- Transitions
- Adjusting Video Speed and Duration
- Working with Multiple Video Tracks
- Using Blend Modes
- Adding Polish to the Video
- Combining Two Video Documents
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Working with Multiple Video Tracks
Video groups are a very useful way of keeping video clips together in a linear fashion. Figure 4.14 shows a video group and how the Layers panel maps to the Timeline. Whenever you import video, a video group will automatically be created. Put simply, a video group is in fact a video track.
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Figure 4.14. A video group and how the Timeline matches the Layers panel.
For the majority of editing purposes, using a single video track is sufficient. But when you need to be a bit more creative, you’ll need to work with more than one video track. The advantage of stacking video layers is that whatever you can do with images in layers, most of the time you can do the same thing with video layers. For example, you can apply layer opacity and Blend modes with video to create great-looking effects. To stack the clips on top of each other, you first need to split a Timeline into more than one track. Let’s walk through the process step by step.
TIP
If you prefer to populate a new video group with a clip, select the clip first. Then choose the option New Video Group from Clips and the selected clip will be moved to the new group.
- Click the Filmstrip icon at the right of Video Group 1 on the Timeline. On the menu that appears, choose New Video Group (Figure 4.15).
Figure 4.15. Options to create a new video group.
A new empty video group called Video Group 2 will be created above the existing group (Figure 4.16).
Figure 4.16. Video Group 2 is ready for footage.
- With a new video group created, it’s easy to move clips into it. Just drag your clips from other groups into the new group. Using the example files (Figure 4.17), drag the ocean clip into Video Group 2.
Figure 4.17. Click and drag a clip into the desired video group. You can then stack video.
Notice that the clip moves to the new group and the rest of the footage nudges to the left to fill in the gap (Figure 4.18).
Figure 4.18. A multitrack video project.
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Jail Breaking a Clip From a Video Group the Easy Way
To more quickly move a clip onto a new track, from the Layers panel select the clip that is currently residing in a video group and drag it up in the layer stack. I call this jail breaking the clip from the group. Drag it above the video group until you see a line appear above the group (Figure 4.19). As simple as it sounds and looks, it requires a little practice.
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Figure 4.19. Jail break a clip by dragging it out of the video group.
Release the clip. It will then be in its own group (track) located above the original group (Figure 4.20, LEFT). Notice that there are now two video tracks in the Timeline and in the Layers panel (Figure 4.20, RIGHT). When there is only one video clip, it doesn’t have to be encased in a group; it will perform the same function as a video layer.
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Figure 4.20. The Timeline matches the Layers panel.