Sony Vegas Movie Studio 9

[Teaboy1]

Has anyone used this software? Has anyone some simple starters to get me going on this software? The general word is that its very good for pro's..........but a lot for a novice like wot-I-is...!!
I was lead to believe that is would be like MS Word with simple cut&paste actions to add / edit, etc. I have great trouble trying to dub sound tracks and audio, etc to remove wind noise with other sounds but I fail. Im OK with the time-line theory but everything else is just so complex!
TB1

 

[asylumxl]

Generally, you have several layers which represent different video clips and the audio for them.

If you wish to remove the original sound, you can either mute (controls on the left of the timeline) the track, or lock the video track and delete the original audio entirely.

 

[Teaboy1]

I have begun to twiddle with Sony Vegas but find it non-intuitive when trying to edit. Biggest negative is the format it uses when you save a project, these are typically .avi - .mp4 - .wmv - etc .....but these codec's are not exactly HiDef. I fail to see the point in editing a HiDef video to then save it in LoDef.....what is the point or am I expecting too much.
For example, I have raw footage as .mts media, provided its less than 100MB I can actually upload it directly to say YouTube, who despite what they say about allowable formats, manage to recompile and display it as HiDef. It can be viewed as HiDef and at max screen OK with very good clarity. If I then send same file as a .avi or .mp4 it uploads OK but is displayed as standard quality; ie very poor with soft edges and weak colours.
Conclusion is that Sony Vegas wont save your original file format and the degrading experienced is high when a file is rendered to another file format. The original .mts format it relatively good and acceptable to YouTube whatever they say !!:cry::cry:

 

[mbonwick]

mp4 is a valid Hi-Def container, ie. it can be hi-def video in that format, although it appears that the software doesn't support hi-def encoding to mp4.

 

[Teaboy1]

That's what I thought but the results were very poor when uploaded to YT...! I have shortened the original *.mts file from 280 MB down to 184 MB which made the up load time under 60 mins and hay-presto...!....YT recompiled as a HD file unlike the *.mp4 file that was non HD, week and soft. I shall experiment again as to what YT will accept but the 1 hour rule looks likely, format not that important I am guessing.

Whatever YT say about acceptable file formats, they obviously accept *.mts now!! Go ahead.... look me up!:roll::roll:

Anyway I have to confess that I have not uploaded directly to YT with the Sony Vegas option to 'Save to YT' dont know what that will do but shall test it soon. I still cannot get my head round the Sony Vegas save bit though, if you save as *.wmv or *.avi, the rendered file is monstrous...a raw *.mts file of 83 MB converts to a *.wmv file of 7.8 GB, yes its HiDef but will a 2 minute video even fit on a DVD?? Somehow I doubt it. The rendered *.avi file is even bigger at some 7.9 GB so something is clearly telling lies.
Anyone proficient out there with Sony Vegas Movie Studio 9 ?

 

[Billr]

I use vegas pro but have just downloaded an evaluation copy of MS.
To be truthful it looks quiet a bit like pro, though obviously some finer things are missing.

First thing, it seems to send you through a wizard, I just clicked my way through all that, any ole answer.

Set up

Go into the "project" menu and select "properties" right down the bottom.

This will open a dialog window which should be open on the "video" tab.
Open the drop down menu called "Template"

I am using 1080i HDV, so I need to scroll down and select "HDV 1080-50i (1440x1080 25.000fps)".
If you are using another format, such as DV or widescreen DV you will need to select that.

Tick the box next to "Start all projects with these settings"
Click "Apply" and "OK"

Drop some captured footage onto the time line.
Does it look right in preview window?
Yes, then you have selected the correct settings above.

To render for Youtube.

When you've done your edits select "Render as" from the "Projects" menu - it's about half way down. This opens another dialog window.

select from the drop down "Save as type", best go for "Mainconcept AVC/AAC(*.mp4)"

select from the drop down "Template" - "Apple ipod 640x480".
If you are filming in 4:3 (not widescreen) then you can name your video and render as those settings will be good enough for youtube HQ (high quality).

If you want widescreen on youtube you need to set a custom template

custom template

Alas, you'll notice that the "custom" button is greyed out, so you can not set a custom template in vegas MS. However MS has imported my custom template from PRO. I'll look into how I can export the custom template and how it can be imported into MS. I'll have to get back to you at a later date, probably after the weekend.

{EDIT}
That was easy enough!

Hopefully I have added a small zip file that contains all the mp4 settings for HQ and HD on youtube. You may need 7-zip an open source (free) extractor as that is what I used to compress with, just google it.

extract the directory and files to...
c:\documents and settings\nnnn\application data\sony\file template\

where nnnn is your account name, so you should end up with this path...

c:\documents and settings\nnnn\application data\sony\file template\ mcmp4plug\{funny numbers}\ and it should contain 4 files.

start vegas, go through the "render as" and these should now appear in the MP4 drop down menu.

Let me know how you get on.

 

[Teaboy1]

Thats the point Im trying to convey, I sent a file as *.mp4 and after upload, it was presented as standard quality, not HD.

 

[Billr]

mp4 is just a container, like avi.
It depends what you put in them.

Have you tried my advice above?

Look at any of my more recent videos on youtube, with those settings I have supplied and the filesize is very low something like 6mb per minute for HQ as opposed to the 1050i stream which is more like 60mb/min.*

I put links in my signature, I trust they are there as I can not see them, but can see everyone else's sig's.

* These are guestimates, my video pc is not net connected or turned on.

 

[TGVDUDE]

how much is Sony Vegas 9?

 

[Teaboy1]

Billr, thanks but not yet, I have been away on holiday and now working. Any spare time I have, I am out shooting while the weather is good (ha...!) so that leaves no time to experiment with Sony Vegas....but I shall when time permits. The weather window as you are doubtless aware is very limited, I need to use early mornings to get the sun in the right place on my patch (SYJR) and its a constant battle with the vegetation that is so prolific on this branch line (pun not intended). Something that NR will doubtless sort out when its too late, I see many locos with leaves and branches plastered over the cabs and trucks, so you can see how overgrown this place is if you venture out to the place. I have my usual places but now its the growing season, most of my open vista's have gone.
Sony Vegas Movie Studio 9 Platinum cost me about £60 from Amazon, dont get me wrong it has plenty of features but anything that I edit CANNOT be saved in the original *.mts format. Once it is edited by Sony Vegas, the new format can be any of the above but NOT *.mts.

Anyway when the summers gone and the days are shorter, I shall begin to start editing.
Yes I can see the zip file attachment and the youtube links if that is what you are referring to. My youtube handle is '1teaboy' should you care to look, those 2 files were cut using the divide function on my Canon camera to get the files under 200MB.
:roll:

I cannot see any signature links however...!
Splendid video of 70013 Oliver Cromwell, it must have been a team effort though to get all those locations in on that day, I cannot believe that you did all those shots solo. I'm intrigued though with the shot at 8:47 > 9:27, were you /a n other/ in a boat to get that shot?? Or were you sinking in the sand without the afore mentioned fag! Either way matey, well done, certainly nice video and well edited. Good sound track aswell, I use an external RODE mic now especially when its windy, Personally I like a 3-cylinder beat like the Duke but Oliver nearly sounds as good especially at speed. Going to set up for Bittern tomorrow on ECML, hope rain holds off.
Ta!
ps how big was the 70013 file you sent to YT??

 

[Billr]

but anything that I edit CANNOT be saved in the original *.mts format. Once it is edited by Sony Vegas, the new format can be any of the above but NOT *.mts.

Do you really need to?
You could always render them to .m2t, but check if your camera records 720p or 1080i and select the appropriate template. This will give a file of the same quality as you originally recorded in .mts on the camera.

Yes I can see the zip file attachment and the youtube links if that is what you are referring to. My youtube handle is '1teaboy' should you care to look, those 2 files were cut using the divide function on my Canon camera to get the files under 200MB. :roll:
I cannot see any signature links however...!

Those youtube links are my signature.
I had a look at your channel, nice smooth pans. The video quality looks good to me.
Note that (from where I sit anyway) youtube does not always display the highest resolution video as the norm.
If you add &fmt=22 to the end of the URL you will get HD if available.
If you add &fmt=18 to the end of the URL you will get HQ if available.

eg. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik25Uj88gF0&fmt=22

Splendid video of 70013 Oliver Cromwell, it must have been a team effort though to get all those locations in on that day, I cannot believe that you did all those shots solo. I'm intrigued though with the shot at 8:47 > 9:27, were you /a n other/ in a boat to get that shot?? Or were you sinking in the sand without the afore mentioned fag! Either way matey, well done, certainly nice video and well edited. Good sound track aswell, I use an external RODE mic now especially when its windy, Personally I like a 3-cylinder beat like the Duke but Oliver nearly sounds as good especially at speed. Going to set up for Bittern tomorrow on ECML, hope rain holds off.
Ta!
ps how big was the 70013 file you sent to YT??

It was only myself filming that, two of the shots were from my second camera. They are the static ones, that is the camera doesn't pan or zoom.

The train was timed for about an hour between locations and it took 20 - 30 minutes for me on the M4. The last shot was from the beach at Ferryside, having checked the tide times before I went. Whilst it was low tide the sand was still very soft a couple of hundred feet out, not dangerous but with the train running late I did have to move around a few times as slowly the tripod and I were sinking.

I also have a RODE video mic, though I have now removed it from it's suspension (a. it squeaks in high winds. b. the rubbers are easily lost) chopped the battery box off and fitted the whole thing into a blimp. I hardly get any of that annoying wind rumble now!

Good Luck with Bittern, wouldn't mind seeing her myself but spent all money on diesel last weekend!

The file I uploaded to youtube was for HQ only but nearly 10 minutes came in at 102mb (just re-rendered using my HD settings and the same video is 136mb in HD). Youtube HD video's do not play well for me (not just mine anybody's) online, stuttering mainly.
Yet if I download them then play in SMplayer they are fine. I also have only a 1mb broadband so uploading HD takes an age.

Cheers Bill.

 

[Teaboy1]

I am fortunate with a good broadband connection via Virgin Media so when network is quite (kids at school?)things are pretty rapid. The playback of my videos are pretty clear and almost as good as my originals so the codec must be doing its stuff back at YT. I record in 1920 x 1080, but interesting about the add ...&fmt=22... to the end for HD. Going to try the *.m2t format see if its any better!!
Bittern shots were OK but NR helicopter was buzzing over some line trespassers in Bawtry right as Bittern appeared and sure enough picked the sound up perfectly up on my video. Second time I've seen this chopper, it looks like the West Yorkshire chopper, the South Yorkshire chopper has no tail rotor (it uses ducted air for directional steering) so I know it by sight now. It flew along SYJR last week and has a look at me once but I was sat on the fence so no grounds for harassment.
My RODE is a stereo video mic slung on little rubber O rings with a dead kitty fitted, there's no wind rumble except in extreme cases but it does not yet squeek, so what causes the squeek?

YT quality is quite hit&miss at the moment, my latest upload suffers from slow running believe it or not, not sure whats happening but the sound looses synchro with the picture and it then begins to stutter and all the quality goes to pot!:-x The other stuff is fine just afflicts new uploads...????

I occasionally have a visit from some horses while SYJR videoing and they are quite noisy at times. Mares one side and stallions the other side of the tracks so the boys are quite frisky when a mare comes into view.....and start calling!! and making a right old din. An apple usually does the trick to shoo em away!!

I find it hard to believe that you did all those shots solo, I would have to assume your mode of transport is an R1 or Fireblade to be able to get about so quickly.

 

[Billr]

My RODE is a stereo video mic slung on little rubber O rings with a dead kitty fitted, there's no wind rumble except in extreme cases but it does not yet squeek, so what causes the squeek?

Mine is the mono variant, it's suspension design is totally different to the one you have and effectively lets it 'hinge' from side to side in strong winds.

I find it hard to believe that you did all those shots solo, I would have to assume your mode of transport is an R1 or Fireblade to be able to get about so quickly.

I should be so lucky!
White van man is more like it and the old thing runs out of puff at about 80 but is very useful as a platform to film from, up on the roof I can get views over the fauna that would otherwise be unavailable. If you look at my old Welshpool video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzbRXOw3nuM&fmt=18 it can clearly be seen at 0.55 seconds.

 

[Teaboy1]

How very very odd, I have a Merc Vito van with the roof rails and I find 3 short scaffold boards make a perfect videoing platform, gets me well above my local vegetation / jungle.

Went to video Bittern heading south but disaster.....a blasted freight train heading north....just what I wanted...not...!!!

Will put it on YT later....please ...tell me what one should do when this happens, I was well stumped! Do you carry one regardless, zoom out, pan well forwards, switch off, shoot.......please any one any idea's ??? See YT, search < 1Teaboy>

 

[Billr]

The only way (to state the bleedin obvious) is to be the right side of the tracks!
I know it's not always possible, but if there is another track between you and the subject, then you will occasionally get bowled out. If it does happen, just carry on regardless.

Depends on the circumstances, but sometimes I will pan back and film the offending train as they both cross over.

 

[Teaboy1]

At that particular location its not really possible to get the other side because theres a river and loads of cows plus its private. I checked out a place 1 mile along at Scrooby but there's a horrible new palisade NR fence thats an eyesore. Scrooby Top was not much better but you have less time with the object in the frame which is what really matters. < Laughable how the locals call a piece of earth 2 foot higher than the rest of the land Scrooby Top when the whole terrain from Bawtry To Newark is dead flat>
Anyway not to worry just right it off as a bad day and hope it will not happen again.
Tried to edit with Vegas and render to a mp4 file but the quality is pants. Need to get away from YT i believe.
TB1

 

[Billr]

Tried to edit with Vegas and render to a mp4 file but the quality is pants. Need to get away from YT i believe.
TB1

YT is pretty good IMO.
Did you do the mp4 render with my setting's as per the above attachment?
It should take next to no time to drop those files into place.

It certainly is best to upload mp4 to YT, it's their preferred format.
Upload anything else and they'll convert it to mp4, then use that mp4 to convert to flash. So by uploading mp4 you are cutting out one process of decoding re-encoding and therefore losing some resolution in the process.

PS. I have been thinking about a Vito but what sort of mpg do get around town and on a run?

 

[Teaboy1]

Like the VW T5, the Vito (639) is a heavy beast, (it weighs in at 1.95 tonne) so I tend to use it only when the missus has taken the car!! I estimate about 25-30 mpg around town and about 35-38 mpg on M-way. I cannot recommend the old shape Vito, avoid like the plague cheap white base 109 models! Spend some serious brass or get a bank loan for a good low mileage new shape (639 variant). Avoid also main dealers, MERCADS are donkeys only interested in fleecing you, better to use Autotrader and find a private sale near to where you live. If that's too much money then I can seriously recommend the Vauxhall Vivaro / Traffic / Primastar vans, get the 110 ps 6-speed diesel with low mileage. Dont buy an ex-builders van, they will be lemons!

I have selected the last option;
HD 1080-50i (1920 x 1080m25 fps) that's what my Canon is!! However not all is well.... my original *.mts file = 73.1 MB. The rendered file becomes by your settings / method as a *.mp4 file = 49 KB, that's roughly over 1000 : 1 reduction, so it cannot be right...can it??

When I send a HD *.mts file to YT, its coded but the playback speed is about 65-75% of the original and the audio is 100% so that after some 10 seconds, everything goes to pot, the audio looses sychro and its 'orrible!!:-x:-x

 

[Teaboy1]

Billr....did you get the *.mts file??

 

[Billr]

Yes, sorry I returned an email to you with mp4 attachments and thought all was well, obviously not.

 

[Teaboy1]

Billr, thanks very much..I see them now I looked for them...!!
The HQ is still a soft image compared to the HD image, now weather that's because its a smaller file, I cannot say but when viewed with Quicktime the HD ''looked'' better.
Its been a waste of time waiting for YT to improve the files I uploaded, they are just as bad! One assumes that YT will have to make do with lower quality video. What I find odd though is that some video I uplaoded a few months ago is in super super quality and plays at 100% speed. The recently uploaded stuff will only playback at some 70% speed while the audio is correct at 100%.
Thanks for your input, at least its answered the question about YT quality.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I was playing my YT video back to see if any mods have been done by YT.....and I got this message up on screen that my be my problem....

Adobe Flash Player 10 may be causing your video to run slow...etc ...do you want to cancel this coder??

Anyone any ideas? This problem is now affecting my video playback only with YT

Post Script;
I have tried AVS converter to modify my *.mts original into *.avi (it is conveniently available from YT by some strange reason...........????) and this appears to work when uploaded to YT. The aspect ratio is wrong but at least it plays back at 100% with no audio problems. Plus (big plus ...!) is that it's still in HiDef and when enlarged to full screen, all the quality is still in there. However its a trial version that needs to be paid for and registered. So YT are clawing back some money from those who post monster video files in excess of 70MB.

 

[picnroll]

However MS has imported my custom template from PRO. I'll look into how I can export the custom template and how it can be imported into MS. I'll have to get back to you at a later date, probably after the weekend.

{EDIT}
That was easy enough!

Billr - can you tell me how you ended up exporting/saving your Pro custom templates for use with MS? When I create a custom template in Pro, it saves them with a .sft2 extension (and a little different folder path) that doesn't appear to be compatible with MS. I downloaded the Pro Trial to see if it would be possible to create my own custom template there, then export it to be used with MS. From your post, it sounds like this should be possible. Thanks for any help you can provide!

- Andrew

 

[Billr]

Billr - can you tell me how you ended up exporting/saving your Pro custom templates for use with MS? When I create a custom template in Pro, it saves them with a .sft2 extension (and a little different folder path) that doesn't appear to be compatible with MS. I downloaded the Pro Trial to see if it would be possible to create my own custom template there, then export it to be used with MS. From your post, it sounds like this should be possible. Thanks for any help you can provide!

- Andrew

Hi Andrew,

I didn't export them as such, more like find their location and copy.
My Vegas Pro saves them, as you say as *.sft + another file .vpti
I assume that if you downloaded a trial of Pro it will be version 9 which has just been released, mine are from Pro 8. If so, it looks like Pro9 is incompatible with MS in this respect.

Unfortunately my trial version of MS has now expired so I can not 'experiment' any further.

I am using win XP, if you are using another OS perhaps the paths to the files will be different or perhaps that is how Pro9 saves things.

Have you tried unzipping my setting's that I uploaded not so long ago and putting them in the path I said and trying them in MS?