Color correction Plug-In - can I buy it?

Bansaw wrote on 7/13/2006, 1:38 AM

I've got Vegas Movie Studio 6, the $80 version.
Apparently the full version (which costs a lot more) has a plug-in called "color correction".
I think this would be very useful for me.

The question is: can I buy this plug-in separately and add it to my plug-ins I already have.

If not, are there any other 3rd party ones available that do the same thing?

I don't suppose its worth upgrading to the "full version" of Vegas 6? I was told my version does about 80% of what the full version can.

Comments

Grazie wrote on 7/13/2006, 2:12 AM


"Apparently the full version (which costs a lot more) has a plug-in called "color correction". " It costs more because there is a lot more in it.

"I think this would be very useful for me. " Yes it would.

"The question is: can I buy this plug-in separately and add it to my plug-ins I already have." No.

"If not, are there any other 3rd party ones available that do the same thing?" I don't know. Others can chime in here.

"I don't suppose its worth upgrading to the "full version" of Vegas 6? I was told my version does about 80% of what the full version can." Eh? On what basis was this said to you? I would suggest you download a Demo or SEE for yourself what the full version of Vegas can do.

I started on VideoFactory ( precursor to yours! ). Your s/w has more features than that. However, it would take a stack of wild horses to drag me away from Vegas now.

My opinion is that you have been incorrectly informed as to the comparisons of Media and Vegas. I can only impress on you the need for you to either download a demo OR better yet see at some realtime demonstration of Vegas exactly WHAT you can do with VEGAS.

Look, I earnt money from using VideoFactory. I was very comfortable with it. But then I wanted more tracks, more features, more features that would s-t-e-t-c-h me. I bought Vegas3 and haven't looked back.

It sounds like you may just be on the edge of wanting more control; and more ways to express yourself. Colour Correction this week. Next week you will want multitrack. The week after you will want scripting available to you. Next month you will want to be able to do 3-D compositing and multi project nesting. Whoever told you that Media has 80% of what Vegas can do needs to come and visit me. I will put the individual thru' my "Vegas Awareness" course.

At the end of the day, be happy.
mbryant wrote on 7/13/2006, 3:03 AM
Grazie,

It’s a fair cop – I’m the one who quoted the 80% number.

The context is for consumer use, not professional use. What I was trying to say (and using the 80% as a way to describe it) is that Movie Studio has quite a large subset of what Vegas has. Is it 80%? Well if you need that other 20% I guess it is irrelevant as to what the percentage is.. but I don’t think 80% is far off.

It depends on what you call a feature... but here are some rough numbers. The Vegas manual is 404 pages. I estimate each page has an average of 2 “features” – pieces of functionality. So that would be 808 features. There are 162 mentions in the manual of things which are only supported in the full version of Vegas. That leaves 646 of 808 features in Movie Studio. 808 divided by 646 is 79.99504%....

Probably better than quoting a number is what JohnnyRoy said in


The reason I upgraded to Vegas from VideoFactory was because I wanted to do chromakey and VideoFactory didn’t have that, I wanted more controls over keyframes than just Begin and End, and I needed more than 2 video and audio tracks. Today, VMS+DVD has chromakey, infinite keyframes, and 4 video and audio tracks. I’m not sure I could make the same case to upgrade. VMS is extremely powerful and the Platinum Edition even supports HDV, Color Correction, and ships with SpiceMASTER lite (just like Pinnacle Spice/Alpha Magic, in fact, you can copy your Pinnacle Alpha Magic transitions over and they will work in VMS Platinum!).

I’m not a pro... and I do have the full version of Vegas. And I do use many of the “full version only” features: I’ve recently been using Beizer masks, I use color correction, I sometimes use more than 4 video tracks, I use 3D composting. I’m sure I could learn more features from you (and I’m picking up many from reading this forum). I was just hesitant to tell someone who described themselves as a “newbie”, who had just purchased Movie Studio, that they needed to upgrade to the full version, with the big cost involved.

Going back to my numbers... VMS has (arguably) 80% of the features for 20% of the cost of the full version.. making it very good value for many users (in my opinion). That doesn’t mean the full version isn’t worth it, and if that extra 20% (or 30% or whatever) of features makes a difference to your end product it is certainly worth it.

Buying a bargain copy from B&H could be an option I guess.. though there is tax, duty and shipping to the UK (where the OP is).

Mark
Grazie wrote on 7/13/2006, 3:08 AM
. . . and as I said - "At the end of the day, be happy."
mbryant wrote on 7/13/2006, 3:11 AM
If it is true that VMS Platinum has color correction (as JohnnyRoy said) I guess that would be another option...an upgrade to Platinum is $60...

Mark
Grazie wrote on 7/13/2006, 3:14 AM
"Vegas Movie Studio+DVD Platinum software also includes advanced video restoration tools including 3-wheel primary color correction so you can easily adjust differences in video due to camera setup or lighting; enhance washed-out footage; or make specific colors stand out."
mbryant wrote on 7/13/2006, 3:19 AM
Thanks Grazie!

So the obvious solution is to download a trial of either full Vegas or VMS platimum. Either will enable color correction for at least the trial period... the OP can then decide if and which they may want to upgrade to.

Mark
elvindeath wrote on 7/13/2006, 3:28 AM
I went through this whole analysis about a week ago when looking to upgrade from Pinnacle Studio 10 to something that actually worked. I like a lot of the more complex toys, but since this is purely for personal/family use, shelling out several hundred more for Vegas versus VMS+DVD Platinum was a little tough.

Luckily, B&H Photo had their "sale" for Vegas (disc only) at $149. Sold. If that wasn't an option, I'm sure I would have gone with VMS.

Only problem now is that I still need to buy VMS+DVD so that I can use DVD Architect .... so I'm buying that as well and selling the VMS portion to a friend (who just wants the NLE portion to create online content)
Grazie wrote on 7/13/2006, 3:34 AM
Since you and I got going, since SF, Sony have made a multitude of upgrade paths options and some. For example once investing in one product, up the ladder, then the one above that is also cheaper to upgrade to - too.

I believe Sony have been very open and responsive to making these options available to their users. This makes for more creatives coming on-board faster and coming here more often with ideas and so on. This in turn makes those capable of producing scripts and plugs even more interested - ROI - in producing a whole host of additional plugs.

All of us can only benefit from this "virtuous" circle that has been created.
Grazie wrote on 7/13/2006, 3:42 AM
Elvin, your experience again supports what I've been saying. Sony allows for people to sell on, as long as this is ALL legal, the different packages that they have "bundled". Meaning Users choose the bundle they want.

Good to see you got what you wanted. Is any of this possible with PPro or FCP or AVID . .. ? It maybe, I just don't know. And again maybe SONY had also seen an option to make a vertical integration - paths and upgrades etc - as a way to sell product to a "thickening" user/buying base. They have/are doing it with the HD cameras. Would appear that they are carrying over their same approach to our NLEs.
elvindeath wrote on 7/13/2006, 6:42 AM
Grazie - I'm not a pro in NLE areas in any sense of the word, but I do have a role in purchasing a number of high end apps for my firm, and from what I've seen, the flexibility and "completeness" of Sony's upgrade path is totally unique. It's really very cool to know you can start small and move up to what you need with little or no problem.

I think I'm a clear example that they MAKE money with this strategy - there's no way I would have gone with full Vegas on my budget, but by getting v6 for $149, I know I'll be able to get my foot in the door of the upgrade path to v7+DVD when released, likely for about $200-250. That's a pretty good deal - a complete v6, and v7+DVD for $350. Not bad at all.
Spot|DSE wrote on 7/13/2006, 6:45 AM
Bansaw/Elvindeath, et al:
You can download the 6 way color corrector for Vegas, and it's free.
Look towards the bottom of the page and you'll see the 6 way corrector.
briggs wrote on 7/13/2006, 6:53 AM
May be some question as to whether 6cc will work for you or if it requires the full Vegas app. From the download page:

"System requirements
Sony Vegas 4 or 5 installed. (Does not work with Sony Screenblast Movie Studio, unfortunately.) "

But try it and see!
Spot|DSE wrote on 7/13/2006, 6:59 AM
The 6 way functions correctly within Vegas Movie Studio. Bear in mind that VMS wasn't a product at the time the 6 way corrector was written.
Grazie wrote on 7/13/2006, 7:58 AM
"The 6 way functions correctly within Vegas Movie Studio. " Excellent!
mbryant wrote on 7/14/2006, 7:47 AM
Thanks DSE - I 'll try that 6 way cc out myself!
Bansaw wrote on 7/14/2006, 1:17 PM
Thanks everyone for your input (& DSE for the link).
I'll give it a try now.
Maybe when I get more experienced and start to master VMS I'll do the upgrade.