Downloaded Vegas Pro 18 Trial

MH7 wrote on 3/26/2021, 1:44 AM

Okay, so I downloaded a trial of Vegas Pro 18 (build 482) and I am liking it. I am thinking of buying it. Just a question though, if I buy it, is it the case that all I have to do is put in my product code after purchase and the trial becomes the full version (if you know what I mean, I know the trial is the full version, I just mean the trial limitations are removed). Also, one thing I’ve noticed, how do you adjust shadow detail in VP 18 without making the video looked washed out? Also, I have noticed that adjusting the UI (i.e. the preview window) is decently laggier in VP 18 than VP 15, do you know why that would be?

If you need info about my PC Setup please see my signature below.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Cheers,

MH7

Comments

Dexcon wrote on 3/26/2021, 2:00 AM

is it the case that all I have to do is put in my product code after purchase and the trial becomes the full version

Yes, that's right. The last time I had a trial version of Vegas Pro, a window would pop up each time on opening it and invite coding the serial number if VP has been purchased. As far as I can recall, the exe file for the trial contains the word 'trial' in its title, but the full version exe file (if downloaded later) is exactly the same size.

MH7 wrote on 3/26/2021, 2:14 AM

Thanks mate! So, they’re pretty much the same thing, as you seem to be indicating?

Dexcon wrote on 3/26/2021, 3:01 AM

how do you adjust shadow detail in VP 18 without making the video looked washed out?

A great advantage of VP18 is there is no longer a need to add the 'Levels - Studio RGB to Computer RGB' plugin to the Preview window's FX icon. Instead in VP18, go to File/Properties/Video (tab) and change the Pixel format field to 8-bit (full range). This enables your computer monitor to show what the video will look like on a TV after rendering. Levels previously did this but you had to remember to turn it off prior to rendering otherwise the render would be slightly over-saturated and the blacks blacker than they should be.

I mention this so that your VP is set up with the full-range setting (assuming that your media is 8-bit and not 10-bit) and then color grade from there.

For adjusting shadow areas, try the Gamma and/or Offset in VP's Color Corrector. Alternatively, try Color Corrector (Secondary) first using the Mask functions to highlight the area that to which you want adjustments limited. My go-to tool for this has long been NewBlueFX's ColorFast 2 - it's sort of like the Swiss Army Knife for me. CF2 not only provides a lot of adjustments to the entire image (if needed), but it also has secondary correction functions broken up into 3 specific aspects of the image: Highlights, Midtones, and Shadows. This enables the shadows (or mids or highs) to be deepened or lightened, a tint added, and saturation increased/decreased - all without affecting the mids and highs. CF2 also has a masking function similar to VP's Color Correction (Secondary).

Re the UI/preview window, I haven't noticed any problems with it in VP18 on my current computer or the previous much older and lower spec'd computer that I had when first getting VP18. The one thing that is annoying in VP18 on long projects is that moving/adjusting an audio event on the timeline suffers from lag - but its not as bad now with the current builds than it was on VP18's original release build.

MH7 wrote on 3/26/2021, 8:31 PM

Thanks @Dexcon! I thoroughly appreciate your help! I have fiddled with VP 8 some more and having GPU acceleration on the timeline is so great. Despite my decently powerful PC, VP 15, which doesn’t have it, makes my playing back and editing my 4K25 videos from my Sony AX700 video camera, kinda difficult and like my PC is struggling a bit. It’s not too bad, but comparing it to VP 18, it’s a night and day difference with buttery smooth playing back of those videos at the highest ‘Best’ quality setting in the preview window of VP 18. It’s awesome!

MH7 wrote on 3/26/2021, 10:29 PM

I was thinking about creating another thread about this, but is DVD Architect now included with Vegas Pro Edit? Because I don’t see it mentioned in the product comparison. If it still isn’t, then MAGIX must’ve forgot to mention it. Also, does VP 8 EDIT include a video noise removal tool, apart from the one mentioned on the product page, and does it include a video stabilisation tool? Because I’m trying decide between VP 8 Edit and Pro. Because I currently have VP 15 Edit and may go with pro 18 if the difference between the two are substantial enough.

Former user wrote on 3/26/2021, 10:38 PM

DVD Architect is discontinued. It is not supported or sold anymore.

MH7 wrote on 3/26/2021, 10:42 PM

Wow! When did it become discontinued, and how come VEGAS Pro 18 trial still shows the option for DVD or Blu-ray authoring?

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EDIT: It’s amazing what a little search of these forums can do. I found something that the VCS team mentioned about it. Well, that certainly makes my decision easier.————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

But, just to ask one more question, do the VEGAS Pro 18 versions differ in what video stabilisation they offer?

Former user wrote on 3/26/2021, 10:55 PM

This thread has most of the information about it being discontinued.

https://www.vegascreativesoftware.info/us/forum/no-dvd-architect-with-vegas-pro-18--122836/?page=1#ca787387

MH7 wrote on 3/26/2021, 11:24 PM

@Former user | Thank you! 👍🏻

Dexcon wrote on 3/26/2021, 11:29 PM

@MH7 ... The Product Comparison chart on Vegas Pro's webpage shows the differences between the versions:

https://www.vegascreativesoftware.com/us/vegas-pro/product-comparison/#productMenu

The only difference between Vegas Pro Edit 18 and Vegas Pro 18 is that with the latter you also get Sound Forge Pro 14. If you haven't already got Sound Forge Pro 14 or 15 (recently released) or a good audio editor that you are happy with, then Vegas Pro version could be a very attractive offer at $50.00 USD more than Edit with upgrade pricing. Sound Forge Pro 15 currently costs $319.00 USD (sale price) for a new retail purchase, or $199.00 USD to upgrade from an earlier version.

https://www.vegascreativesoftware.com/us/vegas-pro/features/#productMenu outlines the features in Vegas Pro 18 including its stabiliser.

MH7 wrote on 3/27/2021, 12:52 AM

@Dexcon | Thanks for your help mate! I appreciate it. It’s about AU$56 difference between the upgrade prices of Edit (AU$269) and Pro (AU$325). It is a tad enticing to go with Pro for $56 more but I honestly am fine with just Vegas Pros built-in audio editing options or tools. So, I may just go for Edit.