Brain...overflowing...with...tasteless jokes....must resist....must resist....

. . . Zipps! You must NOT make post titles like this! I'm still rolling about on the floor . .nice one Zipps!

Grazie

This is A very good question and if Vegas is to be used professionally and compete for feature film editing has to be answered.

Squat, baby. Squat.

Could you try dumping on other forums instead of this one, zipp?

Zippy---have you considered a colostomy bag---takes all the complexity out of the act.

Why does this have to be answered, Mark?
Rant On:
1. How many feature films are being cut by people using sub 2K software?
None.
2. FCP doesn't do this well, even with hardware. AVID Film Composer or Adrenaline are still, and will be for a long while, the standard for film.

To be used "professionally?" Gimme a break. Premiere, Vegas, Avid Express, Pinnacle Edition, Ulead MediaStudio, Blade are all used every day by professionals. Spots, cable shows, big screen presentations, DVD distribution, educational spots, webstreams are created all day long with these tools. None of them have film matchback capabilities. But because it doesn't, it all of a sudden isn't professional?

It's like all the guys screaming for OMF export or AAF export. Why? Vegas is a finishing tool. No, it doesn't have matchback tools. So what? You willing to pay the price for matchback tools? Are you, Zippy?

I keep seeing people reading marketing bullet points for products and saying "Vegas doesn't have that, Vegas doesn't have this..."
OK, well...FCP *says* they support 24P from the Panny...but it doesn't work. Same with Adobe, same with Blade, same with Avid.
FCP, AVID et all *say* they have great AAF export....have you EVER TRIED IT going from Express to Composer or Symphony? It doesn't work.
FCP SAYS they have multichannel audio output...but it doesn't work currently. AVID does too, with VERY specific hardware.
Hmmm...should I go on? Vegas is a finishing tool for DV. It also manages other formats, but it's designed for DV. While I keep perpetuating that the price of Vegas is too low, some of you want high end parts that few will ever use, that will rocket the price into the stratosphere.
How many feature films are you planning on converting for cutting in Vegas this year? You'll spend more in 10 minutes of film conversion to digital than you paid for the software? And 10 times that expense outputting to film? And Composer only outputs cutlists anyway.
All I can say is, guys, get a reality check!
Yeah, Vegas can do HD. Vegas can do SD. Vegas can do 4:2:2, 4:1:1, streaming media, compositing, encoding, authoring, massive audio sweetening/production, and it's the most solid NLE out there according to most respected comments. But it's optimized for DV. Straight cut EDL's are good enough for most that need to export. The transitions, titles, and other media info don't carry over well in most cases, and why would you realistically need to anyway?
Zippy, you seem to barely grasp the basics of the technical form, but you're asking for a workflow that is not only very complex, but unnecessary.
Rant off:

SPOT your Not understanding what Im saying I am happy with Vegas the way it is REALLY I am not a Pro Probably never will be, And Happy with VEGAS. The question Posed by Zippy was about Using Vegas at a professional level IE FILM Editing. Now I may be wrong here but dont you need a way to import film footage into Vegas and then export so it matches for FILM If this is the case and Vegas wants to go that route to be used by professional studios for Film Editing Then That would have to be adressed. In previous Posts I have also mentioned about A mojo But seriously that is a separate hardware Peripheral and costs to much anyway I am not about to make a feature Film so Im still Happy with Vegas.

Now I regret If I said anything that made you feel I am not happy with Vegas as it is Because I Am

Spot, you're right on target here.

People's desire to do really complex high end work in Vegas is almost a pathology. Not because Vegas isn't a great tool but because these people have no perspective.

The real problem is that people are fantasizing about doing jobs that are normally done by large teams. Not one of us would talk about trying to singlehandedly build a bridge but we somehow expect to make feature films, alone, with a pretty lightweight tool. A really great lightweight tool, but lightweight nonetheless. That lightness is there by design and is why Vegas runs on most hardware.

This discussion is a lot like the Panama Canal joke that I love so much:

If it takes a 20 pound Yorkshire terrier 1 hour to dig a hole of 1 cubic foot. how large of a Yorkshire terrier would you need to dig the Panama Canal in one year?

At some point people have to figure out that Vegas is a great lightweight tool and then get down to doing some work. And, yes, Vegas can be pushed. And, yes, Vegas will be able to handle more with each new version.

But get real.

Rob Mack

Actually I disagree ,I think Vegas could be used as Spot has said It already Is at Professional levels. Even In Films you could do a very competent job using Film Filters or Magic Bullet. I Do not Consider Vegas to be lightweight. In fact it is a heavyweight. And very reasonably priced.. BUT It cannot edit real Film. so Therfore could not be used by Real Film Makers. Yes there is nothing available Under $2000. I would however Like to see perhaps a special edition VEGAS That could edit Film perhaps equiveleent to Avids Price But I wouldent buy it. As it would be outa my Price range And I wouldent need it. But It would give vegas more recognition in the industry and that is what I would want to see My fav Program At the top where it Belongs,

Use a flame or smoke.

I wish I had time to expand on this but I'll have to save it for the evening. That's about 10 hours away for me so I expect that by then someone will have written the opus about what would be needed to edit for film, edit film, edit HD, edit HDV, Edit, SD, Edit DV, and where Vegas fits into the picture.

In the mean time, take a look at this page:

http://www.monacosf.com/dig1.htm

Rob Mack

Quick survery:

1) Who here has shot on film and delivered on film in the last 3 years?

2) If you answered ME! to #1: Going forward, do you expect to continue to shoot on film or are you cansidering HDCAM or Viper or whatever? How about delivering- what's your future plan?

If there's really a demand for 35mm matchback we could concievably provide that tool to you, but I don't think tons of our users have boxcars of 1-light xfrs delievered to their studio door every night (I could be wrong).

Seems to me that these sorts of features are better as plug-ins. If you really need it you pay somebody to write it.

Rob MAck

It does get to be disheartening reading about the Coens or Walter Murch using FCP to cut their feature films and then trying to fight the perception that Vegas isn't as good because it can't be used the same way. Most FCP users probably don't use it for features films either, but at least it can be used that way.

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I don't think it can.

Clear enough?

Rob Mack

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No, you [it--Vegas] can't.

Frankly, I've never understood these particular discussions. They're pointless. I use Vegas because of what it can do for me, not for what it might do for someone else. If I edited for film, I'd use something else. Since I don't edit for film, I don't need anything else.

By the same token, I don't want to see other options tagged onto Vegas and have the price inflated just to keep a few users with over blown egos and deep pockets happy. Status symbols are meaningless to me.

If Vegas isn't serving your needs, as I've said before, go get something that will and stop your habitual whinning!

J--

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Zippy, that's my point exactly.

If you have a film project, I am truly excited for you, honestly! That being the case, I'd strongly suggest that for this project, you use another editing program. Vegas won't work for this.

I'm thinking it's like digging a hole. Sometimes it requires a pick, sometimes it requires a shovel, sometimes it requires both!

If you're doing a film project, and want to edit in video then "dump" the info for the negative cutter, you'll have to use something other than Vegas. That's the bottom line.

J--

Actually Im with Zippy On this one I may not like His attitude But the right to ask questions is whats at stake If you dont like the questions simply dont answer them and when others dont see things your way remember its written into the constitution Freedom of speech I know that Vegas cannot compete with Avid and from what sony EPM Is saying it probably never will But the Two programs have a different customer base so it dosent need too But I For one now very little about Matchback Perhaps its steenbacks Younger Brother. Just Joking :) I still say this was a valid question and could be dealt with simply By saying No its not Something that is not financially Viable although I realistically dont want need or lust after matchback capabilitys and if I did would expect to PAY.