Audio echo in cross-dissolve

Hello Don

From my own experience, I find that iMovie does not handle the Audio in a Cross disolve situation.

Prior to applying your transition, extract "audio' on both the clips concerned. Drag one of the extracted audio clip down so that both extracted audio clips are on a different level. Add your cross disolve and then adjust the fade in and out of the audio manuallly ... you fade one out and the other in. It's very easy and totally flexible; the Help screen will tell you how to handle audio level manually if you are not familliar with the process. The result is a very beautifully smooth and professional Cross disolve.

If you need more assistance, just come back.

All the best for 2008
jc

Same problem here ... and some others audio related problem.
No solution yet. Waiting for an update

CarloBalla

Can you be more specific ? I have described how to process the "audio" for a smooth and professional cross-disolve transition in an iMovie project. Except for FCE, you'll have to look pretty hard to find something better than iMovie. I am not too sure what you mean by "no solution" ... since there is one ! Are we talking about the same thing ?

What update are you waiting for ?

jc

Here's a picture of how to do it:



Click on the picture to see a larger, clearer version.

As jean-claude says; just split each clip. Split the clip leading into the transition (Clip A) just before the end of the clip, giving Sub-clip A. Do the same with Clip B just after where you're going to put the Transition, giving Sub-clip B.

Extract the audio from both Sub-clip A and from Sub-clip B.

Then apply the Transition between Sub-clip A and Sub-clip B.

NOTE: that you'll have to decide on the intended length of your Transition before you split off those Sub-clips A and B, so that they're long enough to apply the Transition to! In other words, if you want a Transition of 3 seconds, then Sub-clips A and B will both have to be a bit longer than 3 seconds each!

When you've applied the Transition, just manually adjust (Fade) the levels of the audio to how you want them.

Sounds awkward, but once you've done it a couple of times you'll find it extremely simple and easy.

NOTE: to make audio adjustment easier, when you've extracted the audio, drag one of the audio clips down to the bottom audio track, so that you can more easily adjust each of them without them overlaying on top of each other on the same track.

Thank you David for participating to the discussion.

Actually, I don't worry about sub-clips; it's not necessary at all. I just extract the audio from clip A and B, apply the cross-disolve transition for the duration I want and then adjust the audio fade-in / fade-out manually for each of the audio clips so that it matches the duration of the transition.

jc

PS I did'nt send the illustration as you have done because I would'nt know how !

Dear jean-claude,

The reason I make Sub-clips is that those short sections of extracted audio are so much easier to handle - for me, anyway! - than longer ones.

If I've got several music and effect clips in my audio tracks (..which I usually do have..) besides, say, 20 transitions in a 10 minute video, it's much easier to find and adjust those 20 short audio sections than if all my audio had been separated down into those audio tracks, with music and effects superimposed on top of it, or underneath it. It's hard to find the audio I want if it's buried under several other long audio clips superimposed on top of it.

I try to keep as much as possible out of those separate audio tracks, so that it's quick and easy to find, and work on, just the particular sections which I do want to adjust.

I've noticed this audio anomaly going back to when my MP was new (Tiger) and nothing has changed with iMovie updates and Leopard. Yes, it can be corrected with audio extraction of the clips and manual audio adjustments, but this gets to be a hassle with hundreds of transitions (cross dissolves are about all I use). I'd sure like to see a fix for this...

John F

For the benefit of WY Don ...

Instructions re the manual audio adjustements are found in HELP under "Fading Audio up & down"; yellow marker to bring audio volume to zero , the secondary marker to adjust the curve / shape of the fade.

Reading the interesting responses to this topic, some of you seem to have an interesting time ! My Movies are much simpler affairs, since my subjects are mainly of the Travelogue type. I have not tried using GarageBand yet with iMovie. I use GarageBand with FotoMagico and I find it a great tool to use. Hav'nt tried Voice over yet.

Happy filming .

jc

Should have added ... yellow marker ... down motion; secondary marker ... sideway left / right motion.
jc