Your typical workflow

Zkuggi wrote on 5/19/2022, 7:38 AM

I am interested in knowing how your normal workflow is with Video Pro X. What is the fastest approach to editing?

My typical workflow is like this:

Select all source clips that Im editing into a seperate folder on special SSD disk used for video editing.
In VPX I pick a source clip from folder and place it into the source monitor
In source monitor I find in and out points and draw the part down to the correct track on timeline
Do this with all source clips. One track for each camera source and seperate tracks for overlay and no-audio clips.
Add transistion where needed on the fly as I go along.
When rough edit is over I go through all clips on timeline to adjust color or add LUT's
Go through clips that need any further effects (stabilisation or keyframed timewarp for slow-mo footage)
Add music
Add text and titles
Export to HEVC - Done

I use keyboard shorcurts while trimming. J-K-L for finding the points and I-O to place input and output markers. Hold down Alt key to do J- and L-cutting on the timeline.

What is your typical ways of working? How does one optimise the workflow?

Comments

CubeAce wrote on 5/19/2022, 8:11 AM

@Zkuggi

Hi.

I can't honestly say I have a typical workflow.

A lot depends on what the subject matter is and how I want to edit it.

A lot of the work is done before editing so less use of effects such as camera stabilisation as I tend to use either a gimbal headed video camera or a Fly-cam camera stabilizer. I always shoot in 4K now as I can use that to crop down to DH and move the frame sometimes if there are distractions within the frame if necessary. If not, then I will export to 4K 50fps. I do now and then shoot at 120fps but again I'm limited to 1080p for slow motion but using a DSLR for such shots reduces the graininess sometimes associated with smaller sensored cameras.

I also tend to shoot at between minus point 3 to minus point 7 stops in bright sunshine or use ND filters if I have time.

That saves some work and workload on my PC.

I do have a project drive that I use solely for project files and editing. I export results to a third drive. I will when finished, export the whole project to backup drives before deleting the projects.

Depending on the project, I may edit to a music track or not.

I tend not to use keyboard shortcuts. It may well be a lot slower but I prefer the tactile nature of using a mouse. I do tend to type in values within effects as needed but you can also grab the numbers and drag left or right with a mouse to change values.

On serious project I colour code tracks with different colours for different types of tracks.

I always split audio from video. I will sometimes export the finished videos audio tracks to work on further within a dedicated DAW with more precision if required. That does not happen often but I find I wok better with my DAW for audio mix-downs when dealing with multiple tracks as I am more used to working that way than from within the video editor.

I have never had sync problems when re-importing such tracks and it is easier for me to add additional audio tracks if needed.

I never export to HEVC.

Ray.

browj2 wrote on 5/19/2022, 11:08 AM

@Zkuggi

Hi,

Good list.

1. I don't do it like this. I prefer to leave everything in its place. I create links to folders in the Import tab. In some cases, I create a subfolder under the Project Temp Folder and drag and drop what I want into it, usually photos. Then I can go through that to select what I want to put on the timeline. At the end of a project, for archiving, I might make a File, Backup Copy, Copy Project and Media into folder. The alternative is to have this done automatically during importing.

2. Please change " trimmer window" to "Source Monitor." The trimmers (Object and Edit) are something else. I also use the Source Monitor to trim before placing on the timeline, either from the source or from the Project Temp Folder.

3. Please change " trimmer window" to "Source Monitor."

6. I suggest that you change this to "White balance, brightness/contrast, gamma, colour correction, stabiliation and other effects." I use the meters in the Source Monitor to help with brightness/contrast and colour correction. I don't use LUT's, mainly because I have no idea what they have done. If I was going to use something like that, I would use Pixelan FilmTouch 2.0 Pro (which I have) where I can see and change the controls. See note 1 below.

8. I suggest inserting Source Audio here. Including - review, transitions, cleaning, editing source audio (audio with video clips), normalization, object volume adjustments. Note that there may be original sound that you may want to cut/change.

9. Would be Narration before music. Include cleaning - Noise reduction, EQ, Compression, Normalizing, volume adjustments.

10. Music and sound effects. Maybe some whooses during transitions. Cut to the beat? Adjust transitions/cuts to align with transients.

11. Audio Mixing and Mastering - including balancing audio throughout, volume adjustments to keep max. to -1dB and LUFS to -14 (for YouTube) or lower depending on the final use. I use the YouLean Meter 2 (it's free) for getting the perceived loudness, to visually see where something is too loud or soft with respect to other audio. and detecting locations of peaks that exceed -1dB.

12. Intros/Outros

13. Add text and titles - including credits

14. Create thumbnail image - to be used for YouTube and under Project Settings, Preview, Use image file

15 Export, Review, Correct, Export, Review, Correct, repeat until satisfied.

Notes:

Photos may need some editing, either before or after importing. I use PaintShop Pro and Xara Designer Pro X (or Xara Photo & Graphics Designer) to edit photos. If after importing, I have PaintShop Pro set as my External Image Editor. Depending on what needs to be done, I can switch to Xara instead which has PaintShop Pro set as its external bitmap editor.
External Audio cleaning: the default is Music Editor 2, I have it set in Program Settings to Sound Forge Audio Cleaning Lab 3, which is much more advanced than ME2. Some audio files require spectral cleaning to remove short unwanted noises.
There is more to the process upstream, W5 - What, Why, Who, Where, When and How. Using that, select a topic, story, material, etc. Before starting the project, determine what your story is and a rough idea as to how to tell it. Shoot more images and video. Obtain other source material.
Narration - prepare text.
Intros - I sometimes use intros that I do in BluffTitler.
Keep track of projects - I use a database.
Multiple Movies? I often create these knowing that my story may be too long, or for creating multi-movie BluRay disks. Or just to park some material. Or to use as nested sequences in the main Movie.

And more...

John CB

Zkuggi wrote on 5/20/2022, 4:09 AM

Wow, this is exactly what I was hoping to achieve from this post. Learnead some new things I had never thought of from both of you :)

browj2 wrote on 5/20/2022, 8:09 AM

@Zkuggi

Hi,

I just thought of something else that should be done when starting a project:

Adjust Program, Project, Movie Effects Settings
Use a template, Save As with Project Name, rename Movie (optional)

Like Ray, I colour-code the tracks but I have templates set up for this; just make sure to do a Save As. Some of my templates come with objects in the Project Temp Folder. Example, for tutorials, my template comes with the arrow pointer, circular brush, my standard intro, outro music, waiting to be used, or not.

One of the great things about VPX (and MEP/MS) is multiple movies and the ability to import a project or movie into an existing project. Forgot to start with your template? Just import it into the project (creates new movie or movies), copy/paste from one movie to another, remove the first movie.

I have been preparing a tutorial on this, trying to keep it simple. There are a lot of branch-offs and details. As Ray noted, it also depends on what you are doing.

The main points that are usually noted as work flow are:

Prepare
Shoot
Import
Edit
Export/Burn

Sounds easy, and it can be for those who don't want to do much. However, each one of those points can have many steps and can branch off as you have seen.

For example, you may be doing a project that was shot a long time ago or uses material like 8mm, Super8, VHS, and photos that first has to be digitized. Then the fun begins; what to do with that, W5 and how.

Another example is using the Movie Templates (Editing and Film Templates Basic). Great stuff, short, comes with everything prepared including music, just fill in the blanks. Select one template for material already shot and start trying to put in images and videos as per the template: closeups, extreme closeups, medium shots, long shots, extreme long shots, action, groups, 2-persons, etc. Did you shoot all of these? Thus one needs to prepare for this before shooting. And this is just for a home video!

John CB