Video Editing/Compression/Export-by SNOcam

First up - About me:

Skied since I was 15, snowboarder for 15 years. I’m 38.

I’ve been a videographer for 13 years.
11 shooting in the snow-specialising in tracking footage (boarding with a camera).
Photographer for 10 seasons in Thredbo.

Been using mini cams for 7 years - for professional purposes 3 years < that’s Point Of View camera’s used for filming and editing.
Renting/selling HeadCams for 2 years.
Editing and experimenting with compression formats for fast uploading to video host sites like YouTube and Vimeo since January 2009.
I can shoot, edit, upload and link video in 4 hours/10 minute vid.  20min/30sec vid.

I’m trying to help you all get better footage. I’m not trying to convince you to buy one brand!!!!!
                  I talk up VIO because it’s the best. I sell other brands as well.
                      (I am bound by manufactures on prices I can advertise.)

Our end, we can’t recommend using someone like Spaz enough. - seriously.

We have a guy we recommend to customers who do the same and people are so stoked with the quality of the end result. There are a lot of quirks that can step-up the finished product and the pro’s know them inside out. Our fella just gets people to send him the SD card with their footage and sorts it from there with what is requested, so I’m sure Spaz does the same , yeah?

The reason we like pro’s doing it so much is that the end result just looks that much better, so people are even happier with the cams and what they can do. win/win! the prices are normally pretty reasonable, but if you’re on a budget, even if you get Spaz to put through your primo footage for a mega clip or two at the end of the season you’ll treasure and relive for years to come and you do your general stuff yourself, it is way worth it IMO.

Just our 2 cents (but gold advice, haha)

- and havng a pro film you, well that’s next level…

Thanks Doc,

I’m often told I under sell what I do, especially from younger photographers moving into videography, it is what I love and I don’t see it as a job…

For private editing I charge for the finished product not the time I put in.
Starting from $50 and there is truly no limit to what the end product can be, what’s your budget?
Most customers spend double what they want because they see what is being achieved for the $$.
As a cap, spending around $1000 on my final product will get a DVD as good as anything you’ve seen.
My rule is: I don’t set deadlines
You want a deadline met, you pay by the hour.

Seriously; checkout my edited, rushed, daily vidz: Done in iMovie.
(I prefer Final Cut Studio but need to be paid to open the program - personal rule.)
I don’t get paid for for these vidz but this would be what you get at the bottom end, if you shoot the video.
You will see why I don’t ask people to pay me “award” rates for shooting and editing (because I love it): this is what 4 hours of work achieves (including 1.5 hours videoing-meaning snowboarding!) It’s super heavily compressed - The .mov file I started from was 1.5GB the final upload was 60MB!!!!!
(watch in the ‘Snow + Weather’ tab [BW home page]/Australia/Thredbo Daily Run or https://www.boardworld.com.au/snow/content/category/snocam-thredbo-daily-run/)

Editing other peoples video’s isn’t so bad these days because most people know how to use the stop/rec button and I don’t have to watch hours and hours of nothing to find 30sec of something!
^On that note:
There is a 4 second rule and a 10 second rule - that’s the time you record for. Only break it if serious action/info is happening in front of your lens.

Here is the higher version of the video from the ‘Snow+Weather’ page from previous post.
At about 300MB it has 4 times the information, half the data of the iMovie export.
It is upscaled to HD1280X720. The YouTube version (on the Snow+Weather page) is 480X270. The camera produces 720X480.
Notice how long it takes to load. That’s why I use the 480X270 version - compare the loading speed by clicking the above link. Your connection will determine loading time. On an iPhone through a 3G connection it should load faster than it plays.

This advice will help anyone interested in editing and improving the quality of their video’s.
It may also help some understand that… HD ISN’T NECESSARY when considering what camera to buy.

Tambazz asked a question about getting POV.1 AVI files to work in iMovie which inspired me to put this thread together.

Other people may offer their advice or ask questions and it isn’t restricted to AVI/MP4/MPEG-4/DivX/XviD files - all very similar if not the same thing!
Or POV cams. As you will read it is about video in general.
And Tambazz’s question relates to converting AVI to .mov

From VIO site;
“After a simple installation of Quicktime components for MPEG-4, you’ll be able to browse all of the videos, view them through Quicktime, and edit them in iMovie!”

From me;
Download MPEGstreamclip http://www.squared5.com (free) It has all the features you’ll need for conversion using a Mac or PC. For most conversion it’s faster than Quicktime and is a simple program with so much function!
I use it to trim my footage straight from the SD card in the card slot of my 15” i7 Macbook Pro. On my 5 year old 17” Powerbook I transfered the files to the hard drive. (my Macpro is the SSD version and limited for HD space)

Azz, Jump to my post re:Conversion for iMovie.

THE EDIT PROCESS
Raw Footage from SD card, from POV1.5 (720X480)

From this point is the way I currently do my edits;
-Open your video file with MPEGstreamclip - it’s not restricted to avi so any video file your computer plays will work.
keys ‘J’ ‘K’ and ‘L’ are play functions - ‘L’=play forwards, ‘J’=backwards, ‘K’=pause. Repeated pressing ‘J’ or ‘L’ will vary the speed.
-Using the ‘i’ and ‘o’ keys you can set “In”(i) and “Out”(o) points to select parts of your video.
-Command+X will delete selection.
-Command+S will open the “create new AVI file” window and save selection. Don’t change file from current format!!

Using the Command+X (delete selection)-doesn’t effect original file.
-Set In and Out points of the part of video you want removed.
-command+X to delete.
repeat until all unwanted footage is removed.
-Play to confirm.
-Command+S to save new .avi file. Rename the clip 001 or 002 etc. Choose new folder (I name it “edit” within a subfolder in a folder with todays date) and location (mac-in movies folder is a good place)
Do this to all the clips you want to be in your finished movie.

Using Command+S
If there is only one part of the clip you want;
-Set ‘In’ and ‘Out’ point.
-Command+S (follow above)

Trimmed

CONVERSION FOR IMOVIE USING MPEGstreamclip
Open video file in MPEGstreamclip.
In the ‘File’ tab - it has the export options.
Choose export for Quicktime and;
-move the slider to 100%
-Sound: The button with “uncompressed” change to MPEG4 AAC, “Auto” change to 48kHz
-deselect “Interlaced scaling”
-select on de-interlace.
-choose “Adjustments” and select “auto volume control”
-click “OK”
Don’t upscale! We’ll do that last during export from iMovie
-click “Make Movie” (opens save window - name and save in “Todays Date file” from earlier)
You now have a .mov file ready to import to iMovie for editing.

Thanks spaz, just saw this now, shall have a go tomorrow with less wine in my system.
Cheers Bro

If you make a mistake during the first trim and have saved the file from MPEGstreamclip you can go back to the original file and start again.

NOTE: On mac I set all AVI files to open with MPEGstreamclip by selecting “Get Info” from “File” tab then “Change All” in the Open With section. That way double cliking on any AVI file will open in MPEGstreamclip. Speeding up the process.

Hey spaz,

I’ve just started using Final Cut Express 4. I’ve learnt the basics through a really helpful online tutorial series, and I’m looking forward to editing some clips.

I’m having problems getting FCE to recognise the videos from my Sony HD Handycam and also the GoPro. I have tried converting the Sony files (.MTS) to other formats (.MP4) etc. Either FCE won’t recognise the file at all, or it opens but I can’t view any of it in FCE because it isn’t rendered.

Should I convert everything to .MOV to work in FCE? Any ideas?

EDIT: I have tried MPEG Streamclip for the GoPro, but so far no success (render issue). I’m going to try your instructions now to see if it works.

I tried to import the .MOV which I created with your instructions. It works in the FCE viewer but when I drag it into the canvas I still get unrendered video. I know I can render the video but is there any way to convert it into a video that doesn’t need rendering?

OK, I think I’ve worked it out; first edit is done. I still have to render all the video once it’s in the canvas, but at least it works.

This thread didn’t highlight when you posted the last few days??? I’VE NOW SUBSCRIBED TO IT!

I haven’t used FCE yet (because I have FCS), but I’m pretty sure I know what the problem is. If FCE works the same as Pro.

stay tuned while I type up a work-through for you so rendering isn’t necessary. I need to open FCP to get the correct tab/folder names and setting etc…

hint: it has to do with the sequence presets equalling the video format.

In FCP
I have an older version of FCS. (I might get the upgrade today)
I’m assuming your using both lots of footage (Sony and GoPro) in the same edit.
Do you want the fast way?
Or,
The way to make you footage look it’s best?

I’m guessing looks best?
and that you used the GoPro in 720p60fps (for SloMo)?? and the Sony footage is 1080p30fps???
^these are all important to know^

If you want the fast way, use the following ‘Setup’ for the camera that has the most footage because you will still be rendering footage from the other camera.
ANY rendering is a form of compression and reduces quality. Though in FCP it’s hardly noticeable.

If both cameras shot at 1080p30fps you can do it the fast way as you wont need 2 projects (one as the main project and the other for creating SloMo from 60fps and later put into the main project for the final editing)

In the ‘Final Cut Pro’ tab (so im guessing ‘Final Cut Express’ tab for you rider)
You need to change the ‘Sequence Preset’

Choose ‘Audio/Video Settings’
and a window will open giving you options with tabs across the top.
In the ‘Summery’ tab; There should be ‘Sequence Preset’ and you can choose the setting most appropriate to your footage.

You can go trial and error here- you know when you have it right because when you drop a video file into the timeline it wont need rendering.

In the browser window (FCP) it gives you info of the clips you have dragged into that project.

For 720p@60fps TRUE SloMo;
In a new sequence change the sequence preset to 720@30fps and the footage will play at half speed. - No redering to slow it down. To make it slower reduce the frame rate in the sequence preset.

!!Sequence Preset changes need to be done before the footage is placed in the time line!!

[is all you footage coming off memory card?]
If so you wont need to change the capture preset as I guess you have dropped the video files into a folder (created in ‘Movies’ of your user).

You can also go into the ‘Sequence Preset’ tab and create a preset of your own or ‘duplicate’ a preset to give it a name for future quick access. If you need to do this I’ll do a walk-through later- let me know.

Thank you very much, spaz. I will go through everything in detail now. I really appreciate it.

Hey spaz,

I’m trying to convert about 50 minutes of GoPro footage using MPEG Streamclip. The footage is shot at 720p 60fps and I’m converting to QuickTime. The problem is it keeps trying to make it into like a 100GB QuickTime file. It keeps cancelling about 70% of the way through because I don’t have that much space on my HD. Any idea why it’s making the file so ridiculously huge?

Because your converting it to Quicktime using “Apple Motion Jpeg A” compressor.

Change the Compression to “Apple Intermediate Codec” and move the slider to 100% (I’m guessing you had it at 100% anyway) it should reduce it to about 25Gb.

If that is still to big - Are you making the movie for the internet? In that case use H.264 or Divx in the Compression option then you can use the “Data Rate” option. Vimeo suggest about 5Mbps or (5000kbps) this is what they compress your video too anyway so your just doing it for them and saving space. You can also reduce the quality slider down to 80% without a noticeable difference.

Some vidz I’ve done that I wanted smaller upload times - used 80% quality and 2.5Mbps and hardly noticed a drop of quality. I’ve pushed it as far as 1.5Mbps and 74% which is still good.

Have you cut your footage using Mpegstreamclip as per earlier advice? Do you really need all that footage loaded on your system. Remember also you need 25% of your HD free just to operate Final Cut.

Or make your video in twoi halfs and just work with half the footage at a time.