SmartEdit 5 – New Features

This information details the most important new features of SMART EDIT 5 (compared to SMART EDIT 4). There are of course other smaller changes, some bug fixes and improvements not explicitly mentioned on this page.

HDV
A major step forward for Casablanca users: Just in time for its 10th anniversary, Casablanca goes high definition! The new HDV standard, supported by most current camcorders, can now be loaded and edited with SMART EDIT. Some details:

• SMART EDIT 5 supports the format: 1440*1080i.

• Using the clipboard, it is possible to copy footage from a DV project in 16:9 into an HDV one.
  SMART EDIT handles the automatic up-scaling of the resolution.

• When editing an HDV project, all activity and editing steps are initially made in normal resolution (PAL 16:9 anamorph). In the background, all editing steps are then applied to the HDV footage. Merely some activities in the clipboard ("New", "Special") and creating new scenes need to be rendered in HDV.

• The "Finish" menu allows the user to additionally output in HDV format. For this, the Storyboard is rendered totally in HDV quality. This footage then remains even after powering down – rendering again is not required.

• A large portion of the standard effects is now HDV capable and renders in the respective higher resolution.

 

Audio

• There is an improved method for audio pre-editing. It’s already possible to place cuts in rhythm, but now it is also possible to automatically create empty scenes from these cut-up samples with the original sound (stamps with a music note icon) and put them into the Storyboard. Later, one can replace these scenes: Merely the video is put in place, the new scene is automatically trimmed at the end and the original sound remains. This way, editing according to rhythm is accelerated considerably.

 

• In most cases, when trimming and editing samples in the Mix screen, fades and envelope fader settings remain untouched.

• Sound samples (for example music) from the sample bin can be selected for creating an Audio CD.

• The audio effect "Mute" now features new options: "---", "Left", "Right", "Left and Right". This way, it’s possible to easily mute an entire audio track.

By muting an entire audio track you easily can create different versions of the same project.

• Previews of audio effects allow the user to choose between the original and effect sample.

 

VGA

• All models with VGA output now allow for a single-monitor use in VGA (up to now this was only possible with Claro). Video playback on a video monitor and dual-monitor use (on machines with video output) are of course also possible.

• In the System Settings, the user can choose playback in VGA with full or halved resolution. Half resolution displays only fields; this prevents any movement artefacts but has less detail. The actual saved footage is of course not affected by this setting.

Rendering and Effects

• SmartRendering now allows the user to select the order in which effects are rendered: Render the last added effect first or render it last. Until now, the last added effect was always rendered first and already started operations for previous effects were stopped. Many users has this on their "whish list". 

• In the scene bin, any effect rendered with SmartRendering is now also positioned right behind the original scene, not at the end of the list.

• In the System Settings, the user can now select an optional black border around the screen edges to cover any unwanted artefacts within the normally invisible screen areas. Usually, these artefacts only become visible on some video projectors.

• The Pattern generator now applies the 16:9 aspect ratio to used pictures and patterns (PAL and HDV). A new button called "Enable distortion" allows for the old method of distorting the picture to achieve 16:9 format.

• The selection border in the Image Pool is now striped in black/white and is easier to see.

 

Various

• Timer programming now also allows for selecting an input, i.e. it is possible to record at different times from different inputs.

• When trimming and splitting a clip, the video is displayed in full resolution frames if the Progressive Mode is active. Note: Select "progressive" only if your camera indeed supports Progressive format, otherwise, it could result in corrupt rendering or artefacts.

• The current project name is displayed in the Edit screen above the scene bin.

• When deleting a project, the user can decide what is to be deleted: Storyboard, the scene bin or audio samples.

• An activated slider can be reverted to its original preset value by clicking on the value displayed next to it.

• SMART EDIT 5 requires at least 256 MB RAM.