Copyright: Copyright (c) Ulead Systems, Inc. October 1998


Welcome to Ulead VideoStudio™ 3.0

READ ME FIRST

January, 1999

This Read Me document provides basic information about Ulead VideoStudio 3.0. Please click below to read more about each topic before you start using Ulead VideoStudio 3.0.

You can use the Browse buttons on the menu bar to go through the topics and the Contents button to go back to this main page again.

Table of Contents

1.	An overview of Ulead VideoStudio

2.	Registering your copy of Ulead VideoStudio

3.	System Requirements

4.	Installing Ulead VideoStudio and drivers

5.	Working with Templates

6.	Using 3D transitions

7.	Troubleshooting

8.	Copyrights

9.	Contacting Ulead Systems, Inc.


1. An overview of Ulead VideoStudio

Ulead® VideoStudio™ 3.0 is a consumer video editing software that lets users quickly and easily produce their own home videos complete with attractive titles, transitions, and sound. Unlike other software, Ulead VideoStudio features an intuitive step-based interface that helps users get started right away. By following the steps, from Start to Finish, you will be creating video masterpieces before you know it. Once done with that, you can then choose to watch the playback from videotape, desktop, or stream it over the Internet.


2. Registering your copy of Ulead VideoStudio

Don’t forget to register your copy of Ulead VideoStudio. You can do this during the installation of the program or by simply filling out the registration card and mailing it in. It is important to register you copy as it allows you to receive technical support and important product update information. You will also be getting the opportunity to win prizes as well as taking advantage of special promotions and discounts on other Ulead Systems’ software.


3. System Requirements

Intel® Pentium® or above (MMX™ Recommended)

Microsoft Windows® 95, Windows® 98 or Windows NT® 4.0

32 MB RAM (64 MB Recommended)

100 MB of available hard disk space

CD-ROM drive

True Color or HiColor display (800 x 600 pixels)

Windows pointing device

Video for Windows compatible video capture board (Recommended)

Windows-compatible sound card (Recommended)


4. Installing Ulead VideoStudio and drivers

To install Ulead VideoStudio, click the Install button on the initial screen that comes up after you insert your Ulead VideoStudio CD in the CD-ROM. This automatically installs the program as well as the necessary drivers. It is recommended that you install the selected drivers as they will optimize the way Ulead VideoStudio works with your system’s hardware. The unselected drivers are optional. You can choose to install them at the same time or at a later date by using the Install Drivers option.

What are these drivers?

DirectX Media 5.2 - Driver from Microsoft that playback performance of video files. You should install this driver unless you have a later version. The system requirement is

Windows® 95 or higher & Windows NT® 4.0 Service Pack 3 or higher.

DirectX 6.0 - Driver from Microsoft that improves the format support of Ulead VideoStudio and overall performance. DirectX also provides support for special 3D effects. (See “Using 3D transitions” section). You should install this driver unless you have a later version. The DirectX 6.0 does not work on Windows NT. You can download Service Pack 3 from Microsoft, which includes DirectX 3 for Windows NT 4.0.

QuickTime 3.02 - The latest video format from Apple for creating and playing back movie files such as MOV and QT file formats. You should install this driver unless you have a later version.

NetShow Tools 3.0 - Drivers from Microsoft that allow you to create ASF streaming video files. It is recommended that you install it unless you have a later version.

Media Player 5.2 - This is the latest player from Microsoft for playing a variety of formats, such as AVI, MOV, MPEG, and ASF. It is recommended that you install this driver unless you have a later version.

RealPlayer 5.0 - This is the latest player from RealNetworks for playing Real Video and Real Audio files from the Internet. It is recommended that you install this driver unless you have a later version.

Intel Indeo 5 - This is the latest release of Intel's video compression and decompression software. It features greatly improved visual quality, better compression, and playback performance enhancements for MMX™ technology and the Pentium® II processor.

Acrobat Reader 3.01 - This is the latest version of Adobe’s Acrobat Reader and is used for viewing the Ulead VideoStudio’s electronic manual. It is recommended that you install it unless you have a later version.


5. Working with Templates

To enjoy the capture features of Ulead VideoStudio version 3.0, the program uses templates to preset hardware video-capture settings. These capture settings are different for each specific capture-hardware device. Ulead Systems cannot define templates for every possible capture device on the market. There are simply too many.

If you do not see the templates for your specific device, you must create templates to specify the capabilities of your video capture hardware.

To do so:

1.	Have the documentation for your video capture hardware device on-hand for reference.

2.	Start your Ulead VideoStudio program.

3.	Click on the “G” or Global Commands button below the Options Panel on the left side of the Ulead VideoStudio user interface.

4.	Choose the Templates Manager command.

5.	Click the New button.

6.	Give the template a descriptive name.

7.	Consult your capture device documentation for information about AVI or MPEG1 files. AVI files are the default and unless your documentation describes MPEG1 capture.

8.	Click the OK button.

9.	You will need to consult your capture device documentation for all of the other capture options.

If you are not sure about some of the capture options, try the default options. However, the options under the Compression tab are always specific to the capability of your capture device. There are many possibilities listed for compression that do not necessarily apply to your hardware. Choose this setting carefully for the best results.

If you have questions about the capabilities of your capture device, please contact the manufacturer of the device.

You may create several templates for your device with different video and audio quality settings. Now, every time you start a new project with Ulead VideoStudio, you will have the templates with your desired settings ready for you.


6. Using 3D transitions

If your video display card can support Direct 3D, then you will be able to use some of the special 3D transitions available in Ulead VideoStudio. To use these transitions, copy them from the 3D_Plug folder to the Vfx_plug folder of Ulead VideoStudio. The next time you run Ulead VideoStudio you will see these transitions in the 3D section of the Effects step. If you cannot see the transitions, then your card unfortunately does not support Direct 3D. In such cases, go to the web site of your card manufacturer and see whether or not they have any new drivers.


7. Troubleshooting

If you experience difficulty getting started with Ulead VideoStudio, use the online help or check the manual for information.

When you run the program for the first time, a Ulead VideoStudio Guide Help appears at each step. This will guide you on how to use Ulead VideoStudio. If you do not wish to see the Guide Help, you can disable it by clearing its option in the Preferences dialog box. You can open this dialog box by pressing F6..

This version does not support the IMA ADPCM codec as a template option for audio in Windows NT.

When rendering a title text against a pure background color clip, the text may appear blurry. This is due to certain types of compression. For better results, try using the Video1, RLE, or no compression options.

The Video Greeting Card does not support QuickTime files.

If you want to share and play your video on other machines, make sure you use a common codec, such as Cinepak or Indeo. If you use a hardware codec, such as MJPEG, you may be unable to view the video unless the other machine has the same card on board.

Ulead VideoStudio cannot display ASF or RM files inside the Library. As such, you will be unable to use these files with the Web Page option at the Finish Step.

You may experience some problems when playing QuickTime files. Some examples maybe, the playback may not be smooth or the Stop button in the Navigator bar cannot switch back to the Start button after playing. In such cases, please change to safe mode in the QuickTime Video Settings. (You can do this by clicking the Control Panel: QuickTime icon.)

For ATI display card users, if you cannot run Ulead VideoStudio 3.0 well in 1024*768 mode, please contact your hardware manufacturer or visit its Web site to update the new driver.

Ulead VideoStudio does not support the playback of files over 1 Gb in file size.

For best playback performance with capture cards, play the project from the start as opposed to in the middle.

Ulead VideoStudio does not support recording audio files with sampling rates larger than 44K or smaller than 11 KHz.

Ulead VideoStudio does not support dragging of the scroll bar during playback. You may encounter some problems.

When playing MPEG files, the video data rate must be lower than 200 KB/Sec. If higher, the program cannot play back the video smoothly. It is recommended to use machines with enhancements for MMX™ technology and a Pentium® processor.

When creating an MPEG file for VCD, you must select the "Optimized for CD-ROM" option in the Video Save Options dialog box: Compression tab. Also, you can only create an MPEG file for VCD in the following cases:

Frame size = 352 * 240, Frame rate = 29.97 fps (NTSC)

Frame size = 352 * 240, Frame rate = 23.976 fps (FILM)

Frame size = 352 * 288, Frame rate = 25 fps  (PAL)


8. Copyrights

Copyright 1998, Ulead Systems, Inc.

All rights reserved. Ulead® is a registered trademark and Ulead VideoStudio™ is a trademark of Ulead Systems. Some of the product names used in this document are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and are used for identification purposes only.

Portions included (RealVideo® DLL files) under license from RealNetworks, Inc. Copyright 1995-1998

RealPlayer™ is used under license from RealNetworks, Inc.

QuickTime™ is used under license from Apple Computer, Inc.

NetShow™ tools and MediaPlayer™ are used under license from Microsoft Corporation.

Indeo® is used under license from Intel Corporation.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.


9. Contacting Ulead Systems, Inc.

Your comments and suggestions to improve our software are most welcome. Please send them to support@ulead.com.tw. Thank you very much.