8mm Forum: What video programme, for my needs?

This is topic What video programme, for my needs? in forum General Yak at 8mm Forum.

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Posted by Al Wilkie (Member # 4672) on March 28, 2018, 05:22 PM:

I have looked through the forums but would like more guidance regarding video programmes. Thanks to help from these forums I have bought & converted my 8mm movies. They were all scanned at 30fps. I need to convert them to the 3 original speeds. 16fps, 18fps & 24fps so they play on other equipment at the correct speed. Once that is done I need to add the original sound to them. I can take the sound from the movies with a Tascam recorder that converts it to mp3 or wav. I also have a few Super 8mm movies I shot in cinemascope, so I also need a programme that can un'stretch them, so they remain unstretched. I can playback with VLC in the correct cinemascope format, but I want them permanently converted so I don't have to sellect cinemascope every time. I have been shooting 4k videos for over a year & would like to edit them & leave them as 4k videos. I have Adobe Premiere Elements 13, but I can't get on with it. I don't even know if it will do what I want??? I have been recommended to use 'Magix movie edit' for the 4k, but I don't know if it will do all the other things I require. I would like something that is easy & if possible, cheap. Lastly would the programme also clean up the movies as I have seen on YT, or would I need an add on? Thanks for any advice.

Posted by Janice Glesser (Member # 2758) on March 28, 2018, 06:21 PM:

Hi Al...Try VideoPad Movie Editor. This software packs a lot of features even compared to high-priced pro apps.

http://www.nchsoftware.com/videopad/index.html

I only use VideoPad for HD...but the specs say it will edit 4K also. There is a free version, but the cost is very minimal to get the full version. If this doesn't do what you need...then Adobe Premiere Pro is the way to go.

[ March 28, 2018, 09:54 PM: Message edited by: Janice Glesser ]

Posted by Al Wilkie (Member # 4672) on March 29, 2018, 03:04 AM:

Thank you Janice, I will take a look at that.

Posted by Al Wilkie (Member # 4672) on March 30, 2018, 03:05 PM:

I have hit a snag. I tried the free version to see how I got on & if I like it I will buy it, but I managed to get one film edited & 'exported'& it played back on VLC. I noticed I left something in & edited it out but after 'exporting' it won't play. I tried other movies with other edits but once 'exported' it won't play no matter what setting. Any ideas?

Posted by Mark Davies (Member # 6249) on March 30, 2018, 04:37 PM:

Hi Al,

When you are starting out in any software program, if you find you have made a mistake or something fails to work, I always suggest starting again.

That way, you not only learn the repetitive tasks, but also learn your mistakes and over come.

Some time later, you will be able to solve this easily since you will have no doubt learnt what works and what doesn't.

It's just practice.

Kind Regards Mark.

Posted by Al Wilkie (Member # 4672) on March 30, 2018, 05:10 PM:

I have started over, again & again. I can edit the film, I can add sound, I can synch them together. I can cut out parts I don't want & join two films together, so I have been practising. But no matter what I do it will not save the movie so I can play it. (Apart from the first time). I have two other programmes, Movie Maker & Any MP4 video & both programmes are easy to save as a movie file that plays with VLC etc. I want a basic MP4 file in as high a quality as I can get, allowing for the content. What settings would be recommended?

Posted by Mark Davies (Member # 6249) on March 30, 2018, 05:34 PM:

Hi Al,

Sorry I don't use any of these programs so unable to supply specifics.

Kind Regards Mark

Posted by Janice Glesser (Member # 2758) on March 30, 2018, 07:01 PM:

Al can you send a screen capture of your file export video settings or at least list them. What format are you exporting to? For example..If you are exporting to a 4K .mp4 file go to "Export Video" > Video File > [Enter File Name] > [Folder location] > (HD) 2160 (4K) > Create.

[ March 30, 2018, 09:58 PM: Message edited by: Janice Glesser ]

Posted by Al Wilkie (Member # 4672) on March 31, 2018, 02:42 AM:

I tried adding a screen grab, but when I add a 'Photobucket' photo to the 'image'it says illegal photo. I tried all types of header. I tried the link direct & also dragging the jpg onto this page, but nothing works. I use quite a few forums with various ways of uploading pictures & one of the above usually work. If you can explain how to add a picture I will add some. In the meantime I am doing exactly what you said. At the moment I am trying to export an 8mm film I have edited in the highest possible quality suitable for it. If I go too high a quality it says it is too high for the subject, so one of the 720p would be OK. On checking I managed to do two that play. One needed further editing, the other looked lower quality. Thank for trying to help me.

Posted by Douglas Meltzer (Member # 28) on March 31, 2018, 09:03 AM:

Al,

I've sent you a PM about uploading.

Doug

Posted by Al Wilkie (Member # 4672) on March 31, 2018, 10:56 AM:

Here are my settings for the 8mm movie.

Posted by Al Wilkie (Member # 4672) on April 02, 2018, 10:21 AM:

I am still having problems. I tried a different movie. I added sound & exported it, however for some reason it added 20 seconds of darkness. No problem I thought, I'll just edit it out. So thats what I did but when I exported it, it will not play. Then I tried joining 3 x 4k videos, a total of about 20 seconds. It looked fine so I exported it. I let the programme pick the settings & I agreed with it. It took an hour to save & again would not play. I went back to the original movie & tried a different setting. I went into the encoder options & moved it down one. Well this time it played in VLC, but when I tried to put it in movie maker & other programmes, it did not recognise it. I have a Macbook Pro top end??? I don't know if it's the free version that seems a stop to a second export. I really want to buy the programme but I won't if I am likely to still have these problems. It does most of the editing I want, but it won't give me a playable movie.

Posted by Janice Glesser (Member # 2758) on April 02, 2018, 07:27 PM:

What codec are you using?

Posted by Al Wilkie (Member # 4672) on April 03, 2018, 06:57 AM:

.Everyone was MP4 as per the programme auto settings. I tried one that was H265 & that played in VLC, but it would not load into 'Movie Maker' or 'AnyMP4'. I am so frustrated as I would have done half my 8mm movies by now but I am still on the first one.

Posted by Janice Glesser (Member # 2758) on April 03, 2018, 06:06 PM:

Al...you should use h.264 codec and try choosing the file type from the list instead of selecting "detect." Older versions of Movie Maker will not support 4k files and it does not support MP4. I'm not familiar with ANYMP4. Where do you want to view your videos? If VLC is working then use it...Did you try WMP? Some times you may have to install a codec pack to decode various media files.

[ April 03, 2018, 07:08 PM: Message edited by: Janice Glesser ]

Posted by Al Wilkie (Member # 4672) on April 04, 2018, 02:40 AM:

Sorry Janice I didn't make myself clear. It's just that I have tried so many ways, everything is merging.

Regarding the 4K video. I just tried that once. I put three clips together with a total of around 20 seconds. I let the programme choose the settings & after export it would not play in VLC, or anything for that matter. On top of that it took an hour to export, & I have a top of the range Macbook Pro.

However my main object at the moment is 8mm, initially to just change speed, add sound where necessary, & stretch a few movies that I shot in cinemascope. Once that is done I am happy to go deeper into the programme & play with color, brightness & so on.

My first attempt was a sound movie, but I wanted to take one step at a time, so I just cut the beginning & end film lead off & exported it with the programmes recommended settings. It played perfectly. Next step was to change speed to 18fps & add sound. This was easy. So again I exported with the programmes recommended settings. This also worked but there was several seconds of black at the end of the video. This was where my problems started. The movie & settings were in the programme, so I just edited out the black at the end, the same way I edited out the 8mm leads. I then exported the movie but it did not play. It was also a smaller file, yet I changed nothing.

I tried a couple of other short 8mm films to see if the problem persisted. Unfortuntely they did not play. I went over the original film & the new ones, again & again with the recommended setting & my own settings, but none would play & all the file sizes were smaller that the one that did play.

What do I want to do with the finished movie. I want to send it to You Tube, Facebook, Flickr & friends. I want it to play at the correct speed & format when others play it.

This clearly is a fault in the programme. As I said previously I want to buy it, but if the results are the same, then I will have wasted money. I won't go for Photoshop as I will never use a monthly pay system, I would buy outright but thats not possible.

I will copy this post & send it to Videopad.

Can anyone recommend an alternative programme I can try?

PS thanks for trying to help me Janice.

Posted by Janice Glesser (Member # 2758) on April 04, 2018, 06:15 AM:

So sorry to hear you are having so much trouble with VideoPad. Perhaps there are issues with the MAC version. I use it on a PC for much the same post editing functions as you are. Rendering times don't seem to be much longer than I had with Premiere Pro. Hopefully VideoPad support can help you out. I still think it's a great little editor and it has saved me a lot of time with my telecine transfers. Good luck.

Posted by Al Wilkie (Member # 4672) on April 04, 2018, 10:15 AM:

I also have a Windows i7 4 core laptop & tried it on that as well. I just had a go at doing the 8mm on my adobe premiere elements 13 again. I bought elements 13 new a few years ago & could never get on with it. If a programme tried to be difficult then premier elements 13 is doing a perfect job.

Videopad on the other hand is so easy. I can do everything I need
to do apart from save the video :-(

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