Synchronizing video in multicamera projects

In order to effectively edit multicamera footage within VEGAS Pro, you must have your video clips synchronized. The best place to do this is the timeline, using the same VEGAS Pro editing tools as you would for any video project.

Laying out clips using timecode or data/time stamps

  1. Start a new project or open an existing project to which you want to add the multicamera video.

  2. From the Options menu, choose Quantize to Frames if it is not already selected. For more information, see Quantize to frames

  3. From the Options menu, choose Ignore Event Grouping to turn it off.

  4. Select your clips in the Project Media window.

  5. Add your clips to the timeline:

    • For clips with synchronized timecode, choose Multicamera from the Tools menu, and then choose Lay Out Tracks Using Media Timecode from the submenu.

    • For clips without synchronized timecode, choose Multicamera from the Tools menu, and then choose Lay Out Tracks Using Media Date/Time Stamp from the submenu.

The result is a pair of tracks for each camera, with events aligned based on the timecode or date/time stamp of each clip. If your scenes were captured with synchronized timecode, your clips should be in perfect alignment. Otherwise, you'll need to adjust the alignment to synchronize the clips. The goal is to align the clips in time so the synchronization points you recorded occur at the same timeline position for all clips.

Adjusting alignment using audio

If you can assume that all cameras involved have recorded the same audio, you can also use these audio tracks to synchronize the events.

  1. Select all events.

  2. Choose Menu Tools | Multicamera | Synchronize Audio to Align Events

  3. The events below the topmost one are moved forward or backward so that they are synchronized.

    NOTE In this process the whole audio data is analyzed to find similarities so this can take a while with longer recordings.

Synchronizing Multicamera Audio

*new since VEGAS Pro 22*

Synchronizing multicam events based on the audio from the clips the events hold has been completely reworked. You can now select multiple events and quickly synchronize them with options optimized for the type of audio contained in the clips.

To synchronize files based on the audio (and they can be audio-only files, video files with audio, or a mix) first add each file to separate tracks so each now sits on a different track than each of the others. Of course, for synchronization to work, the files must have been recorded simultaneously so that they contain exactly the same source audio. It’s best if none of the files starts at the very beginning of the timeline.

The synchronization process will move timeline clip events as necessary to line the audio of each file and any of the events may need to move earlier or later on the timeline. If one of your events needs to move toward the start of the timeline, but it’s already sitting at the very beginning, the synchronization will fail since the event can’t move any further to the left. Give yourself some space between the start of the project and the start of the events on your timeline.

Click the audio event that you consider to be the “target” event, that is, the event you want to match the others to. This event will not move, and each of the other events will move to accomplish the synchronization. Now, hold the Ctrl key while you click on each other audio event that you want to synchronize. As you see in the image above, each of the audio events has been selected (indicated by the yellow highlight) while their grouped video events have not been (indicated by the blue highlight).

Now choose Tools | Multicamera. Depending upon the audio material in your files, select the most appropriate of the synchronization options at the top of the cascading menu. For instance, my file contains both speaking and music, so I choose the Synchronize Mixed Audio to Align Events. VEGAS Pro analyzes your audio files and moves repositions the events as needed to synchronize them. If the first synchronization type you use doesn’t give you results that you’re happy with, undo the edit and try a different type.

Once the events are synchronized, you can enter Multicamera editing mode and edit your project.

Adjusting alignment using video

You can also align your events using the video.

NOTE These steps require snapping to be enabled, so if you have not already done so, turn snapping on by clicking the Enable Snapping button . For more information, see Enable snapping

  1. Solo the video track.

  2. Position the cursor at the synchronization point and drag the event’s snap offset so it snaps to the cursor.

  3. Repeat these steps for each clip.

  4. Drag the cursor to a snap point, and then snap the other clips to the cursor.