Gearhead_42
Gearhead_42 HalfDork
8/4/08 11:37 a.m.

I'm just getting started in this endeavor... Shot some experimental in car videos at our last autocross, recorded 9/10 runs, using different settings to see how things worked. Tenth I had my wife shoot from outside... she needs some lessons on camera control, but otherwise it looks pretty good

Now comes time to edit for home use, as well as posting up on the intarwebz so you all can critique my driving! Video was shot using a Panasonic DV-320 MinDV camcorder in widescreen, using an IOPort mount on my roll bar. That's not really the question though...

Given that I have to edit on a Vista machine, over FireWire to the camera, any recommendations on a basic set of software tools, and possibly a Level2 for when I want to add effects/labels/music etc? What's the "accepted" resolution for web hosted videos? Length/size restrictions? Anyone have experience hosting with flickr, or should I just post to youtube and be done with it?

I'm a rank newb at playing with video, so be gentle

aircooled
aircooled Dork
8/4/08 1:21 p.m.

As far as editing, there should be some sort of built in video tool for Vista, I know there was on in XP. That should be a good basic starting point (and does have a fair number of features) Of course it probably depends on what "level" of Vista you have. A step up may be the "light" version of Premiere:

http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-25530473-Premiere-Elements-4/dp/B000UK6OUK

Hey, it's even got a rebate! Only $55.

If you don't have a lot of hard drive space, you might consider a large firewire or USB2 external drive (uncompressed video takes up a lot of space)

slantvaliant
slantvaliant New Reader
8/4/08 2:07 p.m.

Nothing sophisticated here. I use Windows Movie Maker on an XP machine, and post on Youtube. Youtube says I can load up to 10 minutes and 1024MB

Beware, some cameras like my Samsung SCD363 use oddball codecs

SupraWes
SupraWes HalfDork
8/4/08 4:42 p.m.

DV is about 12 gigs per hour of tape so be ready for that as people have said. Hopefully your machine is decently powered. Windows movie maker is pretty good and its wont cost you anything and is already installed. It gets panned a lot but I think its better than I-movie which everyone raves about for some reason. All the things you mentioned you want to do are in there. If you want to get more fancy like embedding multiple videos into the frame then that's when you need something more.

I used this book when I was starting out and it was very helpful to me. Its only a few cents too!

http://www.amazon.com/TechTVs-Guide-Creating-Digital-TechTV/dp/0789726564/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217886372&sr=1-13

For uploading etc. you will probably want to render it a few different ways. You probably will want to render your final edited video into a DV file and transfer it back to a tape for storage.

You probably want to save it as an mpeg2 to make a DVD with it.

You will also want some sort of small file size version for the web, I would use youtube to host it. I think they take just about any file type so if you are using windows movie maker you might as well just render it as a WMV file, there are options in the program that will allow you to play with the final file size. You will want to do some trial and error with this to get a feel for what you think is the best.

Youtube is where its most likely to be discovered by people looking for what you have to show. Posting it to flickr or somewhere else will be ok for your friends that you tell but its not very useful as a social tool. On youtube you are more likely to make new friends and contacts that share your interests.

Some basic video editing tips:

Save your tapes! I wish I would have done this. Back when I first got a DV camera I used to just reuse the tapes after I had finished a project, now all my original full quality footage is gone forever and all I have are a bunch of poorly edited low quality movies. DV Tapes are cheap and small, label them and store your original footage, you never know when you might want to revisit it.

Don't go crazy with wipes and transitions, generally just use a standard fade and hard cuts

Keep the clips short, 10 or so seconds between clips is the maximum, several very fast cuts from different angles in a particularly technical section of the course will make you look like a pro.

Keep the overall length short 3-5 minutes should be plenty of time to tell your story. Remember, the audience wasn't there to feel the speed and g-forces so their attention span is very limited, show them the exciting parts!

RedS13Coupe
RedS13Coupe New Reader
8/4/08 4:46 p.m.

Yeah, vista should have Windows Movie Maker too, at least mine does.

I hope you know the rule though.... No music over race videos...

Gearhead_42
Gearhead_42 HalfDork
8/5/08 6:22 a.m.

Music in, music out... revs, BOV and tires in between

I'll start with Movie Maker, seem pretty simple to operate playing with it here at work. The editing will have to wait as I popped the PSU on the Vista box last night... now I know why I bought the one with the three year warranty

Thanks all!

jikelly
jikelly New Reader
8/11/08 10:15 a.m.

I really like Ulead's video studio suite. You can download a 30 day trial and see what you think.

http://www.download.com/Ulead-VideoStudio-11/3000-13631_4-10029706.html

SkinnyG
SkinnyG New Reader
8/11/08 11:28 a.m.

This was done quick and dirty on Vista's Movie Maker:

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=mP8JNpBHPkw

(ignore the crappy driving - I've got a FWD brain in a RWD car with DFL tendencies).

And yeah, we're in the reader's rides, too!

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/reader-rides/131/

pinchvalve
pinchvalve GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
8/11/08 12:51 p.m.

+1 on the Adobe Premier. I just moved up from Windows Movie Maker because I had to edit some .mov (Quicktime) files. I am familiar with the Adobe Suite, so the interface is pretty easy for me. If you ever get really nuts and want to go all out, you can step up to even more advanced Adobe editing software.

Jensenman
Jensenman SuperDork
8/11/08 1:32 p.m.

The thing I ran into: .ASF files cannot be played by Windws Media Player with Vista on my laptop, there's an audio codec (codec 11?) missing. Windows says it's a third party codec and as such they will not support it. So I beat my head against that wall with probably half a dozen non Windows codec programs. Nothing.

.ASF can be played on my Vista machine by Windows Picture Viewer but there are very limited playback options in that program.

I can play those same files on my XP desktop machine perfectly. Now that I have learned a bit about Windows Movie Maker, I'll be able to edit stuff a lot easier.

racerdave600
racerdave600 Reader
8/11/08 2:53 p.m.

I'm not too familiar with a lot of the consumer editors, but I'm in the media business, and I would for certain be careful what you use. Pick one that works with a common file type such as an mpeg2, wmv, avi, etc. Propriatary files are common among many of these, and they will not play unless you also have the program. We see this A LOT.

And like was stated above, non-compressed video takes up a lot of space and ram, be prepared. Usually the smallest file type with any type of quality is a Real Player file, but you'd need a Real Player to view it. You Tube and Google will allow you to upload videos for free up to a certain size, otherwise you'll need a streaming server to have others be able to view it on-line.

Gearhead_42
Gearhead_42 HalfDork
9/2/08 5:20 a.m.

First one I tried uploading... wow does youtube kill the quality!

No effects on this one, just wanted to get a feel for the process...

Autocross Video on Youtube

GameboyRMH
GameboyRMH GRM+ Memberand Dork
9/2/08 12:27 p.m.

All the software I use for video editing is free. I use RAD video tools to convert the file from Quicktime to MPEG4 (ffmpeg can also do this), then I do the editing with VirtualDub and Audacity.

Helterskelter
Helterskelter Reader
9/2/08 2:44 p.m.

Definitely keep your tapes. Make sure you have plenty of hard-drive space and memory. It's very frustrating editing on an underpowered machine.

Save multiple copies and in steps as you go. Use clean transitions and keep things simple. The editing should compliment the content, not distract the viewer.

I used Adobe Premiere for years when I was in high school. It did everything I needed, was fairly robust and I did not outgrow it in terms of my skill-set. I can probably get you an older copy for free if you would like to try it.

I edited documentaries that went on to compete in National History Day. So I have a fairly solid background in video editing. If you have any specific questions, feel free to shoot me a PM.

Gearhead_42
Gearhead_42 HalfDork
9/3/08 6:32 a.m.

I added a second video. Playing around with upload settings, it seems as though the closer I am to what youtube uses, the less losses I see in the final product. So, lower the quality myself, before loading. Make sense?

Local shifter cart driver borrows my car

jikelly
jikelly New Reader
9/3/08 10:53 a.m.

I HATE quick time files. Stupid quicktime can't edit them with anything I've got. My new video camera, Cannon HD HF100, records in an HD format. I'm going to have to get a new editor. I'm hoping Ulead's video studio 11.5 plus will work.

Scott Lear
Scott Lear Club Editor
9/3/08 2:11 p.m.

The software that comes with Vista is actually pretty powerful.

Jensenman
Jensenman SuperDork
9/3/08 9:15 p.m.
Scott Lear wrote: The software that comes with Vista is actually pretty powerful.

Yeah, problem for me is it suxxors for .ASF files which is what my MotoCam 360 setup uses. I have to use my WMP on my XP desktop to get anything done.

gearhead42, those were some cool vids. We finally got our first airport venue down here, I can't wait to try it out!

Gearhead_42
Gearhead_42 HalfDork
9/4/08 10:44 a.m.
Jensenman wrote: gearhead42, those were some cool vids. We finally got our first airport venue down here, I can't wait to try it out!

It is tough going back to a parking lot course, for sure ;-)

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