How many video tracks are practical?

[mark hansen]

I decided that trying to get the timing of the slide show to change with the music in AE (CS3) isn't practical. I seemed to need to do a RAM preview and wait for all the slides to flip each time I made an adjustment. Unless I'm missng something, I can't hear the audio track in AE unless I did a RAM preview.

so, I decided to make each page a comp and put the comps in premier Pro. because the AE page curl is at the end of the comp, the next page needs to be under the page before it. Most of the pages I can split and put the end on the track above the beginning, allowing the next page (beginning) to be on the track below. I don't want to do that unless I need to.

I have 30 pages. Can I have 30 video tracks without over stressing PPro (CS3)? or should I say, have 10 video tracks and I only split 3 pages to go back up to the top.

Because each page is an AE comp, I can animate the pages a bit more before I bring them in and edit the animation a bit easier, well, so far anyway.

any thoughts in this?

Thanks for any insight.

Mark

[Chuck Engels]

Hi Mark,
I have had close to 50 tracks without any issues

[momoffduty]

It will be easier to assemble in AE. The workflow playback is different in AE than in PrPro for creating a slideshow.

Yes, you have to RAM preview to hear the music. I usually work in 1/3 or 1/4 rez in AE and set the WAB for a short period like 15 seconds or maybe at the most 1 minute. The only time I am in Full Rez is to adjust color or creating the text or other effect to see the look and not the playback.

Turning off FX will help in playback too. For example if there is an animated flourish I will set it up and then turn off the FX to check timing on the page turn only or the camera moves. The less extra stuff you have that you can turn off the better when building and checking playback. The same for any glow or light stuff.

You could put your music track on the top and open up the waveform (LL) first or solo and playback to set markers. Then use the markers as your guide when building. Be sure to close up the waveform because this will cause a drain on playback. I usually add my markers to the Camera's Null which I always have on top.

Be sure to trim your layers in AE too. That will bog down the preview and export. I made a 1 minute book trailer that had the day to night plug in and the estimated export time was 5 hours. I cancelled out of the render and trimmed my layers and export time was then 15 minutes.

Each song in the slideshow is its own comp and when I finish that section I will export a quick file that doesn't have motion blur on or vignette just to check the timing. Bring that into PrPro and check timing and go back to AE and make corrections. In the final version I'll export with the audio, but in PrPro I delete the AE audio and replace with the original wav file. If there is a video clip in AE with audio then I turn off the music audio first. I read on an AE forum not to use the audio from AE for the music and to use the original. Not sure if it really makes a difference, but that is my workflow.

If you are working with Dynamic Link then I can't help because I don't have the Suite.

[Bob]

I agree with Cheryl, I would use layer markers to mark the timing points. You can place the CTI where you want to start playing and press the "." key to play back just the audio (the playback duration can be set in Preferences, the default is 30 seconds). Press the "*" key while playing to add markers on the beats or where desired.

The number of layers is more of an issue with how capable a system you have. That said, the improvements in CS5 & CS6 really do make a difference. FYI, starting with CS6 dynamic link works with the point products and not just with the suite.

[momoffduty]

FYI, starting with CS6 dynamic link works with the point products and not just with the suite.

Wow?? I really need to upgrade PrPro & AE. I have before mid Dec to get the upgrade price. Not sure how I can justify the expense at this time.

[mark hansen]

Thanks for all the suggestion. a lot to mull over. I didn't think about changing the play back res to speed thing up. I'll give it a try.