Video editing and video card question?

So, I was recently given the gift of a beautiful Samsung X360 in black(was told it was the euro model) and I really love it. It has an external dvd drive which was a pleasant surprise. It very sexy for a laptop, and all my girlfriends are surprise how light, and sexy it is. It even matches my prom dress.

The question I have is I like to do some video editing for fun and stuff. My old comp was a dink first gen MacBook Pro(yuck to big). imovie was nice to use but it wasn't powerful enough for me. So I want to know what is a good software that would give me the ease of imovie, but yet has more power than it.

I read in reviews that the video card this machine is an intel model the 4500hd so it won't be too special, but Im thinking this is newer card, so it should be better than what my MBP had right? Or is that better cause it was not integrated like the intel ones are? Not to mention the ghz(1.4 vs MBP 1.8?) is lower but since it newer tech again it should be faster right? After all it is version 2 of the Core Duo series. I don't want to sell it for something better as I love the, keyboard, size, and weight of this. So this would be better machine than my MB for sure right?
With that said I want a video editing software that can run on it with out making it freeze or something silly like that.

Much thanks Brookedale.

 

Adobe premiere pro cs3/cs4 is pretty good. You can download a trial version and use it for 3 month for free. Your laptop will have no problem running this program smoothly unless you're editing 3-4 1080P video tracks at the same time.

Even my $400 netbook can run it perfectly.

 

Something like this?

(Picked the UK version just 'cause it'd be in English - I'm language-disabled way ).

I've no doubt that the X360 will run circles around your old .MacBook Pro; however, since it only comes with a 1.2GHz processor - the Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor SU9300 (1.20GHz, 800MHz, 3MB) - the bottleneck is most likely going to be the CPU. Put simply, this system will get a bit bogged down with really processor-intensive operations. That being said, the integrated graphics processor (Intel GMA X4500) will also put you at a disadvantage.

On the upside, it does come with 3GB of DDR3 RAM, which should mitigate the bogging down problem because the system will be able to keep much more in active RAM instead of having to constantly use the page file to page data onto and off of the hard drive (however, larger projects will almost certainly require some use of the page file, at which point the 5,400 rpm drive may slow you down - I know that some of the U.S. versions of this system come with an SSD drive, which would be substantially faster than the 5,400rpm drive that's in there now).

For serious video-editing, I found an interesting little webpage that gives a fairly comprehensive (and very up-to-date) rundown on the basic system requirements for doing more serious video-editing here.

Basically, if you're just doing youtube-type stuff, or mucking around with video from your mobile phone, you'll probably be able to edit that video without having the system be intolerably slow; however, it will still be slow.

 

Well...As long as there's no super processor intensive effects/filters attached to multiple hdv tracks at the same time, the *weak* processor should be able to handle the work without a problem.

Editing and authoring a simple blueray disk video will be no problem on your laptop. The final transcoding of the product will take a long time though (probably 5-10 hours).

The actual video editing process doesn't need a powerful computer. A 5 year old computer can do it without a problem (it just need enough ram (1GB+)). When it comes to rendering the product, the faster the computer, the faster the video will render.

 

The Intel 4500MHD isnt great but as long as your not trying to view edits and filters in realtime it should do just fine. I ran Pinnacle Studio 10 on a 6150 GeForce Go without any issues and its requirement for 720P was 128 mb of vram, which of course was shared.

Studio 12's requirements have gone up a bit though, I havent used anything else except Avid Liquid Edition which is a KILLER. SO cant say as for other new and other software.

 

Well I edit the old motion jpeg video files, dv files, and avi format that Olympus uses. I rarely do anything but transitions, credits and a few touchup and such. they are what 640 x 480 files or something? When I first started doing this stuff it was on an old used ibook g4 i got the 14in model with imovie.

So what software is recommended Premier elements, mid-level avid software, pinnacle or something else? I want the easy of use of imovie(dont really want to spend a lot of time learn something new) but with something that has a little more power.

 

What about the Sony Vegas Movie studio software? How good is that for my needs?

 

If your just doing SD edits your all good. Avid who owns pinnacle can be expensive. The best version of Pinnacle Studio 12, Ultimate, was just on sale for the same price as Plus @ 79 bucks. There is a review of Plus on the front page of NBR if you like.

You said you were wanting a tv tuner? Thats how I got 9 (buggy but free) years ago, when i got my desktop tuner. My Laptop Tuner came with 10 Quick Start which was okay, I think this has been largely replaced by their free software but I know 12 has a basic edition as well. 12 seems to be pretty bug free so far, 9 and 10 had plenty of problems I think Avid did good this time around.

Outside of getting software for free with a tuner I am sure their are cheaper solutions todo what you need. Heck even windows movie maker in vista is okay in a bind, import clips (from dv cam as well) combine, basic editing and burning.

EDIT - Looks like Avid dropped Pinnacles tv tuner line up so nothing for free there. I havent tried this but their free software is here http://www.videospin.com/Redesign/ lol

 

I like Vegas the best, it does any resolution so you don tneed Adobe to do HD.

I think its easier to learn/use and its also cheaper last I checked.

Video work is about system ram, hdd speed and cpu speed, I dont think your gpu comes into the picture much at all.

 

Eh, I do lack experience in other software, but pinnacle would argue with that as well as Avid's professional software would definitly argue with that. Pinnacle Studio 12 actually REQUIRES a DX9 (or 10) video card.

Older software never made use of the video card and even Studio 10 it was optional for SD editing. I think Pinnacle/Avid dropped cpu/system ram only to make programming easier as they dont have to code every thing twice.

Appears vegas only wants system ram and dx9 on the software end of things "256 MB RAM (512 MB RAM recommended for HDV and AVCHD)". Looks good for cheap (price range is the same as pinnacle). Go for it.

 

What I mean is my gpu never does anything, its not under load, while my hdd/cpu/sys ram are pushed to the max.

you just need a card capable of running the software DX9 is nothing, so I dont want somebody go buy a $400 gpu thinking its going to make video rendering faster/better when the $40 budget card will work just the same.

When video rendering is gpu accelerated it will make a difference, and it maybe with some programs if using the right drivers/codecs and things but for Vegas and After Effects the two I use I know its not.

 

Well from what I saw I dont think Vegas even needs a DX9 gpu at all it just needs DX9c Installed for its D3D9 libraries. Its kinda like how OpenGL can render using software in the abscence of the appropriate hardware, except this situation is the default.

With Pinnacle Studio 12 I have noticed a greater ability (like it exists and just plain works) to test applied filters and adjustments on the fly. Vegas sounds like the one to go to for the same price and seems less demanding and probably gives you more. I was unsure if I was going to stay with Pinnacle as their previous software just plain had issues.

 

Looks like Vegas has a trail too - http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/products/vegasfamily.asp

May as well try it before you buy it.

I found it to be easier to use and sensible in how it was laid out. I went from knowing nothing to easily editing videos in just a few days with the help of google and searching for some Vegas tutorials.

It was just like 2 or 3 things I didnt figure out on my own I had to learn to let me master the software that I learned in following a tutorial.

I wish I had some of the stuff I made, I lost it when I formatted the wrong partition on a HDD one day

 

Figured id bring this other thing back up. I tried out the Free Pinnacle VideoSpin 2.0. Nice and all, but comes with some limitations. Doesnt do discs, which windows movie maker does, with this comes the lack of dvd menu's. Its also a fixed res app and is slightly taller than my 768 lines of res. It does come with all the standard transitions, some titles, supports adding in sound and pictures. It does not allow for tuner, camera importation.

It will output all the support file formats of Studio 12 Plus but half of them you have to pay for after a 15 day trial, their actually free for me as I have Keys for all of the stuff like MPEG 2,4 MP3 etc. Over all if you merged it and windows movie maker it will still suck worse then cheap paid ones.

Also noticed the download versions of pinnacle costs cheaper rather then 49.99 99.99 and 129.99, their priced at 29.99 69.99 99.99, good deal for us studio users but would probably still go with vegas, besides Ultimate goes on sale for 79.99 a few times a year.

@Vicious i still have half my stuff on Digital Tape. Too much HDD space that DV. The 1TB will soon take care of that as soon as i rig a pass through enclosure with a esata to sata cable, a 4 pin to sata adapter connected to an ide external power supply and then rammed into the cut up WD case with a bit of tape.

 

LOL.. I have like a shoebox full of (H)DV tapes.

BTW...most of the major video editors don't do "disk". You'll need DVD/disk authoring software such as adobe encore or sony dvd architecture to make/author the disk.

Oh btw.. ViciousXUSMC
http://www.elementaltechnologies.com/products/accelerator
http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/405/kb405445.html
There is GPU accerleration on AE and Premiere Pro.

I sort of use it, but since I have integrated graphic card (Ati HD3200, similar to Geforce 8400GS in terms of performance), the rendering time isn't far off from the quadcore processor that I have right now. Also, GPU rendering sometimes glitch up so normally I just use the quadcore CPU to render. If I had something like ATI hd4890x2, then that would be totally a different story.

 

SO I read that the sony software has a pip bug what is that referring to? Could someone show an example of it?

 

First link says quattro only, 2nd link looks like it is refering to open gl stuff not encoding speed.

I have photoshop CS4 and use the open gl acceleration, though it feels kind buggy I think its faster with it off but I keep it on to enable some of the new features.

 

and i can use motion jpeg videos with vegas right?

 

I would say yes without even looking. Very common format even windows movie maker handles it. Used by cheap cameras a decade ago, used by some security systems etc etc all over the place.

 

All I'm saying is that there are already GPU accelerations in both encoding process and the GUI.

Here's another encoding plugin for Premiere for ATI cards.
http://forums.amd.com/amdlive/messageview.cfm?catid=366&threadid=114667

 

yeah it supports it, though I think i maybe had to download a plugin for it. There are tons of free plugins for vegas to make it support just about anything.

 

so is there an interface difference between the top of the line consumer version vs the pro version?

 

The GUI should be roughly the same. Once you know how to use those "Pro" video editors, you know them all. It's like if you know how to use 1 adobe program, you know them all.

 

interesting because sony's website has a slightly different interface for both.

 

Yes. there's a slight difference, but the core graphic layout should be roughly the same.

 

Sony's Comparison - http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/vegaspro/compare

Bang for the buck Vegas Movie Studio Platinum looks like win. The Middle version (Platinum) pretty much lacks bonus content like the audio editing software, audio, extra transitions and stuff.

To make vicious happy I will mention only the 600 dollar pro will handle RED ONE files, from his oh so cheap really expensive camera.

 

I think i am gonna go with the platinum pro pack as it add more feature that could come in handy for me. But yeah their site show a whole different screen layout for both. It seems like the Pro version had the video playing screen, while the others do not, which to me seems more friendlier.

But I want to make sure is this the best bang for the buck or should I go with Adobe Premier, Avid or the pinnacle or the other one?

 

shame apple does not make a software called imovie pro that was like imovie 06 but had some of the more advance features of express and was for all OSes.

 

Comparing Studio 12 Ultimate to the Vegas Platinum with Pro Pack here is what i see.

File format support appears to be about the same, though vegas has some neat youtube support. Vegas looks like it has much better audio tools for editing and restoring. Pinnacle has no directx effects but that doesnt mean they dont have plugins that do the same effects, probably not standard or free. The both support chroma key (green screen).

Go for vegas better and more sound tools, and alot of the bonus content in Studio Ultimate isnt even free its there but half of its still try before you buy filters.

 

that last sentence didn't really make sense. What about ease of use, speed, and reliability? And with Vegas I can directly import to dvd right? Or is that extra? With imovie i was forced to make it to a dv file then use roxio to burn it to dvd(some strange reason iDVD would not work of me and my movie, not mention I found Roxio to be the better software).

 

Vegas and Pinnacle burn straight to DVD or BluRay (unless you get the cheapest version of vegas). You can create an iso instead if you want for storage of the final product in pinnacle I would assume Vegas as well if not theres tools for supplementing that ability.

Cant speak for vegas but Studio 12 is the best version from pinnacle yet and on this machine flys through anything I throw at it.

 

Thank you. I thought I was screwed with this comp and video editing but I guess not. This girls is now happy yay!

Can anyone else tell me about vegas speed, reliability, and this picture in picture issue I read about while google the software? Also maybe a screen shot of this pip issue would be awesome.

 

I am not aware of that issue and its never happened to me, so cant really help you.

Reliability, its never crashed on me or locked up. I did have a codec issue once but that was my fault not the programs.

Speed is just as fast as your computer can make it.

 

Note that 12 flys on my current machine, would be slow on my laptop from 2 years ago. Plus or Ultimate does PiP btw.

Requirements read like this:
XP SP2/3 or Vista SP1
- 1.8Ghz Pentium or Athlon, 2.4 Ghz recommended
- Dual Core Required for Vista
- Core 2 Duo 2.4 Ghz Req or AVCHD, 2.66 for AVCHD 1920 (their site actually says 2.66 quad, box does not).
- 1gb ram, 2gb required for AVCHD and/or vista.
- DX 9 or 10 GPU with 64 mb ram, (128 recommended, 128 required vista, 256 for HD AVCHD).

The requirements for vegas are alot lower.

 

BTW if you decide Studio 12 is worth looking at the 129.99 Ultimate version is currently 79.99 with free shipping @ Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Pinnacle-Studio-Ultimate-Version-12/dp/B001AMSZSQ

Of course I should note that Sony Vegas Movie Studio 9 Platinum Pro Pack is 74.99 with free shipping @ Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Vegas-Movie-Studio-Platinum/dp/B001CPHTAQ/ref=pd_cp_sw_1

Excuse me while i slash my own throat for overpaying again.

 

LOL.. 1920AVCHD requires a 2.66 quad?

I believe I can play something like 10-15 1920AVCHD at the same time with my 2.2ghz quad.

 

Can you rotate them 90 degree's, adjust white balance, apply a sharpening filter and use transitions between clips while your watching it, prior to it being actually rendered into a final product (on the fly)?

As the box doesnt say quad, i think its a typo on the site. never noticed until NBR released a review yesterday and said it and im like lol wut. I will get some sample source to play with and let you know.

 

Yes..
Rotating it will actually reduce the cpu ussage. Adjusting white balance can be partially accelerated by the GPU. The only part that'll require more CPU power is sharpening the video which can also sometimes be acclerated by the GPU. Transitions are nothing and quite a number of them can be fully processed by the GPU.

So edinting 10 tracks of HDV at the same time should be a breeze on this $300USD quadcore machine that I built couple month ago. The most expensive part of the quadcore desktop is the case costed me $75USD.

 

So, there is an internet guide(w/pics for free) i could read about how to using this software.

Brookedale.

 

I'm not sure, but I think it's being discussed, so I'll just interject a little of what I've come over through my research. Basically, if you're doing any Video/Photo editing, I believe (not 100% sure on all this) is that the CPU is the one under load, and will most likely be the bottleneck. GPU has less influence on the speed of the rendering UNLESS the GPU is a workstation GPU with the correct drivers to do so. There are differences, I believe there's an indepth article somewhere that goes for Workstation vs Gaming GPUs. Workstation GPUs basically are made for graphics like AutoCAD, Maya, Photoshop, and other things in that field, so are specialized with drivers specific to working with those. Don't get my wrong, gaming GPUs also have a bit of that, but I do not think it will influence renders that much compared to having simply a faster CPU.
Now in your case, the Macbook Pro had a faster CPU, its faster, the only thing the new tech will do is reduce heat and TDP I think. I mean GHz is the standard consumer measure of clockspeed of a CPU, and I am assuming that Macbook Pro also was a dual core CPU as the one you have now, perhaps the difference might be in the FSB, but that should be minimal perhaps.
That's just my say in all this, hope it helps some if you haven't gotten any yet.

 

On pinnacles studio 12 With gpu support enabled it does not have to be a workstation gpu. Workstations GPU's are nothing but altered and overpriced variants of gaming gpus. Workstation gpu's in their field require several things that off the shelf gpu's arent suited for out of the box. Properly written software will overcome most of this with a sacrifice to performance.

I have the hardware acceleration enabled in pinnacle but if its using it, im not doing anything heavy at this point so i doubt its putting a strain on either. Just editing sd video for now.

 

Workstation GPU are also double precisioned in floating point calculations.

 

All the nvidia ones I have seen use normal cores is the fpu unit a seperate chip on a gpu or are they just enabling something already there?

 

I believe it's the latter. Since I've seen mod which turns a nvidia quadro to geforce card before.

 

Uh, I doubt that is true. My MBP has a Core Duo, which i don't even think was a 64bit cpu. I am pretty sure that ghz means nothing or that 3ghz P4 my friend has would wipe the floor of many new computers, or a by that notion my friends Sony Vaio P with the 1.6ghz cpu would be faster than my machine both running Windows 7 now. But neither of those are the case.


So is there like any internet manual i can read to better learn Vegas? Also, is there any intel or 3rd party drivers I can use to improve performance?

Brookedale

 

anyone? please?

 

dont they have one on this site?>

 

What about Corel Video Studio that may be right for you? How does it compare to Vegas?