Chienworks - question for you!

Gonzoman wrote on 2/26/2004, 11:40 PM
Once I've mastered Screenblast - how big is the learning curve for upgrading to Vegas 4?

Will I be able to load up Vegas 4 and at least be able to do the basics that I've learned with Screenblast quickly?

Also, I've been reading on some of the bulletin boards that a lot of the more serious editors have a computer devoted especially for their editing. How crucial is this? I am a still photographer and I have a lot of graphic intensive programs in my computer now (Photoshop, Thumbsplus, Dreamweaver, Eyebatch etc..etc..etc). Do you think this will in any way hinder my editing, rendering or compression times?

Thanks,

GM*

Comments

Chienworks wrote on 2/27/2004, 5:25 AM
Me??!?!?!

I made the switch from VideoFactory 2 to Vegas 3 a couple of years ago. At first i was a bit flustered because there were no tracks on the screen. Of course, this is because Vegas lets you create any number and combination of tracks you wish, but it was a tad disconcerting for the first minute or so. On the other hand, being able to have 19 video tracks and 14 audio tracks for a recent project is definitely nice. :)

I think the only other thing that threw me was that there is no Begin/End choice in the effects window anymore. This is actually a good thing though. Vegas uses keyframes instead, which means that you can do things like zoom in, pan, zoom out, pan zoom again ... all in the same event; you no longer have to split your events into a separate section for each movement. And ... you don't have to muck about with saving your end settings as a preset for the next begin! Bonus. :)

Other than that, i don't think there were any other issues at all. Your existing .vf projects will open up in Vegas without a hitch. Everything you've ever learned in Movie Studio (except the Begin/End thing) works the same way in Vegas. You'll be up to speed doing all the same things almost instantly. Then you can take your time exploring the several thousand other features that Vegas has.

I've only got one main work PC and it is used for almost everything else i do as well. At any given time i've got a couple of Vegas windows open, Sound Forge, VidCap, 5 10 or 70 browser windows, ssh sessions, email, instant messengers, word processor, drawing program, 3D animation program, Visual Basic ... etc. None of this hinders working in Vegas. True, the more you are doing at once, the slower they all run. But, i'd rather have a render take two hours while i'm getting other useful work done than take only 90 minutes while i can't do anything else. Yeah, i would like to have a dedicated video computer. Not gonna happen any time soon, especially since i'm paying for a wedding next month. But, i still get the stuff done so all is well.

I am running Windows XP, so what i usually do is set Vegas' priority to below normal while it's rendering (really, it barely slows it down at all, it just helps other programs to be more responsive) and set VidCap's priority to above normal while capturing.
GerryLeacock wrote on 2/27/2004, 5:44 AM
I can see it all now..... "Can't go on a honeymoon yet, Dear. I'm not finished editing the wedding video"! :)

>Not gonna happen any time soon, especially since i'm paying for a wedding next month.
Chienworks wrote on 2/27/2004, 6:07 AM
LOLOL!!!!! Believe me, editing the video is waiting until AFTER the honeymoon. And, for that matter, she is going to do the editing, by her own request!
Gonzoman wrote on 2/27/2004, 11:36 AM
Great - thanks for all the info Chienworks!

I would eventually like to have a dedicated computer, but for now while I'm still learning - don't really want to invest the money.

I've also heard that you should perform a defrag after each editing job - can you confirm this? I was told it would help the computer work faster as well as prevent dropped frames when capturing.

Can you suggest any reading material for a newbie like me that would answer some of the more basic questions like these?

Thanks,

GM*
Electromen wrote on 2/27/2004, 12:42 PM
Editing Workshop for Vegs 4.0 by Douglas Spotted Eagle (gotta love the name) is a good source to learn Vegas quickly. It is a 4 DVD set from Class on Demad, Inc., almost 6hrs of training video.

www.classondemand.net

I bought it as a package from Videoguys.com which included Vegas 4.0, DVD Architect 1.0 and the DVD training for $699

DVD Archeitect is a DVD authoring program to produce menu based DVD's with professional results. Vegas and DVD Architect are Sony Products.
Chienworks wrote on 2/27/2004, 1:01 PM
I'm probably the wrong one to ask about defragging. I seem to be the king of the "defragging isn't necessary" minority. Defragging can probably help a bit in some cases. Overall it's mostly a waste of time and extra wear & tear on the drives. It's also another chance for the data on your drive to get corrupted if anything interrupts the defrag process improperly.

When i'm done with a project i prefer to copy the files to another hard drive, then erase the drive i had been using. This is much faster and more effective than defragging. Of course, this method also requires a couple of rather large drives. In my computer i've got a 20GB boot drive for the OS and software, a 60GB drive for just about all files except video, and then a 160 and a 180GB drive that are used for video files.
JohnnyRoy wrote on 2/27/2004, 2:35 PM
> Editing Workshop for Vegas 4.0 by Douglas Spotted Eagle (gotta love the name) is a good source to learn Vegas quickly.

...and it makes an excellent wedding gift! (hint, hint, wink, wink) ;-)

~jr
djcc wrote on 2/27/2004, 3:06 PM
LOL @ JR!
shmulb wrote on 3/1/2004, 12:55 PM
With regards to the Defragging reply, it seems as though PC World agrees with you, they did an extensive test on fragmented VS defragged HD,s recently and found NO speed advantage after defragging.