6.0

319
Video
Adopting the video frame rate
When using video files within Cubase, it is important to
adjust the project’s frame rate to that of the imported
video. This ensures that the time displays of Cubase cor
-
respond to the actual frames in the video. If the frame rate
of an imported video file differs from the frame rate set for
the project, the video event shows a warning.
In order to match the two frame rates, you have to adjust
the frame rate in the Project Setup dialog.
To adopt the video frame rate, proceed as follows:
1. Pull down the Project menu and select “Project
Setup…”.
2. In the Project Setup dialog, click the “Get From Video”
button.
Provided that the video file has a frame rate supported by Cubase, it is
automatically detected and applied to the project. If the project contains
several video files with different frame rates, the project frame rate is ad
-
justed to the frame rate of the first video event on the upper video track.
The project frame rate setting will change to that of the
video file and the project start time will be altered to reflect
the change in frame rate if needed. For example, when the
project frame rate is switched from 30
fps to 29.97 fps, the
start time is changed so that all the events currently in the
project remain at the same positions in relation to realtime.
If you want the project start time to remain the same, you
must manually change it back after clicking the “Get From
Video” button. In this case, it is important that the video
event is snapped to the timeline to ensure proper position
-
ing and synchronization within the project.
Ö Cubase can only detect the supported frame rates
(these are the frame rates listed in the Frame Rate pop-up
menu in the Project Setup dialog). Video files with non-sup
-
ported frame rates can be played back, but the time dis-
plays are not correct in this case and proper positioning is
not guaranteed. Furthermore, audio and video may not be in
sync. Therefore, we recommend that you use an external
application to convert the video file to a frame rate sup
-
ported by Cubase.
If you have more than one video file in a project, it is advis-
able that all video files have the same frame rate consistent
with the project frame rate. Nevertheless, you can work with
multiple video files of differing frame rates, but in this case
you should always change the project frame rate to the
frame rate of the video file that you are editing at the mo
-
ment. This is done in the Project Setup dialog by selecting
the correct frame rate from the Frame Rate pop-up menu.
Video files in the Project window
Video files are displayed as events/clips on a video track,
with thumbnails representing the frames in the film.
About thumbnails
The individual thumbnail images are positioned exactly at
the beginning of the corresponding frame. When you
zoom in and there is enough space between the frames,
the thumbnail is repeated as many times as there is free
space available. Thus, you can always see a thumbnail re
-
gardless of how much you zoom in.
Thumbnail Memory Cache Size
In the Preferences dialog on the Video page, you can en-
ter a value for the “Thumbnail Memory Cache Size”. This
determines how much memory is available for displaying
“real” thumbnails. The currently shown image is buffered
in the thumbnail memory cache. Whenever you move to
another image and there is no memory capacity left, the
“oldest” picture in the cache is replaced by the current
one. If you have long video clips and/or work with a large
zoom factor, you may have to raise the “Thumbnail Mem
-
ory Cache Size” value.
!
In Cubase, you may work with multiple video files of
differing frame rates and formats on the same video
track. Assuming you have the proper codecs installed,
all video files can be played back in one project, but
note that proper synchronization of audio and video
events is ensured only if the frame rate of the video file
matches the project frame rate.