VS10:Preferences and Project Settings

[Ron P.]

I've put together an animated tutorial, that demonstrates the Preferences and Project Settings in VideoStudio 10. This is in Flash format (swf) and will open in a new window. This was done to assist new users of VS10 in locating the settings, and changing them to ease their use of the program.

To view the tutorial, click on the VS10 image below. I hope it proves to be helpful.

Due to the hosting service going out of business, this is no longer available

Here are some screenshots, showing the differences in the Preferences Dialog of versions 8-11. I did not include some of the "tabs" that have not changed.

General Tab

VS-8

• • • • • • • • • • [list]VS-9

[/list]


VS-10

• • • • • • • • • • [list]VS-11

[/list]


EDIT TAB
VS-8

• • • • • • • • • • [list]VS-9

[/list]


VS-10

• • • • • • • • • • [list]VS-11

[/list]


The remaining tabs are the same for each version. VS10 and VS11 each have a tab for changing the User Interface Layout (UI Layout).

[joselan320]

Hi Vidoman,

I am very new in this and I read your very interesting tutorial, but I have a doubt with Project Properties. Most of the people suggest capture a video in .AVI, me too, but final product in my case will be a DVD in mpeg2 file.
So, my question is how "edit file format" in Project Properties has to be set?,.....MPEG or AVI files.
If AVI is better there some different dialogue boxes not included in your tutorial and I would like some guidance to set it up, as bit rate, or frame rate and frame size shows with different default values.

I have two more questions. At very beggining in the welcome picture to choose one of three methods to edit, there is a box 16:9 to tick. You say "tick if you want to set your project in 16:9"......I want a final project in 16:9, but in another tutorial "from camcorder to DVD..." say "tick this box if you have filmed with your camcorder in 16:9", maybe it isn't too much important but can you clear me this, please.
Now I was thinking, Can you have a final project in 16:9 if you filmed in normal size.

Finally, my TV and DVD player support NTSC and PAL, but my camcorder Sony is only NTSC. Which system is better for edition in terms of imagen quality, my idea is burn a DVD.

Thanks and regards,

Jose

[Ron P.]

Hi Joselan, and thank you,

1. You should always set your properties to match throughout your workflow. If you capture to DV then your project settings should be DV-AVI. Then the method used by most is once all editing is complete, go to Share>Create Video File, and create a DVD-Compliant video file, either NTSC or PAL. That DVD Compliant video file is used in the final steps, to burning your DVD.

2. DV-AVI or MPEG? That has been a long debate, and the jury is still out. There are several people that agree that DV is preferred when doing much editing to the video clips. While editing MPEG video clips can be done, you risk loss of quality and audio/video sync. I prefer to edit DV.

3. I probably should have worded that differently. The 16:9 is used for when your recorded video clip, the one you are going to capture or ones you intend on editing, are 16:9 ratio. You can not take a 4:3 clip and make it 16:9. Doing so results in fat people in your video clips..

4. NTSC vs PAL quality: No difference. These are based upon the TV standards for given parts of the world, and has more to do with electricity flow. For instance here in the US, electricity flows at 60 cycles, and I know it is different for the U.K., however don't recall what it maybe. Also NTSC uses 29.97 frames per second video at a common resolution of 720 x 480, and PAL 25 fps at a common resolution of 720 x 576.

Hope that helps...

Ron P.

[joselan320]

Thank you Vidoman,

Now I am clear I can't make a video in 16:9 if it was filmed in 4:3 originally. Anyway I set my camcorder in 16:9 now to match it with my TV.

I prefer edit in DV-AVI as well and NTSC. So, considering this I understood it is better set Project Properties of VS10 in this way:
File--Project Properties and in "Edit File Format" set "AVI Files", now here I need extra help to continue setting up because I am a little confused.

Go to "Edit" Tab--General, and default values are: Frame rate 30 f/sec and Frame Size 320x240, Keep it? or change it to 29.97 f/sec and 720x480 for NTSC?.
Then go to AVI tab and I have to select Compression DV video Encoder Type 1,.....but some default data are: Data type 24 Bit RGB, Audio Format PCM and there is another Advance tab open a new Dialogue box with some terminology not familiar for me. So, I have to modify some of this or keep the default values?.

I hope don't annoying you too much.

Cheers

Jose

[sjj1805]

Change it to 29.97 f/sec and 720x480 for NTSC.
Audio format is better if you select AC3.
The advance tab really ought to have a 'd' on the end and read advanced.
Basically it is for advanced users who wish to make further tweaks.
Unless you know what your doing it's best not to touch any of the default settings.

[joselan320]

Thank you Steve,

I was checking and I don't have AC3 option in Audio Format within Project Properties

Any suggestion?

Cheers

Jose

[sjj1805]

Sorry my mistake, I missed that you were working with DV(avi) you only get the Dolby (AC3) option when you are working with MPEG files. That comes later after editing when you create your MPEG2 file ready for DVD authoring.

[htchien]

Hi Vidoman,

Great tutorial, I like it a lot.

H.T.

[middlebury madness]

After revieving the tutorial and the posts I have a couple of questions.

1) WHich DV type should I be using Type 1 or 2?

2) Under Project options How do I know what format I want for Audio? I jusually leave it at what ever it defaults to.

3) In Project properies Compression what is the diference between DV encoding Type 1 Huffy & MJPEG? Wherendo I get the information to make the choice?

I am using AVI format.

Thank you

[Ron P.]

After revieving the tutorial and the posts I have a couple of questions.

1) WHich DV type should I be using Type 1 or 2?

2) Under Project options How do I know what format I want for Audio? I jusually leave it at what ever it defaults to.

3) In Project properies Compression what is the diference between DV encoding Type 1 Huffy & MJPEG? Wherendo I get the information to make the choice?

I am using AVI format.

Thank you

1. Unless you have a real powerful computer, I would (and do) use DV Type 1. DV Type-1 keeps the audio and video track mixed together as one. With DV Type-2, the audio is a seperated, thus the Audio_TS folder on DVDs.
2. The audio is partly dependant on where you live. If you are in an area such as the USA, which uses the NTSC standard for television then you should be using either LPCM or Dolby. There are more and more DVD players in NTSC that will play MPEG audio compression, but I always like to error on the side of safety, and use Dolby or (LPCM if I don't have to worry about disc space). For PAL areas use either Dolby or MPEG.
3. Generally use the default compression which is Type-1, for DV-AVI. When you may encounter problems or are more experienced then you do have the ability and options of various codecs to choose from.
   MJPEG is an older codec, which gives a good quality result. DV was developed by M$, and quickly replaced MJPEG. However it is still used on digital still cameras that have the "feature" to record video.

Hope that helps..

Ron P.

[middlebury madness]

Thank you,

I have a Asus raeon 9200SE graphics, Intel Pent 4-3.0Ghz HT with 2.5 GB Ram
120 and 200 GB Internal hard drives.... plus 250 external HD.

How does that rank on the power. I just tell the computer guy what I want to do ....

[sjj1805]

DV Type-1
The native DV interleaved stream that is produced and consumed in I/O with a DV device contains DV compressed video and pulse code modulated (PCM) audio data. This single interleaved stream can be stored in an AVI file as "ivas" stream (for interleaved video/audio stream). Microsoft refers to this format as a type-1 DV AVI file.

Because the type-1format stores data as a single AVI stream, type-1 DV AVI files are not compatible with VfW. DirectShow, however, easily handles type-1 data streams by routing the streams to a DV Splitter filter that produces a DV-encoded video stream and one or more PCM audio streams for playback or subsequent processing.

DV Type-2
Interleaved DV data can also be split into a single video stream and one to four audio streams within an AVI file. Microsoft refers to this format of storing DV data as type-2. This format has the advantage of being backward compatible with VfW, because it contains a standard video "vids" stream and at least one standard audio "auds" stream.

Notice that the type-2 file format requires a small amount of additional processing to split and multiplex the DV stream during the functions of capture and transmit to IEEE 1394 DV devices.

[middlebury madness]

I was trying to review the tutorial on prefernces but it was not available.... my question is: On the preferences capture page what does
"Allow access to capture device's settings " do when it is checked/unchecked?

Would that cause my camcorder to not respond when trying to record back to camera?

Carol

[Ron P.]

Sorry Carol, the host must have been doing maintaince. It should be available now..

Allow access to capture device’s settings: If you need to customize particular capture settings of your capture device, select this option. When this option is selected, the Video and Audio Capture Property Settings dialog box will no longer be available. In its place, several dialog boxes containing capture settings for the capture device will be made available.

.

Ron P.

[middlebury madness]

Ron P.

Thank you, I think I understand.

Carol