text:
How to record live video using camcorder?
I need to conduct a video conference using professional video cameras. I will be recording and streaming 1080p video [1]. To that end, I need to stream live video from a professional video camera to my PC. Here are the requirements:

The camera output is HDMI or SDI
The computer input is USB3
The delay between the time an event occurs and the moment it reaches the PC must be under 300ms.
The camera must show up as a webcam to the PC.
The PC will be running Windows or Linux.

Any ideas?
[1] I am aware of how much data is involved. Please assume that I have sufficient resources to do this.

Is the USB3 interface a hard and fast requirement?  PCI-E solutions would likely give better performance.  Any capture device that has WDM Video Capture support will work as a web cam input.  Something like the Matrox MXO2 Mini would be one device that has such support and would get the job done, but it is PCI-e or thunderbolt.

@AJHenderson, Yes, USB3 is a hard requirement because the PC will likely be a laptop or tablet that does not accept add-on cards. I might be able to use an ExpressCard slot with the MXO2 but I'm holding out for a USB3-only solution for now.

yeah, I'm not aware of anything that is capable of doing what you need over USB3.  As I understand it, there are architecture issues that make USB architecture in general not really work well for such work.  I have not looked seriously in to it since USB3 came out though.

Perhaps the Intensity Shuttle from Blackmagicdesign
http://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/intensity/models/
This link has some additional info.
http://help.livestream.com/customer/portal/articles/577891-what-are-your-recommended-devices-

I purchased an Intensity Shuttle. It is very finicky. You must be running Windows 7 (not older, not newer) on a specific USB3 chipset with a sufficient amount of bandwidth (older computers will not work) and you must use a specific resolution/frame-rate otherwise you'll get a black screen. Assuming you get past all these hurdles, it'll work (at least under Skype).


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Is there a video player where I can draw on top of video?
I wonder if there is a video player (similar to VLC) where I could stop the video, and draw annotations on top of the video (lika on a transparent layer). Then I could choose to erase it when continuing to play the video, or leave it.
The purpose would be showing recordings of football/hockey matches. When stopping the video I could highlight players and draw tactical instructions(using the mouse).
Does such a video player exist?

Why not just use an app that annotates the screen? Depending on whether you are on Windows, OS X, or Linux there should be plenty of apps when you search for "screen annotate" or "annotation". Maybe you've searched for the wrong thing until now.

You're absolutely right! I immedately found Ink2Go for Mac which is 99% what I need! Will look around for tools that work on Windows too, but again, great idea!

source: Stack Exchange

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

sort: votes


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How do I control the time of the movie= parameter when overlaying video with video?
The following command overlays main.mp4 with talkingHead.mp4.
ffmpeg -hide_banner -i main.mp4 -vf "movie=talkingHead.mp4, scale=400:-1 [inner]; [in][inner] overlay=main_w-(overlay_w+10): main_h-(overlay_h+10) [out]" out.mp4

It works fine when the videos are of the same length.
But assuming that talkingHead.mp4 is 10 seconds long and main.mp4 is 100 seconds long..
1. How do I overlay main.mp4 with talkingHead.mp4 only after the 5 seconds of main.mp4?
2. How do I make the right bottom corner disappear after talkingHead.mp4 has finished? Right now talkingHead.mp4 just freezes after 10 seconds.
P.S. I'm that there are -ss and -t but I cannot figure out their proper place in the command.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


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Different decode performance in two similar H.264 videos
I have two, at first glance very similar mp4 files (A & B), each of them created by different capture software.

File
Captured using
codec
resolution
fps
bitrate

A.mp4
Elgato 4K Capture Utility
h.264
2560x1440
60
106Mb/s

B.mp4
Xsplit Broadcaster
h.264
2560x1440
60
128Mb/s

I noticed that scrubbing video A is very smooth while scrubbing video B is extremely choppy.
This video illustrates the difference. Note that althought for demonstration purpose I've used DaVinci Resolve software, the same scrubbing performance is present in other programs e.g. VLC Player.
I would like to understand what is causing this difference in scrubbing performance. Looking at task manager graphs, it seems like video B is more complex to decode but I have no idea why.
This is what I got using MediaInfo

Figured it out. The difference in scrubbing performance comes from different GOP in those two videos. The video which played smoothly had GOP=(N, M)=(15, 1).
So for people who'll encounter this issue in videos produced by their capture software: to fix it set keyframe interval to low value e.g. 30 frames (0.5sec)
It's also possible to convert existing videos using ffmpeg in order to add more keyframes e.g.
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -crf 16 -preset faster -g 15 output.mp4

where -g 15 sets keyframe every 15 frames

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


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kdenlive won't automatically enable audio on clips
I've recently started using Kdenlive and am continually frustrated by its apparent default behaviour of not using audio from my clips.
I add stills and short clips to the timeline, but the audio in the clips is ignored.

If I go ahead and render the whole video is silenced.
I have to manually go through each track and click on "Restore audio".

I can't even "select all" and do it en masse, I have to do it all manually.
I cannot find an option anywhere in the settings that has any effect on this behaviour.
Can anyone help?
$ apt show kdenlive
Package: kdenlive
Version: 4:22.08.3-1~ubuntu22.04.1

This was frustrating to me too but I finally figured out that if you add images and videos in one drag it will ignore the audio of the videos (probably because images don't have audio).
So what you need to do as you are building up your timeline, don't combine stills and videos in the same drag operation. if you want to have 3 stills  followed by 2 videos and then some more stills, drag the 3 stills, then drag the 2 videos (and it will immediately become apparent that the audio portion of these videos is there), then the rest of the stills in the 3rd drag.
I don't know if this is the best way to do it in KdenLive but it works.
I Hope the developers would improve this or someone would explain how to better do this

This is what I've ended up doing.


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ffmpeg stream_loop option produces shaky video and adds (milli) seconds to the beginning
I have a video file say input.mp4 and I would like to loop this file say 6 times
The following command does the job
ffmpeg -stream_loop 5 -i input.mp4  -c copy out.mp4

However, the result is a shaky video. It plays the input.mp4 first time without any problem and then it adds a few milliseconds before playing it the second time. And the third time and so on. The second iteration onwards, the video looks shaky and not as clear as the first time.
Am I using the command/option wrong ?
Any hints would be appreciated.
I looked at this question but it did not help

Which ffmpeg version?

It is  version 5.1.2


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ffmpeg: How to burn in the timecode from a stream's metadata
I have a timelapse video from a GoPro and want to overlay the time of the recording on the current frame. For instance, a frame taken at 9am might show 09:00.
It seems like the drawtext filter is the way to go. I'm struggling to figure out the right invocation to grab the right time and make that work.
ffprobe shows that there's a timecode attached to each individual stream, but not the input's overall metadata:
Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from 'GX010246.MP4':
  Metadata:
    major_brand     : mp41
    minor_version   : 538120216
    compatible_brands: mp41
    creation_time   : 2022-11-01T23:24:04.000000Z
    firmware        : H22.01.01.12.00
  Duration: 00:00:00.23, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 106869 kb/s
  Stream #0:0[0x1](eng): Video: hevc (Main) (hvc1 / 0x31637668), yuvj420p(pc, bt709), 5312x2988 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 105367 kb/s, 29.97 fps, 29.97 tbr, 30k tbn (default)
    Metadata:
      creation_time   : 2022-11-01T23:24:04.000000Z
      handler_name    : GoPro H.265
      vendor_id       : [0][0][0][0]
      encoder         : GoPro H.265 encoder
      timecode        : 09:23:30:08
  Stream #0:1[0x2](eng): Data: none (tmcd / 0x64636D74), 0 kb/s (default)
    Metadata:
      creation_time   : 2022-11-01T23:24:04.000000Z
      handler_name    : GoPro TCD
      timecode        : 09:23:30:08
  Stream #0:2[0x3](eng): Data: bin_data (gpmd / 0x646D7067), 408 kb/s (default)
    Metadata:
      creation_time   : 2022-11-01T23:24:04.000000Z
      handler_name    : GoPro MET

To make it even harder, this timecode is the end of the recording - when it was saved - so the timestamp on each frame has to be ((timecode from metadata) - (clip duration) + (time since start)).
Some attempts
This is a start, which overlays the local time when ffmpeg was run:
ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -vf "drawtext=text='%{localtime\:%T}': fontcolor=white@0.8: x=7: y=460: fontsize=96" out.mp4

This can't find timecode, maybe because it's not defined:
ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -vf "drawtext=text='%{timecode\:%T}': fontcolor=white@0.8: x=7: y=460: fontsize=96" out.mp4

This tries to reference metadata:s:v:0:timecode, but the reference is invalid somehow, even with the right amount of escaping:
ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -vf "drawtext=text='%{metadata\\\\\\:s\\\\\\:v\\\\\\:0\\\\\\:timecode}': r=29.97 : fontcolor=white@0.8:fontsize=96" out.mp4

The pts function could work, but I can't figure out how to invoke it or pass it the start time
There's also drawtext=timecode=<start timecode>, which seems promising:
ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -vf "drawtext=timecode='00\:00\:00\:00': r=29.97 : fontcolor=white@0.8: x=7: y=460: fontsize=96" out.mp4

but I also haven't figured out how to put this dynamic data into it:
ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -vf "drawtext=timecode='%{s:v:0:timecode}': r=29.97 : fontcolor=white@0.8: x=7: y=460: fontsize=96" out.mp4
# fails

Would really appreciate some help with this tricky problem!

A colleague just pointed this out to me
-vf "drawtext=text='%{metadata\:timecode}':box=1:boxcolor=black:fontcolor=white:fontsize=48:x=100:y=100"

Works with both timecode in SEI & MXF timecode track
NB: Doesn't work with ffmpeg 4


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Remove Overlay Lines From Video
In a bit of a panic here. I've recorded a bunch of footage and had some sort of overlay grid that appears to be baked into the video. Using Premiere or some other tool, is there a way to kill it? Sort of like a content aware fill in Photoshop. It's in the same spot throughout each clip. Is there hope?

Might be able to help more if you tell us how it was recorded, what camera, what mode, settings etc?
Wire Removal in After Effects, or Content Aware Fill in After Effects could work for you.  Or making a clean plate, and using that as a backdrop, and rotoscoping your foreground into it?  Davinci Resolve also has some nice cleanup tools.  Your best result would be reshooting, but you don't want to do that otherwise you wouldn't be here...
https://www.rocketstock.com/blog/4-brilliant-ways-to-remove-objects-in-after-effects/

It is an overlay from the Camo Studio app using an iPhone as the camera source. We're reshooting because I screwed up the audio as well but it's good to know that these are options. I'll check out After Effects Content aware Fill because that is what I was looking for.. just didn't know where to look! Thank you


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Is there a program similar to After Effects that lets you animate the points of a polygon according to a mathematical function?
I have some irregular polygons defined by points whose coordinates depend on a variable r, for example:
x = if(1 / sqrt(10) <= r < 1 / sqrt(5)) {
        -2 r² + r sqrt(1 - r²) - sqrt(2 r⁴ - r² + 2 r sqrt(1 - r²) (2 - 2 r²) - 1) + 2
    } else if(r < 1 / sqrt(10)) {
        (2 (5 - r²) + r sqrt(5 - r²)) / 5
    }

y = if(1 / sqrt(10) <= r < 1 / sqrt(5)) {
        (r sqrt(1 - r²)) / (1 - r²) (-2 r² + r sqrt(1 - r²) - sqrt(2 r⁴ - r² + 2 r sqrt(1 - r²) (2 - 2 r²) - 1) + 2)
    } else if(r < 1 / sqrt(10)) {
        ((5 - r²) - 2 r sqrt(5 - r²)) / 5
    }

I want to create a high-quality rendered video of the polygons changing shape as r varies, but After Effects, my normal go-to for animations, does not allow the user to control the exact positions of the points of shape layers with expressions in the way that I want. Is there an alternative animation program that supports this kind of thing?

you can do this kind of thing in Blender: https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/63697/how-can-i-generate-an-object-from-a-mathematical-function

@tomh The linked question appears to be about creating a 3D surface according to an implicit function. It doesn't look like Blender allows defining individual vertex coordinates of a 2D shape with an animating function. Am I missing something?


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Illustrator 2022 to After effects 2022 - colors differ
I am trying to import illustrator shapes into after effects. But when I import I get different colors for some reason.
This is original in Illustrator:

And this is what I get in after effects:

How can i fix this?

You need to make sure you're working in the same Colour Space in both products.
Colour Space in Illustrator:
https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/color.html
Colour Space in After Effects:
https://helpx.adobe.com/after-effects/using/color-management.html
sRGB is likely to work well in both, but if you're making animation for television, you'll probably need Rec709 colour space in After Effects.  This means you may need to convert your profile.


text:
How can people apparently manage to capture video in such poor quality in 2022?
This is something which has baffled me for many years already. I just watched this freshly uploaded video (out of many):

It seriously looks like somebody took a consumer video camera from 1985, smeared grease all over the lens and then recorded the video.
How is it possible to capture such fuzzy video in 2022? Or even many years ago now? I do not understand it. The defaults, or even worst possible settings, seem like they would be infinitely superior to the video's quality.
It's not how they "handle" the camera. It's not because they don't know about XYZ technical stuff. Anyone could record ultra-crisp video in daylight with the cheapest device which isn't even a dedicated camera. Yet this kind of video keeps appearing, where you can't even tell what you're looking at.
What am I missing? How can they look so extremely low-res and fuzzy?

The short answer is compression. While cameras these days are modern marvels, the images they capture are often encoded, re-encoded, and re-encoded again as they make the trip from the camera sensor to what you see posted online. Think of it like a xerox of a xerox of a xerox. The video you posted was probably recorded in 1080p but compressed down to 240p - roughly the equivalent of VHS tapes - before Youtube then re-encoded it again, removing even more detail.
Obligatory reference: "Do I look like I know what a Jpeg is?"


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Understanding the Warp Stabilizer mechanics and settings meaning
I have a question for Adobe Premier Pro experts. There was a need to stabilize the video, and I faced a problem: I strongly do not understand the logic of settings and the mechanics of the Warp Stabilazer effect. I imagined it this way: there is a 'Smoothness' parameter that is responsible for the degree of stabilization, and which, I thought, directly affects the degree of crop: more 'Smoothness' is stronger than crop, less 'Smoothness' is less than crop, zero 'Smoothness' is the original frame size (no stabilization). I imagined the mechanics of the process something like this: a crop is made to some size (say, let there be a decrease of 22% of the original size), then the stabilizer moves and turns this crop so that the image that got into it changes as smoothly as possible, but at the same time so that the crop does not go beyond the original image. Then, if you set the 'Framing' parameter to "Stabilize, Crop, Auto-scale," as I thought, the croped stabilized picture is scaled to the original dimensions so that there are no black borders. However, in practice, it turned out that Warp Stabilazer behaves completely different from what I expected, and also has many not quite obvious settings. I got the following unexpected result:

Accordingly, I do not understand:

How does 'Smoothness' relate to the size of the crop?
How does the 'Crop Less <-> Smooth More' parameter relate to the 'Smoothness' parameter itself, and how does it, in turn, affect the crop?
What does the 'Preserve Scale' parameter really do with the selected "Position, Scale, Rotation" method? Does this mean that when the checkmark is removed, the amount (scale) of the crop will "float" throughout the timeline, thereby creating the effect of an ever-changing focal length? Or what scale is then preserved here?
Why did the crop at the specified parameters in the picture turn out to be so huge, at the specified 'Maximum Scale' value of 122%?
Why does the value of "Stabilize, Crop, Auto-scale" not scale the picture so as to get rid of black borders?

And here is what I have so far unsuccessfully tried to get:

constant crop by a given value (22%) with keeping of the aspect ratio.
maximum stabilization by the method of turns and paranomization with a given crop.
increasing the stabilized picture to its original size so that there are no black borders.

If anyone can clarify all this to me I would be very grateful. I myself could not find anything intelligible stuff on this topic...
P.S. Sorry for my not perfect English. And don't judge me strongly - I'm noob at the Adobe Premiere Pro.


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Can One Frame Be Rotated In A .mov File?
I have a .mov file that is a slide show of many pictures set to music. One of the images was not rotated properly when the movie was made, it needs to be rotated 90 degrees to the right. Is there a way to just rotate that one image or group of frames that composes that image in the movie or does the .mov need to be recreated with the file correctly rotated?

Welcome! Sure, it is possible to rotate that one section, but we'll need some more details to help you figure out if you should do it. Did the problem image get cropped (you can't get back what was cut off)? Was it shrunk down (it may not look great blown back up)? What is the quality of the file you have and what quality do you need (the quality will probably get worse because you have to re-encode)? What tool do you want to use and what is your skill level?

Thanks and thanks for the reply! The image is not cropped or shrunk. It is a portrait image that was placed like a landscape image so it'll end up getting smaller when it is rotated. The current file is 720p and keeping the new file as 720p is fine. I downloaded Davinci Resolve. I know my way around software pretty good but my skill level with video editing and Davinci is more or less 0. If there is a better/easier tool for what I'm trying to do that would be fine.

The resolution isn't the only thing that can affect the quality. Codec and bit rate are more important. But give it a shot () and see how it goes. Davinici Resolve should be fine to use, but I'm an engineer who hasn't touched an editor in years, so I can't give you any hints there. Sorry!

Thank you. I have figured out how to rotate the whole thing which doesn't work but not frame by frame yet. Thanks for the help!

You probably need to do something like this: duplicate the clip, split the original clip on the timeline cutting out the rotated part, add the duplicate to the timeline just for the rotated part and rotate that.

Thank you for the help!


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Rendering 3d in AE CS6 is blurry
I'd like to seek help here about rendering in AE CS6 ...
I'm a noob by the way, I just finished a few 4sec animation and have no problem rendering non-3d compositions...
But my first 3d composition consisting of multiple pre-compositions: 2 non-3d text composition and 1 composition that contains multiple shapes as 3d layers (ray-traced 3d not classic) renders "blurry" or maybe at a very low resolution..
During normal playback in the composition view, everything is sharp.
During render at the render queue (and the actual output video), the 3d shapes are low-res (blurry) but the normal non-3d text are sharp
Render settings are all default except for:

32bit color depth
H.264 (but I also tried lossless AVI)
Bitrate at 8, 10, 12 (same output)

Note (I don't know if this matters):

I tried using both motion blur at on and off
I used time stretch to increase the speed of the 3d composition

This the quality if played normally in the composition view

And this is the result after rendering to video file
Please help......


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Importing gradient filled shapes from adobe illustrator to after effects
I am importing an illustrator file including svg shapes to after effects. The shapes in the files are filled with gradients and when I import them to AE they are all gray. Is there a way to quickly apply the gradient to all of the shapes? I am doing a lottie animation, so the fill needs to be gradient (not using an effect).
Some shapes also have a full layer size gray frame that I did not add in illustrator. So the layer basically has the shape I want (Group 1) and the full layer size shape (Group 2) covering everything else. IF I remove Group 2, I cannot add the fill to Group 1.

The Overlord plugin lets you move projects between Illustrator and After Effects in a better way than the built in processes do.  They have some support for gradients:
https://help.battleaxe.co/overlord/gradients.html

#LIMITATIONS
Because of the complexity of the workaround, there is a limit of 8 colors on gradients. Additional color stops will be
ignored. Gradient strokes are supported, but the additional methods of
applying gradients (Along stroke and Across stroke) are not possible
in Ae and will be ignored. Radial gradient aspect ratio will be
ignored

It's a good plugin, highly recommended


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Recovering 18fps super-8 from NTSC 59.94i: Duplicate frame removal?
I have a VHS tape made from 1970s-era super-8 home video footage (the originals for which are lost), and am trying to make what improvements I can.
I used a Blackmagic UltraStudio to perform raw frame captures of the component output from a Panasonic DMR-ES46V (avoiding encoding artifacts from using that hardware's on-board MPEG encoder to write to DVD). The result is not great -- the footage was underlit, and a lot of shadow detail, as far as I can tell, is simply unrecoverable -- but the thing I would hope to fix is the duplicated frames.
The conversion from 18p to 59.94i was not pretty: there are repeated frames, frames with interlace artifacts (which I can correct with existing tools), and frames that mix two original frames. It's those last ones I have no idea how to deal with; if both those and the duplicated frames are gone, I presume I'll be able to use something like Topaz Video's retiming capabilities to get a reasonable result (whether at 18fps or otherwise)
Are tools available to identify and remove frames? I mostly use Davinci Resolve on MacOS (and also have Linux hosts at hand); the only tool I've seen so far that looks plausible for the purpose is the Srestore script for avisynth; but this appearing to be an unmaintained Windows-only tool, I'm hoping that plausible alternatives exist.

In hindsight, I think these mixed frames are artifacts from deinterlacing. BTW, the shadow detail I thought was unrecoverable turned out to still be there by turning the gain up on the UltraStudio's composite interfaces, and mixing the shadows from the high-gain recording with the midtones and highlights of the low-gain recording in the style of HDR processing.


text:
Stop rotation in After Effects
I have a gif opened in After Effects. I typed w to allow me to rotate the gif. But, now I cannot drag the gif up or down. It just continues to rotate. How do I stop the rotation? Thank you.

Select the cursor tool using the V key, or by pressing the icon on the toolbar.

Then when you select your object, you will be able to drag it around.
I highly recommend watching the first few videos here, as a beginners guide:
https://www.videocopilot.net/basic/
It's old, but it's a great overview.


text:
ffmpeg drawtext + colorspectrum - background partly transparent only
I am currently working with the drawtext/alphamerge filters to have the text coloured with colorspectrum on a transparent background. While I have been trying many options, the closest I managed to get is a partial transparent background, which is just not good enough. The colours are slightly visible on most backgrounds I will use this on.
How can I make the colorspectrum disappear completely, except in the text?
ffmpeg -y -hide_banner -loglevel error -stats -filter_complex \
   "color=black@0:1920x1080:r=60,trim=end=10[bg]; \
   colorspectrum=size=1920x2:r=60,crop=iw:1,scale=iw:1080,scroll=horizontal=-0.0025[gradient]; \
   color=black@0:s=1920x1080:r=60,drawtext=text='Lorem ipsum':fontsize=60:fontcolor=white:x=w-t*w/5:y=1006[text]; \
   [gradient][text]alphamerge, [bg]overlay=shortest=1" \
-c:v libvpx-vp9 -an -movflags faststart stream-fans.webm


text:
How to clip an image/layer like photoshop to an animation that has a transparent background in Premier pro?
Good day! I'm new to premiere pro, and here is my issue. I have an animation/sequence I'm currently compositing in premiere pro that has a transparent background and I forgot to add shadows on it, that it is supposed to look like it enters a tunnel, and I don't want to re-render my animation just for that. Is there a way to clip an image that acts like a shadow onto the animation/sequence like clipping layers in photoshop? I already tried using track matte but it only works for videos that are going to be clipped on a text/image/shape, not images that are the ones gonna clip onto a video.
Example using Photoshop:
Assume the train is moving, but the shadow is static.


text:
Is the EF mount on the BMPCC 6k weak? If yes, how weak?
BACKGROUND / PROBLEM
Hi, I plan on getting a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6k g2 sometime soon, and don't know the physical limits of what the body of it can withstand. I've heard that EF lens mounts are weak, not meant to bear weight, and that the Black Magic Pocket series have the mounts screwed into the plastic, not metal. So I fear it breaking.
I'll have rails and a matte box mounted to them, plus a 135mm telephoto lens that weighs a little under 2 lbs.
Some shots with it will be done from overhead, so the lens is perpendicular with the ground. Lets assume some minor hand shake is applied as if you were doing an earthquake scene.
And although I have no plans to do this, lets assume you whip panned this same setup 135 degrees from any direction as fast as your arms could do it (bottom to top, left to right, etc).
QUESTIONS
Assuming the above...

Does anyone know if parts of the camera would break or loosen from these actions?? What are it's physical limits, particularly around the mount??
Do you have any suggestions on what would be best for doing these movements safely?? Because the only lens supports I've seen are for when the camera is held horizontally, never overhead. I also know I can use like a GoPro, but let's assume that wasn't possible, because I want to know the limits of this camera.

Thanks!


text:
What are the arrows above the timeline in final cut pro?
Why are there arrows above my timeline? And why is the timeline outside of these arrows grayed out somewhat, using crosshatch? I tried things like selecting a range, or unselecting a range, but didn't affect these arrows. I tried dragging, and clicking, the arrows, but no obvious way to move them. No name or help appears when I mouse-over the top of them.

So, it turns out that it's because I was inside a compound clip, and I'd clicked into that compound click from its parent. The arrows show which part of this compound click is being shown inside the parent. If one clicks back into the parent, and expands the range of the compound being shown, then the arrows move.
In parent, before:

In parent, after expanding clip a bit:

Back inside the compound clip, the arrows are now further apart:

Also, if you find the current compound in the event viewer, and double-click it, to open it directly, there will no longer be any arrows at all:


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Can't fill a shape in After Effects (imported from XD)
I created some User Interface in Adobe XD including some shapes with blur and color each one. In XD everything looks OK, like:

But, when i Export that to After Effects (Adobe XD lets you export artboards directly from it to After Effects), this shape lose the color! Example:

Why is this happening? This is the configurations shown in After Effects for this shape:

Someone can help me?


text:
FFMPEG: FIFO buffer to smoothen bandwidth requirements?
I'm trying to achieve something pretty simple, but it's very hard to describe:
There is a live video stream which uses h264 for it's video, and m4a for it's audio. This stream is not mine, and I have absolutely no control on it: I can use it as-is.
The required transfer bandwidth graph looks like this below:

Huge impact when there is a keyframe, then relax period until next keyframe.
My MachineA receives this stream, and I want to republish it to my other MachineB (only to 1 single place).
Why? Because MachineA can receive the stream, however MachineB (due to geo-lock), can't.
But, between MachineA and MachineB there is a VPN, so MachineA could (and actually can) forward (republish) the stream to MachineB.
The only problem is, that there is a bandwidth limitation between MachineA and MachineB, which causes the stream to quite frequently pausing: (green line shows the bandwidth limitation):

The solution I'm looking for is to utilize some clever ffmpeg approach:

ffmpeg opens the stream on MachineA
On MachineB I open the stream from MachineA, and buffers it for X seconds, before playing.

So I basically want to solve this problem similar to old-school disc-man's anti-shock protection:

fill up the buffer
play the buffer

This was a FIFO approach, ie.: MachineA sends a frame to MachineB, which puts it into buffer. Once buffer is full, MachineB starts feeding it to decoder. This way it can smoothen the bandwidth, as long as the average bandwidth of the stream is less-than-equal to the max bandwidth of the VPN between machines.
How could I manage this with ffmpeg? I.e.: ffmpeg on MachineA receives the stream and republish to ffmpeg on MachineB. ffmpeg on MachineB applies this FIFO approach, and then it displays the received stream.

You might have done by this time.
Please share if done.
ffmpeg -i input -c copy -f fifo -fifo_format flv -map 0:v -map 0:a rtmp://url

Ref:
http://underpop.online.fr/f/ffmpeg/help/fifo.htm.gz


text:
FFMPEG : Add video (partial video effect) under the image with ffmpeg
I have a video, video.mp4, and an image, artwork.png
I would like, to use FFmpeg:

To display the video.mp4 effect inside the image artwork.png
If possible, resize output.mp4 as per the demo demo_output.mp4

Is this possible?
Resources: https://www.dropbox.com/transfer/AAAAAGgUAt5aTw0W5DYH75y-CvJTKQUqxXatnMPNjHBxpz4DDiOH9IM
Have tried :
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -i artwork.jpg -filter_complex '[1:v][0:v]scale2ref[ckout][vid];[vid][ckout]blend=all_mode='lighten'[out]' -map '[out]' output.mp4

Will look at it tomorrow. Ping if no answer.

@Gyan yet no answer was found

You would use scale2ref to match the fx clip with the artwork and then the blended result with the demo reference. For correct results, blend will have to work with RGB inputs, so those inputs have to be converted first.
ffmpeg -framerate 30 -i artwork.jpg -i video.mp4 -i demo_output.mp4 -filter_complex "[1][0]scale2ref[fx][bg];[bg]format=gbrp[bg];[fx]format=gbrp[fx];[fx][bg]blend=all_mode=lighten[mix];[mix][2]scale2ref[v][ref];[v]setsar=1[v];[ref]nullsink" -pix_fmt yuv420p -map [v] out.mp4


text:
2 camera stitching with 3m distance
So, at this point, I'm not sure if this is a programming or a physics problem! I'm attempting to concatinate 2 video inputs together to cover a wider field of view. As far as I can tell, this is usually done by "stitching" using matching keypoints in the two images. This can be computationally expensive, and as I'm trying to show the output in real time, my approach has been a simple mechanical allignment and a pixel overlap, blending/merging the overlap together.
Here's the problem. Usually stitching is done with 2 cameras placed next to each other. My cameras are places 3 meters apart. Two different point of views resulting in two different perspectives.
Now, the stitching doesn't have to be absolutely perfect. My goal is to concatinate the inputs while NOT losing objects. Obviously, depending on the field of view of the cameras, there will be a "dead space" close to the cameras.
Here's my starting point:

One idea was to do a cut with an angle and then stitch the images together. That way, I keep information close by while avoiding double objects further out. But this introduces an unwanted distortion and I still get double objects further out:

Any ideas how to move forward? Any help appriciated!

You cannot just cut at an angle - every point will have a transformation required in order to make it fit. See the old autostitch programme for guidance and info - it's a fair bit more complex than you think, unfortunately

Autostitch (by Matthew Brown?) looks pretty impressive! I'll have a look into that. At first glance it does however look like the approach is similar to most other sources I've found: cameras are placed close to each other. But yes, I'm afraid this whole project is more complicated than I thought at first. Regardless, thanks for your reply.

There's a pretty good explanation of how to do this fro polyhaven (who make lots of HDRI images which require stitching of multiple shots):
https://blog.polyhaven.com/how-to-create-high-quality-hdri/
They recommend using PTGui to stitch the images together
https://ptgui.com/
To do this for a video you'd have to convert to an image sequence, then script something to sequentially stitch all your files.  it would take a while.
I'd try mesh warping them in After Effects and carefully masking between them.  You might just about get away with it.


text:
FFMPEG merge 3 videos and audio together with 1 command
I'm trying to merge 3 videos and 1 audio track to 1 signle video with ffmpeg.
At the moment i got working command which converts 2 videos and 1 audio together.
One video called overlay is with transparent background and is delayed 13 s as well as audio.
ffmpeg \
    -i main.mp4 -i click.mp3 -i overlay.mov\
    -filter_complex " \
        [1:a] adelay=13000|13000 [voice]; \
        [0:a][voice] amix=inputs=2:duration=longest [audio_out],setpts=PTS-STARTPTS,scale=1920x1080[top]; \
        [2:v]setpts=PTS-STARTPTS+13/TB,scale=1920x1080[bottom]; \
        [top][bottom]overlay=x=(W-w)/2:eof_action=pass" \
    -map 0:v -map "[audio_out]" -y -acodec aac -vcodec libx264 -preset ultrafast output.mp4

I'm not sure if it is possible but my goal is to add intro a.k.a 3rd video before these videos. So in total it would be 3 videos and 1 audio track.
I tried a lot of varations and nothing has worked. Any suggestions?


text:
How to be sure of the FPS needed for any given export?
Sorry, my question is not very well put out but I have trouble understanding my own problem.
I'm currently working on a music video project where I need to put green screened actors in a CGI scene.
What I'm doing is using After Effects to color key the green screen out, then export each file with a transparent background before putting them in a 3D scene.
When I export the After Effects files, I choose to have them played at 24FPS.
I then put them in a Blender file that is set at a 24FPS ratio.
When I scroll the scene in Blender, the lip-syncing is on point and all the actors seem to be singing the song file imported in Blender.
When the scene is done, i export the Blender file in order to put the scene in my Premiere Pro project.
The Premiere project is also set at 24FPS.
The thing is, I export everything in a PNG sequence and when I place it in the Premiere timeline, its length doesn't match the song. It's the same song file that I've put in the Blender and Premiere projects.
I did a test where I exported the Blender scene in a mp4 video file and, in this case, everything matches. There's a slight delay but nothing to be worry about.
So, to sum up the thing :

Everything from After Effects to Premiere is at 24FPS
Export in PNG sequence doesn't match
Export in MP4 does match (but looks awful)

How can there be two different 24FPS ?
What am I missing ?

Premiere and After Effects can default to import PNG files at different frames per second.  Double check that they are definitely at 24 fps, and that your sequence in Premiere is set to 24 fps, and that your comp in After Effects is set to 24 fps.  Was the original footage shot at 24 fps in the camera?
Another thought - where is the music originating from?  Often video cameras record audio at 48kHz sample rate, but a lot of music is recorded at 44.1kHz sample rate.  If you put a recording at 48kHz synced up with one at 44.1kHz that hasn't been sample rate converted, they won't play in sync.
Another thought: Blender defaults (or used to? can't remember) to play from frame zero, whereas Premiere/AE default to play from frame 1, so that may also cause you an issue.
In general, if your footage was shot at 24fps, and your whole pipeline is 24fps, your image sequence should be matching perfectly.  If it isn't, it suggests to me that something is frame rate converting somewhere.  If you in-camera settings were anything other than 24fps, I would work at your camera's frame rate throughout, otherwise you are more likely to have syncing issues. If you want to frame-rate convert to 24fps, do it after you have finished your visual effects.

The footage is shot at 30fps but it shouldn't be a problem as after its conversion at 24fps in After Effects, it matches the 24fps of the Blender file, right ?
I mean, how could Premiere possibly know that the footage was running originally at 30fps ?
Regarding the music origin, it's an mp3 file that my project partner exported from Ableton or Audacity. It may not be up to certain kHz standards.
And yes, Blender still defaults to play from frame zero but it's not the issue as it's a sliding problem that ends with a multiple frame delay.

If you've exported a new file from AE at 24fps, then you're right - Blender can't know the original file was 30.  If you're converting from 30-24 in each application, then the way each app handles frame rate conversion may be different, and could cause some sync issues?  I would work in 30fps throughout both projects., convert your mp3 to a 48kHz WAV, and see if you still get sync issues.


text:
audio never lines up with video correctly
I'm using audacity to record my mic at 44100 hz and using obs studio to record my screen at 60 fps. when I start recording, I enable my mic on obs for a few seconds while audacity is also recording to I can sync them in editing. so I do that later and its aligned well give or take some frames. however, later in the video my mic audio from audacity doesn't align with the video at all. so I align it again at that point using video context clues but then later the same thing happens. I checked obs settings and it says i was recording audio at 48khz (48000hz) the only other option was 44.1khz (44100 as audacity was using) so I switched it to 44.1 but I don't know if it works. I'm pretty confident that this will fix it but I don't have the time to test it so I just want to know if that is what the answer would most likely be.

Yeah, it is definitely the sample rate difference. Why are you recording at 44.1 and separately in audacity? Definitely record at 48 and you should probably save yourself the trouble and just record the audio in OBS, too.

that's what it was set to automatically. I record in audacity so I can edit out all the background noise I have. I tried obs's tools for it and a bunch of plugins for it but none of them ever worked very well.

Couldn't you import a file recorded in OBS into Audacity afterwards, in order to noise reduce it?  Then recombine the video and audio files after that?

you mean to use another obs window for audio recording?


text:
How do you achieve this soft/glowish low contrast black and white look?
Watched La Haine 4k version the other day and was captivated by how BFI gave the film a much low contrast soft look in comparison to criterion hard contrast look. I know lightning plays a vital role but did they add a filter or lower the whites?. It seems as if there is a glowing outline around body figures and objects , in which I wondering if they used a HDR effect?. Has the tool of clarity been used too?. I'm not planning on using any types of mist filters because it will strengthen the highlights too much in which this is something that I don't attend to aim for , due to me editing in post-production


text:
Audio plays fast and acute
I register an audio track from Audacity and export to wav
At that stage sound is OK
But when I load in Openshot sound like fast and very acute, voice is very strange.
I don't understand what happen and what to do

Welcome! What sample rate is the file exported from Audacity? What sample rate is Openshot expecting?

Audacity: 44 100
Openshot: 44 100
Concerning Openshot not sure in fact. I went to file property in project files tab

by playing with sampling rate I found a compromise a little bit better

Try 48 kHz in Audacity. That's what video usually expects.


text:
How can I crop four videos into an unusual aspect ratio, and then stack them all on top of each other?
This seems like it would have a solution but I haven't had luck online. I am working on a video project that involves taking subtitles for four videos and then stacking them on top of each other. In order to do this, I need to basically take the bottom 25% of four videos, so that I have four videos that are "slivers", almost like horizontal videos shot on a phone. I'm not sure how to do this cropping, for one.
Second, I need to stack all of these four videos together on top of each other. They would all have the same horizontal and vertical size. I'm not really sure how to do any of this, and would like to do it using only free tools. None of the videos will have audio, as that will be processed separately.
Thank you.

that sounds very likely to be straightforward using ffmpeg - have a look through our other ffmpeg questions for some guidance.

What software do you have available to you?

Depends on the software you're using.
But here's an example with the free DaVinci Resolve:
First you stack all four images on top of each other.

Then you can go to the inspector in the top right and scroll down to cropping.
Here you can crop off the top 3/4. In my case, the height of the video is 2560, that /4*3 = 1920.

now repeat this for all four videos.
Now you can stack the images vertically. You need to do this again in 1/4 increments, so in the inspector, for the first element, you move it up with Position.Y by 640 (2560 pixels timeline height / 4). The second by 2*640 and so on.

And now you'll have a video with just the four lower fourths stacked on each other.

I ended up finding an easy way to do this in kdenlive (you can stack the videos on top of each other and just move the frame up so only part of the video beneath is visible, essentially using picture-in-picture but not the way it was intended), but this looks like a perfect solution thank you for answering.

That also works as long as it's always the edge piece you want to keep. With the crop you can also use any part, by cropping top and bottom


text:
what is the difference between a video compressor and an video encoder?
quick question,
i am curious to know what is the difference between a video compressor and a video encoder? are they the same thing? if not, what differences are there?
what are the fundamental differences between a video encoder and a video compressor?
i heard a phrase "not all forms of encoding are compression but all forms of compression are encoding" or do i have it backwards? or is the phrase just wrong?
thank you

It's kinda two separate things, encoding is the practice of how the visual data is stored. A very simple example would be that encoding for talking is written language, for each vowel, we set one character like A. So to encode spoken language to text, we use the 26 characters in the alphabet.
Compression on the other hand is the practice of reducing the storage space required to store said encoding. To continue with the language example, instead of saying "It is", we just write "It's" and have thus saved 1 character. Or instead of writing "Best Regards" we write "BR". This is compression, since it requires less space to write. Compression comes in two forms, lossy or lossless, in lossless compression, all data is stored, just in a smaller size, like in "It is" -> "It's", the meaning is still the same. Lossy on the otherhand removes some information, "BR" isn't definitely "Best Regards", but could also be anything else. So we lost some information there. But since we know what BR in a letter means, we can still read it correctly.
Encoding is always neccessary to store visual data, but compression is not.

Imagine you have a big bag of candy, and you want to make it smaller to save space, but you still want it to taste yummy. That's kinda of like what video compression and video encoding do but for videos instead of candy.
Video Compression-
Video compression is like squishing your video to make it smaller. It takes up less space, which is great for saving storage and for streaming videos online. It's like making your candy pieces smaller so you can fit more in your bag, but they still taste good.
Video Encoding-
Video encoding is a bit like a magic recipe to make your video look great while it's squished. It's about making sure the video still looks good even when it's small.
So, in simple terms, video compression is about making the video file smaller, and video encoding is about making sure it still looks good even after it's squished. They work together to make videos easy to store, send, and watch.
Technically, video compression reduces the file size by removing unnecessary data, while video encoding prepares the compressed video for playback by converting it into a specific format and encoding it using a chosen codec. These two processes work hand in hand to make videos smaller for storage and transmission while ensuring they still look good.
I hope this helps you.


text:
If I split one video into 2 in Capcut mobile app is there a way to merge them again?
I Googled, watched YouTube tutorials and none have the answer. Please keep in mind that I am asking about the Capcut mobile app and not the Pc version

What does the user guide for the mobile app say about merging files?


text:
Looping segments breaks some players
I used ffmpeg to generate some segment files that I'm using as slate to play before a program starts. Using nodejs, I'm generating a an m3u8 file that loops perfectly in HLS.js, but on some players (namely VLC), it stutters around and can't seem to play smoothly at all.
Here is what the playlist looks like:
#EXT-X-TARGETDURATION:3
#EXT-X-PLAYLIST-TYPE:EVENT
#EXT-X-VERSION:7
#EXT-X-START:TIME-OFFSET=6.256256,PRECISE=YES
#EXT-X-MEDIA-SEQUENCE:39
#EXT-X-DISCONTINUITY
#EXTINF:2.502500,
http://localhost:8000/slate/000000003.ts
#EXT-X-DISCONTINUITY
#EXTINF:1.251244,
http://localhost:8000/slate/000000004.ts
#EXT-X-DISCONTINUITY
#EXTINF:1.001067,
http://localhost:8000/slate/000000005.ts
#EXT-X-DISCONTINUITY
#EXTINF:2.502500,
http://localhost:8000/slate/000000000.ts
#EXT-X-DISCONTINUITY
#EXTINF:2.502500,
http://localhost:8000/slate/000000001.ts
#EXT-X-DISCONTINUITY
#EXTINF:1.251256,
http://localhost:8000/slate/000000002.ts

I'm dynamically updating the EXT-X-START:TIME-OFFSET and EXT-X-MEDIA-SEQUENCE tags and the order of the segments when a request comes in.
Is there something obvious I can change to make it playback normally in VLC?
I've noticed that if I don't have the EXT-X-DISCONTINUITY tag then it won't loop on any player but it does play smoother for about 5 seconds in VLC...


text:
After Effects: Simulate Line Spacing Controls Across Multiple Text Layer Position Values
I have four separate text layers (each have custom expressions so must be separate instead of a single paragraph) and I wish to create a single slider control that simulates a line spacing control across all four layers as if they were all part of a single paragraph of text.
I've been attempting to do this via y-value expressions which exponentially increase for each layer (as below) but this doesn't work as the amount they need to change relative to each-other is variable based on the line spacing itself.
First layer -> value+(thisComp.layer("Null 53").effect("SPACING")("Slider"))*10

Second layer -> value+(thisComp.layer("Null 53").effect("SPACING")("Slider"))*12

Third layer -> value+(thisComp.layer("Null 53").effect("SPACING")("Slider"))*15

Any help with this would be fantastic - I'm fairly new to AE expressions so would love to learn from some pros!

This is probably a really hacky way to do it, but you can use the "sourceRectAtTime" function to work out how tall or wide a layer is at any moment in time.
This means even if your text layer has multiple lines in it, you can still work out where the layer below it should be positioned.
So make a text layer, and call it Text 1.  Add a Slider effect to it -this will be your line height adjuster
Make a text layer below it called Text 2. Add the following expression to its position:
height = thisComp.layer("Text 1").sourceRectAtTime().height;
xpos = thisComp.layer("Text 1").transform.position[0];
ypos = thisComp.layer("Text 1").transform.position[1]
sliderval = thisComp.layer("Text 1").effect("Slider Control")("Slider");

[xpos, (ypos + height) * sliderval]

Then make another text layer, call it Text 3 and add this to its position:
height = thisComp.layer("Text 2").sourceRectAtTime().height;
xpos = thisComp.layer("Text 2").transform.position[0];
ypos = thisComp.layer("Text 2").transform.position[1]
sliderval = thisComp.layer("Text 1").effect("Slider Control")("Slider");

[xpos, (ypos + height) * 1.1 * sliderval]

Where the "1.1" is the multiplier you want to apply to the increase in line height.
Now wiggle the Slider and you should see all the layers below the first one move appropriately.  You may need to adjust the range of the slider to be quite small by right clicking on its value and choosing "Edit Value"

Thank you @tomh ! This is the exact functionality I'm looking for, however when I replicate, something seems off about the sourceRectAtTime value for Text 1. The spacing between Text 2 and Text 3 scales proportionally, but Text 1 to Text 2 seems off. Additionally, at a 0 value on the slider, Text 2 and Text 3 both are at the exact top of the comp, which doesn't line up with your screenshots. I've attached what I'm seeing below - any help appreciated!
[https://imgur.com/a/dA5oXl0]

The value between text 1 and 2 is controlled by the height of text 1 added to its y position, then multiplied by the slider value. Try some other values to see what works - maybe a fixed numeric value added to the slider value for example.  When the slider is set to zero, all the y values will become zero (because anything multiplied by zero equals zero) , so you probably only want to start from 1 and animate the value upwards.


text:
How to know which ffmpeg encoders are hardware accelerated?
On any given build of ffmpeg, ffmpeg -encoders will list which encoders can be used for encoding video.
Of the encoders listed, how can I tell which ones use hardware acceleration?

You can tell by the name.
If the encoder or decoder includes _qsv, then it's Intel Quick Sync.
If it contains nvenc or cuda, it's Nvidia
If it includes amf it's AMD AMF
For example, x264_qsv encodes H264 using Intel Quick Sync
(if all of the proper software is installed.  Determining that is something that belongs in a different topic, and has probably already been answered).


text:
SONY XDCAM Cant open files on macbook
I can't open the BPAV folder on my mac, not in quicktime or in Final cut pro. I don't know why can anybody help?

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202252 ?

@aud Fancy making that into an answer?

It's possible that you haven't installed needed additional software as is mentioned in the Apple's support page Import Sony XAVC and XDCAM media in Final Cut Pro.

You need to install additional software to import Sony XAVC and XDCAM
media.

As of January 2023, there are two options depending on the Final Cut Pro version you're running, one of which (for FCP version 10.1.4 or earlier) requires installing Sony software.


text:
To reconnect Motion Tracker in After Effects
I want to reconnect my Motion Tracker. But I cant "Edit Target".
For example: I track the video and forgot to create a null-object for the connection with the tracker. When I do this, there is no more possibility to connect the tracker with the null-object and the only chance for me is to track the motion again (but the former tracking path is visible, but no more connectable). Anyone an idea?

Steps:

Add your footage.
Go to the Tracker panel
Select the layer to be tracked
Click Track Motion
Position your track point (or points if you're doing Scale and Rotation as well)
Click the Play icon in the Tracker panel
If it mis-tracks, manually reposition the markers, and continue playing from the Tracker panel.
A load of motion tracker keyframes appear in your footage
Add a null to your comp
Go back to the Tracker panel.
Click 'Edit Target'
Select your null and press OK.
Click 'Apply' and choose whether you want X and/or Y coordinates applied.
Your null now has position keyframes derived from the tracker marker.
If you delete the null and make another one, you can repeat the process.
Select your footage layer
Go to the Tracker panel.
Choose the correct Motion Source (your footage layer).
Choose the correct Current Track (probably Tracker 1).
Choose Track Type - probably 'Stabilize'.
Click Edit Target, choose your Null, and hit Apply as before.

I suspect the 'Track Type' pull-down is working differently, and this is what you had to do, in order to be able to re-apply to a new null.. I don't remember it working like that before?


text:
How to use b-roll to give more depth to the script
I realize there are 2 ways to illustrate a script with stock footage.
One way is to simply use footage that matches what the script is about, for example for a script that talks about being rich, the footage would show a man with many banknotes and a luxury car. That would turn into a boring illustration because it shows what we already know.
The other way is to use footage that correspond to a thought with an extra step and... this is the a concept I don't fully understand so I would like you to explain it, with many examples.

Lord Privy Seal

(A privy is a slang UK english word for a toilet.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Frost_Report#%22Lord_Privy_Seal%22
Charlie Brooker - How to report the news:

Watch all of Adam Curtis.  Love him or hate him, he knows how to use B-roll... It's all B-roll!

It's all about taste, and deciding what feels right in your video. There are conventions, but not rules.  I highly recommend the book In the Blink of an Eye by Walter Murch.
It won't teach you any Adobe Premiere Shortcuts.  It will make you think about how you edit.

Thanks for your answer but I would prefer something more readily applicable in my next youtube video. The first 2 videos are what not to do, Adam Curtis' documentaries are far from tutorials and the for book, maybe you could specify a chapter ?


text:
How to create a webM with a Transparent background from a MP4 Green Screen
Been trying this for some time now with little to no results.
I have an MP4 of characters recorded against a Green Screen and have managed, through FFMpeg to strip out the green screen with an Alpha Key chroma filter in to a WebM.
However, the background is always black and is either not output as transparent or does not render transparent.
Here is the command I'm currently using, which "in theory" should be working, but just outputs a black background:
ffmpeg -f lavfi -i color=c=black:s=1280x720 -i input.mp4 -vcodec libvpx-vp9 -acodec libvorbis -pix_fmt yuva420p -filter_complex "[1:v]chromakey=0x339E3E:0.1:0.1[ckout];[0:v][ckout]overlay[o]" -map [o] -map 1:a -auto-alt-ref 0 output.webm

I have even tried using a transparent background texture of the same video dimensions as well
ffmpeg -i bg.png -i 3.mp4 -vcodec libvpx-vp9 -acodec libvorbis -pix_fmt yuva420p -filter_complex "[1:v]chromakey=0x339E3E:0.1:0.1[ckout];[0:v][ckout]overlay[o]" -map [o] -map 1:a -auto-alt-ref 0 output.webm

No Joy
Getting a bit frustrated as most information out there seems out of date or does not even work any more, please help!.

After chromakey, you're overlaying the result on a black canvas. Why?

Do you have an alternate suggestion @Gyan ?  WHen I've tried doing ChromaKey alone, this also results in a black background and not transparent.
From the searches I've done so far, mapping to a Transparent texture seems to be the way to go, or am I wrong in that assumption?
What FFMPEG commands would you suggest?

See https://stackoverflow.com/a/34682312/ and https://stackoverflow.com/q/43014921/


text:
Why does ffprobe report color space as unknown?
If the caja file properties report YUV for color space, why does ffprobe report color space as unknown ?
The video in question was obtained from Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) Spinning Moon.
Here is the snapshot from caja:

ffprobe reports as follows:
# ffprobe -v error -show_streams "${file}"
FILE: VIDEO__MOON__SpinningMoon.mp4
[STREAM]
index=0
codec_name=h264
codec_long_name=H.264 / AVC / MPEG-4 AVC / MPEG-4 part 10
profile=Main
codec_type=video
codec_time_base=1/60
codec_tag_string=[27][0][0][0]
codec_tag=0x001b
width=640
height=800
coded_width=640
coded_height=800
has_b_frames=2
sample_aspect_ratio=1:1
display_aspect_ratio=4:5
pix_fmt=yuv420p     <<<===
level=32
color_range=unknown     <<<===
color_space=unknown     <<<===
color_transfer=unknown     <<<===
color_primaries=unknown     <<<===
chroma_location=left
field_order=progressive
timecode=N/A
refs=1
is_avc=false
nal_length_size=0
id=0x1e1
r_frame_rate=30/1
avg_frame_rate=30/1
time_base=1/90000
start_pts=192410
start_time=2.137889
duration_ts=1959000
duration=21.766667
bit_rate=N/A
max_bit_rate=N/A
bits_per_raw_sample=8
nb_frames=N/A
nb_read_frames=N/A
nb_read_packets=N/A
...{snip - DISPOSITION:*}...
[/STREAM]

But when I play the video in VLC, it reports CODECs as follows:

I must say that when I start the playing in VLC, the moon image is initally presented (for a fraction of a second) as an elipse going full width of the screen, but then it blanks out and continues with "proper" proportions (i.e. near circle), and when I tell VLC to go on repeat loop, you don't see that initial "deformation" (as if it was able to figure something out and remember that as a setting, during ongoing playback).
QUESTION:  Is the reporting of "unknown" for the color space parameters a bug with ffprobe/ffmpeg, even though it has recognized the pixel format at "yuv420p"?  Is that an oversight in coding?
My environment:
Ubuntu MATE 20.04 LTS

ffprobe version 4.2.7-0ubuntu0.1 Copyright (c) 2007-2022 the FFmpeg developers
built with gcc 9 (Ubuntu 9.4.0-1ubuntu1~20.04.1)

caja is using mediainfo and mediainfo has some misleading labels.
What mediainfo is describing as Color space is more accurately a color model. What ffprobe displays is the pixel format (pix_fmt) which is the specific combination of color model, chroma subsampling, bit depth and component interleaving that the decoder will produce.
A Color space is a mathematical organization of reproducible colors. Two videos may both have YUV (or RGB) encoding and yet have different color spaces. If the output device doesn't know or guess the color space of the image/video, reproduced colors will be different from what is intended.

Trying to understand/integrate what you said.  If mediainfo is giving "color space" as YUV, and Chroma subsampling is 4:2:0, is that how ffprobe comes up with pix_fmt of yuv420p ? or is there a specific reference to yuv420p in the video header and that header does not have a value assigned to color space?

As an aside, if videos automatically included "color space" definitions for each of standardized Red, Green and Blue, would that permit "normalizing" of generated video streams such that it would be near impossible to incorrectly remap the colors to an RGB space ... or any other for that matter?  Could ffmpeg define/build a proper color space definition using such a basic triplet of info?

how ffprobe comes up with pix_fmt of yuv420p ? --> ffprobe opens the decoder and inspects the stream. If the colorimetry attributes are not set, then it's shown as 'unknown'.

if videos automatically included "color space" definitions for each of standardized Red, Green and Blue, would that permit ... --> that's what the 4 color attributes are for. ffmpeg is a video processor which transforms inputs into outputs, so they must be set in the input. ffmpeg can't "discover" these properties. You can get ffmpeg to manually record some user-set values in the output but the validity is for the user to ensure.


text:
How can I shoot a clear video when under the rain with a GoPro?
I use a GoPro 10 to record videos. The GoPro is placed on a car. How can I shoot a clear video when under the rain with a GoPro?
Currently, the rain makes the videos very unclear:

Any answers or comments are welcome.

I am still interested in this question.


text:
How to add subtitles choices to MP4
So I have a Mp4 file, and I want to add multiples subtitles choices to it that will stay forever. A bit like how YouTube, like there are the subtitles choices, and you select which one you want or none if you want none.
The problem is that I don't found how to do it.
I tried with VLC, but it doesn't add the subtitles as a choice it just put them on the video. I've also made some research, but it's always the same over and over.
So if you know how to do it or have a website/software (free is better) that does it, it'll be very welcome.

I've read this several times & I cannot quite figure out what it is you want. VLC can be set to favour a single language for subtitles, but it is a global parameter, which doesn't work quite so well if you watch foreign & domestic videos, some needing subs & some not. Toggling on/off is but a single key command away for those.

What I actually want is the possibility to choose between multiple subtitles language when I open the video. And this on all possible platforms, like VLC, Microsoft built in app etc. But I think that VLC only add one subtitle choice.

Subtitle choice depends on the video supplier - eg https://i.sstatic.net/KxeGG.png You switch on/off with Shift/S & cycle with V, or pick one directly from the menu, or set up your default in prefs.

Yeah, the picture is exactly what I want to do with my video. But is it possible to add multiple subtitles choices with VLC convert ?

If you have the subs files, just put them in the same folder as the video, with the same filename base. VLC will just find them.


text:
Does it help to record at a higher bitrate and render at a lower one?
Currently, I record video games at 1080p 30 fps and 10,000 bitrate in OBS (MKV) but render vids after editing in DaVinci Resolve at 7,500.
So I basically 'downscale' but with bitrate instead of resolution.
I'm wondering whether that helps in anyway instead of both recording and rendering at 7,500.
Visually, I'm satisfied with the quality. But I'm wondering if it's better to just record both at the same bitrate.
Is there any advantage in recording at a higher bitrate and rendering at a lower one?

Yes there is.  When you edit a video, you're making cuts to the existing stream that has been encoded.
Lossy video codecs (like h264, which most people use when they make an mp4 for online viewing) only encode a full frame image every so often.  In between those times, they only encode changes between those images.  These are called I frames and P frames.
So if you're making edits and cutting things out, ideally you would have as little image quality lost as possible (depending on your storage space etc).
If you are colour grading, higher bit rate files will handle colour tweaking better (as will codecs with less colour subsampling).
Rendering to lower bitrates makes your video faster to download, and/or faster to start streaming.  (Although most streaming services specify their recommended bitrates then make additional versions that they stream to users depending on how fast their network connections are).
Another thought: when you are editing, you generally get snappier performance in your editor if you use codecs that are (mostly? completely?) I-frame based, like ProRes, instead of using h264 for your recordings.  These are usually bigger than the equivalent h264 files, but your software doesn't have to generate in-between frames on the fly, so you can scroll around your timeline more quickly.

Okay, thank you!


text:
How to move a video/image within a mask?
I created a shaped masked over a video clip. How do I change the position of the video but keep the mask fixed? I just want to change the position of the video within the mask (without keyframes)


text:
Will moving a sound source in ATMOS just "blend" the sound, or will it create a Doppler-effect?
Intending to make a test video using Dolby ATMOS in Resolve 18.1 I wonder:
When I have a sound recorded at some fixed spot, and I want that sound to move in space via the ATMOS controls, will Resolve just blend the sound across the speaker channels, or will it add a Doppler-effect?
Also I wonder: If Resolve is working with a "unit cube", can a Doppler-effect be created correctly at all (meaning: If you don't know the real speed, you cannot compute the effect, right?)?


text:
Sony Vegas Pro 17 - Speeding Up Video Slow Render
I shortened a 1h clip into 1min by speeding up the video 4x, saving it as .veg, and repeating until I was at 1min. When I try to render it as an mp4 it takes over 6h for 1 minute clip...
I render at 1080x1920 (for tiktok), 60fps, max bps 40mb, average bps 20mb, no audio, video rendering quality: best.
GPU: NVIDIA GeForxe GTX 1070
RAM: 16GB
CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-6700K CPU @ 4.00GHz, 4001 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s)
Any Idea why the rendering might be taking so long and how could I shorten it? In the bottom right of sony vegas there is a time of around 1h which is the main clip. I am wondering if vegas is trying render all of the clip for some reason?

From my experience I believe Vegas will go through the entire hour of footage even if the end result is 1 minute. It is only possible to speed up by 12x each time (Is it possible to speed up footage by more than 4x in Sony Vegas Movie Studio?, using 4x playback rate and 300% velocity) so it's not efficient for greater speedup like 60x.
What I do for my timelapses is use ffmpeg.  https://superuser.com/questions/1261678/how-do-i-speed-up-a-video-by-60x-in-ffmpeg


text:
Syncing hard-coded text with audio
Perhaps too basic for this forum... but it might help someone in the future.
I want to make translated lyric videos, with the lyrics hardcoded onto the video (English on top, my translation in my native language below). The opposite of fancy, just plain text with no effects.
I'm struggling with ensuring that each lyric appears on the exact moment as the audio.
Is there a program or a tool who finds a way to automatically sync text with the audio? Or detects when a new "line" begins? It would be enough to get a txt. file with the timestamps. For some reason I feel the need to be precise by the millisecond, so eye-balling it isn't doing it for me.

This will certainly vary depending on the type of music. If there's not excessive compression, and the instrumentation is quite a bit lower volume than the singer (such as a jazz crooner song, e.g. "The Way You Look Tonight"), you might have some luck with putting Audacity and FFmpeg to work.

As long as you've installed FFmpeg for Audacity (Edit -> Preferences: Libraries -> FFmpeg Library: Download), you can use "File -> Import -> Audio..." to import audio direct from a video. (NOTE: FFmpeg for Audacity is a separate install from the command line tool FFmpeg.)
Then, you can select all the audio and choose "Analyze -> Label Sounds". Experiment with the threshold level to make the line detection more accurate. -30dB is much more sensitive than -10dB.
CTRL+B can manually establish any additional new labels at the cursor position on the timeline.
Then, File -> Export -> Export Labels... will give you a text file with the start/end times and the labels you chose for the sounds.

From there, you might have either a little bit of grunt work translating the seconds to the hh:mm:ss,mmm style of timestamp required by, for example, the .SRT format for subtitles. Or hopefully you have a bit of scripting or reg-ex replace knowhow :-) to automate that process. Then, mix it in. For example, I use this command to mix in subtitles onto a video:
ffmpeg -i in.avi -vf subtitles=lyrics.srt -max_muxing_queue_size 9999 CONCERT.AVI

The -max_muxing_queue_size 9999 is related to an obscure problem with ffmpeg that may have been fixed since I last used this feature.
Of course, it will also vary by the tools you use. It will help to know your environment and favored toolchain. Good luck!


text:
What do these red and blue icons mean in Adobe Premiere?
What do these red and blue icons mean in Adobe Premiere?

The blue icon on the clips means your clip has a proxy file attached to it, and the red icon means the proxy file is missing from that clip.
Proxies are lower quality versions of your video clips that you can generate using Premiere and Media Encoder.  The advantage of using them is that when you are using very large video files, Premiere can become slower and less responsive.  When you generate smaller proxy files, Premiere uses those instead if you click the "Use Proxies" button in the transport controls:

If you can't see the "Use Proxies" button, you might need to click on the plus icon in the transport window to edit which buttons are visible:

There's a good tutorial explaining how and when to use them here:

and Adobe's page is here:
https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/premiere-pro/using/ingest-proxy-workflow.html


text:
Davinci Resolve 17: How do you export individual clips with timeline audio and effect changes?
Is there a way for me to export "individual clips" with their timeline changes?
I am new to resolve and am trying to export "individual clips" with their effects and audio edits mixed in.
When I export "individual clips", the clip is unedited and none of the effects and audio changes are saved. In addition, the audio is not mixed down. E.g. I delete track 2 of the clip and export,  the rendered clip still has multiple tracks and the deleted track can still be heard. Also, if I have a zoom in, the exported clip doesn't have the effect.
I currently have to mark in and out each and every clip individually and export as a "single clip" in order for these changes to be affected. This means I cannot use many of the "individual clips" features like automatic sequential naming.
Thanks!

I think setting an In- and Outpoint would do the trick. Essentially you are cropping down the timeline to the time between In- and Outpoint. When on the Edit tab, you set the Inpoint by pressing I and the Outpoint with O. Then you can just export the entire video, which will be cropped down with color grading, music etc. applied. You can of course choose where to place the points freely and include several clips following each other.
Don't forget to remove the In- and Outpoints afterwards by pressing Alt/Option + X in the Edit tab. These points cause weird behavior sometimes.

This solved my problem!

Copy your timeline and paste it at the end of the timeline. Select this cloned timeline and convert it to compound clip. Move that compound clip above your original timeline. Then use the arrow keys up or down to jump to each cut and press C. Do this to match every cut for the clips you want to have individualized, then move this new sequence to a new timeline


text:
Adding a polygon mask causes flicker/ cutting
Whenever I add a polygon mask, it causes strange flickering/ cutting where it doesn't intersect with the polygon (as in picture).
It cutts it off at the top, when surely it should be displaying everything outside of the mask.

What is your Transform node doing to the Text node? Could it be cropping it before it gets to the merge?  Is the Text node generating at the same aspect ratio as the background image?

Nope, it happens regardless of whether that transform node is there or not.


text:
Davinci Resolve: Animating several layers of photos
I want to create a simple background video for a Lofi video like this. Besides being comical, the elements seem quite simple: moving background, some smoke and train movement. I tried something like that with falling snow back a window, but it does not even start to render. Or it does, but never leaves 0%. I got some .png files to make the window transparent etc. and then move them with keyframes. Falling snow is done by adding a prerendered video of snow and removing the black background. I tried performance enhancing settings and have a quite powerful CPU and GPU. Is there perhaps something I am doing that Davinci just doesn't like? Do you have other thoughts of why this does not work?

At the moment we have no idea what you are doing so we cannot comment. You'd need to post settings, how you have created masks, windows etc. Have a look at other questions here asking for help to understand what info helps us diagnose.

I don't think I can help with your specific render issue without more description, but the method you describe doesn't really seem like a very good way to do it in Davinci Resolve.
If you have a still image, you're probably better off masking out the transparent window with polygons right in DR than using a separate png file.
Adding snow would be better (and more realistic) if done in Fusion with Particles (pEmitter & pRender nodes).  Here's a tutorial video specifically for making snow:

(This may not be the best one, just the first one I found.  There lots of Fusion tutorial videos out there.

Very late, but still: Thank you for the answer I will look into it :)


text:
I have an audio file that's supposed to be video
So, I have an audio file that's a video but unencoded and as an audio file. I recorded it in Audacity, and I need to view it as a video. Any ideas?

In order to view an audio file as a video, you would need to combine the audio with a visual element, such as a still image or a series of images. One way to do this is to use a video editing software, such as Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro, to import the audio file and combine it with visual elements to create a video file. Another option would be to use a software specifically designed for creating videos from audio files.


text:
Which gives better quality SCART or S-VIDEO?
I have SVHS video cassetes and Panasonic NV-HS1000B. It has 2 outputs.
S-VIDEO and SCART.
There is any reason to use SCART and not the SVIDEO output?
I was googling but was confused. I read that SCART also carry a digital singal.
I'm also read this: Does using an S-Video output via a SCART connector improve the output quality of a VCR?
But I didn't received a specific answer

I'm a US-based broadcast engineer who hasn't worked on analog systems in long time, so I haven't had any direct experience with SCART connections. That said, there shouldn't be any difference in quality between S-Video out via a DIN connector or SCART on the same device. There's no difference in shielding, balancing, or signal between the two connectors. This forum post seems to agree. (Though it does sound like the device in that post has a termination issue, which might be something to check your VCR setup for.)
As best as I can tell, SCART never carries a digital signal. Some primarily professional devices (as noted in the comments to the other question), had RGB and color difference (YPbPr) component outputs which might have better quality and might not be available on a separate connector.


text:
ffmpeg dash output for multiple resolutions to be in the same mpd file
I am using ffmpeg to convert an input stream into multiple resolutions and creating an mpd for each resolution.
So far, so good.
But I am trying to find a way to create a single mpd for all resolutions. This will reduce a lot of pain for me, downstream.
Is there an option available for this in ffmpeg natively or should I look at ways to merge mpd files ?
This is how my script looks so far. Please do the needful.
"ffmpeg -f avfoundation -framerate 30 -i 0:0 -filter_complex '[0:v]split=3[out1][out2][out3]' \ -map '[out1]' -s 1280x720 -vcodec libx264 -single_file 1 -f dash /path/to/720.mpd \  -map '[out2]' -s 854x480  -vcodec libx264 -single_file 1 -f dash /path/to/480.mpd \  -map '[out3]' -s 640x360  -vcodec libx264 -single_file 1 -f dash /path/to/360.mpd"

I am using this command, to generate 2 resolution(640x360 and 1920x1080) with single file mpd.
ffmpeg -re -i naruto.mp4 -map 0 -map 0 -c:a aac
 -c:v libx264
 -b:v:0 300k -b:v:1 3000k -s:v:0 640x360 -s:v:1 1920x1080
 -profile:v:1 baseline -profile:v:0 main -bf 1 -keyint_min 120 -g 120
 -sc_threshold 0 -b_strategy 0 -ar:a:1 22050 -use_timeline 1 -use_template 1
 -adaptation_sets "id=0,streams=v id=1,streams=a"
 -f dash out.mpd


text:
Error with turntable render out of Blender and Davinci Resolve
I made a simple turntable animation in blender and while the file runs seamless as a loop when playing back in any video player, once I bring it into resolve then render it out again, it seems to add a frame or something as it pauses between loops in any video player, the same 60fps 1920 by 1080 screen size is used and the output file is around the same size as the original, it seems to be an issue with Davinci resolve itself but have been playing all day trying to find out why with no results, if anyone can point to what may be happening id be grateful, thanks in advance

Is it a frame zero vs frame 1 issue?  Blender sometimes starts at frame zero, and after effects starts at frame1?

I dont think it matters as the original clip loops perfectly, once loaded into davinci to export again seems to loose or gain a frame and has a pause between looping, been through every single option and nothing seems to fix it, maybe its a bug

So, ive found a work around and a potential issue thats causing it, read a post about i-frames and causing a glitch because sometimes davinci skips them or something, dont quite understand but I rendered this time as Tiff images from davinci then loaded them back into blender to render as MP4 and the glitch is gone, so its definitely a davinci issue thats known about, just thought id add this in case anyone else runs into the issue

you should add it as an answer with steps if you can - you're allowed to answer your own Qs if you find a good solution - with a link to the place you found it


text:
Missing speech at a certain part of video
new here and to video production in general.
The issue I have is audio-related.
Background:
I have this video clip made by a vendor - it has background music, speech, visuals, etc. The video clip plays fine with no missing audio on laptops/desktops/mobile devices.
Problem:
When the playing device, e.g. laptop is plugged in to a projector and speakers via HDMI, some speech in the video clip disappears (i.e. cannot be heard). The background music and such is still present, as is speech in other parts of the clip. There are no problems with the projector and speakers AFAIK, as they have been used to play other videos with no issue.
Does anyone have any idea what the specific problem may be that I can feedback to my vendor to look into? Thank you.
(Apologies if this is not the right place to ask this question)

This is almost certainly because that section of the speech has been recorded as a stereo pair of files, but one of the files is out of phase with the other (if you looked at the waveform it would appear is upside down compared to the other channel's waveform).
If you play these two channels out of a mono loudspeaker (which many projectors have), the two channels will cancel each other out, and you will only hear the background sounds which are correctly in phase.
More here:
Premiere Pro audio muffled and distorted on export


text:
How to adjust video histogram using ffmpeg?
I have a dark video and'd like to adjust its histogram. In a graphical editor I've found the values of the color levels that enhance video contrast.

How to set this level values in ffmpeg?

Look at the eq filter.
Example :
ffplay input -vf eq=contrast=1.25:brightness=.05:saturation=2.5:gamma=1.07
to determine the good values for you.

I'd like to adjust histogram exactly as on the picture.


text:
How to make green suit completely invisible?
I use keylight in After effects to remove my green suit, but it leaves ghost like stuff on my video. How do I completely remove it? You can see my hands do not match the color of the background from the exactly the same video.
It is strange that I cannot find tutorials for such basic questions.

Are you able to post a clip of your original footage before keying?

this answer and tutorial may help https://video.stackexchange.com/questions/25635/what-are-some-best-camera-settings-for-recording-for-chroma-keying-and-which-col/25659#25659


text:
How do I create a network effect in After Effects?
How do I recreate the first scene of this video in After Effects?

Probably made using Plexus: http://aescripts.com/plexus/

How would you use Plexus to get this effect?


text:
Why do I use ffmpeg to embed .ssa subtitles and ffprobe recognizes that the subtitle is ass format？
I use ffmpeg to embed .ssa subtitles into mkv, but ffprobe recognizes that the subtitle is ass format.
ffmpeg -i input.avi -i input.ssa -map 0:0 -map 0:1 -map 1:0 -c copy demo.mkv

Also, I learned that ssa subtitles also support MP4, but when I use the command to convert to MP4 that ffmpeg report error：could not find tag for codec ass in stream #2, codec not currently supported in container

enter link description here
How can I solve this problem？

Mp4 container needs you specify the subtitle codec to use.
Add : -c:s mov_text
Like that :
ffmpeg -i input.avi -i input.ssa -map 0:0 -map 0:1 -map 1 -c copy -c:s mov_text demo.mp4

Thank you for your help！It's worked. There is identified "subtitle: mov_text" by FFprobe,  but I need ssa subtitle.
If I use the code like that:
ffmpeg -i input.avi -i input.ssa -map 0:0 -map 0:1 -map 1 -c copy -c:s ssa demo.mkv
An error reported that:
Subtitle codec 94212 is not supoorted

@mm_test As you asked to convert to mp4 and ssa subtitles are not supported by the mp4 container, I proposed a conversion to mov_text. If you want to keep the matroska (mkv) container, ssa subtitles are supported. Normally your last command is correct. Codec 94212 matches ssa well. Check your version of ffmpeg.

Should I change the version of ffmpeg for keeping the matroska (mkv) container, ssa subtitles are supported. When I enter ‘ffmpeg -version'，it's shown that:
ffmpeg version N-68994-g4df01d5 Copyright (c) 2000-2015 the FFmpeg developers. Is it too old for Codec 94212?

@mm_test Your version is really very old. You would do well to update to benefit from bug fixes and improvements. There are releases for all platforms.

It's worked! There is another question. There is identified "subtitle: ass   metadata: encoder  Lavc60.4.110 ssa" by FFprobe. Why the format of subtitle is not ssa?

"ssa" stands for SubStation Alpha version 4.00 and "ass" stands for Advanced SubStation Alpha, the most advanced version 4.00+

I only need "ssa" stands. What can I do for this?


text:
What application/software can convert text-to-speech and create a synced video of just the text simultaneously?
I have a file with text, typically about 2 paragraphs long. I am looking to create a video where the audio is text-to-speech and the visual is simply the text that is currently being spoken, say, about one sentence at a time.
This would need to be a lightweight process. Ideally this would be as simple as uploading the text file, choosing a voice, and clicking a process button.
However, I am having trouble finding a software application that will both create the audio and semi-animated text from the text file in a simple fashion. It seems relatively easy to find text-to-speech services or to find subtitling, separately. But creating a video of just subtitles based on interpretation of the audio from an original text source seems unnecessarily clunky.
What are my options here?

Audiate (Generate Audio From Text or a Script) together with Camtasia video editor.

I think the easiest to use for your case should be Animaker . If it's not enough for you, try Descript. Which has more features and is quite easy to use as well.


text:
Recording webcam got too big file in 12 hours, spliting the file takes much less space
Sorry I do not give better details, I am too new on this
this weekend we left OBS recording a small portion of the screen, with audio, for an university experiment (we have a software that analize noise, but lacks video record)
today I got a 12 GB file for 11 hours 27 mins, and a space disk error (yep, we were short of space)
acording Media Info, file settigns are:
Gneral
Complete name                            : N:\File.mkv
Format                                   : Matroska
Format version                           : Version 4
File size                                : 12.4 GiB
Duration                                 : 11 h 27 min
Overall bit rate                         : 2 577 kb/s
Writing application                      : Lavf58.76.100
Writing library                          : Lavf58.76.100
ErrorDetectionType                       : Per level 1

Video
ID                                       : 1
Format                                   : AVC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile                           : High@L2
Format settings                          : CABAC / 4 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC                   : Yes
Format settings, Reference frames        : 4 frames
Codec ID                                 : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration                                 : 11 h 27 min
Nominal bit rate                         : 2 500 kb/s
Width                                    : 192 pixels
Height                                   : 108 pixels
Display aspect ratio                     : 16:9
Frame rate mode                          : Constant
Frame rate                               : 10.000 FPS
Color space                              : YUV
Chroma subsampling                       : 4:2:0
Bit depth                                : 8 bits
Scan type                                : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)                       : 12.056
Writing library                          : x264 core 163 r3060 5db6aa6
Encoding settings                        : cabac=1 / ref=1 / deblock=1:0:0 / analyse=0x3:0x113 / me=hex / subme=2 / psy=1 / psy_rd=1.00:0.00 / mixed_ref=0 / me_range=16 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=0 / 8x8dct=1 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / fast_pskip=1 / chroma_qp_offset=0 / threads=3 / lookahead_threads=1 / sliced_threads=0 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / interlaced=0 / bluray_compat=0 / constrained_intra=0 / bframes=3 / b_pyramid=2 / b_adapt=1 / b_bias=0 / direct=1 / weightb=1 / open_gop=0 / weightp=1 / keyint=250 / keyint_min=10 / scenecut=40 / intra_refresh=0 / rc_lookahead=10 / rc=cbr / mbtree=1 / bitrate=2500 / ratetol=1.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=0 / qpmax=69 / qpstep=4 / vbv_maxrate=2500 / vbv_bufsize=2500 / nal_hrd=none / filler=1 / ip_ratio=1.40 / aq=1:1.00
Default                                  : Yes
Forced                                   : No
Color range                              : Limited
Color primaries                          : BT.709
Transfer characteristics                 : BT.709
Matrix coefficients                      : BT.709

Audio
ID                                       : 2
Format                                   : AAC LC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Audio Codec Low Complexity
Codec ID                                 : A_AAC-2
Duration                                 : 11 h 27 min
Channel(s)                               : 1 channel
Channel layout                           : C
Sampling rate                            : 48.0 kHz
Frame rate                               : 46.875 FPS (1024 SPF)
Compression mode                         : Lossy
Title                                    : simple_aac
Default                                  : Yes
Forced                                   : No

as analizing the file by one person is too much, I split in files, with MKVToolNix, and due to creation time, I chose: 01:04:45,04:04:45,07:04:45,10:04:45  (first and last are shorter, other 3 files are 3 hours long).  MKVToolNix suposelly split the file WITHOUT recodification.
SURPRISE, output file are 40MB, 3 of 100MB, and last of 45 MB, total 375 MB instead of 12 GB
I got details for the second file:
General
Complete name                            : D:\File-002.mkv
Format                                   : Matroska
Format version                           : Version 4
File size                                : 97.8 MiB
Duration                                 : 3 h 0 min
Overall bit rate                         : 75.9 kb/s
Encoded date                             : UTC 2023-02-27 16:15:19
Writing application                      : mkvmerge v60.0.0 ('Are We Copies?') 64-bit
Writing library                          : libebml v1.4.2 + libmatroska v1.6.4 / Lavf58.76.100

Video
ID                                       : 1
Format                                   : AVC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile                           : High@L2
Format settings                          : CABAC / 4 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC                   : Yes
Format settings, Reference frames        : 4 frames
Codec ID                                 : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration                                 : 3 h 0 min
Bit rate                                 : 1 246 b/s
Width                                    : 192 pixels
Height                                   : 108 pixels
Display aspect ratio                     : 16:9
Frame rate mode                          : Constant
Frame rate                               : 10.000 FPS
Color space                              : YUV
Chroma subsampling                       : 4:2:0
Bit depth                                : 8 bits
Scan type                                : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)                       : 0.006
Stream size                              : 1.60 MiB (2%)
Default                                  : Yes
Forced                                   : No
Color range                              : Limited
Color primaries                          : BT.709
Transfer characteristics                 : BT.709
Matrix coefficients                      : BT.709

Audio
ID                                       : 2
Format                                   : AAC LC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Audio Codec Low Complexity
Codec ID                                 : A_AAC-2
Duration                                 : 3 h 0 min
Bit rate                                 : 73.5 kb/s
Channel(s)                               : 1 channel
Channel layout                           : C
Sampling rate                            : 48.0 kHz
Frame rate                               : 46.875 FPS (1024 SPF)
Compression mode                         : Lossy
Delay relative to video                  : 5 ms
Stream size                              : 94.6 MiB (97%)
Title                                    : simple_aac
Default                                  : Yes
Forced                                   : No

Not sure what has happend, why the file stop after 11 hours, why it takes so much space, and why the splited files are much lower size
may somebody help us??
(we need to repeat the experiment, and we need the recording to last for 72 hours straigh)

Your split files are smaller because they are being recompressed.
The split files have a bit-rate of 75.9 kbps.
The original file had a bit-rate of 7,577 kbps.
Optimise this by deciding what bit-rate you need to record at. This will be a trade off between file size and image quality needed.
Check the amount of free space left on your drive before you record.
Use a video file size calculator to work out how much space your recordings will take up.
Bear in mind that other apps and your OS may use some space over time on the drive to swap files etc.


text:
Lighting diagrams language and notation
I know, the use case might be specific but more and more stuff in all industry sectors is digitalized—and so is the communication between different departments which sometimes talk very different languages. I searched the internet, but I wasn't able to find a clear answer (either I didn't find the right search phrases or the internet itself just doesn't know).
Here's my scenario: I'm working with several departments which work with diagrams (for example a lighting setup). This diagram solves different purposes:

which devices are used?
where are they placed?
where are they pointing?
how are they configured (e.g. exposure)?

They tend to export their finalized diagram as either an image or a PDF— which is fine if you want to print it out but considerably less helpful if another department (mine) has to work with the raw information. That's where I wondered if there's some kind of industry standard (SVG, XML, JSON, etc.) which is both supported by the programs these departments used and can be interpreted by some sort of programming language. Do you know anything like that?
They might be integrated into floor plans also showing staging/blocking and/or camera setup.


text:
Video tools which show hand drawing pictures?
I was inquisitive, about a thing many youtubers do - storytelling with a hand drawing the pictures - if you know what I mean.
It's like the hand is drawing them real quick and the hand is like moving in a scribbly fashion.
Since many youtubers do it, it seems like it is automated - how is it done?

It's usually just a timelapse video - you lock-off a camera above your drawing on a white board or sheet, then make sure you have consistent soft lighting across the white sheet.  Expose the sheet to be near full white, then record the drawing.  Then speed it up to the required rate for your video.  Then edit it all together using Premiere if it's simple edits, or After Effects if there are any more complex animations or
thing you need to add in.

Hello, thanks for answering; but I'm not sure that is the only possible way. Have a look here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOLXv3nqDkI, do you think that hand is real? looks fake to me


text:
How much better is Thunderbolt external HDD for video editing?
For the two activities of

transferring 10GB-large mp4 (.mts) video files from external HDD
to laptop, and
editing these same files directly on the connected external HDD drive,

how much better/faster do these activities become using a Thunderbolt connection instead of a USB connection on a Windows 11 laptop?

HDDs are a bit slow for video, no matter how they're connected.

Aren't HDDs best for video storage, while SSD is best for video editing?

HDDs last longer, unpowered, sitting on a shelf. For everything else you want speed.

Heard HDDs only have a (recommended) life of 5 years

Whereas unpowered SSDs are only a year. You've still a lot of research to do.

I just drew out the confirmatory reaction I was looking for. thank u.


text:
Codecs supporting variable resolution (y height of frame changes with time)?
I found a video posted on discord once that made the whole webpage underneath it bounce up and down when it was played. I assume it must have been encoded using a codec that supports a variable resolution, so the y frame height got shorter and longer to make the whole page bounce. I downloaded the video and these are the details:

It appears to be a WebM file. I don't understand how it would have been encoded using a variable resolution though. Any ideas how to do this? Can ffmpeg encode a PNG sequence with variable resolutions for each frame into a single video that also has variable resolution?

concat demuxer http://ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg-all.html#concat-1

@БаярГончикжапов, I'm sorry, I'm not quite following. Could you provide an example?

create videos with different resolutions:
ffmpeg -lavfi "color=green:704x396;anullsrc" -t 1 "in-01.webm" -y
ffmpeg -lavfi "color=yellow:640x480;anullsrc" -t 1 "in-02.webm" -y
ffmpeg -lavfi "color=red:800x450;anullsrc" -t 1 "in-03.webm" -y

and concat:
echo "file 'in-01.webm'" > list.txt
echo "file 'in-02.webm'" >> list.txt
echo "file 'in-03.webm'" >> list.txt

ffmpeg -f concat -safe 0 -i "list.txt" -c copy output.webm -y

mpv output.webm

authors: Баяр Гончикжапов


text:
After Effects expression using Index position isn't working between comps and shapes
I have many shapes that I want to reference to a single comp with a shape in it, in case I need to change them later on.
The shapes are 2D and in different positions all over my canvas.
I want to be able to position each comp using the position data from the layer above it.
When I try to map the position data from the layer above, I get the wrong position.
What am I doing wrong?
As a simple example - I want to position the green star in the same place at the pentagon.  The pentagon is pre-comped in a 300x300 comp, but everything is centred.
I put this in the star's position field:
x = (index-1);
y = (index-1);
[x,y]

And place the star layer below the pentagon layer.
Why does the star jump to -1,-1?

ah I think i've got it:
x = thisComp.layer(index-1).position[0];
y = thisComp.layer(index-1).position[1];
[x,y]

(I was returning the value of the layer, not the position of that layer)