Describe AVCHD software tools for your kit

[Bic Parker]

The HMC40 is a great camera, but it is only the first step... then comes "post"

I just wanted to start a thread where folks could list what software tools they use in their "kit" for AVCHD. This would include transcoding tools, archiving, editing, other post production steps (color balance for instance), authoring/distribution, etc.

I'm looking more for a list of the tools and what they do, and possibly what makes them decent software tools. And recognize that some of the terms and uses may not be familiar to everyone who reads this ("authoring"? I'm writing a book? Why would i "burn" it... sounds kind of 451'ish to me). I'm not asking for a slam/flame fest on tools you don't like or other similar comparisons.

I had to do a lot of searching around to find out what software I needed when I got into video. I found that when working with HD and AVCHD, there were things I needed and I didn't even know what the words meant ("transcoding"... what the heck is that about? LOL... sounds like something I need in a warp engine... but I really needed a transcoding tool, as it turned out). This could be a great reference for those who are starting out and need to know what software they need to support their camera.

 

[v3rlon]

Pinnacle Studio 14 Ultimate HD. Captures and edits AVCHD for quick and easy stuff. Only handles 2 layers of video, so there are limits to things like picture in picture work and greenscreen work. It creates DVDs with menus (authoring), and has some packages of themes that work together for menus/buttons/transitions/ photo montages. It is not a great tool, but it gets the job done. It is a decent all-in-one package for home movies and small projects. Serious users will be limited, particularly in color correction, but you can do quite a bit more than cut a few clips and throw on some titles if you want. Once you learn your way around the video effects, there are some interesting features in there.

SpeedEdit 1: more advanced editing/color correction. Handles 'infinite' layers of video. Does not eat AVCHD, but the new version will. Editing workflow is really efficient once you get the hang of it. It can do chromakeying (greenscreen), but not great at that. It is meant to be a FAST editor. Nothing more or less than that.

Mirage: ok this is a strange beast...and it is no longer available. It is similar to TV Paint for those of you that know that product. Sort of an animated paint program that lets you do some creative things like autowriting titles (where the title seems to write itself onto the screen).

Visionlab Studio. FX work. Greenscreen work, light sabres, laser blasts, and generally turning my son into a super hero. I haven't tried anything from the HMC40 in here yet, but it was fun in HDV. Also does 'grading.' This is where you shoot in daylight, and apply an effect to make it look like night, or do muted colors with lots of grain and contrast as in "Saving Private Ryan," or make it look like the Predator's 'vision' or similar effects.

Lightwave: 3D animation, logos, and such. I can't afford to build my own real spaceship, so I resort to computer graphics. www.newtek.com

Vue 6 Xtream/Vue 8 Complete : Computer generated landscapes. For when I can't afford to go to the Amazon jungle but want to be there. www.e-onsoftware.com

As I have mentioned elsewhere, I am looking at Vegas Pro 9 to replace Pinnacle and SpeedEdit, but haven't committed to that yet. I will say it seems to have the most powerful Audio tools of three. I am still trying to get a feel for the rest of it.

 

[v3rlon]

actually, on this note... anyone have ideas about copy protection for things like events? Is there a cheap way to reasonably prevent copies? Doesn't have to be bulletproof, just a deterrent.