Can I combine projects?

Tippytoes · Post by **Tippytoes** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 12:06 am

I have captured my tapes in 10-15 minutes segments (DV-AVI). Edited them, and saved each as a project.

Is it possible to combine them so I can render and burn as one? Or after rendering each, combine and burn as one?????

Have searched but find no answers.

Post by **Ken Berry** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 12:11 am

Since they are both DV/AVI format projects, the easiest would be simply to render each into a final, edited DV/AVI file (Share > Create Video File > DV). This will not result in any noticeable loss in quality at all. Then start a new project, and insert your new DV/AVI files in the timeline, and either produce a new single DV/AVI file or produce a DVD-compatible mpeg-2 file (Share > Create Video File > DVD).

Tippytoes · Post by **Tippytoes** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 12:17 am

Thank you so much for your immediate reply.

Will try it right now. Well, I will begin right now. It will take several hours, of course.

BTW, Canberra is a beautiful city.

Tippytoes · Post by **Tippytoes** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 12:57 am

You say: "Since they are both DV/AVI format projects, the easiest would be simply to render each into a final, edited DV/AVI file (Share > Create Video File > DV). "

DV file, not DVD. What is the difference, please????

I have been rendering to DVD file. Has this been an error?

Post by **Ken Berry** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 4:34 am

In your case, you have two separate projects, both in DV format. But you have included editing in this that will be reflected in your project VSP file for each. However, to join the two projects together, you first have to produce a final video file which reflects all this editing. (Remember, a VSP project file is not a video file: it is merely a short 'reminder' file to Video Studio, telling it which video files were involved, where they are located, and what was done to them by way of editing.)

Now you can go about this in two ways. My own preference is to first produce a clean file in DV format (Share > Create Video File > DV). This is because, by maintaining the file format, there is little chance that the editing done to the originals will somehow go wrong in the rendering process. I also do it because I want a DV file of the final project to export back to my camera for archiving purposes on DV cassette.

But you can of course, with each project, skip the 'create a new DV file' stage, and go straight to Share > Create Video File > DVD for each project, which produces two new DVD-compatible mpeg-2 files which you can later burn to disc. Selecting 'DVD' in this stage, simply tells Video Studio you want to produce an mpeg-2 which is fully DVD compatible. If instead, you select 'mpeg-2' instead of DVD, you need to be aware that the format will not necessarily be DVD compatible and this could cause problems at the burning stage as the program is likely to want to re-render the file. This can also cause some degradation in quality, not to mention possible problems like out of sync audio and video.

But do not confuse Share > Create Video File > DVD with Share > Create Disc > DVD. The first is only producing a DVD-compatible file. The second is actually for burning a DVD disc.

Trevor Andrew · Post by **Trevor Andrew** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 3:32 pm

Hi

I agree with Ken’s comments to create a Dv-Avi first especially if you have done a lot of editing to the video.
The downside is the file size which is about 13gb per hour.

When you Share-Create Video File if you select Same As first video clip, you will render to the exact settings as your Dv-Avi clip. Rendering should be relatively quick.

Rendering from Dv-Avi to Dvd (Mpeg 2) takes a lot longer.

Trevor