You can change the color of your tracks to create logical track groups.

To change a track’s color, right-click the header and choose Track Display Color from the shortcut menu. Choose a color from the submenu to change the icon in the Track List and the color that is used to highlight a selected event in the timeline.

Use the Display tab in the Preferences dialog to edit the available colors.

Drag a track’s bottom border to set its height. If you want to set a track’s height as the default height for new tracks, you can right-click within the track list and choose Set Default Track Properties from the shortcut menu.

Click Minimize to minimize a track vertically.

Click Maximize to zoom in vertically so a track fills the track view.

After minimizing or maximizing a track, click the Minimize or Maximize button again to return a track to its previous height.

The following keyboard shortcuts are also available:

• Press Ctrl+Shift+Up Arrow or Down Arrow to change the height of all tracks at once.

• Press ` to minimize all tracks. Press again to restore tracks to their previous height. When restoring track height, tracks that you previously minimized are not restored—you can restore these tracks by clicking the Restore Track Height button on the track header.

• Press Ctrl+` to return all tracks to the default height.

Right-click the track header and choose Expand Track Layers to expand a video track to reveal three subtracks within the main track: the A roll, B roll, and transition roll. In this view, sequential clips alternate between the A and B rolls, and the overlapping area between events is represented by the transition roll.

Choose the command again to collapse the track layers.

For more information about adding and editing transitions, click here.

If you’re using video track effects or track motion, keyframes will be displayed in the timeline below your video track. You can drag keyframes to adjust their position, or right-click a keyframe to display a shortcut menu that allows you to add and delete keyframes and change the interpolation curve between keyframes.

Select the Lock Envelopes to Events button to lock track-level keyframes to the events on the track. When keyframes are locked, you can move events along the timeline, and their associated keyframes move with them.

Click the Expand/Collapse Track Keyframes button in the Track Header to toggle the height of the track keyframes.

Event-level keyframes are not visible in the timeline.

1. If you do not see the Scribble Strip , expand the track to reveal it . The Scribble Strip appears above the Level fader.

2. Double-click in the Scribble Strip and type the track name.

3. Press Enter to save the name.

If you’ve applied a motion blur envelope to the video bus track, the envelope affects all tracks. To bypass motion blur for a track, select the Bypass Motion Blur button in the track header.

Click the Track Motion button to display the Track Motion window.

You can use this window to animate a video track or create picture-in-picture effects. For more information about track motion, click here.

Click the Track FX button to add or edit track-level video effects. Track effects are applied to every event on the selected track. For more information about using video effects, click here.

Click the Mute button to prevent a track from being played in the mix. Click the Mute button on additional tracks to add them to the mute group. To unmute a track, click the Mute button again.

Muting or unmuting a track

1. Click the Automation Settings button and verify Show Automation Controls is not selected.

2. Click the Mute button ds/sub/vegaspro/en/source/b_mute.gif" style="width:13px;height:13px" width="13" height="13" border="0">.

When you have a group of tracks muted, hold Ctrl while clicking the Mute button on an unmuted track to remove all other tracks from the mute group. Hold Ctrl while clicking the Mute button on a muted track to reset all Mute buttons.

Adjusting mute automation

You can edit mute automation settings by adding a mute envelope to the track or by using the controls in the track header.

1. Click the Automation Settings button and select Show Automation Controls. The Mute button is displayed as .

2. Click the Mute button to change the track’s mute automation state.

   The button behaves differently if the track has a mute envelope and when you change the track automation recording mode:

3. When the track automation mode is set to Off, the button mutes the entire track.

4. When the track has a mute envelope and the track automation mode is set to Read, the button changes state to reflect the envelope setting during playback but cannot be adjusted.

5. When the track has a mute envelope and the track automation mode is set to Touch or Latch, the button edits the envelope setting at the cursor position.

Select the Solo button to mute all unselected tracks. Click the Solo button on additional tracks to add them to the solo group. To remove a track from the solo group, click the Solo button again.

When you have a group of tracks soloed, hold Ctrl while clicking the Solo button on an unsoloed track to remove all other tracks from the solo group. Hold Ctrl while clicking the Solo button on a soloed track reset all Solo buttons.

The Level slider in the track header affects the composite level of a track. The slider can function as a trim control that adjusts the overall track opacity, or it can adjust track opacity automation settings.

The trim level is added to the track automation settings so your envelope is preserved, but with a boost or cut applied. For example, setting the trim control to 90% has the same effect as decreasing every envelope point by 10%.

Click the Parent Composite Mode or Compositing Mode button and choose a mode from the menu to determine how the transparency in a video track is generated. Since lower tracks show through higher tracks, it is the compositing mode of the higher track that determines how much of the lower track shows though. The compositing mode of the lowest video track adjusts its transparency against the background.

For more information about compositing, click here.

Adjusting the compositing trim level

1. Click the Automation Settings button and verify Show Automation Controls is not selected.

2. Drag the Level slider to control the transparency or blending of each track: left is 100% transparent, and right is 100% opaque.

   You can hold Ctrl while dragging the slider to adjust the setting in finer increments, or double-click the slider to return it to 100% opaque.

   If multiple tracks are selected, all selected tracks are adjusted.

Adjusting the composite automation level

You can edit automation settings by adding a composite level envelope to the track or by using the controls in the track header.

1. Click the Automation Settings button and select Show Automation Controls. The slider thumb is displayed as a in automation mode.

2. Drag the Level slider.

   The slider behaves differently if the track has a composite level envelope and when you change the track automation recording mode:

3. When the track automation mode is set to Off, the slider adjusts the composite level of the entire track.

4. When the track has a composite level envelope and the track automation mode is set to Read, the slider will follow the envelope during playback but cannot be adjusted.

5. When the track automation mode is set to Touch or Latch, the slider edits the envelope setting at the cursor position. If the track does not have a composite level envelope, an envelope will be added when you adjust the slider.

If multiple tracks are selected, all selected tracks are adjusted.  

You can edit automation settings by adding a fade-to-color envelope to the track or by using the controls in the track header. The Fade slider is displayed only when Show Automation Controls is selected.

You can set the track fade colors for each video track independently by right-clicking the track header, choosing Fade Colors, and then choosing Top or Bottom from the submenu. If you want to change the default fade colors, use the Track fade top and Track fade bottom controls on the Video tab of the Preferences dialog.

1. Click the Automation Settings button and select Show Automation Controls. The slider thumb is displayed as a in automation mode.

2. Drag the Fade slider.

   The slider behaves differently when you change the track automation recording mode:

3. When the track automation mode is set to Off, the slider adjusts the fade level of the entire track.

4. When the track automation mode is set to Read, the slider will follow the envelope during playback but cannot be adjusted.

5. When the track automation mode is set to Touch or Latch, the slider edits the envelope setting at the cursor position.

If multiple tracks are selected, all selected tracks are adjusted.