How do you trim in Vegas

ALeyser

Member
Ive used Avid my whole life but im giving Vegas a try. I have one problem with it already. For some reason I have absolutely no idea how to trim and everything I have read has stated stay away from the trimming tool. Somebody please help...:huh:
 
Sometimes I don't know how this stuff gets started. Who? Who told you to stay away from the trimmer?

Trimming is pretty simple. You can use the trimmer or not -- but a more sophisticated workflow is to use the trimmer. You'd take your clip into the trimmer, press I where you want the trimmed clip to begin, and then O where you want it to end. Set your cursor where you want it in the timeline, select the track you want it in, then go back to the trimmer and press the insert button, or press A.

Or, on the timeline, either grab the end(s) of the clip and make it longer or shorter as you desire, or find the spot in the clip on the timeline where you want to trim and press S, and then delete the part you don't want.

All this is made better still with ripple edits.

In any case, press F1 for Help; it's as good as a full manual.
 
The Trimmer in Vegas is a joke compered to Avid or Premiere. It is a pian in the butt if you ask me. I never could get it to work between to clips with a transition like a trimmer should.
 
The Trimmer in Vegas is a joke compered to Avid or Premiere. It is a pian in the butt if you ask me. I never could get it to work between to clips with a transition like a trimmer should.

What problems did you have? What were you trying to do that it didn't do?
 
My problem with the trimmer is that there's not enough of them! It would be great if you could open up two or three (or more) trimmers to assemble a piece from several different long takes.

Right now I do it by opening another Vegas session and put all of the clips on the timeline, then cut-n-paste to the original Vegas session.
 
My problem with the trimmer is that there's not enough of them! It would be great if you could open up two or three (or more) trimmers to assemble a piece from several different long takes.

Right now I do it by opening another Vegas session and put all of the clips on the timeline, then cut-n-paste to the original Vegas session.

One of the things I liked about Liquid (Avid, formerly Pinnacle) was that each clip had its own 3-way color corrector and trimmer.
 
I use the trimmer to create subclips of the takes and I place then in an appropriately named bin. I do this as my prep work and when done I can keep my editing work flowing. I prefer upfront preparation. The bin names are typically named by what scene they are a part of. When ready I can view each subclib in the folder and decide which one or ones to use. Quick and easy.
 
My friend is new to Vegas and I had Vegas 2.0 but sold it. With FCP, Premiere and Avid you have two dedicated monitors for trimming. You just pull or drag the footage in the two trim monitors and the trim takes place in the timeline. You can page up and down to go to edit points and trim real quick. If there is a transition FCP and Premiere trim the clip with the transition in place. My friend and I could not get Vegas to work like FCP and Avid for trimming. It may be able to but we could not get it to work.

I have nothing against Vegas but it is the odd ball out of the big three (Premiere , Avid, FCP) I am not saying it does not work best for you.
 
Are you talking about slip or slide edits? Vegas does that, no problem. It's a matter of holding alt or ctrl+alt as you manipulate the "clips" on the timeline. If you want to move a transition, hold ctrl+alt as you grab the transition and slide it back and forth.

It does it differently, but it does exactly the same thing as Premiere or FCP or Avid.
 
Are you talking about slip or slide edits? Vegas does that, no problem. It's a matter of holding alt or ctrl+alt as you manipulate the "clips" on the timeline. If you want to move a transition, hold ctrl+alt as you grab the transition and slide it back and forth.

It does it differently, but it does exactly the same thing as Premiere or FCP or Avid.

That is exaclty what I don't want.

I am not talking about slip and slide. I am talking about trimming real quick to beat the clock. Open up the trim window in Premiere Pro and use your page up and page down keys. Keep in mind you can select what track to edit so the page up and page down do not stop at titles but clips only on the track you select. How can I do this in Vegas? I am not talking control and alt options but a real trim editor.

You can use trim tools in FCP and Premiere but it is not the same as a trim editor. With Vegas we could not even figure out what keyboard short cut brings you to the start and end of the clip. Edius also uses the page up and page down. If you have a 30 minute show and need to take out 2 or 3 minutes Premiere will let you open the trim editor window and cut real quick between clips of the track you select (track 1,2 3 etc). Premiere's trim editor works better than FCP in my opinion although they are very simular.
 
But you can do all that in Vegas. No, the keyboard shortcuts aren't the same, but the functionality is there. It's just a matter of looking up the shortcuts (F1 for Help). Or customizing them to what you want. (I have them programmed into the ShuttlePro.)

It's one thing to prefer the way it's done in another editor -- but it's quite another to say it can't be done.
 
But you can do all that in Vegas. No, the keyboard shortcuts aren't the same, but the functionality is there. It's just a matter of looking up the shortcuts (F1 for Help). Or customizing them to what you want. (I have them programmed into the ShuttlePro.)

It's one thing to prefer the way it's done in another editor -- but it's quite another to say it can't be done.

I never said it can not be done. I can indeed trim using Vegas but not like in Premiere Pro. I do think Premire has a better trim editor. I Also like the extract and lift features. We did get a trim editor to open but it was nothing like FCP or Premiere and to me that is sad news. I think we can agree the trim editor is one of the most used tools for video editing. I think the original poser is looking for the same style of trim editor in Vegas that is in Avid and I don't think it is there.
 
If you're performing a trim of the type you're saying, it appears in the main monitor window while you're doing it.

I really don't get the issue here. If it can do all the same things, what's the problem? It obviously isn't the way you're used to, and that's fine, but to say it's a "joke" or that it doesn't work isn't accurate.

Vegas does a lot of things differently from other editors, and frankly, it does about 1000 things better than the way it's done in Premiere or FCP or Avid, IMO. But it's all about preference. I wouldn't call Premiere a "joke," because of it -- it's just different. And for some things, it's superior, which is why I use both.

I'm not at all saying that you should like the way Vegas does it or not prefer Premiere's way. I just think you need to be more familiar with Vegas before you can make these sweeping comments. There are many things it took me a while to figure out how to do in different NLEs, but I never once thought they simply couldn't be done just because it wasn't obvious.
 
If you're performing a trim of the type you're saying, it appears in the main monitor window while you're doing it.

I really don't get the issue here. If it can do all the same things, what's the problem? It obviously isn't the way you're used to, and that's fine, but to say it's a "joke" or that it doesn't work isn't accurate.

Vegas does a lot of things differently from other editors, and frankly, it does about 1000 things better than the way it's done in Premiere or FCP or Avid, IMO. But it's all about preference. I wouldn't call Premiere a "joke," because of it -- it's just different. And for some things, it's superior, which is why I use both.

I just think you need to be more familiar with Vegas before you can make these sweeping comments. There are many things it took me a while to figure out how to do in different NLEs, but I never once thought they simply couldn't be done just because it wasn't obvious.


Why do you like to pick fights????? The original poster is looking for a trim editor like Avid has. I never said you could not trim clips with Vegas but it does not work like the Avid. I was warning the original poster not to expect to see the trim editor like in Avid.

You are saying Vegas will show to monitors and both will have mini timeline to allow you to make the out point of one clip and the in point of another and you can skip to all cuts in that track with a simple keyborad short cut with the trim editor open? Of course I and everyone else can use the trim tool but it is not the same as a good trim editor. And yea I have opened up the trim editor of Vegas and I do not like it nor does it look like or act like most others trim editors.

What do you think Vegas does better than Premiere? Keep in mind I had Vegas before Premiere. Premiere 6.0 sucked but Premiere Pro is a much better editing program. Do you really like the way Vegas crops and pans the PIP? I think it is funky. It is by far the wrost I have used but it does not mean you won't like it. It also does not mean I am saying it can not be done. It can be done but not like FCP, Premiere or Avid. It is not about being obvious or that I and my friend can not figure it out it is just a funky GUI in my opinion. I was trimming and and using PIP with Vegas back in 2001. I was a tad bit rusty but after only for a few minutes it all came back to me. I know why I sold my Vegas 2.0. I do not regret it at all.

I can use Vegas I just don't like it. Can you comprehend this? Can you handle this info? If you do not like Premiere it is no skin of my ass. Infact I think Edius is a beter editor but Adobe can offer so much more than just Premiere Pro when you consider AE, Photoshop, Indesign etc (CS4 Master Collection). That is why I switched from Edius to Premiere pro.
 
Why do you like to pick fights?????

I'm not trying to, and I apologize if it comes across that way. I'm just trying to understand why you'd call trimming in Vegas a "joke" when it can do all of that stuff.


The original poster is looking for a trim editor like Avid has.
I don't see that he is. He's just asking how to trim. No, it's not the same as in Avid.


I never said you could not trim clips with Vegas but it does not work like the Avid. I was warning the original poster not to expect to see the trim editor like in Avid.
You said it was "joke." You also said you couldn't find how to do some things; I simply said that it could be done.


You are saying Vegas will show to monitors and both will have mini timeline to allow you to make the out point of one clip and the in point of another and you can skip to all cuts in that track with a simple keyborad short cut with the trim editor open?
No, I'm saying you're looking in the wrong place if that's what you want to do. It's just done differently.


What do you think Vegas does better than Premiere?
It's a long, long list. For starters, I would never even consider editing the audio in Premiere.

I like the automatic crossfades when you push clips together. I like that video and audio tracks are not segregated in their own groups and a clip's video and audio remain together unless you decide move them apart. I like that audio tracks are not dedicated to being stereo, mono, or 5.1 only, and that the audio itself can be changed on the fly. I like the graphic interface of 5.1 panning. I like the fact that the playback does not stop until you stop it yourself, not because you click on something else. I like that you can adjust FX, cropping, etc., while the clip plays on the timeline. I like that moving a clip does not make the frames or the waveforms disappear. I like that the waveforms are much more detailed, allowing for synching sound by eye, down to the individual audio sample. I like that when I put a window on something I like, it stays that way until I change it, whether or not I've closed and opened the program (case in point -- the video scopes in the Reference window). I like that you can open several instances of it at once and copy/paste between them. I like that it doesn't take much RAM and only takes a few seconds to boot and closes in an instant. I like that project/sequence settings can be changed on the fly, no matter how much you've already done. I love its media generation, 3D track motion, and compositing modes. I like the way it automatically fits the media to the size of the project frame. I like that you can drag media directly from an Explorer window to the timeline. I like that you can zoom in much further on a clip. I like that no matter what the timeline settings, there are individual frame markers on the media clip corresponding to its native timebase, and not the timeline's.

And so on. It's a long list.

I really like Premiere's implementation of P2 support. I like its interoperability with the rest of the Adobe suite. I do like the snazzy look of its interface better (at least I did with 3.0; I personally thought 4.0 took a step toward looking like Vegas). And there are other things I like about it, too.


Keep in mind I had Vegas before Premiere.
Yes, but it was Vegas 2.0. I wasn't especially impressed even with Vegas 3.0 when I tried it. But from 4.0 on, it's a different animal. Especially after 5.0.


Do you really like the way Vegas crops and pans the PIP? I think it is funky. It is by far the wrost I have used but it does not mean you won't like it.
I've got no issues with it, especially the level of control it gives you. I don't generally do it by dragging; I do it by punching in the numbers, which I can do quickly and precisely. I also don't find it any more constricting than Premiere's small (at defualt) FX control window.

That's something I don't think is better or worse in either. Just different.

It also helps tremendously to have two screens.

I can use Vegas I just don't like it. Can you comprehend this? Can you handle this info?
Yes, I said that several times. I'm not trying to convince you to like it. In fact, I'm saying what you're saying -- they're different but can do the same things.

I have both. I use both when the strength of one or the other calls for it.

But calling trimming in Vegas a "joke," IMO, is patently unfair and a bit flamish.

So, let's just call it a day. :beer:
 
Hell, I don't even use the trimmer. I find that I work faster doing everything on the timeline. That's the beauty of editing, though. Everyone has a different workflow that works best for them.
 
I find the GUI of Vegas 2.0 and 8.0 to be very simular as opposed to Premiere 5.0 and Premiere Pro CS4. Having said that all editing system can cut and edit video. Which one you like best depends on your needs. I like the fact that Adobe does not use auto cross fad and keeps the audio and video track seperate. There are reasons why you like Vegas and reasons why I do not. As far as the audio capabilites being better in Vegas that is not 100% true. Premiere can tap into Audution and Sound Booth. Below is a link to Adobe's tutorials. Check out the Soundbooth video for cleaning audio and composing scores.



http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/video_workshop/?id=vid0147


Premiere on it's own may not be that great but when you combine all the other programs that is when the CS4 collection start to shine. As a stand alone editor I do like Edius best but it can not compete with the CS4 packages. Edius does not have Soundbooth's or Audition's capabilites and I doubt it ever will. The above two features are the mian two reasons why I made the switch to CS4. Apple did away with FCP and now sell Final Cut Studio. Perhaps Adobe will follow their lead.
 
Last edited:
I don't use the trimmer. I cut right on the time line, similar to how Linear editors had to cut. For me its easier, simpler and no issues.
 
Hell, I don't even use the trimmer. I find that I work faster doing everything on the timeline. That's the beauty of editing, though. Everyone has a different workflow that works best for them.

hell yea, trimmer is an extra step - one left over from editing in vegas using FCP logic. vegas's timeline is so functional, it defeats the trimmers pourpose. I actualy bypass the preview in FCP aswell. no need when multitracking, tho for long form projects with 4TB of footage, the preview window is kinda important :).
 
Back
Top