Sony Vegas Video Blues
September 7, 2012 12:20 PM Subscribe
Digital video editing help with Sony Vegas 11 -- 50 GB for 15 minutes of video! Yikes!
I have a ~15-minute Vegas video project. It's built from four 1920x1080 screen capture .avi files that are about 600 MB in size. When I try to render the project back into .avi file, I'm getting file sizes in the tens of gigabytes. I don't want that!
I've seen plenty of 700 MB .avi files of 2 hour movies that are decent quality video. How can I use Vegas to get a comparable quality, proportionally sized video out of the 15-minute Vegas project I have?
I have a ~15-minute Vegas video project. It's built from four 1920x1080 screen capture .avi files that are about 600 MB in size. When I try to render the project back into .avi file, I'm getting file sizes in the tens of gigabytes. I don't want that!
I've seen plenty of 700 MB .avi files of 2 hour movies that are decent quality video. How can I use Vegas to get a comparable quality, proportionally sized video out of the 15-minute Vegas project I have?
Response by poster: I assume you're right about that... How do I use compressed settings? :)
posted by GnomeChompsky at 12:24 PM on September 7, 2012
posted by GnomeChompsky at 12:24 PM on September 7, 2012
AVI is a container format that can use many different codecs for video compression. Vegas is using an uncompressed or lightly compressed (maybe lossless?) codec. You can use VLC to transcode the Vegas output into a lossy codec with better compression such as h264; see the "Convert" menu option in VLC.
HandBrake will transcode video with a prettier interface, but recent versions have dropped support for AVI output. You could use HandBrake to convert to an .mkv or .mp4 container, though.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 2:18 PM on September 7, 2012 [1 favorite]
HandBrake will transcode video with a prettier interface, but recent versions have dropped support for AVI output. You could use HandBrake to convert to an .mkv or .mp4 container, though.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 2:18 PM on September 7, 2012 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Hey Gnome! No offense intended at all here, just using language that I would use on myself or a student in school.
Computer video editing is simply cutting everything together on a timeline and then wrapping everything in that timeline into a package by Exporting it.
The package can be a Quicktime (.mov) file, or an .avi file, or a .mp4 file and what differs is the type of encoding used on the video and audio within that package.
Some packages, like your .avi selection, allow for various encoding types for video and audio. As the editor you have control over the final delivery of your product, and must be aware of where and how it is going to be used. This will determine what package and encoding methods will be required. If you do it "wrong", your viewers will be stuck, like opening a Word document without having the font installed.
Here is an example for .avi:
You may have DivX installed on your computer. DivX allows you to play back movie files that you might have acquired through your internet travels, chosen by the powers-that-be years ago for its popularity and generally good compression qualities. Likely, when you're looking at 700MB .avi movies, you're looking at DivX or XviD encodes.
You may choose to package your video as .avi, which can contain DivX video compression, and choose stereo .mp3 as the audio. Unfortunately, your client may not have DivX installed on their computer, and thus may hear the .mp3 audio, but get errors and be unable to view the DivX-encoded video.
If you're sending video to Youtube or something, then their computer system is taking a look at the package, and if possible, separating the video and audio and just repackaging it. If not, then it is going to do a re-encode where the system must re-compress the video and audio so that everyone can view it. This can be BAD if you're using any kind of text since you're double-compressing it. This can be GOOD if you just don't have any experience and want to get something on Youtube without fuss!
What Vegas is doing is defaulting to "Uncompressed" or "Animation" as the video encoding method for your .avi. (Fun fact: these types of encode *do* sometimes get passed around in video work because they are "lossless" and do not destroy data through compression. Also, they can have a transparent channel which is useful for chromakey "green screen" work. It's rare though.)
Depressing fact: .avi files are pretty nearly deprecated in usefulness and desirability.
You'll want to look around the Export window for either "Video Compression Method" or "Format" or "File Type". Here you'll select the package, in your case you say you want .avi.
May I recommend H.264 video in a MP4 package (aka wrapper, multiplexer) instead? The reason is two-fold: compatibility is built-in on newer computer systems, and the compression quality is much-improved over old codecs like DivX.
A separate area will have the video "Settings" where you will be able to choose the encoding method. It may also say "Compression" or "Compression Type".
If you stick with .avi these settings will allow you to choose "Cineon Compression" or maybe "Microsoft AVI" or "xvid" or "Sorensen Squeeze" or "Sony AVI". Your available selections will depend on what you have installed on your system and what may have been included with the Vegas installation.
If you choose H.264 you will want to use .mp4 as your container/multiplexer and H.264 as your compression type. You may not need to select these explicitly if you've chosen an Export Preset that says "1920 x 1080 H.264" or somesuch.
After you choose there may be a quality slider or percentage, and then maybe a target/maximum bit-rate slider or text-entry boxes, and some other settings like frame rate, "filters", etc. All of these settings should be in one window although finding them differs between software. Some might be found in different window tabs or "Settings..." buttons or "More Options" or what have you. If you choose h.264 you will also need to select a "Level" and "Profile". Level should be 5.1 and Profile should be High. This may adjust your bitrate and frame per second settings automatically, but you should be able to override them manually. If you recorded computer at 60FPS, you can get away with exactly 30FPS upon export. You should choose 29.97FPS if you SHOT VIDEO at "30p" or "60i".
God, it's all so confusing isn't it?
Here are the settings I use at work to send 720p HD video to people:
H.264 Video
1280x720
29.97 FPS
Variable Bitrate
Target Bitrate 6000kbps (6 Mbps)
Max Bitrate 8000kbps (8 Mbps)
MP3 Audio or AAC Audio
160 kbps
A quick frame of reference for video bit-rates and what to expect for file sizes:
When you press OK, Vegas will render everything out into a viewable, packaged file. Hopefully.
NB: I keep mentioning packages because sometimes the video and audio can be exported separately and usually you don't want this to happen.
posted by Khazk at 3:44 PM on September 7, 2012 [7 favorites]
Computer video editing is simply cutting everything together on a timeline and then wrapping everything in that timeline into a package by Exporting it.
The package can be a Quicktime (.mov) file, or an .avi file, or a .mp4 file and what differs is the type of encoding used on the video and audio within that package.
Some packages, like your .avi selection, allow for various encoding types for video and audio. As the editor you have control over the final delivery of your product, and must be aware of where and how it is going to be used. This will determine what package and encoding methods will be required. If you do it "wrong", your viewers will be stuck, like opening a Word document without having the font installed.
Here is an example for .avi:
You may have DivX installed on your computer. DivX allows you to play back movie files that you might have acquired through your internet travels, chosen by the powers-that-be years ago for its popularity and generally good compression qualities. Likely, when you're looking at 700MB .avi movies, you're looking at DivX or XviD encodes.
You may choose to package your video as .avi, which can contain DivX video compression, and choose stereo .mp3 as the audio. Unfortunately, your client may not have DivX installed on their computer, and thus may hear the .mp3 audio, but get errors and be unable to view the DivX-encoded video.
If you're sending video to Youtube or something, then their computer system is taking a look at the package, and if possible, separating the video and audio and just repackaging it. If not, then it is going to do a re-encode where the system must re-compress the video and audio so that everyone can view it. This can be BAD if you're using any kind of text since you're double-compressing it. This can be GOOD if you just don't have any experience and want to get something on Youtube without fuss!
What Vegas is doing is defaulting to "Uncompressed" or "Animation" as the video encoding method for your .avi. (Fun fact: these types of encode *do* sometimes get passed around in video work because they are "lossless" and do not destroy data through compression. Also, they can have a transparent channel which is useful for chromakey "green screen" work. It's rare though.)
Depressing fact: .avi files are pretty nearly deprecated in usefulness and desirability.
You'll want to look around the Export window for either "Video Compression Method" or "Format" or "File Type". Here you'll select the package, in your case you say you want .avi.
May I recommend H.264 video in a MP4 package (aka wrapper, multiplexer) instead? The reason is two-fold: compatibility is built-in on newer computer systems, and the compression quality is much-improved over old codecs like DivX.
A separate area will have the video "Settings" where you will be able to choose the encoding method. It may also say "Compression" or "Compression Type".
If you stick with .avi these settings will allow you to choose "Cineon Compression" or maybe "Microsoft AVI" or "xvid" or "Sorensen Squeeze" or "Sony AVI". Your available selections will depend on what you have installed on your system and what may have been included with the Vegas installation.
If you choose H.264 you will want to use .mp4 as your container/multiplexer and H.264 as your compression type. You may not need to select these explicitly if you've chosen an Export Preset that says "1920 x 1080 H.264" or somesuch.
After you choose there may be a quality slider or percentage, and then maybe a target/maximum bit-rate slider or text-entry boxes, and some other settings like frame rate, "filters", etc. All of these settings should be in one window although finding them differs between software. Some might be found in different window tabs or "Settings..." buttons or "More Options" or what have you. If you choose h.264 you will also need to select a "Level" and "Profile". Level should be 5.1 and Profile should be High. This may adjust your bitrate and frame per second settings automatically, but you should be able to override them manually. If you recorded computer at 60FPS, you can get away with exactly 30FPS upon export. You should choose 29.97FPS if you SHOT VIDEO at "30p" or "60i".
God, it's all so confusing isn't it?
Here are the settings I use at work to send 720p HD video to people:
H.264 Video
1280x720
29.97 FPS
Variable Bitrate
Target Bitrate 6000kbps (6 Mbps)
Max Bitrate 8000kbps (8 Mbps)
MP3 Audio or AAC Audio
160 kbps
A quick frame of reference for video bit-rates and what to expect for file sizes:
- 145 kbps (kilobits per second): not much better than an old cell phone video. Can be clear and viewable if frame rate is 15 or so and frame size is very small, like 320x180 small. Good for e-mailing 2 minute videos to Mom or Boss.
- 450-650 kbps: low-quality SD widescreen Youtube video. Also the range that will be used to compress a 90-minute DVD movie into 650-850MB SD file. Keep in mind that DVD video might look ok on your TV widescreen but is still 854x480 on a computer.
- 4500 kbps, or 4.5 Mbps: Youtube HD video. A good bitrate for 1280x720 / 30fps video files. Not so great for 1920x1080 unless the frame rate is lower. About 150 to 250 MB for ~5 min at 720p.
- 8000 kbps, or 8 Mbps: Starting to get to the point where anything higher is past the layman's perception levels (at 1280x720/30fps and lower). Good bitrate for 1920x1080 video. Also the point where compression/filesize/quality benefits start to drop off. 1-1.5 GB for ~5min.
- 22500 kbps, 22.5Mbps: AVCHD bitrate for consumer camcorder recordings. You'd think this would be AMAZING, though the lenses and imaging sensors on these things are so small and poor that the bitrate here is required to accommodate noise artifacts. Approx. 30GB per hour.
- 35000 kbps, or 35 Mbps: The maximum bitrate that can be encoded on the fly by mid-range camcorders used in broadcast news or sports. And by mid-range I mean $40,000 Sony XDCAM HD camcorders shooting at 1440x1080 or 1920x1080 if XDCAM EX. Approx. 20GB / 50min
- 50000 kbps, or 50 Mbps: bitrate used for digitizing video footage on tape. AKA DV50 or DVCPRO 50. Broadcast quality SD video. Don't be fooled, though: this was developed in 1997 and is totally out of date. I think you can get 30-40 min on a tape. Capturing a tape takes 50-75 GB.
- 100000, 100 Mbps: bitrate for 60fps HD tape. Never used this myself since HD pretty quickly switched to different media like bluray and super expensive flash media cards.
- 100Mbps and up: Uncompressed video. Depending on color and alpha data this bitrate will swing wildly throughout playback, and HD files usually will not play back on anyone's computer because the data rate is so high. 2-4 gigabytes of data per minute at 1280x720.
When you press OK, Vegas will render everything out into a viewable, packaged file. Hopefully.
NB: I keep mentioning packages because sometimes the video and audio can be exported separately and usually you don't want this to happen.
posted by Khazk at 3:44 PM on September 7, 2012 [7 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by sanka at 12:22 PM on September 7, 2012