Future path of Vegas Video?

skibumm101 wrote on 4/21/2004, 11:49 AM
Vegas 4 was a great product. Vegas 5 added some cool freatures onto the greatness of the product, but I think Sony needs to decide what vegas video is and stick to it. In 5 they added some great compositing tools. But they dont compare to Shake, After effects or Borris. Vegas is a NLE. and a great one at that. If I am going to composite, I am going to use somthing else. I feel Sony needs to Improve on the NLE aspects and make it an amazing NLE. I hope they dont try to make it an all in one package, Because we know what happens when software goes down that path. Good at all things, Great at none.

Comments

busterkeaton wrote on 4/21/2004, 12:06 PM
Are you really using Shake to do your composites? It's kind of a ridiculous comparison.

The advantage of compositing in Vegas is a quicker workflow. You don't have to go to other apps as often. Also it's cost effective, perhaps you only have money for one piece of software. That is going to be an atrractive feature for many, many buyers.
skibumm101 wrote on 4/21/2004, 12:13 PM
I see your point, but the point i was trying to get across is, Does vegas want to stay as prosumer product, or elevete one aspect of what it does well and keep improving on that. There has been so many different people complaing and complementing about what was missed and got in on this new release ranging from audio, effects, NLE functions, Titling etc.. etc... etc.... Maybe sony wants to keep the current path of having a all in 1 package, which appeals more prosumer market. Hopfully the people of the forums will relize that by trying to add every posible feature and function in a all in one, it keeps it in the market it is currently in. Which I think is fine on no matter what direction it takes. i still love it.
TheHappyFriar wrote on 4/21/2004, 12:14 PM
Yeah, I do composited in Vegas and nothing else. Then having a nice chroma key had saved me hundreds for not buying Adobe AE. Of course premiere sucks at this stuff: adobe wants you to spend another $600 on AE.
busterkeaton wrote on 4/21/2004, 12:17 PM
Well, I guess I disagree that Vegas 5 is a prosumer product. I guess if you consider DV to be prosumer, then you can make that argument, but I don't think DV = prosumer.

My hunch is that 5.0b will leave all doubts about that behind.

The all-in-one product is also attractive if you are outfitting a full studio with say 10 NLE stations.
TheHappyFriar wrote on 4/21/2004, 12:19 PM
Everyone is going to have a gripe about every program. "Vegas doesn't have great EDL support." "Premiere can't composite worth a darn." "Avid DV can't output via firewire real time w/o hardware (just made that one up).

What features a program has doesn't make it pro/prosumer/or comsumer. It's what the user does with it. If you're more comfortable with a nested timeline & having to buy a seperate compositing program to do simple greenscreen work then ok. Personaly (and I think most people will agree) sacraficing a "valuable" feature is better then spend hundred to do simething that isn't considered "vital" because we're used to it.

Try not using any of the compositing in Vegas and then say if you'd rather have them take it out to be replaced with something else.
logiquem wrote on 4/21/2004, 12:19 PM
You are right!

As a multimedia producer ,Vegas as a "complete" tool is an incredible, totally unique product in term of flexibility and features. A vast improvement in term of workflow over any other NLE app i tried or know of.
skibumm101 wrote on 4/21/2004, 12:21 PM
for those looking for a great chromkeying/compositer program with great features, and great price check out www.fxhome.com
vmcdee wrote on 4/21/2004, 12:31 PM
All I can say is this...Vegas rule s the roost.
Think ahead my friends. NLE is here to stay.

Let us look at the progression of computer software and hardware as it has impacted all of our lives.

In the very near future an all in one application will not only work, but will be expected.

Vegas has been a sleeping giant for quite awhile. I see from the forums, it still is.

Sony is not a "dumb company" nor was, or is; Sonic.

Stay tuned pepole and stick with Vegas. Otherwise you will be investing a lot more down the road to catch back up with the rest of us.

Just a thought.....

Vmcdee
vitamin_D wrote on 4/21/2004, 12:46 PM
I think the post that started this thread echoes what I'd intended to write today. I'm glad to see someone else doing it before me, so I know I'm not alone.

I consider myself a very loyal SoFo and now Sony enduser. I've purchased licenses to: Vegas 3 and 4+DVD, Acid Pro 4, Sound Forge 6, Noise Reduction 2, and the Vegas Filter Pack (eventually folded into Vegas 4, damnit). Aside from loop packs, I've pretty much run out of things to buy from this company :D

Ontop of these, I attended a VASST seminar, and have bought a few supporting products (ala Pixelan software). I've d/l'd and am happy using Satish's plugins, and have provided examples in the past of how Vegas stands tall against helper apps like DVFilmmaker, pitting them against one another and posting my results and tutorials for others to see.

Accordingly, I think I'm entitled to a little explanation, some admissions, or even some firm hints as to where this boat I've thrown so much money into is going.

As it stands I think many have confused my huff with Vegas 5 as a problem with the price as related to the new features. Many people are happy to have one or two of the things on the list of improvements, and at the $200 cost, they're very pleased to pay that and don't see how someone like me is making such a big stink over so little money.

Well, as I see it it's not just the $200 -- it's an investment in the future. I am a very happy user of Vegas 4, but have been looking toward higher end production goals, and looking very forward to using Vegas to achieve them. I also know that Vegas 4, as it stands currently, will likely not meet my needs when that time comes. I, like so many, have been hoping, hoping too much perhaps, that basic media management needs would be met over the course of the year that's passed since Vegas 4 was released.

At the moment I don't have a lot of free cash to play around with, so I think twice about spending $200. But, my worries are that, given media management didn't make it this upgrade cycle, what's to say they'll make it into the next, or ever? Suddenly it's a year from now, and I don't want to be out the $200 I spent to get Vegas 5, only to find myself having to spend an additional $700 to buy a competitor's NLE because a core need is still missing from Vegas.

Other's here have made it sound like a breeze to switch to PPro, with flip comments like "Well, if you're not happy just leave -- it's that easy." Only, it's never that easy. Conversely, when I genuinely consider making the switch as a viable option, nothing seems a good answer -- I really do enjoy the integration of Sound Forge with Vegas and would miss it sorely if I had to give it up. I like the Vegas workflow and feel that it was a big reason I'd gotten re-ignited about editing when I first stumbled onto version 3. The alternatives -- using, for instance, PPro to edit and Vegas to render, are more headache riddled than I'd like to submit myself to.

Ultimately, my worries would all go up in smoke if someone from Sony would just address whether or not media management is an important consideration for future upgrades of Vegas.

At least if it's not, I can start saving my money now for a different NLE when the time comes, and I feel I deserve this kind of assurance at a minimum.

Thanks,

- jim
vitamin_D wrote on 4/21/2004, 4:18 PM
*elevate* I'd like some answers...

Thanks
Rednroll wrote on 4/21/2004, 4:53 PM
"*elevate* I'd like some answers..."

Answer: You're a big cry baby, stomping his feet like a little kid because he didn't get what he wants. People buy products because it meets their needs today. If it doesn't meet their needs they buy another product. I don't go out and buy an AM/FM clock radio in hope that it will turn into a 52" plasma HDTV down the road, and will only cost me 2 bucks to exchange them. That's exactly the same scenario you're asking for. Quit your crying for cripes sake. We don't care to hear in this forum, how much you think you spent, or that you think you deserve an answer, because you DON'T. I've spent many of thousands of dollars on Recording Studio equipment over the years, my needs change and some of that equipment has become obsolete. I don't start calling the company that originally sold me the equipment, crying that the magic lamp didn't turn into a genie when I rubbed it over the past 5 years of using it and it didn't evolve into everything I wished for.

Vitamin_D....whahhhah...wwahhh..wahhhh.....<SMACK> SHUT UP!!!!
busterkeaton wrote on 4/21/2004, 5:07 PM
Man, those Vegas audio guys are tough, huh?
vitamin_D wrote on 4/21/2004, 5:10 PM
Yeah -- hiding behind the internet -- what a tough guy...

Red: how do you see the screen with your head planted so far up your ass?
Rain Mooder wrote on 4/21/2004, 5:14 PM
Yeah, they are almost as tough as old Billy.... on to the
ignore list...
busterkeaton wrote on 4/21/2004, 5:15 PM
perhaps I should have said harsh
Rednroll wrote on 4/21/2004, 5:21 PM
Yeah, I think a better ignore list would be Vitamin_D. Why don't make some contribution to the forum? I've come to this video forum for the past 2 days, and heard nothing but your littering the forum with cry baby posts. Shut up already. Aren't the rest of you guys sick of hearing him crying yet? Are you an adult? I really have to wonder about that, because most spoiled brat children I know stomp their feet and through tantrons when they don't get what they want. Sorry, I don't coincide with your methods, I'm an adult and have more tactful ways of getting things I need.
Cheesehole wrote on 4/21/2004, 5:40 PM
Well earlier he threatened not to make his next feature using Vegas, so I'm guessing he must be an adult. This is obviously a very important decision for him. How long does it take to make $200... add up the time spent posting rants on the Vegas forum... compare... hmmm...
PeterWright wrote on 4/21/2004, 5:54 PM
VitaminD, you seem to be in a bit of a state.

Rather than say that basic media management needs have not been addressed, which is not true, could you in simple language state what it is that you would like to be able to do that you can't?

Vegas was already a fantastic piece of software. Now, for a very small upgrade price, it has added several new layers of professionality in video editing and compositing, and it's audio features put it entirely in a class of its own.


rextilleon wrote on 4/21/2004, 6:16 PM
I am extremely tired of this Trol Rednroll--I dont care what his day job is or how close he is to the people at Sony. He has come in what is basically video forum and been extremely nasty and aggresive from day one--gloating over his power over the engineers at Sony. Then he goes back to the Vegas Audio Forum where he resides and brags about his exploits. I do wish that this creature would remain in the audio forum where he can continue to regale its members with his inspiring exploits---Enough said.

This forum has always had a level of civility and I fear that is changing.
bakerbud9 wrote on 4/21/2004, 7:54 PM
I think the powerful new compositing features added to vegas 5 blow after effects away.

i can't speak for shake, but i've been using after effects for over 5 years. with the new feature set of vegas 5, there is absolutely no need for me to use after effects anymore. there's nothing i can't now do in vegas 5 that i've ever done in after effects. plus, vegas has superb sub-pixel supersampling, so the quality of the compositing is fantastic.

in fact, i'm now going to e-bay my copy of after effects.

-nate
skibumm101 wrote on 4/21/2004, 8:49 PM
One thing that AE has that vegas does not, is being able to open up layered photoshop files. With some of the work that i do, this is a HUGE time saver. I agree with Vegas 5 that the ability is there, but i can do it 10 times faster in AE. Now that being said, I love Vegas Video. I will always be using it, But There are still other products out there that do what they do Best. IT was stated earilier in the forum that software will evolve into one product fits all needs. As far as a prosumer is concered yeah that is a great idea. As of all of the profesional I deal with, we are not oposed to paying more money for multiple products that are the best in what they do. AE,Shake,etc... We depend on our line of products for our livly hood, and 1000 bucks is a wise investment to make us more professional. Again Vegas is great as NLE and it is what i use I have nothing to critize about the current product. I am interested in knowing what the futer holds for Vegas video.
vmcdee wrote on 4/21/2004, 8:52 PM
Look people,
I am a new comer to the Video editing world. I don't know anything other than NLE. I dont like Premier, I hate Final Cut and Affter effects is an entirly different language to me.

I found Vegas at the 3.0 phase. I found it intuitive and quite user friendly. Going on year three as an editer I am making WELL over 200 a gig, so the upgrade was no big deal. As I have well 18,000.00 worth of crap on my desk, as I am sure most of us do. I spen 10 years in the music business and i lost count of the money spent in keyboard upgrades.

i will probally spend even more over the next few MONTHS as is the nature of the beast. Is'nt that why we charge the big bucks? To stay up todate and on par with those..THAt have no problem upgrading?

jUST MYT THOUGHTS

VMCDEE

bakerbud9 wrote on 4/21/2004, 9:31 PM
I believe the future holds good things for Vegas. If Sony's presentaiton of Vegas at NAB this year was any indication, then we certianly are in for many more exciting years of development and evolution of this product. Vegas had lots of floor space at the Sony booth... almost as much floorspace as that dedicated to Xpri. This shows, from my perspective, that Vegas appears to be an important part of the Sony agenda. In that sense, my trip this year to NAB eased my fears that Sony was going to screw up all the great things the Madison team was doing.

Another important thing to pay attention to: if you look at the "big picture" of media content creation at NAB this year, there is a trend towards consolidation of workflow. The two places this was most evident was at the dscreet booth and at the Vegas 5 demo booth. discreet has completely discontinued thier edit* NLE software. Instead, the NLE functionality of edit* has been integrated into the smoke* and fire* applications. The net result is a single application for post production and finishing that integrates editing and compositing.

Vegas 5 was the only other software at the show that offered this level of sophistication and integration, as evidenced by the new masking and subclip compositing features.

BTW, I also saw Vegas 5 play 3 tracks of 1080p HD footage in realtime (page-curl transitions included), and at the Sony booth, they were showing Vegas 5 playing 25 simultaneous tracks of DV footage at 30fps. It seems Sony is in a good position to push discreet out of thier high-end market.

-nate
stormstereo wrote on 4/21/2004, 10:53 PM
The way I see it - I don't only pay for Vegas 5.0a, I pay for all V5 upgrades ahead which are served free of charge. I believe all the functions we're whining for will be in those upgrades.
Best/Tommy