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     The menu Scenes of DVdate
    to retrieve the scenes from a video file


 

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Install and launch
Information
Menu Display
Menu Video
Menu Rename
Menu Convert
Menu Inlay
Menu Scenes
Edit Scenes
Settings
Scripts

 



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Last update

on Sunday, April 20, 2008

 


     

 

    The menu Scenes of DVdate

    A video can be split in scenes in different ways. The scenes are saved in a file with extension .scn compatible with Pinnacle's Studio. It is useful to navigate from scene to scene in DVdate  or in ImageGrab. The menu Scenes has powerful functions to export the list of scenes to spreadsheets or word processing software. it is useful to make a table of videos by listing all their scenes.

      check01_green.gif Edit the Scenes or Quit the Scenes Editor or ALT+E or the button : This command opens the Scenes Editor for the active avi file, and allows to use the functions to manage and edit the scn file associated with the video file. Let's remind you that scn files are produced by Studio from Pinnacle to contain data about the scenes of a video file. Several of my applications use these files to navigate from scene to scene through the file, or to export the list of scenes. These applications can create a scn file compatible with Studio. To learn how to use the Scenes Editor, go to the corresponding help page.

      Observe that the Scenes Editor can be opened, even if the avi file has no associated scn file.  In this case, the Editor will consider the avi file as one single scene. Generally you will create a scn file before opening the Scenes Editor.

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      check01_green.gif Create a scn file with content or CTRL+$: This command creates for each avi file selected in the playlist, a file with extension *.scn in the same folder. It has the same name, except that the extension scn replaces the extension avi. It analyzes the video content, and detects scene changes when the video image suddenly changes. DVdate is not excellent in this task, but makes nevertheless a decent job. Sometimes it misses a scene change, sometimes it detects falsely new scenes. You may fix it manually with the Scenes Editor. This method is the only one possible for avi files that are not in DV format or have no datecode. Use it preferably for DivX or Mjpg files, or with DV files that have been recompressed.

      The scn file will contain data for each scene in the video. It is compatible with Pinnacle's format for scn files, and may be useful if you open the video in  Pinnacle's Studio. DVdate produces these files generally faster than Pinnacle's Studio and can produce many files in one go. You may spare time if you create the scn files in DVdate before opening the files in Studio. DVdate can also use this scn file to browse from one scene to another with the keys F8 or F9. If a scn file has been created, or was found in the same folder, then the text "scn"  is displayed in the information panel of the selected file.

      check01_green.gif Create a scn file by datecode: This command creates for each DV file selected in the playlist, a file with extension *.scn in the same folder. It has the same name, except that the extension scn replaces the extension avi. It analyses the datecodes, and detects a scene change if the datecode has a gap. You will notice that a DV file can create its scn file either from content or by date. The latter method is more reliable, except if you have recompressed some parts of the video, for instance to make transitions between scenes.

      The scn file contains data for each scene in the DV video. It is compatible with Pinnacle's format for scn files, and may be useful if you open the video in  Pinnacle's Studio. DVdate produces these files generally faster than Pinnacle's Studio and can produce many files in a go. You may spare time if you create the scn files in DVdate before opening the files in Studio. DVdate can also use this scn file to browse from one scene to another with the keys F8 or F9. If a scn file has been created, or was found in the same folder, then the text "scn"  is displayed in the information panel of the selected file.

      check01_green.gif Create a scn file with fixed durations or Shift+CTRL+$. In some cases, you do not need real scenes, but simply to cut a big video into smaller parts. This command let's you split the video into scenes of equal duration. When you call it, then a window opens and asks you to set the given duration.

      check01_green.gif Delete the scn file or CTRL+Z: Deletes all scn files associated with the selected files from the playlist, should they be created by DVdate  or by another application. A confirmation is asked before deleting a file. Actually, the scn file will be send to the Recycle Bin.

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      check01_green.gif Export the scenes to text or CTRL+X: This command is intended to catalog the scenes of a DV tape. In fact, it exports a text file containing for each scene the following data:

          * the rank number of the scene

          * timestamp of start

          * timestamp of end

          * duration

          * datecode

          * timecode

          * a caption

           

      The text file has data separated by commas, and can be imported in many table or database applications. It may be printed to become a table of contents of the video.

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      check01_green.gif Export the scenes to OOo.Writer: If you have installed the opensource and free OpenOffice.org on your system, then this command let's you export the list of scenes to an odt document. To learn how to modify the title and subtitle of a scene, or even change the thumbnail image of the scene, go to the Scenes Editor.

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      check01_green.gif Export the scenes to OOo.Calc: If you have installed the opensource and free OpenOffice.org on your system then this command let's you export the list of scenes to an ods tabsheet. To learn how to modify the title and subtitle of a scene, go to the Scenes Editor.

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      check01_green.gif Export the scenes to Excel or Shift+CTRL+X: If you have installed Excel from Microsoft on your system then this command let's you export the list of scenes to an xls tabsheet. To learn how to modify the title and subtitle of a scene, go to the Scenes Editor.

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      check01_green.gif Export the scenes to Word: If you have installed Word from Microsoft on your system then this command let's you export the list of scenes to an doc document. To learn how to modify the title and subtitle of a scene as well as the image thumbnail, go to the Scenes Editor.

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      check01_green.gif Split in scenes or CTRL+C: This command works only for DV files having an scn file. It creates for each scene listed in the scn file a new video clip named xxx_scene_i.avi if the original video was named xxx.avi. These video clips for individual scenes are created, like all files created by conversion, either in the same folder than the original video, or in a folder indicated in the Settings panel under the tab Folders.

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