Video dimensions are 416x304x12 – what is 12?

[Theo Van laar]

what about color depth?

Theo

[Jill Simpson]

No, it’s not Color Depth. (Thanks for suggesting it – I should have stated in my original post that that’s not it.)

In the Project Media tab, the Color Depth column is displayed, and it shows 32 for the both the original and rendered video.

P.S. I could find nothing that is set to 12 or 24 in
(a) Project Properties or
(b) the customize template option within “Render As”.

When Vegas tells me the video is 416x304x12, what does the 12 represent?

[John Rofrano]

When Vegas tells me the video is 416x304x12, what does the 12 represent?

Actually, the 12 is color depth and I’m not sure why formats like AVC & HDV show 12 bit when in fact they are 24 bit. It may have something to do with color the compression of the codec? There is no need to try and render back to 12. 24 is the proper bit depth for RGB 8-bit color video without an alpha channel.

~jr

http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com

[Jill Simpson]

Okay, I’ll accept that the 12 refers to Color Depth, even though Vegas’ Project Media tab displays the Color Depth as 32.

But if the Color Depth did not change between the original and rendered videos (recall that the rendered video is ‘416x304x24‘), then why did the ‘video rate’ jump from 540KBps to 874 KBps? I could see no differences between videos except the jump from ’12’ to ’24’ in the 416x304x__ measures.

What can I do to get the rendered video rate to match the original video rate? (Recall that I set my project properties to “Match Media Settings”.)

Mucho gracias,
Jill (using Vegas Pro 8.0c)

[John Rofrano]

What can I do to get the rendered video rate to match the original video rate? (Recall that I set my project properties to “Match Media Settings”.)

Your project properties have nothing to do with how the video is rendered. If you want a bit-rate of 540Kbps then you need to set that in your render template. Press the Custom button on the Render window and change the bit-rate to whatever you want.

~jr

http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com

[Jill Simpson]

#1. Is that a mistake/limitation in the software?

If you set the Project Properties to Match Media Settings, why does it not set the render rate = the source rate?

#2. Alas, the render template given by matching media settings does not allow for customizing the video rate. “Data rate” is ‘grayed out’.

Also, clicking on Configure next to Video format just pops up a blurb ‘about’ the codec – nothing can be configured.

The template is: HDV 720-25p intermediate, using CineForm HDV codec.

(I double-checked that the template was set by Vegas, not by an accident by me. I created a new project, added the video, clicked Render As, and saw the template was NTSC DV, then I set Project Properties to Match Media Settings, and now Render As shows the template above.)

[John Rofrano]

#1. Is that a mistake/limitation in the software? If you set the Project Properties to Match Media Settings, why does it not set the render rate = the source rate?

Your project and render settings have nothing to do with each other by design. Most people shoot and edit in HD and deliver in SD. Two totally different formats. What Vegas Pro 9 will do is place an equal “=” sign in front of render templates that are “good candidates” based on your project settings but they might not match exactly and you are free to use any template you wish. In other words, the way you deliver your footage is not linked to the way you acquired it.

#2. Alas, the render template given by matching media settings does not allow for customizing the video rate. “Data rate” is ‘grayed out’.

I’m not sure what you are looking at but I am referring to File | Render As… push the Custom… button, go to the Video tab and change the bit-rate. Here is an example for MPEG2 renders.

Also, clicking on Configure next to Video format just pops up a blurb ‘about’ the codec – nothing can be configured.

Some codecs have configurable options and some don’t. That’s not where you set the data rate.

The template is: HDV 720-25p intermediate, using CineForm HDV codec.

(I double-checked that the template was set by Vegas, not by an accident by me. I created a new project, added the video, clicked Render As, and saw the template was NTSC DV, then I set Project Properties to Match Media Settings, and now Render As shows the template above.)

Vegas does not set a template. It will use the last render type regardless of your project. If the last render you did was MPEG2, it will show MPEG2 templates. If the last render you did was Sony AVC it will show Sony AVC templates. This is not a recommendation… it’s just the last type you used. If the template you see has an equal sign “=” in front of it, this is a “suggested” template that matches the project properties for the last render type you used. You are free to use any render type and any template you want. You must understand how you want to deliver your video and select the appropriate render type and template.

I know that beginners might think, “I just want to edit my video and save it to the same format” but it doesn’t work that way. You must know the format you want to save as and then Vegas will help find the closest templates that match. You may have to edit and save your own template to get more exact.

~jr

http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com