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VideoFile looping transitions

Suggestions for new features for Magic.
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TEHK
Posts: 56
Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2018 9:04 pm

VideoFile looping transitions

Post by TEHK »

It would be nice to have a "Cross Dissolve" transition with a variable 0.000 -> 1.000 overlap for looping video files. Currently, when a video is not made specifically for looping, you get a hard cut at the loop point. Adding a simple cross dissolve transition (the default transition in Final Cut Pro) would make this module much more powerful! To be clear, the floating point value is the percentage of overlap for the transition, ie. having it set at 0.1 would allow a 10% overlap. Likewise, setting it to 1.0 would allow a looping video to 100% transition on top of itself -- at the 50% playback point of the video it would begin transitioning to the next loop and it would always be transitioning -- once it reaches 50% of the next loop, it would again begin transitioning to the 3rd loop.
Magic
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Re: VideoFile looping transitions

Post by Magic »

I’m pretty sure this has been asked before. The problem with cross fading a video into itself is that you have to have two copies of the video open, and it’s very complicated and also a major resource hog. It isn’t impossible but it’s unlikely to happen anytime soon. Besides, it’s much more efficient if you just edit the video to naturally loop.
TEHK
Posts: 56
Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2018 9:04 pm

Re: VideoFile looping transitions

Post by TEHK »

I hear what you're saying.

I was just thinking that if/when a cross dissolve was enabled that Magic would simply open another instance of the VideoFile module as well as add a layered blend module (both would be hidden and in the background) and then it would just have to mange the timing of the two video instances and control the layered blend effect.

I've tested doing exactly this (multiple VideoFile instances and layered blends) and it doesn't slow my M1 Mac Mini down at all, so it doesn't seem to be very resource heavy. But, the timing portion is missing and is what makes it impossible to do in Magic right now.

For now I guess I can pre-edit the loops in FCP and then use them in Magic. But it would save a lot of time pre-processing and be nice to have this feature directly in Magic, in my opinion.

Thanks for the consideration.

One other question/feature request : has Magic ever considered a visual timeline to control playlist and keyframe events?
Magic
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Re: VideoFile looping transitions

Post by Magic »

I was just thinking that if/when a cross dissolve was enabled that Magic would simply open another instance of the VideoFile module as well as add a layered blend module (both would be hidden and in the background)
That isn't how the software works. Modules are not added automatically, and modules are not hidden. What you're requesting would require two copies of the video to be opened inside each VideoFolder module.
I've tested doing exactly this (multiple VideoFile instances and layered blends) and it doesn't slow my M1 Mac Mini down at all,
Sure, well of course it depends on how complicated your project is.
One other question/feature request : has Magic ever considered a visual timeline to control playlist and keyframe events?
Yes, that has been discussed extensively in another thread.
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