AVI File Help

[Suzie]

OK ... I'll admit it up front ... I'm new at this (sigh!)

I just downloaded the latest 5.8.01 version of Sony's PMB program. My main goal is capturing from video. I've never used this program or anything similar. I'm trying to capture a photo to repair my Christmas card.

So, when I try and go through the steps for this I get the error message:

CANNOT OPEN AVI THE FILE FORMAT IS NOT SUPPORTED (another pitful sigh )

I looked for a solution at Sony, but nothing worthy.

I started sniffing around on the net and found INSTALLIQ CODECS and of course ... downloaded it. I have no idea if this a a solution or more trouble. I'm not sure how it works or what I have to do to make it work.

Can one of you smarties out there please give a girl a break and help me out? Maybe I should REMOVE the INSTALLIQ and do something else? At some point I want to mix stills with video and make slideshows. I'm still looking for an adequate program so I can also add several audio files. I have talent ... just no technical sense.

Please help me if you can

[Cornucopia]

First, remove that InstallIQCodec thing. Codec packs are much more trouble than they're worth.

Then, getting back to the original question at hand:

You want to go from your camera (WHAT KIND? MODEL?) to your PC so you can DO WHAT with a Christmas Card?

There are MANY, MANY apps that can take either Firewire capture, USB capture or Smartcard file copying to get from your camera to the PC. Sony PMB is a common consumer app, but not necessarily the most appropriate or capable (paricularly for your needs). And what's best for Videos isn't necessarily best for Photos.

I know about PMB, as I have a number of staff at work that work with it and I have to update/corral/workaround/bypass it a whole LOT, plus give a little training to them about alternatives and using the right tool for the right job (of course, that entails knowing WHAT the job is).

Give us more info about your gear, your expectations, intentions and goals...

Scott

edit: Oh, and don't download more stuff unless you're absolutely sure it's necessary. Click-happy users are by far the largest reason I have to regularly deal with Virus removal.

[Suzie]

Dear Scott,

THANKS for replying to my question.

My husband video taped our entire family photo session for our x-mas card. He used our Nikon D90 to video on a tripod and our daugter put her camera on a tripod, right next to our camera, and used her remote to take pictures. We just didn't get a lot of shots from her camera to work with. We have a 3 month old baby and our daughter's clicks missed the smiles.

My goal is to use the video and capture "smile" shots of three un-happy faces Our daughter did a great job capturing the adult smiles, but the kids weren't so happy. I can see spots on the video where the kids were smiling ... I want to capture those shots, crop, edit, etc., and "fix" the picture by adding these captured stills. My daughter and I are very good at photo editing and "fixing," but this video capturing is new to us. My husband suggested PMB because it came with one of our cameras. There was a Nikon disc, but that didn't offer much.

I've removed the InstallIQ ... Yes, you are correct ... I was desparate and wanted an easy out ... I should know by now there is no such thing!

Also, I've noticed the video is blurry (ugh!) When I view the video on our TV it's fine, but in this program it's blurry.

Any help you can offer or program suggestions would be great. I'm happy to remove PMB if so desired. I'm in the early stages of this. Currently, I'm just using PRINT SHOP 23.1 Pro Publisher Deluxe for photo editing. Although, it's not the best. I'm up for suggestions.

If you can put the dots really close together I'd appreciate anything you can offer. I simply can't mail this x-mas card out with those three glum faces.

THANKS! THANKS! THANKS!

Suzie

[Suzie]

Whoopsie ... I forgot to mention this from the video properties:

Video Aspect Ration = 80:53

Motion JPEG Format

I clicked on the video and this was the information. I don't know if it helps.

[Cornucopia]

Can't write much right now, as I have to go give a training, but what I'd do is get a copy of MediaInfo, which will give GREAT DETAIL about the properties of the video files you're capturing. Then post a text of the output of that app.

For Photo editing, Photoshop is the gold standard, but if you want something close that's free, I'd suggest "Paint.Net". Don't know much about PrintShop's photo editor (I thought all they did was greeting card creation). Probably heavily template-based, if I remember my Printshop.

Many, many video applications can do a "screen capture" (aka export a single frame from a video sequence), so it's really a matter of: knowing what your material really is, using an app that supports such material as input, providing a high-quality BMP export from that app.

I'll get back to you, but in the meantime, see what MediaInfo has to say (and that's a good program to have installed - light footprint, quick, non-intrusive, informative and that's all.

Scott

[Suzie]

I know I'm being super dumb right now, but I tried downloading the MediaInfo and this is the error message I got:

MediaInfo_GUI_0.7.50_Windows_x64.exe is not commonly downloaded and could harm your computer.

Did I attempt the wrong link? I've learned from the past that it has to be 64 bit compatable.

I'll check on Paint.Net ... I read about it earlier this week, but you know how it goes ... nervous to download things I'm not sure of - Ha! I'm curious now

Take your time ... I have a full few next days and will only get to peck at this project. I really have to learn this for the future. My kids keep having babies and they are the hardest to photograph. I mail out 300 cards are year, to our accounts, and like it to be the best I can do. Funny that way. I just have no clue about all the particulars of a system. You seem to have it nailed!

ENDLESS THANKS ...
Suzie

PS: PrintShop from Broderbund has some lovely features. I love the editing tools, just wish it had a "wave of the wand" or easy cropping, but there are many cropping features. It's a pretty good, easy program that does a lot of different things. They're finally getting the bugs out. I've been using it for years. I think a monkey could use it -Ha!

[Cornucopia]

If you've run a Spyware & AV scan on the file and they say it's OK, and if you got it from a reputable site (like this one), you should be OK with using that 64bit version. I'm pretty sure that's just a stock Win7 64 bit warning.

Scott