OK, dealing with cineform created files (HDlink specifically) for the first time. When I brought them into Vegas the widescreen video appeared to be squished, then a friend told me to click on the project media tab and to change the properties of each clip manually to 1.1212. Is there a way to change multiple clips at once? I tried selecting multiple clips and applying the properties changes, but the changes only applied to the first clip in the series that I had selected.

I also tried right clicking on a clip on the timeline, changing the properties, then right click again and select copy, then pasting attributes to the rest of the timeline; the changes would not take way either.

Any thoughts?

Ed, what do you think? Can this be done without having to change properties on each clip individually?

Jeff, I have always done them individually and have gotten pretty quick at it. It would be nice to not have to do that. I asked a question about it on the Cineform forum but so far no answers.

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/cineform-software-showcase/492126-aspect-ratio-problem-cineform-sd-files.html

Jim, during getting ready shoots, park shoots, etc, I can accumulate tons of clips. "Hundreds" might be a slight exaggeration, but only slightly. In fact I'm sure that on occasion I have shot several hundred clips in 10 hours of shooting. With up to three weddings a week, and corporate shoots thrown in, time can become precious. Throw in this "busywork" and it's a real show stopper.

Thanks for your post in the Cineform area, I'll wait with bated breath for some responses!

The "Properties" tab in Excalibur can do them all at once.

I have ultimate s...maybe it is do-able there...

So far, Ultimate s does not seem to have the ability to do it. So, I spend $400 on Cineform, then another $129 to make those file work efficiently. Excalibur is a fine product, no doubt. On the other hand these hoops to jump through and the money needed to create an efficient workflow with my footage is sickening.

This is exactly why I shot with HD cameras for two years and didn't shoot in HD mode for more than one event.

I'm trapped at this point with these cameras as they don't shoot SD. I don't say this lightly, I am truly disgusted. Jim you're a gentleman and scholar for your assistance.

As a professional editng application, Vegas should be able to handle this. The upcoming wedding season looks like nothing short of a nightmare of endless days of converting footage before I can edit. It would seem a second computer will be necessary just for this task. Goody.

I should add that I have not exhaustively looked at Ultimate S's capabilities, it might be able to do this task, and I just haven't learned how yet.

I thought it did. You can always just install Excalibur, use it in trial mode to do what you need to get done. Then you can just uninstall it if you wish.

As a professional editing application, Vegas should be able to handle this.

You correctly identified the core problem here. You're right, Vegas should be able to handle this, but it doesn't. I don't know why Sony is so tone deaf on things like this.

Edward, thanks. Sorry about the rant. I'm months behind on my editing stressed out anyway, and these complications just kind of were a tipping point.

Ultimate S crops the footage, it doesn't actually change the properties of the clips, at least not that I've found so far.

Thanks for the suggestion re: Excalibur, I'll try it.

Jim, I think I've seen you mention this shortcoming in Vegas before, and it is a silly and what would seem to be a needless shortcoming.

For bulk changing of properties, Excalibur can't be beat, IMO. Really Jeff, take the plunge - you'll use it every day either to complement, replace or augment Ultimate S. For me there are about eight functions that I use very frequently - they have saved me hours and hours of client paid time. The batch render of regions is my current favourite.

whole heartedly agree with ian - best plug in i've ever invested in.

and edward's always there at the end of an email.....

Excalibur is a fine program, guys, that is widely known, and I appreciate the recommendations.

Cineform alone is a stretch for my budget, but to buy and install another program for the purpose of merely changing clip properties just chaps my butt, even if it is an excellent program like Edward's. As it is I'm buying Cineform for only one of it's features, HDLink, still not thrilled with that.

Thanks for the feedback, gentlemen, I really do appreciate it, even if I'm not happy with what appears to be a limited set of options.

since i don't use cineform i might well be talking from my rear end -

can't you simply point to clips in project media and add whatever to the clips there, that way whatever is added in the media bin (project media) should be reflected on the tl?

Leslie, first of all, Excalibur worked. Second, I know what you mean, and I didn't understand it myself; and when it was explained to me I didn't want to believe it.

What happens with these Cineform files, as Jim S. attempted to explain to me, is they are missing a piece of information, a tag of some sort that the original clips already have embedded.

For example, when I try to play a Cineform clip in WMP, it appears squished, it seems they show up as .9091 by default. In vegas, no matter how your project properties are set, Cineform files will not display correctly in the preview window. At least not if they are 16:9.

So you have to tell vegas what the correct aspect ratio is, for each clip. to do this you click on project media, right click on each clip, and change the properties one at a time. If you have a hundred clips, you have to do this a hundred times. And no, you cannot do one, then copy and paste attributes onto the others, that doesn't work either.

There is probably a logical explanation for it all, but the whole affair seems really stupid and needless to me. Hi-Def conversion is so common, every camera made today is high definition, that for this to be such an expense and chore is dumb. Actually, a good question might be why doesn't Cineform media have the required information, but again, I don't know, there might be a good reason for it, but I still don't like it.

Edward, it was easier to find in Excalibur, but Ultimate S does do it. Thank the Lord. I already own it. Don't have to buy it. Praise be to glory. I'm as happy as a pole cat on a gut truck.

Glad you got it to work the way you wanted. Here's another possible alternative:

Right-click the event and choose properties. Now change it to 1.2121, then to the right of the "stream" line there's a little "save" icon. Click on that icon.

Now add some more clips to the timeline. They should hopefully now automatically be set to that new value preventing you from needing to use a script in the future. Naturally it won't work for clips already on the timeline so the script was necessary this time anyway.

Edward, worked perfectly. Did you see this Jim S.? I knew if anyone in the universe would know or could figure it out, it would be Edward T.

Thanks Edward!

Yes, I saw it. It never ceases to amaze me how helpful Edward is. Sony should hire him as a consultant. It wouldn't take him long to brighten up the place. ;-)