losing details when using Videostudio 9.

yic17 · Post by **yic17** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 12:15 am

I have been using videostudio 9 to edit my captured mpeg files for awhile now.

one problem I notice is that when I import my mpeg files into videostudio 9.
it automatically changes the color, brighter, lesser contrast for me which results in losing details on my mpeg files. I tried to change the brightness and contrast but the details are still lost.

is there a way for me to import the mpeg file with its original quality?

thanks.

jchunter · Post by **jchunter** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 2:42 am

is there a way for me to import the mpeg file with its original quality?

Yes. Set the capture properties as specified in the top sticky post in this forum.

yic17 · Post by **yic17** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 3:04 am

the thing is. I didnt capture using Videostudio. I use a dazzle capture device which only allow moviestar or pinnacle studio to capture.

when I say import, I mean importing a video mpeg file that is already captured.
when I add the mpeg file to Videostudio, it automatically changes the quality of the video for me.
I hope to import and export as the original quality.

Post by **Ken Berry** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 7:42 am

In VS, under File > Preferences > General, about a third the way down, do you have 'Show message when inserting first video into timeline' checked? If so, that message will ask you whether you want the project properties set to be exactly the same as the properties of the first video you insert into the timeline. And if your import video is the first video, then the resulting project properties will match. Otherwise, you may be ending up with some different (and possibly lower) quality default.

DVDDoug · Post by **DVDDoug** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 10:38 pm

Right! The trick is to avoid re-coding. If you can avoid re-coding, your DVD will contain the original MPEG exactly as-captured. If it takes an hour or more to "render" an hour of video, it's getting re-coded.

MPEG is lossy compression.* Each time you encode, you loose some quality. If you re-code to the with the same or higher bitrate, you may not notice the degradation. If you re-code to a much lower bitrate, you will get much-lower quality.

MPEGs are not really meant to be edited. You can cut & splice without re-coding**, but most "real" editing requires a re-code. For example, the following edits can't be done without re-coding - A crossfade or any other transition, cropping, color adjustment, and title-overlays.

* AVI/DV is lossy too, but much less so.

** You can sometimes have trouble with simple cutting & splicing if you don't use a special-purpose MPEG editor.