I need your help

T

tony404

Well-known member
on this other broad im on this guy posted this :

So far I've been using Vegas but let's be honest, it's the microsoft paint of editing programs. I've run thru it's limitations, and am now frustrated with it's performance and lack of any real control.

please help me with a retort thanks:)
 
Re: I need your help

Just ask him to be specific about the problems he's run into, then educate him if these are real limitations or his lack of knowledge about the program.

Gary
 
Re: I need your help

Invite him to post here with any questions he might have as to how to do something. If he's flustered, he sounds like he could use some help.
 
Re: I need your help

I can't get it to let me use certain codecs when importing footage from deck. It only let's you use Sony's dv codec which sucks ass. I'm sure there is a way to change it, I haven't found it. I don't even use Vegas to import anymore because of that.

I'm tired of having to build all my font treatments in PhotoShop. I think Vegas does crappy font treatment.

When I print to tape, no matter what, within 8 minutes I get an error saying the device has stopped respponding when I KNOW FOR A FACT that it hasn't. It still prints to tape but always throws macro blocks when it errors.

It automatically resizes images on import and so you have to tell it to not do that... EVERY TIME.

I'm just at that point where I wanna try something new.

I run a P4 3.06 GHZ, 2G RAM, 1.25 terabytes HD.
 
Re: I need your help

What's wrong with the Sony codec, specifically?  Besides, Sony Capture is not really a part of Vegas and Vegas is just as happy to use footage captured from any other program.

What are you trying to with the fonts?  You can do a lot more to the text in Vegas than just what's available in the text generator.  Which other NLE's titler can do what you need it to do?

Never had the tape issue, and I've sent lots of 30-60 minute timelines to tape.  Are you sure it's not an issue with the deck?

Explain more about the resizing -- what "images" are you trying not to resize?

If you want to try something new, then by all means, do so.

In any case, this seems like an awfully limited list of complaints about peripheral issues to dismiss the whole program as the "Microsoft Paint of NLEs."
 
Re: I need your help

I'm the guy Tony is referring to.

First let me say that Vegas has helped a great deal. I didn't mean to sound so negative. I guess I'm just really frustrated with Vegas. Perhaps you could help me work out these problems.

1) Vegas' codec is fine... However, I NEED the option to change codecs when importing video. I just need to.

2) fonts: I come from a design background and so when it comes to fonts, I can't simply just use a white font on black background. I need fonts that have gradients, and textures, and not look so damn fuzzy. I currently have to build my watermarks and logos in Vegas and bring them and push them around.. I just want that kind of control in Vegas.

3) The deck issue... I never once thought it could be the deck, however realizing how much wear and tear this thing has, it most certainly could be the deck. I'm doing 180 minute movies to deck. I have to render first then send to the deck using the "print to tape" option from the capture window. I'd like to be able to go from Timeline selection right to the DVCAM deck, but I've never been able to do that. It's either waaaaaaaay to slow, or just can't seem to handle it. Maybe I do too many cuts or add to many graphics, I don't know. It's just never been able to do that for me.

4) resizing images on import. When I use photoshop to create a logo or an image or a mask or whatever. When I bring it in, it gets squeezed vertically.I have to right mouse click it and go to switches and uncheck maintain aspect ratio and it pops back to a 720x480 frame size. I have to do that EVERY TIME... for EVERYTHING I bring in. And I do a lot of graphics in PhotoShop in my editing.

5) It's not just this limited list of complaints. I have more I just can't remember every little thing I run into that frustrates me.

I had a problem last night that drove me up the wall. last night for no reason the trailer I was editing decides to start playing at like 1/2 speed. I create a lot of cuts in my trailers. So I need to see EVERY cut on EVERY beat of the music I use. And now it's showing my 15 frames a second and I'm missing important cuts.

So I selectively pre-render parts of it and that solves that 15 frames per second problem. So then I see I need to tweak something, and after I slice and edit, it starts playing at what seems like 1/4 speed. It just kept getting slower and slower... I don't understand. It got down to only showing me 1 frame every other second or so.

I rebooted several times and cleared all cache I don't know how many times. I let it sit over night and now it seems fine. But I felt like I wasted a night just messin' with it.
 
Re: I need your help

Oh.. and hello everyone. I really do hope you can solve my vegas problems I don't wanna spend 10K on a new setup.
 
Re: I need your help

By importing video, what do you mean? When you capture via firewire, there IS NO CODEC being used. It's just a transfer of the 1's and 0's.

Usually when your frame rate drops, its because you are throwing some math at the CPU, like adding an effect. Often the culprit is inadvertantly setting the track opacity slider to less than 100%.

Gary
 
Re: I need your help

[quote author=Gary_Kleiner link=board=Vegas;num=1106950201;start=0#7 date=01/28/05 at 17:53:58]By importing video, what do you mean? When you capture via firewire, there IS NO CODEC being used. It's just a transfer of the 1's and 0's.

Usually when your frame rate drops, its because you are throwing some math at the CPU, like adding an effect. Often the culprit is inadvertantly setting the track opacity slider to less than 100%.

Gary[/quote]

I wasn't aware of that. I had convinced myself that I was getting a higher quality import by using a differnt program that allowed me to select a fairly high end codec.

ok. That's one down. Help me solve my other problems, pleeeeease. :)
 
Re: I need your help

OK, number 2:

You can create a wide range of looks for fonts, especially using compositing (dropping in any image or video to fill in the letters). Fuzzy? how are you looking at them? Is your preview on best, or is it lower?

Gary
 
Re: I need your help

[quote author=Gary_Kleiner link=board=Vegas;num=1106950201;start=0#9 date=01/28/05 at 18:52:25]OK, number 2:

You can create a wide range of looks for fonts, especially using compositing (dropping in any image or video to fill in the letters). Fuzzy? how are you looking at them? Is your preview on best, or is it lower?

Gary[/quote]

Please elaborate on the font thing, because that's a MAJOR issue with me. I want to be able to take any font, add an embossed feel, maybe a gradient fill, a stroke, and drop shadow, and animate the letters. Some of that I can do now, but I feel limited.

I basically want live type but for Vegas.

When I say fuzzy I mean that when I encode WMV for web, I look at the watermarks on the video. And even though they are crisp and clean after the encode they look fuzzy. Like a soft edge filter has been added.

So, I usually have to create the watermark in photoshop and import it as a transparent PSD. I want to be able to do it from vegas.
 
Re: I need your help

It's now doing that frame drop thing again. I have ONLY added a text layer.. Just one text layer with NO special filters added and it's previewing at about 1 frame per second.

I don't understand this.
 
Re: I need your help

[quote author=RedShoe link=board=Vegas;num=1106950201;start=0#10 date=01/28/05 at 19:26:55]

Please elaborate on the font thing, because that's a MAJOR issue with me. I want to be able to take any font, add an embossed feel, maybe a gradient fill, a stroke, and drop shadow, and animate the letters. Some of that I can do now, but I feel limited.

I basically want live type but for Vegas.

When I say fuzzy I mean that when I encode WMV for web, I look at the watermarks on the video. And even though they are crisp and clean after the encode they look fuzzy. Like a soft edge filter has been added.

So, I usually have to create the watermark in photoshop and import it as a transparent PSD. I want to be able to do it from vegas.


[/quote]

You can add any effect in the Vegas arsenal to your text, including bump maps, embossing, etc..

Or, you can use a white font on a black background to create a mask and then use a gradient composite child track to do whatever gradient you want, or use video, or whatever.

If the fonts get fuzzy, it's probably because of the compression in WMV -- or in the way you're using the text in Vegas. Are you moving it all? Using pan/crop to resize? These can affect sharpness.

You can animate it all you want using bezier masks, track motion (better than pan/crop), etc.. In fact, Gary's Vegas 5 companion has a really good basic demonstration of just that.

Gary's correct about the codec or lack of same; the digital information stored on the tape is pure 1s and 0s with an AVI "wrapper" around it so as to allow the computer to recognize it. It's a straight transfer. If you're capturing live feed, whatever A/D converter you're using to run it through firewire does it on the fly. You're getting the same information either way.

In any case, welcome aboard. I hope you'll continue to explore Vegas, because everything you're trying to do, Vegas has an answer for (or, more likely, five or six). It's just a matter of getting to know the program.

My guess is, one day you'll regret calling it "the Microsoft Paint of NLEs." ::)

Check out Gary's Companion, as I said, and also the excellent guides by Douglas Spotted Eagle. Go to www.vasst.com for a wealth of Vegas tips, tricks, training materials . . . and explore All Things Vegas.
 
Re: I need your help

[quote author=RedShoe link=board=Vegas;num=1106950201;start=0#11 date=01/28/05 at 19:53:35]It's now doing that frame drop thing again. I have ONLY added a text layer.. Just one text layer with NO special filters added and it's previewing at about 1 frame per second.

I don't understand this.[/quote]

With the system you stated above, it should cut through that like butter and act like it's not even there. What do you have running in the background which might be taking up processor resources? Disable any virus protection. Get rid of anything in your Windows tray that doesn't need to be running.
 
Re: I need your help

[quote author=RedShoe link=board=Vegas;num=1106950201;start=0#5 date=01/28/05 at 17:16:31]

4) resizing images on import. When I use photoshop to create a logo or an image or a mask or whatever. When I bring it in, it gets squeezed vertically.I have to right mouse click it and go to switches and uncheck maintain aspect ratio and it pops back to a 720x480 frame size. I have to do that EVERY TIME... for EVERYTHING I bring in. And I do a lot of graphics in PhotoShop in my editing.
[/quote]

What are your project settings? Widescreen?
 
Re: I need your help

my editing machine is purely that. There is NOTHING running when I edit. That's what makes it so frustrating. It just seems to happen for no reason at all. And it only started doing that last night.

Thanks for the words of encouragement David. I'd love to come back here one day and eat my words.
 
Re: I need your help

[quote author=David Jimerson link=board=Vegas;num=1106950201;start=15#15 date=01/28/05 at 20:28:30]

What are your project settings?  Widescreen?
[/quote]

720x480
 
Re: I need your help

OH MY F#$*%NG GOD!!!!! Somehow Vegas allowed me to add some kind of color adjustment over the ebtire project. It was "just one of those things"

I deleted it and VIOLA! It's back to running as fast as lightning.

Ok, so far so good.
Issues solved:
#1 = clarified
#2 = hinted upon but not solved until I go read Gary's companion
#3 = unsolved
#4 = unsolved
#5a = the 1 frame per sec issue.. solved.
 
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