[Wayne Waag]

Interestingly (and tried it twice) the files size (windows properties) shows wrong duration for MPEG2 it shows it as 3 min .. but runs the 30sec same as others, and stops .. not as if there were 2.5min of blank space.

I found the same thing when trying the new Version 7. However, Version 5 produces a file with the correct length shown in windows. Go figure.

assume you mean stop one from showing/playing (as in audio mute) … but unsure how to do that

It’s just like the audio mute button. It’s the same-shaped button on the video track.

If it’s between H264/MOV and MPEG-2, I’d stick with MPEG-2 since you probably can’t change the bit rate of H264. At least, you know you’re getting a good quality render with sufficient bit rate that a re-render inside of Vegas will not lead to a significant loss of quality in your final show.

I really do like Proshow for image animation. However, their export functions have always really been pretty terrible in my opinion. It’s been a struggle to find something that works “reliably”–hence, my sticking with V5 and use of MPEG-2.

wwaag

[Wayne Waag]

It’s the last icon to the right.

wwaag

[Wayne Waag]

Good to see that you have done some tests. This is really the only way to find what will work best for your system. Here are a few comments.

MPEG2 … seriously degraded image … highly pixelated, plus Blu-ray player throws up error on ‘unsupported audio format’

The problem is that you have your bit rate set to 6000, not 60,000. That will definitely make a difference. Regarding audio, it seems best to always render in Proshow with the Audio box ticked, even though there is no audio. Once inside Vegas, simply delete the audio track and add your own.

I also tried MJPEG/mov …. It was 10x the file size of H.264/mov …. But no visible difference in video image quality … The reason is that there is much less compression usig MJPEG. Remember that you will have to re-render from Vegas. Although much larger in file size, the final result should be better. Whether that is important or not depends on your judgment.

As MKV and MOV seem to work fine …… is there any reason why I should not use one of these, and is one preferable to the other ? Of the two, MOV is preferred since MKV is not supported in Vegas–at least not in Pro 13. It may work OK in Movie Studio?

As I will be using Vegas Render for Blu-ray at 1920×1080 50i
In the ProShow settings (as per your screen grab) should I set interlacing to ‘none’ or should it be interlaced.

I would set the interlacing to None, since Vegas will do the interlacing on final render.

Lower down on that same sub-screen it has option ‘multplexing’ – as I will be creating Blu-ray from Movie studio … you showed it set to DVD is that still OK ?

I would just leave it set to DVD since you will be getting rid of the audio track once inside Vegas.

Well, it seems like you’re making progress. Again, doing test renders and seeing what works best for you and your system is the way to go.

Having now tried both new versions of Proshow (Gold and Producer), my inclination would be to render using MJPEG/MOV rather than H264/MOV. Although file sizes are much larger, the render will be faster and the color levels will be maintained. As a test, import both the MPJEG/MOV and the H264/MOV into Vegas onto different tracks–one on top of the other. Then mute the top track to see if there are any color differences. The MPJEG/MOV should appear “brighter” since it uses the entire range of luminance levels (0 to 255)that are suitable for computer display. The H264/MOV output has already had its luminance levels reduced for TV (16-235). If you decide to use the H264/MOV render, then you will have to boost the levels back to (0-255) using the Levels Fx with the Studio to Computer RGB Preset. Otherwise, your final render will really look washed out.

wwaag

[Wayne Waag]

John. I think you’re right, having figured out how to view the image. It does appear that the black bars are part of the video, in which case, a mask would be necessary.

wwaag

[Wayne Waag]

To save each pro-show ‘set’ what format do you (or should I) save to ? …

Just downloaded and installed the trial version of Gold just to see what export options are available. It turns out that you can use the same MPEG-2 encoding that I use. To bring up the correct windows, select Publish from the toolbar (or Ctrl-p) and on the right select “Custom Video File” under video files. There you can choose MPEG-2 encoding. These are the settings I use.

I did a test render and it would open in Vegas just fine. Suggest you try a test render to see if it works OK in Movie Studio.

wwaag

One correction. I do not apply the anti-flicker filter in Proshow.

[Wayne Waag]

You should be able to reduce the background sea noise to some degree using the RX3 Denoiser and eliminate the dog barking altogether using Spectral Repair. As others have stated, a sample would be most useful.

wwaag

[Wayne Waag]

I think you’ve made the right move, especially since you’ve used V5 in the past. I’m still using V5 of Producer and have not upgraded to V7. For lots of stills, it is so much easier than Vegas. Good luck.

wwaag

[Wayne Waag]

Although your image does not display in your post, the answer is very simple. Just create another track beneath your video track. Then add whatever you want to that track–video, still image, solid color, gradient, etc. Whatever you put on that track will now be shown where once you had the black bars.

wwaag

[Wayne Waag]

[Rick]

In my opinion, use of Proshow is definitely the way to go, especially if you have a large number of images. Proshow was designed for slideshow creation-Vegas was not. While you CAN do pretty much the same thing in Vegas, it is usually very tedious and time-consuming. Proshow comes with a large number of pre-defined Slide style effects which you can apply and it also has the ability to create your own. For example, I have created quite a few very simple effects such as Zoom in 15%, Full pan right to left, pan bottom right to upper left, etc. Once you’ve done this, it is very simple to apply these.

Another example–matching the output aspect ratio. We just went through a number of iterations on how to do this in Vegas. When using Proshow, you simply set in your Preferences–Fill to Frame–done. Of course, use of Proshow also entails a learning curve.

Regarding export settings. I can’t help you too much with this since I am usng Proshow Producer, not Gold. One of the advantages of Producer is the larger number of export options. Currently, I use a high bit-rate (60 Mbps) MPEG-2, but I suspect this is not available in Gold. My suggestion is to create a very simple 5 or 10 slide test set, apply some slide style effects and render to different settings and see which one works best for import into Vegas.

Another option is to simply do everything in Proshow. You can add titles, music, etc. and then burn DVDs or Blu-rays directly within Proshow although I have never done so.

wwaag

[Wayne Waag]

‘Matching output aspect’ doesthat mean what you have set in ‘Project Properties’

Yes.

Does it apply to all images on timeline or do I have to select all and ‘apply attributes’

It only applies to the image selected. To apply to all, first apply to first image. Then copy that event (Ctrl-C). Then select the remaining events (images), right-click, and select “Paste Event Attributes”. That’s it–you’re done.

wwaag