As I'm trying to edit video, I'm finding that the video and audio aren't lining up in the program or in renderings. I have some Zoom recordings and the original video files are lined up just fine. Why are they not working in Magix Movie Edit Pro - 2021 version 20.0.1.80 / UDP3?
Phil
Hi and Welcome to the user to user forums.
Zoom recordings are recorded as variable frame rate video that Movie Edit Pro and other video editors cannot cope with. The clips either need to be converted to constant frame rate using the Handbrake program or the Zoom program needs to be set up to record constant frame rate video.
Ray.
@CubeAce, thank you for the input. Is there a certain preset that will work better for this? I'm a little baffled because I used Zoom videos in previous versions of Movie Edit Pro and they worked just fine. I just wonder if there's a setting or something that would help. Also, as mentioned, what's the preset on Handbrake you would recommend, if you don't mind me asking? Thanks for everything and have a great day!
Hi.
I have never used Zoom but had similar problems with other screen recording software. So no idea about what settings are available within Zoom but it was discussed in this topic thread. You may find some useful information there.
I have nothing that produces variable frame rate footage so have never had cause to use Handbrake. John EB is more the expert on settings for converting files with Handbrake.
Others have also commented that earlier versions of MEP did not suffer this but it is equally possible that earlier variable frame rate files did not fluctuate as much as more recent variations of the codec as those products like Zoom also go through upgrades to keep up with higher demands from higher specified 4K webcams.
Ray.
Hi
I am just speculating but MEP2021 may be more susceptible to variable FR fluctuation due to the new way the Infusion Engine 2 processes the video frames and keeps them in video memory rather than passing them back to system Ram and the CPU. We have even seen some losses of frames and sync during preview with Constant FR material on some systems where frames appeared to be playing out of order, or as we named it a "jump back" effect.
Peter
Also working with zoom videos. Have a client with about 20 to add an intro and outro to. I tried one video converter to make the zoom fixed rate from variable and the results with MEP still have audio and video out of sync. I am trying the HandBrake converter now. I downloaded Cyberlink Power Director and used the original zoom video and my intro and outro and it looks fine. Five years ago I bought Power Director and got frustrated, tried MEP and was productive quickly. But now I am faced with MEP not up to the task. Any other suggestions before I go down the path of frustration learning a new video editor? Thanks!
Ran the zoom video through HandBrake. Still issues with audio/video out sync in MEP. Below is the MediaInfo from the file. Is the file variable bit rate?
Greetings,
Just to throw in my 2 penn'orth, I used to use Handbrake to reprocess some vieos before putting them through MEP (slightly perverse isn't it), but recently I've started using and free program called Avidemux - don't be put off by the name containging AVI, it's handled everything I've thown at it.
It's also a simple video editor capable of changing gamma, colour, sharpness, resizing, cropping etc.
I find it easier to use than Handbrake for converting some files to make them MEP compatible and it's considerably more versatile.
Just thought I'd let you know of an alternative.
AndyW
edit - forgot to mention it also joins videos together for converting, so you could create your intro in MEP and join everything using Avidemux thereby only converting your Zoom files once.
@onlye @Scenestealer @me_again
Hi.
If Andy's solution doesn't help I wonder if you followed the other links to other threads where I made specific comments regarding these types of files coming from Screen recordings rather than from phone footage as screen recordings have a separate, and to my mind, equally important problem that your file also seems to be showing.
That is there seems to be no reference to the GOP structure of the file. The settings can be altered in the recording program to produce them but I'm not sure that can be added after in a conversion.
I prefer to get the recordings correct first to avoid further conversions of files so I don't know.
Although your file does indeed have a a constant frame rate output, there is no clear GOP structure recorded that I personally have found to to be necessary. I talked about it in this topic.
I have never used zoom but another person seemed to have been able to produce files within Zoom that then had the needed output to be able to be used within MEP.
I do use OBS Studio though that when uses it's default setting also produces the same problems with no discernible GOP structure.
Correcting that seems to alleviate the sound sync and micro jump editing problems while editing.
But if you really do find another program that can cope why not use that? I have more than one video editor on my system for different reasons. Brand loyalty is over rated. All programs have problems and quirks. More so in my experience with Video editing packages although workarounds can often be found. Use the one tool best suited to the job in hand. I don't try to undo rusted nuts with pliers so why try with software clearly having problems?
Ray.
👍
I have never understood the logic where a VFR file can be converted to CFR in Handbrake and the audio remains in sync. If Handbrake can do it, why can't MEP, especially given that MEP is only one thing: a video editor.
Hi Alwyn.
I don't confess to being a coder or a hardware engineer so have no additional clues than you do. All I try to do is help out with finding workarounds that can sometimes help based on my own experience and the willingness to look at problems from as logical a viewpoint as I can muster.
Can I ask your question in reverse? Why does Handbrake exist if Editors can do everything needed in house?
Why do manufacturers alter a codec from a perfectly workable codec from the start when it could be left alone?
From a gaming perspective that uses frame rates much higher than video cameras to enable a game player to have quicker reaction times and to be able to play back the footage as seen at the time makes sense but to then expect an editor designed for film making to keep up when the frame rate could go as high as 140fps (or higher) and then drop to a much lower frame rate and then convert the file so it plays on a TV doesn't.
[Edit]
I've just popped over to the Zoom site and they have suggestions for editing Zoom recordings with dedicated apps as they know Zoom is a cross platform app that may have to deal with lots of integration problems. Here is one of them
Ray.
@AAProds I agree, this whole reconverting thing to be able to edit in MEP is way beyond my understanding.
Especially when I look at the mediainfo attached which is a small video I grabbed from t'inernet - a Tommy Cooper interview.
This played appallingly in MEP, so used Avidemux to edit it and convert it. After reading your comment about VFR and CFR I tried putting the re-encoded video through MEP. It worked perfectly.
Looking at the info (attached) it still seems to be Variable bitrate and to me the detail is almost identical between the two files.
As I say, well beyond my understanding - AndyW
Ray,
Can I ask your question in reverse? Why does Handbrake exist if Editors can do everything needed in house?
You should spent some time on Videohelp; there are gazzillions of free programs that do all sorts of things to and with video. Handbrake doesn't exist just because MEP can't cope with VFR files; it's a free video converter for all sorts of formats that in general that appears to "fix" videos for MEP and existed long before MEP's VFR issues.
And looking at AndyW's files, both being CFR 25FPS, it would appear MEP isn't a particularly good opener of that particular type of file, if it needs to be re-encoded (to exactly the same parameters of CFR and size) to run smoothly. Might be a message there.
Cheers, Al
Hi Alwyn.
I spend zero time on videohelp. Never heard of it or needed it to date.
Hi Andy.
When you loaded the original file into MEP did you check your project settings or do you have it set to use the last project setting? I ask because the audio is set to 44.1kHz and not the normal 48kHz that most video files use. That may have caused some playback issues. Try the file again and check the project settings.
[Edit] Sorry, those settings are the movie settings of MEP, not its program settings.
Ray.
Hi Andy
Looking at the MediaInfo data the original recording is poor as the Bitrate of the video is too low whereas the conversion is a much higher bitrate.
The higher the bitrate the more data is available per frame and produces a better perceived quality image when of equal resolution.
John EB
Greetings John, true the recording is low level. I only used that as an illustration that some CFR files cause MEP to "throw a wobbly" as well as some VFR files
I know that VBR and VFR are separate issues. What I was trying to point out is that maybe the problems with Zoom and other VFR files is the actual container itself
My Fujifilm D-SLR records with Variable Frame Rate and MEP welcomes them with open arms. I have some old VHS conversions I did ages ago with both MEP and "Pinnacle something or other", some of which are VFR and some of which are CFR some of which the latest MEP likes, others it chews up and spits out. There seems to be no consistency unlike with Zoom which apparently produces anti-MEP files consistantly which seems to be cured by re-encoding.
I have done some trials with files that MEP doesn't like. I tried, with some succes I may say, de-muxing the MP4's and then re-muxing them with no conversion except telling the muxer to save at 25 fps (using a program called My MP4Box GUI which I download from Videohelp 👌).
In this set of unscientific trials I've had over 60% success in converting a non-liked file into a liked file. Further work is required when I have more files to work with; most of what I edit is "good", well as a workable file not necessarily content wise.
Sorry for the ramble - AndyW
Hi Andy.
The odd rant if felt justified is fine by me, 😂😂.
I wasn't aware of a Fujifilm Digital Single Lens Reflex camera and thought they were all mirrorless. It would be interesting to see what the GOP structure looked like. I have reviewed several Fuji cameras in the past for Fuji UK when the X-Pro one came out and they ran their own UK based forums before the forum went world wide, but at the time I was more interested in the performance of the Exmore sensor for the still images. I will have to take out some of my old backup drives and see if I took any video with any of them.
Perhaps I've been lucky as so far I have no problems with any file types I've used with MEP or VPX. However, as Windows updates have continued to roll out some older video files in the mov format that previously played within Windows no longer do, so I'm never sure what is the culprit when things are not always running smoothly. Then there are driver updates that can alter functionality and changes to how newer hardware works. It is difficult if not impossible to point to one cause of a problem. One can only try to avoid known problems and find workarounds for problems that exist due to unknown causes.
Ray.
Well Ray, you lost me at the second sentence.
All I know is the camera is brilliant except that my son borrowed it and I've not seen it since. I'm on the lookout for a replacement but the choice is unbelievable.
This has nothing to do with this topic though so 'nuff said.
AndyW
Hi Andy
. . . . Fujifilm D-SLR records with Variable Frame Rate . . . .
Do you mean you have the option to record at different framerates? AFAIK the Fuji DSLR's record at Constant Framerate ie if you set 25 fps that is what it records at constantly (CFR), not having a target frame rate to achieve however which can be lower and vary according to the scene being shot (VFR).
If it is true VFR then which model DSLR is it?
. . . . I know is the camera is brilliant except that my son borrowed it and I've not seen it since . . . .
I know the feeling when you lend family something - I would suggest you send him a bill for it - worded in the nicest possible way - you should get it back very quickly. 😁
John EB
@me_again @AAProds @CubeAce @johnebaker @onlye
If you google the Codec ID's : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC and mp42 reported in the MI screenshots of the respective problem files you will see a number of players, editors have trouble playing them. Apparently they are incorrectly reported in MI as Codec ID's but are in fact Container ID's, and are considered non standard - something to do with the way the information is written in them. The answer seems to be remuxing them in one of the muxing tools available, as Andy W has had success with.
Peter
I spent too much time using different programs to convert and testing without a decent solution for pulling zoom videos into MEP. I just licensed Cyberlink PowerDirector and have completed 5 videos with no issues. Now the frustration will be deciding if I use PowerDirector for just this one project or do I actually spend some time to learn the program. While both MEP and PowerDirector have similar capabilities the interfaces and how to do things are a bit different. Down another rabbit hole, I suppose.
Greetings @onlye
Out of curiosity, what editing are you doing to your Zoom videos? is it simply cutting out unwanted bits or something more complex?
AndyW
Andy, very simple. I am adding a short intro and outro to each video. I did six videos this evening. The videos range from 12 minutes to 40 minutes. It looks like PowerDirector is rendering the videos about twice as fast as MEP.