how to edit in Vegas (PAL footage)
 

I am shooting my first feature on DVX AE (PAL) with anamorphic lens adapter.

What settings should I use in "NEW PROJECT"?

I mean: Template, Field Order, Pixel aspect ratio, Full resolution rendering quality, Motion blur type, Deinterlace method.

I would appreciate your help guys.

Voytek Stitko
Joyvoitech@yahoo.com

Hey Edward:

Is this film look plugin you mention the same as the download from the Sony website called "Magic Bullet" film look and the "five free film looks" they offer?

No. Magic Bullet is something totally different.

So should I download this plugin and use it instead of the one on the Vegas 5 disk? Is it better? Worse? Different stuff to do?

Different. It renders the file to 24p. Basically it follows Spots tutorial.

Regarding DVDA 2a. Two issues of concern: 1) Audio & 2) External Monitor
 

These appear to be seperate issues with DVDA 2.0a.

First the audio. I render my avi file to be used for the DVD buring process with the audio format: 48,000 hz and 16 bit (using Vegas 5, of course). However, when I go to play back this very file within the DVDA 2.0a program, I need to configure my audio hardware to 44,100 hz. Is this normal??? I thought audio files to be used for DVD needed to be rendered to 48,000 hz/16 bit?!?!?!? I tried searching DVDA's help files and could not find anything regarding this issue. (Below, you'll find my computer configuration and hardware used during audio/video editing).

Second, the External Monitor option. Simply put, I can't get it to work consistantly like I can with the Vegas 5b program and even the Sound Forge 7a program! When I plug in my Panasonic AG-DV2000 MiniDV device, the DVDA 2a program SAYS that it recognizes it when I click on "Options/Preferences/Video Device". It recognizes the OHCI Compliant IEEE 1394/DV device and further states in Details: "Hot pluggable device" & "Device connected". Also, under options, I click on "Preview External Monitor", but it doe not always show up on the external monitor screen. It's not reliable like the Vegas and even the Soundforge 7 program. Is this a known issue??? Is there a better way to configure my computer so that the DV2000 is better recognizable by DVDA2a???

Otherwise I have no other complaints/concerns. . . so far. The bottom line, I'm able to burn DVD's (-R & +R) without any major issues except the ones noted above.

Here's my computer set up with external devices included:

*** Dell Workstation 650
*** Intel Xeon 2.8 Processor
*** 1 GB RAM
*** Two internal SATA hard drives that came with the computer: Drive C = for programs; Drive D = for temp files for various programs and wav files for softsynths, etc.
*** A 3rd internal Ultra ATA hard drive (with its own controller) used for audio/video editing.
*** One external 1394-based hard drive using a Granit Digital FireVue casing used for audio/video editing.
*** NVIDIA Quadro FX 500
*** XP Pro SP1
*** Motu's 828 MK2
*** Motu's MTPAV (USB)
*** Panasonic's AG DV2000
*** JVC TM-H1375SU external monitor
*** Note: I network this computer to my aging Dell Workstation 420 which is used primarily for archiving and internet access.
*** Note: My Dell Workstaion 420 has Windows XP Pro SP2, which has caused problems with my two computers networking together. I disabled the Windows Firewall associated with the SP2 and all seems to be fine.
*** Note: Because I do primarily audio sequencing & recording, I have the MOTU 828 MK2 set to word clock, synced to the MTPAV. Could THIS be an issue for the my audio concern? (But I STILL need to set the 828 & the MTPAV to 41,000 hz in order to correctly hear the avi file which is rendered as mentioned above.)

THANK YOU in advance for any feedback or suggestions that you my share to me.

Regards,

Ted Fiebke

Template: PAL DV Widescreen (720x576; 25,000 fps)
Field Order: None (progressive scan) [if you didn't shoot in interlaced]
Pixel aspect ratio: is set by the template (1.4568)
Full-resolution rendering quality: at least good (I choose best, can do this when rendering as well)

Motion blur type: don't think it is used unless you add this?
Deinlterlace method: not needed if you shoot interlaced (so doesn't matter what you set it to)

Capturing Stills better
 

Hi all, I was wondering about capturing stills off of Vegas. When my camera is still, it's pretty easy, but I have this shot of teh groom and bride walkign towards me that everytime I use vegas to capture that still, the product is pretty blurry.

I'll post an example: http://droptodesign.com/test/Image0.jpg

just isn't good enough and I've tried several different parts of them walking, but:

http://droptodesign.com/test/cake.jpg

doesn't look too bad. I was just wondering if there are other ways to capture stills off of clips that would look better.

Thanks a mil!

Other than setting the Preview window to Best/Full, deinterlacing the still in Prefs, and saving as a PNG....that's the best you're gonna get.
It's only 720 x 480...
you can always do some nice upsampling in small chunks in Photoshop, getting the weaker image to look better.

REgarding the external monitor problem, this is a problem with how the resource switches, and it definitely is a problem.
Here's a silly, but simple workaround for the time being;
Click external monitor in DVDA.
Then go to prefs in DVDA and set the External format to widescreen
It will come up on your external as a squished image
Now reset it to normal NTSC, and it will keep the preview on the external monitor.

You shouldn't have to reconfigure audio. Seems like something is weird with the MOTU, maybe it's internal mixer is set to 44.1? Dunno. I used to endorse their gear, but they really don't support PC stuff very well.
I'd shut down word clock, let the clock come from the internal clock. See if it sniffs the 48K properly.
Is it resampling, or is Vegas/DVDA resampling for you?

Have you expanded the track as far as it can go? This allows you to view 'frame by frame' and perhaps find a better grab.

Well, I tried that and it's teh same blurryness, almost as if my video card wasn't clear enough. I have 128 megs of ram on it, not sure. Still beating my computer for an answer.

Vegas Movie Studio is a TERRIFIC app. And DVD Architect Studio is a great app too. For an upgrade of 30.00 US, people that have Screenblast can be rockin', and for 99.00 US, people can get into a great NLE package with DVD authoring.

We've just competed a book on Vegas Movie Studio, co-written by Jeffrey Fisher and myself. Both of us were blown away at the power found in Vegas Movie Studio. Pan/Crop, Chromakey, great audio tools, some compositing tools...stable and fast.

I know what he meant.. I am trying to do the same thing.

Shot in 4:3 and letterboxed.
Now I want to create a DVD and make the DVD player pretend it is is anamorphic footage so it uses my full 16:9 TV-screen.. sorta pseudo-anamorphic.

My guess is resizing the material until it "fits" the 16:9 TV and then squeeze it back to 4:3 horizontally and just render it as widescreen DV.

What ist the resolution of a 16:19 TV?

720x576 is 4:3 PAL
1024x576 is 16:9?

PAL uses rectangulas pixels, right? So.. how should I render the material? I need a 4:3 image that is 1024 pixels wide.. I hate aspect ratio calculations!

Cheers, Peter