a contour line showing one of its volume, left-right balance or frontback balance. To select which of the three types of line is displayed, use the commands on an audio clips right-button context menu (see Anatomy of an audio clip on page 211). The contour lines can be modified directly on the Timeline using adjustment handles. For details, see Adjusting audio on the Timeline on page 213.

Volume: This slider lets you adjust for variations in the total output volume that may be introduced by Karaoke processing. Move the slider towards the left if the audio is too loud with the filter applied, or towards the right if it is too soft.
Chapter 11: Sound effects and music 225

Leveler

This effect helps compensate for a common problem in recording audio for video productions: the imbalance in the recorded volume of different elements in the original audio. For instance, your commentary as you shoot the video may be recorded at such a high level that it overwhelms other sounds at the location. The trick in using the Leveler is to find a target volume somewhere between that of the loud and soft audio in the original clip. Below that volume, Leveler acts as an expander, increasing the original level by a fixed ratio. Above the target volume, Leveler acts as a compressor, reducing the original level. With careful adjustment of the parameters, the internal balance of the audio can be significantly improved. Target level: This slider sets the target volume. Compression: Move this slider to the right to increase the amount by which the louder sounds are reduced. Threshold: This slider controls the minimum level at which expansion will be applied. It is used to avoid expanding faint background sounds into audible noise. Expansion: Move this slider to the right to increase the amount by which the softer sounds are amplified.

Reverb

The Reverb effect simulates the effect of playing back the source sound in a room of a given size and sound reflectivity. The interval between the arrival of the original sound at the listeners ears and the first echoes

226 Pinnacle Studio 9

is greater for a large room than a small one. The rate at which the echoes die away depends on both the room size and the reflectivity of the walls. The presets for Reverb are named for the type of room they simulate from the passenger cabin of a car all the way up to a huge underground cavern.
Initial Delay: This slider sets the amount of delay from the start of the sound until the reverb kicks in. For naturalistic results, a smaller value would be used when modeling a smaller room. Room Size: This slider sets the size of the modeled room. A larger room sounds more spacious because of the longer interval between reflections of the sound waves. Damping: This slider controls a damping factor that reduces higher-frequency reflections as the sound waves bounce off surfaces in the virtual room. More damping generally produces a warmer sound, less damping a brighter sound. Duration: This slider controls the length of time it takes from the onset of a particular sound until the reverberations die away. It corresponds to the efficiency with which sound is reflected from the walls and other contents of the virtual room. Mix: This slider controls the amount of the original sound that is mixed into the output from the effect. When the slider is all the way to the left, only the original sound is heard.

Checking your results Once your movie has been rendered, you will probably want to review the results. Click the open file button to the left of the Settings button, and select the avi file you have just created (or any other that you want to view). Windows Media Player will then open and display the file.

236 Pinnacle Studio 9

Save your movie as an MPEG file
The MPEG-1 file format is supported on all Windows 95 and later PCs. MPEG-2 files can only be played on PCs with MPEG-2 decoder software installed. Generally, MPEG files are smaller than AVI files, and depending on the AVI options used may be of higher quality. To save your movie as an MPEG file:
Switch to Make Movie mode by clicking the Make Movie tab at the top of the Studio main window. The Make Movie controls appear. Click the MPEG tab. Click the Settings button to bring up the Make MPEG File options panel, and choose the preset that meets your need. For more information on the Custom preset, see Make MPEG file settings on page 266.
Check the Diskometer to make sure you have enough drive space. 4. Click the green Create MPEG file button. Enter a name for your mpg file when prompted. The default directory for saving your file is: C:\My Documents\Pinnacle Studio\My Projects Click OK to start creating the file. A progress bar on the Player lets you monitor the creation of your movie.
Checking your results Once your movie has been rendered, two new buttons appear to the left of the Settings button. The first of these launches Windows Media Player so that you can check your MPEG movie. The second button is the Send email button.
Save as RealVideo or Windows Media
With the RealVideo and Windows Media formats, you can save your movies for playback on the Web. You can share those movies with anyone around the world who has compatible software:
For RealVideo, the RealNetworks RealPlayer, a
free download from www.real.com.
For Windows Media, the Window Media Player, a
free download from www.microsoft.com. To output your movie to RealVideo or Windows Media:
Click the Stream tab to bring up these controls:
Click the Windows Media or the RealVideo button. Click the Settings button to bring up the options dialog for the file format you have chosen. For more information see Make RealVideo file settings (page 268) and Make Windows Media file settings (page 271).
Click the green Create Web file button. Type in a name for your rm (RealVideo) or wmv (Windows Media) file. The default directory in which your file will be saved is: C:\My Documents\Pinnacle Studio\My Projects Click OK to start creating the file. As usual, the progress bars in the Player give you feedback on the processing of each clip.
Checking your results Once your movie has been rendered, two new buttons appear to the left of the Settings button. The right-hand button of the pair is the Send email button. The left-hand one launches RealPlayer or Windows Media Player, depending on the output format you chose. Clicking the Send email button opens a Choose Profile dialog box which asks for your email Send name, then accesses your email program and attaches your movie to a new message.

Target audience: This selects the target audience modem connect speed. The lower the speed, the lower the quality of the video. If you wish your viewers to be able to view your movie as it loads, you should select a target audience rate that their modems can handle. When you select a target audience, you are actually specifying a maximum bandwidth for your RealMedia stream. Bandwidth, measured in kilobits per second (Kbps), is the amount of data that can be sent through an Internet or network connection in a given time span. Standard modems (those that use ordinary telephone lines) are classified by the bandwidth they are able to process. Common values are 28.8 and 56 Kbps.
Appendix A: Setup options 269
In addition to these standard audiences, you can record clips for connection speeds of 100 Kbps, 200 Kbps, or higher. These higher bandwidths are suitable for audiences that use corporate Local Area Networks (LANs), cable modems or Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) modems. If you want to keep file sizes to a minimum, audio for many digital uses can be set to 8-bit mono at 11 KHz. As a rule of thumb, try 8-bit 11 KHz for audio that is mostly speech, and 16-bit stereo at 22 or 44.1 KHz for audio that is predominantly music. For comparison, CD-ROM music is 16-bit stereo sampled at 44.1 KHz. Video quality: These choices let you balance the rival requirements of image quality and frame rate.
No video: When this selection is made, the output
file will contain audio only.
Normal motion video: Recommended for mixed
content clips to balance video motion and image clarity.
Smoothest motion video: Recommended for clips
that contain limited action, such as newscasts or interviews, to enhance overall video motion.
Sharpest image video: Recommended for high-
action clips to enhance overall image clarity.
Slide show: The video appears as a series of still
photos, providing the best overall image clarity. Audio quality: This dropdown menu lets you choose the characteristics of your audio track. Studio uses this information to select the best audio compression for your RealVideo file. Each successive option provides better audio quality but a larger resulting file.

Taskbar: Switch the clock on the taskbar off. Right-click the mouse on the taskbar. 2. Select Properties. 3. Deactivate the Show Clock option.
Increasing the frame rate
If your system is unable to achieve an adequate frame rate (25 fps for PAL/SECAM, 29.97 fps for NTSC), try the following: Deactivate network driver and applications Network operations often cause interruptions during recording and playback. We recommend not working in a network. Audio recording Record audio only when you actually need it, because sound requires a great deal of processor time during video recording We recommend a PCI soundboard. Digital video with audio When recording digital video sequences with audio, remember that the audio also takes up hard drive space:
CD quality (44 kHz, 16-bit, stereo) requires about
172 KB/sec.; Stereo quality (22 kHz, 16-bit, stereo) about 86 KB/sec., and Mono quality (22 kHz, 8-bit, mono) still requires 22 KB/sec.
Appendix B: Tips and tricks 281
The better the sound quality, the more space is consumed. The highest quality (CD) is rarely required. However, the lowest quality (11 kHz/8-bit, mono) rarely provides acceptable audio sequences.
Studio and computer animation
If you are editing computer animation with Studio or wish to combine animation with digital video, remember to create your animations using the same frame size and image refresh rate as your original video:
Quality DV TV-Cropping Yes PAL 720 x 576 NTSC 720 x 480 Audio 44 kHz 16-bit stereo
Failure to do this will result in unnecessarily long rendering times and the possibility of visible flaws when the animation is played back.
Smart Capture Tips (DV only)
SmartCapture relies on continuous, uninterrupted timecode to recapture your clips. If your original tapes have multiple sections of discontinuous timecode, each section was captured as a separate file. Before it can recapture your clips, Studio will prompt you to cue the tape to the section where that clip is recorded. To help you recognize the correct section of tape, the Preview window will display an image of the first frame of the clip. When you have cued to the correct section, Studio will recapture all required clips from the

APPENDIX G:

Keyboard shortcuts
The terms Left, Right, Up and Down in this table refer to the arrow (cursor) keys. Main Studio interface
Space bar J K L X or Ctrl+Up Y or Ctrl+Down A or I S or O Ctrl+Left Ctrl+Right Alt+Left Alt+Right Alt+Ctrl+Left Alt+Ctrl+Right G D F E or Home R or End Play and stop Fast reverse (hit multiple times for faster playback) Halt playback Fast forward (hit multiple times for faster playback) Step forward 1 frame Step back 1 frame Mark in Mark out Trim in point by -1 frame Trim in point by +1 frame Trim out point by -1 frame Trim out point by +1 frame Rolling trim out point by -1 frame (trims following clip too) Rolling trim out point by +1 frame Clear mark in and mark out Go to mark in (in trimmer tool) Go to mark out (in trimmer tool) Go to start Go to end
Appendix G: Keyboard shortcuts
Left Right Delete Insert Page up Page down Numeric pad + Numeric pad C V M Ctrl+Page up Ctrl+Page down
Select previous clip Select next clip Delete selected clip(s) Split clip at scrubber position Go to next page in Movie Window Go to previous page in Movie Window Zoom in the Timeline Zoom out the Timeline Set menu chapter Clear menu chapter Set return to menu Go to previous menu chapter Go to next menu chapter

Title Editor

Alt+Plus Alt+Minus Ctrl+Plus Ctrl+Minus Ctrl+0 Ctrl+1 Ctrl+2 Ctrl+3 Ctrl+4 Ctrl+5 Ctrl+6 Ctrl+7 Ctrl+8 Ctrl+9 Ctrl+K Ctrl+M Shift+Left Shift+Right Bring to front Send to back Bring forward one layer Send back one layer Text justification off Text justification: bottom left Text justification: bottom center Text justification: bottom right Text justification: middle left Text justification: middle center Text justification: middle right Text justification: top left Text justification: top center Text justification: top right Kern, leading and skew Move, scale and rotate Expand character selection left Expand character selection right

Ctrl+Left

Ctrl+Right Ctrl+Down
Ctrl+Up Shift+Ctrl+Left Shift+Ctrl+Right Shift+Ctrl+Down Shift+Ctrl+Up Alt+Left

Alt+Right

Shift+Alt+Left Shift+Alt+Right
Reduce horizontal scale of, or squeeze (kern), text selection depending on current edit mode (move/scale/rotate or kern/skew/leading) Increase horizontal scale of, or stretch (kern), text selection Reduce scale or leading of text selection depending on current edit mode Increase scale or leading of text selection Same as Ctrl+Left (coarse) Same as Ctrl+Right (coarse) Same as Ctrl+Down (coarse) Same as Ctrl+Up (coarse) In text selection: Move characters left. No selection: Move left all text from cursor to end of line. In text selection: Move characters right. No selection: Move right all text from cursor to end of line. Same as Alt+Left (coarse) Same as Alt+Right (coarse)

02_PinnStudio9VQS_029-060.qxd

01/21/2004

11:13 AM

Page 29

Introduction to Studio 9
Though generally straightforward, Pinnacle Systems Studio 9 has a few nooks and crannies that arent obvious at first glance. Fortunately, Studio includes a comprehensive guided tour to get you familiar with the landscape fast. This chapter starts by showing you how to take the tour and then quickly introduces you to Studios primary modes: Capture, Edit, and Make Movie. It also shows you how to undo or redo your work; use online help; and name and save your project files. Studio 9 is a very accessible program, so its tempting to just jump in and get started. Still, for each project, a few options should be set beforehand. For example, you must choose the location for your captured video and auxiliary files, and you should perform a disk performance test to see if your system is up to the rigors of video editing. Most of these options are set em and forget em: Studio will maintain them from project to project until you manually change them. Just a quick note: Studio displays housekeeping options, such as file location settings, in the same dialog boxes that display configuration options such as capturing and transition rendering. This chapter focuses mainly on the housekeeping options; other options are covered later in this book.

Page 30

Chapter 2

Taking the Guided Tour

Studio 9 includes a guided tour thats a great first step toward familiarity with the programs interface.

To take the guided tour:

Choose Help > Guided Tour (Figure 2.1). The Pinnacle Studio Guided Tour starts (Figure 2.2). Use the controls at the bottom of the tour window to control the experience.
Figure 2.1 Pinnacle Studios guided tour will familiarize you with the program components.
The first time you run Pinnacle Studio, the program displays a window asking whether you want to either view the guided tour or launch the program (Figure 2.3). You can click the Dont Ask Me This Again check box in the bottom-left corner, and Studio will stop showing this window when you launch the application. Until youre comfortable with the program, however, its a good idea to keep this window readily available.
Figure 2.2 Use the controls at the bottom of the screen to control your tour experience.
Figure 2.3 Until you disable this screen, whenever you launch Studio, youll see a prompt for the guided tour.

Page 31

Using Edit Mode
When you first enter Studio, youre in Edit mode (Figure 2.4), where youll spend the bulk of your time. Capture mode and Make Movie mode, accessible via tabs at the upper left of the screen, enable their namesake activities. The Edit mode interface is composed of three windows: the Album, the Player, and the Movie window. While in Edit mode, you have access to Undo, Redo, and Help buttons at the upper right of the screen.
Help Movie window Modes Album Player Redo Undo
Figure 2.4 When you first run Studio, youre in Edit mode, where youll spend most of your time.

Page 32

The Album
The Album consists of six windows, which you can select using the icons on the left panel (Figure 2.5). Three of these windows are for collecting video, audio, and still image files so that you can include them in a project (for details on how to do this, see Chapter 6). The other three windows contain libraries of effects supplied by Pinnacle, offering transitions, titles, and disc menus. For information on how to apply and customize these, see Chapters 8, 10, and 12, respectively.

Video Scenes

Transitions
Titles Photos and Frame Grabs Audio files
Disc Menus Figure 2.5 Use the tabs on the left side of the Album to navigate among the various content types.

01/26/2004

02:53 PM

Page 33

The Player
The Player is where you preview content and effects contained in the various albums, as well as your editing progress in the Movie window (Figure 2.6). Click the DVD icon at the lower left, and you convert the Player into a DVD playback remote control for previewing your DVD titles. In Studio 9, you can toggle to full screen preview by clicking the arrow key at the upper-right corner of the toolbar. You return to the program by pressing Esc on your keyboard or by using right-click commands detailed in the section Viewing Your Captured Video in Chapter 3. The Player also features volume controls and a Mute button.

Note that you cant detach or enlarge the Player, because like all interface components, its fixed, for simplicity. Since the Player is integral to virtually all editing operations, its use is discussed in most of the chapters in this book.
Figure 2.6 The Player has the usual VCR-like playback controls, plus a scrubber that lets you manually move through the video files. The DVD button transforms the Player into a DVD remote control (see Chapter 12). Fast-Forward (L) Fast-Reverse (J) Go to Beginning (Home) Player scrubber Play (L or spacebar) Full Screen Start DVD Preview Volume control Backward One Frame (Y) Mute Video counter Forward One Frame (X)

Page 34

The Movie window
The Movie window has three viewsTimeline (shown in Figure 2.7), Storyboard, and Text (called Edit List view in the Studio menu) that you toggle using controls in the upperright corner of the Movie window (see Figure 2.7). See Chapter 7 to learn how and when to use these modes. Two icons, the Razorblade (for splitting clips) and the Trash Can (for deleting clips), are available in all three modes. Video toolbox. In the upper-left corner of the Movie window is a Toolbox icon, which reveals a Camcorder icon when you hover the cursor over the left side of the toolbox (Figure 2.8). Click the Camcorder icon and the Video toolbox opens (Figure 2.9), revealing six editing functions.

Storyboard view

Text view Timeline view
Trash Can Razorblade Figure 2.7 You can easily switch among the Timeline, Storyboard, and Text views of the Movie window. Note the omnipresent Razorblade, for splitting your videos, and the Trash Can, for deleting them.
Figure 2.8 The Camcorder icon opens and closes the Video toolbox.

Page 35

The Video toolbox offers the following functions:
Clip Properties. Use this tool, shown in Figure 2.9, to trim your videos to the desired length (see Chapter 7). Add Full Screen Title or Title Overlay. Use this tool to edit the name and duration of images and to access title-editing screens (see Chapter 10). Create or Edit a Disc Menu. Use this tool to link menus to content and customize the DVD menus (see Chapter 12). Grab a Frame of Video from Video Input. Use this tool to grab still-frame images from your camcorder or disk-based video files (see Chapter 5).
Create a Music Video Automatically. Use this tool to access the Studio 9 feature for converting footage to a music video (see Chapter 9). Add an Effect to a Video Clip. Use this tool to access Studios color correction facilities and other special effects, expanded dramatically in Studio 9 (see Chapter 9).
You can click through the various options at will; click the Camcorder icon again to close the Video toolbox. continues on next page

Clip Properties Add Full Screen Title or Title Overlay
Create or Edit a Disc Menu Grab a Frame of Video from Video Input Create a Music Video Automatically Add an Effect to a Video Clip
Figure 2.9 The editing tools in the Video toolbox.

Page 36

Audio toolbox. If you hover the cursor over the right side of the toolbox, Studio reveals a Speaker icon in the upper-left corner of the Movie window (Figure 2.10). You can click this icon to open the Audio toolbox, which contains its own set of unique tools (Figure 2.11). The Audio toolbox provides the following functions (see Chapter 11 for more information):
Create Background Music Automatically. Use this tool to create custom background music of any length. Add an Effect to an Audio Clip. Studio 9 introduces a range of audio effects, which you can use this tool to add (see Adding Effects to Audio Clips in Chapter 11).
Audio Clip Properties. Use this tool, which is open in Figure 2.11, to trim audio files to the desired length. Change the Volume of the Three Audio Tracks. Use this tool to adjust the volumes of the three audio tracks. Record a Voice Over Narration. Use this tool to record your voice-over track. Add Background Music from an Audio CD. Use this tool to rip CD-Audio tracks to include in your projects.
Double-clicking any icon in the Video or Audio toolbox returns you to the main Movie window.
Figure 2.10 The Speaker icon opens and closes the Audio toolbox.
Audio Clip Properties Change the Volume of the Three Audio Tracks Record a Voice Over Narration Add Background Music from an Audio CD Create Background Music Automatically Add an Effect to an Audio Clip
Figure 2.11 The editing tools in the Audio toolbox.

Page 37

Using Capture Mode
You enter Capture mode by selecting the Capture tab at the upper left of the Studio interface (Figure 2.4). Here you transfer video from a camcorder or another source to your computer. Studio has two interfaces for capturing: one for digital video (DV) and MicroMV devices and one for analog camcorders and decks. Studio includes a Frame Grab feature for capturing still images from your camcorder or captured video (see Figure 2.5). This feature is covered in more detail in Capturing Still Images in Chapter 5.
Capturing from DV source devices
Figure 2.12 shows the four basic windows in Capture mode: the Album, the Player, the Camcorder Controller, and the Diskometer. The Album holds the captured video files, which are added dynamically during capture when Studio detects additional scenes in your source video. After capture, you can change the comments associated with each scene (see Chapters 3 and 4) and thus search for scenes while in Edit mode. However, you cant play back your videos in Capture mode; you must switch to Edit mode. continues on next page

Player

Camcorder Controller

Diskometer

Figure 2.12 Meet the Capture screen, configured to capture DV video. Note the four major components: the Album, the Player, the Camcorder Controller, and the Diskometer.

Page 38

The Player previews the captured video, providing information on capture duration and the number of frames dropped during capture, if any. As you can see, there are no playback controls, so you have to switch to Edit mode to play your captured video. The Camcorder Controller lets you control your DV or MicroMV camcorder. Briefly, one of the key advantages of these digital formats is the ability to control your camcorder over the same FireWire connection that transfers video from the camcorder to the computer (see the sidebar FireWire to the Rescue in Chapter 3). This ability makes capture from these sources much easier than when you use analog capture. The Diskometer contains the controls for starting and stopping capture. It also provides features to let you select your capture drive and see how much disk space remains on your capture drive (in megabytes) and the amount of time remaining for the selected capture format. You can select several capture options on the face of the Diskometer; to choose all other relevant options, you click the Settings button.

Page 39

Capturing from analog sources
Figure 2.13 shows Studios interface for capturing analog video. As you can see, the Album and Player remain unchanged from DV capture, but two additional panels appear to the left and right of the Diskometer for adjusting the brightness and color of the captured video and for adjusting the incoming audio volume. These are unnecessary with DV or MicroMV source video, as youre simply transferring the digital video from camera to computer.
Capturing from an analog source, however, usually involves some fine-tuning, especially for audio, and Studio provides a strong toolset for doing so. Also, when capturing analog video, you have to select the format for storing your video and, often, the quality options associated with that formathence, the additional controls adjacent to the Diskometer. If all this capturing business sounds scary, dont sweat. Capturing analog video is more meticulous than mysterious, and the process is spelled out in Chapter 4.

Format Selection

Video adjustments

Audio adjustments

Figure 2.13 Heres the Capture screen, analog style. The controls let you adjust the incoming audio and video.

Page 40

Using Make Movie Mode
You enter Make Movie mode (Figure 2.14) by selecting the Make Movie tab at the upper left of the Studio interface (see Figure 2.4). This takes you to the controls for outputting your work. Note that Studio customizes the Make Movie interface based on output type. In the example in Figure 2.14, Im about to produce a DVD of a wedding where my eldest daughter served as flower girl. As you can see, Studio shows a Diskometer-like view of the amount of space available on the DVD, and clicking the Settings button launches a screen with options specific to your output medium of choice. Select Make Disc from the tabs at the top of the Settings window (this tab will be selected automatically if you chose Disc from the left
panel of the Make Movie tab), and youll see choices for output to VideoCD, S-VCD (Super VideoCD), and DVD (Figure 2.15). As indicated on the vertical panel on the left of the Make Movie tab (see Figure 2.14), you can also output to tape (see Chapter 13); produce AVI, MPEG, and streaming media files (see Chapter 14); and share your file by uploading it to Pinnacles StudioOnline Web site (see Chapter 15).
Figure 2.14 The Make Movie screen is your last stop in the production process. Note the tabs at the upper left that let you select the output type.
Figure 2.15 Click Settings and choose an output type, in this case from the Make Disc tab.

Page 41

Figure 2.16 Video requires lots of experimentation, so Studio gives you several options if you change your mind, such as an Undo icon.

Using Undo and Redo

Experimentation is a major part of the video creation process, which means trying and discarding lots of options. Studio makes this process painless with an exhaustive Undo/Redo feature that saves all edit decisions made since the project was loaded for the current editing session. You can even save your file and then undo previous edit decisions (a rare option in my experience) and, of course, redo them all if you change your mind again.
Figure 2.17 Studio also provides a menu control and a keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+Z) that you can use to undo a previous edit.

To undo an edit:

To undo the immediately preceding edit that youve made, do one of the following:
Click the Undo icon in the upperright corner of the Studio interface (Figure 2.16). Select Edit > Undo (Figure 2.17).
Press Ctrl+Z on your keyboard to activate the Undo keyboard shortcut. Studio will undo the last editin this case, a trim end. Note that Studio stores edits sequentially, so if you want to undo the third previous edit, you must first undo the two most recent edits.

Page 44

To save a project for the first time:
1. Do one of the following:
Choose File > Save Project. Choose File > Save Project As.
Press Ctrl+S. The Save As dialog box opens (Figure 2.20). 2. Find the desired folder and type the desired name; then click Save. Studio saves the project as a.stu file (Figure 2.21).
Figure 2.20 Heres the familiar dialog box for choosing a name for your file and a location to save it. I usually save my files in the same directory I use to capture my files.
Note the asterisk next to the name wedding.stu in the top line of Figure 2.20. This is Studios way of telling you that the file has changes that need to be saved. Once you save the file, the asterisk disappears, reappearing, of course, after your next edit.
To save a project after naming it:
Figure 2.21 Nothing is more irritating than losing the fruits of your editing. Saving your file early is a great way to prevent this from happening.
Choose File > Save Project, or press Ctrl+S.
To save a project to a new name or location:
1. Choose File > Save Project As. The Save As dialog box opens. 2. Find the desired folder, type the desired name, and click Save. Studio saves the project file.

Page 45

To respond to Studios automatic save functions:
1. Attempt to exit Studio by doing one of the following:
Figure 2.22 Try to exit the program by using the menu command.
Choose File > Exit (Figure 2.22).
Click the X icon in the upper-right corner of the screen (Figure 2.23). The dialog box shown in Figure 2.24 appears.
2. Do one of the following:
Figure 2.23 Or exit via the icon.
Click No. Studio exits. Click Cancel. You return to Studio.
Click Yes. The Save As dialog box opens.
Figure 2.24 Either way, Studio prompts you to save your project file. Studio can also automatically save your file at periodic intervals.
3. Find the desired folder and type the desired name. 4. Click Save. Studio saves the project file.
Studio can automatically save your file at selectable periodsa good insurance policy to protect against system crashes. The default Autosave interval is 180 seconds. For details on how to enable and configure this option, see Setting Default Durations in Chapter 2.

Page 46

Using Online Help
Studio includes extensive online help essentially a digital version of the product manual. Studio also provides tooltips, those little flags that explain an icons function when you hover over the icon with your cursor for a moment or two. If you find these irritating, Studio lets you disable them. In addition, Studio provides keyboard shortcuts for many common activities. In this book, I present the keyboard shortcuts that I find most useful; a list of all keyboard shortcuts can be found in Appendix A. Studio also offers an online list of shortcuts, which you can access as described in the following tasks.

Figure 2.25 Heres how you open Studios online Help screen.
To open Studios Help screen:

Do one of the following:

Press the F1 key. Click the Question Mark icon in the upper-right corner of the screen (see Figure 2.14).
Choose Help > Help Topics (Figure 2.25). Studios Help screen appears (Figure 2.26).
Figure 2.26 What you get is essentially an online version of the manual.

Page 47

To disable Studios tooltips:
Figure 2.27 If you find tooltips irritating, you can disable them.
Choose Help > Display Tool Tips (Figure 2.27). When you select Display Tool Tips, the check mark beside the Display Tool Tips menu item is removed (Figure 2.28). You can re-enable tooltips by selecting Display Tool Tips in the Help menu again.
To view Studios keyboard shortcuts:
With Studio Help open, select Keyboard Shortcuts at the bottom of the Contents menu. A list of keyboard shortcuts appears in the display window (Figure 2.29).
Now lets take a look at the steps you should take before starting your initial project.
Figure 2.28 Tooltips are disabled when the check mark is gone from the side of the menu item.
Figure 2.29 If youre a fan of keyboard shortcuts, Pinnacle makes them easy to learn by posting them online.

Page 48

Selecting Your Capture Drive
Most video old-timers use systems with two or more hard disk drives: one for the operating system and applications and one for captured video and project files. This model arose in the days of underpowered computers and cranky disk drives that were barely up to the task of capturing video. To capture effectively, you needed a separate, high-powered SCSI drive that cost thousands of dollars, required frequent defragmenting, and had to be dedicated to video capture. Things have changed since then. Most computers purchased since 2000 are more than capable of video capture and editing. Still, with 80-gigabyte (GB) drives costing well under $100, most video producers should consider purchasing a separate drive, especially for long projects or DVD production. Even if you use only one drive, you may want to create a separate folder for captured video and auxiliary files so that theyre easier to find during production and easier to delete when your project is done.

Figure 2.31 Click the yellow Folder icon to select your capture drive and folder.
Figure 2.30 Choose Setup > Capture Source to access disk selection and test settings.
To select your capture drive:
1. From the Studio menu, choose Setup > Capture Source (Figure 2.30). The Pinnacle Studio Setup Options dialog box appears, set to the Capture Source tab. 2. In the Data Rate box (at the lower right of the Pinnacle Studio Setup Options dialog box), click the yellow Folder icon (Figure 2.31). The Select Folder and Default Name for Captured Video dialog box appears.

Page 49

3. To change drives, click the Save In list box at the top of the screen (Figure 2.32). The list of available drives drops down. 4. Click to select the target drive (Figure 2.33).
Figure 2.32 Click the Save In list box to change capture drives.
Even if youre running a fast network at home, dont select a network drive as your capture disk. Performance is best with a local drive. If you have multiple drives, sometimes its helpful to label your capture drive Video Disk.
Figure 2.33 Select the target drive for your captured video.

Page 50

To create a new folder and name your clips:
1. At the top of the Select Folder and Default Name for Captured Video dialog box, click the yellow Folder icon to the right of the selected disk drive. When you hover the mouse over the icon, the Create New Folder tooltip appears (Figure 2.34). 2. Studio creates a new folder, which you can name at will (Figure 2.35). 3. If desired, type the name of the captured file in the File Name box. If you capture sequential files, Studio simply updates the file from Video 1 to Video 2, and so on.
Figure 2.34 Click the Create New Folder icon to create a new folder.
Figure 2.35 Give your folders descriptive names so that you can remember whats in them.
Dont stress about what to name your files at this point, as youll revisit this topic during the capture process. Try to make your folder names descriptive; otherwise, six months from now youll have trouble figuring out whats in them.

Page 51

Defragmenting Your Capture Drive
Although most current computers (that is, those manufactured from 2000 onward) have enough power to handle digital video capture and editing, Studio includes a performance test so that you can be sure your computer has what it takes. Run this test as soon as you install Studio to identify any problems that may prevent smooth operation. If youre using a disk that contains lots of data for your capture and edit drive, you should defragment the drive before performing this test. During normal disk operation, Windows copies and deletes files all over the drive, sometimes splitting up longer files when writing them to disk. Defragmenting the drive reunites
all file components and packs the files efficiently together on the drive, opening up large contiguous spaces for the performance test and video editing projects. The Windows Disk Defragmenter has a tool that lets you analyze the drive to see if it needs defragmenting. Well skip that test and defragment anyway, just to be sure your disk is in the optimal condition to take the performance test.
To defragment your capture drive:
1. From the Windows desktop, choose Start > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter (Figure 2.36). The Disk Defragmenter application window appears. continues on next page
Figure 2.36 The long and winding road to the Disk Defragmenter utility, a hard drives best friend.

11:14 AM

Page 52
2. Choose the video capture disk by selecting it in the application window; then click the Defragment button (Figure 2.37). While youre waiting, go get a cup of coffee. Youre pretty much done, but if you care to watch, heres what you should be seeing: The program analyzes disk usage before defragmenting. Although you cant see it in the black-and-white screen shots, most of the small lines surrounded by white spaces are fragmented files that will be consolidated during the defragmentation process (Figure 2.38). In the defragmented disk, which is ready for testing, all files are consolidated and efficiently packed, leaving plenty of contiguous disk space (Figure 2.39).
Figure 2.37 Select your target drive and click the Defragment button to get started.
Depending on the size of the drive and how much data is on the disk, defragmenting can take anywhere from 30 seconds to several hours. Keep this in mind before starting this operation. Turn off all background programs and dont use the computer when youre defragmenting the drive. If any program writes data to disk while the system is defragmenting, the Disk Defragmenter may stop and then restart, extending the completion time significantly. Large files slow the disk defragmentation process. If you have large video files or other files on the capture drive that you dont need, delete them and any other extraneous files before defragmenting.

Figure 2.44 Studio notes the results in the Capture Source tabs Data Rate section.
Ive noticed big ranges in test rates when I test several times in sequence. So dont sweat itexpect some variance, and recognize that any score over 10,000 kilobytes per second (Kbyte/sec) should be fine.
Optimizing System Disk Performance Testing Your Capture Drive
Is your computers performance not up to snuff? Assuming that the Disk Defragmenter doesnt indicate that your hardware is faulty, two conditions could be the cause of poor disk performance. First, if youre running Windows 98, direct memory access (DMA) may not be enabled for your capture disk. Enable DMA in the System Properties control by selecting the properties window for your disk drive. DMA is automatically enabled in all operating systems after Windows 98, so this shouldnt be a problem in Windows 2000, Windows Millennium Edition, or Windows XP. The other possible cause of poor disk performance is too many programs loaded into background memory. Youll know this is the culprit if your Windows taskbar on the bottom right has more icons than a NASCAR racer. You can attack this problem in two ways. First, click each icon, thus loading each corresponding program. In the properties or similar window, you should find a control for disabling the background process. For example, to disable QuickTime, choose Edit > Preferences and make sure that QuickTime System Tray Icon is not selected. While you wouldnt want to disable your virus checker, you probably dont need RealPlayer, QuickTime Player, the Microsoft Office taskbar, and other items running all the time. The other alternative is to use a program called a startup manager, which lets you control which programs load in the background and when. PC Magazine offers a utility called Startup Cop that provides basic functionality (www.pcmag.com). The program Ive used most extensively is Shensoft Power Launcher Plus, but it doesnt appear to have been updated since 2000 (www.shensoft.com). Most recently, PC Magazine recommended Startup Manager by Kissco (www.startupmgr.com). If none of these suits you, search under startup manager in your favorite search engine for other options.

Page 55

Setting Default Durations
When you insert transitions, titles, still images, and audio fades into your video projects, Studio assigns default durations to these assets. You can modify these defaults for each asset or effect during editing, but heres how you set the default values.

To set the auxiliary file location:
1. From the Studio menu, choose Setup > Edit (see Figure 2.45). The Pinnacle Studio Setup Options dialog box appears (Figure 2.50). The Folder for Auxiliary Files section of the dialog box at the lower left contains a yellow Folder icon. continues on next page

Page 58

2. Click the yellow folder to open the Browse for Folder dialog box (Figure 2.51). 3. Click the desired drive and folder for your auxiliary files. Studio creates a separate directory structure off the selected drive and folder (Figure 2.52) and doesnt mix the files with your captured files.
According to the technical-support discussion forums at Pinnacles Web site, some users have experienced problems when changing the auxiliary file location in mid-project. At the very least, youll end up copying all auxiliary files from the old to the new location, which could be time consuming. At worstand this appears to be rareyoull corrupt your project file and have to start over. So make sure you have enough space before selecting the auxiliary file location.
Figure 2.51 Scroll down to choose the drive and folder for the auxiliary files.
Figure 2.52 Studio creates an entirely new folder for the auxiliary files and doesnt intermingle these files with those containing your captured video clips.

Page 59

About 16:9 Mode
The designation 16:9 is whats called an aspect ratio, which defines the relationship between horizontal and vertical display units in a display technology such as a television set. For example, all camcorders sold in the United States shoot in an aspect ratio of 4:3, because thats the aspect ratio most domestic television sets use to display video. In addition to supporting 4:3, most new DV camcorders also support the 16:9 aspect ratio. The 16:9 mode captures video in a widescreen format like that used in Hollywood movies, making it ideal if you have a widescreen television or high-definition television (HDTV) that supports widescreen footage. Check the documentation that came with your camcorder to learn how to enable and disable this shooting mode.

Studio and 16:9

Studio cant mix 16:9 and 4:3 video in a single project, and it assumes that the aspect ratio of the first video inserted into the project is the default mode. So if you capture in 16:9 mode in DV format, Studio should detect this and enter 16:9 mode automatically. However, if you capture in 16:9 mode using analog capture, or if you import 16:9 video into a project, Studio may not be able to recognize it as 16:9 footage. In these instances, you can trigger 16:9 mode by switching to 16:9 display mode in either the Capture Album or Edit Album. (For more information on switching to 16:9 views in the Capture Albums, see Chapters 3 and 4, Customizing Album Views. For more information on the Edit Album, see Working with the Albums Views and Tools in Chapter 6.) Note that Studio notifies you if you try to insert 4:3 footage into a 16:9 project, and vice versa, by displaying a status message like that in Figure 2.53. If Studio fails to produce this message and accepts the footage, the video using the mode that was loaded last will be distorted. For example, if you mistakenly loaded video using the 4:3 display mode into a 16:9 project and Studio accepts it, the 4:3 video will be distorted during rendering.

Figure 2.53 Studio shouldnt load non-widescreen (4:3) videos into a widescreen (16:9) project.
If youre using 16:9 footage, whether captured or imported, its good practice to use 16:9 display mode in the Edit Album. See Chapter 6, Working with the Albums Views and Tools. continues on next page

Page 60

About 16:9 Mode continued
Whens the Right Time for 16:9?
Before shooting in 16:9 format, consider where you and others will view your project. This format works best with older widescreen televisions and newer HDTVs. In addition, most software DVD players like Sonic Solutions CinePlayer and Intervideos WinDVD can play both 16:9 and 4:3 video. However, most standard TV sets (neither widescreen nor HDTV) will stretch the video vertically to full screen, distorting its appearance. Youll likely get similar results if you output your video to analog tape such as VHS. So while 16:9 may look great in your own living room, it might not look so great on grandmas older TV set, a definite factor to consider when choosing your shooting format. If youre unsure of the capabilities of the television or other device that will play your upcoming project, the best course is to test before shooting a major production. Shoot some video in 16:9 format and then capture and render to DVD, to tape, or to whatever format you intend to distribute. Make sure that the video is displayed correctly on your target device. Otherwise, you may be in for a nasty surprise when you show your video masterpiece.