Editing in Vegas Studio Platinum - Zero Experience and Deadline Looming

[TexasEx]

I am trying to edit a bunch of video (interviews of relatives) to create a movie for my Dad's birthday. I don't know the best/easiest way to do this task, especially since I have zero video editing experience. Did I mention, that I have put this off for some time now and the deadline is now in 19 days (10/21)?

What is the easiest way for me to create this movie? So far, all the video has been downloaded. I also downloaded a free month trial of Sony Vegas Studio Platinum. Should I just try to split the video and then combine the clips or should I try and cut up each response for each person into a clip and then just combine those how I want?

I think the second method would be easier, but the newest version of VirtualDub doesn't support ASF, which is the file type for the downloaded DV video from my camcorder. I also have a video encoder, Xvid Pro or something like that which can convert the file, but I have no idea how to use it or what's the best file type to convert the ASF to...AVI, MPG, MPG4??

Any suggestions? If I didn't give enough information, please let me know. This question could be in two forums - Editing and Converting. Should I post again on the converting part in the Converting forum?

[tinker]

Here is one guide.

http://www.doom9.org/index.html?/asf2avi.htm

You can get more info, just google "ASF to AVI"

Do not know what camera you have, but I usualy capture right into editing software.

[luigi2000]

All the video interviews in one file is fine.

1. Import that file into your project.

2. Drag the file to the time line.

3. Split and order the segments.

4. Add transitions, music and/or effects where necessary.

Good luck.

[filmboss80]

Edit on Vegas with DV-AVI (not Xvid or MPG4) video and 48k wav audio. How are you capturing? If you have a firewire port, use WinDV (freeware) to capture. When you've finished editing in Vegas, export to MPEG-2 and author to DVD.

I hope you've learned your lesson about procrastinating...

[TexasEx]

Edit on Vegas with DV-AVI (not Xvid or MPG4) video and 48k wav audio. How are you capturing? If you have a firewire port, use WinDV (freeware) to capture. When you've finished editing in Vegas, export to MPEG-2 and author to DVD.

I hope you've learned your lesson about procrastinating...

Thanks for the replies. I captured with Windows Movie Maker. I don't have anything else. Well, I do have a Hauppauge PVR PCI card, but didn't think to try and use that. Yes, I hate procrastinating as it is and have learned my lesson. This weekend is my last travel weekend, thank goodness. I have been in my house on only two weekends out of the last seven and those two were Hurricane Ike related. I finally got power back last Friday after being 5 hrs short of two weeks powerless.

[dcsos]

recapture to DVAVI format using Windows Movie Maker
asf captures are horribly compressed and not easily editable

[TexasEx]

recapture to DVAVI format using Windows Movie Maker
asf captures are horribly compressed and not easily editable

How do I recapture to DVAVI in Windows Movie Maker? Is it just a setting I need to choose before capturing from my camcorder?

[dcsos]

Digital Device Format.
thats what Movie Maker calls it!
in the Video Capture Wizard, show more choices and grab to DV-AVI

[filmboss80]

You mentioned that your camcorder is, in fact a DV camcorder. Therefore, I'm assuming it has a firewire port. My understanding is that the Hauppauge card is an analog-to-MPEG card. For less than $25, you could get a firewire PCI card (in Houston, go to Fry's) and run your DV camcorder directly into that without reencoding or compressing the DV video footage. Then go to the Tools section in the left column of this website and download WinDV for absolutely free. Make sure you set for Type-2 AVI files, and capture with that. Once you have all your footage, import it into Vegas, edit, then export as a DVD-compliant MPEG-2 file. Use any number of DVD authoring programs to finish out the DVD, then burn to disc using ImgBurn (free and superior to Nero).

[TexasEx]

You mentioned that your camcorder is, in fact a DV camcorder. Therefore, I'm assuming it has a firewire port. My understanding is that the Hauppauge card is an analog-to-MPEG card. For less than $25, you could get a firewire PCI card (in Houston, go to Fry's) and run your DV camcorder directly into that without reencoding or compressing the DV video footage. Then go to the Tools section in the left column of this website and download WinDV for absolutely free. Make sure you set for Type-2 AVI files, and capture with that. Once you have all your footage, import it into Vegas, edit, then export as a DVD-compliant MPEG-2 file. Use any number of DVD authoring programs to finish out the DVD, then burn to disc using ImgBurn (free and superior to Nero).

Thanks guys. I really appreciate all the responses. I am going to give this post a try on Sunday when I get back in town if my camcorder does indeed have a firewire port. I think it does. It's Sony that actually has all the ports in a base unit that you sit the camcorder in to recharge as well as extract the video. If nothing else, I will try the previous post regarding Windows Movie Maker.

[cdb]

Vegas itself has a capture utility. If your camera/base station does have a firewire port why don't you just use Vegas rather than yet another piece of software? Firewire capture is a digital flie transfer, quality of results are the same regardless of what software you use.

Vegas will probably split each interview (each time you pause or turn off/on the camera) into separate files. Select them all in the project media list and drag as a group to the timeline. Then split, delete sections, add background music as described above.

You might also want to learn how to insert and use an audio envelope on the audio tracks in order to bring music down or off behind talkings and back up behind any otehr shots you have.

Have fun!