[Mike Kujbida]

You can move any tab anywhere you want on either screen.
You can also save the arrangement (up to 10 of them) as a preset.
Here’s what the Help file says about this feature:

Save a window layout

Arrange the windows and docked windows as desired.

** Press Ctrl+Alt+D, release the keys, and then press a number on your keyboard (not the numeric keypad) to save the layout in that space.

From the View menu, choose Window Layouts, and then choose Save Layout As from the submenu. The Save Layout As dialog is displayed.

Choose Save Layout from the submenu if you want to update the current window layout. A bullet () is displayed next to the current layout.

In the Name box, type the name you want to use to identify the layout. This name will be used in the Organize Layouts dialog.

Choose a setting from the Shortcut drop-down list to set the shortcut that will be used to load the layout.

For example, if you choose 4, you could press Alt+D, release the keys, and then press 4 on your keyboard to load the layout.

The Folder box displays the path to the folder where the layout will be saved.

Window layouts are saved in the following folder by default: C:\Documents and Settings\\Local Settings\Application Data\Sony\Vegas\7.0\. You can click the Browse button to choose a different folder.

Click OK to save the new layout.

Load a saved layout

From the View menu, choose Window Layouts, and then choose the window layout you want to use from the submenu.

** To load a layout quickly, press Alt+D, release the keys, and then press a number on your keyboard (not the numeric keypad) to recall the layout saved in that in that space.

If you’ve modified the current window layout, choose Window Layouts, and then choose Reload Selected Layout from the submenu to reset the window layout to the last-saved version.

[Mike Kujbida]

Did you import the footage using the File – Import – DVD Camcorder Disc feature?

[Mike Kujbida]

To avoid driving yourself crazy, forget about what it “looks” like on any player.
Does the waveform monitor in Vegas say it’s overexposed (i.e. are the whites flatlined?
If so, use something like the Color Curves FX to lower the whites.
IMO, using anything that says “Auto” is just asking for more trouble as the software is just guessing at what it thinks the levels should be.

[Mike Kujbida]

If cost is an issue, wait until they have a sale – which is at least once a week!!
Sign up for their newsletter and you’ll always know when one or more collections are on sale.
For example, they just released a new package called Power Cuts.
I ordered them the day I got the notice and have them already.
My field is education and I think this is a package you’d like a lot.
It’s on sale right now at $169 for both sets and, IMO, is money well spent.

[Mike Kujbida]

File – Save As.
Click the box that says “Copy and trim media with project”.
Follow the prompts that come up.

[Mike Kujbida]

[tim arthur] “I was using a Sony camcorder”

Sony makes a wide variety of camcorders.
Was it miniDV, miniDVD or a hard drive model?
Is it a standard def or a hi def model?

[Mike Kujbida]

My guess (and I hope I’m wrong) is that you’re capturing to your system drive (even if it’s partitioned).
This is a mistake as all that should be on this drive is your OS & your programs and nothing else.
Hard drives are so cheap these days that a 2nd (or 3rd or more) makes a lot of sense.
My system has 3 drives, C (200 GB.) is the OS & programs, D (500 GB.) is the capture (and other assets) drive and E (500 GB.) is the render drive.
Doing things this way speeds up your renders and is much easier on the system.

To answer your original question, you can do it your way but it’s not the best way to edit 🙁

[Mike Kujbida]

You need to use a firewire (aka 1394) cable with Vegas, not USB.
If you don’t have a firewire card on your computer, buy one.
They’re cheap ($20 or so) and well worth the money.

[Mike Kujbida]

Typical recommendations are a 7200 rpm drive that is set to (at least) DMA mode, preferably UDMA.
BTW, due to their very nature, I’ve always found files from a miniDVD camcorder to be the absolute worst to edit with and have learned to put up with the slow response time.

[Mike Kujbida]

Tim, Vegas & DVD Architect have always looked good to me on the final render.
My first question is what kind of camcorder did you use for this production?
My second is what version of Vegas are you using?