PC video editing help

Serendipity

To make a long story short, I've been assigned to do a documentary for a charity project and need to make a full-length (1-2 hours) video. We shot approximately 20 hours of raw footage on a Sony DVCAM and I also used my DV camcorder as a backup camera.

I have all the raw footage on tape, and I'm in the process of capturing it to my PC. I was just informed that I would need Adobe Premiere Pro, but I've already captured 5 tapes in Windows Movie Maker (probably a waste of time).

Would it be possible to import footage that I already captured into Premiere?

Edit: I also just found out by looking at the Adobe website that the hardware requirements on Premiere is insane! I don't think it will run on ANY of my PCs. So aside from the cost of the software ($799) I have to upgrade my PC.

Last, I have a friend that is helping me with the project and he's running Final Cut Pro on a Mac G5 (some serious hardware there). He's got some 20-30min. of video already edited and I'd like to expand on that. Would that be possible too?

wallstreet

If you imported in Moviemaker as a AVI file, that'll port to any editing software. The key is to keep the raw footage in the highest available quality. I would say use your buddies Mac and be careful before you speak up in church next time, LOL.

Serendipity

wallstreet wrote: »

If you imported in Moviemaker as a AVI file, that'll port to any editing software. The key is to keep the raw footage in the highest available quality. I would say use your buddies Mac and be careful before you speak up in church next time, LOL.

Haha, I didn't have to speak up at all. I've been the A/V guy here for AGES. That includes runnning the PA system and servicing of gear. Once in a while I get to take home an amp to fix and I get to try it out in my rig

As for the video, I did import it in moviemaker as an AVI file, not one of the "compressed" files.

Now about Adobe Premiere, I've used it once or twice before, on a MUCH older version...do you have any tips to get me started? (I've also *briefly* used Final Cut Pro and didn't like it much.)

mule

20 hours of raw footage:eek: !!

We did a shoot at my house this week, 6hrs setup and break down, maybe 3 hours of "shooting" to get maybe 15 minutes of raw footage that will get edited down to maybe 3 to 5 minute segment.

It would take a good year to get 20 hours for us.

Nat will be editing this in vegas pro 8, but this is hd so it probably wouldn't apply to what you are doing.

Serendipity

mule wrote: »

20 hours of raw footage:eek: !!

It took us MONTHS to film the 20 hours of raw footage. I can't take all the credit for it though, because we had a professional videographer help us and my friend was also helping out too.

Apparently the learning curve for Premiere is quite steep, so I've got to familiarize myself with the software before I get started working with the footage.

AdamRagland

windows movie maker still compresses in AVI format. Its a good possibility the footage you captured wont match your friends footage he captured with FCP. If it were up to me and the project were important enough. AND of course you have the TIME....i would recapture in FCP on his G5. Also it depends on what compression he used to capture the footage with. If he is using FCP then more than likely it is an NTSC/DV compressed .MOV file. Which will be a pain editing that AND AVI files in the same timeline because when you mix compressions, you have to render it everytime you do something to it. huge time waste.

AdamRagland

By the way i am Apple certified FCP so i prefer it greatly but IF you only have a PC and really want to try out a NLE like Final Cut or Premiere Pro. You can go to Adobe's website and download the Premiere Pro trial free for 30 days. It may give you enough time to complete a project. And yes the demo is full functioning. you just only have 30 days

Serendipity

Thanks,

The thing is, we are both working on different portions of the documentary (i.e. the "main" portion of the video will be done in FCP, but I have some interviews with locals/scenes showing poverty/etc. that I'm doing in particular).

So it's impossible to edit in Premiere and then incorporate that into FCP? AFAIK, the video I captured was in AVI and it took approx. 15GB for an hour of video.

Serendipity

AdamRagland wrote: »

windows movie maker still compresses in AVI format. Its a good possibility the footage you captured wont match your friends footage he captured with FCP. If it were up to me and the project were important enough. AND of course you have the TIME....i would recapture in FCP on his G5. Also it depends on what compression he used to capture the footage with. If he is using FCP then more than likely it is an NTSC/DV compressed .MOV file. Which will be a pain editing that AND AVI files in the same timeline because when you mix compressions, you have to render it everytime you do something to it. huge time waste.

I guess then I wasted my time with capturing with Windows Movie Maker?

Hopefully I will be getting Premiere Pro within the next week or so...I just found out that they are getting it for me so I don't have to buy it myself.