Sluggish VideoStudio Pro X2 Performance while editing

1968eric · Post by **1968eric** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 9:14 pm

If I am using the wizard I don't seem to have any problem

When I multi-trim, no problems, the program reacts as expected.

Anything else while in edit mode I see very sluggish performance. Just highlighting a video clip in the timeline - it may take 10 seconds or more just to react and show it has been selected.

I have tried using Smart Proxy and disabling it.

The worst performance is when I am editing files from my Flip Video camera - .avi files. I see better performance on the .wmv files from my webcam.

I don't have a complete junker of a PC - specs are in my profile. I'm guessing I have some setting wrong or doing something the wrong way.

Any guides or advice that may be useful?

Post by **Ken Berry** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 10:36 pm

Welcome to the Forums!

And thanks for having filled in your system specs from the start!

However, we need some more information. Is your Flip Video camera a Mino or Ultra, and is it a HD version of either? I ask because depending on the model, it uses different formats for the video it films. And that in turn will to an extent govern Video Studio's speed in handling it.

If it is not a HD model, then I am aware the Flip only uses a frame size of 640 x 480 and speed of 30 fps. The former is not a DVD specification, so coupling a potentially troublesome -- or rather complex -- format like "AVI" (in reality, one of the mpeg-4 codecs or H.264 for the HD versions) with a non-DVD specification, particularly if you are trying to burn a DVD, would slow things down considerably.

Can you also confirm that you have loaded whatever came on the Installation disc with the camera? That way we will at least know you have installed whatever version of the codec(s) the camera works with (if it in fact requires a special codec or codecs...)

1968eric · Post by **1968eric** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 8:35 pm

The camera is a mino and not HD. I installed the software that came with it.

I don't care about rendering times. My problem is in editing the clips. Its the performance in the editor, while I'm arranging clips, adding titels, working with overlays, etc. I couldn't care less how long it takes to make the DVD once I've finished editing.

When I click on a clip, it takes 10 seconds at least for the program to respond and the highlight around it to appear. I hope I'm describing the problem correctly. Basically, while editing, there is a 10 - 20 second lag between any action I take and the response of the software.

The problem is I can't edit because the program runs so slow.

Black Lab · Post by **Black Lab** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 1:12 pm

I believe your camera uses MPEG-4 compression, a very compressed format designed for viewing, not editing. I'm afraid the sluggishness is the nature of the beast when using highly compressed formats.

You could try converting the MPEG-4 clips to something easier to work with, such as DV-AVI or MPEG-2. Try SUPER, a free utility.

1968eric · Post by **1968eric** » Fri Jun 12, 2009 2:31 am

Black Lab wrote:I believe your camera uses MPEG-4 compression, a very compressed format designed for viewing, not editing. I'm afraid the sluggishness is the nature of the beast when using highly compressed formats.

You could try converting the MPEG-4 clips to something easier to work with, such as DV-AVI or MPEG-2. Try SUPER, a free utility.

Now I really have to show my ignorance. I thought mpeg-4 clips were a seperate format with their own extension. The files that come from my Flip are .avi files. Does this mean they are .avi files that have been compressed?

BTW, I downloaded SUPER. Could someone tell me what settings I should use to encode?

Post by **Ken Berry** » Fri Jun 12, 2009 4:16 am

To repeat:

...coupling a potentially troublesome -- or rather complex -- format like "AVI" (in reality, one of the mpeg-4 codecs or H.264 for the HD versions) with a non-DVD specification, particularly if you are trying to burn a DVD, would slow things down considerably.

Your files use the AVI extension, but that is just a wrapping format. In reality, your files from that particular model camera are really mpeg-4 using the H.264 codec...

1968eric · Post by **1968eric** » Fri Jun 12, 2009 11:37 am

Ken Berry wrote:To repeat:
...coupling a potentially troublesome -- or rather complex -- format like "AVI" (in reality, one of the mpeg-4 codecs or H.264 for the HD versions) with a non-DVD specification, particularly if you are trying to burn a DVD, would slow things down considerably.
Your files use the AVI extension, but that is just a wrapping format. In reality, your files from that particular model camera are really mpeg-4 using the H.264 codec...

Thanks Ken. I'm convinced thanks to you and Black Lab's explanation there is a problem with the file codec or whatever.

What I'm hoping someone can help me with is the solution. I have downloaded SUPER as BL suggested. I don't know what settings to use for the output file...bit rate, frames per sec, audio output, etc.

Should I use DV Digital Video for the output codec? There's also an option that says raw uncompressed.

Also, I haven't gotten to the burning DVD stage. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it - its the editing that is slow and sluggish and unworkable.

Black Lab · Post by **Black Lab** » Fri Jun 12, 2009 1:19 pm

From Super I would convert to DV-AVI, which is a rock-solid editing format.

1968eric · Post by **1968eric** » Fri Jun 12, 2009 10:56 pm

Black Lab wrote:From Super I would convert to DV-AVI, which is a rock-solid editing format.

I don't see that option. Does it go by a different name in SUPER?

Also, what settings?

Post by **Ken Berry** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 12:28 am

In the top left hand corner of the SUPER screen, Window 1 ('Select the Output Containter): select 'avi'.

In the window to its right, Window 2 (Select the Output Video Codec), choose 'DV Digital Video'.

In Window 3 (Audio), I would normally here use Microsoft ADPCM, and accept its defaults.

Then process the video.

1968eric · Post by **1968eric** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 2:53 am

Ken Berry wrote:In the top left hand corner of the SUPER screen, Window 1 ('Select the Output Containter): select 'avi'.

In the window to its right, Window 2 (Select the Output Video Codec), choose 'DV Digital Video'.

In Window 3 (Audio), I would normally here use Microsoft ADPCM, and accept its defaults.

Then process the video.

Thanks Ken. I used those setting and it errors out. My fun meter is about pegged. Nothing to do with you guys of course, you've been very helpful, but I'm not used to having this much problems with things of a technical nature. Then again, I don't know anything about video lol. I'm learning tho.

BTW, tell me if doing this is bad:

I took several video files and dragged them into a project. Then I went to the share section and saved them as MPEG-2 or whatever. Then I used that output file for editing the project and all. That fixed the problem with the program behaving sluggishly while editing, but is it going to make the video look even crappier than it already would? Or by doing that am I basically doing the same thing I'd be doing with Super?

Post by **Ken Berry** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 3:22 am

It's roughly the same sort of procedure. But the big difference is that DV/AVI is a largely lossless format (not totally, but almost). So you will not lose quality if you edit and convert again to DV/AVI a few times. But mpeg (1, 2 and 4) is lossy and each time you convert, you lose one generation of quality. If you start with high quality mpeg-2 and maintain the same high quality settings, the quality loss may not be particuarly noticeable, but if you have to re-render a couple of time or more, the quality loss will become more noticeable.

Mind you, once you have it as mpeg-2, and you do your edits, then render it again to a new mpeg-2 using Video Studio's SmartRender, then only those parts which have actually been edited (cut, or new transitions etc) will actually be rendered while the rest will be left alone. So the great part of the original quality will be maintained. In the past, with earlier versions of VS, SmartRender sometimes caused the video and audio to go out of sync. But in the past couple of versions, this has been much less of a problem. Not gone entirely for some people, but not longer as widespread as it used to be.