When working with video editing software it’s important to understand the file formats you will be working with.
The most common formats will be files that end with the extensions AVI, MPG (or MPEG), MOV and WMV.
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AVI
AVI means Audio Video Interleave, originally developed by Microsoft in 1992 as part of Video for Windows technology. Traditionally, AVI files are very large and do not have the same quality as newer formats, although many digital cameras will output AVI video files even to this day.
MPEG
MPEG is Motion Picture Experts Group. At the time of this writing there are four major “flavors” of this format, MPEG-1, 2, 3 and 4.
The MPEG format typically compresses far better than AVI while still retaining good quality.
MOV
MOV is an extension for Apple QuickTime movie files. Typically in order to work with MOV files you will need to have the Apple QuickTime player installed so the appropriate video decoders are installed.
This format can either be large or small depending on how it was originally compressed.
WMV
This an abbreviation for the Windows Media Video format. It is proprietary to the Microsoft Windows operating system. WMV is typically the smallest file size.
When using the Microsoft Windows operating system…
Typically the easiest files to work with in Windows are WMVs and AVIs as both formats were originally developed by Microsoft. Whether using a free video editor such as Windows Movie Maker or professional software like Adobe Premiere, Windows “likes” WMV and AVI best and you will be able to edit and render files quickly using those two formats.
This is not to say you cannot work with MOV or MPEG files in Windows, but you must install specific CODECs (COde/DECoder) in order for video editing software to “understand” what it’s working with.
With MPEG files, it is typical that the proper CODECs are most likely already installed in your computer. This is usually done on installation of any professional video editing suite as a background task.
With MOV files, the best way to get your CODECs is to purchase Apple QuickTime Pro from the QuickTime.com web site.
With specific mention to the Windows Movie Maker software: You will be able to work with AVIs, MPEGs and WMVs but not MOVs. If you run into the situation where you must use MOV files in Windows Movie Maker, it is required to bring the MOV file into QuickTime Pro and export it as another format Windows Movie Maker can understand (AVI or MPEG).
When using the Apple Mac OS X operating system…
Mac OS X “likes” Apple-specific formats best, and in this case that is the MOV format video file. It also works well with MPEG-1 (MPG) MPEG-4 (MP4) files.
OS X will work with AVI files easily, however you may notice that the importing process into certain video editing applications may take a long period of time. If at all possible, work with MOV, MPEG and MP4 files only.
The file format which OS X “doesn’t like” is WMV, but like with Windows and MOVs, it is not impossible to work with them.
If you use a camcorder that uses DVD to store video data…
The file format that it will use will be the MPEG format.
Something important to note is that some manufacturers force you to use the provided software that came with the camcorder originally to get the data off the DVD for use in video editing software later. If you encounter the situation where your video editing software will not accept the data from the camcorder’s DVD, use the software provided with the camcorder originally.
If you use a camcorder that is miniDV based…
All video must be imported in real time (meaning you must play back the video to the computer) via a FireWire cable. Both Windows Movie Maker and iMovie have the ability to import video via this method.
The vast majority of miniDV camcorders have FireWire ports on them. To get the video imported to the computer, the computer must have a FireWire port, and you must have a FireWire cable. To note: FireWire cables are typically expensive and will usually cost $30 to $40 for a six-foot length.
The two types of ports for FireWire are 4-pin and 6-pin. The 4-pin port is very small and similar in size to mini-USB. The six-pin is similar in size to a standard USB port but slightly thicker.
It is most likely true your camcorder has a 4-pin port.
If you have a laptop with a FireWire port, that port will also be 4-pin, so you will need to acquire a “4-pin to 4-pin” cable.
If you have a standard desktop computer, the port will be 6-pin, so you will need to acquire a “4-pin to 6-pin” or “6-pin to 4-pin” cable.
If your computer does not have a FireWire port.
FireWire cards are very inexpensive (about $20.00). You will need to purchase a card and install it in your computer.
Note to those with iMac or Mac Pro computers and most Macbooks: If the processor is G5 or later, you already have a FireWire port.
What will be the format when importing from a miniDV based camcorder?
Typically, the video format that will be used by your video editing software will be DV-AVI (Digital Video, Audio Video Interleave).
To note: DV-AVI files are rather large. They are of high quality and will consume much hard disk space. Be sure to have at least 50GB available on your hard drive before capturing video to your computer.
How do you import video from a miniDV camcorder into the computer?
The process of importing video involves three steps:
- Installing the software that came bundled with your camcorder originally to your computer.
- Connecting the camcorder via FireWire to the computer.
- Using software to “capture” the video from the camcorder to the computer.
Why install the software that came with the camcorder?
This will install the necessary device drivers the operating system needs in order for it to “understand” your camcorder when you connect it.
Why connect the camcorder via FireWire?
In order to transfer the video/audio to the computer it must be connected via a cable that can send a large amount of data. FireWire is the best (and usually the only) method.
What’s “capturing” video mean?
Capturing video (and audio) is what you’re doing when you instruct your video editing software to “listen” to the incoming video signal from the FireWire cable connected to your camcorder.
Typical example of what happens when you connect your camcorder via FireWire..
First, you connect your camcorder via FireWire cable. If your camcorder software is installed properly, your computer will recognize the camcorder is connected and waiting to be used.
Second, you launch your video editing software. For sake of example, let’s say you’re using Windows Movie Maker or iMovie.
Once in the software you instruct it to capture video from an external device (the camcorder).
The software will take control of the camcorder. You can playback, pause, rewind and stop the camcorder directly from the software itself.
Once ready, instruct the software to capture the video from the camcorder. When done it will automatically process the DV-AVI file as a background task.
From there you can edit your video.
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