With ZS4 you can loop a section of a video or audio file with crossfade.  In this example we will use a video track with rhythm, but you could also loop a non-musical video file.

You can download the mjpg file used in this example here: for-looping.avi (2.9mb)

Step 1

Import the for-looping.avi file from your hard drive using the file tab or the browse button at the bottom left.  If 2.9mb is too much to download at this time, just take any file with video and audio.
Drag the whole clip onto the MediaMixer using the downpointing green arrow.

Click the wave button on the for-looping.avi track to bring up the wave tab.  This is where the loop segment is set.


 
Step 2

Since this video clip was recorded using a click track with a speed of 198 beats per minute, we can use the musical time bar to help us make an accurate loop.  Turn it on using the toggle at the lower left.  It appears below the wave tab controls and also below the track arrangement area. We'll be using the wave tab musical time bar for this purpose.


 
Step 3

Set the beats per minute to 198 by typing it into the text entry field and pressing the button to the right to confirm (bpm in the screenshot because it has no button yet at the time of writing.). To the right of the button set the beats per bar to 3 using the left arrow button.  Leave the bars per part set to 4 and part as the unit of measurement.


 
Step 4

Choose the position to start loop.  If you start the loop right at the beginning of the clip, it won't properly crossfade so be sure to leave some space (ex. 0.5 seconds for a 1 second crossfade).  Here i've set the time slider at the beginning of the fifth bump. Use the zoom in button to choose the position accurately.


 
Step 5

Now press the mark point button to set the beginning of the loop.


 
Step 6

To set the end of the loop, the best thing is to use the musical time bar controls.  You can use the arrow button (as shown below) to navigate one unit of measurement forward, in this case one part.


 
Step 7

At this position press the end loop button.  Note that the loop toggle presses in automatically as soon as you select the end position.  This means the track will loop.  If you needed to turn looping off you could press the button into the non-looping position.  The end loop time will be remembered.


 
Step 8

To set the crossfade use the text entry field next to the loop toggle and enter a value (try 1 for starters).  Then press the set button.


 
Step 9

The selected section will loop for the entire duration of the track.  To loop the section for 40 seconds instead of only eight, extend the track duration by clicking the track property icon to bring up the track property tab and setting the duration to 40.


 
Step 10

Since there is only the one track in this project, you could test the results by exporting the for-looping.avi track.



musicaltime toggle td_mark button td_loopend button td_loopswitch toggle bpm_box stringbox curchoice_snap_bbp stringbox dig_audio mmtrack_mmtrackedit toggle