Importing from hd Camcorder

[steve_e]

Hi -
I've just begun using Video Studio Pro X3, having just also bought a new laptop that's up to the job of processing HD (AVCHD) from a panasonic camcorder (an SD200).

I'm pretty new to all this and assumed that when I connected my camcorder to the PC via USB, VS would automatically recognise it as a 'source'. However it doesn't. It only seems to want to capture video from the Sony Webcam that comes with the laptop.j Each time I try to select HDV Source as a source it returns to 'Sony Visual Communications'.

Windows Explorer can find the camcorder drive and I've copied them over to the PC with no troubl (explorer lists the file types as 'AVCHD'. However I'm not sure what to do to now to be able to view the files inside VS and begin working with them. I copied them to the same folder that was created in the VS data folder when I captured a brief video of me with the webcam inside VS, but they don't show up in VS.

Am I doing something daft (or not doing something obvious...)?

Regards, Steve

[Ken Berry]

First, your camera will not show up as an HDV source for the very simple reason that it is not a HDV model, but an AVCHD model -- two totally different formats. Moreover, a HDV camera connects via firewire and not USB.

Next, what you have done is in fact one of the correct ways of getting the video from camcorder to computer. You should, in fact, probably use the software which came with the camera to transfer the video as it converts it to another stream, though in the same format. But using Windows copy/paste commands works just as well... But forget about 'capturing' from your camcorder. You are just 'inserting digital media' files.

Next, there is no need to copy the video files to any special Video Studio sub-folder. Regardless of where they are stored on your computer -- and you can create a 'Video' folder (and call it anything you like) anywhere on your computer -- they will NOT show up automatically in Video Studio. Once they are on your computer (and if you have not used Insert Digital Media as the command to do it), then you just right click in either the Library window or in the timeline and select 'Insert Video'. Then navigate to where the video is stored and select which files you want to insert... Simple as that. Then get on with editing!!

[steve_e]

Thanks very much for that explanation Ken.

I still had a few problems which probably boil down to my complete ignorance of either VS or Windows 7 - or possibly both! I've resolved them now (at least to be able to work around them) but thought I'd describe them here in case anyone else is looking for a solution.

Clicking 'Insert Digital Media' brings up a dialogue box called 'Import Digital Media'. Initally there are no folder paths there to navigate to so that you can select the files you want to import. So I clicked the 'Select Import Source Folders' link at the top of this dialogue box and got taken to a new screen, 'Select Import Source Folders'.

This offers a whole series of folder paths which you can tick off as possible folders to import your video files from.

Unfortunately, it didn't seem possible to find my way to any of the folders which held any information. For example /users/steve/my videos (in Windows 7 it's /libraries/videos/). None of these showed up as paths.

So, a little mystified I installed the panasonic editor and file manager that came with the camcorder, HD Writer AE. I re-copied all my camcorder files to the PC. (And here's another thing; THAT package would only let me import/copy them to C:/users/public/videos/HD Writer. What is it with video software control freakery?)

So I checked again and was able to get to the HD Writer folder above and thence import my digital media with no problems.

If you have any ideas why the two programs seem to be so fussy on my PC I'd be very interested to hear them. Thanks again for your help!

Regards, Steve

[steve_e]

Although having wittered on at length above I've now tried just dragging and dropping from Windows Explorer into the library and it works fine, so there's another option making the folder locations less restrictive!

[Trevor Andrew]

Hi Steve

To insert a video file

Right click the library or timeline and select Insert Video
Do not choose Insert Digital Media, just insert Video

Browse your hard drive for the files.

[mitchell65]

Hi Steve
If I may add my two pennyworth here,I have always found it best to use the software that usually comes with a new camcorder to upload the files to the PC as Ron said. When you open HD Writer AE you should see something like "Target Folder" and the word "Browse" This is where you can choose anywhere on you system to store your video clips. A lot of members here, indeed I think most use an external hard drive to store video clips and still images as video clips, in particular, are by their very nature large files, they can easily be over 1Gb each so they soon begin to fill up your C Drive. You need to back up if you use the C drive anyway.

[steve_e]

Thanks for your comments both!

Mitchell65, thanks very much for that. I have a NAS drive where I'd like my video files to end up so I'll see if I can follow your suggestions when I'm next back with my network. My main problem as I recall yesterday was that HD Writer (which I did install) was only offering me very limited locations to install into. But I can't now recall what those folders were so I'll have to check when I get back.

Thanks again for the help!