starting from a specific frame?

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sagedavis
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Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2008 3:30 am

starting from a specific frame?

Post by sagedavis »

Hi, my first post.
I've been using Papagayo for a while coupled with Anim8or (3d software), to create some short (very short) scenes.
I'm getting ready to start a bit of a larger project.

This is the first time that I'm having to use it over a pre mixed sound track.

Unfortunately, the speaking parts that I need to add, start like 40 seconds into the sound-track, and there are a lot of spaces at times for musical interlude.

There are also some weird things that go on throughout, like the last chunk of dialogue gets cut off. My fix for this is to do every line as if it's a seperate voice from the previous.

The biggest problem is, when I add the text, the first word which starts at the beginning can't be dragged all the way to the beginning of the actual speaking parts.

At any rate, any ideas as to what I can do about this would be great.

FYI, I am using windows xp
Thanks in advance
Sage
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mkelley
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Post by mkelley »

First of all, Papagayo will have issues with longer audio files, sometimes preventing you from using the last part of the file. To fix this, change the frame rate (like from 24 to 20 and then back again, or whatever). This will allow you to drag the text all the way to the end of the audio file.

Secondly, the best way to work with any larger project is to create shorter animation sequences and put the whole thing together in an editor, like Premiere. So in this case you'd be chopping the audio file up and bringing those sections first into Papagayo and then into AS (and then, finally, the rendered frames into your editor). This will account for musical cues, etc.

Otherwise you will run into the other issue with Papagayo -- namely, it won't work with an audio file longer than around 5000 frames or so (I can't remember the exact limit, but you'll find it). It's actually insane to try and do animated sequences longer than that anyway, but some folks are known to be less than sane <bg>.

Other than that it isn't a problem to have a large amount of silence at the beginning of an audio file to use in Papagayo -- given the above workarounds you ought to be able to drag the text to wherever you need.
sagedavis
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2008 3:30 am

Post by sagedavis »

mkelley,
quick reply, thanks!

I never said I was sane :D

yeah, it looks like I need to chop it up anyway. anim8or doesn't like rendering videos larger than say 100 frames anyway
Somehow, I'm going to have to figure out how to split this thing up into frames easily enough so as not to loose anything.

any good software that can easily strip an audio file into 100 frame sections based on an FPS? Or do you think it would be better to switch it up into logical chunks anyway? say a natural pause in the audio?

I can do more than a hundred frames with anim8or, but, I stay around there per render so that my computer doesn't "crap out" on me.
Thanks for your help
Sage
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mkelley
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Post by mkelley »

I always use Sound Forge Pro for my audio needs, so I'm afraid I can't recommend anything beyond that (although I know there is a much cheaper version available than the Pro version that will undoubtedly do all you need). Perhaps some others will jump in here with other audio alternatives.

In Sound Forge I chop the file wherever I want -- by starting with the "master" file I can chop it into sections that are frame accurate to each other. That way I can bring them into AS and animate as desired and when I put the whole thing back together it's just a matter of sliding the animated chunks on the timeline to the entire master audio file.

I'm trying to imagine how you would do this without a quality video editor like Premiere (which I use) to put it all together and I guess it would work okay even in the free Movie Maker. What happens is I drag the audio segments in first and then align the start of each animation (which is always the start of the audio file) and let the ends fall where they may. They may be shorter or longer than the audio segments depending on how I did them, and if longer they just overlap each other. When I'm done the audio will blend back in to one audio file correctly, with all the animation lined up. This is much easier to do than to explain.
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