PE15: Video Collage Feature (NEW)

INTRODUCTION

In Premiere Elements 15 Adobe introduces a Video Collage feature in its Expert and Quick workspaces. Video Collage can be composed of photos and/or video and is accessed under the Create header at the top right of the workspace. The Adobe Premiere Elements Help Video Collage document appears to be comprehensive in details and should be referred to HERE.

In spite of the comprehensive nature of the Adobe document on Video Collage, it was decided to give Premiere Elements 15's new Video Collage feature a first hand look and post the observations.

The feature works from an Adobe designed template into which the user can insert videos and/or photos. There are 13 templates to select from in the Video Collage workspace. In the Video Collage workspace

• Editing options for selected photo inserts in the template include switching insert from space to space, scaling, and trashing.

• Editing options for selected video inserts in the template include switching insert from space to space, Trim, disabling video's audio , and trashing. 

• Video Collage workspace options applicable to the selected video as well as photo inserts include choice of template, Playback Settings, and Music (no background music or one of the Music Scores available in the Video Collage workspace.

• After the Video Collage workspace's Export to Timeline is used, the Video Collage presents in the Expert workspace's Timeline with the Video Collage displaying a video and a audio components linked on Video Track 1/Audio Track 1 (this is the case whether or not the Video Collage was created with music.

There are 5 categories of templates, each named according to how many spaces for inserts there are available in the template. The different template designs for each of the 5 categories include

Grid 3
template with Scale and Slide In Effect
template with Slide In Effect
template with Rotate Effect

Grid 4
template with Bounce Effect
template with Shuffle and Rotate Effect
template with Fade In and Rotate Effect
template with Slide In from Edge
template with Slide In from Corner Effect

Grid 5
template with Scale and Slide In Effect
template with Scale Effect
template with Rotate

Grid 6
template with Slide In

Grid 7
template with Curve and Settle Effect

Miscellaneous Details That Caught Attention

• The final result reflects bordered images in the collage rather than a blending of the individual   images in the collage.

• To avoid problems, insertion of video with different duration should be avoided when Playback Setting = "All Together". In Video Collage workspace see Video Trim editing option and Playback Settings..

• For those without a Video Collage feature (Premiere Elements earlier than 15), it would appear that most, if not all, of the Video Collage results could be obtained in the Expert workspace  with the appropriate mix of Motion Properties (Scale, Rotate, Position), Opacity Properties, and Video Effects (PiPs).

• No option was found to "Delete Audio" or "Delete Video" in the pop up menu that results from right clicking any Video Collage exported to the Expert workspace Timeline. However, the pop up menu does include the "Unlink Audio and Video" option. 

• No way was found in the Video Collage workspace to adjust individually duration or pan and zoom effects.

The output of the Video Collage from the Video Collage workspace can be either of the following

• Export to Timeline

• Export & Share

Editing possibilities for the Video Collage created in the Video Collage workspace exist only if the user saves the Video Collage in the Video Collage workspace before exiting the Video Collage workspace. This Save is to a file with a vc file extension. To open this closed saved file so that it opens to the Premiere Elements 15 Video Collage workspace, the user can do anyone of the following

• Expert workspace: File Menu/Open Project

• Computer Hard Drive: At the file's hard drive location designated by the user, right click just the vc file, select Open With, followed by Adobe Premiere Elements 15

• Video Collage workspace: File Menu/ Open Video Collage

The Video Collage duration displayed in the Video Collage workspace, Expert workspace, and Export & Share's export to file are still being thought about. Consider. If the image-empty template is outputted from the Video Collage workspace to Expert workspace, the Timeline image-empty Video Collage clip duration presents in the Expert workspace as

• Grid 3 templates 49 seconds

• Grid 4 templates 1 minute and four seconds

• Grid 5 templates 1 minute and nineteen seconds

• Grid 6 template 1 minute and thirty four seconds

• Grid 7 template 1 minute and forty nine seconds

However, when all the insert spaces are filled with photos in a template, then the image-filled template exported to the Expert workspace Timeline displays the following duration

• Grid 3 templates about 22 seconds

• Grid 4 templates about 28 seconds

• Grid 5 templates about 34 seconds

• Grid 6 template about 40 seconds

• Grid 7 template about 46 seconds

For all these templates in the Video Collage workspace, 9 seconds/photo inserted is consistently subtracted from empty template duration. Also, while all this exists, the photo in each template appears with duration label of 6 seconds. On the other hand, inserted video appears with duration label consistent with the duration of the original video duration. In contrast, variable seconds/video inserted is added to the empty template duration. Whatever the case, the data here should inform the user as to what to expect for Expert workspace Timeline Video Collage duration associated with choice of template.

OBSERVATIONS

Using Grid 7 
With Curve And Settle Effect (Playback Set For "One After Another")

A jpeg photo in each of the 7 spaces in this template. Music Score "Is This Love" applied in Video Collage workspace.Video Collage workspace Output = Export & Share/Devices/Custom/Advanced Settings for H.264 1920 x 1080 @ 29.97 fps, bitrate target = 2 Mbps, audio = AAC 48000 Hz/160 kbps/Stereo.

The "Curve And Settle Effect" design of this template starts with just center photo going from off-screen to on-screen position, followed by other photos going from off-screen to on-screen in order of bottom left and upper right photos, then upper left and bottom right photos, and, then completing with photos going from off-screen to on-screen for center left column and center right column. After the photos are placed, each (one after another) pans and zooms slightly in the order of upper left, center left column, bottom left, center, upper right, center left column, bottom right.

COMMENTARY 

The Premiere Elements 15 new Video Collage feature appears to be a convenience feature to produce a photo and/or video collage.

Yet, still trying to consider the "Previewing" aspects of Video Collage in the Video Collage workspace as well as in the Expert workspace Timeline.

When the created Video Collage (no rendering applied in the Video Collage workspace) was outputted to the Expert workspace Timeline, the Video Collage presented immediately on the Timeline Video Track 1/Audio Track 1, but the display of content in the Timeline thumbnails and monitor were blank for a considerable amound of time before the images displayed in either place. And, the Timeline Video Collage had an orange line over it indicating the need for Timeline rendering..

The Video Collage workspace has a preview feature that includes a rendering option. The Preview there did not seem as demanding for a render before Preview in order to get a Preview in the Video Collage workspace. However, when the Video Collage was rendered in the Video Collage workspace  using its Preview's rendering option and then exported to the Expert workspace Timeline, the Timeline Video Collage display issues were minimal to non existent even with the render indicator line orange. Yet to be considered is the Video Collage previewing in the Video Collage and Expert workspaces and whether or not rendering in either place is necessary (must do option) to be able to work with the Video Collage creation.

When in the Quick workspace, the Video Collage output choice is still listed as Export to Timeline or Export & Share. But, in the Quick's Export to Timeline situation, Export to Timeline puts the whole created Video Collage (video/photo/audio components) from Video Collage workspace to one space in the Quick workspace Filmstrip "video clips/photos" line.

Work in progress.



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ATR