Vidding...(woes)

[ash48]

I suppose I shouldn't moan about vidding because I am extremely fortunate to have an amazing computer to work on (a new 27-inch iMac) and all the latest Adobe programs at my fingertips. Having all the new wiz-bang shiny programs made me decide to change editing programs - from Final Cut Express to Premiere Pro. I lost some of my FCE add-ons when we changed over so it seems like a good time. Also, they are not updating FCE so another reason to change over.

Only, learning a new program is killing me! I did two days of watching tutorials and reading ALL the stuff. I then started playing with footage and discovered some frustrating glitches. Simple things like it not playing the footage in the timeline or in the source window (which we ended up fixing by discovering some little thing we had to "click" to make it work *headdesk*) and now I can't drop footage that has audio onto the timeline at all. The sound goes over ok but it refuses to put the actual footage on. It's the clips I need! Clips without sound are fine.

This is even before I do ANYTHING else! Plus it's soooo slow. I see is the whirly colour wheel every time I want it to do something. There is no way it should be doing that.

So, it looks like I'll have to go back to Final Cut Express. Which is fine I suppose, but I loved some of the things you could do in PP. I'm also itching to play in After Effects.

Hubby seems to think this latest version of PP has bugs, so maybe there'll be fix in the next version. We've on the Creative Cloud so updates should be quick. I hope.

If there's anyone on my flist who uses Premiere and have some words of wisdom I'm all ears.


I'm off to Sydney on Wednesday (yay!). Family catch up. I'll still be online, but I won't have regular access to my emails. Best way to contact me is via LJ PM.

Comments

[kalliel]

Gross, sorry to hear about the software troubles--but yeah, I feel like the pinwheel definitely should not be happening!! The pinwheel should be a rare and befuddling occurrence, emphasis on RARE. XP Stupid pinwheel.

But huzzah for Syney! :DD Have funnnn~

[ash48.livejournal.com]

I call it the whirligig of doom! Should not be happening! :( And it's crashed - when I had hardly even started something! Probably something to do with the way it's set up. Grrr

Thanks! :D
xx

[chomaisky.livejournal.com]

I had a similar experience when I tried watercolor. I read books and watched hours of tutorials, and did all that mental exercise for days while waiting for supplies to arrive. Then I tried it and was sooo frustrated when I just couldn't control where the pigments went. After 2 hours I quit and turned on PS :(
I always want to try vidding but it's too demanding on just about everything. It's hard to switch to new tools. But you'll figure it out!

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Yes yes - the mental work. I was getting all excited because it looked pretty straight forward. But when it came to actually working on it..../o\ The fact that the program isn't performing like it's supposed to hasn't helped.

I'm hoping it will sort itself out (I've raged quit a couple of times!).

And vidding is stupidly demanding. I wish I didn't love doing it so much. I would LOVE to be able to draw or write. Can't do those so vidding it's gotta be...;/

x

[killabeez.livejournal.com]

What kind of source clips are you vidding with?

I don't have much experience with Premiere, but I did make a vid with it last summer when I got a new computer and couldn't get my FCP working right (since fixed). I had no problem with the speed or putting clips in—in fact, I found it was much more forgiving about mixing different source than FCP has been. My issues with Premiere were mostly just the cludginess of the timeline (compared to FCP). I felt like the interface got in my way a bit, and was less fluid. Since I was making a movie vid with no effects, it didn't really matter, but that's why I did eventually go back to FCP.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

I'm using the same source I do for FCE - .dv. I thought that might have been a problem so I tried MP4, MOV and avi. All worked the same. I hope it's not the .dv because I have a heap of clips saved as in that format.

I don't like the interface as much as FCE (though apparently CS6 is cleaner than CS5). I've been messing around with it because I don't find it as flexible as FC. But I think that's mostly to do with what I'm used to.

I think I'll have to go back to FC - the slowness is a major issue at the moment too. I'll just have to re-install the extra plug-ins I had. :)

Are you using FCP-X by any chance? I keep hearing bad things about it (whilst doing the Premiere tutorials).

Thanks.
x

[killabeez.livejournal.com]

No, I haven't gone the FCP-X route. Too set in my ways. :) I found a version of classic FCP that would run on the latest OS. (v 7.0.3)

The vid I made last year was on CS6. It does sound like your version is a bit unhappy. Maybe not a great match with the OS version you're running?

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Hmmm - it's the latest Mac OS (ummm...Mavericks or something like that) - but yeah, I think it's probably not been set up perfectly. I keep reading little fixes that can help with all sorts of things. I'll try those and see what happens. I remember all the trials I went through when I changed from iMovie to FC. Not such a big learning curve, but still...old dog, new tricks. ;)

[killabeez.livejournal.com]

Ah, yeah, I would guess that CS CC and Mavericks might not get along. (A quick google does show some people having stability issues, etc.) I haven't upgraded to Mavericks yet because I'm afraid of it messing up my (at this point) somewhat old version of FCP. Hope one of those little tricks solves it for you!

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Ah, that's interesting. That could be it then. I'll keep an eye on the forums and see what's being said. Thanks!

I hate it when we upgrade. Something always screws up (my vidding!).

[colls]

I'm clinging to FCE as well (and Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 for graphics, I think the current version is 12?)
>>insert image of dinosaur<<

I *think* about upgrading and then run across something like this and remember there's going to be a learning curve and nope out.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

It's a shame they're not updating FCE. I will probably cling to it also - especially if I can't figure out how to stop the constant pausing (colour wheel of dooooom!). It took me a bit to get used to the new PS also (the gif program changed slightly), but there wasn't a huge difference in the end. Just how to find things...)

I was going to be really proud of myself for changing over...but alas, I think it'll be too much of a headache.

[cassiopeia7.livejournal.com]

(a new 27-inch iMac)

*sooo jealous* Is that the big silver one? *turns green*

You definitely shouldn't be getting the pinwheel/beachball thingy, though. Assuming you're not running any other memory hogs at the same time . . . how much memory have you got, and what's your processor speed?

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Yep! Big silver shiny thing that it is. I'm lucky I have a hubby who works in the graphics industry and computer and software is very important. :))

how much memory have you got, and what's your processor speed?

Can I answer with... lots? Hubby upgraded because he runs so many programs and he needed more crunch. So I don't think space or speed is the problem. Everything else is faster since we got this computer (plus with have a 2TB hard drive where all my vidding files live). I'm thinking it's a glitchy thing with Premiere AND the new OS on the Mac. Hubby has been checking it out but even he hasn't found the problem (yet!). He's not quite as invested as I am in the editing software so he's not looking toooo hard. I've been reading all the forums and there do seem to be some issues with the new Creative Cloud version of PP.

Technology! /o\

Thanks hun! I can always go back to Final Cut (I'd probs be happier there anyway).
<3

Re: Source clips

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Hi there,

I'll PM you info on this. :)

[brightly-lit.livejournal.com]

I haven't done much with vidding, but this sounds EXACTLY like adventures I've had with audio recording software. SO excited to get to work ... only to have to spend days wrestling with the software before I can record a single note. >:-< One REALLY important piece of information was buried in some random section of the help files that I accidentally navigated to, and that ended up being the key ....

Speaking of vidding, oh vidding guru, you're probably inundated by requests to join folks' GISHWHES teams, but I still thought I'd ask if you have any interest in joining our GISHWHES team at spn_bunker? :-) We'd love to have you ...

[ash48.livejournal.com]

One REALLY important piece of information was buried in some random section of the help files that I accidentally navigated to, and that ended up being the key ....

That's the most frustrating part! One little tiny check on an option and everything can work fine. Grrr

And yes! I have actually signed up with a team for GISHWHES. I've never done it before so I have no idea what I've signed up for. Thank you so much for your offer though. :)) We are looking for some more team members too...

[brightly-lit.livejournal.com]

Maybe you're on one of the teams I've been talking to who are looking for more members--depending on how many we get, we might merge with one of those teams. Either way, I'm happy to be in this with fellow fans. :-)

This is my first GISHWHES, too! Too naive about what I'm getting into to be nervous, perhaps ....

[ash48.livejournal.com]

I'm with amber1960's team. We have been looking for - I think - 4 more members. Are you with Starrylizard?

[brightly-lit.livejournal.com]

No--maybe she's on katstark's team? That's the other team I talked to. I'm thinking between the three teams we may end up with exactly enough for two full teams, in which case maybe we can shuffle around and have two excellent lj fandom teams!

[counteragent.livejournal.com]

UGH I FEEL YOU HONEY.

Your version is probably not quite right, if your computer is relatively new.

Or you could be missing a codec for your source type, but since you tried lots of source types it's probably not that. I'd google your error messages if any. I also had a shit time setting up premiere but I cannot remember why. :( Sorry.

Don't expect it to be a great interface--it isn't. BUT it can take any source you throw at it, and vidding in high def is great with it, and its export options are fucking brilliant. I think you can do a lot with audio editing but as you know that's my weakest link, LOL.

FWIW, I tihnk all the things I suggested for that one vid could be done in a regular editing program--but I could just be speaking from a fear of After Effects! :) When my kids go to college I'll learn that program, heh. (Although by then I'm sure there will be automatic vidding programs on our phones, controlled by neurons and algorithms and eye twitches.)

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Yeah - thinking a mix of the program and the operating system (and new computer). We're also having trouble finding a way to have the sound come through the speakers we have set up (and not just the computer). Works for everything else - just not this program. Looks like I'll need to do some more research.

I loved everything I saw in the tutorials so I really hope I can find a way to make it work. FCE is no longer being upgraded so I'm going to have to change over at some point anyway (and AE looks awesome but the tuts on that made my brain melt!).

I tihnk all the things I suggested for that one vid could be done in a regular editing program-

I think I can achieve that effect in FCE - I've thought about a way of doing a rapid page turn or something like that. I want to play but hubby has been home (and using the computer!) so haven't had a chance to. I might make the Absolution vid in FCE and try to do Sweet Dream in Premiere. That's a plan anyway...;D

(Although by then I'm sure there will be automatic vidding programs on our phones, controlled by neurons and algorithms and eye twitches.)

Haha - maybe we'll just be able to "picture" the vid in our heads and voila! Done! :))

[milly-gal.livejournal.com]

I haven't made a fanvid in SO many years that my knowledge would be so very useless to you, but I really hope you manage to wrangle your tech hun *hugs*

[ash48.livejournal.com]

So much keeps changing! It's all so damn technical and I'm not very technical at all. Luckily my hubby is (or there's no way I'd be making vids).

Thanks! (Good to see your internet is back! <3)

[milly-gal.livejournal.com]

Nope, it's not, lol,I'm using works internet! *grouches*

[http://users.livejournal.com/_sharvie_/]

When I was doing all my searching I did come across some people being very adamant against using dv stream but I can't remember why. This thread talks about muxed audio. https://discussions.apple.com/message/16284082

And here they explained why that leads to rendering. http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/200/888785

And that for whatever strange reason imovie and FCE (not sure on FCP) were the only two programs that really worked well with dv stream files. PP does not seem to be one of them. http://forum.videohelp.com/threads/273478-Premiere-Pro-to-Apple-DV-Stream

That all said, I have no idea if that's contributing to your problem! So I'm really no help. But from what you're saying it really does sound like a codec problem. At least for the whole dropping onto the timeline issue.

I do know that mpegstreamclip does batch editing and you can try the 'save as' feature to see if that speeds up the rerendering process, if you decide you'll need to do so to stick with PP.

Good luck, have fun in Sydney, and let me know if I can be any help!! *smooch*

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Hey hun! (woot! you're on LJ! *g*)

I've played some more with it and I've managed to fix the problem of the footage not going onto the timeline (I think!). It seems to like DV well enough - but it might not be the best format for PP.

I think there is a glitch in there somewhere because we can't get the sound through the external speakers either. I've been reading lots of help threads and there seems to be some problems with the new OS for Mac (Maverick) and PrPro CC. *sigh*.

I'm going to stick with FCE for the moment. The next vid needs some tricky editing so it's probably better that I use a program I am really familiar with. Sadly they are not upgrading FCE anymore. I figure I'll have to make the change sooner or later (hopefully later...).

Thanks BB! I'm looking forward to catching up with my family. <33