Hello Please excuse what is probably a very basic question. I have transferred video from a digicam to my PC for editing and ultimate transfer to a DVD. That's no problem in itself. What I am puzzled by is this: . there is a passage of audio spoken words] in the original video - let's say it is 64.5 seconds long. Want I want to do is replace that section of audio with something else. Let's say the replacement piece of audio is 69.5 seconds long. I don't want to cut any of out. I want to compress it - probably not the right term to use - or rather squash that 69.5 so it is 64.5 and will fit seamlessly into the video. I've been using MPEG video Wizard for basic editing and have both DVD Author and Ulead DVD Workshop 2 as well. Can anyone tell me if any of these programmes can do this, or if not, direct me to any free audio editors that can. I'm sure it's a simple process, but I've never had to investigate the process before. Many thanks.
So, from an "artistic" POV is the replacement audio...Music or other Dialog? perhaps foreign language? do you need this to sync with their lips? if you try to "compress" this audio and it's vocal..of course you understand it will sound like chipmunks. if you're not worried about lip sync problem it would be easier, probably better to edit the video instead..maybe slow/time streight the to 69.5 or insert blank video at the beginning and end create a transision at those places.
Hi Thanks for the reply. Wanting to replace voice with voice. Lip synch and chipmunking might be a problem I understand. Not worried really about it looking like a spaghetti western. I am looking at replacing about a minute's worth of dialogue. As a novice, my intention had been to record replacement dialogue as best I could close enough to 60 sec then either stretch ot squash it to fit, hoping not to cause too much distortion. I hadn't even considered the other option you raised of stretching a portion of video to fit. Didn't know you could! If you are able to point me in the right direction to do both I can play around and see which turns out best.. and which aplication/s would I need? [Why am I doing this? Long story, but basically the video is part of an assignment which is incorrect in a very minor aspect. No need to re-do the whole thing; assessor just wants a portion "amended" and re-submitted. Hence, I am not fussy about lip synch etc.] Thanks again.
ok, back again. If you're just replacing a single person giving a speech, etc. Yes..your first idea is probably the best...just 'amend' the script and use a stop-watch while watching the section of video and try your best to chorograph your pauses etc...sorta like replacing Profanity with sweet nothings...it would work even better if you could reproduce the distance to microphone, background noise, or even use the same "set/stage". Sound Forge works great, but then again I don't know what you have available..there's a built in Recorder in Windows...I don't know which editing software you're using and I'm not sure if Ulead DVD workshop is a DVD authoring tool only or a NLE tool. But there's always Windows Movie Maker! You'll just need to import your new audio clip in your "collections" assets bin...then....Mute the section you want silent...I prefer the Mute option instead of cutting/deleteing...then just lay the new track down as second audio in the desired location on the timeline/sequence maybe fade in then out and it should Mix nicely with the origional track.
Thanks Headborg The stopwatch idea is OK but I guess it is preferable for me to overlay/replace an audio track that I can adjust the length of. I'll only get 1 chance of reproducing the substitute audio track as there are a number of people involved and I don't want to have to keep troubling them unnecessarily. What i am after is a [preferably ] free small application I can use to stretch or squash an audio file to a required exact length. I'll take up your suggestion about a transition to "bury" the imprecision of it all. Anyone know of such a programme? I have googled and found lots of free audio progs [or even ones that have a trial, I only need it once] but short of trialling them all to see if they do what I want, I thought trying the experts here first might save me lots of time.
