[Bf-committers] Request for improvements in Sequencer and Compositor

[Rui Campos]

Hi all,

I'm producing a set of Blender Training DVDs and would like to use Blender
to edit and output the final result. And while Blender is a powerful tool,
the Sequencer editor and Node Compositor still need improvements.

I would like to know if anyone would be interested in adding any of the
following features to Blender:

1. Node Compositor integration with the IPO (highest)
2. Proxy preview in the sequencer, as the videos will be in HD (high)
3. Subtitles support in the sequencer, supporting srt or similar and
manual input (high)
4. Subtitles editor with live interaction with the sequencer (high)

5. MKV(Matroska) container output with: video, audio, subtitles and
chapters (medium)
6. MKV(Matroska) container output with multiple audio tracks, for
different language support (medium)
7. MKV(Matroska) container output with multiple subtitle tracks, for
different language support (medium)
8. Video/Image Strip preview in the sequencer strip itself (medium)

9. Usability improvements in the sequencer for faster editing (low)
10. Icons added to effect strips, for better visual identification (low)
11. Adding more effects to the sequencer as natively supported would be
good (low)

Ideas:
For Subtitles support:
- Use a new Marker in the timeline with a different color to define where
a specific subtitle text will appear.
- Have a new Window for subtitle creation that would have a list of all
the markers (created on the timeline) on the left and a text field on the
right that would contain the subtitle text.
- Have a new subtitle strip on the sequencer that would have in its
properties the ability to specify either an srt file or an internal
subtitle set.

For Chapters support:
- Use a new Marker in the timeline with a different color to define each
chapter.
- Have a new Window for Chapters that would have a list of all the markers
(created on the timeline) on the left and a text field on the right that
would contain the chapter name.

For Multiple Audio files in MKV support:
- Add to the Audio strip in the sequencer two new properties, one to say
the audio track that should be used when outputted to the MKV and another
one to specify the language(could be just a text area or something like
that).

For Multiple Subtitles in MKV support:
- The Subtitle strip in the sequencer should contain two properties, one
to say the subtitle track that should be used when outputted to the MKV
and another one to specify the language(could be just a text area).


The items marked as high are decisive, if I can't have them I'll have to
ditch Blender in favor of another solution. The medium ones are a must
have but I can still workaround them. The low items are just wishes.

One of the things I would also like to get in Blender is a more usable
Sequencer. I'll have around 18 hours of video for each DVD plus animations
and so on, it would be really good if the sequencer could help me compile
the final solution fast, instead of making me take longer to do it.

Some ideas that come to my mind for the sequencer itself:
- Media manager area with the contents preview of a folder always active
that I can drag videos, audio, images directly into the sequencer
- Snapping on the strips would be good
- Some effects require an IPO curve, else they don't really do anything,
this curve could be added by default for the effect.


For now this is it.


Thanks for your help on this,

-- Rui --