Need help with process for editing Sport video XAVC

[HeinrichS]

Hi
I'm using VSP 2018 and would appreciate comments on how to optimally edit sport (lacrosse) video. I'm currently filming with two Sony cameras - producing XAVC files in both HD (50Mb/s 1920x1080, 60fps) and 4K (50Mb/s, 3840*2160, 30fps) formats.
I primarily use the HD footage, supplementing with 4K converted to HD using VSP 2018's pan and zoom feature as needed.
For each game, I generally capture 4 files (one per quarter (12-25 minutes each, depending on stoppages)), with sometimes a 5th file for Overtime.

My aim is to produce a full game length HD output file in best quality, as well as a file optimized for Youtube.

My current process in a nutshell - and this is where I need your help in determining the correct sequence or any changes as needed to optimize:

1. Download clips from cards/cameras using Sony provided Playmemories
2. Create new project in VSP2018
3. Use VSP "File->Insert Media File to Timeline ->Insert Video" option to include all 4 or 5 files into project.
4. Accept the prompt to change the project settings to match the video's properties
5. Sometimes trim clips to remove unneeded footage at start and end of clips.
6. Create 1st output option - use Share->"Computer" with the "Same as Project Settings" checkbox selected - this produces a huge 60-90 minute file in HD quality that takes anything from 60 to 600 minutes to render (depending on the editing and effects added).
7. Creates 2nd output option - using Share->"Device"->Mobile device and "MPEG-4 AVC (1920x1080, 30p, 5MBps)" profile. This generally renders in realtime...
8. Often I also need to stabilize the video due to excessive shake - using Mercali with almost default settings in a brand new project. As an input I generally use the compressed format which takes almost real-time to analyze and then again to render - with Share->"Computer" with the "Same as Project Settings" as output. Mercali requires the output to be same as project otherwize it crashes...

Your comments on the above sequence would be appreciated - especially the best sequence for trimming, applying stabilization using Mercali, possibly doing some rotation to fix uneven footage, compressing and final output. In future I might also want to add some titles, lower third graphics, transitions between quarters, half time, end etc...

I have a fairly decent Windows 10 based system, but can't seem to get an optimal processed defined...

Thanks
Heinrich

[aljimenez]

Your workflow seems reasonable to me. However, the video inserted first is the project properties as you described. Since you have two types of videos, pay attention to which one is inserted first.

I recommend your high quality render for archiving be 4K video. The 1080p 60fps clips should be handled well by VS to make it 4K. I personally do what you are doing often. I have 4K cameras and 1080p60fps clips intermixed too.

[gewb]

Another idea is to process each quarter as a separate project, trimming out dead time, add transitions and text, etc., then render ouput. Add those outputs into a complete project and render. I don't think there would be much generational loss in quality.

[Davidk]

Don'y worry about Youtube when you prepare your video. Anything uploaded there will be re-processed by Youtube, generally so it will download in a reasonable time. And of course being presented in that itty-bitty viewing window, a loss of resolution in the re-process mechanism isn't noticed very much.
You may have noticed that YT now prefers mp4 clips, and uplaoding them is usually lengthy process. But mp4 like other formats is a container definition and the actual format varies quite a bit within that scope. The result you view might be called mp4 but it's tuned for display in the YT viewing window.

[HeinrichS]

Thanks for all the replies - I'm not as far off track as I thought My problem is rendering the files - doing a full game (approx. 60-80 minutes, 35Gb file) of simply combined clips with Mercali stabilization added and exported to original HD format takes 6 to 10 hrs, if not longer, and if VSP doesn't crash... So it's not a practical option and I normally compress first, then do stabilization, and the 2-4Gb compressed file takes about 60-90minutes to render successfully. Any recommendations on how to improve rendering - is VSP GPU, memory or CPU focused, and what would you do from a VSP or system configuration or hardware improvement point of view?

[HeinrichS]

Thanks for all the replies - I'm not as far off track as I thought My problem is rendering the files - doing a full game (approx. 60-80 minutes, 35Gb file) of simply combined clips with Mercali stabilization added and exported to original HD format takes 6 to 10 hrs, if not longer, and if VSP doesn't crash... So it's not a practical option and I normally compress first, then do stabilization, and the 2-4Gb compressed file takes about 60-90minutes to render successfully. Any recommendations on how to improve rendering - is VSP GPU, memory or CPU focused, and what would you do from a VSP or system configuration or hardware improvement point of view?

[Davidk]

Ooof. 60-80 minutes in a single project file? I'd break it into smaller pieces that naturally fit together (make breaks at major scene or action changes) and render each one separately. Then using the same project settings and smart render options, chain them all together in a final file. With all the rendering work per vsp already done, what's left is/should be just making the final file

[aljimenez]

I like Davidk suggestions. Also try turning all the Hardware accelleration options in Preferences and test them out; some pc's don't work with hardware accelleration turned on.