20.3 Working with Multiple Video Tracks
There is one important fact that you will need to get your head around before you start working on projects with more than one video track.
Kind: concept (user-guide-section) Chapter: 20 Using REAPER with Video Source: REAPER User Guide v7.70
There is one important fact that you will need to get your head around before you start working on projects with more than one video track. Unlike pure audio projects, when you are working with multiple video tracks the track order is significant.
REAPER processes video tracks and items differently from the way in which it processes audio tracks and items. By default, REAPER will audibly process all audio tracks and items. With video, however, the situation is different, not least because you may have several video tracks all competing for the one video window. The default position is that where multiple video tracks are present, during playback only the item(s) on one of them will be displayed in the video window. Which one this is will depend on which is assigned the highest priority.
The following summary indicates how priority is allocated. However, be assured (as you will see in the examples later in this section) that by using transition effects and automation envelopes you can override the default behavior and determine which and/or how many of your items are displayed at any one time during playback.
Video is by default processed from bottom to top, so that a lower numbered track will override a higher
numbered track. For example, if track 1 and track 2 both contain video items, then without the use of envelopes and/or effects only the video contents of track 1 will be displayed in the video window during playback. The master track is processed last. A similar hierarchy exists on tracks with more than one video item and where free item positioning is used.
That is, by default the contents of only the bottommost item will be displayed in the video window. Where video FX are used, video FX on the track process the output of the video FX on individual items.
There is an option on the Video page of your Project Settings which allows you to reverse the video processing hierarchy if you wish, so that video will be processed instead from top to bottom.
Working with video files can be a resource hungry activity, especially on older computers. If you are encountering performance difficulties during playback and/or editing, you may need to make tweaks to your video preferences options which can improve performance. These are explained at the end of this chapter.
Video effects can be inserted in any of three places – in the video item itself, in the video track, or in a separate video effects track. Depending on where you place them, the outcome can vary. If necessary, be patient, and be prepared to learn by exploring!
This next example uses a project file with three video tracks. If you have downloaded and unzipped the sample files included in VideoSamples.zip you will find the folder Wildlife, which includes two projects, Wildlife1 and Wildlife2. Wildlife1 will be used for the practical exercises. Wildlife2 shows you the project with the exercises completed, plus a few extra effects that we’ll get to later. A third file, Wildlife 3 also has some extra effects.