-
DSLR and vegas platinum 9 – not meant to be?
Hi I’m only starting out here so I’ve only got the Vegas Platinum 9 version of the editing program. I was so excited once I got it around 2 years ago but it’s given me nothing but trouble.
I tried using it with a Sanyo HD handycam that gave a MP4 format with a strange codec that made Vegas unbelievably laggy. After various tries at conversion to AVI to no avail I gave up.
Two years later and I am the proud owner of a new Canon T2i. I thought this more common camera would fix the problem but nope, still laggy. After discovering that the DSLR codec didn’t work with Vegas I tried following many conversion tutorials.
I tried using Prism Video File Converter with some Matrox codecs but that only gave me converted audio files and not both video and audio. Or it would have a conversion error at the last second of conversion. I tried using MPEG Streamclip and some AVIDNxHD codecs but that didn’t work either, also giving me only audio. Other tries gave me an end product but still lagged in Vegas, including dragging the media into the timeline and exporting as something usable later.
I don’t really understand the specifics of what the processes I did are because I really just followed tutorials but is there something blindingly stupid that I have not yet realised? Is Platinum 9 just not compatible with HD? Please help I am at my wit’s end =C.
-
3 Replies
-
I used to run platinum 9 many years ago and it’s good with HD. It’s not so good with the kind of video format you’re dealing with. I upgraded to Vegas 9 Pro which worked great in HD with my HDV camcorder. But then I got a Canon 7D and the stutters and red screens began. A 7D and T2i use the same video format and should behave about the same in Vegas.
People suggested trying Cineform which required a translation step and much larger files. It solved my problems in Vegas 9. But then Vegas 10 came out and it made my 7D problems go away. Vegas 9 predates the camera you’re using and in my experience was unusable on a large project with the 7D. Cineform fixed the problem but costs more than the platinum version of Vegas. Vegas 10 just made the 7D useable and previewed fairly smoothly to boot. Plus there were no translation steps. It just works directly on the video files from the camera. Granted, you still need a powerful machine to get smooth results from the 7D. Their codec requires a lot of CPU or GPU power to handle. But Vegas 10 fixed it for me.
If your time has value then I’d just try the demo of Platinum 11. It should make your T2i very useable. Assuming none of the unusual 11 problems I’ve been reading about rear their ugly head. That’s why I’d try the demo first. But Vegas 11 will be way better at handling a T2i video format then Vegas 9. I still have bad memories about the stuttering and red preview windows that I had with Vegas 9 and my 7D. Vegas 10 fixed all those problems.
-
Thanks so much Mark. So I guess my only options are to spend more money either on Cineform or upgrading my Vegas?
-
Yea, Vegas 9 had lots of problems with Canon SLRs. Vegas 10 fixed ’em. Cineform NeoScene was actually quite nice but I think it’s $100 if you shop around. Vegas Platinum can be had cheaper than that. Personally, I’d just get the newer version of Vegas. Just try the free Vegas demo first to make sure it doesn’t have any other problems. Vegas 11 is relatively new. The demo is fully functional and works for 30 days.
Trying to use an older editor which predates the video format of a newer camera can often cause problems. It’s best to use an editor which came out after the new video file format was released. At least that’s been my experience. It gives them a chance to work the bugs out. It also means you have to spend some money on upgrades from time to time if you get a camera which uses a newer format. That just seems to go with the territory when they’re coming out with new video file formats from time to time.
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up