STUMP the VIDEO EDITOR ----- part 2
 

Well Well, a few of you might remember a few months back I had started this thread out of sheer boredom. Well, here I am again. I'm taking a break from work to answer ALL of your video editing questions.


SO

I will answer any and ALL questions you may have about film, video, video for web, special effects, etc.

If you've ever seen anything on the web or in the movies and wondered "How did they do that?", well here is your chance to find out.


The ONLY questions I will not answer are the basic "In Vegas, how do I find this and this option?", because, well:

a) I don't use Vegas and I don't know exactly where the option is
b) RTFM (Read the Fucking Manual)

Same goes for the other vid editing apps. If the answer can be found in the manual, then you don't need to ask me.


Have fun!

Challenge me :)










Disclaimer : I know quite a bit about when it comes to video, but I am not saying I know EVERYTHING, therefore I AM stumpable and can be excused if ever it happens.

Looks like we are gonna have another big thread ;) Keep up the good work budy

thread has been bookmarked

How can I use an audio overlay to count the number of objects.

In other words, I would like a model to say this is item a, this is item b this is itec c ,,,etc without creating a custom video for each one?

Work is a lilttle slow huh? lol

You're going to have to be a bit more specific about that.

Is it the same video but with a different audio track?

What are you trying to create exactly?

Not really, both my work stations are rendering until tomorrow evening. And I don't feel like coding, soooooo... I'm boarding :thumbsup

Exactly,,,,The same video for lets say 1000 products.

and there is an auido database for the 1000 items that need to be overlayed.

Is that possible?

So the model in the video says something like "This is item" ---insert audio overlay---

Hmmm, I think that would be more of a FLASH thing. (If its for the web of course)


What you do is create a template video with your original "This is a" part, and the rest would be silent.

Then I guess in Flash, you could have the specific item numbers WAV file play after a certain time code.


I.E, if your template sound finished at 1.5 seconds, and you want your specific WAV to start up right after, well, you tell Flash to play it at that time while the video keeps playing as well.




I'm by no means a Flash designer or an action script coder. So I wouln't be able to instruct you on how to do it.


I'm also not quite sure if that was your goal. Give me more info if that didn't answer your question

Bump right back to the top

I'm sure some of you have some questions, bump for the day crowd

Any suggestions on inexpensive decks?

Sinclair

What format?

FYI, if you're using Sony tapes, I suggest a Sony deck... some people don't know that when it comes to video, Sony broke off from the fold and developped their own formats called Beta Video (yup... Beta... remember those), anyhow, they're still practicing this devious type of coding.

So if you buy a Sony deck, or sony tapes, or a sony cam, buy everything else Sony, otherwise you will sometimes end up with comptability issues (I know by experience).




Other than that, I need more info to answer your question

Where you located ?

Gatineau, Quebec.

10 minutes from Ottawa

What's the best fx program to accompany Adobe Premier 1.5 Pro ?

Does boris effects work with 1.5 ?

I liked effects back when I sold Matrox products ... Matrox LE system for 40 000 $ .. Those were the days

I could of used you when I was at Hustler TV Canada

The Best effects program for Adobe Pro is without a doubt Adobe After Effects 7.0

Its a very powerful compositing system AND its made by Adobe, so Premiere, Photoshop, After Effects, Illusatror, etc are all inter-compatible.

If you have the full suite and know your way around each program, you can basically do anything!


The best part of it is that its mostly prosumer stuff, so the kiddies stay away from it, but it won't cost you 40 000$ to setup!

Lol, I hear alot of that.

Apparently I'm always 5 minutes too late in this biz :P

Yah didn't miss anything .. LOL.. Hense why it's in the past :)

However I do features and web porn ... I only edit fo rmyself and my own features ... There are some projects coming in the near future .. I'd like to see a demo reel ... Got one ?

more along the mainstream lines .. I know you can cut porn ... but to me a good editor can cut anything

Oh I've got plenty of mainstream material, talking to you on ICQ right now, I'll show ya

Avid or Discreet? Who's editing solution would you rather have?

More of just an opinion. Can't really think of any questions that wouldn't result in "RTFM" or "it can be done many ways"

Thats a good question... Avid is an industry standard, even though its a bitch to use! Last time I used it I was swearing cause I had to go through 5 menus just to had a bloody fade!

Discreet is very powerful though, yet underrated. Personnally I would rather use discreet over Avid.



BUT, in most mainstream big companies, the older guys swear by Avid, so you don`t have much of a choice but to learn how to use it.

Heya NoWhErE

What's your opinion on Vegas 6 and does anyone know of any good online tutorials?

Also I am looking for a program that marks the video with crisp, clean text?

Thanks

I am shooting mini-dv (mostly panasonic pro tapes) with a Canon XL1s. Been using a cheap DV cam as a deck and looking to upgrade.

Thanks for the tip with Sony, I was considering going to a Sony HD in the near future.

Sinclair

How do I get Windows Media Files into After Effect without having to manually convert them first? :helpme

No problem, rule of thumb when it comes to electronics : stick with the same brand name. If you're shooting Canon, then try getting a Canon deck.

I shoot with a Canon XL-1 (and use the cam to capture, I know I know... it wears the heads... but... meh... whatever), but if I were to go and get a deck, it would definately be a Canon.

Good luck mate!

I use a Sony VX-2000. So, you're suggesting that I use only Sony DV tapes to record on? I have been using JVC tapes up to now... would switching tapes hurt anything? I've heard that Sony uses a wet lubricant for their tapes (vs. dry for JVC) and that heads can get messed up if you switch. Any truth to that?

your After Effects isn`t accepting WMVs? odd...

Anyhow, when it comes to editing, its always best to work with an uncompressed format. When editing with WMVs or MPEGs, After Effects has to alot more work behind the scenes (thus slowing down your computer).

Example, MPEGs don't ahve the same frame encoding as raw AVi, the encoding algorythm bunches up the frames and correlates them, so everytime your scrubbing an MPEG on a timeline, your NLE (Non Linear Editing System) has to unscramble everything to get an exact read.



So to answer your question,

1 - If After Effects isn't accepting your WMVs... what did you encode it with? Is it a WMV 8? WMV 9? or WMV HD?

If its WMV HD, the problem could be that you don't have the right codecs.


2 - Its better to uncompress your stuff to a raw AVI (preferably Microsoft DV codec) so as to be able to work with your stuff much better, plus when you re-encode it, you won't lose too much data ;)



If there is anything else, feel free to contact me

Thats a good question.


I'm no expert when it comes to technical data about cameras (I'm a video editor, not a DOP :winkwink: remember? hehe), BUT, in my experience, it has always been better to stink with the same brand.

and I think that what people were telling you was purely an Urban Legend.

BUT, to your question I have 2 things to say :

1 - Why would Sony make tapes that would screw up their own cameras?

2 - If you've been using JVC tapes, and everything is fine... well... If it ain't broken, don't fix it!

If you're not sure about the matter, call up SOny and ask them directly. It'll take 5 minutes of your time, but might save you a few thousand dollars in repairs!

Here's one for yah! :)

With ntsc mpeg1's, you can encode at 320x240, 640x480 etc.

We have been experimenting with resolution, and have been encoding at 416x304

Does this present a problem at all? Reason we picked that size is because we wanted them big as possible, and any bigger they were getting grainy.

I could never figure out if that was standard for mpeg's to be able to render them in wacky sizes.

And...do you have any standard resolutions that are safe for mpeg's that will show the same size on all platforms, software etc?

Thanks!

Hey there,

so does 416x304 cause any problems? No... you're just creating a distorted image with an aspect ratio of 26:19.

If it looks good to you, all the better. Just keep in mind that most players have standard sizes, either they are calibrated for 4:3 or 16:9 (or both). So if they play the clip in full screen in some apps, part of the video will be cut off.


And as for standards, well, the resolution game is a science my friend. My advice is to just stick with this industry's standards : 720x480 (for DV content), 640x480 for anything else.

Lower resolutions, well you have 480x360, then 320x240. Anything else underneath that is pretty low-res.


With Mpegs you can step outside the bounderies of ratios... but, for what? You're simply creating distorted images.

Thanks for the answer! The reason we are trying odd ratios is because it seems there is nothing between 320x240 which is too small, and 640x480 which was too grainy. But I am understading the 4:3 aspect ratio, your explanation makes sense.

try 480x360, its in between and should suit your needs without distorting your image

Bump for Sunday!

Keep 'em coming boys/gals

Wow, excellent thread idea!

http://www.vasst.com/sony/default.aspx more vegas info then you can ask for and Spot hangs on alot of those boards he is real cool and he is the high guru of vegas.

Thanks Tony, I appreciate it!

I have been experimenting with compression software and settings. cleaner, sorenson, final cut compressor. Looking for the highest image quality possible with the smallest file size (aren't we all?)

Have you found any optimal settings for bit rates, key frames, and audio sampling rates for large (640X480) and small (320X240) clips? any opinions on the compression software listed above?

Thanks for your knowledge.

Thanx bro, I hadn't noticed he had posted! lol

poor guy must have felt overlooked :(

Lol now you're asking for some trade secrets there my friend :P

BUT, when it comes to compression, what you're realling looking at is : How many surfers do you think will watch your video and how much Bandwidth do you want to spend on the video?

Cause, quite honestly, if you don't have a BD limit, friggin' pump up the resolution! lol

Your very welcome :)

Lol now you're asking for some trade secrets there my friend :P

BUT, when it comes to compression, what you're realling looking at is : How many surfers do you think will watch your video and how much Bandwidth do you want to spend on the video?

Cause, quite honestly, if you don't have a BD limit, friggin' pump up the resolution! lol




But in my experience, when working with say, a 640x480 trailer that lasts about a minute, you want the trailer to be about 6-7 megs tops.... (thats what most of my customers prefer).

Depending on your content (if its mostly black video, when you compress it, your file will be ultra small for example), you can compress it at a bitrate of 650 to 800 to get a good file size without too much of a sacrifice in quality.

Anything over a 1000 kbps is overkill for your bandwidth. The quality will look great, but the improvement in image quality over a 1000 kpbs is barely noticeable.




When it comes to 320x240, well, logically you're exporting for the slow surfers right? so you want a small size file. I usually pump them out at 1.5 to 2mb per 1 minute trailers. I prefer about 300 kpbs for the 320x240 format. It gives you a decent quality image, without sacrificing too much in quality.



and REMEMBER, 80% of a viewing experience is AUDIO. So don't be cheap on your audio quality. Keep the 44khz!! it might increase your file size by 100kb, but goddamn its worth not having to hear distracting audio distortions!



Well, hope that helped out

Much abliged, feel free to chip in anytime or to ask any questions of your own.


Oh, and I hear you're quite good yourself, got a link to your samples?

what's the difference between wm7, wm8 and wm9 codecs?

wm9 is currently the best/standard to use right?

which is more normal:

400x304

or

400x300

?

Here's my question :

How do you add a logo (either simple text or a gif/png file) to a .wmv video ?
I want to watermark some vids at the bottom right...

Thanks for your help !

Well, wmv9 is the LATEST codec to come out, but not the BEST depending on the situation you're up against.

To explain the difference between the 2 is a bit long, BUT, go to http://www.adobe.com/products/dvcoll...ion_Primer.pdf and skip to the WINDOWS ENCODING MODES section to get a detailed explanation and difference between the different formats :)


Plus you get all sorts of usefull information on those options you never knew you could use.

Sorry if I'm not explaining the thing myself, but, like I said, its a freaking long topic :)


enjoy

Logically it would be 400x300 since you have the exact resolutions for your 4:3 ratio, but most of the time your compositing software or NLE (Non Linear Editing) system will prefer to use 400x304 for various reasons.

1 - Sometimes its encoding algorythm doesn't allow for perfectly square pixels
2 - Sometimes the algorythm needs a bit of a buffer zone
3 - Most of the time, 400x304 IS what you're system is running at, but settings will show 400x300 so that the user doesn't get confused.

Yet again, its a long explanation (you're good at asking questions that require alot of background on the science of digital compositing), lol, but if you want to learn more about it, I can recommend you a few good books.