Video Editing Questions

[onfloat]

Alright, I finally got my video set up going. A sony Digital 8 (TRV-103) in a slightly modified Light & Motion "SeaHawk-TR" housing. I have taken some video and I'm pleased witht the results. My questions are;
1) What seems to be the video editing software of choice?

2) When not using video lights, use a color correcting filter or use the editing software to make color corrections?

3) What is the biggest issue with doing video editing? I have had my computer just shut down right in the middle of a project.

I'm currently playing with Ulead Video Studio 7. Oh and I'm on a PC not a MAC.

 

[ronrosa]

I like Vegas. They have a free trial version you can download.

Use the filter 1st, edit in software later if necessary.

Not sure what you mean about editing issues. I haven't had any hardware or software issues. If you are quick with computers, you can edit a basic video very quickly.

 

[meekal]

RONROSA's hit it on the head, 'cept i like PremierePro - it's a resource hog, but is very stable.

 

[Eric Cartman]

Hey mate.
You are wasting your time with a PC.
First thing: GET A MAC and start using Final Cut Pro - that's the way to go.
If your camera does not have White Balance control underwater you can do very good corrections with Final Cut Pro.
Cheers.

 

[PerroneFord]

*sigh*

PC's or Macs are fine for editing. While Final Cut Pro is certainly a fine program, it's not the only one out there.

I've done hundreds of hours of video editing in Premire, and am starting to gain time in Vegas 6. Both are fine for most uses. When I started using Premiere (after using Canopus) I really missed the real-time displays of color and luminance. Vegas has brought that back to me, and it's nice to have. I have not used PremierePro, so I don't know if this is included.

I find Premiere more intuitive, but that's just me. Some don't find it intuitive at all. I probably cut 30 hours of video with it before I read a book. Premiere is far better supported in the market than anything else. Including FCP, though that program has good support as well. If you go looking for Vegas support, you'll be looking a while. For some, this is ok. It is for me because I get paid to use it. Might be different if I had to do it on my own.

I don't shoot underwater video, but if I did, I'd certainly use lights. Lighting is the second most critical aspect of capturing images, right after lens quality. I am loathe to say use a filter first, because unless the filter is of excellent quality, less light will reach the lens, and you might introduce distortions in the captured images with a poor filter.

The biggest issues with editing video are:

A. CPU speed. You are pushing around over 13GB per hour of video. You're going to need a CPU that can cope. If you can get a dual CPU machine, use one.

B. RAM. Get all you can. I use 4GB in my video machine.

C. Disk Performance. You are using a LOT of disk for the video. Get disks that are as fast as possible. Use hardware based RAID if you can.

D. Dedicated hardware. I know this is hard for most people, but keep other programs off the machine. NOTHING runs better than a PC (or Mac) with only the video software and NOTHING else on it. I wouldn't even connect my machine to the internet if I didn't have to. Anti-virus, anti-spam, firewalls, etc. drag down machine performance.

E. VTR. I know this is out of range for a lot of folks, but if you can buy a seperate tape machine, you'll take the load off your camera. You will struggle here because you've gone with Digital8 instead of DV. Not my place to say, but I don't think that's a good choice long term. Using the tape transport over and over again can be a real issue, and you'll wear out your camera this way.

Best of luck to you.

 

[limeyx]

*sigh*

...
I don't shoot underwater video, but if I did, I'd certainly use lights. Lighting is the second most critical aspect of capturing images, right after lens quality. I am loathe to say use a filter first, because unless the filter is of excellent quality, less light will reach the lens, and you might introduce distortions in the captured images with a poor filter.

...
Best of luck to you.

I agree on the lights/filter question (my lights arrive next week
If i use a red filter deeper than 80-90 feet then all I usually get is black. Of course, this is in our southern california waters. Results in Hawaii/Bahamas may vary

 

[bluesbro1982]

*sigh*

I don't shoot underwater video, but if I did, I'd certainly use lights. Lighting is the second most critical aspect of capturing images, right after lens quality. I am loathe to say use a filter first, because unless the filter is of excellent quality, less light will reach the lens, and you might introduce distortions in the captured images with a poor filter.

The biggest issues with editing video are:

A. CPU speed.

B. RAM. Get all you can. I use 4GB in my video machine.

C. Disk Performance

D. Dedicated hardware.

E. VTR.

Best of luck to you.

Perrone, you make some good points.

Personally, i teach and use both Final Cut pro and Premiere Pro for Mac / PC. As far as ease-of-use, I find they are both about equal, but FCP seems to be easier for students to learn for whatever reason, probably because its on a Mac.

The previous poster who said fcp was the only way to go is a mac zealot. So am i, but You can use premiere just fine, and I know plenty of people who shoot weddings and the like on Premiere. That being said, 70% of the entrance to last years Cannes edited on FCP, so go figure.

Another program that works very well (And that is used for a lot of outdoor specials) is AVID studio, but that is kind of expensive.

As far as color correction goes, Perrone is right in saying that you should not use a red filter unless you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you will have pelnty of light AND lighting conditions wont change when going to depth. Since you 90% f the time dont know that, I would say leave the filter off and capture as much light as possible. In the past, before digital color correction to the masses, you'd need / want a red filter. However, with FCP and premiere doing it in realtime (Premiere Pro 2 does it realtime depending on your hardware), you should do it in software unless you have a compelling reason not to. Maybe a *light* red filter would make adjustments a bit less necessary and would give you a baseline with more wiggle room.

Something I would add to your "wish list" is an NTSC monitor! I've done color correction/post for more than a few local and regional things, and having a real honest-to-god TV monitor is essential for knowing what it REALLY looks like. Keep in mind that NTSC stands for Never The Same Color - every TV has its quirks, cheap TV's from wal mart that come with the reds turned almost all the way up at the factory to make the skin tones look "richer" being the most egregious example.

Sorry to say, but i agree with Perrone on digital8. DV is the way to go. it is the future and it is here, so see what you can get. I love the Panasonic DVX-100B for most work above water as the lenses are excellent and it has a couple XLR inputs for audio. Below h20 I don't have any recommendations for a "compact" unit.

Good luck and good filming... PM me if you like

 

[Rick Inman]

1) What seems to be the video editing software of choice?

2) When not using video lights, use a color correcting filter or use the editing software to make color corrections?

3) What is the biggest issue with doing video editing? I have had my computer just shut down right in the middle of a project.

I'm currently playing with Ulead Video Studio 7. Oh and I'm on a PC not a MAC.

1) I use Premier also. I've worked on Veges, Video Toaster and Avid, and each have their pros and cons. I enjoy integrating After Effects.

2) I don't shoot underwater, but I am loathe to say to correct in post. It is not a good habit to start assuming that "I'll just fix it post." Shoot right and edit easy. I have spent too many late hours trying to turn bad footage into usable footage. Shoot right, edit easy. Lights, lights, lights. Ebay something and buy the right lights. There is no perfect answer here, and (although it sounds like a contradiction) there are some color/saturation/chroma/balance issues fixable with software (again, I like After Effects).

3) I have F12 programed as "save" and I hit it by habit every couple of minutes. Save, save, save. If you don't know why, you'll find out. I totally agree with PerroneFord's A, B, C, D & E. You can get an acceptable VTR (sometimes, used) at B&H for a fair price. Otherwise, go to Walmart and but a cheap cam to use just for playback.

 

[Rick Inman]

Something I would add to your "wish list" is an NTSC monitor! I've done color correction/post for more than a few local and regional things, and having a real honest-to-god TV monitor is essential for knowing what it REALLY looks like. Keep in mind that NTSC stands for Never The Same Color - every TV has its quirks, cheap TV's from wal mart that come with the reds turned almost all the way up at the factory to make the skin tones look "richer" being the most egregious example.-)

This is so true. I have a couple of NTSC monitors, but often end up starring at the stack of different "TVs" to see what it will look like to the viewer. It's amazing how much filtering and "enhancing" those TVs do to the picture. No two TVs are alike. Do some searching on "black level", which North America NTSC TV's, VCR's and other equipment are designed for a black level of "7.5 IRE.

 

[onfloat]

Thanks, all.
I got the Digital 8
1) because it was on the clearance shelf
2) The housing was designed for the Sony TR cameras and I only had to modify the lens position for the camera.
3) It had LANC- so did the housing.
4) I'm just getting started.

Strangely enough I picked up a JVC mini-DV off the same clearance shelf, same day. It just doesn't work in the housing very well--too small.

I have forgone the filter that is in the housing, because the camera doesn't have a manual white balance and the color kept shifting through out the video. I did just get the lights that came with the housing fixed, so that should help, ( I hope).

Frankly, since I'm doing this for my own gratification and not for pay, I will probably go with the ULead Video Studio stuff for now. I did download the Vegas 6 trial version and I was a little overwhelmed, (I'm a simple jarhead ) Maybe after I spend a few more dollars on my tech diving equipment I can upgrade. I do appreciate your advice and inputs, after all I asked.