Multi-camera editing in Video by Zaweba, step by step
Build a multi-camera source in Video by Zaweba, sync angles by timecode or sound, cut live with keys 1 to 9 while playing, then flatten into normal clips.
When an event is filmed with several cameras at once (a concert, a wedding, an interview with two angles, a podcast with a camera on each guest) editing it is a matter of choosing which camera to show at each moment. Video by Zaweba has a proper multi-camera mode for this, so you can watch every angle at once and cut between them as the event plays.
Building a multi-camera source
Select the camera files in the bin and choose Clip > Multi-camera. The files need lining up so that the same moment plays at the same time on every angle. You choose how: by in point, by out point, by timecode or by sound.
Sound is the most useful for most people. Every camera picks up the same room sound, and the app matches the recordings to line the cameras up. Timecode works when the cameras were set to the same time code. In or out points work when you have marked the same moment, such as a clap, on every file.
The result is a multi-camera source that holds every angle in sync.
Watching every angle
The multi-camera monitor shows every camera at once. Its layout can be automatic, 2x2, 3x3 or 4x4, and if there are more cameras than fit, it uses pages. You see all the angles playing side by side, with the current choice clear, so you can choose the best shot by eye.
Cameras can be renamed, reordered and hidden. Give them clear names such as "Wide", "Close on host" or "Guest", put them in an order that matches how you think about the room, and hide any angle you have decided not to use.
Cutting live
Play the multi-camera source and press 1 to 9 to switch cameras as it plays. Each key press makes a cut to that camera. This is how a live director works, and it is the fastest way to cut multi-camera material: you watch, react and cut in real time.
You do not have to get it right first time. Ctrl plus a number from 1 to 9 changes the camera of a cut afterwards, so you can go back to a section, park on a shot and switch it to another angle. Ctrl+Shift plus a number takes a camera's sound, which matters when one camera has a much better microphone than the others.
The usual workflow is to cut live for a first pass, then go back and refine individual choices with the Ctrl keys and the trim tools.
Flatten and the multi-camera switch
Flatten turns the multi-camera cuts into ordinary clips on the timeline. Once flattened, each cut is a normal clip from the chosen camera, ready for grading, effects and anything else.
There is also a multi-camera on and off switch, which shows the whole nest in place on the timeline rather than as the cut choices. That is useful for checking what the nest contains without leaving the main edit.
Tips for a smooth multi-camera edit
Before you shoot, if you can, clap once in view of every camera. It gives a clear sound and picture mark to sync on.
Set the camera's sound before you cut, so the dialogue stays on the best microphone even as the picture changes.
On the first pass, do not worry about exact frames. Cut on instinct, then trim afterwards.
Leave flattening until the edit is settled. Before flattening, you can switch angles freely; afterwards, each cut is a fixed clip.
After the multi-camera cut
Multi-camera editing in Video by Zaweba works alongside the other tools. Overlays and a second display help when you are cutting a large number of angles, and are covered in their own guide. Once flattened, every grading, effects and sound tool applies to the result in the normal way.
