Video Mixing Soft

[nocturnal]

Is there a simple software substitute for a hardware video mixer ? Say I want to play 4 seperate videos via media player and do live wipes/transitions just between those ? Then using my overlay video card play the output on the second screen ?

[vjrei]

No

[supadupatoh]

Well, resolume can handle 3 inputs...

[sneakyimp]

hey!

if you want video on one screen and then mix 4 clips on the other, resolume *might* work...you load your 4 clips into resolume and...well...not sure how to get video playing on the other screen. you could always use resolume for the 4 clips (i hope they aren't too long!....big files take a while to load and may not play immediately) and then maybe hook the 2nd monitor into a VCR.

If you didn't mind having all your videos playing on the same screen, resolume would be perfect. you would need a video feed (hollywood Dv bridge?) for your computer, plug video/DVD/VCR into the DV bridge and it will show up in resolume's generators window. haven't tried this myself yet, but resolume does recognize my video grab card.



j

[many2]

With visualJockey R3.2 you can mix (with many different mixing modes, from additive with saturation to 256 levels of transparency mask) and wipe (with many different wipe effects) any number of AVI files. Also, you can mix or wipe between different effects composition, each one made with any number of AVI players. vJo R3.2 also has new transfer modes which are highly-optimized versions of photoshop layer transfer styles (hard light, soft light, overlay, etc.)

You can also use the videoLab plugin to mix / wipe between any source (AVI, flash, FX generators) and a live video input coming either from a second computer, a VCR, a live camera or anything you can plug in ! Add some more real-time effects to the results for unbelievable results ;)

Many-2

[goodship11]

vdmx2 will give you two bins of clips, and at least 1 live input, although i cant remember, check www.vidvox.net.. so there are two clips at once and you have a multitude of ways to mix them together. for mac tho, not sure what you're using.. but its all software :)

[MoRpH]

Try SVi it has can use 4 video layer, one of which can be live input :)

[will]

flowmotion can do 5 layers including live from video in also has about 30 fx and beat sync plus loads of trippy layering stuff

[solidstate]

whre can I get my hands on flowmotion?

[eXhale]

http://www.robotfunk.com

[sleepytom]

VJamm 2 pro can do 16 layers (nar-na-nanar-na)

why not read the reviews on vjcentral - then we could do without all these "my softwares better than yours" threads

[MoRpH]

Exactly tom.

An as aside does any one know of an app that will take in say 4 external video inputs like from a combination of firewire, usb, and pci capture devices and then allow it to be mixed like a hardware mixer???

[hamageddon]

hm, maybe eyesweb could, if u program the necessary enviroment, and got a lot of inputs,
but u would need a speedy cpu 4 that task.
but still then it won't replace a hardware mixer.

[infopocalypse]

CPU wouldn't make much of a difference in this case, BUS would... you see capturing 640/480 @ 30 fps will max a PCI bus, 320/240 will tax it heavily, and devour a USB connection. Haven't done the profiling on a firewire yet. I think that it's possible to do so, and my hope is that the soft I am currently working on will do so, but I don't yet know.

[MoRpH]

well personally I was prefering this for a laptop system so PCMCIA bus would be the most important one, would be good to see say a double size 2 slot type 2 pcmcia card with say 2 firewire ins and and 2 straight streaming composite ins (like the little composite to USB dongles but in a card to PCMCIA). Them all going into a mixing application that can access them and also play clips from the HDD, with the functionality of a mixer (switch/fade/key/FX/transitions) with a full laptop screen UI with small previews of each source (MX1 preview style) and then full screen mix output on the VGA out from the laptop... also maybe set iy up to have a commandpost wrapper so you can use that :D

Now combine that with the FX unit I was talking about, a pitch control DVD/VCD or 2 and a live cam or 2. BOOYAKASHA!!!!! the ultimate :)

[infopocalypse]

Two inputs isn't a problem, four really shouldn't be either. As I recently said on Eyecandy, I'm making filters for every transitions that the MX-1 has, if I can manage to do so (most of them should not present a problem). And since the GUI for said app will be skin based, it would be theoretically possible to even emulate the look of the MX-1 (and if we can parse the HID messages from a CommandPost, ACT like an MX-1).

[wellREDman]

Originally posted by MoRpH
Now combine that with the FX unit I was talking about, a pitch control DVD/VCD or 2 and a live cam or 2. BOOYAKASHA!!!!! the ultimate :)

MoRpH mate on another thread you were all pro-hardware cos of software vulnerability crashes, now it looks like your fixing to try and replace your hardware mixer with a puter?

I think we're a long way from the point when a software can handle multiple channels at the resolution to even a v5 can do

nice to dream tho:D

[infopocalypse]

I think it is possible to make crash-proof software... but takes care, imagination, and a lack of laziness... three qualities not highly prevelant in most software companies, which seem not to be really concerned about the efficiency of their product (i.e. I have seen an assembly written product that does a RENDER CLOUDS effect in almost zero time... Photoshop takes quite a while to do just that, more the more the image is). At the same time I realize that software has its limitations due to its nature and due to programmer inefficiencies, and thus the solution is this:

Make excellent software, highly efficient and capable of being crashproof.

AND

Couple that with equally powerful hardware.

[MoRpH]

Originally posted by wellREDman


MoRpH mate on another thread you were all pro-hardware cos of software vulnerability crashes, now it looks like your fixing to try and replace your hardware mixer with a puter?

Hmmm true in a sense I guess I'll never do away with my little MX1 as a backup if the PC crashes, howevery my point with this is that I personally use my laptops for clip playing and mixing (both with HDD clips and external sources). MY point was it would be good to have a software solution that did just this role and didn't worry about FX (which I are computationally more complex), which should be in a dedicated box (ala CVI).

[namba]

So, what about Motion Dive 3? It IS a simple software substitute for a hardware video mixer! Okay, you can only use 3 videos, but it`s very intuitive and got nice effects, too... And you can use a 2nd screen to output the signal. Dunno about a PC version, though, but I believe there is one?!

[infopocalypse]

Yeah there is one but MotionDive is stop-based... you are either half on/half off, all one, or all the other. Same with pitch adjust. Forget that.

[infopocalypse]

And there is a PC version of it... mainly cause I believe it's written either in Java or MetaWorks codewarrior (in other words RAD for multi platform, in other words inefficient).

James

[infopocalypse]

having just checkout out its demo, it doesnt have anything for capture devices.

[MoRpH]

Give the newbie a break info, they prolly didn't read the thread or understand it properly and if you read their other post you would know they have just started and are completely wrapped up in awe of motion dive (may not have even tried any other soft....).

[robotfunk]

MD2/3 are made in director, but I think they have written a lot of custom Xtras for it.

[MoRpH]

Hmmm now they would be some nice uncompiled director movies to get your hands on :D mod heaven :)

[infopocalypse]

DIRECTOR? My god they are crazy. If the efficiency (or lack thereof) of Flash is anything to go off of, that goes a long way to explaining the shortcomings of MotionDive.

And no, thinking it through, they wouldn't need a lot of extras. To the best of my knowledge it doesnt do anything system related except force the resolution to 640/480. I dont think it has dual monitor output, and I know that you could build something to do the SWF portion of it as an ActionScript, all of the filters could also be done the same way, and I know Director is a lot more Quicktime friendly than Flash is... so no, I don't think you'd need to put a lot of extras onto Director @ all.

[infopocalypse]

Using ActionScript as I don't know Lingo. And assuming a prewritten function of transform(target, red,green, blue)

Vibration (super easy):

clpName._x += Math.random(100) - 50;
clpName._y += Math.random(100) - 50;

In Flash 6 I'd use the interval function to make this work so it doesnt jitter like mad.

Zoom (2x)

clpName._width *= 2;
clpName._height *= 2;

This will make the clip twice as large but it will put it on the same stage with the same center, thus zooming it.

Automatic Zoom:

clpName._width+=interval;
clpName._height+=interval;

if (clpName._width >= endzoom_width)
{
clpName._width = startzoom_width;
}

Color:

Transform(clpName, 255,0,0); (that would tint it red)

Color cycle:

Transform(clpName, Number(Math.Random(1)) * 255,Number(Math.Random(1)) * 255,Number(Math.Random(1)) * 255);

Which basically means that you could be either fully red and fully green, etc, but not levels... this seems to closely approximate their color cycles.

Sepia:

Transform(clpName, (whatever equates to Brown... it just hit 5 am here and I'm going to bed soon)

The PIPs are harder to do smart as you'd need a pointer, which I know Flash doesnt really have and I doubt that Director has, but you can jerry rig by assigning a SWF to each source. Pitch control would have to be done in director, as Flash can't really do it. Strobe just seems to be a 1 fps pitch.

(note: could jerry rig a pitch adjustment by use of the interval function and NEXTFRAME/LASTFRAME)

I'm sure I made some syntax errors but, like I said, it's 5:00 am and its off to sleep. However, I have a challenge for any lingo-friendly people out there, or any Flash fiends... come up with a free version of MotionDive built in one or the other... I don't think anyone will mind its existance, except for the MotionDive people.


The function below (for Flash 5+) should get you started.


function Transform(tget, r, g, b)
{
myC = new Color(tget);
myCT = new Object();
myCT.rb = r;
myCT.gb = g;
myCT.bb = b;
myC.setTransform(myCT);
delete myC;
delete myCT;
}

Which will take anything that's not white in an image and move it towards a color. To make whites go towards a color, use .ra

Use this function as you will as I'll be publishing it as an example in a book on the subject anyways.

James

[robotfunk]

you really, REALLY cannot compare director to flash. director handles a zillion times more things and code executes nearly 100x faster than in flash. flash is like the lame kid brother of director when it comes to power.

and no i couldnt think of much things you would need an xtra for to make the functionality of md 2/3 but they did make them.. look for the xtra directory in the md program folder (this is how i got the first clue that director was used, http://www.macromedia.com/jp/showcase/monthly/motiondive/ confirmed this), they have custom xtras for just about anything, I think that besides the interface not much is handled at the director level.

BTW I don't really get why people like MD3 much at all except maybe the shiny interface or its simplicity. When I saw the crossfader getting stuck halfway I uninstalled it right away.

[infopocalypse]

I'm keeping it on as @ present the plan is for a skin-based gui to my app, that meaning we can easily duplicate the look for MotionDive and provide a ton more functionality.

Even if its 100x faster than Flash I still can't picture Macormedia suddenly turning into smart program language programmers. In SWF @ least the language is always interpreted, even with the SWF when its played, instead of compiled. They have no data types to speak of, etc.

I'll have to get a copy of Director, as I haven't owned one in about 3 years... but the challenge still stands. I think that a free version of MotionDive wouldnt be a bad idea at all.