Do you transcode your DSLR videos or do you edit it natively?

[Philippe Gosselin]

I shoot with a 60D and simply drop the clips on the timeline. Never had any issue at all even though my rig is aging.

You know that you can easily create proxies since version 11?

If you don’t well you simply need to clip on any clip in the Project Media window and click on “Create a video proxy”. Vegas will then create a proxy in the same folder as the original.

Setting the preview window to either Draft or Preview will tell Vegas to use the proxy but if you stay in Good or Best it will use the original files.

Cheers

[Michal Bronec]

I didnt know that. Thats a nice tip, thanks. But I am more interested in getting more “headroom” in color grading. Some people say transcoding might help. And this is the main reason I want to try.

BTW, I just tried export to MOV (Avid DNxHD, 25p) in Mpeg Streamclip and this can be opened in Vegas, but Vegas tells me that the video is interlaced. I dont know why (my original video was progressive).

[Norman Black]

I have a friend that uses Avid and he always transcodes to DNxHD. A similar workflow to what he does professionally.

Me I have just plopped my MP4 H.264 files on the timeline and edited. These are files from a GoPro Hero3 Black. There can be issues with these and my machine, a core i7 860 2.9Ghz.

1080p60 files are 30Mbps high profile H.264. Vegas cannot really keep up decoding and playback with these files on my machine. I used the smart proxy feature and my machine breathes a sigh of relief. 1080p30 20Mbps files work well for me as is.

The Smart Proxy files are actually much higher bitrate than my input but are MPEG-2 files which are easier to decode. It is curious what Sony does generating the proxy files, but it works.

I also tested multi-camera editing with 1080p30 20Mbps files and on my machine you really want to proxy, and the shorter GOP of the proxy files helps smooth playback. Multi-cam with 1080p60 files would really be mandatory.

I stick with the source, so long as it works. Nothing is ever better than your source file. Maybe easier to edit, but not better. I really don’t want to work with 145 or 220 Mbps intermediates.

[Michael Acres]

If you transcode to 4:2:2(your dslr is 4:2:0) colorspace it will give you a little more latitude for color correction/grading but not much.

If you run a Hdmi and record on Atomos Ninja or Black Magic Hyperdeck shuttle then you will be RECORDING in 4:2:2 and have a ton of latitude when grading and correcting. prepare for VERY large files

[Neal Barlow]

I shoot on a hacked GH2, and have found that even though I can edit the native .mts files, I usually transcode to .mxf set as HD422 50mbps. It helps me a lot on my older Cord Duo machine to play without lag.

For what it is worth.

Neal Barlow
To The Skies – Productions
The Cult Classic Returns in ZOMBIES DURING THIRD PERIOD: AGAIN

[Paul Beller]

is there any use of transcoding 4:2:0 to 4:2:2? once the information is gone in 420, it will not magically reveal after transcoding to 422.

[Neal Barlow]

Right, no magical extra coloring popping in. It was just an alternative suggested over on Dvxuser.com in the GH2 section for people who use Vegas. DNxHD was the other alternative or something uncompressed, so I thought I would try it.

Neal Barlow
To The Skies – Productions
The Cult Classic Returns in ZOMBIES DURING THIRD PERIOD: AGAIN

[Michal Bronec]

What do you use for transcoding to .mxf HD422 50mbps?

[Michael Acres]

sony vegas under ‘Sony mxf’ in the render options

[Neal Barlow]

Yep. I just throw it all on a timeline. Add a region around every clip via a script, and then batch render. Usually it’s a good time for me to weed out the footage I don’t want before I batch. It works for me, but I’m not married to it by any means. At the end of the day, I’m just a guy who shoots mainly on my GH2, and I edit in Vegas 10 – haven’t made the jump to 12 both for dollars reason and haven’t seen anything that I need. – Not to hijack the thread here.

If someone who shoots on a hacked GH2 has a better route, please chime in.

Neal Barlow
To The Skies – Productions
The Cult Classic Returns in ZOMBIES DURING THIRD PERIOD: AGAIN