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[Aku-Audi]

I'm editing some concert video footage, trimming time to fit the audio that was recorded along it externally. It's pretty much all about cutting frames, but I'm trying to find an application that makes this process more comfortable.

Is there any video software that is relatively quick and easy that can run the video and audio separately, so that when I cut video, it doesn't cut the audio at the same time? I know about apps like Virtualdub which is really simplistic and allows you to cut video frames, but the audio source also gets cut then so I have to constantly export the file and readd the audio to see if they sync up together.

I'm on Win7-64bit

 

[jonremedy]

You could try a real NLE like Final Cut, Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid Media Composer or maybe Sony Vegas...

Other than that... I don't know.

 

[Red]

Lightworks is a free NLE that may work. Check out Cinelera if you are on Linux.

What are you using?

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

I'm editing some concert video footage

 

[Aku-Audi]

Lightworks is a free NLE that may work. Check out Cinelera if you are on Linux.

What are you using?

Oh Win7, sorry for not mentioning that in the OP

 

[Prophet Steve]

You could use a trial of Sony Vegas or Adobe Premiere, but I would only keep that for a last resort, since it would take some effort getting to learn it and installation takes a long time.

EDIT: What you could do is export the video to audio, I think it is possible in Audacity, not sure. Just edit it back in afterwards. If it is not possible in Audacity you might just be able to render is in whatever you are using now to audio or use some converter.

 

[Bgamer90]

Sony Vegas. Very simple since when you put the video in it automatically breaks it up into video and audio.

 

[POWERSPHERE]

Adobe Premiere is good, too.

 

[Aku-Audi]

Sony Vegas. Very simple since when you put the video in it automatically breaks it up into video and audio.

So that allows you to just simply select start and end frame to cut also? Or is the editing more involved than simple apps like Virtualdub/AVIDemux?

 

[Prophet Steve]

So that allows you to just simply select start and end frame to cut also? Or is the editing more involved than simple apps like Virtualdub/AVIDemux?

It works a bit different with some features, but yeah, you should be able to do that.

 

[Senoculum]

I do this all the time with interview footage.

Pluraleyes is the absolute easiest I've worked with. It works with Final Cut: Drop the video and audio in a sequence, let pluraleyes do its thing, and it automatically creates a new sequence with everything in sync.

http://www.singularsoftware.com/pluraleyes.html

Edit: I misunderstood your needs. Any major Non-linear Editing software (Final Cut, Avid) can do what you're asking for without a problem.

 

[Wolf Akela]

Sorta hijack, but is there any decent free video editor out there that supports compositing, preferably not difficult to learn? Like, I have this video clip that purely monochromatic (pure black and white). I want to place it over another video clip but without the white.

 

[Aku-Audi]

So I'm using Sony Vegas but the preview window is beyond choppy and lags behind by several seconds, which pretty much cripples the entire thing because it is based on timing between video and audio. Googling the issue doesn't really answer much so I am guessing that this isn't something I'll be able to bypass with Vegas.

Does premiere and these other editing softwares mentioned suffer from this same issue? It's not an HD video (720x480) and i'm using a laptop with 8gb ram, so I don't think it's an issue related to that.

 

[Oppo]

it could be using a really aggressive codec, hard to unpack on the fly.

 

[Aku-Audi]

it could be using a really aggressive codec, hard to unpack on the fly.

Possibly, it's a mpg converted from a vob file that the orchestra sent me, im guessing it's lossless from the vob its converted from.

So I should convert it into another codec then?

 

[Oppo]

mpeg, eh, not great to transcode from...

post the exact specs, like open it in VLC or something and tell us what it says under Codec Details

 

[Red]

Transcoding would require CPU power more than RAM.

 

[Red]

Sorta hijack, but is there any decent free video editor out there that supports compositing, preferably not difficult to learn? Like, I have this video clip that purely monochromatic (pure black and white). I want to place it over another video clip but without the white.

Lightworks and Cinelerra should both be capable of this. If there are more extensive free NLEs, I have not seen them.

 

[PetriP-TNT]

Yeah, convert it to H.264 or equivalent

 

[Aku-Audi]

mpeg, eh, not great to transcode from...

post the exact specs, like open it in VLC or something and tell us what it says under Codec Details

This good enough?

Format : MPEG-PS
File size : 4.36 GiB
Duration : 1h 34mn
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 6 577 Kbps

Video
ID : 224 (0xE0)
Format : MPEG Video
Format version : Version 2
Format profile : Main@Main
Format settings, BVOP : Yes
Format settings, Matrix : Custom
Format settings, GOP : M=3, N=15
Duration : 1h 34mn
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 5 774 Kbps
Maximum bit rate : 8 500 Kbps
Width : 720 pixels
Height : 480 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 4:3
Frame rate : 29.970 fps
Standard : NTSC
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Compression mode : Lossy
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.557
Stream size : 3.83 GiB (88%)

Feel free to suggest the preferred format and settings to convert the file into.

 

[Oppo]

I would convert that into either Apple Intermediate Codec (what I use) or if you are on PC, some flavour of AVC-Intra that has the rez/frame rate you desire (your video is definitely SD 4:3).

To be honest with you I'm surprised the computer is stuttering on that. Are you low on drive space? Does your laptop have some weaker on board graphics going on? At any rate if you transfer to some intermediate codec and it's still choppy then you'll at least know something is up besides the file.

 

[User 100115]

I only use premiere, so I likely can't help much, but there's no way to unlink audio and video in the program you are using?

 

[Bgamer90]

So I'm using Sony Vegas but the preview window is beyond choppy and lags behind by several seconds, which pretty much cripples the entire thing because it is based on timing between video and audio. Googling the issue doesn't really answer much so I am guessing that this isn't something I'll be able to bypass with Vegas.

Yeah sometimes the preview window can cause problems. Have you tried lowering the quality of the preview window? That usually works. I sometimes lower the quality and then I make the actual preview window screen smaller so that it looks better/easier on the eyes for editing.

There should be a quality setting on the left of the little blue grid icon that's above the preview window. There you will see an actual word (or words) describing the quality of the preview window. There's an arrow pointing down that's right next to that. Click on it and you will see multiple settings (ranging from "Best" all the way down to "Draft") for adjusting the quality of the preview window.

 

[Wolf Akela]

Lightworks and Cinelerra should both be capable of this. If there are more extensive free NLEs, I have not seen them.

Thanks, I'll give Lightworks a whirl. After reading up a bit more, seems like the thing I wanted to do was chromakeying.

 

[ClassyPenguin]

Sony Vegas isn't simple if you are new to video editing.
I've used Vegas, Premier and Final Cut and Vegas has the steeper learning curve.
Use a cheat sheet for keyboard shortcuts, so you're not lost in menus.