Which software do you use for capturing, editing and converting footage?

[atac digital]

First post here so please go easy on me..

I currently use videoglide for capturing VHS or analogue sources to my mac and lifeflix for capturing mini dv and digital 8. I use the highest possible h.264 quality setting in videoglide before editing the footage in Final Cut Pro and compressing it for my clients onto a USB drive. If clients require their footage on DVD, I tend to put the footage straight into Toast and just top and tail it in there if no editing work is required. I also have a Windows 7 PC as a backup but since I went Mac, I haven't needed to go back.

My question is; what software do you use for converting footage and which settings do you use?

[Baldrick]

If you want to stay here then please remove your signature. It might be okey with such a signature if you have been here a while.

[atac digital]

Sorry about that, I shall edit it now. Can I leave the link so people can see what I do or is it all of it to be removed?

[LMotlow]

First post here so please go easy on me..

I currently use videoglide for capturing VHS or analogue sources to my mac and lifeflix for capturing mini dv and digital 8. I use the highest possible h.264 quality setting in videoglide before editing the footage in Final Cut Pro and compressing it for my clients onto a USB drive. If clients require their footage on DVD, I tend to put the footage straight into Toast and just top and tail it in there if no editing work is required. I also have a Windows 7 PC as a backup but since I went Mac, I haven't needed to go back.

My question is,; what software do you use for converting footage and which settings do you use?

You'll get 500 answers from 500 readers. Most members here use Windows, as Mac is no competition for the variety of software (free and paid) for VHS and D8 projects. Nothing wrong with Final Cut Pro, but what do you use to clean up the usual VHS defects? You can't do very much of that with FCP, IMO. What do you use for line and frame tbc's with VHS capture?

VHS Capture: Panasonic AG-1980 and PV-S4670/4672 VCR's (DMR-ES15 for line tbc pass-thru on the latter), AVT-8710 frame sync tbc when required, Sign Video PA-100 proc amp when required, ATI All In Wonder 9600XT AGP capture cards for lossless huffyuv YUY2 capture. I gave up on VHS to DV-AVI long ago, too many defects with VHS capture to DV and a headache to clean up. Some time ago I used WinDV for DV capture. All processing done with lossles media.

VHS defects, cleanup and repair: Avisynth + VirtualDub. Working media is losslessly compressed with Lagarith.

Levels/Color correction: Avisynth, VirtualDub, AfterEffects w/Color Finesse and Colorista plugins, color controls in TMPgenc 2.5 and Mastering Works. Depends on what the color problems are. Work is done in YUV and RGB.

Timeline edits when required: AfterEffects, TMPGenc Mastering Works. Occasional editor for compressed MPEG/h264: TMPGEnc Smart Renderer, TMPGenc MPEG Editor v3.

Encoding (DVD, h264/MPEG2 for BluRay/AVCHD): TMPgenc Plus 2.5, TMPGEnc Mastering Works, HCenc, TX264, Handbrake. Still trying to master x264's command-line version (wish me more time, patience and luck).

Authoring: Various versions of TMPGenc Author.

XP for capture and most cleanup, Win7 for most encoding/authoring. Most of the gear and software resulted from recommendations here via poisondeathray, jagabo, sanlyn, orsetto, BrainStorm69 and many others (thank you all), and lordsmurf at digitalfaq.

Other members stick with simple NLE's like Premiere Elements with their limitations, or go higher up with Vegas Pro, Premiere Pro, DaVinci for color work, etc.

You name it, people here use it.

[atac digital]

First post here so please go easy on me..

I currently use videoglide for capturing VHS or analogue sources to my mac and lifeflix for capturing mini dv and digital 8. I use the highest possible h.264 quality setting in videoglide before editing the footage in Final Cut Pro and compressing it for my clients onto a USB drive. If clients require their footage on DVD, I tend to put the footage straight into Toast and just top and tail it in there if no editing work is required. I also have a Windows 7 PC as a backup but since I went Mac, I haven't needed to go back.

My question is,; what software do you use for converting footage and which settings do you use?

You'll get 500 answers from 500 readers. Most members here use Windows, as Mac is no competition for the variety of software (free and paid) for VHS and D8 projects. Nothing wrong with Final Cut Pro, but what do you use to clean up the usual VHS defects? You can't do very much of that with FCP, IMO. What do you use for line and frame tbc's with VHS capture?

VHS Capture: Panasonic AG-1980 and PV-S4670/4672 VCR's (DMR-ES15 for line tbc pass-thru on the latter), AVT-8710 frame sync tbc when required, Sign Video PA-100 proc amp when required, ATI All In Wonder 9600XT AGP capture cards for lossless huffyuv YUY2 capture. I gave up on VHS to DV-AVI long ago, too many defects with VHS capture to DV and a headache to clean up. Some time ago I used WinDV for DV capture. All processing done with lossles media.

VHS defects, cleanup and repair: Avisynth + VirtualDub. Working media is losslessly compressed with Lagarith.

Levels/Color correction: Avisynth, VirtualDub, AfterEffects w/Color Finesse and Colorista plugins, color controls in TMPgenc 2.5 and Mastering Works. Depends on what the color problems are. Work is done in YUV and RGB.

Timeline edits when required: AfterEffects, TMPGenc Mastering Works. Occasional editor for compressed MPEG/h264: TMPGEnc Smart Renderer, TMPGenc MPEG Editor v3.

Encoding (DVD, h264/MPEG2 for BluRay/AVCHD): TMPgenc Plus 2.5, TMPGEnc Mastering Works, HCenc, TX264, Handbrake. Still trying to master x264's command-line version (wish me more time, patience and luck).

Authoring: Various versions of TMPGenc Author.

XP for capture and most cleanup, Win7 for most encoding/authoring. Most of the gear and software resulted from recommendations here via poisondeathray, jagabo, sanlyn, orsetto, BrainStorm69 and many others (thank you all), and lordsmurf at digitalfaq.

Other members stick with simple NLE's like Premiere Elements with their limitations, or go higher up with Vegas Pro, Premiere Pro, DaVinci for color work, etc.

You name it, people here use it.

Nice post! Not just one tool for the job it goes to show. I should add I use handbrake for converting large files down for when I am asked to provide video for the web etc, it is a great bit of software and works great on a Mac.