Working with AVCHD Video

 

You can edit files recorded with AVCHD camcorders just like any other supported media type on the timeline.

This help topic will guide you through the process of using AVCHD video in your project.

Vegas Pro note Working with AVCHD Video5.1-channel audio will be downmixed to stereo when importing into a stereo project. When importing into a 5.1 surround project, audio will be added to separate tracks for the center, front, rear, and LFE channels.

  1. Shoot your video with an AVCHD camcorder.

  2. Start a new project, and set your project properties to the format that most closely matches your desired output format.

    For example, if you intend to burn the video to an NTSC DVD, choose NTSC DV (720×480, 29.970 fps) from the Template drop-down list on the Video tab of the Project Properties dialog. If you want to create a 4.8 Mbps high-definition Windows Media Video file, choose HDV 720-24p (1280×720, 23.976 fps).

  1. Import your AVCHD files.

  2. Drag your clips from the Project Media window to the timeline to create events.

  3. Edit your project as needed.

Vegas Pro tip Working with AVCHD VideoIf you’re working on a system with limited processing power, converting to a lower-resolution format will streamline the editing process and allow you to preview your project with higher frame rates. This process is called proxy editing. For more information about proxy editing, please see Creating Proxy Files for High-Definition Editing.

  1. Render your project to any supported rendering format.

If you want to render to AVCHD format and export the rendered file to an AVCHD camera, please use the following steps:

  1. Verify that your project is set to 5.1 surround mode.

  2. In the Render As dialog, choose Sony AVC from the Save as type drop-down list.

  3. Use one of the following templates:

AVCHD 1440×1080 NTSC 5.1 Surround

AVCHD 1920×1080 NTSC 5.1 Surround

AVCHD 1440×1080 PAL 5.1 Surround

AVCHD 1920×1080 PAL 5.1 Surround

  1. If you choose to use the Custom Template dialog to customize your rendering template, leave all settings at their default values except for the Bit rate control. The default Bit rate setting should work for most applications.

  2. To save the rendered file to your camera, you’ll need to use the software that was supplied with your camera.

Working with AVCHD Video