Magix movie editor

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Roy

Re: Magix movie editor

Post by Roy »

:lol: Thanks leif. The problem is sorted. Still crashes when I try to alter the text instead of Track no.. You should write a manual for cash. I'm sure it would be easier to follow than the magix official manuals.
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ADBest
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Re: Magix movie editor

Post by ADBest »

I wondered if anyone in receipt of the Magix software at the Newcastle presentation had made any progress with the application.

Having now resolved my Adobe Encore difficulties with the assistance of contributors to this Forum I am now turning my attention to ‘Magix Edit Pro 15 Plus’.

I find that the 128 page paper manual, the 128 page paper supplement and the 336 page pdf manual very high on telling you what the software can do but a lot more obscure on how to do the simple things. Impenetrable is the word that keeps springing to mind.

The main reason for trying out this new system is that I am now into my first high definition camcorder and, being aware of the editing issues involved, (both hardware and software), the Magix software acquired at Newcastle looked to be a good place to start.

The information is, I’m sure, in the documentation somewhere but is so obscured by the incessant sales pitch that I have been unable to extract it.

One step at a time.

So far I have worked out how to batch capture but I’m not sure where the files go or the format in which they are stored. With Premiere I batch capture and a list of .avi files dutifully appear in the Project Window to be gathered into bins labelled with a description of the bin contents.

I have managed to get a few files into the Media Pool but they steadfastly refuse to be drawn down onto the timeline. As I drag a file down a white bar appears on the timeline but then disappears.

The dangers of two editing programmes sharing the same platform referred to by Roy in his post to Leif’s Nordfilm.net site are real and I had personal experience of the resulting instability when I had Pinnacle Studio sharing with Premiere 6.5. I’m keeping my fingers crossed as I now have Magix sharing with Premiere Pro.

All editing programmes are a nightmare to, (as they say in these parts), “get a nook in”, (nook pronounced as ‘nyuk’). I am nevertheless intent on making the effort.

Coming from Durham myself I had high hopes that Roy would have solved all the Magix problems by the time I had solved my Encore problems and that I could have taken advantage of his pioneering work. Perhaps if a number of similarly minded people combine their experience here we may make progress together. Noting Roy’s statement in his Nordfilm post that, quote, “I think I'll forget about Magix, a pity as it seems to have good features”, may I beg him to rejoin the quest and become a ‘magnificent two’ with ambitions to become a ’magnificent seven, (at least).

Arthur
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leif
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Re: Magix movie editor

Post by leif »

When you enter Magix Movie Edit (all versions) your first step should be to make sure, that all files goes to the right project folder.
To do this press "Y", which opens up some pages for system information. The first page has information on the folders for storing the project data. When you have entered the correct information here press "OK".
As a second step you should press"E" and make sure that the videosetting is correct (e.g. Pal 720x576 16:9). It is important to remeber here, that this is the setting for the final production. If some of your videoclips are in other formats, Magix will handle this.

Now you can open your project.

Unfortunately the Magix program stores this information on your computer, NOT in your project data, so if you - like many of us - work with several projects and frequently switch between them, you must check theese settings every time you switch to another project.
Magix should have made this a bit smarter.
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ADBest
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Re: Magix movie editor

Post by ADBest »

Thanks Leif. As with all video editing systems you have to face a bit of grief with 'Settings' before you get into the system proper.

I knew I would soon be into the jungle that is 'pixel ratio'. Nightmare.

As I am using a high definition camcorder I assume that I should use 1280 x 720 16:9.

If I wish to work in standard definition I should reset to 720 x 576.

Is this correct?

Arthur
Roy

Re: Magix movie editor

Post by Roy »

Although Magix is a good system it certainly is not as easy to use as the makers tell you. Also since registering the magix system I am being bombarded every week by the company wanting me to buy a variety of their products. However, the main reason I have stopped using the system is because it keeps crashing on my PC. Also I am working in HD widescreen and find that Premiere Pro 2 works well in this format and does everything that magix does without crashing. I am not putting Magix down, but I find Adobe systems are easier to handle.
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leif
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Re: Magix movie editor

Post by leif »

ADBest wrote:As I am using a high definition camcorder I assume that I should use 1280 x 720 16:9.
If I wish to work in standard definition I should reset to 720 x 576.

Is this correct?

Arthur
Tes, this is the correct way. For HD you could also choose 1920 x 1080, but this will roughly doubble the need for space - and in general give a heavier load on your computer.

For some export formats you can choose a lower resolution than the general setting for your movie project. e.g. with .wmv for the internet.

By the way:
If you record your original footage in AVCHD it is often an advantage to transcode to mpeg2, since this format is more acceptable to editors. (Hint: use high bitrate to avoid loss in quality - up to 35 kbps.)

I know that DR The Danish National Broadcast organisation use AVCHD camcorders for their VJ's (Video Jouralists). All recordings are transcoded to mpeg2 before loaded to their media servers. This is to ensure that any standard editor can handle the material.

So why shouldn't we do it the same way.
Maybe you will need extra harddisc capacity, but that is cheap in theese days.
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billyfromConsett
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Re: Magix movie editor

Post by billyfromConsett »

ADBest wrote:As I am using a high definition camcorder I assume that I should use 1280 x 720 16:9.

If I wish to work in standard definition I should reset to 720 x 576.

Is this correct?

Arthur
No - HDV footage is 1440 x 1080.
Standard def is indeed 720 x 576.

I haven't used Magix much as I've CS4, but I thought there were some video tutorials included in the package?

There is a tutorial here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oMSKgeGPMs
also here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A17V0dv0 ... re=related
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ADBest
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Re: Magix movie editor

Post by ADBest »

I find that when I capture footage from my Canon HV40 high def camcorder into Magix Movie Edit Pro 15 Plus that the ‘Records’ have the extension .mpg. Is this normal?

I am trying to understand the rudiments of HD editing by capturing a few clips of footage and then taking it through to the burning stage to see what kind of a job my Pentium 4, 3GH, 2Gb PC makes of it. In doing this I am taking my first steps up the Magix learning curve and would like to understand what I am doing. (I know that a dual or quad core PC is recommended for HD editing but thought I would see what problems I run into. I know that I will probably end up working with Standard Definition).

In a previous post I mentioned that when I pulled a clip down onto the time line a white block appeared but then disappeared. This was due to the fact that I had not set the project properties resolution to 1440:1080. At least one problem solved.

Arthur
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billyfromConsett
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Re: Magix movie editor

Post by billyfromConsett »

ADBest wrote:I find that when I capture footage from my Canon HV40 high def camcorder into Magix Movie Edit Pro 15 Plus that the ‘Records’ have the extension .mpg. Is this normal?
Yes. HDV records in mpeg2 or .mpg.
You may be able to capture a few files, put them on the timeline, put a few transitions between them, put a sound file beneath them, and export to MiniDV - as a high def movie - on the rig you have. Go for it!! :mrgreen:
Roy

Re: Magix movie editor

Post by Roy »

I did just what Billy advised. The results were excellent, It's when I tried to do the more advanced features that the PC kept crashing So I use the Premiere Pro 2 for the advanced features such as image stabilisation etc. I might go back to Magix when I have time to spare,just to experiment. If anyone in the area would like to visit and play around with magix together, they will be welcome. Together we might just crack it.
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Stephen
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Re: Magix movie editor

Post by Stephen »

Roy.... keep playing.... Magix is a pretty cool piece of kit!

I was tres dubious at first but it seems capable of doing most stuff...

the Dutch guy that gave the the lecture at Newcastle ACA said that it would take a little getting used to if you have been used to other packages.... yup that was good advise...

just succesfully loaded all sorts of file types in and the thing burned a perfect DVD....

only problem at the mo is it seems to take a while to load large files in...


but unfair to give any critisim really as I've hardly had a chance to play... only to say that it looks very promising!


any peeps here had a play with Magix and Win7?
Stephen

Film making is not a matter of Life and Death
It's much more important than that.
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ADBest
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Re: Magix movie editor

Post by ADBest »

Hi Roy

Just read your post of the 7th.

I will PM you with my location details and would be glad to get together on the subject of Magix. You sound just about as enthusiastic about the application as I do. Interested but a little annoyed at the poor quality of the manuals and wondering if the effort to understand it will be worth it, bearing in mind that we are pretty happy with what we already use.

My own interest arises because of an awakening awareness of the onset of HD and the cost of following the Adobe solution. If something very much less expensive will do the job then it is probably worth the effort of scrambling up another learning curve.

At least we know what we are trying to do, our only problem is that we don’t know how to do it. Pity the poor individual coming into non-linear editing for the first time using Magix.

I have written earlier of my criticism the manuals and have been pointed to the on-line tutorials. They are indeed numerous but immensely repetitive and the quality is very, (I was going to say amateurish but that might stir up a reaction on another active thread!), poor.

Leif’s help has solved a couple of problems but for anyone learning the ropes the use of keyboard shortcuts does not aid the understanding process. Press ‘Y’ then do this, press ‘E’ and do that, may solve the problem but does not explain the logic of the workflow. I have only used keyboard shortcuts in the past for repetitive tasks in editing systems I fully understand.

Having distributed about 50 free copies of the software at the Newcastle meeting Magix must be disappointed that only 4 people have expressed any, (lukewarm), interest on this forum in getting to grips with the product. It does suggest that the lack of a ‘how to do it’ as opposed to an 'isn't it wonderful' manual is proving a block on take-up and they need to address this if they are serious about the UK market.

Arthur
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billyfromConsett
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Re: Magix movie editor

Post by billyfromConsett »

The feedback here is minimal as few people who do film-making use this forum.

I've used one good feature of Magix Edit Pro, and that is the screen capture facility, where I've demonstrated a process of Adobe Premiere and After Effects to stablise shots and then shown people on screen how it's done with the movie export tool.
It worked flawlessly!!

Respectfully, these apps need a bit of computer power. Get a quad core chip, 4 or 6gb of ram and a 64bit version of Windows 7 (price £70) and these apps will rock! (that means I like them :mrgreen: )
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ADBest
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Re: Magix movie editor

Post by ADBest »

A plea for help from the Magix members of our community.

I have dabbled with Magix, (Movie Edit Pro 15 plus), previously but have now the time available to have a serious attempt at getting to grips with it.

The programme does many and wondrous things but as a start I wish to ‘Capture’, ‘Edit’ and burn a DVD of the finished production. The clever stuff can come later.

So far I have captured a few HD clips, (Objects?), using the ‘Batch Capture’ feature.

These then appear in the ‘Media Pool’ as ‘Record3.mpg’, ‘Record6.mpg’ etc etc).

I have been able to drag an ‘Object’ to the ‘Programme Monitor’ window and trim it.

However when I try to drag the trimmed ‘Object’ to the ‘Arranger’ the ‘Object’ disappears. It also disappears if I drag it to the ’Storyboard’.

Where am I going wrong?

I have used other video editing systems in the past, various Pinnacle programmes, Premier 6.5 and recently Premiere Pro but in each case I had peer experience to quickly guide me when I lost my way. Magix is my first attempt to go it alone as no other Video Club member has gone before me.

Arthur

Ps For any other new starter with Magix I should remind them to set up the default filing locations before trying any Capture activity. You probably wish to capture to your dedicated Video drive but left to its own devices Magix will bury your footage in the depths of your ‘C’ drive.
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billyfromConsett
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Re: Magix movie editor

Post by billyfromConsett »

I've got Magix installed but haven't used it much as I've CS4.
I tried a capture from my HDV cam and it went how it should.

Start Magix and name a new project.

In the app make sure the Record option is on (top right of screen)
You should have you camera on and in play mode.
Hit the record option in the box, then the HDV camera option.
On my rig I hear the camcorder get alerted.
On the left of the capture screen:
Number 1 should highlight your camcorder
Number 2 lets you give it filename
Number 3 I left how they were - ie in PAL etc.

Ok! Navigate the tape control to where you like on the tape, hit play, then the red circle record button - it starts to capture. Hit the square box to stop.

In the edit mode I changed the storyboard option to the timeline option. I'm not sure how batch capture works. I did import some clips - a long clip took a few minutes to import. But you can edit on the timline with the razor tool as an alternative to the using the preview box.

I did a little bit of editing and did an export as a new media file, via the 'Burn' option.

I've also captured a file via a DVD by using the copy/shrink DVD option and putting the capture onto the timeline.
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