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The Vegas 6.0d update is now available for download. This valuable update includes cutting-edge AVC enhancements such as export to HD frame sizes, two-pass encoding, Main and Baseline profile, export to all common frame rates (including NTSC, PAL, and 24p), file export to the Apple^® iPod^® video format, and enhancements to the existing PSP™ video format support. Vegas 6.0d can also open a wide variety of AVC/AAC files for editing. New features in this update include:

• Support for VR-mode DVD Handycam^® camcorder discs has been improved. When importing video from Sony DVD Handycam discs in VR or Video mode, each chapter is now imported as a separate file.
• The MainConcept AVC/AAC codec has been added to Vegas software. You can use this plug-in to import H.264 video files into your project and edit them right on the Vegas timeline. This codec also lets you render H.264 video (including support for HD frame sizes, two-pass encoding, main and baseline profiles, export to all common frame rates-including NTSC, PAL, and 24p-and Apple iPod video format).
• Video quality has been improved for the Sony AVC/AAC encoder and rendering templates have been refined.

You can find more information about the Vegas 6.0d update in our release notes. The free download is available for registered users.

When Ken Burns did his Civil War documentary for PBS in 1990, there obviously wasn't any video footage available—but he had assembled photos, letters, and other documents. To add interest to the video, he used extensive cropping, panning, zooming, and rotating to make those static images come alive.

This trick has served me well, too. For example, when covering trade shows it's not always possible to take videos of screen shots, or sometimes even products, if the lighting is a problem. The solution: still shots (sometimes from press materials) with crop, pan, zoom, and rotate to add interest.

Vegas software provides these four options in the Event Pan/Crop window, which you open by clicking on the square Event/Crop button located in any video clip. Although these functions may seem obvious, there are a few tricks involved, especially when rendering to a data-compressed format.

First step: Unlike videocam footage, it's unlikely a still image will have the proper output aspect (i.e., the image's aspect ratio is the same as the video frame). To fix this, right-click anywhere on the Event Pan/Crop window image, and select "Match Output Aspect" (Fig. 1). The dashed frame now has the correct aspect ratio. Drag this frame over the desired part of the image.

If you can't show everything you want within the frame, you can show the full image against a background (like another image) so you don't just see a black band. Better yet, zoom or pan across the photo. For example, if a landscape image is much wider than it is high, start by showing the landscape's left side, then pan to the right until the right side of the landscape comes into view. Or, zoom in on a close-up of something of interest, then zoom out to reveal more of the image (or vice-versa). Continued

Discover for yourself why the Sony^® Sound Series™ collection is the world's foremost source for royalty-free loops, samples, and sound effects. Receive a free CD with over 500 specially selected loops and sound effects from our collection. As an added bonus, we'll also send you a free 2006 calendar filled with interesting dates in music history, amusing trivia, and opportunities to save on future purchases.

To request your free CD and limited-edition 2006 music trivia calendar go to www.sony.com/freeloops

Offer valid while supplies last. Limit one per customer.

This article will provide the basics for those of you want to make and produce your own music. Perhaps you are a seasoned musician who is tired of paying someone else to produce your music, or maybe you are just starting out and want to record your garage band. Either way, you have at your disposal the most powerful audio editing equipment available to the market today: a PC with the right software.

The big studios have hardware devices called compressors, limiters, vocal processors, delays, reverbs, equalizers, multitrack recorders, computer automation, and massive consoles that connect it all. Lucky for you that can all be replaced with a PC and audio capture, mixing, and production software. With the right knowledge, you can do anything in your home studio that the pros can do.

Start with the right sound card, one that has a 24-bit signal processor with MIDI inputs and probably RCA jacks instead of the usual 1/8-inch jacks for audio input. You should be able to find a good one for around $250. An internal PCI card will be faster than an external Firewire (i.LINK^® connector/IEEE-1394) device, but the external device will probably have more connectors. Connect your instrument(s) to the sound card and you're ready to start capturing and editing.

Now you need the right software for your studio. Sony Creative Software makes a variety of products that are suited for the home studio. The ACID^® product line offers ACID Music Studio™ for the home studio, and ACID Pro software is a full-featured and powerful tool that is still easy to use. Fully functional trial versions of both products can be downloaded from www.sonycreativesoftware.com. Downloading a trial is a great way to get your feet wet before diving in. Continued