Advice please - urgently needed.

[Dave Watterson]

[As a new user, Suzie posted this query in the General forum by mistake. I have copied it here in the hope that some of our film makers who are also boffins will be able to help her. - Dave]

I have a Hewlett Packard 17" Lap top (info off screen):

( Hp G70 Notebook PC) intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo CPU
t5800 @ 2.00GHz 200 GHz
RAM 3.00GB. 32-bit Operating System Windows Vista

I have still got about half memory free.

I normally Edit on a 2004, Apple Lap Top with imovie 4, now way out of date. But Cannot afford To get latest, so I am planning to buy

Adobe Premere Elements & Photo shop Package
(which I can use as i had a very early one & also took notes when at iac NWTechno Forum).

plus Crazy Talk Pack for lip sync & animation.

Plus I need advice on a new HD camera, small, light, good zoom,
but with in my budget any suggestions ?


Suzie x

[TimStannard]

Hi Suzie,

I'm rather unclear about what you're asking.
I think you're after recommendations for a camera that will produce footage suitable with Adobe Photoshop/Premiere Elements and Crazy Talk within your budget (but I think you neglected to specify your budget!)

To be honest I fear you will have a less than happy experience editing high definition (which is likely to be AVCHD from any consumer camcorder) footage on that laptop. I'm not saying it can't be done, just that the laptop will really struggle. There is so much more that the computer needs to do in order to reconstruct the frames from AVCHD so that you can edit them than for standard definition.

Sorry if that's not what you wanted t hear - and no doubt there will be a few people who will respond that they are happily editing gigabytes of high definition footage on a 1984 IBM XT with 64K RAM and two loppy disks, but I wouldn't recommend anything less than an Intel Core i5 CPU and bags of RAM.

[col lamb]

Suzie

Before you buy Premiere Elements visit the Grass valley website and download the trial version of Edius 6, install that on your laptop. Do not be concerned about the price it is just that the other versions of Edius are not available for trial use. You will find that there are many different versions of Edius available, it is just about the best software available for editing AVCHD footage at a variety of prices, in reality the differences are not that great it is primarily down to the output options and some differences in video effects

Edius Neo is what I have on my laptop which has a similar specification to yours and it will just about edit AVCHD footage in its native file format.

Grass Valley also have a little utility which converts AVCHD files into Canopus HQ AVI files, and once your AVCHD footage is converted you will probably find that your laptop will be able to edit the footage OK

Making sure that your laptop is OK is the whole reason for trying the full version of Edius first, if all goes OK then Edius Neo will be OK, there is also a very cheap version called Edius Express but I have not tried that.

I would largely agree with Tim, generally AVCHD does require a powerful system and I would actually recommend an i7 CPU with 4 cores with 6Gb RAM to form the basis of an edit machine (see my sticky post on PC specifications for more guidance)

As to what camcorder, obtain a Class 10 SD card (Lexar or Sandisc is what I would suggest) and go into a camera shop and record some footage, you can use this on the laptop to see the results and to try out the editing system before you buy

I use AVCHD footage from a variety of cameras, a small compact Panasonic still camera that records HD video in 720p, A Panasonic GF2 still that records full HD, a Canon 7D still that also records in full HD and my Panasonic 900 video camera plus its big brother a 151. I have seen recently video from a £200 Fuji still camera, a £200 JVC camcorder and the results were all excellent. To advise further we need a little more information about budget and your experience using a camcorder

Incidentally which NW Technoforum event did you attend?

[Suziedave]

Hi thank you Dave for moving my post & to Tim & Col for replying.

Both replies were helpful, Thankyou. My hubby has bought Premere for me & crazy talk but haven't opened it yet, & could try returning.

I thought I may need to upgrade lap top! I don't have space for a desk top, (we live in a tiny wooden house).

I have been making films for years, standard & super 8, vhs, digital, know the theory but will always have more to learn. I really prefer mini DVD, to hd, DVD, but thought next move. I love animation.

Basically I just want to upgrade equipment?
my camera is 4:3 everyone seems to use larger format, zoom is not good, I have a JVC gr-dvx707.

And as I originally said, I edit on a 2004 apple lap top, but can't save much on it.

I will look up Edius as I have never seen or used it.


Susan Moore x

[Suziedave]

Hi col
Re read yor reply, i have attended all techno forums at Altrincham, the first was a variety of editing equipment in different rooms, val & Garth doing apple, plus others & the next was Premere & it may have been you who was teaching, coz his name was Colin, whom ever it was, he laughed coz I was writing everything down, and asking questions. It also had a photo shop demo. (I Did refreshments at the Cassablanca techno)

At one I went upstairs with a few begginers, with val teaching apple editing. I had previously been to Amiga animation classes with my dad, Ken Harrison & harry Larkin from Swan, where val taught us paint box 3 & basic animation.

My budget is from zero to £700. for new camera, but could use hubbys dosh if needed, ha ha.
It dosn't have to be HD, just want to make better movies.

I love filming and have plenty of ideas, i just feel that my equipment is out of date & everything is so technical & complicated these days I need help deciding which camera to buy. The list I gave previously were all recommended by other Moviemakers.

I have since tried a Panasonic pistol shaped, that wasn't bad, light weight & had large screen.

My Sony 14mp cyber-shot still camera (which takes 2, 4, 8,16 & 32 mg SD cards), has a good video camera but it dosn't open on my lap top it says mp4 format.

I used it in ozz, to film koalas & Roos, & at Chester zoo last week. I am going to Canada this summer and thought light weight & a good zoom video camera would help. As When I went to ozz I found the jvc camera I have, heavy & bulky, (& my arthritis dosn't help.)

Suzie x

[col lamb]

Suzie

I am one and the same Colin who did the Technoforums at Altrincham.

As they say over the pond.....I am going to throw a curveball

I have seen some great movies made using just an Apple iPhone with the footage being edited on an iPad, perhaps that is something for you to consider

If you have Premiere Pro 5.5 or 6 that that version will edit just about any format video you can find.....but...... using a laptop will require something quite powerful. I know someone who bought and uses an Acer laptop that cost about £700 a better Asus model will be about £1000

[Suziedave]

Hi Colin
Thank you once again, glad you are same Colin, because the lecture was so interesting and imformative.

point one: I have iMovie downloaded already onto my iPad, but havn't used it yet. I was saving for an iPhone, funny enough, or a samsung Galaxy (that tom hardwick reviewed in FV Maker), because i just had basic nokia smart phone (non android), then just last week my brother gave me his old HTC, it has 5mpix still and It also has a video camera, which I have tried out, ready for when I put adobe one my computer.

Point two: After reading your post, I have been looking at newer more powerful laptops, even looking at desk top computers which are a lot smaller & cheaper than they used to be. Also been looking at external drives. Havn't made a decision as yet. And Still can't decide on a camera. Although would like prefer one that saves on SD cards.

Suzie x

[col lamb]

Suzie

I have just re-read your earlier post.......My Sony 14mp cyber-shot still camera (which takes 2, 4, 8,16 & 32 mg SD cards), has a good video camera but it dosn't open on my lap top it says mp4 format.

If you Google VLC Media Player then download and install it you will find that it will play MP4 files, just be careful to select the file associations that you want during the installation or it will take over and become your primary media player

[Suziedave]

Anyone ever heard of Zoostorm desktop pc ?

advertised on e buyer, my nephew recommended, he says this should be enough memory to make movies.

it has 16GB ram & 2Tb HDrive

I am always nervous at buying online, normally stick to hP or Epsom a known brand name.


Suzie x

He actually said that 8gb and 1tb HD would probably be enough memory or my needs. I have since found out that, e buyer is based in Yorkshire, and Zoostorm is based in Warrington both uk companies.

[col lamb]

Suzie

Wrong assumption by your Nephew, as far as a reliable editing PC is concerned you should always assume that what you see on the shelves of PC World and the likes is NOT fit for purpose.

As you now have Premiere you have to have (there is NO alternative) a correctly constructed PC to do the job, a PC off the shelf is a huge risk even if it has a HP label on it.

Read my sticky in this section A Guide to a PC specification.

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2781

For Premiere all the components have to be balanced and compatible, the Zoostorm uses onboard graphics, this is totally useless for Premiere which uses the graphics cards processing power so a suitable one has to be installed.

It is a minefield, that is why I produced the Guide which I updated a couple of days ago so please read it and be assured that the PC components specified will enable Premiere to work very well.

If you get stuck you can always give me a ring, if you do not have my number Jim does.

Good luck

[Suziedave]

Thanx once again Col, I do appreciate your help & advice.

Although I had read your Sticky & had written down your recommendations. I have now re read it.

I think Technology has left me lagging behind, I have an ONC in Computer Studies but nowadays the more I read the more confused I get! It's beyond me!

I just want to make simple movies with a bit of annimation thrown in.

Suzie. X

[John C]

Dear Suzie,

"I just want to make simple movies with a bit of annimation thrown in."

I am with you and am experiencing your technical problems. The solutions I have found are,

Do not put new wine in old bottles. Upgrading your laptop is good money after bad. I have two top of the range,(at time of purchase), laptops and they cannot cope with HD. I spent a lot of money upgrading one of them, with the professional who built it for me pre HD, but it cannot cope with HD without crashing all the time.

When you say, in your early memo, you have used half your memory, do you really mean hard drive? This can be cured by a portable external hard drive.

Editing on the lap top, stick with a low cost programme like one of the edius versions they are excellent. Pinnacle is great value for money and Windows Movie maker is very simple but you can do all the essentials on it.
Crazy talk is fantastic and tremendous fun.
Stick with a low cost SD camera. Curry's have some great offers if you do not have a professional shop near you.
No film competition that I have heard of is giving prizes because HD is better that SD.
It is hard to remember your film presentation is only as good as the equipment it is played on. Bad projecting has spoiled the presentation of professional films. If you can hold the audience, have good audio, low cost equipment will not dertact from your film.

KIS. Keep it simple and enjoy your films

Best of Luck John C

[Michael Slowe]

Suzie, when I changed from editing 16mm film (yes, I'm that old!), I had never even switched on a computer and didn't have any idea of how to start with digital. I found someone, he had worked in the equipment supply business but was now with a Polytechnic looking after their kit, who was prepared to come and give me a start. One on one on your own kit is priceless. Obviously you have to learn by doing it but it's the start and then some 'topping up' that is important and saves months of struggling alone.

I quite agree that the camera that you use would in no way inhibit you in what you want to do, especially as you mention animation. Your artistic input is really all that matters but for the post production try and get some tuition, however limited that may be be, telephone conversations subsequently may well be all you need. Don't get involved with technical gibberish, I never understand it, just learn to do what you have to, leave the technology to those that know and love it.

[col lamb]

Suzie

Are you attending the NW Region's Mersey 10 competition on Sat 6th April?

If you are sound me out, I'll be the one operating the projection kit for the evening.

We can then have a chat about the way forward for you