Sticky on editing HVX footage with EDIUS?

[Spartacus]

I checked into the try out today and am confused.
Since A LOT of HVX owners probably try EDIUS, has there any step-by-step tutorial been posted, on the best workflow?
Í´m shooting 1080@25p, so I took the canopus 1080p25 setting, is this correct?
And what is the right setting for the EDIUS internal signal processing/rendering - Canopus HD avi?
Are there any limitations to the try out? Less codecs supported?
Any help appreciated!

[bhiga]

Canopus HD is the DVCPRO HD compliant codec.
Just make sure you use P2 Select to import clips, and not directly navigate to MXF files.

[Spartacus]

Canopus HD is the DVCPRO HD compliant codec.
Just make sure you use P2 Select to import clips, and not directly navigate to MXF files.
What´s "P2 Select", is it part of the P2 Viewer?

[bhiga]

In the toolbox icon in the EDIUS Bin, there should be a P2 SELECT option.

Use that to bring in P2 clips. It'll ensure you get all the associated pieces (audio/video/metadata) together.

[hvx_germanboy]

Its not too hard spartacus, come on you are german...should be smart enough to get that!-enjoy it, i really like edius, also if there are some people mocking on the layout, i like the performance very much!

[jazzx]

Let's see if they'll be the first to deliver on 720p 50,25 native MXF support on version 4...

[hvx_germanboy]

I just had a PM yesterday on the Canopus forum, from a german Canopus guy, who promissed me, that with edius 4 broadcast, there would be all the hvx pal settings!
Great news, i think this got me caught on edius...!
Cant wait to see it!

[Spartacus]

I tried the P2 select tool, navigated to my copied card files, selected the folder - but couldn´t import anything...
Which folder is the right one the top one, called reel_1 in my case, or the "contents" folder inside of it? Or even the "video" folder? and should I check direct import option or the combine and import?
Dang, I´m editing since `98 but edius kills me!
The CC option is ridiculous!!!

[jjb]

You have to select the top folder (in your case reel_1). This folder should include the contents folder as well as the lastclip.txt file. Use the direct import option.

[Spartacus]

tried this...
but then I can´t click on "import into bin" - just on "cancel" (sorry, the edit-box is in another house, this is how I recall the buttons...)
maybe I´m just stupid, but can someone write a step-by-step, please...?

[bhiga]

Add or navigate to the folder containing the CONTENTS folder.
The clips should appear in the list to the side with thumbnails and/or info (depending on view).
Select one or more clips from the list and click Import to Bin.

[hvx_germanboy]

Hey spartacus,

let me know through pm when you cant get it work, maybe we can do it step by step through messenger...but it should work easyly, so it sounds like you got some problem there..mybe bhigas advice can help you..!

[Spartacus]

stupid me...
works fine now, well for straight A-B editing...
but thats all I need so far...
gotta find out how to export tiffs now, for CC in AE...
probably will need a guiding hand for this too hehehe....
thank y'all!

[bhiga]

Export to File, choose Still Image Exporter.

There's a checkbox at the bottom to export a sequence of stills, versus just the current frame.

[Spartacus]

And where do I find "Export to File"?
Am I so Windows damaged that I just don´t get other GUIs...?
BTW is the try out fully functional?
aaaaaaargghhhhhhhhhhhhhh..............

[jjb]

Click the Export button in the Recorder window.
Click Print to File.
Select Still Image Exporter

[Spartacus]

Thank you guys so much!
Final question(well maybe...):
Correct way to export for CC in AE?
I did .tifs but they have the 1440x1080 aspect ratio, how to I get real 1080p...?
And what if I don´t want single frames but an AVI/QT - wich is the right choice for optimum quality? RGB AVI?

[bhiga]

The output frame size is determined by the project settings. For example, if you're in a DVCPRO HD project, the project resolution is 1280x1080, so exports will end up 1280x1080.

Most 1080 HD formats do some kind of sample-reduction to keep the data size down. HDV and HDCAM go down to 1440x1080, DVCPRO HD goes down to 1280x1080.

EDIUS version 4 adds a full HD 1920x1080 project setting, but it's low in realtime performance since it's a significant amount of data.

For uncompressed output, you can use one of the uncompresed AVI options. Ideally, use Canopus Lossless if you can.

Brandon

[jjb]

Let's see if they'll be the first to deliver on 720p 50,25 native MXF support on version 4...
They are the first. I've just installed EDIUS Broadcast V4 (4.01) and my 50Hz (PAL)HVX200E is now fully supported.

[hvx_germanboy]

wow jjb!

congrats!-keep us informed pelase!
Wanna know how it works, realtime flawless?
Id be curious about every detail..i decided to wait till autumn and get a new pc with edius broadc.4 and nx then..but its pain to wait in the meantime..so let us know EVERYTHING!

[Spartacus]

(...) DVCPRO HD goes down to 1280x1080.

For uncompressed output, you can use one of the uncompresed AVI options. Ideally, use Canopus Lossless if you can.

Brandon

Ok, so for postwork in AE, I open up a 1280x1080 project and import my .tifs from Edius - but whem I want to output in 1920x1080 from AE it will simply stretch the pixels, resulting in a lot of quality loss...?

[hvx_germanboy]

Why would you output to 1920x1080?

First i wouldnt set my project in the beginning on my own, but drag the files into the composition icon.
then you just have to adjust the aspect ratio view in the right window.

There shouldnt be any stretching in the export finally...et us know!

(p.s.maybe there was allready some mistake when you exported the tiffs from edius??)

[bhiga]

Ok, so for postwork in AE, I open up a 1280x1080 project and import my .tifs from Edius - but whem I want to output in 1920x1080 from AE it will simply stretch the pixels, resulting in a lot of quality loss...?

1920 = 4/3 * 1440, so there may be some quality loss in the stretching process if the scaling is not high-quality. That's one of the features of the EDIUS hardware - it has a dedicated hardware line-scaler that performs multi-tap computations to do the 1280->1920 and 1440->1920 scaling without getting the "shimmer" effect that lower-quality scalers show.

The shimmering effect, although somewhat different, can be thought of as similar to the moire effect (checkerboard pattern) that occurs when running an LCD as non-native resolution, for example. Details are lost and regained as the object moves across the frame because of rounding loss/regain.

But hvx_germanboy does have a point... Is there a specific reason you want to output full 1920x1080? Are you going to produce output for something that can store full 1920x1080 resolution?

Brandon

[hvx_germanboy]

Hey Brandon,

nice to see you here again and agan..just great!
What would be if id had to converts standart 4:3 Material into "real" 16:9 with the right aspect ration and size?

How do i do this the "right" ea in edius and does it need hardware support as well to do it clean?

thanks..!

[bhiga]

EDIUS by default maintain the correct aspect ratio of the image.
In fact, putting 4:3 material into a 16:9 project, the default behavior is to put black matte (pillarbox) on the left/right.

You can use the Layout function to "zoom in" on the 4:3 clip, filling it to full 16:9 and cutting off part of the top/bottom, or you can reposition and do something in-between.

Going the other way, 16:9 footage in a 4:3 project, the default will be to letterbox the 16:9 frame completely in the 4:3 frame by adding black matte at top/bottom. Again, you can use the Layout function to "zoom in" on the 16:9 clip and fill more of the 4:3 frame.

All of these functions are done purely in software by EDIUS. In EDIUS v4, working in a 1920x1080 project, all the pixel-aspect compensation and such will be done in software and the hardware will receive a full 1920x1080 image, and it will not need to use the hardware line-scaler. Since quality line-scaling is a CPU-intensive process, very little realtime will be achieved working with a full 1920x1080 frame.

In a 1280x1080 or 1440x1080 project, in EDIUS v3 or v4, the project will be processed at 1280x1080 or 1440x1080 resolution, then the hardware will use its line-scaler to produce the full 1920x1080 image for display.

EDIUS won't distort footage unless:
a) You disable "maintain aspect ratio" in Layout or Picture-in-Picture
b) You set (or it detects) the clip's aspect ratio incorrectly
c) You apply some kind of 3D effect that changes the view of the video plane, which by nature will distort it.

Brandon

[Spartacus]

Why would you output to 1920x1080?

d e l a y. . .
well, the client asked for a film out, they asked if we could deliver 1920x1080 Tiffs, I said yes. Why? I believed the HVX`s 1080 was recorded somehow anamorphotic, that I could stretch the distorted picture to "true" 1920x1080 in post...
I never did a filmout or shot in regard of one before, I told the client, he said "just give us HD..."

I still don´t feel very comfortable in HD postpro (well, make that just postpro I´m more on the production side...) and surly have to learn a lot there...
For now, I think about scaling my 1280x1080 tiffs from Edius to 1920x1080, either with Photozoom or InstandHD...(?)
But first I will directly talk to the tech-guy from the film-out company...
Further suggestions welcome...!

PS thank you all so far!!!