How do you organize HUGE amounts of raw footage?

[JPW]

I just returned from a long family ski trip and recorded 5 hours of raw footage that I want to condense down in to an action packed ~7 minute video. Since I have so much raw footage I would like to organize this footage first in to smaller clips that I then have labeled in to specifically named smaller clips. This way I could have all the headshots for instance in one group and then pull from just those clips when needed. I'm assuming others have run in to something similar. Is there a best practice or process to accomplish this?

[bikemike66]

That's a lot of footage!

How long are the clips? I usually start by looking at and renaming the raw footage files (BEFORE I import into a Videostudio library-so that the links don't become broken), and in some cases, deleting ones that won't be of much use. I describe what is in the clip and leave the original file name (ex: MOV06F GOAL 87 from 81 and 8.MOD). If there are awesome clips I simply can't exclude, I make not of it on paper.

Once I have done that I usually got through the clips in Videostudio and use the slider to find the best parts of each clip for possible inclusion in a finished video.

[skier-hughes]

I use an hierarchical folder system

[asik1]

JPW, it's all a matter of how do you view your video editing? is this a hobby? how long will you enjoy sitting doing 7min out of 300min? 5hours? 20hours?
If you are an average Joe, it's very simple. It really doesn't matter, any shot you will choose will look great.
Small tip for next trip... don't shoot so much.

[JPW]

That's a lot of footage!

How long are the clips? I usually start by looking at and renaming the raw footage files (BEFORE I import into a Videostudio library-so that the links don't become broken), and in some cases, deleting ones that won't be of much use. I describe what is in the clip and leave the original file name (ex: MOV06F GOAL 87 from 81 and 8.MOD). If there are awesome clips I simply can't exclude, I make not of it on paper.

Once I have done that I usually got through the clips in Videostudio and use the slider to find the best parts of each clip for possible inclusion in a finished video.

Yea, I thought of that. The clips can be 20 minutes long in some cases. If we went down a long ski run I would simply let the video roll. I might have captured different people doing different things that I would want to separate out at different times in the condensed final product.

Is there perhaps a lossless way to trim these videos? This way I could categorize the individual clips as needed and pull in the best ones.

[JPW]

JPW, it's all a matter of how do you view your video editing? is this a hobby? how long will you enjoy sitting doing 7min out of 300min? 5hours? 20hours?
If you are an average Joe, it's very simple. It really doesn't matter, any shot you will choose will look great.
Small tip for next trip... don't shoot so much.

It is a hobby for me just to put together family videos. I typically don't shoot such long amounts of footage, but when you are snow skiing it can be a little difficult if you go down a long run and you are attempting to capture multiple people with a GoPro on your head

[JPW]

I just found this application that claims to be lossless. Does anyone know anything about it?

http://www.machetesoft.com/home/about-machete.html

Do we know whether VideoStudio can losslessly trim?

[BrianCee]

When I want to make a short video from a lot of footage I just put the clips in the timeline one at a time and review the footage - if there is anything in there that I want in the short version I just cut either side of it in the timeline and slide that cut piece up into a NEW library folder - NO RENDERING or actual cutting has taken place - delete the clip in the timeline saying no to any prompt to save

continue to do that until you have all the extracts in the new library pane - do not 'Save' or 'Save As' at any time - even when exiting VideoStudio

Now go "File >> New Project" - say no to any request to save

Now slide all of your extracts down into the timeline in the order you want - again no rendering has taken place

when you are satisfied with what you have NOW is the time to render out your completed extract to whatever format you want

One render only in the completed process.

What a strange tip asik1 - take less video ?? - have you never been on a vacation or 'one off' trip - you can always not use video you have taken but often you cannot go back and film more of the same - the tip is to take MORE video and not use what you don't want.

[asik1]

What a strange tip asik1 - take less video ?? - have you never been on a vacation or 'one off' trip - you can always not use video you have taken but often you cannot go back and film more of the same - the tip is to take MORE video and not use what you don't want.

No Brian, my philosophy is, when on vacation... enjoy the vacation.
Where is the fun if all you are experienced is thru a 3" screen and than wasting hours to put together something no one wants to see, or just once if you R lucky.

[skier-hughes]

I just found this application that claims to be lossless. Does anyone know anything about it?

http://www.machetesoft.com/home/about-machete.html

Do we know whether VideoStudio can losslessly trim?

There is no such thing as a lossless edit when you are using a lossy format. The best you can do is save using the same settings as you start to minimise the loss. Otherwise just keep all the original.

[tanguero]

I just found this application that claims to be lossless. Does anyone know anything about it?

http://www.machetesoft.com/home/about-machete.html

Do we know whether VideoStudio can losslessly trim?

There is no such thing as a lossless edit when you are using a lossy format. The best you can do is save using the same settings as you start to minimise the loss. Otherwise just keep all the original.

That is not true when the editing you're talking about is trimming, splitting or joining. Now Videostudio may not have that capability (other than virtually so, on the timeline), but indeed others including Machete do. Most such trimmers restrict you to trip on keyframes (for encodings that use keyframes), but theoretically even that doesn't need to be a restriction and it could create (yes, losslessly) intermediate keyframes to trim between keyframes as well. I used Machete Lite (the free version that works on .avi and .wmv files only) and it worked fine, but you can try the full version for 14 days free as well.

[skier-hughes]

okay, editing is lossless, but when you save your edits as a movie file, if you use a lossy format, then you will lose information as the compression algorithms work on the file.

[lata]

You cannot edit/ trim a clip then resave the section without loss, unless you are working with a lossless format, there are indeed a few about DV-AVI is a lossless format, I assume Uncompressed AVI is also a Lossless format.

It is not the editor that determines if Lossless editing can be done it’s the actual video format.
Yes many editors will do a good job, an excellent job, but that’s not the same as lossless.

Video Studio uses Smart Render, that effectively copies the unedited sections and fully renders the edited or changes to the clip. Those unedited sections will be as good as it gets, as near as lossless, but even that is not lossless editing.

[JPW]

Man, I am pretty confused now. From a common sense perspective I don't see how the Machete Application could be degrading picture quality at all. My video files are MOV 1080i at 30fps. I can cut a video file in half and it saves the new MOV file practically instantaneously. Doesn't that alone tell us that there isn't any kind of additional compression going on and as a result there is no degradation. The video quality of the two files should be the same...right?

I really like the thought of using Machete before I drop them in to VideoStudio because of the organization I can do, but the thought of losing any quality has me concerned.

[lata]

Hi

I think the post got out of hand with the discussion of the meaning of lossy format.

Sure most editors and video converters will do a good job, an excellent job in rendering video.

If you trim / cut a clip using Video Studio, with the segment selected go to File – Save Trimmed Video, will create a new video file of that segment, it will use the same properties as the original. (saved to the working folder, a thumbnail placed in the library)
The quality will be good, difficult to see any difference with the original, but there will be some degradation, whether we can see that is another matter.

You have a long video, insert that to the timeline and you are working on a virtual clip, get the scissors going and you can cut it into pieces, That does not affect the file on the hard drive, delete the clips you don’t want, then either render the lot via Share or individually as above.