Beginners Guide for Sony Movie Studio Platinum 13 (How to Use)

: By: Derek Moran; In: VEGAS Movie Studio; Published: 14 April 2014; Last Updated: 02 September 2022

Learn short cuts and how to start editing with Sony Movie Studio Platinum 13 video editing software.

This is the perfect first tutorial to watch, if you have just purchased Sony Movie Studio Platinum 13 and are officially feeling overwhelmed and freaking out quite a lot ! In this tutorial I teach you how to use all the most common editing tools and functions in the program. I also explain the full workflow for making a project from the very beginning, right to the end.

This is one of those tutorials where it is far better to simply watch the video than read confusing explanations, so make a cup of tea or crack open some beers and enjoy this lengthy jam packed video tutorial.

Topics Covered in this Tutorial

How to Set Project Properties
How to Match Media Settings
How to Import Media
How to Split, Cut and Delete Video
How to Copy and Paste
How to control Video Levels
How to change Audio Volume Levels
How to create a Transition
How to Fade In/Out Video and Audio
How to set the Preview Window
How to set the Movie Studio Preferences for GPU Acceleration
How to add more Video and Audio Tracks
How to Render Video and Make Movies

Which Video Region do you live in ?

You need to tell Movie Studio which region you live in or what type of camera you use. There are three main video systems being used on Planet Earth - NTSC, PAL and SECAM. If you are un-sure as to which system your country/region uses, then please refer to this excellent map on Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PAL-NTSC-SECAM.svg

Please note that if you are in a SECAM country, you can also use the PAL System. So always choose PAL in Movie Studio settings.

Related Tutorials

How to Render 1080p HD Video in Movie Studio Platinum 13

Review of Sony Movie Studio Suite 13

Review of Sony Movie Studio Platinum 13

Buy the latest version of Vegas Pro here !

About Derek Moran
Derek Moran is the author of all articles on Movie Studio Zen.
You can find me on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Read more about Derek...

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MJC

Member
· 17:47 21/08/2021
Hello Derek, I have followed your brilliant Beginners' Guide to Movie Studio Platinum 13 to the letter... but have now searched and searched your website in the hope of finding a slightly more advanced guide. Is there one? Or am I just being stupid?
For instance I want to know how to format the media generators 'Titles and Text'. I can't see how to slow down a scrolling text, or how to adjust its placement on the screen.
I have tried all the obvious clicks and menus, but nothing seems to work... Please can you help? Thanks.
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  Derek
  
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  · 18:31 21/08/2021
  
  Please post your question on the MSZ Forum. This is the best place to ask questions.
  https://www.moviestudiozen.com/forum/index
  
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  MJC
  
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  · 19:26 21/08/2021
  
  Whoops - apologies! I now have.
  
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Eric · 17:56 10/05/2021
Thanks for the helpful videos Derek. I am using Sony Movie Studio 13 Platinum and unable to save video in mp4 format. Sony saves it in vf format. How can I stop this and only save in mp4 format please ?
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  Derek
  
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  · 10:55 11/05/2021
  
  Hi Eric
  It sounds like you are confusing the Save/Save As function with Make Movie/Render As.
  .vf is only your project file - it is not a video - when you press Save or Save As, it is only saving your project file, not making a video.
  To make an .mp4 video, you need to render your project.
  You need to watch the final section of the tutorial, which shows how to render a video.
  OR
  Watch this in-depth tutorial for how to render a video!
  https://www.moviestudiozen.com/free-tutorials/sony-movie-studio-platinum/516-1080p-video-in-movie-studio-platinum-13
  Please message back if you can't work it out.
  
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sanford · 07:48 30/07/2019
One more bit of information. I get message that "Location is not available" I have not received that message before. I did format both the D and E drive prior to receiving that message. thanks sanford
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  Derek
  
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  · 12:58 30/07/2019
  
  If you format a drive, Vegas will loose it's location.
  Read this FAQ for how to re-connect lost files/folders>
  https://www.moviestudiozen.com/doctor-zen-faq/172-changing-file-locations-for-your-media
  
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sanford · 07:42 30/07/2019
Derek, just a follow up, I am using Movie Studio Platinum 13
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Sanford · 07:40 30/07/2019
Derek, I have a laptop which has three drives. Drive C where the soft ware is loaded. Drive D and Drive E. I download by videos to either D or E spending on available space. I the preference window, there is Temporary files folder which now indicates Drive C. When I edit my videos and I am ready to render, I do not want my videos to go the C Drive. I have been sending the videos thru renders to the D or E drive and want to continue along those lines. How do I make sure that I will be able to find my finished videos so that I can forward those to You tube. Any help or suggestions will be appreciated. thanks sanford.
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  Derek
  
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  · 12:56 30/07/2019
  
  It is best to leave the location of the Temporary Files Folder on your C-Drive, otherwise you may experience problems due to Windows Permissions Settings. The Temporary Files Folder normally does not contain any video files, so it wont fill your C-Drive. You can always delete everything in this folder if it gets too big and it will regenerate the next time you open Vegas.
  YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF WHERE YOUR PROJECTS ARE SAVED TO !!!
  Read the first part of this tutorial - it explains how to set the folder location for each new project.
  https://www.moviestudiozen.com/free-tutorials/sony-movie-studio-platinum/516-1080p-video-in-movie-studio-platinum-13
  
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Sanford

Member
· 02:29 06/04/2019
How do I reset the display window so that upon opening a new project, I get the same set on the display screen?
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  Derek
  
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  · 19:59 06/04/2019
  
  The quickest and easiest thing to do, is a full program reset.
  Instructions here:
  https://www.moviestudiozen.com/doctor-zen-faq/573-how-to-reset-sony-software-to-default-settings#a1
  
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Ian House · 00:30 03/07/2018
Hello. I'm having a problem with the crop taskbar. When I press pan and crop on the video it doesn't have the menu that pops up.
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  Derek
  
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  · 10:24 03/07/2018
  
  Do you actually mean that the Event Pan/Crop window is not opening when you press the button ?
  If this is what you mean, you have probably accidentally docked the window into the tabbed windows area. Look at the tabs for Project Media, Explorer, Transitions.... If you see "Video Event FX" that is the Event Pan/Crop window. Grab hold of the row of vertical dots in top left corner and drag onto the Desktop.
  If that is not your problem, I suggest you do a full program reset.
  Instructions here:
  https://www.moviestudiozen.com/doctor-zen-faq/573-how-to-reset-sony-software-to-default-settings
  
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manuel · 15:01 14/02/2018
In regards to Sony platinum movie studio 13, I have a problem with the video effect window, where you can add text and formatting. The window is too small and I cannot resize it to work with it. I cannot see the bold field, or the alignment for the fonts. No matter what I do the window remains small, whether I am in simple or advance edit. I am using a Dell touch laptop 64bit. Any light on this issue will be appreciated.
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  Derek
  
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  · 15:36 14/02/2018
  
  You cannot re-size the Titles & Text window.
  If you have accidentally docked it into a tabbed window area, you need to grab it by the row of vertical dots in the top left corner and drag it out onto the MS desktop.
  You must highlight any text you have added, before you can change things like Bold, etc.
  I recommend you post this question on the Movie Studio Zen forum and then I can upload a screen shot of what the window is meant to look like.
  https://www.moviestudiozen.com/forum/index
  
  Regards
  Derek
  
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K W · 03:10 29/08/2017
Hello. I am trying to add media- an AVI file and the following message appears:
The file is likely corrupt of from an unknown format. I would appreciate any guidance. Thank you
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  Derek
  
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  · 08:10 29/08/2017
  
  .avi is a generic Video Container that can hold a large range of Video Codecs.
  It is very common to see .avi files downloaded from the Internet, using [b]non-standard video codecs[/b], which is why it is not working in Vegas/Movie Studio. You will have to convert your .avi video into a format that is Vegas friendly, like H.264/.mp4. Use a Video Converter program to do this and then import the converted file into Vegas - then it will work.
  
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MJ

Member
· 08:32 07/07/2017
What if I am not importing a video only still photos into the project? Do I still have to find a video to "Match Media Settings?"
I was getting hung up with this setting and so I chose a random video so the program would move through.
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  Derek
  
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  · 12:10 07/07/2017
  
  Hello MJ
  I can see that you have finally been able to LOGIN to the website, which is good news.
  When you are creating a project that contains no video, DON't use the Match Media setting - always say no to that question when importing photos only. Instead, make sure to check/set your Project Properties to the Output Setting you are likely to render to.
  For most people, that would be something like a Frame Size of 1920x1080 and using a Frame Rate that your country uses. If you live in the USA, set Frame Rate = 29.97 fps. De-interlace Method = Progressive.
  If you would like more help with this, post a message on the forum and then I can upload a Screen Shot that shows what I mean.
  Regards
  Derek
  
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  Derek
  
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  · 12:14 07/07/2017
  
  2nd message.
  The reason why you DON'T want to Match the Media settings when importing photos, is because most photos DO NOT use the same Frame Size that HD video does. HD Video uses and Aspect Ratio of 16:9. Depending on what camera you use, the Frame Size and Aspect Ratio of pictures, is nothing like videos.
  I recommend you watch this old tutorial about creating slideshows:
  https://www.moviestudiozen.com/free-tutorials/sony-movie-studio-platinum/63-how-to-create-a-manual-slideshow-using-sony-vegas-movie-studio-hd-platinum-10
  
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  MJ
  
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  · 23:38 07/07/2017
  
  Thank you for being so patient with my incompetence. The website was self-populating my name which was my email address. As you know - I wasn't "seeing" the error. I finally "got it."
  
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  MJ
  
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  · 23:40 07/07/2017
  
  Yes, would you please upload a Screen Shot of that.
  Note - This web page and your tutorials continue to be so beneficial. It is a 5/5 Star site.
  
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  Derek
  
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  · 00:26 08/07/2017
  
  I cannot upload images to the comments section of the website, located here.
  You must login and start a new forum message yourself, then I will receive a notification and can upload a screen shot for you, as a reply.
  I recommend you read the HELP file for forum here:
  https://www.moviestudiozen.com/forum/help
  Also read this about your FIRST forum post:
  https://www.moviestudiozen.com/forum/welcome-to-msz/622-test-post-by-admin-showing-how-captcha-code-works-for-new-forum-members
  And finally, you should read this FAQ - start at [b]Step 4[/b] and it will show you how to post a message on the forum. Don't worry about the steps relating to uploading images.
  https://www.moviestudiozen.com/forum/welcome-to-msz/1541-how-to-take-a-screen-shot-of-your-desktop-and-upload-it-to-the-forum#7660
  
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Beginners Guide for Sony Movie Studio Platinum 13 (How to Use)

Learn short cuts and how to start editing with Sony Movie Studio Platinum 13 video editing software.

Topics Covered in this Tutorial

Which Video Region do you live in ?

Related Tutorials

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