@Malcolm-Baines

Hi Malcolm.

Normally a program becoming unresponsive is a sign of the computer running out of physical ram or possibly disc space on the C: drive. .

Have you run Task Manager while opening the program and loading it up and running it to see what the ram usage is like?

Have you checked your C: drive for unused space?

Ray.

@Malcolm-Baines

Hi

. . . . MP4 codec . . . .

Precisely which codec did you purchase? MP4 is not a video codec, it is a container file format which can contain many different types of video and audio encoded with a variety of codecs.

As @Former user has commented Movie Edit Pro (MEP) 15 is very old software and was only certified to run on Windows XP and Vista.

Did you have a Windows Security and Quality update about the same time as you bought and installed the MP4 codec?

John EB
Forum Moderator

Many thanks to all who have quickly responded to my query. There is plenty of free space on my computer but the magix software is a very old version as Johnebaker says and wasn't designed to run on windows 8. This could be part of the problem. I like the magix software as its easy to use so I think its now time to upgrade to the latest version. I have no idea what a codec is, just that I needed to purchase it to be able to use mp4 files, so thanks for this information.

@Malcolm-Baines

Hi Malcolm.

If you are running Windows 8 are you also running an older computer?

Would it meet all the minimum requirements now needed to run the new version?

If not, you may not like the experience of trying to run the new editor. They are the minimum specs needed and should really be higher for a trouble free editing experience.

Ray.

@Malcolm-Baines

Hi Malcolm

. . . .  I have no idea what a codec is, just that I needed to purchase it to be able to use mp4 files . . . .

When you purchased the codec you should have received an email receipt for the purchase - what does that say you have bought?

See this article for what a codec is.

John EB

Hi, It said that I had purchased the MPEG4 upgrade and it had an activation code to enter. Nothing more than that. I entered the activation code and it allows me to use MPEG4 files to import and export. This is working fine. When I have exported an edited MPEG4 file I can no longer import it again to do more editing. I know the files are OK as I also have other software that I use for editing. I like the magix sofware because I am more familiar with it so will purchase the later version. My computer is a VAIO running windows 8.1 with 8Gig RAM and i5 processor,. its a few years old now so I may try it on my laptop. Thanks for everbody's help. Much appreciated.

@Malcolm-Baines Hi, what happens when you try to import the previously edited & exported file back into Magix?

@Malcolm-Baines

Hi

. . . . When I have exported an edited MPEG4 file I can no longer import it again to do more editing. . . .

If I read this correctly you are exporting the file then trying to reload the exported file for further editing - is this correct?

If so, and assuming you have saved the project as you have been editing it and before/after exporting, you would re-open the project file and and carry on editing.

Or is it the project file you cannot re-open?

Also which export preset are you using? A screen shot would it would help.

John EB

I am exporting the edited file as an MPEG4 then trying to reload the exported file for further editing. I try to open the previously exported edited file by using the "Import file" command and receive the attached message. I have been into the file properties to ensure that there are no restrictions on editing and all is OK. The file imports into Wavepad video editor with no problems so all is not lost. I have not tried to import from the magix project file as I rarely use them but its certainly worth a try.

@Malcolm-Baines

I have not tried to import from the magix project file as I rarely use them but its certainly worth a try.

Yes it most certainly is worth a try!

I think you are wholly misunderstanding what a "Magix project file" actually is. In and of itself it contains no audio or video or images or anything else. It is merely a set of instructions which tell MEP which section of which source file to play, for how long, with what effects, what audio etc., etc., etc..

When you reload a project file, NOT IMPORT IT, you are simply reloading those instructions as you saved them when you last closed the project. There is absolutely no need to Export anything until the whole project is finished. Sometimes the "editing" of a video file can take days, weeks or even longer; simply saving the project at the end of an editing session (sometimes under a new name so that earlier steps can be retraced, if desired) allows it to be subsequently reopened in exactly the state it was when you last closed it.

Ideally, exporting should always be the LAST process undertaken, when the whole project is finished. In practice one might often wish to "tweak" what one hoped was the final version, when playback reveals a "problem"; in this case, simply open the last-saved version of the project file and carry on for exactly where you left off.

HTH

Jeff
Forum Moderator

That's excellent advice, I will give it a go and only use the Project file from now on. I will let you know if everything is OK. I saved an MPG file of the same video that loads so will mix it down as an MPEG4 and then use the project file.

@Malcolm-Baines Hi, I looked at an imported clip's Object properties, it says VID_20200709_160118_A1F02109.MP4 (which is it's file name given to it by my phone camera plus it's file name extension)

In the Video section of Object Properties it says MPEG import module on the 3rd line down

So i went into Settings-Program-Import/Export ( or press Y ) in Magix movie, I un-ticked the MPEG import module in the Other box

Then i tried to import an mp4 video file into Magix, I got this msg on the screen, it looks a little different because i have Magix Edit Pro Plus 2021 but it reads the same as yours

Go to Settings-Program-Import/Export & see if the MPEG import module box is ticked, if not tick it, (select all 👍)

See if that works?

Great, thanks for that. I will have a look later this evening. I have copied it so that I can check each stage. One of the earlier MPEG4 files that I managed to load I remixed down as an MPEG4 with a different name and then reloaded it using the project file and it works fine. I now know that I must use the project file not the mix down. Many thanks again to everyone for their help and advise.

If you save your project so that you can work on it at a later date it will be saved as an .MVP, if you alter any of those files in that project folder the MVP won't load properly. as Jeff says a project is just a template/record of what you have done/edited so far. it contains no audio or video or images or anything else.

I just created a project with a single mp4 file, i then altered the name of the mp4 Video file to make the MVP unable to load, i got a different error msg to what you orig posted about the 'mp4 cannot be read' so i don't think that is your prob,

On a slightly separate note if i load a picture, lets say a pic of a cat & a dog, magix will show a pic of a cat & a dog as expected, but if i alter that pic in a separate photo editing program, maybe remove the dog from the pic but i then save it with the orig same name it already had, then load into magix again it will show a pic of a cat & a dog as it did the first time not a pic of just a cat, because magix created a temp loading file, the new edited pic without the dog needed a new name to be able to be loaded afresh dismissing the first temp load file of a cat & a dog, So in your case if there was a glitch loading your MPEG first time, renaming it helped the program start afresh loading it.

What do you mean by the 'mix down' ?

Yes I understand what you are saying. Just that I have never had any problems until I decided to purchase the MPEG4 codec. Seems I need to revise how I do things. . By mix down I mean when exporting an edited video the programme says it is mixing down, the words appear at the bottom with the time remaining before the file is saved.

Ah i see what you mean. like this 👍

Yes maybe, it's hard to know exactly how you operate Magix without looking over your shoulder, i've learnt from talking on here different people do it in different ways, I don't use the Import tab in Magix, I have 2 screens so i just open a file to drag n drop whatever i want on the timeline,😊

I start Magix, as it loads it asks to create a Project folder, Copy media to project folder is ticked,

if i decide to take a break & pick it up another time/day i save the project, (Save project) it will put the MVP in the project folder unless stated otherwise, i then don't touch the files in the project folder until i've finished & exported (mixed down 😉) the whole project, The orig files in whatever folder they were in can be altered/moved, that won't affect the project (MVP) because they've been copied to the Project folder.

when i come back to it to carry on i just click on the MVP in the explorer project file & Magix program will load with the project at it's last saved point

or i open Magix & choose the appropriate folder in the Project folder option

Magix will load, the MVP can be clicked on

it will load & then any additional media put in the timeline will be added to the same folder as the project was saved in originally,

i save it again if i haven't finished that day, i'll be given the option the over-right the orig MVP or create a new MVP with a new name.

Did you have a look at the MPEG import module option?