For
editors who are interested in considering converting to
Vegas, there are a number of nice features present
to take into consideration if you can't afford the newest
machines on the planet. For example, Vegas uses special
performance hooks to give you the quality and size of preview
window that will keep things moving along at a nice pace,
even if you have an older machine. Additionally, they allow
a nice low-rez preview of effects that you are considering
applying to your footage before you actually apply it, which
can keep you from endlessly re-applying effects that you
can no longer recall what they look like and bogging down
your machine.
Another
nice feature that isn't present in applications like Final
Cut Pro is the ability to make a temp disc without you
having to export the entire project to a DVD Architect
file and mastering a DVD. Vegas can simply whip you up a
VCD of your project with minimum exporting. (You still end
up going through a third party software, somewhat the way
Final Cut Pro uses the external Compressor software.)
The
new DVD Architect 3 portion of Vegas 6 + DVD
now supports native Photoshop files which is a nice and
welcome addition for those of us who want to be able create
complex DVD menus with full layer interactivity. Additionally,
DA3 will also allow you to set up tags for CSS and Macrovision
protection when you make master copies of your films and
have them professionally reproduced. A few other nice features
are the ability to display a "jacket image"-a
specially stored image that only shows up when people stop
your film's DVD, Dual layer DVD burning support, and Multi-Angle
Video support-which can allow you to create some pretty
cool special features if you use it creatively.
All
in all, both Vegas 6.0 and DVD Architect 3
have a very, very deep level of options.
Previews
of filters and transitions in the
menu will prevent you from wasting unnecessary
time applying effects only to take them off when
they aren't what you thought they would be.
Value
Vegas is an amazingly powerful editing tool that is at a
great price point, especially when compared to the over-$1,000
editing suites from Apple, Adobe, and Avid.
Final
Comments
Unless you only own a Mac, Vegas 6 + DVD should definitely
be a consideration for any microfilmmaker out there. If
nothing else, you owe it to yourself to download a demo
from Sony's site and see if it's able to do what you need
to do. Just remember to give yourself at least a week to
get used to it's unique cadence, especially if you've had
lots of experience with other editing programs.
