save project as Vegas File or render to cineform codec

[Larry Secrest]

Hello,

I'm blown away by how easier it is to work with the Cineform codec and how my processor breathe way easier with it. I'm playing with the demo version and will buy Neo HDV.

I'm going to edit my film capturing all the footage through HDLINK into the Cineform Codec. 3.8. This means that all my footage ready to be cut won' t be in M2T files but in the Cineform Codec.

Now, after each session of editing when it's time to close all applications, how do I save my edits? In what?

1-Do I save the clips I'm working on into a Vegas file? If I do that, do I keep the Cineform Codec if each day I save the edits I've made into Vegas files?

2-Instead of saving to Vegas files should I render each time into a Cineform codec file?

I guess since I'm going through the trouble of using an intermediary codec I want to be sure I don't lose it by saving my edits into Vegas files and not rendering each time to that particular codec.

Thanks
Larry

[Bill Ravens]

I archive to CFHD.
Con: It takes up more space than MPEG.
Pro: 1-It gives smooth playback
2-It is a fairly universal format that transfers to any system/NLE, esp. if you save as a .mov
3- It takes any number of renders without appreciable quality loss
4-It is well behaved. It doesn't cause unwanted RGB changes.

[Larry Secrest]

Bill,

I understand what you're saying.
I'm not talking about archiving here, but how I save each edit piece at the end of the day.

You open a clip that you downloaded from your cam.
You edit it
Then when you're done you save it in what?
Vegas file or Cineform codec?
In other words, if I save in Vegas file do I keep the cineform codec or it's lost?
That's what I need to know.

[David Newman]

What is a Vegas file? Why are you exporting to any file each day? Unfinished work would remain in the the current project.

[Roger Akers]

If I understand what your saying; yes you should save it as a .veg file and all the codec information, etc will remain intact.

[David Newman]

Codecs (any) and project files are unrelated. I would regular save projects (multiple times in an editing day), changing the name occasionally for large projects (append the date is a go idea.)

[Larry Secrest]

Ok,
I guess my question is the one of a newbie.

What I meant is the following:

If I save a session as a Vegas file does it keep the Cineform Codec?

When I'm about to close a session I have the option to save as...
one of the option is AAF, the other Avid Legacy but the first one, since I use Vegas, is "Save as Vegas file" I'm just curious to know what happened to the Cineform codec if I save as Vegas file. I guess I'm going to check that right now
L.

[Adam Gold]

All a project or session is, is a list of all the changes you want to make to your source files to make a finished project. Once they're captured, your actual video files remain nice and snug and unmolested on your HDD. Nothing ever happens to them unless you delete them or something.

You save a project file, which is just a list of instructions. Then you use these instructions to render out a new file when you're finished. The codec doesn't even come into play until you render, once you've captured.

[Larry Secrest]

I got it.
I thought that Vegas was saving by default in some kind of proprietary codec, but now I understand what it is I do when I save as a Vegas project or something else.
Thanks