laptop question
- Thread starter antoine20
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Thomas Lew
Well-known member
What are you editing on and what's your workflow?
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Thomas Lew
Well-known member
AVCHD isn't really meant to be edited natively. Your system would probably handle it a lot better if you transcoded to a super high quality format before working with the footage. I use ProRes but that's not for pc.....
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There is no such thing as an absolute best workflow - just like there is no absolute best computer or camera. It's personal choice.
Personally I always transcode for easier editing - but if all you are doing is the odd cut here and there and deadlines for basic footage is more important than anything else then native editing with AVCHD could work. For more complicated edits like slip and slide etc having an edit-based codec is far better.
whats an edit based codec yo
I perhaps used the wrong term. I meant a codec more suitable to editing that codec like AVCHD. I use ProRes 422 but may move to ProRes LT when I upgrade to FCP7.
I have no idea what 'hip-hop' cutting is....
DaFireMedic
Well-known member
I see no reason why you couldn't edit natively quite well with these specs. I am able to edit natively with relative ease on a 1 1/2 yr old Core 2 Quad Desktop with 4g of RAM. Everything said in previous posts about transcoding is true, but it takes gobs of hard drive space for a project of any size.
I transcode to Cineform when using my old laptop, and it works well. I also use it when working with footage in After Effects (I have to, my versions of AE don't support AVCHD).
I am actually considering the purchase of a new laptop with similar specs (I have to have a laptop for work), and plan to edit natively where possible. Most of the training videos I make are simple cuts, some color correction, and audio tracks.
Says who??
You can't on a Mac and thats a limitation which doesn't apply to PC users. I have a quad core machine with 4gb ram and edit natively with no issues using Vegas Pro 9, so you can't really say "AVCHD isn't really meant to be edited natively" because when it first appeared, the hardware and software needed to edit it were a bit behind this new AVCHD codec. Things have changed dramatically now Thomas, not with Mac but PC technology and there's a myriad of edting suites that now handle it perfectly if you have the right machine.
How long before Final Cut catches up?
DaFireMedic
Well-known member
I agree with you that this statement is incorrect, it can be edited natively and was probably intended to be edited by most consumers, much like HDV. But I think what Thomas meant was that AVCHD is an interframe codec designed for storage efficiency and thus no frame stands independently with regards to resolution and not all frames have complete information which is more for the NLE to do, whereas in frame based codecs like Cineform each frame is treated on its own. AVCHD is not optimal for editing, and definitely not for effects work. I had some problems with Vegas 8 and AVCHD, but I haven't had any yet with Pro 9.
NLE's have gotten much better at handling the footage and AVCHD can be edited natively and relatively trouble free with a modern quad core.
I'm looking seriously at a solid state drive for my new laptop, should I decide to buy one. Small capacity and expensive, but much faster than any hard disk drives.
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ATL Media Group
Veteran
YES, you can edit it natively! I dio it on a similar desktop PC.
With CS6 it'll be even smoother.
ATL Media Group
Veteran
Hehe... Neither was HDV when it came out.... Same with DV... I remember having to spend thousands on a Canopus card to edit DV with ANY real time performance.
The software and PC power will catch up fast. Heck we're almost there on the PC already.
Now.. since you are on a MAC I suppose transcoding is standard operating procedure.