What software for Sony video editing

[Super Mikey]

Hey all,

I've had my a7IV for about a year now, and i want to start making films with it.

So basically what does everyone recommend as a good, easy to use and cheap video editing program.

I've heard Davinchi free doesn't support 10bit 4k.

Thanks in advance.

 

[sludge21017]

So convert via Handbrake. HandBrake: Open Source Video Transcoder

Learn Davinci. Buy it.

 

[apekkpul]

Partly true, I think. If you have Windows, you can download Microsoft's HEVC codec and use 4K XAVC-HS codec (but it doesn't work for 25/30 fps, only 50/60 fps).

I think the paid Resolve Studio is a good investment to realize the value of the Sony A74.

 

[Sean Nelson]

For the wealth of functionality that Resolve brings to the table, the cost of the Studio license is cheap, IMHO. The license has been good for all the new versions that BlackMagic has produced, and they generally have a fairly major update with fairly significant new functionality every year.

For me it was a no-brainer, especially when you compare it to the cost of all the equipment I've bought to shoot with. A good video editor is just as important as all that equipment when it comes to actually working with your carefully captured footage.

I'd suggest downloading the free version and spending some time with it, either by using ffmpeg to convert your clips to a format that the free version of Resolve will handle or by shooting some 8-bit video that you can use in a small sample project. That'll give you a feel for whether you think the paid version would be worth it for you.

Once you've downloaded the software, I highly recommend going through at least the introductory course on the BlackMagic training website.

 

[Off The Mark]

Hey all,

I've had my a7IV for about a year now, and i want to start making films with it.

Hi there, Mikey, and welcome to the Digital Video forum.

So basically what does everyone recommend as a good, easy to use and cheap video editing program.

I've heard Davinchi free doesn't support 10bit 4k.

My opinion is if you want EASY and CHEAP then you should probably shoot your video in 8-bit, instead of 10-bit.

I know that free and easy video editors like shotcut and openshot will work with 8-bit 4:2:0 video footage.

10-bit video is GREAT if you plan to do non-easy things with it (i.e., serious color grading).

But if you DON'T plan on learning how to do color grading, or don't really have the time to do so, then shooting in 8-bit is probably your best option. It takes up less room on your SD cards / HD, and plays back more smoothly on computers.

Now, you CAN shoot in LOG to get more dynamic range, and if you do shoot in LOG, then you will want to use 10-bit. And then you could just use a simple LUT to transform your footage to Rec 709. It doesn't take up too much time.

It's Just that shooting in LOG is a bit more difficult because you normally exposure your footage at a higher brightness level and you MIGHT end up having to make other adjustments to your footage as well.

BTW: Does anyone know if the s.cinetone profile is designed for 8-bit or 10-bit recording??? That might be an option, too.

 

[Andrew S10]

I've heard Davinchi free doesn't support 10bit 4k.

The free version of Resolve does, and has always supported 10-bit, but not necessarily every iteration of 10-bit codec. Try transcoding to ProRes, DNxHR, Cineform, etc. with something like RockyMountains Movie Converter, MPEG Streamclip or FFmpeg. Resolve will work fine with all 10-bit mezzanine codecs.

P.S. Resolve operates in 32-bit float, and will import high resolution video, but the free version is limited to UHD exports. The free version used to be limited to 1080P exports, but they increased it to UHD when the Pocket 4K was released.

 

[JasonTheBirder]

Hey all,

I've had my a7IV for about a year now, and i want to start making films with it.

So basically what does everyone recommend as a good, easy to use and cheap video editing program.

I've heard Davinchi free doesn't support 10bit 4k.

Not sure if any free editor can take advantage of 10-bit. My advice is use the free version with 8-bit video. There are at least 10 things that you need to learn that are more important than 10-bit vs 8 bit video. Once you get more advanced with your practice you can move to the Studio version.

 

[JasonTheBirder]

I've heard Davinchi free doesn't support 10bit 4k.

The free version of Resolve does, and has always supported 10-bit, but not necessarily every iteration of 10-bit codec. Try transcoding to ProRes, DNxHR, Cineform, etc. with something like RockyMountains Movie Converter, MPEG Streamclip or FFmpeg. Resolve will work fine with all 10-bit mezzanine codecs.

Does it actually use the 10-bit information though? I tried importing some 10-bit files from my G9 and it looks like it downgraded it to 8 bit.

 

[Sean Nelson]

I've heard Davinchi free doesn't support 10bit 4k.

The free version of Resolve does, and has always supported 10-bit...

Does it actually use the 10-bit information though? I tried importing some 10-bit files from my G9 and it looks like it downgraded it to 8 bit.

What are you basing this judgement on?

 

[JasonTheBirder]

I've heard Davinchi free doesn't support 10bit 4k.

The free version of Resolve does, and has always supported 10-bit...

Does it actually use the 10-bit information though? I tried importing some 10-bit files from my G9 and it looks like it downgraded it to 8 bit.

What are you basing this judgement on?

Well, I tried recording several scenes in both 8-bit and 10-bit video.I recorded them indoors with identical lighting conditions.

I put them in the same project, graded one by pushing the colour grading and shadows a lot in about 4 different ways. I copied the grade from one clip to the other. Literally no difference between the two even after intense pixel peeping and looking at the colour transitions...

Maybe I didn't test rigorously enough but if I can't even reproduce a difference under way higher than intense grading, I really do think it is not using the 10-bit info.

 

[sludge21017]

I've heard Davinchi free doesn't support 10bit 4k.

The free version of Resolve does, and has always supported 10-bit...

Does it actually use the 10-bit information though? I tried importing some 10-bit files from my G9 and it looks like it downgraded it to 8 bit.

What are you basing this judgement on?

Well, I tried recording several scenes in both 8-bit and 10-bit video.I recorded them indoors with identical lighting conditions.

I put them in the same project, graded one by pushing the colour grading and shadows a lot in about 4 different ways. I copied the grade from one clip to the other. Literally no difference between the two even after intense pixel peeping and looking at the colour transitions...

Maybe I didn't test rigorously enough but if I can't even reproduce a difference under way higher than intense grading, I really do think it is not using the 10-bit info.

Are you rendering in H265 or Main profile?

I've used this:

MediaInfo (mediaarea.net)

Here's a recent file I rendered in Davicini, 10 bit output (Main10)

 

[Sean Nelson]

Does it actually use the 10-bit information though? I tried importing some 10-bit files from my G9 and it looks like it downgraded it to 8 bit.

What are you basing this judgement on?

Well, I tried recording several scenes in both 8-bit and 10-bit video.I recorded them indoors with identical lighting conditions.

I put them in the same project, graded one by pushing the colour grading and shadows a lot in about 4 different ways. I copied the grade from one clip to the other. Literally no difference between the two even after intense pixel peeping and looking at the colour transitions...

I don't shoot 10-bit colour, so take my words with a grain of salt - but I'd expect that a better way to judge would be to pay close attention to the scopes in the Color page.

It's also important to note that lighting conditions that aren't very challenging will probably be a poor test - the whole point of 10-bit colour is that you can push and pull on the tone curves without the image breaking down with artifacts like posterization. If the lighting conditions are benign then you probably wouldn't have to push the curves to the point where there'd be much difference between 8- and 10-bit.

There's a huge body of knowledge just to understand what's going on in the Color page and I don't pretend to understand very much of it. So who the heck am I to give advice? But I wouldn't presume to rule something out by the kind of visual comparison you're describing.

 

[Markr041]

1. sludge21017 wrote:

I've heard Davinchi free doesn't support 10bit 4k.

The free version of Resolve does, and has always supported 10-bit...

Does it actually use the 10-bit information though? I tried importing some 10-bit files from my G9 and it looks like it downgraded it to 8 bit.

What are you basing this judgement on?

Well, I tried recording several scenes in both 8-bit and 10-bit video.I recorded them indoors with identical lighting conditions.

I put them in the same project, graded one by pushing the colour grading and shadows a lot in about 4 different ways. I copied the grade from one clip to the other. Literally no difference between the two even after intense pixel peeping and looking at the colour transitions...

Maybe I didn't test rigorously enough but if I can't even reproduce a difference under way higher than intense grading, I really do think it is not using the 10-bit info.

Are you rendering in H265 or Main profile?

I've used this:

MediaInfo (mediaarea.net)

Here's a recent file I rendered in Davicini, 10 bit output (Main10)

I think mediainfo just reads metadata; it does not check whether, for example, all 10bits are used. To get YouTube to play HLG video in HDR I render the 8bit HLG video from the Sony ZV-E10 in HEVC main10. So, the metadata reads 10bit, but the video is actually 8bit.

 

[NickZ2016]

I've heard Davinchi free doesn't support 10bit 4k.

The free version of Resolve does, and has always supported 10-bit...

Does it actually use the 10-bit information though? I tried importing some 10-bit files from my G9 and it looks like it downgraded it to 8 bit.

What are you basing this judgement on?

Well, I tried recording several scenes in both 8-bit and 10-bit video.I recorded them indoors with identical lighting conditions.

I put them in the same project, graded one by pushing the colour grading and shadows a lot in about 4 different ways. I copied the grade from one clip to the other. Literally no difference between the two even after intense pixel peeping and looking at the colour transitions...

Maybe I didn't test rigorously enough but if I can't even reproduce a difference under way higher than intense grading, I really do think it is not using the 10-bit info.

It's pretty obvious if Resolve doesn't support a file. If you're lucky you get audio only. If you aren't lucky no audio and no video.

The colour page will also show you different numbers. 10 bit maxes out at 1023. 8 bit I forget 127?

Breaking 8bit isn't that hard. Take a short clip of a plain blue sky. The usual boring every day sky. Now try pushing it on the colour page. Watch just the sky.

If you're using a more complex scene the problems might in theory be hidden.

 

[Super Mikey]

Well thanks for everyone's input,

I guess i'll check out Davinchi free.

 

[Barollew]

For starting out, I've been using Adobe Premiere Elements myself. It's pretty user-friendly and supports 4K, which is great for most tasks. However, when it comes to more complex editing jobs or anything that needs a bit more technical finesse, it can be a bit limiting.

For those trickier projects, I actually reach out to the pros at http://www.thirdbornentertainment.com/ . They handle the heavy lifting on the professional side of things, especially when high-quality production value is a must.