User Guide

46
GETTING STARTED CHP. 2
Inserting a video file with associated audio
Media files with video frequently include associated audio. When you insert a media file into the timeline,
the associated audio is automatically inserted into a separate audio track below the video track. The two
associated events are grouped together and behave as a single unit when moved or otherwise edited. You can
ungroup the events to move them independently. For more information, see Clearing a group on page 126.
Automatically crossfading inserted events
When inserting multiple events across time, the events (both video and audio) may be set to automatically
crossfade. Two options must be enabled in order to create crossfades automatically when adding multiple
events. First, verify that a check mark appears next to
Automatic Crossfades in the Options menu. Second,
from the
Options menu, choose Preferences, and on the Editing tab, select Automatically overlap multiple
selected media when added
. For more information, see Using automatic crossfades on page 74.
Working with events
Events are the most basic objects in a project in Vegas. An event is something that happens in time, has a
specific duration, and can be video or audio.
Understanding files and events
The objects you work with in Vegas are referred to as media files and events.
• Files are objects that are stored on your hard disk. In Vegas, you will work with media files, such as music
and video files. Vegas neither operates on nor changes these files. You can access files from the Vegas
Explorer window.
• Events are periods of time on the timeline in Vegas that act as windows into media files, either whole or
in part. When you drag a media file onto the timeline, you automatically create an event that contains
that file’s contents. An event can contain video, audio, still images, or generated media. The event
window may contain only a small portion of a much larger media file. A single media file can be used
repeatedly to create any number of different events, since each event can be trimmed independently.
Audio events are created from audio files on your computer (e.g., WAV, MP3) or can be a part of a video
file (e.g., AVI). You can change many characteristics of an audio event, such as speed, volume, and
equalization. Audio events can be mixed with other audio events.
Two events that contain the video (top)
and audio (bottom) streams from a single
multimedia video file; each event is
inserted on a separate track.
The original media file.
An event trimmed from the original media file.
The event as it appears in Vegas.