Introduction
Naming Convention
You’re probably wondering what is the story with all the different names of the program. It’s a long story but suffice to
say “Magix Movie Edit Pro”, “Magix Movie Studio” and “Magix Video Deluxe” are all the same program, with VDL being
the latest offering. Magix Video Pro X is the big and more-capable brother. Magix Vegas and it less-capable sibling, the
old Sony Movie Studio, are completely different programs to the Magix video editors (MEP, MS and VDL).
Resources
Tutorials
Excellent tutorials can be found:
•
Magix.info forum here
•
Youtube
•
My Youtube channel here
•
This website, where I have published tips and tricks.
Forum
The Magix.Info forum for Video Deluxe and Video Pro X is an excellent source of information. The forum has very
knowledgable, active members and in most cases you’ll get an answer or resolution to any issue you have very quickly;
certainly faster than Magix Support, which in recent times has become almost non-existent.
Setup
Starting out with a new video editor can be a bit daunting, so here are my suggestions for the basic setup to get you
going quickly.
On a point of convention, Magix calls things in the program “objects”. These include video files, audio files (and audio
tracks from video files), still images and titles.
Storyboard/Timeline display mode
The vast majority of editing is done in Timeline display mode. Set it by clicking this button, located midway down the
right edge of the program screen:
Program Settings
There are various program settings that can be set to improve the editing experience. Access the program settings by
hitting key Y or going File>Settings>Program… This will reveal the Program Settings tabs. These are the general
settings that apply to the program as a whole, not to each individual movie. Separate Movie Settings are discussed
lower down this page.
Playback tab
Set the spacebar behaviour. I have mine ticked, so when I hit the spacebar during playback, the Play marker stops in
it’s current position instead of jumping back to where it started moving.
Folder tab
The folder locations are entirely optional, however, it is recommended that video files and projects be stored/accessed
from a separate drive ie not the C: drive. And critically, do not store, video files on OneDrive. Realtime, instant access
is required when editing and having any of your data files on OneDrive may cause a lot of grief.
I set up a unique folder for each project.
Video/Audio
Set up the Video/Audio tab like this:
System
Set up the System tab like this. Regarding the backup, the autobackup will be recognised as Windows action and will
delay the screensaver or screen timeout, so set the screensaver or timeout to occur just before the autobackup backup
runs.
Device Options
Set the Import, Processing and Export droplists as required. For most setups, if you have a separate GPU, set that on
all three. If you have performance issues eg jerky response on the timeline, experiment with other settings such as the
CPU and the iGPU/integrated on-board GPU.
Import/Export tab
No changes required from initial setup:
Movie Settings
General
This is the movie setup screen. This screen enables you to set up the parameters for your actual movie you’ll be
creating. These parameters should be set to your desired output format.
Video Settings
Essentially, there are only four parameters for a video: the frame size (horizontal and vertical), the frame ratio and the
frame rate. You can either choose from the “Video Settings” droplists or you can insert your own parameters. An
example for manual parameters would be a 2:1 ratio video for a movie or an 8:3 video for a side-by-side video (2 x 4:3)
for Youtube (I have a few of those on my YT channel).
You can even set up non-standard frame sizes and ratios. If the ration cannot be easily defined by whole numbers such
as 2:3, 4:5 or 21:9, then simple input the exact frame size as the ratio. For example, if you want to export a video frame
of 650 by 430, enter 650 and 430 in the Width and Height boxes and 650:430 into the Ratio box. The program will then
calculate the ratio.
In summary, decide what format you want your exported video to be and insert those parameters into the Movie
Settings screen.
That’s it, you now have the program set up so you can get to editing.
Introduction
Naming Convention
You’re probably wondering what is the story with all
the different names of the program. It’s a long story
but suffice to say “Magix Movie Edit Pro”, “Magix
Movie Studio” and “Magix Video Deluxe” are all the
same program, with VDL being the latest offering.
Magix Video Pro X is the big and more-capable
brother. Magix Vegas and it less-capable sibling, the
old Sony Movie Studio, are completely different
programs to the Magix video editors (MEP, MS and
VDL).
Resources
Tutorials
Excellent tutorials can be found:
•
Magix.info forum here
•
Youtube
•
My Youtube channel here
•
This website, where I have published tips and
tricks.
Forum
The Magix.Info forum for Video Deluxe and Video
Pro X is an excellent source of information. The
forum has very knowledgable, active members and
in most cases you’ll get an answer or resolution to
any issue you have very quickly; certainly faster than
Magix Support, which in recent times has become
almost non-existent.
Setup
Starting out with a new video editor can be a bit
daunting, so here are my suggestions for the basic
setup to get you going quickly.
On a point of convention, Magix calls things in the
program “objects”. These include video files, audio
files (and audio tracks from video files), still images
and titles.
Storyboard/Timeline display mode
The vast majority of editing is done in Timeline
display mode. Set it by clicking this button, located
midway down the right edge of the program screen:
Program Settings
There are various program settings that can be set
to improve the editing experience. Access the
program settings by hitting key Y or going
File>Settings>Program… This will reveal the
Program Settings tabs. These are the general
settings that apply to the program as a whole, not to
each individual movie. Separate Movie Settings are
discussed lower down this page.
Playback tab
Set the spacebar behaviour. I have mine ticked, so
when I hit the spacebar during playback, the Play
marker stops in it’s current position instead of
jumping back to where it started moving.
Folder tab
The folder locations are entirely optional, however, it
is recommended that video files and projects be
stored/accessed from a separate drive ie not the C:
drive. And critically, do not store, video files on
OneDrive. Realtime, instant access is required when
editing and having any of your data files on
OneDrive may cause a lot of grief.
I set up a unique folder for each project.
Video/Audio
Set up the Video/Audio tab like this:
System
Set up the System tab like this. Regarding the
backup, the autobackup will be recognised as
Windows action and will delay the screensaver or
screen timeout, so set the screensaver or timeout to
occur just before the autobackup backup runs.
Device Options
Set the Import, Processing and Export droplists as
required. For most setups, if you have a separate
GPU, set that on all three. If you have performance
issues eg jerky response on the timeline, experiment
with other settings such as the CPU and the
iGPU/integrated on-board GPU.
Import/Export tab
No changes required from initial setup:
Movie Settings
General
This is the movie setup screen. This screen enables
you to set up the parameters for your actual movie
you’ll be creating. These parameters should be set
to your desired output format.
Video Settings
Essentially, there are only four parameters for a
video: the frame size (horizontal and vertical), the
frame ratio and the frame rate. You can either
choose from the “Video Settings” droplists or you
can insert your own parameters. An example for
manual parameters would be a 2:1 ratio video for a
movie or an 8:3 video for a side-by-side video (2 x
4:3) for Youtube (I have a few of those on my YT
channel).
You can even set up non-standard frame sizes and
ratios. If the ration cannot be easily defined by whole
numbers such as 2:3, 4:5 or 21:9, then simple input
the exact frame size as the ratio. For example, if you
want to export a video frame of 650 by 430, enter
650 and 430 in the Width and Height boxes and
650:430 into the Ratio box. The program will then
calculate the ratio.
In summary, decide what format you want your
exported video to be and insert those parameters
into the Movie Settings screen.
That’s it, you now have the program set up so you
can get to editing.
