Sometimes you need to make video with moving objects: for instance, text, images, shapes or even video. You can easily manage with this task with a help of "Movement" effect.

In order to create a moving object you need to open effects edit mode in this object. For this purpose you may make a double click on the object or to click a tab with object name on timeline:

Then we add "Movement" effect. You can do it using toolbar:

or using menu "Add object->Movement".

In the open window set start time of effect and its duration and click "Ok". Then indicate a new position of the object on the scene with a help of cursor. This effect will be displayed on the scene as a vector which intercrosses centers of the object in its start and final positions:

When you fulfill these actions you will get the effect of moving object on the scene. When the movement is over, the object will be displayed in a new position.

Sometimes you need to increase volume of video or audio file. Our video editor has four methods of changing volume: by applying effect to object, by changing "Audio volume" properties of object, scene or project.

Difference of these methods consists in area of applicability of effects. When you add "Volume" effect, you can change volume only of a part of object. When you change object volume, you change volume of all audio material.  When you change scene or project volume, you change volume of all objects on the scene or of all objects in the project accordingly.

Let’s review the first variant of volume changing. After you added video or audio object to the scene, you need to open effects add mode. For this purpose you may make a double click on the object or open a tab with object name on timeline:

After that we shall add effect using menu "Audio effects->Gain->Volume". You can change volume of the object by changing "Audio volume" parameter of the object:

We shall explain how to fade out one image and fade in another instead. For this purpose you need to add two objects to the scene:

Now we need to set time the way that the first image fades in a bit earlier than the second one fades out. Note that the first object shall be placed under the second one. For this purpose we use timeline and set order of the objects in accordance with the proposed method:

You can set exact difference in time of fading out and fading in by marking both objects on timeline and clicking "Set order with offset". In the open window enter time in milliseconds – this time sets interval of how long the object will intersect one the other (for instance, -1000 milliseconds).

Now let’s open effects add mode of the first object by clicking a tab with its name on timeline:

And we add fade out effect through menu "Video effects->Transparent->Fade out". In the open window we enter effect duration equal to time of object intersection (1000 milliseconds) and click "Ok". Then effect will be added to the image and will smoothly increase its transparence during 1000 milliseconds up to its complete fading out. And the object placed under this object will accordingly fade in.

Note that you can achieve the same target using "Wizard". For more information about this option refer to section "How to create slide-show: make sequential change of videos or images".

A picture-in-picture video effect (or as many people call it, “PiP”) is one of the most popular ones. And you see it on TV all the time! News, TV shows, sports programs – PiP videos are widely used for different purposes. So, if you’re trying to find out how to create one, you in the right place. You’ll be able to do it within 10 minutes or probably even less.

The truth is, this effect is so easy to replicate, you can use practically any non-linear video editor. We’ll show you how to do it in VSDC because it’s completely free and already well-known as an easy-to-use pip video editing software among the beginners. So, let’s get started.

First, if you’re on Windows, download VSDC to your computer. If you’re on Mac, this tutorial isn’t for you, unfortunately, and we recommend you considering iMovie as a picture-in-picture video editor for your OS.

Now, let’s go ahead to the process of actual editing. When you launch the program, start a blank project and import the two objects you want to have in the scene. Use the round green “Add object” button from the top menu. These can be videos, images, or a mix – depending on what you have in mind for your little movie.

Once the objects are added to the scene, you can drag them around, resize them, and place them any way you want. Just keep in mind that by default the object you add first will serve as a background, while the second object will stay in the front. If you’ve mistakenly added them in the wrong order – no worries, you can just click on any object with the right mouse button to change the order.

Click on the Preview button to make sure everything looks the way you wanted. You’ll see that both videos will be played simultaneously. And basically, this is it. Now you know how to apply the famous picture in picture video effect so go ahead and play around to get the hang of it! If you want to learn more, below, we’ll show you a couple of settings you may try along the way.

How to set up object appearance time for a picture in picture video

As you probably have guessed, there is no limit to how many objects you’ll have placed in the scene – it’s all up to you. You may want, however, to fine-tune the way the front pictures appear – especially if they are supposed to stay temporarily in the scene or change one another. Here is how to do it.

Your video objects are placed on the timeline, below the working area. Left-click on the one you want to work with and drag it to the moment it is supposed to appear. For example, in the illustration below, Video #2 will appear exactly 2 seconds after Video #1 starts playing.

Note that you can also set up the exact duration of the front object. Once you click on it, you’ll see the Properties window on the right. “Object drawing duration” is where you decide how long it will stay in the scene.

PiP video editing: how to make the objects in the front appear smoothly

Finally, let’s see how to add a more professional look to the picture in picture video. We suggest checking out the set of video effects and transitions. The most popular and naturally-looking way for the front video/image to appear and disappear is probably fading but feel free to experiment with other effects and transitions as well.

To apply a particular effect to the object – say, you want it to “fade in” – click on the object and go to the Video Effects tab. Proceed to Transparency – Fade In. The effect will be applied automatically.

Now that you’ve got the idea, we hope you’ll create awesome videos using the picture-in-picture effect and VSDC Video Editor. Drop us a message on Facebook if you have any questions!

If you didn’t quite catch it from the text instruction, here is a detailed video how-to for you. Enjoy!