Vegas 5 cannot RAM preview HD? Clip link attached.

theigloo wrote on 5/19/2004, 2:25 PM

I have created this clip with After Effects. It is uncompressed 720p. I zipped it and it's a 25 meg download.

The issue is that if I create a like-sized Vegas project and drop it on, it does not give me 29.97 fps playback in a RAM preview.

This must be a bug. Sony - please comment.

Matt

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rmack350 wrote on 5/20/2004, 12:00 PM

Rerendered the AEFX file using the project's frame rate. Still plays fine.

Rob Mack

theigloo wrote on 5/20/2004, 12:17 PM

Sony EPM,

Right you are! You have to add an effect and set it to do nothing, and then RAM preview. I just tested it on my peice-o-crap machine at work and got 29.97 fps at Best(Full) setting.

As far as I'm concerned, this is a bug. Vegas should RAM preview no matter what. It should not try to outsmart me by thinking that if it's raw footage, no preview needs to be done. If I want my frames in RAM, I should be able to put them there.

I'm glad there's a fairly simple workaround though.

Thanks for responding.

rmack350 wrote on 5/20/2004, 1:35 PM

Not having your experience here. RAM preview is working on raw footage.

Render your AEFX files as RGB+Alpha.

Rob Mack

theigloo wrote on 5/20/2004, 2:27 PM

If you render with an alpha channel, Vegas considers the alpha as an effect and then builds the RAM preview. There's no way I want to render out of AE with an alpha channel unless I want something to be transparent.

If you drop the clip that I posted on the timeline and RAM render, it pretends to RAM render, but it actually does nothing. (Fire up a task manager and notice that your RAM usage does not change). You end up with the 10fps garbage that started this posting.

If you add an effect (like brightness/contrast) and set it to do nothing, then Vegas will build your RAM preview (you will see the RAM usage jump on the task manager). You will get perfect 29.97 fps playback.

I have now repeated this on 3 machines.

rmack350 wrote on 5/20/2004, 2:51 PM

I see. Good explanation. So why not render with alpha? Seems easier-Except that you have to pay attention to it in AEFX. At least it plays back well if you drop it in Vegas.

But I think we can agree that Vegas ought to build a RAM preview for you no matter what.

In playing with this I see that playing a loop is the same as RAM preview. Slower of course but Vegas is caching frames as it goes and if you loop a small enough area you'll end up with a RAM preview. Why Vegas won't cache an uncompressed AVI without alpha I don't know. Bug? Buglike? Intrinsic limitation? Don't know. But it looks like you could save yourself a headache for now if you render from AEFX with alpha. But keep talking to support. Obviously rendering HD uncompressed with alpha adds another 33% to the file size.

Rob Mack

theigloo wrote on 5/20/2004, 3:16 PM

I think it's much easier to just add an effect like the EPM says.

TheHappyFriar wrote on 5/20/2004, 3:41 PM

You could put an effect on the project level. Then you wouldn't need to think about it. :)

rmack350 wrote on 5/20/2004, 3:57 PM

Yep. That forces caching frames to RAM. RAM previews will always work and looping a range will also start working.

How does this affect final renders? I'm out of time to fool with this today but I suspect this could make renders longer if Vegas never just copies footage.

Rob Mack