Proxy files

Eugenia wrote on 7/18/2007, 5:34 PM

Could someone point me on the exact workflow on how to replace proxy files with originals under vegas movie studio? I searched the net but couldn't find any tutorial about that. On other editors I could just edit the project file and search/replace the filenames, but on VMS8 I can't edit .vf files. Any help is appreciated. Thx.

Comments

IanG wrote on 7/19/2007, 1:54 AM

I don't understand what you're trying to achieve. The proxy files are just a graphical representation of the volume levels - they're not copies of anything. Right clicking on the audio track gives you the option of editing a copy of the audio - are you trying to revert back to the original?

Ian G.

Eugenia wrote on 7/19/2007, 2:17 AM

Sorry, I was not clear it seems. I am interested in using video proxy files, not audio. For example, soon I will be dealing with progressive HDV 24p video on my VMS8, and these files are heavier than normal interlaced HDV files (which already put a strain on my PC). So the idea is to render smaller resolution files out of these big HDV clips, and then use these for editing, and only at the last step, before you render the final video out, you replace these smaller "proxy" clips with the original HDV ones. I am not sure what the workflow is on Vegas about this particular trick.

Chienworks wrote on 7/19/2007, 3:58 AM

Hmmm. I don't think that 24p would be any more strain than 24i. It's still the same amount of data and pixels either way.

One thing i've done in this case is to make the proxy files the same name with the same extension in a separate directory. Do all your editing using the smaller files in the other directory. Then when you're ready to render, close the project and rename the other directory. When you open the project again Vegas will complain that it can't find the files. Use the option to specify a new location and point to the original directory. Since the original file names are the same Vegas will find them all in one step and use them instead of the smaller proxy files.

IanG wrote on 7/19/2007, 5:06 AM

Another possibility would be to look at "takes" - I've never used them in anger, but they might help.

Ian G.

Eugenia wrote on 7/19/2007, 12:40 PM

Chienworks, good idea, thanks.

IanG, the "takes" feature won't help, because they load in the same timeline multiple video files and so a slow-down will happen during playback/tests, which is why I am trying to avoid with the proxy files.

The trick of renaming the file folder and replacing it with the real HDV files before rendering should work though.

MSmart wrote on 7/19/2007, 4:52 PM

One question about this process.... Does VMS look at video files based on timecode or by frames? If the "real" file and "proxy" file don't match exactly (frame in/out), edit points won't be the same.

4eyes wrote on 7/19/2007, 5:04 PM

I am not sure what the workflow is on Vegas about this particular trick.
When I have used a proxy file I'll save the project with the proxies, and then perform another project save to a new project filename (different project file name which will now be the original video(s) after you perform a replace). This way I can always go back to the proxy project if necessary for any corrections/additions/changes.
But, when ready to replace then under the "Project Media" window I right click on the proxy file and select "Replace", then choose the original file, (usually my HDV video file).

There is also some more information in the help file under "Replace Media".

Eugenia wrote on 7/19/2007, 5:12 PM

It's nice to have this "replace" function, but if you have about 50 or 100 clips from your previous capture in the bin, then it will take a long time to replace them all... The "replace" function is only useful if only few of your clips were actually proxy files. Otherwise, doing it manually by renaming the folders might be a faster way, I just don't know if there is something special about the "replace" function rather than doing it manually.

Chienworks wrote on 7/19/2007, 7:46 PM

MSmart, Vegas uses relative timecode, starting each file at 0:00:00;00. So as long as the clips start at the same frame and are long enough to cover what's used on the timeline, they'll swap perfectly fine.

In fact, i often render my proxy files at half-framerate to keep them even smaller. The still work fine as long as you don't need frame-accurate editing decisions on the odd frames that are missing. Even then, if you guess it right, it works perfectly.