Xara Movie Edit Pro - MX Operating Guide

2 Copyright

Copyright

This documentation is protected by law. All rights, especially the right of
duplication, circulation, and translation, are reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced in the form of copies, microfilms
or other processes, or transmitted into a language used for machines,
especially data processing machines, without the express written consent of
the publisher.

All copyrights reserved.

All other product names are trademarks of the corresponding manufacturers.
Errors in and changes to the contents as well as program modifications
reserved.

Copyright © MAGIX AG, 2001 - 2011. All rights reserved.

MAGIX is a registered trademark of MAGIX AG.

Created under license from Dolby Laboratories

Dolby and the double D symbol are trademarks of the Dolby Laboratories.

© 1992 - 2011 Dolby Laboratories. All rights reserved.

Other named product names may be registered trademarks of their respective
owners.

This product uses MAGIX patented technology (USP 6,518,492) and MAGIX
patent pending technology.

www.magix.com

Preface 3

Preface

Congratulations! You have purchased a complete, fully-equipped, yet
easy-to-use video studio!

The possibilities are endless - from quick holiday video editing to demanding
and detailed advanced film editing. MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX also offers:

 Recording and import of all standard video formats
 Video and audio content optimization
 Possibility of adding fades, titles and effects
 Disc menu creation for DVD, Blu-ray Disc and others
 Upload videos to the Internet, e.g. to YouTube or Facebook

The printed manual contains the basic functions of both program versions
MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX and MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX Plus/Premium.
Additional features of the Plus/Premium version are marked accordingly.

In addition to the printed manual, there is also more detailed documentation
which is copied to the program folder on your hard drive during installation.
This electronic PDF manual describes all program functions in detail.

This information will get you started on your way to making your first movie
masterpiece. The reference chapter later on and the index can also be used to
help quickly when you need it.

Enjoy!

Your MAGIX Team

www.magix.com

4 Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Copyright 2
Preface 3
Support 10
Uninstalling the program 11
Serial Number 12
Introduction 13

What is MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX? 13
What's new in MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX? 13
Additional new features in the Plus/Premium version 14
Features 15

Quick Start 18

Program start 18
Import video 19
Insert AVCHD material 19
Play movie 21
Media Pool 21
Display modes 22
Removing unusable scenes 25
Regroup scenes 29
Burn DVDs with interactive menus 30

Workspaces 33

"Edit" screen 33
The "Burn" screen 34
Toolbars 35
Media Pool 44
Transport control 51
Arranger 53
Adjusting the workspace 54

Settings 55

Start dialog 55
Project and movie settings 56
Program settings 60
Preview rendering 70

www.magix.com

Table of Contents 5

Video recording 71

Select the recording method 71
Recording AVCHD 72
HDV camera 75
DV camera 75
Analog video recording 82
Audio 85
Single frame 88
Screen Capturing 90
Edit after recording 92
Import a non-copy-protected DVD 93

Objects 93

Insert object into the project 94
Select and group objects 96
Move Objects 96
Cutting objects 97
Duplicate objects 97
Object handles 98
Trim Objects 98
Extract sound from videos 101
Transitions (fades) 102
Overview mode 105
Grid 106
Snap 106
Zoom 107

Markers 108

Playback marker 108
Project markers 109
Area marker (in and out points) 109
Chapter markers 110
Scene markers 112
Ad markers 113

Multi-cam editing 114

Preparation 114
Source tracks and preview images 115
Multicam edit functions 116

Title 118

Creating titles using a template 118
Creating titles without a template 118
Edit title 119

www.magix.com

6 Table of Contents

Positioning titles 119

Advanced settings 120
3D text 121
Fade in date as title 121

Effects 122

Apply effects to objects 122
Video effects in the Media Pool 123
Movement effects in the Media Pool 131
Stereo3D in the Media Pool 136
Audio effects in the Media Pool 137
Design elements in the Media Pool 138
Personalized templates in the Media Pool 138
Effects masks (Plus/Premium version) 139
Additional effects 140
Animate effects 143
Attach to picture position in the video 149
Image stabilization 150
Image improvements for the entire movie 151
Image improvements for individual objects 154

Audio editing 154

Load and edit audio files 154
Edit volume curve 154
Import audio CD 155
Audio effects 158
Adding a sound track using MIDI songs 174
Mixer 176

5.1 Surround 179
Scrubbing 185
MAGIX Soundtrack Maker 186
Mixdown of audio objects 187

Stereo3D (Plus/Premium version) 188

3D basics 188
Record 3D 189
Prepare 3D editing 191
Set playback mode for 3D 192
Align videos and pictures for 3D 192
Turn camera movements into 3D videos 194
Create titles for 3D videos 195
Export and burn 3D videos 195

www.magix.com

Table of Contents 7

Special functions and wizards 197

Use movie templates 197
Preview rendering 198
Automatic scene recognition 201
Travel route animation 203
Produce panorama pictures 210
Slideshow Maker 212
Musical cut adjustment 215
Batch conversion 220
Search for and remove ads 223

Video recorder 224

Hook up TVs, monitors or projectors 224
Buttons overview 225
VCR settings 226
Setup for DVB cards 228
Configure channels for analog reception 229
Channel list for analog programs 231
Channel list for DVB cards 234
TV program 236
Timer programming 237
Manual timer programming 239
Timeshift mode 240
Save recorded programs 240

Burning 241

Preview and editing 241
Menu 242
Templates 243
Edit disc menu 244
Burning wizard 251

Export 259

Export 3D movie 259
Output as video file 260
Upload to Internet 261
Upload to Internet (MAGIX Online Album) 262
Export to device 262
Export as Media Player 263

Managing video projects 263

Backup copy 263
Load backup project... 264
Clean-up wizard 265

www.magix.com

8 Table of Contents

Menus 266

File Menu 266
Edit Menu 281
Menu effects 291
Windows menu 296
"Share" menu 299
Tasks menu 300
Help Menu 300
Context menu (right click) 303

Keyboard shortcuts 319

Playback functions 319
Monitore 319
Arranger view 320
Move view 320
Transport control in the Media Pool 321
Mouse modes 321
File menu 321
Edit menu 322
Effects menu 324
Windows menu 325
Help menu 325
Edit keyboard shortcut 326

Problems and solutions 327

File will not load 327
Choppy or uneven playback 327
Problems and Remedies regarding the Auto Remix Assistant 328
Activation problems 328

Integrated browser 329

Open browser 330
Navigation in the browser 330
Loading Internet media 330
Define the path for saving Internet media. 331

Activate codecs 331

Free activation of codecs 332
Fee-based activation of MVC codec 333

Annex: Digital Video and Data Storage 334

Video Editing on the PC 334
MPEG Compression 334
General notes on AVI videos 335

www.magix.com

Table of Contents 9

Overview of the different disc types 336

MPEG-4 encoder settings 342

MPEG-4 343
MPEG-4 H.264 348
AMR 354
AAC 355
Multiplexer 356

Appendix: MPEG Encoder Settings 358

General settings 358
Video settings 359
Advanced video settings 360
Audio settings 361

MPEG glossary 363

Motion estimation 363
Bit rate 363
Block 364
Chroma format 364
Field 364
Frame 365
GOP 365
I frames 366
Interlace 366
P frames and B frames 367
Prediction 368
Quantization scaling 369

Glossary 370
If you still have questions 387

Task assistant 387
Tips for program help 387

More about MAGIX 388

MAGIX Online World 388
magix.info 388
MAGIX News Center 388
MAGIX Magazine 389

Index 390

www.magix.com

10 Support

Support

Dear MAGIX customer,

Our aim is to provide convenient, fast and solution-focused support at all
times. To this end, we offer a wide range of services:

 Unlimited web support:

As a registered MAGIX customer, you have unlimited access to web support
offered via the convenient MAGIX service portal on http://support.magix.net,
including an intelligent help assistant, high-quality FAQs, patches and user
reports that are constantly updated.
The only requirement for use is product registration at www.magix.com

 The online community - on-the-spot support and a platform for exchange:

MAGIX customers have free and unlimited access to the online community at
www.magix.info, which includes approx. 120,000 members and offers the
opportunity to ask members questions concerning MAGIX products as well as
use the search function to search for specific topics or answers. In addition to
questions & answers, the knowledge pool includes a glossary, video tutorials
and a discussion forum. The multiple experts, found round-the-clock at
www.magix.info guarantee quick answers, which sometimes come within
minutes of a question being posted.

 Email support for MAGIX products:

For every new MAGIX product you will receive, as of date purchase, 12
months of email based customer service.
Premium email support:
For priority support, or if you want the MAGIX support team to help with
non-MAGIX related hardware problems you can purchase a Premium email
support ticket. Log in at http://support.magix.net and click on "Purchase
access code", the ticket is for a specific problem, and is valid until it is solved,
it is not restricted to an email.

Please note: To be able to use the Premium email support and free product
email support via the Internet, you have to register your MAGIX product using
the serial number provided. This can be found on the CD case of your
installation CD or on the inside of the DVD box.

 Additional telephone service:

Besides the large number of free customer service offers, we also offer a
fee-based telephone customer service.

Here you can find a summary of our technical support telephone numbers:
http://support.magix.net/

www.magix.com

Uninstalling the program 11

Mail (Europe): MAGIX Development Support, P.O. Box 20 09 14, 01194

Dresden, Germany

Mail (North America): MAGIX Customer Service, 1105 Terminal Way #302,
Reno, NV 89502, USA

Please make sure you have the following information at hand:

 Program version
 Configuration details (operating system, processor, memory, hard drive, etc.),

sound card configuration (type, driver)

 Information regarding other audio software installed

MAGIX Sales Department

You can reach the MAGIX Sales Department workdays for help with the
following questions and problems:

 Orders
 Product consulting (pre-purchase)
 Upgrade requests
 Returns

Europe

Monday -

Friday, 09:00-16:00 GMT

U.K.: 0203 3189218
Denmark: 699 18149
Sweden: 0852500858
Finland: 09 31581630
Norway: 0210 30665

North America

to 4 pm EST Mon-Fri

9 am

Phone: [phone]

Uninstalling the program

If you would like to uninstall MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX, you can do so via the
control panel under "Software". Or go to "Programs > MAGIX > MAGIX Movie
Edit Pro MX > Service and Support > Uninstall MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX".

www.magix.com

12 Serial Number

Serial Number

A serial number is included with each product. This serial number is required
for the installation of the software and enables usage of additional bonus
services.

What can a serial number do?

A serial number ensures that your copy of MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX is clearly
assigned to you and only you, and it makes improved and more targeted
customer service possible. Abuse of the software can be prevented with a
serial number, since it ensures that the optimum price/performance ratio
continues to be offered by MAGIX.

Where can the serial number be found?

The serial number can be found on the reverse side of your CD/DVD case. If
your product, for example, is packed in a DVD box, then you'll find the serial
number on the inside.

For versions that have been especially optimized for the Internet (download
versions), directly following the transaction you'll receive a serial number by
email to activate the software.

When will you need the serial number?

The serial number is required when you start or register MAGIX Movie Edit Pro
MX for the first time.

Note: We explicitly recommend registering your product, since only then are
you entitled to get program updates and contact MAGIX Support. Entering the
serial number is also required for activating codecs (view page 331).

www.magix.com

Introduction 13

Introduction

What is MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX?

MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX is a complete all-in-one movie studio for your PC.
With MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX you can easily transfer your recordings to your
computer and then, once you have improved and enriched them, burn them
onto DVD, AVCHD or Blu-ray™ – perfect for theater-quality presentation on
TV, screen, or monitor.

Videos, photos, as well as additional audio and video material can be
transferred from various devices to the PC. Long movies can be separated into
chapters or scenes automatically. You can also do the opposite and
automatically combine individual recordings to make a single movie.

Add music, theater-quality transitions, text and selected effects to your own
movies with a mouse-click. The easy-to-use interface, advanced technology
and handy wizards guarantee perfect results at lightning speed!

Once your video is finished, you can use it in different ways: transfer it back
onto the tape or to your camcorder. You can burn it to disc and watch it, for
example, on TV. Or, you can upload your video to Internet platforms such as
YouTube, Facebook or your own personal MAGIX Online Album.

What's new in MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX?

 Noticeably faster performance: When loading projects, starting the program,

and in many other aspects. Thanks to the optimized MAGIX Hybrid Video
Engine, the output speed for AVCHD for OpenCL and CUDA graphics cards is
noticeably faster compared to the previous versions. This is extremely
advantageous both during burning (view page 255) as well as exporting (view

ge 271) MPEG 4/H.264.

pa

 Dynamic slo

playback may become uneven due to dropped intermediate frames; these will
now be calculated and inserted automatically.

 Enlargeable preview images: Resize the preview images in the Media Pool

any way you please.

 Project browser: Browse existing projects to load any of their elements into

your current project.

 Export assistant: The new export assistant makes export to SD cards easier.

www.magix.com

w motion effects: When strong slow motion effects are applied,

14 Introduction

 New menu templates: The new menu templates for DVD and Blu-ray discs

provide just the right background.

 Media X-change function: The "MX" in the title refers to the new media

exchange function. In the "Share" menu you will find different options which
make the current project's media files available for other applications.

Additional new features in the Plus/Premium version

 Completely re-worked travel route animation: Visually display along which

route you have traveled using map material from the whole world. Internet
connection is required

 Professional movie templates: Create movie trailers ready for the big-screen

using included templates.

 Accelerated effects preview: With the new segment rendering, complicated

effects can be completely pre-calculated for smooth playback even on slower
computers.

 Transitions with sound: Make automatic transitions between clips with

matching sound effects.

www.magix.com

Introduction 15

Features

Recording

MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX provides the following recording functions:

 AVCHD camera
 HDV camera: HDV1 and HDV2 camcorders
 DV camera: Mini DV camcorders or DV video cameras
 Video: Analog TV, video input, VHS recorders, webcams
 Audio: Microphone, cassette recorders, minidisc players, record players
 Screen (Plus/Premium version only): PC monitor
 Single frame: Single and series images from webcams, video recorders, video

cameras, or TV cards

Analog capture requires capture cards compatible with DirectShow. DV
recording take place via FireWire. A TV card can be used to record programs
from TV or from your video recorder.

Import/Export formats

Supported import formats:

Video: AVI, DV-AVI, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, MTS, M2TS, MXV, MKV,

MJPEG, QuickTimeTM, WMV(HD), VOB, MKV

Audio: WAV, MP3, OGG, WMA, MIDI, Dolby

®

Digital Stereo/5.1 (Classic

version: downmix to stereo)

Photo: JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIF, TGA (supports scanners and digital photo
cameras)

Supported export formats:

Video: AVI, DV-AVI, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, MXV, MJPEG, Quicktime,

WMV(HD)

®

Audio: WAV, MP3, Dolby

Digital Stereo/5.1 (Plus/Premium version only)

Photo: JPEG, BMP

Note: For copy protection reasons, MPEG-4, MPEG-2, and Dolby®Digital must

first be activated. Initial activation is free of charge. MP3 export requires

www.magix.com

16 Introduction

installation of Windows Media Player version 10 or higher. Online Services
offered inside the program as well as the Online Update require an Internet
connection.

Editing

 Picture optimization: Color improvement (RGB,saturation), sharpness (focus

and feathering), brightness regulator (brightness, contrast), anti-flicker filter.

 Sound optimization: The equalizer allows you to manipulate the frequency

spectrum – perfect for cleaning-up muffled dialog. The compressor is a
dynamic volume regulator. The StereoFX processor controls the position of the
sound within the stereo panorama. The denoiser and dehisser are professional
noise reduction tools for removing noise and hisses.

 Video effects: For example, creative filters, distortion, video mix (Chromakey),

movement effects (e.g. camera/zoom or rotation), cropping, picture-in-picture
collages, video effect plug-in support.

 Automatic scene detection
 Slideshow Maker turns drab photo collages into spectacular multimedia

shows.

 MAGIX Soundtrack Maker offers a huge selection of fitting sounds for your

background music.

Burnable disc formats

 DVD
 WMVHD (high-resolution CD/DVD in WMV format, playable on PC)
 Blu-ray Disc
 AVCHD disc (on DVD and Blu-ray Discs)
 MultiDisc (DVD + WMV HD)
 Mini-DVD (DVD on blank CD)
 Project backups, backup copies, and 1:1 copies of DVDs

Multimedia editable DVD menus

Many templates for DVD menus that are later used on TV to aid in film and
chapter selection are included with the program, some also in 16:9 widescreen
format. These may simply be applied during burning to provide a professional
appearance to the DVD.

Every menu template may be customized with personal photos, thematic
animations, 3D titles, sound, intro videos, etc.

www.magix.com

Also in the Plus/Premium version

Introduction 17

Professio

nal video editing

 99 tracks, editing & effects automation
 Live preview, MultiCam editing

Unique effects creation

 Chroma keying with alpha channel
 Movie templates, fades with sound, title editor

Perfect audio dubbing

 Create Dolby

®

Digital 5.1 Sound yourself, restore audio tracks

 Audio Mastering Suite, Soundtrack Maker

DVD / Blu-ray design

 Professional menu design, ISO output

Full stereo3D support

 Full support for stereoscopic footage
 Full import functions for many 3D camera models
 Editing of own 3D recordings made, for example, with two cameras
 Real 3D fades and titles for 3D video projects
 Preview and output to all standard 3D display devices
 Output in all formats (DVD, Blu-ray, file, YouTube, etc.)

www.magix.com

18 Quick Start

Quick Start

This chapter explains the basic functions of MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX with a
step-by-step introduction. A systematic description of the program functions
can be found in the chapters and in the extensive PDF manual.

Tip: Take advantage of the introductory video and tutorials, which can be
opened with the help of the Task Assistant.

Program start

Once you have installed MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX, start the program from the
Windows start menu. The following dialog opens:

Here you can decide if

you want to "Load an existing project" for further editing
and burning to disc or if you want to "Create a new project". Under "Options"
you can "Create a new project folder". This means that all the files for that film
will be saved to that folder.

Additionally, you can also use movie templates (view page 197). Movie
template

s contain complete stories with finished content and many

placeholders for your photos and videos, constituting the base for your story.

www.magix.com

Quick Start 19

Import video

In the following we assume that you want to import an AVCHD recording into
the program.

If you don't have such a recording at hand now, you can load material form the
hard disk in order to try out the MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX workflow. Here the
included demo project is recommended.

 In the Media Pool, click the button "My Media >

Projects".

 Next, open the "_Demo" folder by double- clicking

and then load the MVP movie files.
( „_Demo.MVP“) by double-clicking.

Insert AVCHD material

 Connect your AVCHD storage devices (camera, USB stick, SD card and

others) to your PC. You may have to first turn your camera on.

pen the recording dialog, click on the red "Record" button below the

 To o

preview monitor.

www.magix.com

20 Quick Start

 Se

lect "AVCHD" from the recording dialog.

 The AVCHD import assistant will then open. Select your connected storage

devices as "Video source". A file list will appear.

www.magix.com

 In t

he file list, select all the recordings that you've imported from the device.

Quick Start 21

 You can preview all your recordings using the preview monitor in the middle of

the dialog in order to decide if they are suitable for your movie.

 After selecting all videos, in "Import options" you can select whether the

recordings should be directly placed into your movie project or simply copied
to your computer's hard drive (you can select the location in the next dialog).
You can also automatically delete your recordings after import.

Play movie

 To play the recording ( or the demo project), click on the play

button on the transport control below the preview monitor.

Tip: An even easier way to control playback is by pressing the space bar on
your keyboard.

During playback, a vertical line will move across the arranger, i.e. the playback
marker that displays the current position. You can reposition it by clicking at
different locations as desired.

Media Pool

www.magix.com

22 Quick Start

The Media Pool can be u

sed to access and load media files of all kinds:
videos, photos, MP3 files, audio CD tracks, RTF text files, fades, effects and
Internet media, etc.

 There is a preview function for all of the files in the Media Pool. To see them

you will need to stop playback of the demo film first (press the spacebar or
use the transport control below the preview monitor).

 Now you can look for useable media throughout your computer's directories.

Use the navigation buttons at the top left to access any drive or folder on your
PC. Try clicking on an entry in the Media Pool. Video and image files will be
displayed in the video monitor immediately, and audio files will be played by
the sound card. There are previews for the templates and effects included to
make it clear how they will function.

 All media types are loaded into a movie from local drives or directly from the

Internet via double-click or drag & drop. Just try it out!

Display modes

The three switches on the toolbar in the center activate the "Timeline",
"Storyboard", and "Scene overview" modes (there are 4 switches and 4 modes
available in the Plus/Premium version).

Storyboard mode (first button) is the
preset view. This view offers an
easy, streamlined interface to
simplify the editing process. All
scenes from your film are listed
sequentially in the "Storyboard"
mode. Every scene is displayed with
a preview picture in the storyboard.

The scene overview (second button)
provides a scaleable overview of the
scenes. You can use this to
comfortably view, sort, and delete
unnecessary scenes.

In the

Timeline mode (third button) your films are displayed as "Objects" in the

"Timeline". This means: The longer the object, the longer the corresponding
film.

www.magix.com

Quick Start 23

Especially pr

actical: you can display all modes in full screen using the button at

the top right.

Multicam mode is found under the fourth button in the Plus/Premium version
of MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX. Multi-cam editing enables easy cutting of various
recordings of the same scene from different camera perspectives.

Storyboard mode

"Storyboard" mode represents all scenes in linear sequence on the storyboard.
Each scene offers the following editing options:

Add title and text: Titles and text can be added to any film. Click on
the "T" button, enter your text directly in the program monitor and
select from different animations (try movement from bottom to top for
a classic end credits effect).

Set volume: The volume in each scene can be set via the
loudspeaker button.

Effects menu: This switch accesses a menu with different editing
functions like scene recognition, image stabilization, or the trimmer
dialogs. The hissing on the track can be minimized by selecting
"Audio cleaning".

Transitions/Fades: Click on the large button between the scenes and
select a scene transition (or "Fade").

Rotate image (only with image files): If an image or photo is on its
side or upside down, click on this button. The photo will rotate 90
degrees.

www.magix.com

24 Quick Start

Timeline mode

All advanced editing functions should be undertaken in "Timeline" mode. Your
movies and scenes are shown here: The longer the object in the track, the
longer the corresponding movie.

Playback range: Clicking in the range bar above the first track lets you define
start markers, i.e. the starting point of the playback range. If you right click
further on, the end marker will appear to indicate the end point of the playback
range. The length of the playback area is shown in the center of the section
display.

 When
 The entire playback range can be moved using the mouse by clicking on the

 To move the start and end markers to the beginning and the end of the film

the end marker has been reached, the playback cursor jumps back to

the start marker and begins playing everything again as a loop.

bar in the middle and dragging it. The in and out points can be moved with the
mouse. Left clicking positions the in point, and the right mouse button sets the
out point. The playback range above the first track is linked to the playback
range of the preview monitor. Both can only be changed simultaneously

again, click "Optimize movie view" in the "Window" menu.

www.magix.com

Han

dles: All objects can be shortened by moving the mouse to one of the

Quick Start 25

lower corners of the object until it turns into a stretch symbol. Move the mouse
over one of the lower corners of the object until the mouse pointer becomes a
stretch symbol. At the top corners of every object, you’ll find two fade handles
that can be adjusted to fade an object in or out. The handle at the top center
can be used to adjust the volume of audio objects and the brightness of video
objects.

Object selection: For advanced effects editing, the objects must be selected
first. Each object can be selected by clicking it. Objects will change color to
show that they have been selected. Multiple objects can be selected by
holding down "Shift". You can also click and drag out a rectangle to select
multiple objects. All objects included in the rectangle will be selected.

Removing unusable scenes

One of the most important steps during import of your footage is cutting out
unusable scenes from the material. There are two options in this case:

 Option 1: First, the complete material is loaded into your project and the

unusable scenes are cut out.

 Option 2:

You can cut the material already in the Media Pool, i.e. BEFORE you
import it, and then proceed to import only the scenes you need. This process
is recommended for long movies with a lot of editing.

Cut videos in the project

Let's assume that you have already imported your film material into a project
and would now like to edit it.

 Play your video by clicking on the up arrow on your keyboard.
 Pause playback at the position where the scene is located by pressing the

downward arrow. The playback marker stays near the start of the scene to be
removed.

Note: You can also use the space bar or the play button on the transport bar
to start and stop playback. However, in order to move the playback marker to
the position where you stop the playback, you must first go to program

www.magix.com

26 Quick Start

settings (File > Settings > Program) in the "Playback" tab under "Space bar
behavior" and select the "Space bar stops at current playback position"
function.

Tip: In case of long films or to speed up search, you can also fast forward the
video following the action on the preview monitor. To do so, pull the playback
marker across the timeline (but not too fast!) while holding down the mouse
key.

 Set the playback marker exactly at the start of the unusable material. The

zoom function is recommended to get a better view of longer videos (the +/­buttons in the bottom right corner).

 Press "T" on the keyboard. This will split the current scene into two sections at

the position of the playback marker.

 Repeat these steps for the end of the unusable scene. Find the end of the

unusable scene, place the play marker as close as p
and then press the "T" key on the keyboard again.

ossible to the end point,

www.magix.com

 Now

you have "isolated" the unusable scene and may delete it from the movie
using the "Del" key on the keyboard. Before this, the scene must be selected
by clicking it with the mouse.

 If you didn't work accurately during cutting, then don't worry; you can use the

lower object handles to stretch or shorten the remaining objects to recover or
exclude material from the deleted section.

Quick Start 27

 After

www.magix.com

deletion a gap will appear in the film sequence at the position of the
removed material. How do you remove gaps out of the film? Easy: Pull the
later scenes up to the earlier scenes until they "dock" with each other.
Remember to "take" all objects that are further behind, otherwise the gap will
just be "passed" to the end. To pull up later objects, use the "All tracks"
mouse mode, since this automatically takes all the objects found later on the
timeline along with the object being pulled.

28 Quick Start

Note: If your project has a sound track next to the image track, it is usually

necessary to cut audio and video tracks in synchronization. After import from
the camera, video and sound tracks are automatically grouped, which is why
all cutting and moving actions have an effect on video and sound tracks
simultaneously. However, if you have added a separate soundtrack which has
not yet been grouped with the image sequence, then you should group them
before starting to edit.

To do so, select the video object and the audio object via "Ctrl" + click,
and in the "Edit" menu select the "Group" option (or click the group
tool).

Go ahead and experiment with the editing functions in all processes (and all
other editing operations in MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX), the original material on
your hard disk is not changed.

Import individual scenes from longer movies

If you have saved a longer video as a file on your hard disk and only want to
use a section of it for your project, then proceed as follows:

 Select the file from the Media Pool.
 Switch the transport control to "Media Pool" via the button on the left.

 N

ow you can playback the selected file in the Media Pool using the transport
control. Find the range which you would like to import. Position the playback
marker above the transport control at the start position of the range and click
the "Set in-point" button.

www.magix.com

 N

ext, position the playback marker at the end of the section and click the "Set

Quick Start 29

out-point" button.

 The currently selected range appears highlighted in blue in the range display.

You can play back this range with the "Play back range" button separately.

 All range limits can be moved by holding down the mouse button and

dragging. Once the range matches the section that you want to import, click
on the preview monitor and drag the section onto the track. An object will
appear there featuring the material you wanted to import.

Regroup scenes

It will often be the case that you will wa
groups of scenes to a different place within a film. This happens completely
intuitively: Single scenes can be selected in any view ("Timeline", "Storyboard"
or "Overview" modes) using just a mouse-click, and then moved to the desired
spot with the mouse button held down. In the "Timeline" and "Overview"
modes you can also create scene groups which can be moved together: "Ctrl
+ mouse-click" lets you select more than one scene, "Shift + mouse-click"
selects the scenes that lie in between.

Three final tips for advanced video arranging:

 Using "Intelligent mouse" mode, which is available in the "Timeline" mode, you

can move not just the selected scene, but also all elements directly bordering
it (e.g. transitions, fades, and scenes following the selected scene and those
on neighboring tracks).

 The commands "Group (view page 285)" and "Ungroup (view page 286)" let

u join any scene into groups which can then be moved together as a block.

yo

 If editing and moving scenes left your project looking like a junkyard, then you

can also work in the opposite direction by selecting the scenes you want to

www.magix.com

nt to move whole scenes or even

30 Quick Start

u

se and saving them to the Media Pool directory. Collect scenes that you
want to use, place them into the "Takes" folder, start a new project, take
scenes from that folder, then place them in the second project in the order you
want them. The "Takes" folder can be accessed in the Media Pool via the
"Import -> My Media" button.

Burn DVDs with interactive menus

Once you are satisfied with your video, move to the "Burn CD" screen to burn
it with an interactive DVD menu onto a disc.

 If you simply want to burn a DVD the quickest

way possible, then click the button to burn a
DVD.

www.magix.com

Quick Start 31

For multiple
DVD selection menu becomes even more important. This is because you
require manageable navigation to be able to jump between each film and each
scene.

films that are subdivided into individual scenes or chapters, the

The "Burn" screen has two views: "preview" an "Edit". Use the buttons located
in the upper left to switch between them

In both
uppermost entries, and all scenes appear as sub-entries.

You can use the remote control to the right to test the function of the menus
just like in a real DVD player.

In the "Edit" view you can access the structure of the selection menu in
"Navigation". You can delete unnecessary scenes by clicking the
corresponding box. The entry will be removed from the menu, but the scene
will not be removed from the movie.

To make sensible chapter divisions in your movies, each movie must feature
corresponding chapter markers in the "Edit" window. If you want to change the
current scene splits, it is best to switch back to the "Edit" screen and then
choose the movie which you would like to split. Place the Start marker where
you'd like to have it and choose the option "Chapter marker" from the Edit

www.magix.com

views, you will see a preview of the DVD menu. All movies appear as

32 Quick Start

menu (keyboard shortcut: Shift + Enter). If you select the option "Automatic
Chapter markers", a Chapter marker is automatically placed at the beginning of
every scene. Superfluous chapter markers may simply be clicked and deleted.

If you are satisfied with the subdivision of the movies and chapters, you can
devote yourself to the layout of the selection menu.

At the bottom of the screen, you'll see an array of preset menu templates. Use
the scroll bar to view each template. There are plenty to choose from:

 If you wish to fully apply a template, first click on "Layout" in the template bar

and double-click on the template of your choice. The complete template will
then be applied.

 In the "Edit" view you can also combine various elements of individual

templates with one another. For example, if you want to combine the text
format of a template with the background of another one, then select "Font"
first and double click the template with the text of your choice. Then select
"Order" and double click the order you like. The preview in the middle shows
you the results immediately.

 Double click the preview picture or a menu entry to change the film or chapter

name and select a different preview picture.

When all videos and chapters (scenes) are logically arranged and you are
satisfied with the selection menu, you can go ahead and burn.

www.magix.com

Workspaces

"Edit" screen

Workspaces 33

1 Upper butto

2 Menu bar: Most functions in MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX can be accessed

via the menu bar.

3 Program monitor: Video and image objects are displayed and files from

the Media Pool can be previewed here.

4 Templates: Here you can find the folders for transitions, titles, effects and

pans. For a preview, simply click on the template. Catooh connects you
directly to the Internet to open the Online Media Market Catooh.

5 Media Pool: Load your photos and other media files via the Media Pool.

Use the navigation buttons to access any drive or folder on your PC.

6 Modes:

 Storyboard mode displays all scenes in the current video in a panel so

that they can be easily manipulated and arranged.

 Timeline mode is for more involved arrangement and effects work.
 Overview mode displays all of the objects on the first track and enables

quick sorting of scenes.

www.magix.com

n bar: Buttons for quick access to important commands.

34 Workspaces

 Th

e right button activates MultiCam mode in the Plus/Premium version.

7 Lower toolbar: Select the "Timeline" or various different mouse modes for

diverse editing functions.

8 Timeline with range markers: Defines the range that will be played. It is

equipped with a time scale.

9 Arranger: Drag & drop files from the Media Pool, then arrange and edit

files in detail here.

10 Scroll bars: The lower scroll bars can be dragged apart and pushed

together for zooming with the mouse. The right scroll bar vertically zooms
into the tracks. The right scroll bar zooms into the tracks vertically. Click
on the edge of the scroll bars while holding the mouse button to change
the visible part in the arrangement window.

The "Burn" screen

1 Menu pre

view: Here you can see a selection menu preview. Read more

in the "Menu" (view page 265) chapter.

hange view: Here you can swap between the preview and edit view.

2 C
3 Remote control: Check how your disc will react later when you press a

button on your player's remote control.

4 Output: Before burning the project, select the desired format (view page

251).

www.magix.com

Workspaces 35

5 Play preview: Pla

y the preview menu and test how it works with the

remote control.

6 Template category: Select the desired section from various categories

with different menus.

7 Menu templates: Switch between different templates for designing your

menus.

8 Apply templates: Choose whether you want to use a template for the

page, the menu or all menus on the disc.

You will find more information in the "Burning" (view page 241) section.

Toolbars

Upper button bar

The upper button bar can be found in the monitor to the top left. It has the
following functions:

New project

Creates a new MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX project. A dialog with settings
for a new disc project or a new film (view page 55) opens to get started.

Keyboard sh

ortcut: Ctrl + N

Load project

With this option you can load a project or a media file. Please note that
all media files associated with it must be loaded along with a project.
MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX will search for all used sounds and video files
in the folders in which they were located when the move was saved.

Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + O

Save project

The current movie is saved with the name displayed in the project
window. If you have not yet specified a name for your project, a dialog
will open wherein MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX asks you to do so.

Please note: In the project file (*.MVP), all information about the used media
files, cuts, effects, and titles are saved, but not the picture and sound material

www.magix.com

36 Workspaces

itself. This is found in

the recorded or imported media files that remain
unchanged during the entire MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX editing process. To
save the full movie into a dedicated directory, for instance to continue editing
on a different PC, please use the command "Copy movie and media into
directory".

Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + S

Program settings

Opens the program settings (view page 60).

Keyboard sh

ortcut: Y

Context help

The mouse cursor will turn into an arrow with a question mark.

Click on any button of the main screen, to open program help which will
describe the control element in question.

Shortcut: Alt + F1

MAGIX News Center

The MAGIX News Center features links to current online tutorials and tips &
tricks on the software application examples. The "News" is indicated by color
according to content:

 Green indicates practical tips & tricks for the software
 Yellow

reports the availability of new patches and updates

 Red for special offers, contests and questionnaires

If no new messages are present, the button will appear gray. When the MAGIX
News Center is clicked, all of the available information will be displayed. Click
the messages to reach the corresponding website.

www.magix.com

Workspaces 37

Lower toolbar

The following buttons are available:

Select a movie to edit

Using the dropdown menu, you can control various movies
within a project.

Undo

With this command you can undo the last changes you made. This
way, it's no problem if you want to try out critical operations. If you
don't like the result, then you can always revert to the previous state by
using "Undo".

Clicking on the arrow next to the button opens a list of changes made until
now, allowing you to undo several changes made in sequence.

Note: You can adjust the length of the list to your needs in program settings
(view page 60). In general: The longer the list, the more RAM is used.

Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Z

Redo

This function undoes the previous "Undo" function.

Clicking on the arrow next to the button opens a list of changes made until
now, allowing you to undo several changes made in sequence.

Note: You can adjust the length of the list to your needs in program settings
(view page 60). In general: The longer the list, the more RAM is used.

Keyboard shortcut: Shift + Y

www.magix.com

38 Workspaces

Delete objects

This function deletes the selected scene (or the selected object in the
Timeline mode).

Keyboard shortcut: Del

Title editor

Opens the Title editor for the selected photo, video, or title object.

Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + T

Cut button

You can split objects with the cut button, you can remove the object start or
object end or divide the film up. Select the object you want to edit and place
the playback marker at the desired position. Clicking on the cut button cuts the
object in two. You can reach extra options using the drop-down menu.

Split

This command cuts a scene at the point where the playback marker
is positioned. This way, two free-standing objects are created.

Keyboard shortcut: T

Remove start

This command cuts a scene at the point where the playback marker is
positioned and removes the material before the playback marker.

Keyboard sh

ortcut: Z

Remove scene end

This command cuts a selected object at the playback marker position
and removes the material behind the playback marker.

Shortcut: U

Hint: If the commands "Split" and "Remove beginning/end" are applied without
a selection, all objects at the position of the playback marker are cut.

www.magix.com

Remo

ve scene

Workspaces 39

This command allows you to completely remove selected objects. The
parts that follow will be automatically moved to the end of the object in
front of the object to be removed.

Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Del

Split movie

This command divides the movie into two individual movies at the
position of the playback marker. The current arranger retains the
portion that is located in front of the playback marker.

The remaining part will be erased from the current arranger and turned into a
new movie, which can be found in the "Window" menu.

Keyboard shortcut: Alt + Y

Special functions to insert new objects

MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX offers various possibilities how an object selected in
the Media Pool will be pasted into the project.

Apply automatically

Pastes the file selected in the Media Pool into the arranger. Video and
image objects will always be placed behind the last object into the first
track; audio and text objects are separated into different tracks.

Single-track ripple

Inserts an object from the Media Pool at the position of the playback
marker and simultaneously moves the objects on the track following it.

 The single-track ripple behaves similarly to the intelligent ripple, the difference

is that only the objects on the target track are moved. Bordering tracks are
unchanged.

 In contrast to automatic insertion, all objects will be inserted at the position of

the playback marker.

 Videos and images are placed on the first track. If another object is found at

the playback marker position, then it will be cut continued at the end of the
inserted object (so that the inserted object can start exactly at the point of
insertion).

 Objects lying further along the track will be moved further down.

www.magix.com

40 Workspaces

Multitrack ripple

The object selected in the Media Pool will be inserted on the target
track at the position of the playback marker. All objects found at the
playback marker position will be split and moved down the length of the
inserted object. All objects on the track located further on will also be
moved.

 The multitrack ripple behaves similarly to the intelligent ripple, but the

difference is that all objects on all tracks following the playback marker's
position will be moved.

 In contrast to automatic insertion, all objects will be inserted at the position of

the playback marker.

 Videos and images are placed on the first track. If another object is found at

the playback marker position, then it will be cut continued at the end of the
inserted object (so that the inserted object can start exactly at the point of
insertion).

 If other objects are located at the playback marker position, these will also be

separated and moved further along the track.

 Objects lying further along on all tracks will be moved further down.

Replace

Replaces the selected object with an object selected in the Media Pool.

Overwrite

Overwrites the object in the target track at the position of the start
marker with the object selected in the Media Pool.

Hint: In contrast to "Replace", no length adjustment takes place. With
"Replace", any downstream objects are moved, while "Overwrite" overwrites
downstream objects as well (sometimes only partially), depending on the
length of the object being inserted in comparison to the object being
overwritten.

Preview rendering

You can access the preview rendering options by pressing this
button.

www.magix.com

M

ute button

Workspaces 41

This button mutes the sound output.

Mixer

With this option you can open and close the real-time mixer. Further
information can be found in the Mixer (view page 176) chapter.

cut: M

Short

Additional functions in Timeline mode

The following buttons are available only in the Timeline Mode:

Set chapter marker

Places a chapter marker at the position of the playback marker. This
creates a chapter entry in the disc menu in case the movie is being
burned to disc.

You can rename the chapter markers by right clicking and selecting "Rename".
The new name will appear in the chapter menu (view page 242).

Keyboard sh

ortcut: Shift + Enter

Object grid

Use this button to switch the object grid (view page 106) on and off.
When the

object grid is switched on, the objects snap into place beside

one another so that everything fits in seamlessly.

Form group

Orders all selected objects into groups. As soon as an object from the
group is selected, all other objects in the group will be highlighted as
well so that you can work on them collectively.

Keyboard shortcut: G

Ungroup objects

This turns all selected objects into free-standing objects again.

Keyboard shortcut: Shift + G

www.magix.com

42 Workspaces

Mouse modes

MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX offers special mouse modes for different
kinds of editing. These may be selected using the small arrow next to
the button.

Move everything

This mouse mode in principal behaves like the "Single object mouse
mode". All objects that have the same or a later starting point will be
moved.

This is useful if something should be inserted in the middle of an arrangement,
but there is not enough space, meaning that all contents have to be moved
down.

Shortcut: 7

Move everything on the track

Basically, this mouse mode behaves like the mouse mode for individual
objects, but moving one object will also move all other objects located
behind it on the same track.

This is practical if space is needed at the start of a track, since all objects can
be moved together without moving them underneath each other.

Shortcut: 8

Mouse mode for individual objects

This is the preset mouse mode where most work is performed.

Select objects by left-clicking them. You can move an object by holding down
the mouse over it while dragging it to the desired position.

Keyboard shortcut: 6

Curve mouse mode

This mouse mode is used especially for drawing effects curves.

The effects curve controls the intensity of the effect: The more higher the curve
point, the more intense the respective effects parameter at this location. The

www.magix.com

Workspaces 43

curves can be used

for video and image objects on the image tracks and also

for audio objects on the audio tracks.

More information about this can be found in the chapter "Animate objects",
section "Editing object effects curves".

Keyboard shortcut: 9

Stretch mouse mode

This special mode is for customizing the length of objects.

With timestretching, audio objects can be expanded or compressed using the
handles at the bottom. The duration of the audio material is therefore
lengthened without changing the pitch. Playback of the video objects is
accelerated/decelerated with the help of the handles at the bottom.

Warning! If the object to be stretched or compressed is going to be animated
with an effects curve, then the option "Connect curve length with object length
(view page 146)" should be set for the effects curve.

Keyboard shortcut: 0

Preview audio

This mode allows you to preview audio objects (as long as the mouse
button is held down).

In this mode,

objects cannot be moved or changed.

Shortcut: Alt + 6

www.magix.com

44 Workspaces

Media Pool

The structure and workflow of the Media Pool is similar to that featured by
Windows Explorer; however, the difference is that only the used files are
displayed. This is used to access and load multimedia files of all kinds: video
files, audio files, fades, effects, and also complete projects.

Importing

Navigation buttons

The navigation buttons let you navigate through your computer’s drives and
folders.

Forwa

rd/bac

k

Higher
directory

Folder tree

Search

These buttons access the previously viewed
folders.

This button accesses the next highest folder level.

Here you can activate a folder tree to navigate
through your computer system.

The search function allows you to find specific files
quickly. You may specify your search according to
file type, date, or certain folders.

www.magix.com

Bro

wse
history list
and path
details

Options

Display
options

Workspaces 45

The path information for the current
folder is displayed in the center

All functions of the context menu (switch
views, rename, or delete files, etc.) can also be
accessed via the options button.

Settings for how detailed the entries should be
listed may be specified here.

above. Use the arrow button to open
the menu to find the folders you
previously visited.

Zoom

A zoom slider can be used to set the number and
size of visible symbols in the "Large symbols" view.

Search

The Media Pool has an easy search function for finding files on the computer. It
may be activated and turned off again with the shown button.

File name: Enter any part of the name of the file you are looking for in the "File
name" field. The X symbol deletes the entry. A "?" may be used as a
placeholder for a single character, and "*" for any number of characters.

File type: Here you can enter a file name extension. Multiple entries are
separated using a semicolon. Below the entry field, various presets may be
selected for often-used file name extensions.

Date: Here, you can set time period limits on your search. Choose an entry
from the list.

Folder: If you don't want to search the entire computer, but only look on
certain drives or in a single folder, you can define a certain search path.

Search depth: Here you have various options that determine whether
additional locations should be searched.

 Search indexed locations and the selected folder

www.magix.com

46 Workspaces

 Search indexed locations, the selected folder and personal files.
 Search indexed locations, the selected folder, personal files and the project

file.

"Indexed locations" are folders, which are searched and cataloged in Windows
via the index list. If the index list is activated, the files in the indicated folders
will be indexed while the computer is idling, so that the user's search query
may be completed faster.

Note: In Microsoft Windows XP, the indexing service is usually deactivated by
default. The search functions in Windows Vista® may be installed with the
current version of "Windows Search". They make it possible to easily add to
the indexing service. Please refer to the installation instructions from Microsoft.

Computer

The link button "Computer" displays the drives in the Media Pool. All drives will
be listed along with their drive letters and can be opened with a double click.

User directory

The second button featuring the user's name opens their personal folder in the
Media Pool.

My media

The "My media" button lets you select "Projects", "My videos", "My music",
"My images", and "Recordings".

Projects: Here you can switch to the folder where your projects and films are
usually stored.

You will find the "Show project contents" function in the context menu of a
project. Using this function, you can display all objects of a project and copy
them into the current project, retaining the editing and effect state of the
object. This means that you don't have to edit the objects again to keep the
status of the "old" project. But you can certainly continue editing the
transferred object. These changes will be then saved in the current project.

My videos

Displays all usable files found in "My documents\My videos."

www.magix.com

Workspaces 47

My music

Displays the contents of the "My Documents\My Music" folder. MAGIX Music
Manager also suggests this folder for importing your music collection into the
database.

My pictures

Switches to the "My documents\My pictures" folder. This folder is often used
by digital cameras and scanners to store transferred images by default. The
included MAGIX Photo Manager program also uses this folder (e.g. during
image import).

Recordings: MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX specifies standards for all recordings.

MAGIX tools

The "MAGIX tools" link selects links to "Downloads", "Database", "Online
Album", and "Internet Media".

Downloads: Use this button to access the media files that you downloaded
with Catooh.

Database: Use this button to open the database view. Right-clicking opens the
database search. The database first has to be created using the supplied
additional programs MAGIX Photo Manager or MAGIX Music Manager.

Online Album: This buttons opens MAGIX Online Album. This provides a
shortcut to uploading and deleting data. To do this, you must first register on
MAGIX Online Album.

There are many ways to upload data:

1. While holding "Ctrl" down, select the data to be uploaded in the Media Pool,

and select "Copy" in the context menu (opened by right-clicking). Switch to
the MAGIX Online Album screen, open the desired folder, and select
"Paste" in the context menu.

2. In the Media Pool, click on "Online Album", and go to the desired directory.

Open the Windows Explorer, select the desired data with "Ctrl" held down,
and drag it into the Media Pool.

Both options will result in your desired data being uploaded to your MAGIX
Online Album.

www.magix.com

48 Workspaces

Hint: This function requires an Internet connection. To gain access, make sure

you have your login information (email address and password) ready.

Internet media: This opens MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX's integrated browser
(view page 329). It offers you the possibility to collect media from the Internet

se in the current project.

to u

Movie templates

Here you will find various movie templates, which can be customized as you
wish (view page 197).

Fades

Here you can find all fades from MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX, sorted into various
categories. One click on a category displays all of the fades that are contained.

To load a fade, drag it with a held-down mouse key onto the object, into which
you would like to fade.

You can find additional information in the "Fades" section of the "Objects (view
page 102)" chapter.

Title

This displays the title settings and the title editor. These presets are sorted into
different categories and may be loaded by double-clicking or drag & drop. The
3D title templates are also located here.

The text featured by title objects may be changed directly in the program
monitor by double-clicking.

Effects

This provides access to the effects that are sorted into the various categories.
Read more about this in the chapter "Effects (view page 121)".

Video effect templates

Here you can find pre-configured effect templates that can be
dragged-and-dropped onto a video or image object. These effect templates
consist of a combination of various effect settings which you can adjust in the
appropriate effect dialogs.

In the "Video mix effects" subfolder you will find templates for mixing two video
or image objects. To do so, two video or image objects have to lie on two

www.magix.com

Workspaces 49

tracks directly above or below the other. To use a mix effect template, drag on
the lower object.

Video effects

Here you can find adjustable effects for video and photo objects. The effects
can be set only after selecting an object in the respective effects dialog. For
more information, go to the "Video effects in the Media Pool (view page 123)"
section in the

"Effects" chapter.

Movement effects

These are movement effects you can use to animate the frame by using zoom
or camera movements. For more information go to the "Effects" chapter,
section "Movement effects in Media Pool" (view page 131).

Stereo3D

This accesses the program's Stereo 3D functionality. Please read the
corresponding chapter "Stereo 3D". (view page 188)

Note: This function is available only in the Plus/Premium version.

Audio effects

Here you will find many audio templates for echo, reverb, equalizer,
compressor, etc. Also read the "Audio Track" (view page 154) chapter.

Design elements

Multi picture-in-picture: Various effects presets for image stacking.

Collages: These work similarly to normal picture-in-picture effects, but more

objects are used. Depending on the collage, arrange the selected objects one
after the other and drag the collage onto the first object.

Color spaces: The color spaces are a collection of various backgrounds.
Professional test images are included for calibrating your system. You can also
use the colored backgrounds for your own color transitions, for instance. The
special "User" template opens a color selection dialog where you can choose
the desired color.

Backgrounds: Here you can find static and animated photo and video
backgrounds. Video backgrounds are capable of being looped, meaning that
their length can be extended by duplication.

www.magix.com

50 Workspaces

Image objec

ts: Here you will find various image objects like black bars,

thought bubbles for cartoons, etc.

Intros/Outros: These are beginning and end scenes for films with various
themes.

You can find additional information in the "Effects (view page 138)" chapter, in
the sec

tion "Design element in Media Pool".

Personalized templates

Here you will find the folder for your own effect templates. For more details,
please read the "Own effects in Media Pool" section in the "Effects" chapter
(view page 138).

Extra effects

Here you will find all available effect plug-ins. Please read the "Additional
effects in the Media Pool" section in the "Effects" chapter (view page 140).

Various file list view modes

In the file list, all of the supported multimedia files and subfolders of the
currently selected folder are displayed. Three different views (list, detail, large
symbols) can be set by right clicking on the Media Pool context menu.

List: Only file names are
listed. This view mode
displays the most files
simultaneously.

Details: In the details
section the type, size, and
date of modification are
shown for every media file
beside its name. The list
can be sorted by clicking
on any of these details.

www.magix.com

Workspaces 51

Large icons can be quite useful

because they show a preview frame
for each movie and picture file. This
allows you to sort through the
material quicker. One disadvantage is
that it takes longer for the file list to
be displayed.

Preview function

This is a preview function for all files in the Media Pool which can be started by
dragging & dropping onto the video monitor or by pressing the play button.

There are also previews for effects that illustrate their functionality.

The "Extras" button or the enhanced transport control function provides a
selection of sections from a longer video file in the Media Pool. Please refer to
the "Inserting objects into the project" chapter.

Transport control

The transport controls in the program monitor enable
and photo material in the arranger or as a preview in the Media Pool.

Transport control buttons

Range: Above the playback functions, the

range between the in and out points can be
changed by clicking.

www.magix.com

you to play back video

52 Workspaces

Playback marker: This marker indicates the location of the image

currently displayed on-screen.
Media Pool / Arranger: This button allows you to switch between

using the arranger's transport control and the selected files in the
Media Pool (preview function).
Set in / out points: Defines the start and end of the playback
range.

To the start: This button sets the playback marker to the start of
the current area.

Jump to start of film: Sets the playback marker to the start of the
movie.

Play/Stop (pause): The playback button in the middle starts
playback. A second click stops playback.

Tip: In the menu "File -> Settings -> Program -> Playback", you can set
whether the playback marker will go back to the start position (stop) after the
second click or following the appropriate shortcut (space bar), or if it should
stay at the current position (pause function).

Range playback: This button plays the current range.

To the range end: This button sets the playback marker to the end of

the current area.

Audio or video recording: Quickly jumps to the Recording selection
dialog.

Switches the video monitor to "Film overview" mode.

Jog wheel: Using this wheel, you can move by
single frames within the video and position the
playback marker exactly at high magnifications.
Shuttle control: The further the slider control is
moved to the side, the quicker the arrangement is
played in the corresponding direction. This way a
certain position can be reached quickly.

www.magix.com

Workspaces 53

Arranger

MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX offers an editing interface for advanced editing:
audio dubbing, professional editing, plus precise transitions and effects editing.

There are corresponding views for different
applications: "Scene overview", "Storyboard" mode,
and "Timeline" mode.

Tracks

The Arranger offers tracks for multimedia material positioning and editing. The
number of tracks displayed may be specified in the file menu under "Movie
settings".

In principle, any object type may be placed on any of the tracks. Video and
image objects may also be combined with MIDI and audio objects on any of
these tracks. The maximum length of a movie is restricted to 6 hours.

Mute a single audio track by clicking on the “Mute”
button or play individual tracks separately (“Solo”) to
emphasize a particular scene.

Clicking the lock symbol protects all objects in a track against unwanted
editing. The track name can be changed by double-clicking on the text above
the buttons.

A right-click on the track box opens the context menu:

 MultiCam > Source track: Here you can activate/deactivate a track as a

source track.

 MultiCam > Master audio track: Here you can designate the master audio

track for Multicam editing (view page 115).

ack height: Set whether the selected track or all tracks should be displayed

 Tr

as small, large or in standard size.

www.magix.com

54 Workspaces

Yo

u can also adjust the size using your mouse. To do so, drag the lower

border of a track box downward using a mouse.

Zooming

Use the horizontal zoom functions to set up the visible section of the
arrangement on the timeline.

Object zoom: Vertical and horizontal zoom stages are enlarged so
that all of the selected objects are displayed at maximum size.

Optimize view: Displays the complete arrangement in full width.
Zoom will be set to 100%.

When the function is turned off, the old zoom level will be reactivated.

The vertical zoom function sets the number
of visible tracks. With many tracks, zooming
is useful to be able to selectively edit a track
or an object in full view.

Adjusting the workspace

The program monitor, the arranger, and the Media Pool can be turned off
completely or freely repositioned. Personal settings are automatically saved
when MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX is closed and are available when the program
is reopened.

In "File
for monitor display settings. On systems with only a single monitor, only the
first two templates are practical. The presets are explained on the right side of
the dialog. All window properties of the arranger, video monitor, etc. can be
changed after the application of a preset.

For larger arrangements, the program monitor can be used to show an
overview of the arranger (Window -> Movie overview (view page 298)).

Note: If you've lost track, then you can use "Window -> Reset window
arrangement" or the keyboard shortcut "F9" to reset the basic settings.

> Settings > Program > Display templates" you will find useful presets

www.magix.com

Settings 55

Settings

All settings dialogs can be reached via "File > Settings".

Start dialog

A start dialog will open when the program is launched or a new project is
loaded. Here you can make important presets for the project. You can
change these settings at any time by going to "File" > "Settings".

Create new project: Here you can assign a name to your new project.

Options: This button lets you open and close the options area of the start

dialog.

Watch the intro video: Here you can launch the introductory video with
information about workflows in MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX.

Project file: Here you can set the path for the project directory where all
project files should be saved.

Movie settings: Here you can set the movie's target format (display norm,
resolution, frame rate). This setting has no effect on the internal processing
quality and can be changed at any time by going to "File > Settings > Movie"
(view page 56).

www.magix.com

56 Settings

Audio sampl

e rate: Here you can set the audio track's audio sample rate.

Load existing project: Here you can select and load a previously saved

project.

Use movie template: Here you can choose an included movie template for a
new project. Read the "Using movie templates" (view page 197) section for
more detail

s.

Project and movie settings

In this three-part dialog you can find settings that apply separately to every
movie or every project.

Note: A project can include multiple movies.

Settings

Name: Here

you can enter the name of the current movie.

Path: This is where you determine the folder on your hard drive in which your
movie is saved.

www.magix.com

Settings 57

Play film in loop mode: The movie is then played over and over again; that is,

once the movie reaches the end marker, it is started again from the beginning.

Use settings as presets for new movies: The settings specified in the dialog
are used as the standard settings for newly created projects.

Automatically adjust new images to fill screen (borders are faded out): This
option is especially useful for photos, which are to be embedded into the
arrangement, but have a different format. When the option is activated, there
are no bothersome black bars; however, parts of the image along the edge will
be hidden.

Number of tracks: Here you can change the track number.

Audio sample rate: The preset sample rate is 48 kHz. This sample rate is used

for all recordings and is also a prerequisite for audio tracks of DVDs. With this
setting, optimum sound quality is guaranteed. Audio material at different
sample rates (e.g. CD Audio with 44 kHz) is automatically adapted when
loaded (resampling). Only change this value if you want to use sound material
with a different sample rate or if your sound card does not support this sample
rate.

Video settings: This is where you set the standard settings for the picture
format and frame rate for PAL or NTSC TV pictures or for your own format.

www.magix.com

58 Settings

Movie Information

This option opens an information window:

Name: Here you can enter the name of the current movie.

Path: This is where you select the folder on your hard drive in which your

movie is saved.

Created on: Displa

ys the time the movie was created.

Last changed: Displays the time of the last save.

Number of used objects: Displays the number of all objects in the movie.

Used files: All files used in the movie are listed here.

Keyboard shortcut: E

www.magix.com

Settings 59

Project settings

You can change project settings here. A project can consist of multiple movies
and is saved as an mvp file.

Description: Here you can give you project a description - perhaps a few
statements about the state of the editing progress, etc. This field functions like
a notepad.

Time point: You can assign your projec

t a certain date. You can choose
between simply a date - e.g. "24.12.2009" - or a written-out description - e.g.
"Christmas 2009".

Preview: This is the preview in a data manager such as the Windows Explorer,
a comparatively insignificant setting. Instead of an automatic selection, you can
select a certain image or a preview frame from the project.

Automatically select preview image

MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX uses an automatically-selected preview image.

www.magix.com

60 Settings

Use image fil

e

Clicking the folder button opens a dialog to load image files. In this dialog, you
can navigate to the directory where the image file is found and select it by
double clicking.

Use preview image from movie

Use the controller to select a frame from the corresponding directory.

Program settings

Keyboard shortcut: Y

Playback

All basic settings for MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX are made in
this window. This allows you to influence the settings in
MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX in detail.

Audio playback

Driver selection: Wa

ve/DirectSound, Specify whether you wish to use the
standard Windows driver for the sound card or the DirectSound driver here.
DirectSound is a component of DirectX and, if necessary, is installed together
with MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX. DirectSound has the advantage that the sound
output (for all modern sound cards or onboard soundchips) can also be used
by other programs open simultaneously. WAV drivers are recommended if the

www.magix.com

CPU load is higher, as the larger buffers allow better handling of the load
peaks (otherwise this would cause crackling).

Export device: Use this option to specify which sound card plays the wave
audio objects. This is especially important if you have multiple sound cards
installed on your computer, e.g. "onboard sound" as well as an additional
sound card.

Audio buffer: In order to allow smooth playback of a complex arrangement,
MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX creates a RAM data buffer into which the current
data is loaded. Therefore it is not the entire arrangement that is preprocessed;
far more, processing occurs step-by-step.

Number of buffers: Specify how many buffers should be used here. More
buffers increase reliability, for judder-free arrangement playback, but this also
increases the memory requirements. If played via DirectSound (see settings in
the "Playback parameter" dialog), only one buffer is used automatically.

As a rule: If response and loading times are too slow, reduce the buffer size;
otherwise increase the buffer size if the audio playback is choppy or if real-time
errors occur. Since error-free playback is usually more important than fast
reaction times, the buffer size should be raised to 16384 or 32768 for
drop-outs. The possible number of used buffer updates is between 2 and 10.

Settings 61

Multitrack size/Preview size: Specify the buffer size used to play the entire

arrangement or for previewing waves in the file manager.

Write real-time audio to wave file: If this option is active, the entire audio track
may be mixed live and recorded simultaneously. During playback, for example
mixer fades and effects may be controlled live and - all real-time activities are
recorded and saved in a separate wave file.

Video playback

Video cache size: The video cache ensures smooth on-screen playback for

files and effects by pre-loading them. The ideal setting depends on your
system; experiment to find the best playback performance on your system.

Track number for parallel track optimization: This is an option, which is useful
for projects with an especially high track number which leads to problems
when saving the project. If you get errors, try using a value of "2" here. If you
continue having problems, try using "1".

www.magix.com

62 Settings

This option influences program function only when MPEG and AVCHD material
is being edited. However, performance declines to reduce disk space usage
with increasing values.

Arranger

Autoscroll during playback: If autoscroll is activated, the screen view

automatically shifts when the playback cursor reaches the right edge of the
screen, which is useful for longer arrangements. You can select the size of the
scrolling steps from either "Fast" (whole pages) or "Slow" (half pages).

Attention: Scrolling requires constant recalculation of the screen view, which
may lead to interrupted playback if the amount of system RAM is too low. If
this happens, simply deactivate the autoscroll feature.

Display: Display of objects in timeline mode can be simplified for performance
reasons. You can decide whether to display preview frames for video objects
across the entire object, or just for the first and last frames. For audio objects
you can hide the wave form display. This is particularly recommended for
MPEG data streams.

Update in background: The update of the object display after move and zoom
operations in the arranger is performed in the background in order to let you
work smoothly.

Spacebar behavior: Here you can determine whether pressing the spacebar
during playback resets (deactivated) the playback marker or leaves it at the
current playback position (activated).

MIDI playback

Specify which sound card or which MIDI interface should be used for MIDI
playback.

Image material playback

Resizing high-quality image material: Use this feature to improve the quality

during resizing, particularly when downsizing to less than half of the original
size (e.g. for picture-in-picture effects). This, on the other hand, requires more
processing power.

Load image material in background: Activate this option in order to load
inserted image material already before playback in background.

www.magix.com

Settings 63

Folders

Here you can set the path where

 you want to save your projects (Projects)
 and where exported (Export) or imported (Import) files, and recordings

(Recordings) and VCR recordings (TV recordings) are saved,

 Disc Images are saved
 and where EXE files for the external audio and picture editor are located so

that they can be launched via the Effects or Prepare menu (only
Plus/Premium-Version)

Note: Folders placed here are fundamental for the entire program. Newly
created projects are stored in a separate subfolder, which you can define in
the "Program start" (view page 18) screen.

www.magix.com

64 Settings

Video/Audio

In this tab you will find all settings concerning video and audio files.

Video standard

PAL is used in Europe; the United States, Canada, and Japan use NTSC.

Movie display

The resolutions that can be set here concern only the picture display in the
arranger. If playback becomes jerky, we recommend entering a lower value.
This does not influence the quality of exported videos.

Automa

whether the loaded video files were recorded with the interlace or progressive
processes automatically, and half-image format is detected for interlaced
movies. In case automatic detection fails, you can deactivate it here and set
the object properties (view page 305) of video objects to the correct process.

Option

Automatically preview exported clips: This option starts the clip immediately

after exporting for verification.

Automatically copy exported material to clipboard: This option is particularly
useful when used with other programs, such as Microsoft Powerpoint. If
activated, a multimedia file you have just created is immediately copied to the
clipboard and can be used in other applications. For instance, you can insert it
into an opened MS Powerpoint template by pressing "Ctrl + V".

tic interlace processing: MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX normally detects

s

www.magix.com

Use picture effects when exporting to MAGIX Online Services: If this option is
selected, all the picture effects are included with the sent file.

Extract sound from video: If a video file contains video and audio data the
audio track of the video will also be imported if this option is activated. It will be
displayed as an audio object in the arrangement below the video object. Both
are automatically grouped together. If the audio track has to be edited or
replaced later, you first have to ungroup it ("Ungroup" button in the tool bar or
via the "Edit" menu).

Allow user-defined names for sound extracted from VOBs: Specifies whether
a warning will be displayed for each imported file during VOB import
(VTS_01_1.vob) allowing you to enter a name for your movie (check box
"checked") or whether you would like an automatically generated name to be
assigned (check box "unchecked").

Automatically load/save picture effects from JPX file: If you have edited
pictures using another MAGIX program (e.g. MAGIX Photo Manager), then a
.jpx description file is saved along with the image which contains information
about effects editing and texts. This option adds that information into your
editing process.

Adjust minor deviations from 4:3 aspect ratio during export: This option
automatically customizes photos that have an approximate 4:3 aspect ratio to
4:3 TV screen format. The pictures are therefore easily stretched or
compressed. This inevitably brings about distortions in the picture. If this
option is deactivated, black bars appear along the sides.

Settings 65

GPU acceleration for standard fades: Here you can (de)activate hardware

acceleration of your graphics card for 3D effects. More information about this
topic is available in the 3-D fades (view page 103) chapter.

Optimize ove

overload optimizing during realtime playback of the arrangement. This feature
is particularly suitable for low-powered PCs.

Automatically create frametable during import Sometimes, rebuilding a frame
table can get rid of problems in certain MPEG files. For example, such
problems can be present if the navigation (positioning of the playback marker,
transport) is bumpy or doesn't function at all.
Normally, when loading MPEG video, a frame table is not created in order to
speed up the loading process. If you do create one anyway, MPEG files are
normally noticeably faster and easier to edit.

www.magix.com

rload for realtime playback: Here you can activate or deactivate

66 Settings

Red

uce bitmap resolution for preview: The resolution of image files is reduced

during playback to decrease required memory. This requires less computing
power than playback in full resolution; full resolution is always calculated during
export.

Relocate memory for bitmaps to other process: Activating this option will
improve handling of bitmaps as they will be processed differently.

Still frame duration: Here you can specify how long a still frame will be shown
normally during BMP or JPEG file import. For single frame sequence import
select the duration of 1 frame.

System

Reacti

vate warning dialogs:In its newly installed state, MAGIX Movie Edit Pro

MX displays a number of security queries at various parts of the program. Each
of them can be switched off by clicking the small box at the bottom that says
"Don't show this message again". To display these warning messages, select
the "Reactivate dialogs" option.

Begin online configuration: If you have an Internet connection and use MAGIX
Online Services, you can configure your services here.

Undo/Redo: Here you can set the number of possible undo commands. The
higher the value, the higher the CPU load on the computer.

Import formats: File formats that you never use can be de-selected here. Once
de-selected they won't be imported anymore. Please keep in mind that several

www.magix.com

Settings 67

import

modules exist for some file types (AVI, WMA). MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX
uses the fastest one in each case. If you experience problems during the
import of certain files, you can experiment with deactivation of certain import
modules, forcing the program to use the slower, but more compatible import
module.

Automatic preview: Here you can deselect automatic file preview start for
Media Pool files and certain file types.

Autosave: Here you can set the interval at which auto save projects will be
periodically saved.

Automatic preview when changing transition: When this option is activated, a
short preview of the transition effect will be quickly played between the two
objects you selected.

High output quality for dynamic zoom and combination effects: The Title
Editor is used in high resolution by default. The display quality of titles is
improved, but this also results in longer loading times for movies.

Move playback marker when selecting objects: This option causes the
playback marker to move to the beginning of the selected object.

Display templates

www.magix.com

68 Settings

These presets provide a

collection of useful configurations for display on the
monitor. On systems with only a single connected monitor, only the first two
are practical. The presets are explained on the right side of the dialog. All
window properties of the arranger, program monitor, etc. can still be changed
manually after the application of a preset.

Display options

Video output to DV device

Video output on a DV device: This option displays your arranger view on your

TV via your DV camera. This is useful if your graphics card doesn't have a TV
output. However, since your PC must then compress the video signal in real
time in DV-AVI format and in addition to processing all real-time effects, so you
need to have a powerful PC for jitter-free playback. Even if your computer is
not particularly powerful, you can still use this function to see how your video
looks on your TV screen, since the analog video output signal of a good DV
camera is better than the TV output of an average graphics card.

Preview in the Arranger/preview window and playback in video
recorder/analog recording

You can set playback mode separately for the Arranger (including all preview
windows and effects dialogs) and the preview monitors during recording and in
the video recorder.

www.magix.com

Settings 69

Video mode

Standard playback (video for windows): This is the standard mode that

functions on all systems.

Direct 3D (hardware mixer): This mode provides an extreme increase in speed
by letting the mixing, many effects, and various transitions be calculated
directly on the graphics card. Depending on the graphics card, performance
can increase by 300%. The graphics card will not be used during export.

Note: To use this mode the graphics card must posses at least 128 MB own
memory. You will need to install Direct 3D 9 or higher, and the graphics card
driver must support "High Level Pixel Shader Language 2.0". MAGIX Movie
Edit Pro MX checks the corresponding properties when this mode is selected,
and switches it off if necessary.

Standard mode (overlay mixer): In this mode you can use a hardware-like
de-interlacing for the output on your PC screen or progressive scan-capable
projector. Playback of recordings with interlace turns out much better.

Alternative mode (video mixing renderer 9): This mode uses the hardware
de-interlacing function of modern graphics cards together with DirectX 9. Make
sure that you are using the most recent version of your graphics card driver,
which must be compatible with DirectX 9 to function properly. This mode
works better than the standard mode (overlay mixer) only for a few graphics
card models.

Image formation in Vertical Blank Intervals (VBI)

The image formation takes place in the vertical blank intervals of the monitor
signal (or the connected TV signal). This helps avoid image interruptions.
Warning: Because of the necessary waiting time on the next VBI, this process
adds significant computation time!

You can deactivate this option for digital displays such as TFT monitors. In
"Overlay" mode, image formation occurs exclusively via VBI.

De-interlacing

The DirectShow modes "Overlay mixer" and "Video mixing renderer 9" enable
activation of hardware de-interlacing for the graphics card. For general
information about de-interlacing and the options "Top/bottom field first",
please read the corresponding article "De-interlacing (view page 366)" in the
manual.

www.magix.com

70 Settings

Preview rendering

Use this dialog to set how MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX renders a set range in the
arranger. This dialogs may be accessed via "File -> Settings -> Preview
rendering".

Note: The preview rendering function enables complicated passages in the
project to be rendered beforehand for fluid video previewing. This may be
accessed via the marker bar's context menu. You can find more details in the
"Preview rendering" section.

Presets: You have the option to select presets or save your own settings for
later use.

t settings: Specify here which format should be used to render a set

Forma

range. "Advanced settings" enables you to adjust the selected format to suit
your own particular requirements.

Other: Access this dialog prior to every rendering process (the dialog does not
appear by default).

Note: Rendering may take longer depending on the selected format and size of
the set range.

www.magix.com

Video recording 71

Video recording

Select the recording method

To start recording, click on the red "Record" button below the preview
monitor.

The following selections are possible in the dialog window:

 AVCHD for AVCHD cameras
 HDV came
 DV cameras: For mini DV cameras and DV video recorders
 Video: For analog video cameras, analog TV, VHS recorders, webcams and

others

 Audio: For microphones, cassette recorders, MiniDisc players, turntables, etc.
 Screen: Records directly from the computer monitor
 Single frame: For single and series images from analog cameras, analog TV,

or VHS recorders, webcams, etc.

www.magix.com

ra: For HDV cameras

72 Video recording

Recording AVCHD

Connect camera

Suitable cameras are essentially available in three varieties:

 Cameras featuring removable data storage: These cameras have a slot for a

memory card. Your computer should have a card reader for the corresponding
memory card, which you can then remove from the camera and insert into the
card reader. Different camera models can also be connected via USB.

 Cameras which burn DVDs directly (usually 80 mm diameter instead of the

regular 120 mm): The DVD can simply be taken out of the camera and
inserted into the computer. For so-called "Slot in DVD" drives, look beforehand
in the operational manual whether or not 80 mm DVDs (also called 3" DVDs or
MiniDVDs) are acceptable.

 Cameras with built-in hard drives: The camera will respond as a drive as

soon as it is connected via a USB cable to the PC. This additional drive will
appear in Media Pool.

Hint: The listed options and procedures reflect our experience with what
works. Still, we recommend you read the camera's manual for the exact
sequence of actions and contact the manufacturer in case of problems.

AVCHD import

AVCHD recording is actually not really a recording as such, but rather "only"
the transfer of the already created video file and its import into the existing
project.

On older systems, it may be helpful to transfer AVCHD files into MPEG-2
format during import. A corresponding query appears during importing of these
files.

Note: During AVCHD import, it is necessary to activate (view page 331) the
MPEG-4 and the Dolby®Digital Stereo codec. MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX offers
this option as soon as the codec is required.

www.magix.com

After

you have selected AVCHD recording, the following dialog opens.

Video recording 73

Video source: Here you can navigate to the drive that corresponds to the

connected AVCHD camera.

Save in the following folder:
imported to here.

Advanced settings: Adjust various settings affecting the name and date of the
files to be created.

Preview monitor and transport control: Play and rewind the clips in the file list
here.

Medium/General: An info area for the files is provided to the right next to the
preview monitor.

File list: The contents of the selected drive are shown here. Use the display
filters to reduce the types of files shown. You can select every file separately
using the little check boxes in order to import them later. At the top right of the
list you can find options for displaying the files.

www.magix.com

Create a target directory for the files to be

74 Video recording

Note: The files are color-coded. The colors indicate recording times, so that

you can quickly recognize which recordings were made at the same time.

Select: This offers self-explanatory options for file display ("All", "Only new", or
"None").

Display filter: Here you can select between "Movies" or "Photos". With the
option "Show only selected", all non-selected elements will be hidden. You
should only use this option if you've already selected elements.

Import into movie: With this option activated, media will be inserted directly
into the MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX Arranger as objects. When inactive, they will
be simply copied into the target folder and may be selected from the Media
Pool at any time.

Delete selected media after import from camera: This option deletes the
selected media after importing from the camera.

Import: Starts the import process of the selected files into the target
directory.

Cancel: Closes dialog without import.

Tip: The AVCHD import dialog is basically a universal import dialog,

appropriate for external drives, photo or video cameras, containing usable files.
If you find the display filters useful for your camera as well, nothing stands in
the way of connecting the camera to the computer and then activating AVCHD
recording in MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX.

www.magix.com

Video recording 75

HDV camera

Use this option to open the HDV camcorder record dialog. To do this, you
have to connect an HDV camcorder.

The options in this dialog can also be found above in DV recording.

DV camera

DV devices

MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX supports continuous editing of DV (digital video)
files. A DV recorder or camcorder and a computer with a FireWire interface are
required.

To record digitally, the digital output of the Mini-DV camcorder or DV video
recorder must be connected to the DV interface of the PC, yet switched off.
You must also have Microsoft’s DirectX8a (or higher) installed on your PC. Now
switch your camcorder to “video recorder” or “playback” mode (depending on
your particular device) and open the DV capture dialog.

www.magix.com

76 Video recording

Connect a DV or HDV camera

 Connect the digital output of the switched-off camera with the computer's DV

interface (also called FireWire or iLink).

 Insert a DV cassette or the storage device into the camera.
 Switch your camera’s operating mode to "Video recorder" or "Playback".

The camera is now ready to transfer video to the computer.

Note: You may also use a HDV camera in DV mode to, for example, transfer
recordings in the old DV format. We have noted problems with this mode in
many cameras, and therefore recommend that the Record mode of the
camera is also switched to DV, switching the camera off and then on again.

Capturing DV recorders or cameras

To start recording, click the "Record" button below the source
monitor.

 Select "DV camera" from the recording dialog. Uncompressed DV capture

requires approx. 220 MB per minute of video. If you would instead like to
record using the more space-saving MPEG format, then you should first
activate the "Record DV as MPEG" option.

 Th

is opens the actual recording dialog. Check to see if a DV camera driver has

been selected.

 Name your recording. It's worth choosing a logical name which will allow you

to find it easily again on the hard drive.

www.magix.com

 You

can access the appropriate place on the camcorder tape by using the

Video recording 77

remote control buttons: shuttle forwards, backwards, and start/stop playback.
To start recording, click on the "Record" button. Keep an eye on the remaining
hard drive space.

 Cease capturing with the "Stop" button and exit the record dialog. You can

see the recording in the film-strip in the lower third of the screen.

Tip: In the DV recording dialog, you can set clips from the DV video which then
will be recorded one after the other (batch capturing). Read more on this in the
chapter "Batch processing" (view page 80).

"DV capturing" dialog

Note: Keep an eye on the available hard drive space before each recording.

DV capture requires approx. 220 MB per minute of video!

Select DV device driver: The device driver for your DV device should be listed
here. If "Record audio" is deactivated, then video without sound is recorded
only . "Audio preview" activates the audio output of the recording.

www.magix.com

78 Video recording

Note: The audio preview is deactivated at first, since DV cameras usually

include built-in speakers.

Save movie file as/save in following folder: Enter the name of the movie to be
recorded. You can also select the folder where you wish to store your video
file. The default recording directory is set by default, but you can change the
Path settings (view page 63) under menu item "File ­Path settings".

Edit after recording: This provides access to the automatic editing options.

Start device automatically: Starts the DV recorder or DV camera automatically

when the "Record" button is pressed. This does not function with all digital
cards/video devices.

Video preview: On the preview monitor you can see a preview of your movie.

Original size: This option allows you to preview the video in the original size.

To return to the dialog use the "Esc" key.

Batch capturing: Here the start and end points can be set for the capturing.
This allows you to search the entire video for all captures to be used and list
them for planned batch capture. This is then processed in sequence when the
recording starts (via the red button). That way you don't need to record each
scene individually. You simply determine recording time points, and the
computer takes care of the rest. To set the start and end points precisely, click
"Enter start/end point (view page 79)"

Record list: Use this button to view the available list of already recorded videos
and scheduled recordings. All entries from the list can be selected and deleted.

Record: Starts the recording process. Also contains the list of scheduled
recordings. These are processed step-by-step (batch capturing).

Stop: Stops the recording process.

Snapshot! With the Snapshot! button, you can create a frozen image directly

from the preview monitor. Start the camcorder and watch the preview window.
When the image you want appears, click "Snapshot". Or you can navigate
using the remote control to the position you want, and stop there in Pause
mode. Stopped playback on the DV camera will not deliver an image! The
images are saved in the record directory as graphics files in the set resolution.

> Program settings ->

www.magix.com

Remo

te control

Video recording 79

MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX also supports remote controls for most digital
camcorders. This does not function with all digital cards/video devices. If your
hardware does not support the remote control function, the buttons will not be
usable.

The transport controls required for this are featured in the DV or HDV recording
dialog.

Tape title: En

ter a name for your tape here. MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX requires

this name for the DV logging feature.

Recording information: Displays various information about your recordings.

Enter start/end point: Enter the exact start and end point or the recording

length for a scene.

www.magix.com

80 Video recording

Both

values can be entered as ATN
(absolute track number) or as a timecode
in hours:minutes:seconds:frames.

DV as MPEG

This recording selection dialog option allows you to transfer DV recordings
directly into the space-saving MPEG format on the harddisk.

From the "DV as MPEG" dialog window you can
find MPEG encoder settings options under
"Advanced".
You can also burn your DV material direct to disc
without any intermediate steps.

Recording list

Set the start and end points for the capture here. This allows you to search the
entire video for all captures to be used and list them for planned batch
capture. This is then processed in sequence when the recording starts (via the
red button). That way, you don't need to record each scene individually.
Simply specify the recording time points and the computer takes care of the
rest. To set precise start and end points, click "Enter start/end point (view
page 79)

www.magix.com

Logging

Video recording 81

Recording list: Press this button to view the

available list of already recorded videos and
scheduled recordings. All entries from the list may
be selected and deleted.

Every batch recording is automatically logged.
Conversely, every "manual" DV and HDV recording
is transferred into the recording list in order to
restore lost recordings without much effort.

Logging means that MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX also saves the original save
location, position and additional information (metadata, e.g. scene, take,
rating, comments, etc.) about DV video and audio files.

Everything copied using DV recording, DV to

MPEG recording and HDV
recording appears in the recording lists of the corresponding recording dialog.
Recordings for which the corresponding video material is no longer on the hard
disk will appear as "planned recordings".

If MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX does not find the corresponding DV and WAV files
during the loading of a video, it will ask that the corresponding DV tape is
inserted into the connected camcorder again for automatic scene import.

You no longer have to save DV AVI and audio files (which can be very large). If
at a later time you would like to work on a film again, but do not have the
space to keep the material for it on your hard disk, then you can simply delete
the bulky DV AVI and audio files.

www.magix.com

82 Video recording

Analog video recording

Connect analog video source

Connect the video out of your video camera, DVD player or VCR to the video in
(TV, video, or video-in graphics card) of your computer, and the audio out to
the line in of your sound card.

Due to the variety of device configurations, it is difficult to say which cable will
function best with your setup. If you’re not sure, check the manual of your VCR
or your TV-, video- or graphics cards.

Example: Many VCRs have a SCART output and most DVD players have three
RCA outputs (two for the stereo track, one for the image). In such cases, you
will need a SCART to RCA adapter, a cable with 3 RCA plugs at each end.

SCART/RCA adapter Scart/RCA adapter with 3

RCA jacks

Stereo RCA/mini phone
jack adapter

Most sound card inputs are mini stereo jacks. To connect the audio out of your
VHS recorder to the sound card audio in, you will need a stereo RCA/ mini
phone plug adapter.

You will have

to purchase a cable with three RCA plugs and a stereo RCA/mini

phone plug adapter.

www.magix.com

Analog video recording

Video/Audio driver: Here you can set up the video card or sound card for

recording. In practically every case the driver software supplied with the
hardware must be installed.

Video recording 83

Hint: Under "video driver" you will find a "screen capture" entry in the

Plus/Premium version. You can read about how it functions in the "Record
screen contents (Plus/Premium version)" (view page 90) section.

Input/Tuner settings: If
your card also has a TV tuner or multiple inputs (SVHS, composite, etc.), then
you can select the proper recording source and the TV channel to be recorded
here.

Save movie file as/Save in folder: Enter the name of the movie to be recorded.
You can also select the folder where you wish to store your video file. The
standard recording folder is set as default. The location of this folder can be
changed in "Path settings (view page 63)" under "File -> Program settings ->
Folders".

Edit after r

Record quality: You can choose between various predefined recording
qualities in the list box according to your computer's processing power and

www.magix.com

ecording: Use this to access the automatic editing options.

your video capture card supports multiple sources, i.e.

84 Video recording

how you wish to use the picture material. They are sorted according to picture
quality. Use Configuration to fine-tune the quality for the preset.

Presets displayed with MPEG record directly in MPEG format.

Tip: Use the presets marked MPEG if you want to burn your recordings
straight away, since smart encoding can omit laborious encoding after
recording.

Advanced...: Opens the video driver settings dialog (view page 84).

Capture control: Here you'll find the "Red" record and "Stop" buttons. With

them, you can start and stop recording.

Timer recordings active/time limit: Here you can specify a recording start time
and length, and thus turn your PC into a fully functioning VCR.

Snapshot!: With the "Snapshot" button, you can create a still image directly
from the preview monitor. The images are saved in the recordings folder as
graphics files in the resolution you have set.

Recording details: This shows statistical information such as the recording
time, available space on the hard-drive, the recorded frames, and the
“dropped” frames. Dropped frames are frames that have been left out because
the computer processor is too slow for the selected image format and cannot
accept all incoming frames.

Preview: Some graphics adapters allow you to reduce the system lead by
deactivating the video preview. If you hear an "echo", deactivate the audio
preview.

Advanced configurations in the video capturing dialog

Here you can adjust certain settings for the video recording driver.

These dialog boxes, so-called “property sheets,” come with the video card
drivers. These driver-specific performance properties may deviate depending
on the cards. We also have a very limited influence on the behavior of these
drivers. If you encounter any difficulties, please contact the video card
manufacturer for the latest driver updates.

www.magix.com

Video recording 85

Input: Sets the crossbar of the video card.

The crossbar determines which video and audio input signal will be recorded.
The crossbars are connected in series to the video recording chip itself. In the
output field, the video output (for the crossbars) is the input for the recording
chip (video or audio decoder-in) of the video card. In the “Input” field, select
the signal source that will be used by the video card to capture for this input.
Many video cards have separate crossbars for audio and video. If you have a
problem, try out the different configurations until the right sound matches the
right image.

Composite-in = the normal video input (typically a cinch jack)
S-video = S-video input (mini-din jack)
SVHS-in = SVHS input (special cable)
Tuner-in = TV signal of the integrated tuner

Imagesetting

Video decoder: If the picture only appears in black & white or it flickers, the
video standard may be set incorrectly. In mainland Europe, PAL_B is used.

VideoProcAmp: Fine-adjustment of colors, brightness, contrast etc. We

recommend against changing any of the manufacturer’s settings.

Format: Please do not change anything here. The capturing format is set in the
"Recording quality" option in the video recording dialog.

Station selection

This option is only available if a TV tuner is integrated into your video card.

Audio

Songs, noises, or instruments can be easily recorded in MAGIX Movie Edit Pro
MX using the audio recording function. A hooked-up microphone or various
audio devices (especially a stereo system) can be used as recording sources.

Connecting the source for recording

First of all, the source of the audio material must be connected to the sound
card input. Again, there are several possibilities which primarily depend on the
type of equipment you have.

www.magix.com

86 Video recording

If you are recording from a microphone, then please connect the microphone
to the microphone jack on your sound card (usually red).

If you want to record material from a stereo system, then you can use the
line-out or AUX out jacks on the back of your amplifier or tape deck. This
involves connecting them to the sound card input (usually red).

If your amplifier has no separate output (other than for the speakers), then you
can use the connection intended for headphones for your recordings. In most
cases, you will need a cable with two mini-stereo jacks. This type of
connection has the advantage of being able to set the headphone input signal
level with a separate volume. As headphone connections generally are not the
best, it is advised that you use the line outputs if possible.

When recording cassettes from a tape deck, you can connect the tape deck's
line out directly to the sound card input.

When recording from vinyl records, you should not connect the record player's
output directly with the sound card because the phono signal needs to be
pre-amplified. A more suitable method would be to use the headphone
connection or an external pre-amp.

Adjusting the Signal Level

Adjusting the signal level to the sound card is also recommended to get the
best sound quality during digital recording.

Once a recording source is connected to the sound card, the "Record" button
opens the recording dialog and starts the recording source.

You can now adjust the recording level with the help of the LED display in the
recording dialog. For this, you must first check off "Show Levels".

If the adjustment is set too high, distortion occurs and the incoming signal
must be reduced. If you have connected the source through either an amplifier
or tape deck output to the sound card, you can only reduce the signal level in
your sound card’s software mixer interface. You can access the mixer directly
from within the recording dialog via the “Recording Level” button.

If you reduce input sensitivity by using the input fader, the resolution at which
the analog signal is digitized is also reduced. Try to set these automatic
controllers to the loudest sound level possible.

The maximum setting for an optimal level is the loudest part of the material.
The loudest part should be adjusted to be the maximum. The actual recording

www.magix.com

Video recording 87

begins when

you press the "Record" button. At the end of the the recording
you will be asked if you want to use the recording. Upon confirmation, the
newly-recorded material will be placed at the next free position of the start
maker in the arrangement.

Audio record dialog

Audio driver: Selects

the sound card for the recording.

Save audio file as/ Save file in the following folder: Here you can select the
title of the audio file you wish to record. You can also select the folder where
you wish to store the file.

Recording quality: Sets the sound quality of the recording. In the preset menu
you can choose between medium wave radio ("AM tuner"), UKW ("FM Radio"),
DAT (Digital Audio Tape) and CD quality.

Volume control: Using the peakmeter, you can monitor the level of the
incoming signal. Please read more on this in the chapter "Adjusting levels"
(view page 86)

ording: This button starts the actual recording.

Rec

www.magix.com

88 Video recording

Stop: Click this button to stop recording

Normalize after recording: With this option activated, your material's volume is

raised to a proper level after recording is completed. In order to achieve good
results, you should try to record the source as loud as possible without
overmodulating it. To do so, refer to the peak meter reader in the recording
dialog.

Playback while recording: This option is particularly important for spoken
commentary, etc. If activated, the selected movie (or selected scene if
recorded in the "Edit" screen) is played while recording. This acts as
orientation for the movie.

Advanced: Use this button to open a window where you can select from
special features:

Advanced settings for audio recordings

 Mono recordings: Activate to record in mono. This reduces the required

memory space in half. Mono recordings are recommended for voice
recordings made using only one standard mono microphone.

 "Real-time sample rate adjustment": Automatically matches the sample rate

of a new file to be recorded with the sample rate of the current movie's sound
track (set in the video recording).

 Ducking (reducing the sound volume): To add narration or other sound

material to a video that already has sound volume levels set, activate the
option ”Automatic reduction of sound volume of remaining audio tracks”. This
automatically reduces the volume of audio objects in the arrangement during
the recording session (”ducking”). This is achieved using an automatically
configured volume curve: Before and after the recording, other tracks will be
faded in or out, resulting in a homogeneous total volume level. (Lowering of
volume level during spoken comments is also called "Ducking".)

Single frame

Single frame recording may be used to record snapshots from the connected
video source. This requires a DirectShow compatible video recording or TV
card or a corresponding USB device (e.g. a webcam).

The time control function allows you to automatically take snapshots. This is
useful for the following applications:

 to create slideshows using videos
 for animation films (stop-motion recording)

www.magix.com

Video recording 89

 for video surveillance
 or in time-lapse photography

The recorded images are added to the current arrangement.

Time Control

Recording interval: When active, starting recording produces a sequence of

images. Snapshots are saved according to the selected time interval and
numbered sequentially. For example, if snapshots are taken every two seconds
and then inserted every five frames into the slideshow, then a ten times
accelerated time lapse recording will result.

Photo length in frames: Specifies how long the photos appear in the
slideshow.

Enhanced single-frame recording dialog settings

You can adjust certain settings for the video recording driver.

These dialog boxes, so-called "property sheets", come with the video card
drivers. The driver-specific features may slightly vary from driver to driver. The
MAGIX team has little direct influence on the performance of the various
drivers. If you encounter any difficulties, then please contact the video card
manufacturer for the latest driver updates.

Input: Sets the crossbar switch of the video card. This lets you define what
video and audio signal is used in the recording. The crossbars are connected
in series to the video recording chip itself.

Output: In the "Output" field, the video output (for the crossbars) is the input
for the recording chip (video or audio decoder in) of the video card. In the
"Input" field, you select the signal source to be used for this input by the video
card during recording.

Composite in = the normal video input (typically a cinch jack)

S-VHS in = S-VHS input (special cable)

Tuner in = the TV signal of the built-in tuner

Video decoder: If the picture only appears in black & white or it flickers, then
the video standard may be set incorrectly. PAL_B is used in Germany and
most European countries (France: SECAM; US/CAN: NTSC).

www.magix.com

90 Video recording

VideoProcA

mp: For fine tuning of colors, brightness, contrast, etc. We

recommend against changing any of the manufacturer's settings.

Format: Do not change anything here! The capture format settings can be
changed under "Resolution" in the "Recording" dialog box.

Screen Capturing

Use this feature to record everything that moves on your monitor. This process
is called "screen capturing".

Note: This function is available only in the Plus/Premium version.

Step-by-step screen capture

Use this feature to record your screen content. This process is called "screen
capturing".

 Under Recording quality, you

will find various presets for
different applications. You can
either record the entire monitor
("fullscreen"), a frame of variable
size (e.g. to film the Windows
Media Player display), or a
different video player. Click
"Configuration" to make custom
size adjustments.

Hint: Because many video players
work with overlay, it is
recommended to open each player
before starting the capture! This
way switching into "Overlay" mode
can be prevented.

 Select the "Screen" option in the recording selection dialog.

www.magix.com

Video recording 91

An additional

dialog with a red record button, a black stop button as well as a

frame with dashed bordering appears.

 Activate the option "Record mouse pointer" to record the movements of the

mouse pointer.

 Now select the screen area you wish to record, i.e. the screen of the video

player in which the video is playing. Drag the frame over the area you wish to
record and adjust its size as required by dragging the edges and corners.

Hint: If you selected the "fullscreen" preset before, or clicked the "fullscreen"
button in the dialog before, the frame will appear outside the visible area.

 The actual recording process can be started by pressing the red record

button. The recording starts; the record symbol appears in the task bar (tray).

 O

nce the video you wanted to record has come to an end, click on the
"Record/Stop" button to stop the recording. Recording ends and the
recording dialog is visible once again.

www.magix.com

92 Video recording

Edit after recording

The dialog "Edit after recording" allows you to:

 Find and remove advertisements automatically: Please read the chapter

"Automatically search for and remove ads" (view page 223) chapter.

 Automa

section "Automatic scene recognition (view page 201)".

 Set au

marker automatically (view page 288)" in the "Edit" chapter in the PDF manual
(press "F1").

tic scene detection: Divide material into scenes. Please also read the

tomatic chapter markers: Please also read the section "Set chapter

The "Edit after recording" dialog can
be opened from all recording dialogs.

All editing steps from recording to
automatic burning can be carried out
without further user involvement.

Bur

n project immediately after recording: You can use this option to record

and burn in a single step. Simply select the format you would like to burn,
insert a suitable blank disc into the drive, and then press record.

Note: Make sure that the selected recording quality corresponds with the disc
type (the preset "MPEG:DVD" for DVDs).

If you use your own settings for MPEG encoding (e.g. half image resolution for
long-play DVDs) make sure that settings for recording and later for burning are
the same so that no new recording is necessary (Smart encoding).

After recording, the program automatically switches to the "Burn" screen, the
burn window opens and the disc is burned. The last set layout is used for the
DVD menu layout.

www.magix.com

Objects 93

Tip: This function is particularly suitable for burning lengthy disc projects

directly to disc, since recording may begin in the evening and the DVD should
be finished by morning.

Export for mobile device: The recorded movie is immediately converted into
the format of the selected mobile device and transferred. The list field contains
the device which has been selected in the "Export video/audio (view page

274)" dialog.

ngs: Opens the "Export settings (view page 268)" dialog for the selected

Setti

target de

vice.

Note: If you enter a file name and memory path in the export dialog, then the
path is used but the file name is ignored. For EPG-controlled TV recordings the
name of the program is used instead.

Import a non-copy-protected DVD

Click in the Media Pool under "Import" on "Computer" and select by double
clicking the DVD drive where the DVD to be imported is located.

Now you can load the listed VOB files into the project as described in the "Add
objects into the project" (view page 94) chapter. MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX
recognizes w

hich files belong together, so that you only have to load one file.

Objects

Objects are used while in MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX's "Timeline" mode. The
general term "object" includes all media types that are present on the
arranger's tracks. There are video objects for video files, audio objects for
audio files, image objects for images and photos, title objects for subtitles, and
even synthesizer objects, which contain MIDI files.

In the following chapter you can read about what you can do with these
objects. The workflow for all object types is the same.

Tip: You will find many functions in the object context menus, which you can
open with a right click on the corresponding object. There, you will also find
the "Object properties" dialog, where in addition to current settings you can

www.magix.com

94 Objects

also change interlace settings for the object. In the "Context menu" chapter of
the PDF manual or in Help (F1 key) you will also find detailed information.

Insert object into the project

File selection using the preview monitor

All selection processes are conducted on the video monitor. View and edit
material before importing it. There is a preview function for all of the files in the
Media Pool.

 Use the playback button to start the preview of video or image objects in

Media Pool. A preview is also provided for special objects like titles or fades.

 Audio files from the Media Pool can also be previewed via the playback

button.

Tip: Useful presets for the Arranger and video monitor can be found in the tab
Display templates (view page 67) in the program settings.

Full-page view of image

 The option "full screen" in the context menu maximizes the preview monitor.

Alternatively, a double click on the monitor or press "A + Enter" to maximize
the window. The fullscreen view is especially recommended for working with
two screens; one screen for the film preview, and the other for the arranger.

 You can also shift the monitor into full screen mode and access it via the

context menu (right mouse button). There, you can also hide and display the
basic transport controls.

 With "Esc" you will go back to the normal view (or click on "smaller" button to

the right in the fullscreen mode).

Show movie overview

The option "Film overview" in the "Window" menu enables an overview of the
entire arranger. All objects in the arranger will be displayed in the program
monitor. The overview display is especially recommended for work with long
movies because the reduced overview in the program monitor and the zoomed
detailed view in the arranger present a good combination.

The film overview can be used for moving around in the movie and for editing
certain parts:

www.magix.com

 Wh

en you click on a certain object in the video monitor, the arranger will zoom

Objects 95

on that object.

 Using the mouse, you can draw a frame in the video monitor – and the

corresponding range will be zoomed in the arranger.

 When you move the playback marker in the video monitor, the arranger

playback marker will also move correspondingly.

Tip: If you use this option very often, you can use the keyboard shortcut (Shift
+ A).

Load files

Media files can be loaded into the arranger from the Media Pool in several
different ways:

 The fastest way: Drag the desired file from the Media Pool into the desired

track. If an object is already present at this position, the file is inserted at the
desired time position on the next empty track below.

 Load several files: If you would like to load several files, hold down the "Ctrl"

key while clicking on the entries you would like to use. If you would like to load
a sequence of files, hold the "Shift" key and click the first entry, then on the
last. All entries in between are selected. Then you can drag all of the selected
files into the Arranger with the mouse button pressed.

 Insert by command:You can also use the commands of the "Insert modes"

(view page 39).

Files with multiple audio tracks

MAGIX Mo

vie Edit Pro MX also loads VOB files that contain multiple audio
tracks. After the VOB file has been loaded, simply click the audio object
created and select the desired audio track.

Note: To view and select audio objects in the arrangement, Timeline mode
must be active.

Loading parts of movie files

For longer videos, it is recommended to define the areas which
should be loaded into the project before importing. An in and
out point is set to define the area for this purpose.

Proceed as follows:

www.magix.com

96 Objects

 Select a file from the Media Pool by double clicking it. Play it back using the

play buttons to indicate the section which you want to use in the project.

 Either move the range markers directly by dragging them with the mouse or

set them using the buttons or the shortcuts I and O. The shortcuts are
especially useful for exact positioning using the shuttle and the jog wheel

 Left click on the monitor and drag it to the arranger. An object will appear on

the track, corresponding to the selected area.

Select and group objects

To edit or delete objects using menus, you must first select them. To do so,
simply click on the object you wish to select. Objects will change color to show
that they have been selected.

When the Shift key is pressed, multiple objects are selected. You can open up
a rectangle positioning the mouse over the object, then holding down the
mouse button and marking all objects within the rectangle (”elastic band
selection”) by left-click-dragging.

Any object can be combined with others to make up a group, to avoid the
objects being unintentionally moved out of relation to each other. Once they
are combined, clicking on one object of a group will select the entire group. To
group or ungroup objects, use the buttons in the tool bar or the corresponding
commands in the "Edit" menu.

Move Objects

Hold down the mouse button to move selected objects to any tracks and
positions via drag and drop. It is recommended to place objects that belong
together on neighboring tracks and to create separate tracks for audio and
video objects. For this reason, videos that should overlay each other should
usually be placed on the same track.

If the Shift key is pressed, objects can be moved from one track to another,
without the time position being changed.

www.magix.com

Objects 97

Cutting objects

All objects can be split. Each object section then becomes is an independent
object.

 Select the object to be cut.
 Position the playback marker at the position where the movie is to be

cut.

 Click on the "Cut" (view page 38) button or select the "Cut" option in

"Edit" > "Split scene" menu.

the

Note: If the commands "Split scene" and "Remove beginning/end" are applied
without a selection, all objects at the position of the playback marker are cut.

Tip: You can find detailed step-by-step instructions on how to remove (view
page 25) unusable scenes from video material in the "Quick start" chapter of
the print manual.

There are three options for joining split objects:

 Click on the undo button in the lower toolbar (view page 37). This will work

only directly

after applying the split command.

 In order to rejoin these split objects at a later stage, simply highlight the

individual parts and select the "Group" command to join the selected objects
together into one group.

move the rear object and move the front object forward and restore the

 Re

original length using the bottom right handle.

Duplicate objects

Objects may be duplicated very easily. Click on the object to be copied with
the mouse while holding down the "Ctrl" key. This generates a copy, which you
can immediately drag to the desired position or cut separately.

www.magix.com

98 Objects

Object handles

All objects can be re-sized with their lower edge “object handles”. Move the
mouse over one of the lower corners of the object until the mouse pointer
becomes a double arrow. Move the mouse over one of the lower corners of
the object until the mouse pointer becomes a stretch symbol.

5 "handles": Length, fade, transparency (volume)

An object can be faded in or out with the handles to the left and right upper
corners of the object. Cross-fades between different objects can be created by
overlapped positioning of objects that are fading in and out. The length of the
cross-fade can be adjusted with the handles.

Using the transparency/volume handle located centrally at the top of the
object, adjusts the transparency of video and Bitmap objects, or the volume of
audio and image objects.

If you adjust the middle handle of a video object all the way down, the object
will become transparent. If a second object is located on a track above it, a
black color will appear from below it, so that brightness will be reduced.

Trim Objects

Trimming provides exact placement of object borders or transitions. MAGIX
Movie Edit Pro MX has two different trimmers, and these can be opened using
the context menu for a video or image object.

General advice for operating both trim editors

Play functions: The trim window contains its own play functions that allow the

object to be played individually or in relation to the arrangement.

The right play button plays the arrangement normally. Replays can sometimes
appear shaky because the processor may be over-worked. Those frames that
the processor cannot calculate quickly enough are left out.

www.magix.com

Objects 99

The middle play button pl

ays the arrangement “frame by frame”, which means
no frames are left out. Depending on the processor load, playback may thus
be slower, but still smooth.

The left play button renders material before playing, i.e. the current settings
are calculated first and then exported. This method ensures a smoother
playback.

With the fast forward and rewind functions you can change the range start in
the timeline. This allows for complete control of transitions between two
videos.

Increments: A click on the arrow buttons in both trim editors moves the
handle or the material within an object exactly by one frame. With the Ctrl key
you can increase the frame rate gradually to 5 frames per mouse-click.

Trimmer for individual objects

A schematic display of the selected object and its handles can be found in the
center of the trimming window.

Fade in/out (4, 5): These buttons adjust the upper fade handles of an object.

Object content (3): Here you can move the video material to be played without

changing the object length.

Position (2): Moves the object on the track.

First frame/End fade-in (7): Toggles the left monitor between the first frame of

the object and the end of the transition.

Start fade-out/Last Frame (8): Toggles the right monitor between the start of
the transition and the last frame of the object.

www.magix.com

100 Objects

Left/rig

ht arrow buttons (1, 6): Here you can adjust the lower object handles.

Next object/cut (9, 10): The buttons below and to the right skip to the

next/previous object and/or cut in the arranger. These buttons make it easy to
move and trim objects in the arrangement without having to leave the trimmer.

Keyboard shortcut: Shift + N

Cut trimmer

A schematic display of the selected transition and its handles can be found at
the center of the trimming window.

Left arrow buttons (1): These buttons move the last frame of the first object
while adjusting the second. The length of the transition remains. The display
indicates the relative change in comparison with the starting situation when the
trimmer was opened.

Position (2): Moves the

second object. The length of the transition is changed.

This corresponds with shifting an object in the arranger.

Object content (3): Moves the movie under the second object. The length of
the object and the object itself are not changed.

Crossfade (4): Changes the transition’s length between both objects. The
objects remain of equal length. The length can be numerically entered.

Middle arrow buttons (5): Shifts the existing transition. Both objects remain in
their positions, but the transition’s center point moves.

Transition (6): Displays the type of transition. A mouse click opens a popup
window from which you can select a transition.

www.magix.com