Basic AVCHD Workflow and Which Software?

O

offroad

New member
Longtime DSLR stills shooter has converted to m4/3 and the GH1

Will be applying the Reliable In-Camera Playback Patch V2 and shooting informal wildlife, and vacation footage. My wife and I also scuba dive and will be using a Panny ZS7/TZ10 for underwater stills and video.

My only previous experience with Video editing was with 640x480 VGA MJPEG files I shot underwater with a Fuji F31FD. I have used Virtualdub for short clips and performed basic editing within an authoring program (TMPEnc Authoring Works). My editing platform is currently a PC with Win7 32bit, 4gb DDR3, 4 core AMD Phenom processor and a calibrated 24" widescreen monitor. Planning on shooting in AVCHD for reduced file sizes, unless there are reasons I'm not aware of I should be using MJPEG.

I am looking for some software and workflow recommendations for basic editing and authoring. I have no problems paying for software but don't need pro level complexity and price. Free programs would be great if they work well, aren't needlessly complex to set up and are easy to use. Been reading its best to convert AVCHD to another format for editing ease. What program does that easy and quick with no or not noticeable quality loss (Neoscene or other)?

Thanks to all who are willing to help out a Video newbie and get me started. The wife and I will be heading for a scuba vacation soon and should have lots of video and stills to work with!
 
Sony Vegas Pro 10. I think it is the easiest most well designed video editing program and I have used most every one for over 15 years.

Hack your camera with the new Ptool gh17
use the blackout powell native 24p patch settings.
Shoot in and combine 60p and Native 24p footage into a 24p 1920x1080 Vegas project. For 60P just right click and choose 40% to get all 60p clips as slow mo into the 24p speed of the rest of the project.
If you don't ever want slow mo, just shoot most everything in FHD avchd 24p native. Don't ever shoot mjpeg mode unless you want to experiment with fantasy like super slow shutter speed light ray video trails.
There has been a lot of tests comparing mjpeg to avchd and from what I read there is no advantage ever to use the mjpeg unless you are doing timelapse, have anamorphic lenses, or perhaps in the future if card write speeds get a lot
faster and the ptool 4:2:2 settings can work in 1920x1080, but now they can't with today's card speeds.

I advise not to think about or even read about neoscene or other transcoding programs as going that route is an utter torture to the mind and is not needed whatsoever ever if you use a native 24p ptool settings file
and edit in vegas pro 10. Vegas studio is cheaper but I haven't used it for so long I don't know how similar it is to regular vegas pro anymore.

Output to Sony Blueray 1920x1080, or avchd 1280x720 for web or widescreen dv if you want to go to dvd.

I refuse to use interlaced/wrapped footage ever again, so to avoid that torture just use the blackout powell native 24p patch, or shoot everything in 60p on the Reliable In-Camera Playback Patch V2
if you only need 1280x720 anyways. The Reliable In-Camera Playback Patch cannot shoot Native 24p. If you do this, then make your project setting as 1280x720 progressive to match your 60p footage
from the Reliable In-Camera Playback Patch V2

The first advice is the only method I am using since I got my new gh17 hacked. It really is the easiest and most consistent method that I know of for now.
 
Last edited:
Observe:

Thanks very much for the response, I will take a look at Sony Vegas 10.

Sounds like AVCHD is the way to go and is what I wanted to use.
I just wasn't sure my system and any software available would edit native AVCHD smoothly, and I would have to transcode to something else to edit.

Can the Blackout Powell Native 24P patch and the Reliable In-Camera Playback Patch V2 both be installed at the same time? I want to be able to do some extended length video and have recently found out that only the 720P modes of the Reliable In-Camera Patch can run until the card is full. I assume its that way for the Blackout-Powell Patch as well? If so, that's unfortunate since I considered it one of the main advantages over MJPEG but I gather its unavoidable.
 
"Can the Blackout Powell Native 24P patch and the Reliable In-Camera Playback Patch V2 both be installed at the same time? I want to be able to do some extended length video"

I have shot unto the end of the card with the blackoutpowell 24p patch, it just depends on what you are filming and you won't know until you test yourself on what you may be shooting a lot of. The reliable incamera patch is not native 24p so you have to learn all the fiddling that comes with transcoding if you use that patch which I now refuse to do since 24p native is now available. Otherwise I will just shoot 60p which if you are in sharp focus is sometimes hard to even tell the difference between 24p native anyways. Its all in how well you focus to get any advantage in 24p in terms of resolution, if you are just a bit out of focus then you are loosing everything 24p is supposed to have as an advantage. If you get an fd to m43 adaptor you will like to use old canon lenses too which is what I do, you loose autofocus but you get nice shots that to me look better than the panasonic lenses.

All you have to do is get 2 small sdhc cards and keep the blackoutpowell native 24p patch on one, and the reliable patch on the other, then when you want to change to either one you just put in whatever card, load it up within 2 minutes and you can continue, you can't have both on the same camera at one time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top