Best first editing software!!

[reefrat]

Anyway...hopefully reefrat will figure out what he wants to do soon so we can see some of that video! I think on that, we all agree. [/QUOTE]

I'm still trying to figure out what your all talking about!!!!!! LOL

Seriously the terminology and jargon is all a bit confusing and intimidating for someone who understands some basic digital still stuff and not much more about using a PC than the usual m/soft office programs at work?!

I'm not really sure where to start, but seriously thinking about putting the HDV aside for a while and borrowing a Sony mini-dv camera that is not getting used at present(HC 90 or something) to start again. Maybe I can then use my Laptop, Sony or pinnacle software and hopefully learn some thing about editing before I try HDV again!

At the end of the day I only want to produce clear, colourful, and hopefully interesting
short videos to look at myself and show family and freinds!
If it wasn't for the impending redundancy of SD television (or so I'm told) I would probably be happy with SDV indefinitely!

I looked at some video I shot in Bonaire on a huge Plasma screen in HDMI (straight from the camera) and again in SD using the RCA cord- what a difference!!!
If I showed SDV from the normal Sony HC90 camera on this television would it look this grainy and fuzzy or is SDV friom a HDV camera lower quality than SDV from an SDV camera?? Have I managed to confuse anyone else??

 

[Empty V]

Reefrat, each camera is different and will output a different looking image. Mostly it has to do with the image sensor in the camera and the lens quality. SD(no such thing as SDV as an acronym) is just a resolution, HDV is what I like to call a nightmare for the professional world. When you take an SD image and put it on an HDTV you are doing what is called up-converting or upressing. You're taking an image of a lower resolution (most likely 640x480) and displaying it on a screen that is of a higher resolution(1024x768-1920x1080). This causes more grain than on a SDTV with an SD image because there is "missing information" so the TV has to fill in the gaps. Plus you could be putting out a low quality image from you camera. If you think of it like this if you draw a happy face on a balloon and then blow it up, the lines will not be as defined and stretch out. That is what you're doing to a SD signal on a HDTV. There is a lot more to it than that but this should be an easier way to understand what is going on.

Sorry it's early and if this doesn't make any sense I apologize.


Billy

 

[billwil]

That's a good explaination of upconverting, Empty V. I'll address some of reefrats other questions/comments.

reef...first of all, I would not shy away from HDV just because of editing. Here's a couple of reasons. First, most, if not all, HDV camcorders will output DV via the firewire, even if you recorded HDV (at least I know all of the Sonys do this). What that buys you is the ability to "future-proof" your footage...edit DV now, but still have all of your original footage in HDV. Now, to do this, your camera has to be decent at the downcoversion process...but downconverting is much easier to maintain quality than upconverting. There are a couple of reasons you may want to downconvert your footage to DV for now: 1) SD DVDs and equipment is much more prevelant today, so editing an SD (even keep it widescreen if you choose) program and outputing to DVD is easy, cheap, and ubiquitous today...HD is more expensive and complicated (i.e. show it from a PC, from a camera, or from an HDDVD or Bluray Disc). 2) Editing SD requires less hardware, and takes less rendering time. 3) The footage can still look good. That said, as long as your laptop is relatively new, you shouldn't have a really difficult time editing HDV, especially if you use an intermediate format, but you will need to count on extremely long rendering times, but you can render while you sleep. Also, I should mention that there is one major drawback to recording in HDV for editing/rendering in SD...the fact that HDV uses i-frames means a momentary dropout on tape can ruin a clip (because up to a half second of video can be corrupted) that might not be noticed if recording in DV. This is low risk, though, if you use high quality tapes. I've had one dropout in over 40 or so hours of HDV using Sony cameras and very high quality panasonic tapes (nothing necessarily special about these tapes...any very high quality tape should do you right). This feature of the camera also allows you to do this with your HDV footage that you already have. One last note...besides the faster hardware needed, SD footage is not easier to edit on the timeline than HD footage...the process is exactly the same...so don't worry about that part of it. Again, once you start to render your program...then you'll see a difference.

Okay, another option is (and I'm not positive about the HC5...but it should be the same) to record from your HC5 in DV rather than HDV if your serious about starting with DV. You get all the benefits of a fairly nice camera, a nice sensor, etc., but also get to record in DV, edit in DV, etc.

Now...on to your other comments. Don't get discouraged. If you think you will enjoy doing this, take it slow, make some mistakes, and learn from them, and all of the other stuff (like understanding terminology, etc.) will come because you'll be in a place in your learning curve where it makes sense to you...and it will click. Learning how to work on a timeline editing video is not the most natural thing in the world when Photoshop and Microsoft Excel has been your past on computers...this whole timeline thing, with the added dimension of change over time, multiple ways to do transitions, cuts, clips, media management, etc., etc., etc., is daunting...it was for all of us. That's why I say, don't get discouraged, start trying it. Heck, if you really want to go basic to start, capture your clips from the camera in DV format (SD) and use Windows Movie Maker...which is built into Windows XP and Vista...and start there. I have a hard time using it myself, because I am used to something else, but maybe its simplicity will get you started. Note my comments about my first use of Vegas...how it just clicked with me and all of a sudden I was productive...that will happen with you if you just get started using something....anything, and you'll learn what you like and don't like.

Bottom line...you have no deadlines...so take it easy and start somewhere. Make a 1 minute video using Windows Movie Maker or a trial of Premier Elements, or of Vegas Movie Studio, or Pinnacle, etc., about a creature that you got a a few minutes worth of footage on. Make some cuts, different angles (if you have the footage), try not to dwell too long from the same angle, and get some experience under your belt. Your first little video will probably suck (most of mine still do ), but you'll be better at it, and you'll realize what you didn't shoot while underwater and wish you had...so next time your recording, you'll get better coverage and footage, etc. Starting with something small like this will decrease the amount of footage you have to review (daunting task) and catalog (tag, note, etc.), the amount of time you spend in the timeline, and the amount of rendering time...so you can get it done within a day or two rather than having this big daunting task of producing a 5 minute program from 60 minutes of footage...which you may never get around to (this is one of the plusses of deadlines) .

Anyway, don't get discouraged. Just enjoy the learning process.

Good luck...and again, let us see that little program when your done...

Bill~

 

[reefrat]

I will be back home in a week (working away at the moment) and will have another crack at editing my Bonaire stuff- as you suggested, I will buy some software and start with a small sketch (on the Hilma Hooker wreck).. see what happens!

Forums like this provide invaluable support for people for people trying to break into a new field of procrastination- thanks all for the efforts made in replying to my post and I will return with some footage when I can.

 

[pakman]

Reefrat, I was (still am!) in a similiar situation as you. I just picked up a HC7 and housing awhile back and I was VERY new to video period! The video technology jargon and processes are a bit overwhelming at the start!!

You've got some great advice above. I'd recommend you try downloading a trial of various NLE's and just play around with them with your current footage. Make a short movie with a handful of clips. Play with the transitions, maybe play with color correction, add in some music, and just get a feel for the editing workflow... good luck!