Composite Video Advice

[JCPA]

First, I am so impressed and grateful for all that can be done within Shotcut. I need some advice about how best to create a video like this one (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMe6zRiF1lw) where I would use composites in several different layouts throughout. Without advice, I’m thinking I would need to create each composite as a project unto itself with the Size and Position filter, export the video, then bring them all into a new project and split/lift away. Is there a better method? I’ll be dealing with up to 30 singer videos at a time, featuring different ones at different points, and will be bringing in a blended audio track separately. Advice appreciated!

[shotcut]

Use many video tracks with a white color clip on bottom (V1). Then. add Size and Position filters to the clips on the upper tracks to place them. Turn on the player’s grid to help with sizing the rectangles. Also, when you are doing fade in/out on these, look for the checkbox in the fade in/out video filters to fade opacity instead of with black.

[JCPA]

Thank you. I was planning that general approach, and will make use of the grid and fade in/out suggestions. Appreciated. Any thoughts though on the ever-changing composite box layouts throughout the video and best way to start and stop?

[shotcut]

@JCPA

Any thoughts though on the ever-changing composite box layouts throughout the video and best way to start and stop?

Use multiple instances of the Size and Position filter with trimming:

Trimming Filters

Trimming a filter means you can choose when the filter effect starts and ends independent of the clip’s starting and ending time. Obviously, if the filter is applied to a clip, it must still be within the clip’s time frame. If the filter is applied to a track, however, it can be truly independent. Filter trimming takes place in the Keyframes panel: [image] The first row of the Keyframes panel shows the clip with its thumbnails and audio waveform. Drag the left, green edge to change when the f…

[JCPA]

I tried the trimmed filter with success. But, I’m not sure about this: there are sections where I don’t want a track to show, but later do want it to show again. How best should I exclude it from the mix during certain sections, while keeping it there before and after?

[sauron]

I partially reproduced the first minute of the YT video in your first post. It was an interesting exercise in filter trimming.

I put 9 video clips on nine tracks and a white color clip on the lowest track. Used Opacity, Size and Position and Crop:Rectangle filters to do the compositing. Did not split any of the clips, only used trimming and limited key frames to arrange and position the clips.

Filter trimming can be a bit tricky, but it yields very good results when properly applied.

I replaced the videos in my project with color clips. Here’s the project for you to look at. Hope it helps you figure out how to include and exclude sections.

10 Track Composite.mlt (57.6 KB)

[JCPA]

Aha! Very cool. The first post said this, but I didn’t really understand how to put it into practice to do what I needed until you put this together. So, opacity will be controlling when/whether a track is seen or not, and trimmed size & position filters will be used to indicate where, at the right times. If that’s right, I think I got it! Thank you!!