Split screen newbie hell

theladyvanishes · #1 (**permalink**) 10-29-2005, 09:30 PM

I'm not at all techy and need to do this for a one-off art project.
I'm trying to run two clips on screen simultaneously, with them both being scaled down rather than cropped / clipped. I have the option of using either Ulead Videostudio 8 (which seems to just do "picture in picture",rather than enabling 2 separate frames on screen, having just one overlay track), or Premiere 6.5 (which frankly terrifies me).
Marc's "Dallas" piece seems to deal with clipping/cropping to show just a selected part of the original frame of each clip. Other help I've found relates to Premiere 6.0 or Pro, and my head won't translate the info to 6.5!! I got near to it with the free Elements trial, but then got called away and my trial expired.
Any tutorials or info gratefully received, or suggestions of other free software I could get hold of to do this. Or should I just buy Elements?

Alan Mills · #2 (**permalink**) 10-31-2005, 01:20 PM

If you already have access to something like Premiere 6.5 then my best suggestion is to either read the manual and/or acquire a good book on the tool. Either visit your local lending library or look on amazon.

Standard PIP techniques are quite easy. You should find what you are after quite easily.

theladyvanishes · #3 (**permalink**) 11-07-2005, 11:31 PM

Thanks, that's really, err...."helpful" of you. Actually, I got sorted through another channel. If anyone else, similarly inexperienced, needs to know (that's what forums are all about after all, eh kids?), it's just that 6.5 has hidden the "transform" filter in the "distort" tree - this'll make sense if you're following the Wrigley Video tutorial (http://www.wrigleyvideo.com/videotutorial/) which I found very useful. I thank you. And myself!

Marc Peters · #4 (**permalink**) 11-07-2005, 11:52 PM

Forums are for sharing knowledge, experience, ideas and even having fun. Alan thought that if you've spent the dosh on 6.5, you'd be wise to buy yourself a guide. He's saying this from experience and passing on his knowledge.

I've got shelves of reference books I turn to when I'm stuck- it's often much quicker than google! I'd be lost without reference books.

Alan Mills · #5 (**permalink**) 11-08-2005, 12:41 PM

Almost but not quite. What I actually meant was that PIP is a fairly easy and standard technique and will be covered more than adequately in the premiere manual supplied I'm sure.

My comment was meant more as (and delete as applicable) ...

1) 'try to avoid asking questions here that five minutes with the provided manual will more than provide'. On reading it again, though, it did come out a little harsher than I really meant it and for that I apologise;

or

2) if you've ripped off the s/w and so have no manual, which more than covers the question then don't be so tight and at least buy a book before you ask easy questions - in which case you deserve it.