Vegas - WOW

I don't know how to do arbitrary transitions between multiple tracks.

The media pool trick is not something I was aware of (or would expect!) but I would still want to adjust it and keyframe it. That may be quite difficult.

The group feature should fix the issue entirely and I suspect that it would work. Unlike Adobe, SF actually supports their forums and supports bug reports there. I suspect my group problem is pilot error but it sure doesn't work like they say it should.

It's nice that cut-n-paste fixes the frame directly. In Premiere you have to export the frame as a still image and then import it. Clearly the media pool trick wouldn't work for that.

Once the group thing works my biggest gripe is solved. Funny no one on the SF forum could suggest it when I asked. The garbage matte thing is less an issue. I only use it when really want to show off (like in a contest). One can use AE for that.

If the group thing is pilot error then there are two pilots who have augered, because I tried what looks like it should work and it didn't for me either

But the media clip trick DID. You CAN keyframe it as well; the keyframe window does come up when you put it on the clip. The trick might be getting the transition points exactly right, although you CAN drill down in the keyframe line to the individual frame level easily.

The color correction in VV is too simple for words, and the videoscopes make checking your work dirt trivial; I REALLY like that.

BTW, grouping the various things you want to work together for a given effect on a video track IS a viable option. Transitions do work freely between video tracks; I tried it and had no trouble. Since VV has unlimited tracks available, this appears to be an option since you can apply FX to a track and all clips and clip segments on that track share that FX, and changes "roll through" everything on that track.

Let's see here...

I'm assuming the current pricing of VV has to do with the announcement of Encore some time ago. Indeed, Premiere Pro can burn directly to a DVD without Encore (though menu creation, multiple languages, subtitles, motion menus, animated transitions, etc. require Encore DVD). In short, you can produce "dailies" with Premiere Pro directly to DVD.

As for pricing, the Adobe Video Collection is $799 for Premiere Pro, Encore DVD, Audition, and After Effects. Soo... VV offers about 2/5ths the solution for 1/2 the price.

Encore really only makes sense if you use Photoshop to create menus for your DVD's since you don't need to flatten, merge, render, tweak, adjust, or otherwise contort Photoshop files before bringing them into Encore. (This varies a bit with Photoshop CS since it is about 6 months newer than Encore. We know that multiple-depth nested layers in Photoshop CS confuse Encore, but Photoshop 7's entire rendering engine is built into Encore so it can internally render everything else.)

With regard to 6.5, it was a wonderful version (and still remains a popular solution on the Mac side) but Premiere Pro - frankly - blows 6.5 completely out of the water.

Mutiple, nested timelines - Break longer segments up into smaller chunks. Or, simply use the hierarchical relationship to apply filters and effects to multiple clips as if they were one.

Built-in color correction - Built by the Color Finesse folks incidentally...

As for transformations and other layering/compositing effects, Premiere Pro has adopted the After Effects rendering engine. Hence, you can now simply place a clip in track 1, a clip in track 2, and with the clip in track 2 selected, simply change the scale and position attributes (and keyframes) to what you want. Changing the keyframes over time will produce a moving picture in picture or animated overlay.

A Premiere Pro project saved with effects, transitions, PIP's, etc. all open directly inside of Adobe After Effects. You can season to taste from there.

Premiere Pro also outputs everything you're doing through the firewire port so you can preview what's happening on a monitor in real-time. (No need to render to see results.) This expands on the 6.5 "Real-time Preview" functionality by enabling FASTER machines rather than simply accomodating slower ones.

As for 5.1 AC-3 encoding, sounds like the apps are on-par with each other... BUt it's interesting... Our 5.1 license we offer as an add-on (it's actually a web-based activation) for $199. Which means... If Vegas worked a similar deal, then they're presumably paying for the license themselves and building it into the price of the application which would make their app $199 or so. Not sure they can sustain development for that price but you never know.

F.Y.I.

Daniel Brown

Sr. Evangelist > Adobe Systems Inc.

http://www.adobeevangelists.com

Built-in color correction - Built by the Color Finesse folks incidentally...

Sure wish I could view the source, output, and waveform/vectorscope displays at the same time.