If you’re asking this question, you are probably upgrading from DVD Studio Pro 1, where this was a common function. You’ll find this is NOT possible in the current versions DVD Studio Pro, as the Track Editor takes its place. (We will cover the Track Inspectorlater in this chapter).
Creating a Track with an Asset Automatically
To create a Track using either an encoded MPEG video stream or a QuickTime movie file, you can Figure 7-14a — Markers created during encoding can show up automatically!
Figure 7-14b — Adding Embedded Markers or a List by hand.
select a file from the Palette, the Asset Tab, or even the Finder Window and do one of the following:
• Drag it onto the Disc Name in the Outline Tab (Fig. 7-16).
• Drag it onto the Tracks Folder in the Outline Tab (Fig. 7-17).
• Drag it into the Tracks List area in the Outline Tab (Fig. 7-18).
• Drag it onto any empty area in the Outline Tab (Fig. 7-19).
Figures 7-16 through 7-20 show what these opera- tions look like.
Figure 7-16 — Dragging an Asset onto the Disc Name.
Figure 7-17— Dragging an Asset onto the Track Folder.
Figure 7-18 — Dragging an Asset into the Track Folder list.
Figure 7-19 — Dragging an Asset into Outline Tab—
Note selection highlight!
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Figure 7-15 — The Track Inspector top area.
When you release the mouse, the Track will appear in the Track Folder,and it will have the name of the asset file you used!
Figure 7-20 — New Named Track created by Dragging Asset file.
A hint for you: When you drag into the Outline Tab, be sure to look for the dark selection highlight around the Tab’s perimeter—this mean’s you’re in the right place to drop the asset, (refer to Fig. 7-19).
NOTE!
Dragging a video Asset to an existing Track name in the Outline Tab will add or append the selected asset into the named Track’s V1 stream. This may or may NOT be what you are trying to accomplish! All assets that share the same stream must be of the same kind, and same aspect ratio. In DVD Studio Pro 2, 3, and 4, you can have more than one Clip in a Track, unlike in DVD Studio Pro 1 (see the section on “Adding Additional Clips” to a Track below).
POWER USER TIP!
Dragging Multiple Video files to one of the locations above will create multiple Tracks at one time. You can select multiple files at one time in the Finder Window, Palette Tab, and the Asset Tab. Audio will drag with them if you have that preference set. You can Shift-Click, or Click-Dragthe Thumbnails in the Palette to select a group of clips at one time.
Adding Additional Clips to a Track
Adding one or more additional clipsintothe Track Editor will append the clip(s) to the end of the cur- rent contents of the Track.
To add a clip to an existing Track with video, do one of the following:
• Drag one or more clips onto the Track in the Outline Tab,or
• Drag one or more clips into the V1 Stream Area in the Track.
Audio will drag with them if that preference is set (see Fig. 7-21).
NOTE!
If you Drag multiple clips into the Outline Tab, or onto the Tracks Folder—you’ll get Multiple Tracks instead!
You can add Markers and define Stories in a Track with multiple clips (see Chapter 8).
Duplicating Clips in a Track
To duplicate a clip in a video stream, do one of the following:
• Option-Clickthe desired stream, and drag a copy to an empty part of the Stream area,or
• Control-Click the desired stream, and select
“Duplicate Media Clip” in the pop-up.
To duplicate a clip in a different video stream, do one of the following:
• Option-Clickthe desired stream, and drag it to a new Stream area,or
• Shift-Option-Clickthe desired stream, and drag it to a new Stream area; the start time will be matched to the start of the original.
NOTE!
When duplicating clips, remember that the more video you add into your project, the more disc space you use. Whenever possible, use commands or Scripting in order to re-use assets without taking up addi- tional disc space.
You Can Author with Movie Files as Well as MPEG Streams
Since the advent of DVD Studio Pro 2, you have no longer needed to import (or encode) an Asset before you use it, and, in most cases, just dragging the file you want to use into your project will create the Track! This is 21st century “drag-and-drop,” and very time-saving.
In DVD Studio Pro, the onboard MPEG encoder will encode your movies into MPEG-2 files in the back- ground while you author OR WHEN YOU BUILD (this preference has been moved from the General Preferences to the Encoding Preferences Pane in DVD Studio Pro 4). (You can read more about encoding MPEG-2 in Chapter 5, if you skipped it.) Using a QuickTime movie (.mov) that contains one video and one audio program, you can directly
author a Track by dragging and dropping this file into any location that will create a movie. You may also continue to use traditional elementary MPEG video Streams and their associated audio streams.
Creating a Track Using the Menu Editor
To create a Track using the Menu Editor, do the fol- lowing:
• Click on the desired file from the Palette, Finder, or Asset Tab;
• Drag the file directly onto the Menu Editor Screen and hold it.
Holding a dragged file on the Menu Editor screen will cause the display of one of the context-sensitive Drop Palettes(see Fig. 7-21b), which give you intel- ligent choices of what to do with this movie. In the case of a video asset, you will probably want to select Create Button and Track, which will create the Track automatically and connect it to the Button it makes in the Menu (see Fig. 7-21c). We’ll cover a lotmore on Drop Palettes in Chapter 9.
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Figure 7-21a — Multiple Clips appended in one Track’s Timeline.
Figure 7-21a — Creating a Track in the Menu Editor by Dragging assets.
Figure 7-21b — The Track’s Button created in the Menu Editor.
NOTE!
Dragging an MPEG stream or movie file into the Assets Tabwill NOT automatically create a Track Element, but it WILL add that file into the available authoring assets. To use that asset, you will need to author that asset into an existing Track, or create a new Track for it.
You Don’t Need a Menu to Make a DVD…
If your DVD doesn’t require a menu, there’s nothing to stop you from authoring your DVD project by cre- ating a simple Video track, and then building and burn- ing the disc. Just be sure you set that Track as the First Playaction (see Chapter 11, “Making Connections”).
Using the Track Editor
The Track Editor is included in the default Extended or Advanced Configurations. If the Track Editor is not visible in its Quadrant, click on the Track Tab. If you are in the Basic configuration, you can reveal the bot- tom quadrant, or switch to Extended or Advanced view.
To select which Track to edit:
• Double-Clickthe Track’s name in the Outline TabTrack list,or
• Select the desired Track from the View: pop- up in the Track Tab.
If you’re new to DVD Studio Pro, the first thing you might notice about the Track Editoris the timeline.
DVD Studio Pro 1 did not use a timeline while authoring tracks, so if you haven’t see it before, it might take a second for you to get used to. If you are familiar with nonlinear video editing, you are proba- bly an old hand when it comes to timelines.
About the Track Tab Controls
Along the top of the Track Editor (Fig. 7-22), you will find these tools, starting from left:
• The View: pop-up (to select which Track to edit in the Track Editor),
• The Playhead location field(shows/sets Playhead current timecode), and
• The Clip Start: and End: time displays (for currently selected clip). These fields may also be used to edit Start and End times.
Immediately below these controls are:
• The three “Show Multiple” Stream selectors, which control the display of the Stream Areas for Video (Fig. 7-23a), Audio (Fig. 7-23b), and Subtitles (Fig. 7-3c).
• The “current Cursor location” display, which always shows the current position of the Cursor within the Timeline (to the right of the three stream selectors in Fig 7-23a).
• The Playhead (Inverted Yellow Triangle);
shows the current position of the movie while playing (right under the Chapter 1 marker in Fig 7-23a).
If you haven’t changed your Marker labeling prefer- ences, the default Marker called Chapter 1 should also be at the left end of the timeline. Chapter 1 (or whatever you may choose to rename it to) is a very important Marker. It is required in order for the DVD player to know where this Track begins, and it can- not be removed from the Track. The gray area directly above the timeline numbers is where Markers are created and displayed (see Chapter 8 for more about creating Markers).
Stream Areas
Immediately beneath the top tools we have been looking at are the Stream areas where you can organ- ize the Video, Audio, and Subtitles that make up this particular Track. Each of your up to 99 tracks may
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Figure 7-22 — The Track Editor’s Top tools.
Figure 7-23a — The Show Multiple Video Streams tool.
Figure 7-23b — The Show Multiple Audio Streams tool.
Figure 7-23c — The Show Multiple Subtitle Streams tool.
have a completely different configuration or combi- nation of these items, with one exception—there must always be a picture of some kind within a Track, or that Track will be illegal in your DVD, and your project will likely not Build.
Organizing the Stream Display
The Stream areas are very flexible to display and can be rearranged quite easily. The divisions between the Video, Audio, and Subtitle Stream areas are movable, and can be easily rearranged. Streams may be hidden or revealed by clicking on the horizontal marks in the middle of the stream dividers (as in Fig. 7-24), and dragging up or down to reveal more or fewer streams, as needed. Depending on the current size of the Track tab, any number of Video, Audio, and Subtitle Streams may be displayed. When it comes to dis- playing Tracks and Streams, having a large display or a dual-monitor setup can really come in handy—more screen real estate can mean a much larger Track tab—
a benefit in DVD Studio Pro, as it is in Final Cut Pro.
You will find having a larger timeline area comes in handy for editing not only DVD Stream data, but also
when creating Subtitle events (see Chapter 12,
“Creating Subtitles”).
Customizing the Stream Area Display
Each of the Stream areas has its own visibility tools.
• The Viewer Stream Selectturns on visibility of each Stream in the Viewer (see Fig.
7-25). This affects the Simulator as well as the Viewer playback. Note that Video Stream V1 must alwaysremain on.
Selecting a Video Stream other than V1 results in the playback of that angle (Video Stream) during simula- tion and preview. If this is a “mixed angle” Track, dis- play will alternate between the selected Stream (where video exists in that Stream) and Stream 1 (where video does not exist in the selected Stream). Audio and Subtitle Streams are optional during Simulation.
• The Stream Lock(the padlock icon) locks the contents of a selected Stream, preventing editing (see Fig. 7-26). There is a Stream lock for each Video, Audio, and Subtitle stream.
Figure 7-24 — Adjusting stream visibility and arrangement.
• Press Shift-F4 to lock all streams simultaneously, or select Project >
Timeline > Lock All Streamsin the Menubar.
• Audio Stream Language Selectpop-ups (Fig.
7-27). Selects a label for the Language associated with that Stream. This label is read by DVD players and used to identify the language contained within that Audio stream to the DVD viewer.
IMPORTANT!
It is always advisable to set this property correctly during authoring. If not set, the DVD player will usu- ally report an “unspecified” language, and, more importantly, certain automatic language selection func- tions may not perform properly.
NOTE!
There is a Preference for automatically selecting a Language tag in the Track Preferences.
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Figure 7-26 — Stream Lock tool (hash marks means Stream is locked).
Figure 7-25 — Stream Select Icon—on means Stream is visible in Viewer.
Figure 7-28 — Using the Language Selection pop-up for a Subtitle Stream.
• The Subtitle Stream Language Selectpop-up shown in Figure 7-28 selects a label for the Language associated with that Stream.
This label is read by DVD players and used to iden- tify the language contained within that Subtitle stream to the DVD viewer.
You will find more information about Subtitles in Chapter 12.
More Track Display Selection Tools
At the bottom of the Track Editor are three display selection tools that closely resemble similar tools in Final Cut Pro:
• Stream Height Select—Timeline Bottom, extreme left (Fig. 7-29). There are four bars of varying height, each of which selects a Stream Height level. There are four levels of Stream Height selectable, which control the height of all streams visible in the Track Editor. These can be seen in Figures 7-30a, 7-30b, 7-31a, and 7-31b.
Figure 7-29 — Stream Height Tool.
Figure 7-27 — Stream Language Select tool (Audio, Subtitles only).
• Timeline Zoom Tool—Timeline Bottom left (see Fig. 7-32).
The Timeline Zoom determines how much of the current timeline is visible within the Track Editor.
The Zoom level is selectable in a smooth sliding
scale using this tool. The degree of zoom can also be selected using = and –.
• Timeline Scroll Tool—the bar to the right of the Zoom (see Fig. 7-33).
This Tool can be dragged to resize the Zoom of the Timeline and to locate the visible position of the Timeline. Dragging either end allows scaling of the display, while dragging from the middle allows scrolling of the displayed portion of the timeline. The little inverted triangle shows the current position of the Playhead.
TIP!
Hold shift while scrolling to keep the Playhead visi- ble!
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Figure 7-30a — Maximum Stream Height. Figure 7-30b — Large Stream Height.
Figure 7-31a — Medium Stream Height (Default).
Figure 7-32 — Timeline Zoom Tool (also can use = and –).
Figure 7-31b — Small Stream Height.
How the Timeline Works—Zero-Based versus Asset-Based TC
The Timeline in the Track Editor defaults to a meas- urement of elapsedtime—basically, the Track’s run- ning time beginning at what is usually called “Hour Zero”—SMPTE value 00:00:00:00.
Although MPEG files may contain timecode values other than Hour Zero embedded during encoding, the default time base is called “Zero-Based Timecode.”
In this mode, the duration of the MPEG video asset is counted in Hours, Minutes, Seconds, and Frames elapsed from Hour Zero at the Start of Track (Chapter 1). The location of any marker within the MPEG file can thus be defined by its distance from the beginning of the stream.
As an alternative, SMPTE timecode embedded within the MPEG file can be displayed instead, by using the Asset-Based Timecodemode, which can be selected by Control-Clickingon the Timeline ruler
(see Fig. 7-33). Be sure to click on the Timeline ruler, and not within the Stream areas or on a Stream (Clip), because clicking in those locations will bring up an entirely different set of options.
Trimming Assets in the Timeline
Beginning with DVD Studio Pro 2, you have the abil- ity to trim the head and tail (the beginning point, and the end point, or duration) of any stream in the Track Editor. Place the cursor at the beginning or end of any stream, and you will see the trim cursor reveal itself.
To Trim Streams using the cursor:
• Click on the stream’s beginning with the Trim Cursor (see Fig. 7-34). Drag to the right from there to trim the start point.
Remember that the V1 Stream must always begin at Chapter 1, so after any trim you make, V1 will always shuffle down so its first frame is aligned with Chapter 1.
Figure 7-33 — Control-Click on the timeline for Timecode mode selection.
Figure 7-34 — Trimming the Video Stream beginning (head).
To trim a Stream’s Tail, or its duration (see Fig.
7-35), do one of the following:
• Click the Stream’s end with the trim cursor and drag left to trim back the ending point to shorten the Stream,or
• Click in the End Time field of the selected Stream, and you can edit the Stream’s numerical duration.
Figure 7-35 — Trimming the Video Stream duration (tail).
In each case, the current cursor position will be shown in the cursor time field, and in the Start or End field as well.
NOTE!
If you are trimming an encoded MPEG-2 asset, trims can only occur on GOP boundaries(I-frame headers).
This is due to the DVD Spec, and cannot be changed.
This means the trim points are limited to the locations of the GOP sequence as encoded, not Compression marker locations (forced I-frames).
You will find you can also trim Audio and Subtitle streams this way.
Why Trim an Asset Stream?
Many times encoded MPEG files will include mate- rial not needed in the final encode—color bars and tones at the beginning, or perhaps an extra-long roll- out or tail of black.
To facilitate removing these extraneous items, it is nice to have trimming tools within the DVD Authoring program. If they were not available, the only recourse would be to re-encode, or to try to work around the defect by defining Markers and then using Stories or scripted playback to “play around”
the undesired segments. Trimming is far easier.
Trimming Streams Using the Asset Inspector
Sometimes, you will require more precise trimming than is convenient using the cursor. A stream’s dura- tion or starting timecode may be trimmed using the numerical “Clip Start Trim” and “Duration” fields present in the Inspector. Be sure to make the Inspector visible before you try adjusting these durations.
To trim the start time numerically:
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• Clickon the Video or Audio stream to be trimmed, then
• Clickon the up/down arrows next to the Inspector’s Clip Start Time field; or
• Clickin the Clip Start time field to place the cursor where needed, or double-clickon a pair of numbers to select them, or type Cmd-A( -A) to Select Allin the desired field. When you have selected the desired numbers, delete and/or retype numbers as needed (see Fig. 7-36, left).
To trim the duration numerically, use one of the fol- lowing methods:
• Clickon the Video or Audio stream to be trimmed, then
• Clickon the up/down arrows next to the Inspector’s Duration field,or
• Clickin the field to place the cursor where needed, or double-clickon a pair of numbers to select them, or type Cmd-A( -A) to
Select All in the desired field. When you have selected the desired numbers, delete and/or retype numbers as needed (see Fig.
7-36, right).
Track Inspectors
The Inspectors play an important role in DVD Studio Pro by defining certain aspects of an Element’s func- tionality, once it’s been created.
• The Track Inspectortop area contains a Namefield, and a pop-up to select or modify this Track’s End Jumpproperty.
• The Track Inspectorhas three Tabs, to organize the information available about this element:General, Other, and User
Operations (see Fig. 7-37).
Figure 7-36 — Trimming Start Time (L) and Duration (R) numerically.