text:
ffmpeg MOOV Atom on a ProRes file?
We have been asked by a client to create a ProRes QT file (.mov) but specifically asked to "The moov atom (movie index file) should be placed at the beginning of the file." I have been reading around but could not find a solution for .mov files. Everybody is talking for .mp4.
The line I came with is:
ffmpeg.exe -i input.mov -c copy -map 0:v:0 -map 0:a:6 -map 0:a:7 -movflags faststart output_ATOM.mov

The audio mapping and the video copying is working fine. I need to know if the -movflags faststart is actually going to do the job? I can't find a way to check the result if it actually moved the Atom.
Thanks!

.mp4 and .mov are pretty much synonymous. Moving the moov atom to the start fo the file is what faststart does, so it whould work. I don't exactly know how you'd check it, other than trying to play the movie over a slow internet connection.

Thanks for confirming stib! I actually found a way. open the file with a HEX editor and if it's correct, the moov should be at the start. Thanks!


text:
Change the speed of clip based on sound track in Premiere pro
We are currently creating a virtual choir project and we have the tracks from the people already. I am the video editor, we have a sound designer as well. He is making the rythm of the sound perfect right now and I am affraid it will therefore not correspond with the video.
Is there a way in Premiere Pro to change the video speed based upon the finished music track? The app can make Multi-camera sequence based on the audio, can it do something with the speed as well?

you can change the speed of the video making it slow to or fast in order to fit the timing of the music you are using.
How to change a speed duration of the clip?

Right click on the clip
Click Speed/Duration
Adjust the speed. The higher the percentage the faster the clip. The lower the percentage the slower.

Important Notes:
If you increase the speed the clip will be shortened
If you decrease the speed making it slow it will extend the duration of the clip

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Facebook live Save Button
We are trying to broadcast church services on multiple platforms.  Services are about 30 minutes.  We are currently doing Facebook Live, downloading the Facebook Live, and uploading that to YouTube, but if the network glitches that affects the YouTube video as well.  There is a save button on the Facebook Live interface, and on short tests this works, but for actual services it has only once actually worked.  I've tried hitting the button again. I've tried waiting for the preview to get all the way to the end and loop back to the beginning, no happy check box appears.  Is there any way to diagnose what is going on?  Is there a better setup I should use?  Currently using a mid grade phone (Moto g6), Wi-Fi connection, and Facebook app.

We're looking into OBS Studio as an alternative, but not sure that available hardware is up to the job.

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


text:
Make wipe diagonal transition after first video ends?
How to create “diagonal wipe” effect in FFmpeg?
After looking at the answer of this question, I am wondering how can I make the transition to happen between the finish of the first one and the start of the second one (in the middle of the two).

I added a new answer to the question you linked to. It allows you to easily set the timing of the transition.

Does this answer your question? How to create “diagonal wipe” effect in FFmpeg?


text:
After Effects render&preview doesn't match timeline
I have a problem with rendering my video. Some layers are invisible until the next layer startpoint, despite the fact that their own startpoint is earlier, and some layers are left in the bacground of next ones, when their endpoint on timeline is already passed. Purging the memory/disk helps with all of them at a time, but once I run render, or even try to pre-compose - some of those layers are broken again, and preview/render picture does not correspond to what is on the timeline again.

The first step if you ever suspect After Effects might have buggy behavior is to purge the Memory / Disk Cache (Edit > Purge > All Memory & Disk Cache).
You mention you already tried this, and that it cleaned it up at first, but then later on the buggy frames returned. In that case, you could consider temporarily disabling the disk cache completely:

Choose Edit > Preferences > Media & Disk Cache (Windows) or After Effects > Preferences > Media & Disk Cache (Mac OS), and select, or deselect Enable Disk Cache.

Other things to consider:

Are you using any unusual file formats or codecs in your project?
Are you rendering to an unusual file format or codec?
Does the same project file on a different computer / operating system work?
General sanity checks (you aren't running out of RAM, disk space, etc)


text:
How to generate this animated view of wave form?
This official video of the song Do I Wanna Know - Arctic Monkey has a really cool minimalistic smooth flow of free-style drawings occasionally accompanied with wave forms of the audio. I wanted to know how to get at least the wavy patterns of the song. Any hints on how to generate these or what tools could have been possibly used, would be of great help.
I am a new user of this site, so please let me know if this is not the appropriate platform to ask.

The wave patterns are not the wave form of the audio. They look like simple sine wave additions - so you could draw them in any video editor.

That is not a waveform, it is an animation simulating one. :o)
Most likely the shapes are it is in vector format, so you can morph it from state A to state B, etc.
There is not a simple way, it needs some work, for example you need to define the exact frame where you want Shape A and where you want Shape B. So make some timelines.
Then use vector-based animation software. Either After effects or the free one Synfig.


text:
How to install AviSynth+ 32-bit?
I have used and installed AviSynth+ 64-bit on a machine. I then wanted to install AviSynth+ 32-bit to use the watermark filter. I followed these instructions to install 32-bit, changed the registry keys, and got a blue screen of death.
After a fresh reinstallation of the Windows system, I want to install 32-bit AviSynth+ only and avoid another blue screen of death.
On the new version 3.5.1 of AviSynth+, is XP the 32-bit version, or is any installer able to install a 32-bit version?

There is no problem with having installed both 32- and 64-bit version of AviSynth on your 64-bit machine, if you correctly placed 32-bit plugins vs. 64-bit ones to their appropriate places.
AviSynth is a frame server, it means, you never call it directly - other program call it back. It means that for example

64-bit Media Player Classic will call the 64-bit version of AviSynth,
32-bit Media Player Classic will call the 32-bit version of AviSynth.

Similarly

64-bit FFmpeg will call the 64-bit version of AviSynth,
32-bit FFmpeg will call the 32-bit version of AviSynth.

I guess that your problem lies in your FFmpeg installation — you have probably 64-bit, and it means that in the process of converting your .avs script to some media file the FFmpeg calls 64-bit version of AviSynth, and you need the 32-bit (because of your 32-bit filter).
So my advice is, install both 32- and 64-bit versions of FFmpeg (into different directories) and use the appropriate one for every particular case.

I do not see a folder C:\Program Files (x86)\AviSynthor C:\Program Files\AviSynth. Where is AviSynth installed, so I can copy plugins there? And I do not see a 32-bit version of Media Player Classic at the K-Lite codec pack mega, where can I get the 32-bit version of Media Player Classic?

"Where is AviSynth installed?" See the Registry, key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Avisynth for 64-bit,  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Avisynth for 32-bit.

K-Lite codec pack installs both 32- and 64-bit version of Media Player Classic, c:\Program Files (x86)\K-Lite Codec Pack\MPC-HC\mpc-hc.exe is 32-bit, c:\Program Files (x86)\K-Lite Codec Pack\MPC-HC64\mpc-hc64.exe is 64-bit.

I found the location of installation by launching the Registry Editor app and going to those paths: AviSynth+ 64-bit is at C:\Program Files (x86)\AviSynth+\, AviSynth+ 32-bit shows the path where I extracted the universal installer, say C:\Users\<user>\Downloads\UniversalAvisynthInstaller\AVSPLUS_x86. K-Lite only installed the 64-bit version and C:\Program Files (x86)\K_Lite Codec Pack has no MPC-HC directory.

Please try find mpc-hc.exe and mpc-hc-64.exe by other way — IMHO the best way is to install and use Everything — it's for free and very useful.

"Everything" does find mpc-hc64.exe at that location (C:\Program Files (x86)\K_Lite Codec Pack\MPC-HC64. A search for mpc-hc.exe returns "0 objects".


text:
How can I get a selection box round editing text?
I'm using Premier Pro 2020 for the first time. After taking some tutorials I've notice a few preference changes.
First question, can I change editing mode to show up a selected text box with a red outline (see img attached)?


text:
Optimal ffmpeg input and settings for 1080p Youtube video from individually rendered frames (PNG files)
There may be multiple questions in here, so please bear with me ...
I am experimenting with rendering animations (from scientific data / simulations). My code produces individual frames as PNGs - at a frame rate of my choosing & at a resolution of my choosing. I want to convert it to something that can be uploaded to Youtube as 1080p / 1k footage offering an as-smooth-as-possible experience for a potential audience at Youtube. I have made the basics work, but I am not (yet) happy with the results.
What are optimal settings for what I am doing? What directions do I have to explore to improve the result?

I have written a little script in Python which generates frames for a rather simplistic test animation. I can tune the resolution of every frame as well as the frame rate. Rendering is based on Cairo. Beyond that, it always generates the same 10 second animation.
Test 1
Video, 60 fps, PNGs at 1k
Command: ffmpeg -framerate 60 -i images/frame_%04d.png -s:v 1920x1080 -c:v libx264 -profile:v high -pix_fmt yuv420p video.mp4
Test 2
Video, 60 fps, PNGs at 1k
Command: ffmpeg -framerate 60 -i images/frame_%04d.png -s:v 1920x1080 -c:v libx264 -preset veryslow -crf 0 video.mp4
Test 3
Video, 60 fps, PNGs at 4k
Command: ffmpeg -framerate 60 -i images/frame_%04d.png -s:v 1920x1080 -c:v libx264 -preset veryslow -crf 0 video.mp4
Test 4
Video, 120 fps, PNGs at 1k
Command: ffmpeg -framerate 120 -i images/frame_%04d.png -s:v 1920x1080 -c:v libx264 -preset veryslow -crf 0 video.mp4

What specifically are you unhappy with?

@Gyan I tested the videos on two different computers and a recent tablet (so far) and they all appear to stutter. Maybe it actually is due to video playback on those systems, but the raw video files when played back with VLC show similar stutters at about the same times. Do they look smooth to you?

@Gyan I can not help it, maybe it is very insignificant, but I think that I have seen stuff like this smoother before.

In terms of fluidity, 1 and 2 look fine. 4 is stuttery. 3 is ok.

@Gyan Thanks for checking. What kind of configuration would you go for then?

2 seems fine...

The 120fps file is converted to 60fps by youtube, and most likely people do not have the monitor with a refresh rate beyond 60. I do not.

@Rafael Yep, correct. But this still begs the question: Is their conversion from 120 to 60fps giving better overall results than uploading 60 fps (for animated graphics) directly? Youtube's conversion is a bit of a black box to me ...


text:
CCTV Camera as a Broadcast Camera
I am trying to make a camera multicam live broadcast setup (at FHD), have 2 cameras already, but would like a third. I am trying to be sub-$60, and found a varifocal and zoom camera. It has a RCA output via BNC (and I have plenty of BNC). If I get that, I would need a RCA to HDMI to fit my setup, but now the question is: Is getting a CCTV camera as a "broadcast camera" worth it?
Obviously the quality is not going to be as good as a proper camera, but would it suffice?
I'm open also to recommendations on SUPER cheap cameras
Thanks All!
Micah

What are you connecting to? What other cameras do you have? Also, RCA isn't a signal type, it is just a connector that is typically only used for consumer grade analog signals.

In my setup, I am going to be using the Blackmagic Atem Mini Pro, which has 4 HDMI inputs (no SDI). Right now I'm just in the planning phase, but I already have a Canon t3i with a clean feed out, and a old, but usable, JVC GZ-HD300BU. Then as the question states, I'm also looking for another camera.
In your opinion, what would be the cheapest reliable way to transfer HDMI over long distances (50-100ft). I was thinking about using composite video to transfer because it has a 100-200 ft limit vs. the 50ft limit of HDMI.

Composite analog video will not only give you a massive drop in quality, but will also only give you a 4x3 raster. You could do anamorphic, but the quality will degrade even further. You haven't said what your budget is, but there are some <$100 HDMI over UTP extenders on the market.

Thanks for pointing that out to me. My budget for this all is sub-1000 total or as cheap as I can make it. The switcher is 600 USD already, so I'm pretty limited. I am a high-school student and work at its auditorium. One more thing before I stop bugging you: thoughts on HDMI over cat 5? Thank you for your time!

I got my start with Broadcast Engineering in High School, so good for you! I'd spend the little bit extra on Cat6/6A. It looks like most of the extenders rate their distances based on that. Cat5 might make it the same distance or it might not. You can probably squeeze a little more distance out of the extenders with bonded and/or shielded cable, but that will significantly drive up cost. (However, if money was no object, I'd choose to go over Fiber instead of UTP). Feel free to move this conversation to chat if you want to continue the discussion.


text:
Final Cut Pro X clip still showing past its duration
I'm new to Final Cut Pro X. I have a still image in my project that shows for a certain duration. Problem is, it still shows on the screen even after the video goes past that image's duration. It's weird because I have other images where this works fine.
Here's the clip in the project:  Once it goes past the duration the X does not disappear.
Thanks!

Marina

It’s a bit hard to see, is there more clips above your X clips? If so, you should check what is there. In general, videos should be stacked on top of the main timeline. Sound clips go mostly below.
FCPX will show the most on top video clip (if you don’t change transparency or add other effects). You can think of a video clip gets covered with the above clip. Like a stack of papers you can see the top paper but none underneath, however, there are there. If you fan out the stack, other papers will appear underneath the edges of above papers.
In your case I assume something is above what you want to show.

Thanks! Turns out I had another layer with the X at the top of the layers.


text:
ffmpeg with h264 produces smaller file sizes for veryfast preset
I am experimenting with ffmpeg and x264 codec. And I have found some unexpected behaviour.
I am encoding video with parameters CRF 23, high profile and changing preset.  Documentation says:

for constant quality encoding, you will simply save bitrate by choosing a slower preset.

And I am using CRF, so it should be this particular quote. So how is possible that I have achieved the smallest file for veryfast preset?
medium    256MB
fast      261MB
faster    235MB
veryfast  209MB
superfast 324MB

What am I missing? BTW another comparison have similar results.

I was able to find an answer. https://stackoverflow.com/a/14308561/941493.
In the nutshell, CRF calculation is also affected by preset so the same CRF number is not the same with different presets. Based on some developer difference can be mostly ignored.

That's a bit of a gotcha. I didn't know that, thanks.


text:
How to get Premiere Pro to use NVIDIA GPU
I am currently editing in premiere with time-lapses and have noticed that premiere will use my integrated Intel graphics card instead of my Nvidia GTX 1060. In the Nvidia control panel, I have set premiere to use the Nvidia GPU and have also kept the Studio-Ready Driver up to date. Inside premiere, I have set it to use the "Mercury Playback Engine GPU Acceleration (CUDA)", but still uses integrated graphics. very annoying as it slows the video decoding. Any ideas on how to get premiere to use the Nvidia GPU instead of the integrated GPU?

You need to make sure that your graphics card model is listed within the file "cuda_supported_cards.txt" which can be found in the "Common" folder of where you've installed Premier Pro. C:\Adobe\Premiere Pro\Common for example.
If you don't see GTX 1060 you will want to add it, without NVIDIA in the name, just GTX 1060.
Depending on what version of PPro you are using, the 1060 may have been released after that version, so it wont be on that TXT file list. You'll need to add it to the list like I said above and just save the file.
Also, keep in mind that Premiere will only use the Mercury Playback Engine and utilize your CUDA cores if what you are trying to do, either encoding wise, or effects wise, is supported by CUDA.
Some effects within Premiere, are CPU only, and won't take advantage of your 1060, so there's no way to get around that. It will use your CPU instead and just run off your integrated Intel GPU.
There should be no need to disable your integrated GPU.
However if you do want to disable your integrated GPU, you should do that from within the BIOS settings when you boot. There should be an option inside your BIOS on which GPU to use and you can toggle the Intel Onboard GPU on/off.
Make sure you have hardware acceleration enabled in the OS if you're using windows. Press the windows key, type "graphics", hit enter and flip the switch to enable global hardware acceleration.

Generally, speaking there are a number of issues with systems that have two graphics cards or chips active (unless they are the exact same model).
One option is to disable the Intel card in the BIOS and Premiere won't be able to use it anymore and hopefully uses the Nvidia card. Research for any potential side effects that your system may show afterwards. For example, I did this on one laptop with Windows and Bitlocker encryption active. After disabling the Intel chip it asked me for the Bitlocker recovery key (if I remember correctly). Therefore backup/print out the key before you change the BIOS setting.


text:
Merge mp3 with jpg and add moving volume as background
I'm trying to put an image with a song and save it as a mp4.
But I need some app makes me able to add simple moving edits to the background like Volumes moving
Something like this :

I wish you can help me
This is a video example :
this video


text:
If my footage is 15fps, why does Premiere try to create a 29.97 fps sequence when I create a sequence from it?
I'm editing some footage from Eecamm's Skype recorder.
The footage appears to be 15fps 1280x720.  In Premiere CC 2019, when I drop it onto the New Sequence icon, the sequence automatically generated is 29.97fps.  Surely this should be 15fps or 30fps?

Because it is a standard frame rate. I am sure you can choose a different preset, though the last time I used Premiere it required to set project properties before dropping any videos on timeline, and also it was not very flexible regarding values, basically only allowed me to choose from several presets.


text:
What free video editing software is capable of moving/rotating a sprite atop video?
Can anyone please advise: I'm looking for a recommendation on free video editing software that can:

Overlay a sprite (static image with transparency, e.g. .gif) atop a video,
Move and rotate the overlaid sprite over some specifiable portion of the video,
Mask the sprite, (i.e. create a movable/changeable shape that covers the sprite but is invisible in the video).

Sorry if my terminology is primitive - it's been years since I last dabbled with video editing software; I'm not sure how terminology has evolved since then.

I'd be grateful if the recommended software also had a tutorial -- either built-in or easily findable online -- on how to do the above.

A great tool for this is Davinci Resolve: https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve. It is very capable, has an excellent free version and can easily accomplish the desired tasks.
A quick intro to Animating a Spite/Image over Video is shown here:

 -- Davinci Resolve - How to Move Images (Animate Movement)
A quick intro to Masking can be seen here:

 -- Masks in DaVinci Resolve 16


text:
AE: Limit Characters in random range selector animation
I'm animating a roulette table; above the roulette is an animated text with random numbers untill the winning numbers apears on the roulette table; but the random numbers are from 0-99; i've made it so that the 2 numbers are each on a layer; so that limits it to 0-9; but i would like the animation of the first layer to 0,1,2 or 3. I was searching for a regex but i have no clue what i'm doing...
In any way; i would love it when the random numnbers would be between 00 and 36 as that are the only numbers on a roulette table.
Thanks guys !

To do this on one text layer you could use this expression in the sourceText:
Math.round(random(36));

If you'd like to keep the two layers then on the first layer use:
Math.round(random(3));

and on the second layer use:
Math.round(random(9));

The number in the brackets of the random expression is the limit, so if it's set to 100, the random expression will return a value between 0 and 100.

Thanks ! But; i'm probably doing something wrong because i'm still saying higher numbers in my random count.
https://ibb.co/y6s8vyv

Is it the text animator? If it's changing the character value then this may be the cause - try removing the text animator and see if it limits the randomness.

If you make an expression like this:
Math.round(random(36));
You will get random numbers between 0 and 35, as the expression counts from zero.
A roulette table has numbers from 0-36, so you probably want
Math.round(random(37));


text:
Workflow / Tool to count cuts in footage material
is there a tool or workflow available or how could one solve this problem:
counting the cuts within video footage
e.g. as a result 'this 8 min piece from "Titanic" has 35 cuts"
Thx in advance!

DaVinci Resolve has a built-in scene detect tool that lets you cull cuts based on a specified threshold.  It also lets you jump from one detected cut to the next to verify the autodetect accuracy and accept or reject accordingly, showing you frames on either side of the cut.  There's a free version of Resolve which should support this feature, so you've got nothing to lose.

You might want to try Algorithmia's Scene Detection. It detects timestamps where the algorithm assumes there is a cut. Then you just have to count the number of timestamps to get your result. You need to setup a Python environment for that and have some basic programming skills. I haven't tried it, so I cannot say how well it works.
Update:
Premiere Pro now has an edit point detection. It's quite new, at first glance the results look good. You may want to give it a try. To count the number of cuts, select "Create Clip marker..." in the dialogue and export the markers to a csv file.
Pretty much all solutions can be inaccurate to a certain degree. Some methods of cutting are hard to detect, like match cuts or invisible cuts. Be aware that some of the found cuts might not be cuts after all but are other types of transitions, like dissolves or morphs.


text:
Same filter in different chains
I want to split input video, scale each stream using different parameters and add subtitles to each output, using the same parameters. I can do it repeating subtitles filter in each chain, can I avoid this duplication?
ffmpeg \
    -i input.mp4
    -filter_complex "[v:0]split=2[v480][v720];
[v480]scale=858x480,subtitles=sub.srt:force_style='Fontsize=18,MarginV=15'[o480];
[v720]scale=1280x720,subtitles=sub.srt:force_style='Fontsize=18,MarginV=15'[o720]" \
    -map [o480] -c:v libx264 -b:v 2000k -bufsize:v 3000k -map 0:a -c:a aac -b:a 128k -ac 2 480.mp4 \
    -map [o720] -c:v libx264 -b:v 4000k -bufsize:v 5000k -map 0:a -c:a aac -b:a 128k -ac 2 720.mp4

I this example I want to avoid repeating subtitles=sub.srt:force_style='Fontsize=18,MarginV=15', is it possible?

Apply the subtitles filter before the split. Note that subtitles will be, proportionally, the same size in each output stream.
-filter_complex "[0:v]subtitles=sub.srt:force_style='Fontsize=18,MarginV=15',split=2[v480][v720];
[v480]scale=858x480[o480];[v720]scale=1280x720[o720]"

Sure, but if I want video quality to be lower, I don't want the subtitles quality to degrade, that's why I make subtitles burning after scaling

Then you'll need to apply subtitles twice


text:
What's the ffmpeg command to extract PPM files from an existing video?
What's the ffmpeg command to extract PPM (or Portable Pix Map) files from an existing video?
Like the reverse of this https://askubuntu.com/questions/971119/convert-a-sequence-of-ppm-images-to-avi-video

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 output_%04d.ppm

Output files will be named output_0001.ppm, output_0002.ppm, etc. See the image muxer documentation for more options and info.


text:
Why do they deliberately (?) crush the quality for any video sent in by "normal people"?
Whenever they (TV stations, YouTube channels, etc.) show footage shot by "normal people", even current such, it always looks like they used a cheap consumer video camera from 1981 with a worn-out VHS tape and then processed this on Adobe Premier 1.0 on Windows ME with the lowest possible quality settings and then recorded the screen showing this video with an even worse camera which then was processed further to just become a blur of pixels.
Assuming that what I said is nonsense, how is it technically possible for the quality to be so incredibly bad? Any person with zero artistic or technical skills can, today, just hold up a "smartphone" and video record any event in crisp, clear quality. It's difficult to make it look bad unless it's very dark and you constantly shake the camera around like a madman.
Surely they must be applying some kind of "crusher/uglifier" filter on these videos, to remove details/quality? I can't see any other explanation. But why do they do this? Is it that they can't stand the idea of it being "stolen" and re-used, so they sit on the real quality version and never show/broadcast it as it was shot? But then their own broadcast also looks crappy, so that also doesn't make any sense...
None of this makes any sense to me.

You’re noticing the difference between professionally shot footage on professional equipment and amateur footage on consumer grade equipment.  Also, consumer video files often don’t include metadata about the color space of the camera which shot them. When this happens, they’re assumed to be rec.709 or srgb, when modern cell phones sometimes use manufacturer-specific variants of “wide gamut”. There’s no way for TV studios to know, and tracking down the shooter to ask is lower on their list of priorities than airing the footage promptly. Compression and bit depth also play into it.

Without an example it's hard to say, but I think perhaps sometimes people just hold up their camera and film, they can't or don't frame the shot or adjust the zoom, they're often standing in one place and can't get closer to line up a good shot. Also lighting is super important for good video, unless it's filmed during the daytime in sunlight, the quality really suffers.
If the image is cropped and zoomed for television, it will amplify camera shake (and most of these videos are handheld) and reduce the quality a lot.
I also think most people don't have high end phones. Even really good phones suffer terribly in low light. I think it's quite easy to underestimate how poor video looks when you view it back on a phone too - if you export it and view it on an external screen, the lack of quality becomes much more noticable.


text:
Is there a way to handle focusing when you're filming yourself?
I'm trying to film myself sitting on a sofa talking.
The problem is, with auto-focus, occasionally the camera can lose focus, for example if I lean forward or back or gesture.
What I want to do is auto focus at the start then simply keep the focus fixed.
I can put my camera into manual focus, but since I'm not in the picture on the sofa, I can't really focus it.
Do I have to put a dummy object where I would sit in order to manually focus? Or is there a better technique than this?
I'm asking as a camera-agnostic question, but I have a panasonic lumix g90 which has a physical dial for choose auto-focus modes or manual. I tried using the app to remotely control it, but I guess as it's a dial, I can't change it? Also since I can't see the screen while I'm sat down, focusing it using an app would be quite tricky anyway.
I figure this is a common enough situation to have a solution to it, if anyone has any ideas.

Put a dummy object where you will sit, and focus on that.
With a dedicated video camera, you would normally zoom in on the focus point, set the focus, and then zoom out again for your desired framing. Your camera appears to be a stills camera, and my understanding is that the lenses on a stills camera don't work the same way as the zoom lens on a video camera, so that particular technique might not be applicable (hopefully someone with stills camera experience can jump in here). But definitely set the framing/focus on a dummy object where you will be, and lock that.
If you are going slightly in/out of focus with your movement, you could move the camera further back as well - the further back the camera is from you, the more depth of field (range of focus distance) you will have on the object being focused on. The trade off being that as you move the camera further away, the sharpness of the image may decrease, the more zoom you are using - although you're unlikely to move the camera far enough back in your setup to make a noticeable difference.


text:
Annapurna Logo Effects Recreation
I'm looking to see how to recreate the effects used on the Annapurna Logo. I think it's awesome. Here's a reference:

In this they have scan lines and a glowing vertical reveal. The VHS tracking is interesting as well, but I'm really interested in understanding how to create the effects of the former to something like that.
Is this possible in after affects and what effects should I be looking into to achieve this? (Hope this is the right forum for this.)

This is absolutely possible to create in After Effects. Without you asking a specific question it's difficult to give a specific answer here, but broadly speaking:

Scan Lines in principal are very easy, they're just alternating black and white lines, set to a blending mode like Overlay and their opacity reduced
A Vertical Reveal is most simply achieved using the Linear Wipe effect
There are a lot of blurs and overexposures in this, which tells me you'd want to change your project settings to 32 Bit Color Space
Chromatic Abberation is a key part of this look -- essentially you precompose your composition, duplicate it three times (red, green, and blue), and apply color channel effects and offset the position of each one.
The VHS footage is almost certainly a recording of real static from a VHS tape, composited in using a blending  mode like Add or Screen
This is a pretty popular look these days and as such there are all sorts of tutorials if you search for "Retro 80's VHS". Here's a good example.

If you have a more specific question please let me know.


text:
Problems correcting perspective in video using FFmpeg
If I save a frame as a JPG using something like:
ffmpeg -i /dev/video0 -frames:0 1 check.jpg

I can get the coordinates to create an image with the perspective corrected using:
ffmpeg -i check.jpg -vf "perspective=51:31:230:30:263:159:23:161" corrected.jpg

It looks great. However, if I try this:
ffmpeg -i /dev/video -vf "perspective=51:31:230:30:263:159:23:161" test.avi

Then I get a video where the image appears to implode on itself. I've noticed that the JPG images I get are 320x240 and the video frames are 640x480, but scaling the coordinates doesn't have any effect. So, I assume the geometry of the frame is different in some way; maybe the origin isn't top left, but I can't find any information.

Try "perspective=51:31:230:30:263:159:23:161:eval=frame"


text:
How do I highlight the words of a subtitle of a video with the corresponding voices?
I would like to highlight the words of a subtitle of a video with the corresponding voices exactly like this video. How Can I do this?

Welcome! There are many tools that could be used, so we'll need a little more information to help you out. What is your budget? What is your skill/experience level? What OS do you use?

@MichaelLiebman  I am looking for a free video editing tool. I have no such experience.  I am using Ubuntu 18.04 and macOS Sierra.


text:
ffmpeg - Max size of filter_script file
I have been using the following command to successfully extract a list of frames from videos. I tried to use it to extract 12,227 frames and the command exits without generating any frames and error messages. I suspect there may be a limit on the size of the filter script file but can't seem to find what is the limit and how to increase it. Can anyone help please? Thank you.
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -filter_script:v Frames.txt -vsync 0 -video-%06d.jpg
content of Frames.txt file is:
select='eq(n,70)
+eq(n,108)
+eq(n,183)
+eq(n,191)
+eq(n,197)
..... etc
+eq(n,18948)
'

Share full log.

@Gyan Here is full log:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1uRivxjn4EhOkmWAGVnEfSadpidlpjX5V

The command works when I reduce the number of frames to ~8000.


text:
After Effects 2020 not importing the required file
I'm trying to import ai file named something 1_03.ai but everytime it shows stubborn behaviour, instead it imports something 1_01.ai I tried something 1_02.ai, but again it imported 1_01.
Then I renamed it to something something else.ai and it imported successfully?

Is it a bug or some feature of Ae aur I shouldn't name them in this way?

This is After Effect's automatic behavior any time it encounters more than one file with sequentially-numbered filenames. It's trying to import them all as entire file sequence. This effectively imports every file, but presents them all as  one single animated footage item, with each file representing one frame.
The solution is that in the "Import File" dialogue box, highlight one or more Illustrator files, and then deselect the checkbox at the bottom named Illustrator/PDF/ESP Sequence.


text:
How can I fix my video stuttering and moving in and out of frame when exported from FCPX?
I recorded the screen for a presentation and edited it using Final Cut Pro X.
Everything looks fine inside FCPX but he problem comes when I export the video.
The image constantly moves in and out of frame and it looks weird.
Here's the video in question:

Add a few of screenshots - show your settings for your project, your output settings on the file you make for youtube, and the settings on the main clips in youtube - will make it easier to diagnose

In the export dialogue choose “Master File” of your project first and make sure the effects isn’t happening when watching the video file on your computer.
When the master export is good upload it to YouTube or else video platforms. The file will be transcoded by the streaming platforms to fit all playing needs.

I tried that and it is still doing it. Granted is less than the first one but it still stutters.

What type of RAW footage do you use? Did you try to transcode it?

Try re-encoding the source footage before you add it into FCP. Use a codec suitable for FCP, maybe Quicktime ProRes.  Make sure the footage is the same frame rate as the sequence.  Make sure you are exporting at the same frame rate as well.


text:
Serving static video content directly vs. via adaptive streaming protocols (HLS, DASH)
Is there an advantage of serving static video content (not a live stream) via adaptive streaming protocols such as HLS or DASH over serving them directly as files using HTTP server in terms of speed?
Example case is when you have a 500MB mp4 h264+AAC video that you have to serve on a website via HTML5 video element. Would you rather serve it directly, since most popular browsers implement functions such as seek without downloading the whole file first; or would you rather use ffmpeg or similar solution to create HLS chunks from the mp4 file and instead provide .m3u8 playlist source to the HTML5 video element. Is there a real advantage in terms of speed of doing this?
Which one would you implement if you had hundreds of video files all served as static content?

ABR formats like HLS and DASH allow the client to adapt the its specific conditions, providing a better experience. faster startup, faster seeks, less buffering, etc.


text:
How do I remove automatic feathering of shape in Adobe After Effects?
Every time I create a new shape layer in Adobe After Effects it has automatically applied some type of feathering to the shape(see image below).

How do I remove this? I would like the edges to be crisp and defined.
Thank you!

It's all about the little sun icon on each layer, called "Collapse Transformations":
It chooses whether to display the image as a vector (sharp) or as a bitmap (possibly blurry depending on the resolution of the layer).  There's lots online about it - here's one example:
https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/collapse-transformations-continuously-rasterize-after-effects/

@tomh shape layers have the collapse transformation already enabled automatically and it can't be disabled, only for shape layers. the collapse transformation option will work to improve quality of elements if it's a precomp or a non shape layer.

@sinGood that looks like a motion blur to me. Do you have motion blur enabled? That is one cause of this and I noticed that the composition resolution  is in quarter so that could also be another culprit.


text:
Adobe Media Encoder rendering issue
I am quite new to the video editing world. I am trying to follow some of tutorial online on how to render a sequence of timelapse photos with Adobe After Effects and export using Media Encoder Queue. Once I add my sequence to the queue and I click on my .H264 link, I am presented with the following screen:

Respectively my video is exported with the same content as the one visible on the screenshot.
Weirdly enough, when I export the video using the Render Queue from After Effects, the file looks perfectly fine. After this, I try to re-export the video using again the Media Encoder Queue, and the preview is rendered correctly as well as the final file.
Now when I close, re-open After Effect, make minor change (like aspect ration for example) and attempt to export the video using the Media Encoder Queue. I am given the following screen(where no preview is available):

A few seconds after I try to export the video, I am getting the following error:
------------------------------------------------------------
 - Encoding Time: 00:00:17
05/12/2020 07:52:17 PM : Encoding Failed
------------------------------------------------------------
Export Error
Error compiling movie.

Render Error

Render returned error.

Writing with exporter: H.264
Writing to file: \\?\C:\Users\<user>\Desktop\Timelapse_taranaki\Taranaki_AME\Timelapse_taranaki 2_rendering.mp4
Writing file type: H264
Around timecode: 00:00:00:09
Rendering at offset: 0.000 seconds
Component: H.264 of type Exporter
Selector: 9
Error code: -1609629695

When I Purge All Memory & Disk Cache and clean the Common folder inside AppData, I am back to the position of screenshot 1.
I am using After Effects 2018 Version 15.01(build 73) and Media Encoder 2018 Version 12.01(Build 64) on Windows 10.
My configuration is:
Intel(R) i7-4810MQ 2.80GHz
32GB RAM
GPU NVIDIA Quadro K2100M 2GB

Anyone has any ideas on what might be the issue here?

I actually was able to find the answer to my question in point 2. here
Simple add the sequence to the After Effects Render Queue:

And from there open it in AME, where the preview will work perfectly fine.


text:
Edit small portion of a compressed video without losing quality
I have a one hour h264-encoded video. The unedited footage can't be found.
My goal is to edit a small portion of it.
The scenario looks like this. I have to blur out some persons appearing let's say:  00:20:00 - 00:22:00.
The Video's between 00:00:00 - 00:20:00 and 00:22:01 - 01:00:00 are untouched.
Is there a method achieving this without losing quality on unedited footage?
I'm using Adobe Products.

You're going to lose quality when you re-encode, unless you encode to a lossless format, which will make the file an order of magnitude larger.

For tasks like this I like the TMPGEnc tools, try Smart Renderer https://tmpgenc.pegasys-inc.com/en/product/tmsr5.html.
With these tools you can cut & join files, only re-encoding where the cuts / joins are. I would split the file in 3, preferably on key frames, re-render the edited section as needed, then re-join the files. There are trial versions of the products, just download it and see if it does what you need.
I don't know of a way to do this in the Adobe products - if anyone else does, let us know! Or possibly there are other free tools to perform this task, I've just always used the TMPGEnc tools for this type of work.
EDIT: I've also recently become aware of losslesscut, https://mifi.no/losslesscut/ - sounds like this should also achieve this kind of edit, and is free.


text:
How to create a animated intro video in Adobe After-Effects? ( With particular animation, not in general)
Background
I want to create a animated Intro video for my YT channel.
What I need!
I want the image to show from small size to normal size with constant rotation. Then some images appear with spiral type spin/rotation with size change from small to normal.
Then the those images shift to left side and the channel name appears on right of image with smoke type or crackling type animation.
Question
I want the names of animations and effects I should use?

I searched on internet for each effects and animation explanations but
  it got tedious and complicated and then I found this stack site. So I
  am asking here. I hope it's the right place to ask.

.
If anyone can also explain a little bit about how to use them then it would be really helpful too!

There are not that many options. "In general" (Sorry) you have

Position
Rotation
Scale
Change the origin point
Opacity

So you simply combine them.

Then some images appear with spiral type spin/rotation

Change the origin point so it is not a rotation but a spiral

size change from small to normal

Scale

from small size to normal size with constant rotation

Scale + rotation

Then the those images shift to left side

Position

the channel name appears on right of image

Opacity

with smoke type or crackling type animation.

For this, you either create your own smoke or get a clip from an image bank.

Where's origin point in Adobe AE?

Anchor point. I posted an image.


text:
Using FFMPEG to create video from images in sub folders
I know I can create a video from files in a folder like so:
ffmpeg -f image2 -i %*.png out.avi

But if the folder I am in have sub-folders can i use some sort of switch to read those image files in those sub-folders?  At the moment I am having to copy these image files into 1 folder, create the video and then delete those copied image files. Which is time consuming .
Is there a way please?
Thanks

The image reader won't recurse folders. Instead of copying the images, create symlinks in one folder. Much faster. Or use the concat demuxer. See https://trac.ffmpeg.org/wiki/Slideshow#Concatdemuxer

many thanks  only had the time now to look at this:)

While you can go with the links approach, suggested by Gyan in the comments. You could also generate a list of files that you want to use for encoding, and then use -f concat. I have tried it with the following:
find . -name '*.jpeg' -exec echo "file '"{}"'" >> list.text \;
ffmpeg  -f concat -r 25 -safe 0 -i list.text -c:v libtheora -q:v 8 out.ogv

Let's take it apart.
First we generate the list of all the files matching '*.jpeg' name starting with the current directory ., we do not want to output that list as is, because ffmpeg for whatever reason cannot default to lines being files, and expects us to say it each and every line. So rather than my_image_001.jpeg we want file 'my_image_001.jpeg'. So we do a trick with the -exec of find piping the echo command into a file. list.text in this example.
Now we get to ffmpeg. You tell it that you wish to concatenate all of the files, by providing -f concat as the format of the file it is about to read. Note that you will need to specify the frame rate, since images do not have this at all. The -safe 0 is needed so that ffmpeg does not crash and burn with Unsafe file name error message. I believe that is because we are using paths relative to the current directory. It makes little sense, but you just need to do this. After this, the line is the same as if you were just re-encoding another video.

Thanks. Good to see an alternative. But I did follow the link from Gyan May and it offers a cleaner solution for my business case.


text:
What is the typical audio to video sync threshold when it becomes noticeable?
At what point does audio / video delay become noticeable or is there a general industry standard threshold?

I don't know if there's a "standard", my personal opinion - "it depends".
In general you'll get away with a frame or two out of sync, although most editors will just line it up as accurately as possible if they can, unless there's a reason you can't?
I've filmed tap dancers on a stage and given the teacher the raw footage - and had them complain the audio was out of sync. On a raw recording you're looking at between 2 and 4 frames out, depending on how far the camera is back from the stage.
I'll notice as soon as dialogue is 3 or 4 frames out. Other sounds often sooner. I'll notice when you've got a rear shot of someone's head, and the jaw movements aren't lining up with the dialogue. But I'm not a casual observer, and neither is the dance teacher - so like I said, it depends. There will definitely be people who notice as soon as you're out by even a small amount, and there are many more who won't spot it. Almost always when something on TV is out of sync and driving me nuts, no one else is even noticing it.
Any proper editing software will let you resync the audio, and even without a clapper, it's usually easy enough to figure out, and at least get it within a frame or two. There might not be a standard, but if your audio is badly out, you are better to just spend the time to fix it. If you can notice it, and/or it doesn't look right to you, then likely at least some of your audience will be having the same experience.

The size of the shot certainly makes a difference; you can get away with much more in WS than you can in a big CU.


text:
Encode a small proxy file with multiple audio streams for editing on Linux
After capturing 2K video in 444p with OBS, I need to transcode it to a low quality proxy version that's still easy to scrub and not a huge file. I capture 3 audio tracks in 32-bit PCM and the image consists of two 1920x1080 parts - one is my desktop, one is input from my webcam:

Here's what ffprobe says about that file:
Input #0, matroska,webm, from 'original 2020-05-08 21-55-10.mkv':
  Metadata:
    ENCODER         : Lavf58.29.100
  Duration: 00:52:28.95, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 24282 kb/s
    Stream #0:0: Video: h264 (High 4:4:4 Predictive), yuvj444p(pc, bt709/unknown/unknown, progressive), 3840x1080, 62.50 fps, 60 tbr, 1k tbn, 120 tbc (default)
    Metadata:
      DURATION        : 00:52:28,950000000
    Stream #0:1: Audio: pcm_f32le, 48000 Hz, 2 channels, flt, 3072 kb/s (default)
    Metadata:
      DURATION        : 00:52:28,906000000
    Stream #0:2: Audio: pcm_f32le, 48000 Hz, 2 channels, flt, 3072 kb/s (default)
    Metadata:
      DURATION        : 00:52:28,906000000
    Stream #0:3: Audio: pcm_f32le, 48000 Hz, 2 channels, flt, 3072 kb/s (default)
    Metadata:
      DURATION        : 00:52:28,906000000

However editing video in Olive is pretty slow, and I think the biggest problem is high video bitrate.
For example my original captured file is almost 9 GB for 50-minutes of footage, and the playback is very slow.
How can I encode a small proxy file that'll work fast but maintain the same resolution so my transforms don't break when I replace the footage back to original?

I've come up with this ffmpeg command:
ffmpeg -i original.mkv -c:v libx264 -tune animation -crf 35 -x264opts keyint=10 -pix_fmt yuv420p -c:a pcm_s16le -map 0 proxy.mkv

What this will do:

use h.264 encoder with -c:v libx264 to give small files (prores would give huge files)
use -tune animation to optimize for screencasting
use very low quality to maintain small bitrate using -crf 35
define small GOP settings (complete keyframes will be placed every 10 frames - default settings use more) with -x264opts keyint=10 - this is a tradeoff between small filesize and bitrate and easy of scrubbing. For best scrubbing you'd want to set this to 1, so each frame is encoded independently. However 10 works for me so far.
Use chroma subsampling, as ffmpeg would otherwise maintain original pixel format and you don't want or need 444 for proxy - -pix_fmt yuv420p - this helps make the file lighter.
Encode audio in 16-bit PCM which is very fast to process and easy to scrub (the bitrate is constant) with -c:a pcm_s16le. Compared to video streams the bitrate is still small so using something like Vorbis instead is probably not needed.
Finally, we want to make sure ffmpeg keeps all audio streams in the output file using -map 0. Without it it'd pick just one audio stream and drop the rest.

Resulting file is 1.7 GB (from original 8.9 GB), and plays much more smoothly in Olive Video Editor.
Here's what ffprobe says about created proxy file:
Input #0, matroska,webm, from 'proxy 2020-05-08 21-55-10.mkv':
  Metadata:
    ENCODER         : Lavf58.29.100
  Duration: 00:52:28.95, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 7812 kb/s
    Stream #0:0: Video: h264 (High), yuv420p(progressive), 3840x1080, 60 fps, 60 tbr, 1k tbn, 120 tbc (default)
    Metadata:
      ENCODER         : Lavc58.54.100 libx264
      DURATION        : 00:52:28.950000000
Stream #0:1: Audio: pcm_s16le, 48000 Hz, 2 channels, s16, 1536 kb/s (default)
Metadata:
  ENCODER         : Lavc58.54.100 pcm_s16le
  DURATION        : 00:52:28.906000000
Stream #0:2: Audio: pcm_s16le, 48000 Hz, 2 channels, s16, 1536 kb/s (default)
Metadata:
  ENCODER         : Lavc58.54.100 pcm_s16le
  DURATION        : 00:52:28.906000000
Stream #0:3: Audio: pcm_s16le, 48000 Hz, 2 channels, s16, 1536 kb/s (default)
Metadata:
  ENCODER         : Lavc58.54.100 pcm_s16le
  DURATION        : 00:52:28.906000000


text:
Quickest way to split screen 74 separate clips
I use adobe premiere to edit. I'm trying to have 74 separate clips on screen at once. What would be the quickest way to do this without manually scaling and positioning each clip?


text:
How to automate sync of 80-120 audio clips recorded at home on mobile phones?
I want to produce a virtual choir recording of an amateur choir. I want to give 80-120 members of the choir an accompaniment/click track of some kind. They will record themselves, on their mobile phones, singing along to the accompaniment track. The accompaniment track will play on a second device (say, a laptop), via headphones or ear buds. The send their recordings to me, and I merge them.
How can I synchronise the resulting 80-120 amateur-captured recordings, in an automated way that scales to 120 recordings, with a low budget? What sync aid do I put in the accompaniment track? What do the members need to do as they record themselves? What do I need to do in post-production to accomplish the sync and merge the audio?
I am quite comfortable scripting a tool like ffmpeg or Audacity to align and merge the recordings. I can even write a Python program to read through the samples of an audio recording to detect the audio peak of a clapper, or DTMF tones. What I want to avoid is any task that I have to do manually for each of the contributed recordings. I fear that I won't be able to get through manual tasks 120 times.
I suspect that a challenge for this synchronisation task is that the contributed recordings will be done with a variety of devices, at a variety of resolutions and sample rates. The choir members need to record themselves. They are not sound engineers. They will make some mistakes in production. I am looking for a sync method which is robust in the face of this variation.
I want to focus on audio merge at first. I expect that the contributed recordings will have video as well. Composing all those videos into a grid, maybe with attractive panning or video effects, is nice to have but not essential.
Let's assume for the sake of argument that the contributed videos will be 3-10 minutes long. It would be nice to stretch to 45 minutes, eventually, but not at first.
I don't know how precise the sync needs to be. As a guess, I imagine a variability of at most 0.1 seconds might be enough. 1 second probably is not good enough. 0.001 seconds is probably more precise than we need.

At the start of the accompaniment track, about 15 seconds before the music starts, record a clap, or other loud but brief sound. Have your choir members record this clap sound from the accompaniment track onto their contributed recording, but not record the rest of the accompaniment.
You can do this by having the singers put on their headphones, but unplug the jack from the playback computer.  They start recording on their phone, then start playing back the accompaniment track. The sound of the clap will be played out loud, and captured on their recording, because the headphones are unplugged. Immediate after the clap, the singer plugs in their headphones. This stops any more of the accompaniment from being audible on the recording. (Important detail: experiment with how much time you need to leave between the clap and the start of the accompaniment, so that singers can plug in their headphones and get ready to sing.)
When the singers finish the piece, they stop recording, and send you their recordings. You need some system for naming the audio files, and tracking the identity and vocal part of each singer. (The details of this tracking are not germane to the sync question.)
Make a copy of the first few seconds of each contributed recording in .WAV format. Write a Python program to detect when the clap occurs relative to the start of a recording. Do this by reading the value of each audio sample of the .WAV file, and identifying the sample with the largest value. This is the moment of loudest sound. Convert the position of this largest value into an offset of seconds from the start of that recording.
Now, merge the recordings, applying an offset to each so that the clap occurs at the same moment for all all recordings. The recordings should now be in sync. Mix the recordings to taste, and save the mixed recording.
[Note: this is a speculative answer, based on reading Virtual Choir by Jed Scott, and CB Multitrack Editing 101 by Christopher Bill. Most of the virtual choir instructions I found on the web did not ask the contributors to record any sync moment at all. I guess they just have a human align all the parts by ear.]

I wrote my own answer, but I don't think it is very good. I'm hoping it will encourage someone with a better solution to write it as an answer, so that I can learn from it and upvote it.

this is uncanny - I am currently attempting exactly the same thing! I had thought of something similar to what you're suggesting above, but it does sound a little cumbersome asking everyone to unplug/plug their headphones.

Another thing I'd thought of was having a piece of software that simultaneously played the backing track and recorded the video/audio - obviously it would start both together, so all tracks would be automatically aligned. I haven't found any software that does this however, at least not a simple/free one that could be distributed to a large number of people.

Would be very glad to hear if you come up with anything else!


text:
DaVinci Resolve doesn't load subtitles for M4V
I have an .m4v movie with two subtitles tracks. When importing the movie into DaVinci Resolve 16, it only shows Video and Audio - no subs.
Please advise, thanks.


text:
Panorama Video Transformation Question
I saw that Insta360 sample video linked below can be viewed as a full panorama in the google drive preview, but when I download the video and play it on VLC or any other media player, it does not look the same as in the google drive preview.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rV-X9kHn9n3ueGzHIHOSy046mEsV1cO8/edit
Is there any way I can easily transform the video files to create full panorama views as seen in the google drive video?
Thank you so much for the help!


text:
Which color space to use in camera while shooting video? RGB or YCbCr?
I want to shoot videos for my blog. Nature, landscapes, fitness. Which color space to use in camera while shooting video? RGB or YCbCr?

The question is impossible to answer in a general way.
If a camera offers to record in RGB, it is likely using a completely different codec that could be better or worse.  Very few cameras will actually record video in RGB, so if you see the option in a menu, it may be referring to something very particular about the color handling of video on that specific model of camera.
What camera? And what is the exact context of the option?

Thank you, wrosecrans. I have no camera. I want to choose and buy. Wich color space and wich codec camera should have?

That just isn't the right question to ask about a camera.  Read some camera reviews.  If a camera is heavy, has crappy picture quality, low resolution, bad battery life, takes blurry pictures, and the UI is hard to use, it doesn't matter if it theoretically does some internal image processing step in a scientifically superior color space.


text:
Video player that can quickly refresh videos and supports many formats
I am new to making videos, and I've started making a video animation library for Node JS. Basically, I have an output video which I update really often, and I need a player to quickly watch the video.
I am using an old Windows 7 computer. Most videos I'm playing are less than 5 seconds long and are 24fps.
I need a video player that can play most video formats without taking much CPU, with the ability quickly refresh to show latest mp4 file.
Chrome doesnt work. It is too slow to reload a chrome tab, and sometimes it still shows the old version of a video after I change the file.
Windows media player doesn't work because it is too slow, no way to quickly refresh, and has trouble playing videos with partially transparent pixels.

Welcome to the forum! Have you tried VLC?

I've heard of it, but I've never personally used it. Is it easy refreshing videos?


text:
How to replace clip preserving trimming in Final Cut Pro X?
How can I replace an already trimmed clip with a new one so that the trim start and end positions are preserved?

In the Browser select the clip you want to use. Then go to the position this new clip you want to start. Then hit “I” on the keyboard to mark the in point, don’t mind the end point, the remaining clip must be long enough though. Then get your mouse into the yellow highlighted area. Drag it over the clip you want replace in your timeline and hover for a moment, until your mouse show the plus symbol. Now let go, a menu will show up. Choose “Replace from Start”. The new clip will replace the old in the timeline but the cut points from the timeline won’t change.

Open the existing clip.
Replace the inner clip (the start of it will be in a gray area which represents the trimming).

Warning: Audio properties such as Pan are lost during the process.


text:
FFMPEG - Crop and Chromakey not working together?
Having an issue with the chromakey portion not working after the scale. Any ideas?
ffmpeg -i background1080.png -i file.mp4 -filter_complex "[1]scale=1612:906[inner];[0][inner]overlay=154:170; [1:v]colorkey=0x000000:0.02:0.03[ckout];[0:v][ckout]overlay[out]" -map "[out]" -map 1:a -c:a copy -y -b:v 2000k -b:a 192k -vcodec libx264 -x264-params keyint=20:scenecut=0 -acodec copy file_FINAL.mp4

So this crops but the chroma-key doesn't work. If I remove the crop, the chroma key works - I think I'm just not understanding the syntax relationship fully for the [out] commands, etc.

The issue is, that you reference the input file two times.
[1]scale=1612:906[inner];[0][inner]overlay=154:170;[1:v]colorkey=0x000000:0.02:0.03[ckout]

what you actually want is to use the scaled version. so:
[1]scale=1612:906[inner];[0][inner]overlay=154:170[ovout]; [ovout]colorkey=0x000000:0.02:0.03[ckout];[0:v][ckout]overlay[out]

But I don't really understand why you overlay the image twice...
wouldn't this work?
[1]colorkey=0x000000:0.02:0.03[ckout];[ckout]scale=1612:906[scaleout];[0][scaleout]overlay=154:170[out];

colorkey, 2. scale, 3. overlay

You should almost always colorkey first and then scale to reduce colorkey artifacts
Greetings


text:
FFMPEG: is it possible to offset output frames from a selection of specific frames?
I'm doing some ffmpeg (4.1.3) transcodings by extracting specific frames from the source, in this case, the source can be either a movie or an image sequence, all working fine with the following command:
ffmpeg -i source.mov -vf select='eq(n\,2)+eq(n\,80)+eq(n\,150)' -vsync 0 -frame_pts 1 frames_%04d.jpeg

In the case of a source image sequence, I only need to specify the start number (since my frames usually start in 100 or further):
ffmpeg -start_number 94 -i source.%04d.png -vf select='eq(n\,2)+eq(n\,80)+eq(n\,150)' -vsync 0 -frame_pts 1 frames_%04d.jpeg

But the issue is that the frame numbers that I get match the exact numbers that I asked for, which are those required from the select filter and start at 0, in the example of the image sequence, you can see that it actually starts at frame 94, and technically the movies replicate the same, their first frame is the same as 94 in image sequence, and i will love to have a way to get the output numbers be offset by a certain number so they match the corresponding "source" frame.
I already tried adding a -start_number at the end before the output, which works with regular transcodes, but it seems not to work in combination of -frame_pts
I will love to be able to do something like this:
ffmpeg -start_number 94 -i source.%04d.png -vf select='eq(n\,2)+eq(n\,80)+eq(n\,150)' -vsync 0 -start_number 94 -frame_pts 1 frames_%04d.jpeg

And get frame 96, 174 and 244 instead of 2, 80 and 150.
Is there a way to do that ?
Thanks in advanced!

start_number is ignored with frame_pts, so a workaround is needed. A generic option output_ts_offset is available but it takes timestamp rather than frame number, so we first set the framerate of the images input as 1.
Use
ffmpeg -start_number 94 -framerate 1 -i source.%04d.png -vf select='eq(n\,2)+eq(n\,80)+eq(n\,150)' -vsync 0 -output_ts_offset 94 -frame_pts 1 frames_%04d.jpeg

You probably just need to adjust the pts with: setpts=PTS+(94*TB).
You would need to adjust that 94 for each different start number
So:
ffmpeg -start_number 94 -i source.%04d.png -filter_complex select='eq(n\,2)+eq(n\,80)+eq(n\,150)';setpts=PTS+(94*TB) frames_%04d.jpeg

Also vsync is a bit unnecessary when outputting to jpg.
EDIT: Fixed the setpts-Expression, because I was stupid the first time.
EDIT2: I can't even read the question properly it seems... Fixed the setpts-Expression again

Default vsync for images is CFR and so ffmpeg will duplicate frames when the timestamps between output frames is greater than that expected for adjacent frames. vsync 0 is needed to disable that.


text:
Non-monotonous DTS in output stream... changing to 1 error
I'm trying to batch remux files to mp4, copying audio, video and subtitles streams.
ffmpeg -i "$file" -map 0:a:m:language:por\? -map 0:a:m:language:eng\? -map 0:s:m:language:por\? -map 0:s:m:language:eng\? -map 0:v -c:v copy -c:s mov_text -c:a copy -movflags faststart -f mp4 "${file%.*}"-remux.mp4

But I get lots of errors sometimes about timestamps and non-monotous DTS streams.
Searching online I found those 2 flags here:
-fflags "+genpts" -avoid_negative_ts "make_zero"

But they don't fix my issue. What is the best way to fix this issues and make sure audio, subtitles and video are still in sync? Looking for something safe to apply to any input file in batch processing scripts, without re-encoding

Nothing to do about those. Those messages indicate faulty timestamps in the input so ffmpeg does its best to correct them.

Is it safe to use the 2 flags I found? What about +igndts ?

No, genpts will generate new timestamps which will destroy original timings. avoid_negative_ts will just add a uniform offset, and not change monotonicity. igndts will also regenerate timestamps. As long as the video plays fine, I'd just ignore it.

But do you recommend using those options if I'm going to batch process thousands of files? I don't care about regenerating stuff as long it doesn't cause issues / improve stuff

It will cause issues if input is variable frame rate.


text:
Forcing input video codec in ffmpeg for raw MPEGTS dump
I am trying to use ffmpeg to extract thumbnails from a partial dump of a MPEGTS, coming off a multicast network. The dump contains the video PID only, in MPEGTS format, but I am unable to get ffmpeg to recognize the HEVC, and I am looking for a command-line parameter to force it to decode it as HEVC.
This is what I am trying to run, and which is not working. Using "-f mpegts" it tries to probe the codec and fails:
ffmpeg -f mpegts -c:v:0 hevc -i dump.ts -vframes1 dump.jpg
ffmpeg version N-52628-g79e3c4dd74-static https://johnvansickle.com/ffmpeg/  Copyright (c) 2000-2020 the FFmpeg developers
  built with gcc 8 (Debian 8.3.0-6)
  configuration: --enable-gpl --enable-version3 --enable-static --disable-debug --disable-ffplay --disable-indev=sndio --disable-outdev=sndio --cc=gcc --enable-fontconfig --enable-frei0r --enable-gnutls --enable-gmp --enable-libgme --enable-gray --enable-libaom --enable-libfribidi --enable-libass --enable-libvmaf --enable-libfreetype --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libopencore-amrnb --enable-libopencore-amrwb --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-librubberband --enable-libsoxr --enable-libspeex --enable-libsrt --enable-libvorbis --enable-libopus --enable-libtheora --enable-libvidstab --enable-libvo-amrwbenc --enable-libvpx --enable-libwebp --enable-libx264 --enable-libx265 --enable-libxml2 --enable-libdav1d --enable-libxvid --enable-libzvbi --enable-libzimg
  libavutil      56. 43.100 / 56. 43.100
  libavcodec     58. 82.100 / 58. 82.100
  libavformat    58. 42.102 / 58. 42.102
  libavdevice    58.  9.103 / 58.  9.103
  libavfilter     7. 80.100 /  7. 80.100
  libswscale      5.  6.101 /  5.  6.101
  libswresample   3.  6.100 /  3.  6.100
  libpostproc    55.  6.100 / 55.  6.100
[mpegts @ 0x6282180] probed stream 0 failed
[mpegts @ 0x6282180] Could not find codec parameters for stream 0 (Unknown: none): unknown codec
Consider increasing the value for the 'analyzeduration' and 'probesize' options
Input #0, mpegts, from 'dump.ts':
  Duration: 00:00:02.37, start: 59946.297300, bitrate: 16213 kb/s
    Stream #0:0[0x65]: Unknown: none
Output #0, image2, to 'dump.jpg':
Output file #0 does not contain any stream

Using "-f mpegtsraw" it says codec unknown:
ffmpeg -f mpegtsraw -c:v:0 hevc -i dump.ts -vframes1 dump.jpg
ffmpeg version N-52628-g79e3c4dd74-static https://johnvansickle.com/ffmpeg/  Copyright (c) 2000-2020 the FFmpeg developers
  built with gcc 8 (Debian 8.3.0-6)
  configuration: --enable-gpl --enable-version3 --enable-static --disable-debug --disable-ffplay --disable-indev=sndio --disable-outdev=sndio --cc=gcc --enable-fontconfig --enable-frei0r --enable-gnutls --enable-gmp --enable-libgme --enable-gray --enable-libaom --enable-libfribidi --enable-libass --enable-libvmaf --enable-libfreetype --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libopencore-amrnb --enable-libopencore-amrwb --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-librubberband --enable-libsoxr --enable-libspeex --enable-libsrt --enable-libvorbis --enable-libopus --enable-libtheora --enable-libvidstab --enable-libvo-amrwbenc --enable-libvpx --enable-libwebp --enable-libx264 --enable-libx265 --enable-libxml2 --enable-libdav1d --enable-libxvid --enable-libzvbi --enable-libzimg
  libavutil      56. 43.100 / 56. 43.100
  libavcodec     58. 82.100 / 58. 82.100
  libavformat    58. 42.102 / 58. 42.102
  libavdevice    58.  9.103 / 58.  9.103
  libavfilter     7. 80.100 /  7. 80.100
  libswscale      5.  6.101 /  5.  6.101
  libswresample   3.  6.100 /  3.  6.100
  libpostproc    55.  6.100 / 55.  6.100
[mpegtsraw @ 0x6715180] Estimating duration from bitrate, this may be inaccurate
Input #0, mpegtsraw, from 'dump.ts':
  Duration: 00:00:02.38, start: 59946.153588, bitrate: 16146 kb/s
Codec 0x20000 is not in the full list.
    Stream #0:0[0x0]: Data: unknown_codec, 16146 kb/s
Output #0, image2, to 'dump.jpg':
Output file #0 does not contain any stream

Dump the stream and then try: ffmpeg -f mpegtsraw -i dump.ts -c copy -map 0 -f data stream.bin and then ffmpeg -f hevc -i stream.bin -vframes 1 dump.jpg

With that, I get a green 1920×540 JPEG (with a gray upper-left corner), so it doesn't like the stream (I was trying something similar by modifying the code that generates the file, getting the same result as doing it with ffmpeg).


text:
How to solve audio/video sync issue on my mp4 screenrecording?
I'm relatively new to video editing and struggling to solve a problem whereas the video (i.e my lips) is out of sync with the audio (i.e my voice). The beginning of the video is fine but by the end the sync is totally off.
Things I have tried so far:

auto-sync audio based on waveform (DaVinci Resolve)
run it through Handbraker to get constant frame rate (tried 23.976fps or 24fps)
update sound/camera drivers if this was a playback issue

Here are some of the information I get through the MediaInfo tool on the first part of total 45min recording.
VIDEO

frame rate 23.976 in DaVinci Resolve (22.783 fps by MediaInfo)
.mp4 (H.264) file recorded with IceCream Screenrecorder (i will
change to OBS for next video)
6min 51s length
720p HD camera with dual microphones

AUDIO

sampling rate 44.1kHz (MediaInfo / Audacity)
24.00fps in DaVinci Resolve
6min 49s length

The mic i use is integrated in my new Lenovo IdeaPad L340-17IRH Gaming and provides better quality than my blue snowball mic. It is currently set in the settings on 2ch, 16bit, 48kHz (can the diff. with sampling rate 44kHz be the issue).
What am I doing wrong here? What else can I try?
Thanks in advance for your help, VERY APPRECIATED.

Try tsMuxer as it will allow you to change the frame rate without re-encodingn https://www.videohelp.com/software/tsMuxeR

At work, if I receive disparate audio and video sources (which happens pretty often), I will make multiple small edits to the audio in order to keep the dialog in sync with the picture. Is conforming the audio in such a manner using Resolve or another NLE (Avid, Final Cut, Pro Tools, Reaper, etc.) an option for you?

Check what sample rate and frame rate your camera records at. A lot of video stuff defaults to 48kHz, not 44.1kHz. Make sure everything in your recording and editing processes uses matching sample rates and frame rates throughout. Using a different device for audio to video is liable to introduce some drift unless their clocks are synced together (most non professional gear can’t do this). Even so, you should get a large amount of drift over under 10 mins or so if they are all on the same frame rates and sample frequencies.


text:
Why my objects are showing in this color?
I am new to 3D software and have just started with Cinema 4d. When I add an object it shows on a weird color different from the one I see in tutos.
The tutorial videos I have seen create objects where the faces can be see in white. What am I doing wrong?
Image relating to the problem:
While the tutorial shows this:

The image from the tutorial has a white material applied to it. You can see it in the object manager, it’s the white sphere. By default, C4D uses a grey material.  To do the same, create a new material in the material manager (the empty area under the timeline) by using the "Create" menu ->New Material or ->New PBR Material, depending on your preference.  Both of those are white by default.  Then, drag the newly created material to your object, either by dragging to the object in the viewport, or in the object manager.


text:
In Premiere Pro, how can I delete clip portions that are between these labels?
In Premiere Pro, how can I delete clip portions that are between these labels?
(in an automatic way that's not too manual)

One way I could do it that is a bit slow and manual, is SHIFT-DOWN gets to e.g. where the cursor is in the image below.  'i' (to put a left mark in), then SHIFT-DOWN, then 'o', (to put a right marker in), then Ctrl-Shift-A to deselect the clip. Then shift-delete (rippled delete). And just keep repeating those keystrokes.  for all 40ish labels. But i'm hoping there's a quicker way.

Here's a dirty yet maybe effective method:

Create an adjustment-layer above your two video tracks, that goes from start to end.
Select all your pink labels and drag them up, effectively replacing those parts in the adjustment-layer.
Delete your still selected labels
Pull down the bits of the adjustment-layer into your main clip and delete them.

If I were to show this method to my testers in the final exam they'd probably chop my head off, but it's the easiest way I came up with so far.


text:
Is it normal that using OBS with the Skype NDI integration is unusable on mid-2015 Macbook Pro?
Experimenting with OBS...
I can easily live stream a 5 Mbits stream to YouTube at faster.
As soon as I add a split screen guest via the Skype NDI integration, the stream becomes unusable.
Is it normal I can’t run both OBS and Skype a mid-2015 MacBook Pro?
My Internet connection is a 120/20 and I am wired using Gigabit.

I'm assuming Skype is decoding and re-encoding the video stream at that point.  If so, then yes, that's probably entirely normal.  You have two MPEG encoders running at the same time.  My 2017 MBP (i7) struggles to do that with Zoom.

My 2018 Macbook pro struggles with most OBS-related things. It's pretty processor intensive


text:
Is it possible to push an video stream via OBS to a video server for consumption by another OBS Studio?
Just wanted whether this was possible.
I know that within OBS, I can stream video from my phone camera on a url like localhost:5050 when I used a "turn phone into webcam" app.
So I was wondering, it is possible for OBS Studio in one location to be able to push a video stream to a remote server, in which another OBS Studio in another location can consumer via the said OBS Browser source input?
If so what is this setup called and what should I look into?
I hope I have been understood. I have noone around me who dabs within this field.

I've heard from some people that they've pushed an OBS recording to XSplit which then only streams the image - so I would imagine that it is possible to push one OBS stream into another instance. How, I don't know though.

Yes, it is possible. If you want, i can write an answer


text:
How much and who to pay
This is my first doc and I need footage from an event that the event organizer hired someone for. I have already approached the event organizer but he wants to know the doc subject matter. My associate has mentioned the subject matter to him on a different occasion and it is evident that the organizer does not agree with it. The doc deals with women's rights and this guy is old school. So we have a problem. He seems to want to be the middleman between us and the videographer. Unfortunately, since it was a private event, I don't know the videographer's name. Even if I did find out who it is, would I be able to ask the videographer for footage not included in the final cut for the organizer? Or does the organizer own all the footage of the event? Either way, what would be considered a fair amount to pay the organizer or the videographer for, say, 1 minute of footage?

If it was big significant event, it's possible someone else was also filming it and sold the rights to an agency. It's worth checking on news agency sites like Reuters and Getty just in case. Maybe even the event organiser licensed their footage to an agency but hasn't mentioned it.

It all depends. You have to find out what the organizer and videographer agreed upon in detail. It is possible that the organizer holds all rights even to unpublished material.
The amount you pay is dependent on how much time effort and maybe investment in equipment was taken to produce the original material. But your budget will set a limit anyway. Assuming you can track down the videographer talk to him on the phone and try to find out about their efforts, then offer a higher or lower percentage of your limit.

There is no easy answer to this. Best if you start describing your usage and territory of screening. Post contracts like this start to look like licensing contracts with time and territory and duration being the main components of the formula.
Also check with your local media union or arts advisory body. In Australia there are a few 'official' arts organisations which have tables of recommended fees (australia council, Arts Media Alliance) These are good starting points. That said –copyright licensing is entirely open to negotiation.


text:
How do I set video thumbnail as first frame of video?
I want to see thumbnail in google photos which show first frame as thumbnail
Most answers (for example FFMPEG add image at beginning of MP4 as first frame) fail becouse I am on windows and do not have files like anullsrc or with error similar to:
[AVFilterGraph @ 000002085fc0e100] No such filter: '[0:v]'
Error initializing complex filters.
Invalid argument
I know I can get thumbnail extracted using ffmpeg -i [VIDEO] -map 0:v -map -0:V -c copy [IMAGE], but it would be better for me if it could be done in one command (cmd or powershell) so it would not leave lot of files behind when doing for many files.

I'm unsure what you are asking, do mean: Adding a frame at the beginning of the video, that can also been seen somewhere in the middle of video? So in google photos it is the thumbnail? Or have I misunderstood your question?

I Will try to clarify: Google photo shows first frame of video. I discovered after writing this, that Thumbnail which players show is simply second video stream which Is not visible consisted of one photo with lenght of video.


text:
Permanent metadata for videos
Is there any existing container (video format) in which the metadata is immutable?
I am new to this topic and my use case is that once a video is recorded, I want to preserve the metadata (for ex location, time, some caption used while sharing it, etc) in such a way that no one can alter this information, or worst case, only the original creator can do so.

Can’t think of one, but there really should be.  Photographers have been asking camera manufacturers for ages to build encryption into cameras to help protect their IP. Immutable metadata/self destructing tamperproof files or blockchain custody ledgers would all empower creators.

Containers don't support encryption of metadata, and without encryption everyone may change what he wants (even damaging by his action the whole multimedia file).
There is a possibility to make a checksum of your file (as SHA-256), but it will not protect to change it, it only helps detect if the file is in its original state (not changed).

No.  Metadata can always be changed. Even if there isn't a commonly known program to do so, an experienced person could always hex edit the file.


text:
What is a good stabilizer for Y axis?
I'm sorry, if it's not the right place to ask this question.
I have tested many times the Zhiyun crane 3 lab camera stabilizer. It really works well except for the Y axis...
If you use it while walking, you clearly see the steps movement in the shot. Also sometimes it hard to move the camera in any direction freely.
Does anyone know any good professionnal solution for image stabilization ? I wish I had an Arri Trinity but... my budget is around 2000-3000€.
I'm open to any technology as long as it works and you can have a free movement.
My camera is a Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 and I mount an Atomos Ninja on the stabilizer.
Thanks.
Cheers,

A 3-axis gimbal can reduce rotation but not translation - ie it will twist in 3 axis to smooth the motion, but it can't physically move to account for your movement up and down.
I think there are three ways to resolve this:
Use a body mounted stabiliser that compensates for movement.  These are expensive and cumbersome, but they work. They also reduce arm strain as the weight of the camera is taken by the body straps.
Practice compensating for the movement yourself. The best way to imagine this is to move as though you were carrying a hot drink instead of a camera. This is free, but requires some time to practice.
Shoot at a higher resolution than you need to deliver, then use digital stabilisation to try and improve your video.  This works to some extent, but any motion blur due to camera movement will still be visible, depending on the shutter & frame rate you shoot at.


text:
Changing FPS from 29.97 to 30 in ffpmeg creates short blank at end of video, audio is fine
I am trying to merge 5 parts of a continuous video using ffmpeg.
For some reason, the 1st part is encoded at 29.97 FPS, while all the others are at 30 FPS.

part #1 : 29.97 fps, 29.97 tbr, 19200 tbn, 38400 tbc
part #2 : 30 fps, 30 tbr, 15360 tbn, 60 tbc

So before the concat operation, I tried converting Part #1 to 30 FPS, two different ways :

ffmpeg -i 1.mp4 -filter:v fps=fps=30 output.mp4 (based on the example at https://trac.ffmpeg.org/wiki/ChangingFrameRate)
ffmpeg -i 1.mp4 -framerate 29.97 -r 30 output.mp4

Both operations passed and I was able to verify the new FPS just by doing ffmpeg -i output.mp4
However, after the concat operation I realised that the video is now shorter than the audio in Part #1, resulting in a short blackout at the end of the Part, while the audio continues uninterrupted.
Why is that, and how to fix it ?

You don't need to change framerate. Just make the tbn equal. ffmpeg -i 1.mp4 -c copy -video_track_timescale 15360 output.mp4

Tried your suggestion. Concat with ffmpeg -f concat -safe 0 -i list.txt -codec copy output.mp4, I get the following message Non-monotonous DTS in output stream 0:1; previous: 660480, current: 660114; changing to 660481. This may result in incorrect timestamps in the output file. and there's still a blank at the end of the video stream of Part 1.


text:
How do I dynamically reposition part of a sentence based on the width of a word in the middle of the sentence that will change?
I am looking to build an animation where in the middle of a sentence, a word gets deleted by character, then a new word is retyped on-screen and the back half of the sentence repositions as each letter is typed on. I tried to do some research and have a feeling this animation may need to utilize sourceRectAtTime or Delta expressions along with the type-on character text animator. What are your thoughts on accomplishing this?

I think you could achieve this just by key-framing the Source Text control in your text layer.
Unless you have hundreds of them and need to do it programatically, I would just keyframe the changes of text, and the repositioning would happen automatically.
If I have misunderstood what you mean, please add some screen shots to explain what you need.

Hi tomh, I think this will also accomplish what I need to do, IVE just never had to keyframe source text before. After checking out a video on YT, it looks pretty straightforward. Thanks for the tip!


text:
How can I distinguish a freeze frame from the moving parts of the video?
Im wondering whats a good way for distinguishing (marking) a freeze frame from the moving parts of the video so it will not look like a problem that stopped the video player app?
I prefer keeping the freeze frame as clean as possible with minimal effects and markings.

Hi -can you explain what you’re looking for a bit more? Maybe with screenshots? It’s not clear to me.

I ended up adding flash to white effect like a camera flash as recommended here https://www.reddit.com/r/AfterEffects/comments/gvufem/how_to_distinguish_a_freeze_frame_from_the_moving/, by using “fade in-out frames” (in) effect on the first 5 frames.

Add a sound effect: the effect fades in, is audible at full volume shortly before it abruptly ends exactly when the freeze frame appears. The sound effect should be distinguishable from background sounds and overall be crisp and short (like 0.5-2 seconds). That way, the audience is given a clear indicator that the freeze frame is intentional. An alternative might be a sudden tempo/rhythm change in music - but I wouldn't stop the music.

You might also include a link to Sting (musical phrase) - Wikipedia.


text:
Multiple/Batch increase of length and decrease of speed
I have about 100 clips that I need to manually decrease the playback rate and increase the length of each clip. Usually I would add slow down each clip by 20% thus increasing the length by 20%.
I'm doing it now manually in Sony Vegas (not pro).
Is there any way of doing it automatically for 100 clips, and not for each one of them manually. Please feel free to propose some other software than Vegas, if Vegas cannot do this.
Thank you

Welcome! FFmpeg is the typical go-to tool for automated workflows. But that depends on your comfort with command line tools. It also isn't exactly clear if you want a fully automated workflow or if you just want a simpler way to individually apply settings.

Thank you, I would like to be able for example to increase the length of all clips in a folder, by 20%. I'm ready to code a bit if needed. I'm more than comfortable with the command line tools.

Then FFmpeg should fit the bill. Unfortunately, I don't have a specific example for you to follow, but someone else might.


text:
Make a solid push another solid
Here's the situation: I'm not new to After Effects. I've been using it for a while and I could say I'm an intermediate user. My knowledge is limited to everything but expressions.
So, I have a white solid and a red solid. As the white solid increases width (scale), I want it to push the red solid. I'm not a newbie into programming, however, I'm either an advanced user. My guess on how to do it is the following one: get white's solid left and width properties from anchor point and add them to the X position of the red solid (red.xPosition = whiteWidth + whiteAnchorLeft). Here's the actual code of my evil creation:
var white = thisComp.layer("white");
var whiteAnchorLeft = white.sourceRectAtTime(time-white.inPoint,true).left
var whiteWidth = white.sourceRectAtTime(time-white.inPoint,true).width
//[whiteAnchorLeft,whiteWidth]
transform.xPosition = whiteWidth + whiteAnchorLeft

This expression is inside of  red > transform > x dimension.
When I try to make this work, I get 1920 as X and it doesn't move. What am I doing wrong?
Thanks in advance!
Note: [whiteAnchorLeft,whiteWidth] is commented because After Effects is such an amazing software and it throws an error saying this "method is undefined" (???) althoug I've seen tutorials writing this down in the code.

You forgot the ;s. You need semicolons after all but your first line, that's where that error comes from.

Also, you don't explicitly use the property name on the left hand side to set it, you just return a value. Thus to set the position of a layer you don't do transform.xPosition = someValue you just put someValue as the last line of the expression  (apart from the fact that transform.xPosition isn't a thing, unless it's a variable that you've created).

The sourceRectAtTime(n) method does what it says on the tin: returns the dimensions of the source of a layer, at comp time n. So because the source of your layer is 1920px wide, it returns 1920.
You want to be using another method, the toComp layer space transform. It returns the comp co-ordinates of a point in layer co-ordinates. To find where the top right (in layer co-ordinates it will be [0,0]) of a layer is you'd do
thisComp.layer("theLayerName").toComp([0,0]);

To find where the anchor point of a layer is in comp co-ordinates:
let theLayer = thisComp.layer("theLayerName");
theLayer.toComp(theLayer.anchorPoint);

The really useful thing about toComp is that it works regardless of the parent chains that the layer may be connected to, and any transformations that have been applied.
To apply it to your case apply this to the red's position property:
let white = thisComp.layer("white");
let red = thisComp.layer("red");
let sRect = white.sourceRectAtTime(time, true);
let offset = white.toComp(sRect.width, sRect.top); //top right of the white layer
value + offset;

value in the last line is a property that returns the currently set value of the layer property, after keyframes. So this will add the offset to whatever the position currently is.
There is no need to use time-white.inPoint when calculating sourceRectAtTime because that method expects comp time as the first parameter, not layer time.


text:
How to extend vertical video with the same duplicate size on its side?
I'm a newbie in video editing. Here's what I do:

I record the screen of my phone, explaining some stuff
Video is recorded in portrait mode, thus it's a vertical video
I edit this video by adding some pictures or audio effects and post it
However, the video is vertical and added pictures block the real captured phone screen

Here's what I want to do:

Recording the screen just like before
Somehow shift this vertical video to the left of a new video
Add pictures and other marks to the right in the editing process
Export the whole as a square video

In fact, I want to do this:

I don't know what keywords should I use in search to find guidelines on how to do this. I don't know what software (preferably free and open source) can I use for this. I'm stuck at this point. Can anyone help?

A great free online editing software is WeVideo. In WeVideo, any video that doesn't take up the whole screen (like video shot in portrait mode) can be layered on top of any other video by putting the video you want on top by putting that video on the video track above the video you want below it. The way to get your video to look that way you want it to would be to have the blue square with the words on in Video track 2, and the black background and lightning bolt on the lower track. Then, you could double click on the blue box clip, and it should bring you to the transform menu  where you can drag the clip that you have selected around until it is where you want it in the little preview screen. This way you can have the clip in the second track be anywhere in the screen. Hope this was helpful!


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What is the normal rendering time?
I have i3-7100 CPU and 16 gigabytes of DDR4 RAM. I know it's not much, but why Adobe Media Encoder 2020 is rendering my simple 720p video with subtitles so slow?!
It takes 20 minutes to render my 5 minute 720p video with default H264 settings. What is going on here?
And there are no scaling or other effects. Just the video and hardcoded subtitles.

20 minutes to render a 5 minute video on a slower machine doesn't sound that bad to me. Videos take ages in general. Often I end up rendering stuff overnight.

I quite often find rendering in Premiere is faster and more reliable than using Media Encoder fyi

Check your GPU settings in AME prefs should be targeting your particular GPU. Choice of GPU can effect render time significantly. A GPU with a high CUDA processor count is best for these renders on a PC. On a MAC it should be metal with an appropriate card. Try and get a view of your system performance and buy a better card. https://www.cgdirector.com/best-cpu-gpu-render-benchmarks/


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How can I remove unwanted object from a video and see what's behind it?
If for example I have a video and there is a person that moves but is always partially blocked by an object, can I remove it somehow to get a clear video footage? I tried Adobe content aware Filter, it did not help.

Hi - please could you add a screen shot to help explain what you need to do?

There is no easy way to do this. You obviously can't just "reveal" footage that is obstructed, you'll have to recreate it. It's hard to judge the shot since you provided no screenshot, but the easiest method would probably be to grab a frame and use photoshop to remove the object and reconstruct the person by re-using parts of the existing image. If you have to reconstruct a face, I would say that it's an impossible task. A shoulder however should be possible. This way. You only have to create a "patch" for every other, or every frame, depending on the movement, then overlay those patches to your footage and track the footage if needed, to attach the patch with the tracked movement to your footage.


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Audio normalization across multiple clips and for Youtube, in After Effects
I am trying to normalize audio between the clips in my timeline, and at the same time I want to make sure that the overall volume matches Youtube's guidelines.
I wonder if I can read the peak amplitude in AE itself and normalize it across the clips automatically.
I am not quite sure what I am doing. I've imported a MP3 that should have a reasonable peak volume as it was encoded professionally (not by me), but it sounds a bit too high in volume to what I expected – maybe is there a master volume in AE that I don't know of?
Also, I tried to look up for any guidelines from Youtube in regard to audio normalization, but I had no luck with that, they probably don't exist at all (I wouldn't be surprised, volume on Youtube is all over the place, it's inconsistent even between videos from the same channel).
Thank you in advance.

It's probably worth looking on our sister site, sound.stackexchange.com - where audio normalisation across multiple tracks has been covered (I think using Audacity)

Your workflow is wrong. You just don't normalize audio with After Effects. Instead either do it with an audio editor, like Audition (which seems suitable to match clips in timeline, just use the normalize effect and maybe a compressor if the dynamic is too great). Finally apply loudness normalization with your video editor. For example during export with Premiere Pro you can set the loudness in the effects tab. Choose a profile and set parameters. For background information on parameter and unit names you can read a PDF here.

Consider matching your audio to a target loudness instead of normalizing peaks. Use the Loudness Radar (Premiere/Audition) to measure and compare adjustments.


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what is the best digital output format for miniDV tapes
I have many tapes that I want to encode with some current, compact codec. this is the output from ffprobe:
[dv @ 0x5642a174c5a0] Estimating duration from bitrate, this may be inaccurate
Input #0, dv, from 'dvgrab-001.dv':
  Metadata:
    timecode        : 00:15:14;26
  Duration: 00:00:46.88, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 28771 kb/s
    Stream #0:0: Video: dvvideo, yuv411p, 720x480 [SAR 8:9 DAR 4:3], 25000 kb/s, 29.97 fps, 29.97 tbr, 29.97 tbn, 29.97 tbc
    Stream #0:1: Audio: pcm_s16le, 32000 Hz, stereo, s16, 1024 kb/s
    Stream #0:2: Audio: pcm_s16le, 32000 Hz, stereo, s16, 1024 kb/s

which video codec from ffmpeg is recommended? output should be watched on a smart TV with 16:9 physical, but I do not expect result will be wide.

h.264.
For DV the default settings will probably be fine:
ffmpeg -i 'dvgrab-001.dv' output.mp4

If the footage is interlaced (the ffprobe says it isn't, but if you see combing artefacts then use this):
ffmpeg -i 'dvgrab-001.dv' -vf yadif output.mp4

The original video is anamorphic NTSC 4:3, meaning that it's stretched slightly out when played back, this should be fine with the TV, but if not you can re-sample to make square pixels:
ffmpeg -i 'dvgrab-001.dv' -vf scale=728:540,setsar=1:1 output.mp4

If the video is supposed to be 16:9 but is playing back squashed you can set the Display Aspect Ratio thus:
ffmpeg -i 'dvgrab-001.dv' -vf setdar=16:9 output.mp4

Or resample for square pixels thus:
ffmpeg -i 'dvgrab-001.dv' -vf scale=960:540,setsar=1:1 output.mp4