At which point should I edit my video?

[deedub666]

Hey folks,

I could use advice as to which point I should edit my files as well as which software to use. Currently I am successful in taking video from my dv camcorder, capturing to my computer, encoding, editing and burning to DVD. Below is my process and software I use:

WinDV to capture video to computer
TMPGEnc to create .m2v and .wav files
TMPGEnc DVD Author to create menus and .vob files
Nero to burn to DVD

My question is, at what point should I really edit the video file? At the .avi stage? At the .m2v stage?

TMPGEnc DVD Author does the basic things I want to do but I wouldn't mind more control/choices without having to move up to the complexity of Adobe Premiere. I also want to make sure I'm editing the files at the right time to maximize quality (in terms of compression.)

Would love to hear your feedback.

D.W.

[thecoalman]

Edit your AVI's.

[daamon]

I second that 100%.

MPEGs are a "finished product" format and not designed for best editing. Because of the nature of DV AVI (all "I" frames - look it up, it'll be some interesting research if you're that way inclined) it lends itself perfectly to editing...

I'm self-taught on Premiere 6.0 - I'm no expert but picked it up after being initially daunted. I have a book at home, I can get the ISBN code if you'd like...

Also, check out this site: http://www.wrigleyvideo.com - it's great for tutorials and a forum on Premiere. EDIT: Link fixed...

[mikesbytes]

The reason that the AVI, as brought to the machine thru WinDV is the right place, is that is where the lowest level of compression is. Editing usually involves decoding and then re-encoding. Each time this happens, the is a loss of quality during the compression. The (DV) AVI you got from the camera has less compression than the mpeg2 used on the DVD and therefor there will suffer less quality drop. You can decompress the DV AVI about 10 times before the quality drop starts to get noticable.

With Home videos, there is a lot that can be done to improve the quality. However the best improvement you can make is to cut thru the rubbish so theres only decent stuff to send to the relo's.

[deedub666]

Alright all. Thanks for your responses. I will check out the posted URL for Premiere help as well as look into the app.

I do appreciate the tips on .avi editing vs. m2v b/c I do want max quality. Premiere may be overkill for some of the quick editing I want to do but ultimately I will want more control.

So does Premiere handle the encoding and compression of avis after you edit, and ultimately create .vob files for burning? Does that mean I substitute Premiere for TMPGEnc and TMPGEnc DVD Authoring?

After editing with Premiere, which file type do you save as? Back to .avi and use TMPGENC...? Can you actually get to the .vob file state for burning?

Thanks again all, your responses are helpful.

D.W.

[daamon]

So does Premiere handle the encoding and compression of avis after you edit, and ultimately create .vob files for burning? Does that mean I substitute Premiere for TMPGEnc and TMPGEnc DVD Authoring?

After editing with Premiere, which file type do you save as? Back to .avi and use TMPGENC...? Can you actually get to the .vob file state for burning?

Thanks again all, your responses are helpful.

D.W.

Premiere isn't an end-to-end tool - you'll need others.

Have a look at this old post of mine - it gives fairly detailed steps on how to do exactly what you want to do... I'm not saying it's the best or the most efficient, but it gives me very good results in (what seems to me) a sensible process.

Hope that helps. Good luck...

[thecoalman]

I'll tell you how I do it. I capture using AVI, usually DV. Load my unedited AVI's into my editor. Make my "edits", I'm not really editing the AVI's they are used as source material only. I then create a DVD compliant MPG. Into my disc authorer and pick "do not convert compliant"