Composing multiple videos in one shot with Sony Vegas

From time to time, Sony Vegas s are faced with the need to set multiple videos to display in one frame. This may be due to peculiarities of the edited video or the creation of final fragments for links to YouTube. Regardless of the purpose of creating such work, the design principle remains the same. As part of today's article, we would like to describe in detail an example of the correct insertion of video into a frame, using the latest version 16 of the software.

Insert multiple videos into one frame with Sony Vegas

We decided to divide the work of the task in question into thematic steps, to make it easier for novice s to understand each stage. Do not be alarmed: a large number of instructions does not mean that it will be difficult to meet the stated goal. Now the main thing is to get acquainted with all the functions, and in the future this operation will take only a few minutes, because this is one of the simplest actions that can be performed in Sony Vegas.

Step 1: create a new project and add a video

As usual, work begins by creating a new project and adding basic materials. All the sony vegas owners are familiar with this, but let's take a closer look, taking into all the nuances for further manipulations:

1. 1. Start the program and create a new project through the menu "Archive" .
   2. In the  "Video" , set the optimal resolution to accommodate all additional clips. You can use pre-prepared templates.
   3. Now let's create the required number of tracks to provide comfortable video addition. To do this, right-click on the timeline on the left and select «Insert video track» .
   4. An unlimited number of tracks of this type can be created. When done, click "Open" , which is framed as an orange folder.
   5. In the browser, select all the required entries with Ctrl+LMB and click "Open" .
   6. You can apply the project settings for the video or leave the defaults when prompted. We recommend that you do not change the settings to prevent clips from being accidentally stretched.
   7. You will see that audio has been added along with the video. You will need to remove unnecessary tracks.
   8. To do this, click on the track in the left with RMB and select «Delete track» .
   9. Place all videos on previously created tracks.

Our videos are ready for further editing, but we still need to prepare the working environment and additional materials to ensure comfortable operation and a beautiful appearance in the end.

Step 2: add a background image

The presence of a background image is not necessary, and it is not always necessary, depending directly on the type of project being mounted. In most cases, such an image will simply improve the perception of the video in the frame and give more professionalism. If you don't want to do this step, just skip it and leave the background for cinematics black.

1. Create a new video track as shown above. This is where the image will be added.
2. Through the button "Open" standard , navigate to Explorer and find a suitable image.
3. Stretch it throughout the rest of the video, so that somewhere at the end the background doesn't randomly change to black. In this case, it is important that the image is below all other layers; otherwise the video will just crash.
4. Change snapshot to mode "Single" by clicking the corresponding button and examine its appearance in preview mode. If you find black streaks around the edges, you will need to do the following.
5. Click the track in the timeline with RMB and go to the menu «Properties» .
6. Here in the first tab uncheck the item "Keep aspect ratio" . This will cancel the aspect ratio preservation and enlarge the image to full screen.
7. See the result. If you are still not satisfied with it, you can change the scale at any time using la tool Pan / Crop , which will be discussed in the Step 4: .

Almost everything is ready to change the video scale and place them in a frame, but it will not be very convenient to do this. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you explore the next step.

Step 3: add a visual grid

The visual grid is a set of horizontal and vertical lines superimposed on top of the image for convenient positioning of elements relative to each other and proportions. Now we need it to smoothly and correctly compose all the videos present, so we will quickly configure their display.

1. Above the preview window, there is a button designed in the form of a grid. Click on it to display the context menu.
2. In it, select the mode "Grid" .
3. By default the grid looks like 10x10, which doesn't work very well for us, as you can see in the screenshot below. Therefore, we will change it in two clicks.
4. In the top pane, click "Options" and go to "Preferences" .
5. Here go to the tab "Video" .
6. Change the number of horizontal and vertical stripes as necessary. We will set 4 lines on each side, this will be enough to keep the proportions and the correct location. After making the changes, to save them.

Step 4: Scale Your Videos and Organize Them

So we have come to the most important and responsible process: video collection, which is, in fact, the goal of today's assignment. For this, a well-known tool called "Pan / Crop" , which has not changed during the updates, so it is still difficult to work on it, especially when a beginner gets down to business.

1. Each video must be edited separately, respecting the planned dimensions. Navigate to the mentioned instrument by clicking the corresponding button on the right side of the track.
2. Position the window that opens so that it does not close out of preview mode, allowing you to immediately track the changes you make.
3. Reduce the scale of the working area using the mouse wheel, so it will be more convenient to move the active area. Hold one of the corners of the dotted lines with LMB and move it down so that the letter I know move to the side. If you reduce the size of the dotted area, the video will be enlarged accordingly.
4. At the same time, make sure the bottom position is 0:00 ; otherwise, additional animation keys will be created and the image will one day fly somewhere.
5. If you suddenly make a mistake and want to return to its original state, use the key combination Ctrl + Z . In case it doesn't work, put the preset in the state "Predetermined" .
6. After the job is finished, you should get roughly the same result as shown in the screenshot below.

The dotted area on each track will need to be changed differently. This will be difficult at first, as it is intuitively difficult to understand the changes that are being made. However, after a few minutes of practice, everything will become clear and in the future there should be no problems with la tool Bread / Crop .

Step 5: render the finished project

Video playback is the last stage of the project assembly. Before you start saving, check the entire length of the clip for problems. Then go al menu Archive for Render as . However, keep in mind that the Sony Vegas trial version cannot save videos for more than two minutes.

In the window that opens, it only remains to set the basic parameters, which most of the time each adjusts himself. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the main aspects of rendering in our separate material on this topic by clicking on the link below.

Read more: How to trim video in Sony Vegas Pro

Above, we disassemble step by step the procedure to compose several videos in a single frame. As you can see, there are really a lot of actions, but most of them are completed in a second, and the whole task will literally take a few minutes. There are many more functions and tools in Sony Vegas that will come in handy during assembly. You can get acquainted with the main ones in our other article below.

Read also: Optimal video format for YouTube