Scripting tools always are workflow boosters. And Excalibur is a great one of it.
You don't get really new functions from a certain point of few - but lots of functions which would need lots of actions are build in one single action then.

Marco

How popular is it and do u guys use it?

Is it worth buying?

Bit

I do a lot of multicam edits and photomontages. This program makes it possible to get the edits done on a timely basis and allows extra time to be spent where it needs to be. For $100 it is well worth the money in my opinion.

Hi,

I purchased it, but never use it. The multi-cam feature is pretty useless in my opinion becuase it's not real time in the way I thought it would be. You have to name tracks and place things in a certain order to get it to work correctly and you can't see the track you've cut to like you can with FCP or a live switcher. It basically just puts down markers then goes and makes the cuts after you finish. I've heard that program from VASST is a bit better (can't think of the name of it right now) but I've never tried it.

Save your $100.

Jeff

> What does Excalibur have that Vegas does not have?

Excalibur is a collection of scripts that can automate various tasks in Vegas. Scripts don’t contain anything that Vegas doesn’t, rather they increase you productivity by performing a number of tasks with one push of a button.

> I've heard that program from VASST is a bit better (can't think of the name of it right now) but I've never tried it.

The program from VASST is Ultimate S and has some similar and different capabilities from Excalibur. It is also available as a trial.

~jr

Are you using an old version of Excalibur?

The newer versions 3 and 4 have a tally system allowing you to view which camera is selected. Version 4.5 with Vegas 6.0b allows real time switching as the timeline is playing.

Naming the tracks is not really a big deal. Each camera just needs to be labeled with a number. I find it helps me keep track.

I have Excalibur. I use it and it saves a lot of time. Time is money, hence you save money. I highly recommend it to anyone. With Vegas 6, the multi-cam feature is better than ever. I can hit the transition I want, there is only a slight delay, the camera switches, it continues to play, then I can switch to my next shot. There are other tools as well. Lots of cool time saving stuff. Try it out. I'm sure you will want to purchase Excalibur once you have tried it.

Good luck.

Steve

All great replies with lots of interest.

Seems like a well known tool to use...

Has anyone tried Ultimate S and compared it with Excalibur?

Bit

I use Excalibur's one-second fade-in / fade-out buttons more than anything else.

I say if you do 2cam edits get something like double-take. Perfect for 2 cam edits.

if you're doing 3 or 4 Cam edits UltimateS2 or Excalibur (latest version) Would be good to look into.

Just download the trials & decide for yourself which you like better.

I chose UltimateS2 because it worked best for me & it came w/ so much extra Stuff.

Dave

I have used the multi-cam wizard in Excalibur for a number of 3-camera edits and it saved many hours of time. I'm using an older version of Excalibur with Vegas 4.

I could not imagine living without Excalibur. It has saved me hours of work. The multi cam function is great as well especially when you have more than 4 cameras. I tested the Ultimate S and found Excalibur features more useful for how I work and what I do.

Marc

Gotta say that for a multitude of reasons I prefer Ultimate S. New version is pretty badass. There have been comparisons of both side by side but that was before their new version(s). Here's a pretty decent article that should give you an idea about Ultimate S:

http://www.jimcoaddins.com/reviews/ultimates/default.aspx

- Ray


www.undergroundplanet.com

FWIW, Stan Harrington just won the "Best of Show" from the Action In Film festival in Long Beach, CA. He also won Best Screenplay and Best Actress.
He used the Ultimate S plugin for his color processing.

Great to have so much variety and choice!

Bit

I use Excalibur every time I am editing. The multi-camera is great. Big time saver.

Can more scripts be added to Exca.?