>>>I upgraded to Vegas 5 with much hope for the publicity blurb by Sony that I could export an EDL or XML file. My question, as a non-expert, is: How? I don't just mean how to save the file, but how do I explain to a professional editor who only has the choice of Avid or Final Cut Pro, what HE has to do to import the file into his software?<<<

First the marketing in reguards to EDL is a bit misleading. Vegas will export a Vegas formated EDL. It is pretty usless for anything outside of Vegas. There is a script out there that will allow for export of a CMX formated EDL however it is very limited. This topic has been discussed a lot so you might want to search for the topic of EDL export and such but briefly the limitations are:

1> All media must be in the same folder on the hard drive as the project files. In other words you can not export an EDL that will allow you to recapture any media in another NLE. Thusly you will also need to hand over the hard drive with all media on it along with your EDL.
2> You are limited to a basic cuts only work contained on one video track. In other words any video below video track one (1) is ignored
3> Audio is limited to one stereo track. In other words if you are trying to export multiple audio tracks you are out of luck.

On the plus side the is a company that makes an EDL conversion program for *audio* only that will convert the audio portion of Vegas's EDL's to other DAW formats.

So to answer the second part of the question: but how do I explain to a professional editor who only has the choice of Avid or Final Cut Pro, what HE has to do to import the file into his software? - you can't really explain it to them because the first responsiblity is with you to supply them with a usable EDL - something that Vegas is not currently very good at doing.

Capture, make sure you name the tapes correctly since the next editor will be recapturing. Do your cuts-only edit in Vegas in an NTSC DV (drop frame) timeline. When done, tools>scripting> export edl. (Filmy, achtung:) This CMX3600-style EDL export functionality is INCLUDED in Vegas 5, there is no separate download for the script or anything else- if you have V5, you are set.

EDL will look like this:

TITLE: Sample edl export
FCM: DROP FRAME
001 ice V C 00:05:07;05 00:05:25;24 00:00:00;00 00:00:18;19
* FROM CLIP NAME: ice - Clip 008
002 ice V C 00:00:02;00 00:00:30;21 00:00:18;19 00:00:47;10
* FROM CLIP NAME: ice - Clip 009
003 ice V C 00:02:40;24 00:03:16;26 00:00:47;10 00:01:23;12
* FROM CLIP NAME: ice - Clip 00blah
004 ice AA C 00:05:07;05 00:05:25;24 00:00:00;00 00:00:18;19
* FROM CLIP NAME: ice - Clip 008
005 ice AA C 00:00:02;00 00:00:22;11 00:00:18;19 00:00:39;00
* FROM CLIP NAME: ice - Clip 009
006 ice AA C 00:02:48;17 00:03:16;26 00:00:55;03 00:01:23;12
* FROM CLIP NAME: ice - Clip 002


Open edl in other editor, re-digitize, finish. As always, do a test edl hand-off early in the process, make sure everything translated correctly between systems. Vegas 5 cut/dissolve EDLS open correctly in Sony XPRI, AVID Symphony, and were also used to finish the feature "Ghosts Never Sleep" (featured in our latest catalog).


XML project export with Sony XPRI was shown at NAB, but no other app can eat Vegas XML at this time.

Thanx to SonyEPM as well as Kleiner & filmy. As long as I know where the deck ends I won't fall off the boat. I expected to hand off the physical drive to the editor with the EDL, and I'll keep the steps to be taken, in mind. Appreciate the attention.

"I expected to hand off the physical drive to the editor with the EDL"

be warned: The next user in the chain will need to recapture the video from the original DV tapes. Neither AVID or FCP can read the timecode in files captured with our capture app (or with each others')

here is just a question on this subject - if you take media Composer out of the picture for a second - here is what you (EPM) said almost one year ago to the day about EDL and Vegas 4:

If you export a Premiere cuts-only project as a CMX 3600 edl, and save that to a single folder where (importantly) all the media is located, it should load in Vegas with events in the right places on the timeline. Vary from this set of requirments and it probably won't work.

and -

Just so everyone is clear about edls and Vegas:

So how much of this is true in Vegas 5? And what are the limits? I was under the impression Vegas 5 had the same limits as far as EDL import/export went unless someone was dealing with XPRI.

On the time code being read issue - without letting any inside workings go - why is it that in footage captured with SCLive the TC can be read with other NLEs, including Vegas, however footage capture with, for example, Vegas the TC info can not be read in other programs? Could it be possible to capture with SCLive, edit in Vegas, and than export an EDL, provide the captured footage on a HD, and have all be well? (Or use the logs created with DV Logger pro even?)

EDL export support has changed in Vegas 5, that's why I pointed it out. My earlier posts tells how to export an EDL that in our tests, generally works well. Cuts and dissolves, no wipes, no cmx-style speed change data- its a cutlist exported in the CMX 3600 format. AVID can open it, XPRI can open it, a Sony HD linear controller can open it, didn't try it in any version of Premiere. We did test NTSC and PAL but most of the testing was with 24p EDL export.

"Could it be possible to capture with SCLive, edit in Vegas, and than export an EDL, provide the captured footage on a HD, and have all be well?"

Maybe, maybe not, has not been tested here so don't assume anything. A Scenalyzer developer asked us about how/where we wrote timecode in our files several eons ago, so perhaps he did something to makes those clips compatible with Vegas as well as (some) other editing apps.

EDL import into Vegas, no changes in version 5, is not supported.

Thanks. Always a pleasure to pick your brain. :)

Sony EPM: Sorry to bug you but I just want to be clear since some of my assumptions so far have cost me about $500. Once I set up the EDL correctly, can I work in my Vegas timeline in 24p, since the cuts and basic dissolves that I work out, merely end up as "pointers" in an EDL file? We shot in 24p on the DVX100, but although that is also NTSC DV, it sounds like a timeline setting of "drop-frame" means I have to turn OFF the "remove pulldown" setting.

Either way, the editor I hand off to, will have to set up his own equipment to capture 24p if that's what we want to end up with. Correct? I'll have to cross my fingers and hope he doesn't balk at having to do the synching of the boom audio as well.

I guess I can live with all this, given that the only way I can really show him the "vision" of the piece will be to create the 100-minute film on the Vegas timeline and print it to tape or DVD for him to view and make notes on, with a copy of the screenplay. I'm a little disgruntled by my late discoveries. Some of the language in the Vegas advertising really did refer to "EDL export" without any qualifications, and there's random comments on the site such as:

"J-H3 HDCAM Player Support -- Capture HDCAM originated footage as downconverted DVCAM directly from the JH-3 deck over i.LINK connector/IEEE-1394. Create DVCAM downconvert proxies, with support for PAL, NTSC, 4:3/16:9, 3:2 pulldown removal and original 24p timecode tracking and export 24p EDLs."

And: "3:2 Pulldown Removal from DV .AVI Files -- Vegas 5 can remove pulldown on 24p to 60i downconverted/telecined DV .AVI files. Edit and mix in true 24p projects, export 24p MPEG-2 for DVD delivery or to 24p project data via .XML or EDL."

Maybe it's just the lawyer in me, but I keep feeling that what I missed was in some very fine print as far as version 5 is concerned.

Anyway--I swore an oath (figurately) never to use Macs or Final Cut so I made my bed and I'm gonna lie in it!

WELL--being a lawyer, I also have to give a summation. Sony would be well advised to look into EDLs with greater import and export functionality. Why?

Because the risk of depressing sales of XPRI pales in comparison to the creation of a two-way highway between and among Avid, FCP, Premiere(?) and Vegas users. Vegas would (1) become the hub of interaction, (2) advertise itself INSIDE the NLEs of other companies by being exportable to other timelines, and (3) would enable users of other NLEs to MIGRATE THEIR OLD AND CURRENT PROJECTS INTO VEGAS.

Need one say more?

This is my problem as well, and unfortunatly I am now forced to go try and learn Avid as I always offload my work to the big boys to online and finish. I love Vegas, and would use it for absolutely all my edits, but if I cant get it to the Avids out there to read my EDLS i am screwed. Maybe I am just expecting to much from Vegas?

"if I cant get it to the Avids out there to read my EDLS i am screwed"

Vegas edls (which are formatted as CMX 3600) open in AVID systems- just run the "Export EDL" script and all should be well. I've personally tested this with DVX Pro and Symphony using Vegas 5.0B; AVID-recaptured media lines up perfectly with the original Vegas edit.

Vegas 5c. Am I missing something here?? Is 5c soon to be released or did you just accidentally let the cat out of the bag??

SonyEPM: Sorry, 5.0B. Early monday typo