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Solved Advanced cutting/trimming/ playing clips slower to cut easier? and a couple random questions

Hi,

First thanks for creating this site. It is great and I have found it very helpful.

Sometimes I have something I'm trying to figure out and I have a hard time choosing the right search terms and wording to get the answers I'm looking for. I have clips I'm cutting/trimming shorter to edit parts out. When I have a video playing, at a certain point I want it to get cut, and I have a hard time getting it in just the right spot.

For example I have a clip where I'm talking about losing hardware when building something. So the clip says "... when you take the washer off you risk losing it for one" and I want the clip to end at "you risk losing it." so it cuts out me saying "for one".

When I try to end it i just the right spot, its either cut off little too early, or a little too late making the clip imperfect. I need to cut the part out very precisely. One way I imagine is a way to play the clip in slow motion so it's easier to get it to end at just the right spot. I don't want the clip itself to be slow motion in the final video, just viewing it during the editing process so I can get the cursor exactly where I want it to edit. Right now playing at real time and trying to hit pause right at the perfect moment to split the clip and delete the end I don't want. This is something I will use repeatedly, and even using the audio track graph zoomed in to try and mark the perfect spot still isn't enough to get it literally dead on.

So the summary is how do I precisely position the cursor to the very spot I want it? A way to play it in slow motion or something to it's easier to mark it exactly where I want it?

And another random question is when I first started using the software, I had it somehow to where the preview pane was in it's own window, so I had more workable space and could 'alt-tab' to view the preview in a separate video window then the rest of the project itself. Can't figure out how I did it.

and last, when cropping a separate window would pop up with the settings to change, but sometimes the window would disappear. When it would, I would select the clip, right click and click FX, making that FX window pop up and displaying the other window behind it that seemed to disappear before. It gets cluttered real easy and a little confusing.

Thanks for the help, I have been watching MSZ videos to learn lots of tricks. I really appreciate you teaching us how to use this software I am still new to.
Last Edit:21 Jun 2020 11:57 by NuMaTiK
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Hi NuMaTiK
Welcome to the forum and I’m sure that Doc Zen will chime in as soon he can, but being based in Australia there is the potential for a time zone lag.
Not sure which version of Movie Studio you are using, but with respect to your first issue (how do I precisely position the cursor to the very spot I want it?), you need to zoom in on the time line. Place the cursor roughly where you think it needs to be and zoom in by rolling the mouse wheel. Reposition and re-zoom if required until you can distinguish the peaks and troughs on the audio track and you should be able to pinpoint the break point you want position the cursor, hit play an d then reposition if required to identify that part you want to cut.
Hopefully that might help you keep working while the Doc or one of the other members can offer suggestions on your other issues.
Cheers, Robbie
by Robbie
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NuMaTiK wrote: So the summary is how do I precisely position the cursor to the very spot I want it? A way to play it in slow motion or something to it's easier to mark it exactly where I want it?

I usually do as Robbie suggested. You can make the audio track taller so you can see the peaks and troughs in the audio waveform more easily. Play the video and stop it roughly where you need to stop, then zoom in and place the cursor exactly in the trough between the words where you want it to stop. Note that you can use the left & right arrow keys to move the cursor small amounts.

Another way to do it is to make a selection (hold the mouse button down while you drag the cursor horizontally in the timeline), starting before the place where you want to stop and finishing roughly where you want to stop. Once you have made a selection, the Play button will only play the selection and will immediately stop. You can then press Shift with the left and right arrow keys to shrink or extend the selection by a small amount so you can find exactly where to stop.

Ken.
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NuMaTiK wrote: And another random question is when I first started using the software, I had it somehow to where the preview pane was in it's own window, so I had more workable space and could 'alt-tab' to view the preview in a separate video window then the rest of the project itself. Can't figure out how I did it.

Click on the Video Preview tab (at the bottom of the Preview window) and drag the tab down. It will then undock into its own window. To redock the Preview window, hold down the Ctrl key, click on the Preview window title bar (at the top of the window) and drag it up until it redocks.

Ken.
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Hi NuMaTiK - Welcome to the MSZ Forum :)

Which exact program and version are you using ?
To move and dock windows in Vegas Movie Studio, I need to know which version you are using, because the instructions are different depending on which version you are using.

Thanks to @Robbie and @kbosward for your answers.

If you don't have a wheel on your mouse, go and buy a new mouse on Monday.
Using the wheel on your mouse, is the quickest way to zoom right in on the Vegas timeline.
If you need to, you can zoom right down to the Frame by Frame level.

Sometimes when you can't precisely cut off at a certain point, it means you probably have Snapping turned on.
It is good to have Snapping turned on most of the time, but if you have many different tracks stacked on each other, sometimes an Event above/below can keep snapping to the wrong point and make it difficult to cut at the correct point. If this is what is causing your problem, just temporarily turn Snapping off.



No zoom.


Same timeline, but zoomed all the way in using Mouse.


Preview window
Press F11 to see only expanded timeline - press again to restore to normal desktop

If you don't have a 2nd monitor, I highly recommend investing in a 2nd monitor, provided you have a 2nd output port on your Graphics Card.
If you are only using one monitor, you can press the View on External Monitor button above the Preview Window, and it will go full screen - press ESC to escape back to normal desktop.



Windows disappearing
If any Windows suddenly disappear, go to View/Windows Layouts/Default Layout

If resetting the layout does not work, it is best to reset the entire program, which normally fixes a lot of things instantly.
Instructions here:
www.moviestudiozen.com/doctor-zen-faq/573-how-to-reset-sony-software-to-default-settings#a1

Regards
Derek
ℹ️ Remember to turn everything off at least once a week, including your brain, then sit somewhere quiet and just chill out.
Unplugging is the best way to find solutions to your problems. If you would like to share some love, post a customer testimonial or make a donation.
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