Source File Size limitations using Vegas 6

[video bird]

I have tried to import into the trimmer window of Vegas 6 a 1.2 gig .AVI file. I get no error message but Vegas pretty much locks up. Are there size limitations for source files using Vegas 6?

[guns1inger]

At a wild guess I would say you simply don't have enough ram. I have 1GB in my system, and regularly edit files up to 50 times larger than yours (admittedly, not in the trimmer, but certainly on the timeline).

When it 'locksup' is your HDD churning like crazy ?

[BJ_M]

ive -- on a regular basis -- loaded 100, 200 and even 300GB files into vegas .... with anywhere from 2 to 4 gb of memory installed ...

if anything locks up on big files -- it is windows ...

if you have a folder with say 15 or 20,000 images in it ... and try to open it with explorer - explorer SEEMS to freeze -- though it will open in a bit .... this is even after a reg hack to stop parsing avi and image files (though you lose properties of those files in explorer)

[cdb]

What is the source of your avi file?

If it is from a DV camcorder via firewire, then you may have a problem.

If it is something you downloaded off the internet, it may be wildly non-standard (such as with mp3 audio and a strange frame rate). In my experience, that can cause Vegas to lock up.

You could try using Super (see tools section over to the left on this website) to convert it to something more standard. There are probably guides for using it as well.

Also, are you using Vegas (full version) or Vegas Movie Studio?

I have put 7 GB avi files (from a camcorder capture via Vegas) into the trimmer with only 768MB of RAM. I don't think RAM is your problem -- yet. More RAM will defintiely help you render faster when you get to that point.

[edDV]

If the "avi" is MPeg2 or MPeg4 Vegas needs to decompress it to your project format. That is what it is doing when it seems to be locked up.

Adobe Premiere attempts to preview such files without conversion. I've never quite figured out the Vegas strategy for highly compressed files but in my experience it is "thinking" rather than crashed. Let it take it's time and you may find it plays your file.

It will also be creating huge decompressed temp files. In my experience, when disk space hits max, windows locks up. Pay attention to Vegas TMP partition settings in "Preference".