[Resolved] VPX and GoPro and Action Cam edit procedures

gmlotkow wrote on 1/17/2018, 9:28 AM

Question today starts from the fact I cannot import AVI files, looks like I may be missing a codec or something. Maybe not, that's why I'm asking. (recently updated to VPX9, have not yet installed GoPro Cineform Studio)

This is what I know, and the procedure I used to take when editing GoPro material. (I used it at the same editing AVCHD/mts files).

What I know: GoPro material comes out of the camera as .mp4, it's compressed data, and using GoPro Cineform Studio converts it to AVI. I used this conversion tool as an intermediate step before I imported the GoPro to VPX. (for now, I cannot import the AVI file format). The question is, do I have to do this anymore?

With the VPX updates I've accumulated, I find there is an Action Cam package installed (maybe NewBlue?). The GoPro MP4 material imports to VPX just fine. it's hard for me to tell if I'm missing anything not using the AVI format.

Does VPX, with the Action Cam package eliminate the step of using GoPro Cineform Studio to convert to AVI? Is the Action Cam package only used for removing fisheye? What exactly does the Action Cam package do? If it did, it would save hours of time converting the files to AVI, and reduce the disk space for them. Let me know that you think.

Comments

Scenestealer wrote on 1/17/2018, 5:00 PM

Hi Greg

Not sure I am totally clear on your procedure.

You convert the Gopro footage to AVI on your editing PC with a GoPro application - or do you do this in the camera or on some other device?

You Copy and Paste the unconverted GoPro files direct from the camera to a folder on your Edit PC and these run fine in VPX?

From the error message you see in your other thread it appears VPX might need the CFHD codec installed on your Edit PC to run the converted AVI footage. I can only assume this stands for Cine Form HD codec which must have been utilised in your AVI conversion on whatever device that conversion was carried out on.

You could load that converter application on your edit PC and see if that makes the codec available to VPX, but if the footage direct from the camera runs OK in VPX then why bother with the conversion to AVI as any conversion step ultimately leads to quality loss.

As far as I know the Action cam package only gives you the lens distortion correction but it may be that it installed some codecs.

gmlotkow wrote on 1/17/2018, 5:20 PM

I just figured this out. I did install the GoPro Editing Studio, did a convert, and it did not work.. I then did a update to my Nvidia K2200 drivers and that seemed to make the AVI play. Regarding the GoPro procedure to get the best into VPX :

I take the SD card out of the camera and move the data to my working Raw Date folder. I open GoPro Studio, then convert the file (929,819 KB - MP4) to a (3,663,214 KB AVI) and use this in VPX. World of difference between MP4 & AVI. The AVI is much better. VPX works much better, you can feel and see it using the orange timeline scrubbing tool.

I'll try and post an example, it has Panasonic ACVHD, GoPro converted to AVI, and DJI Phantom 4 Pro+ MP4 all in a short clip. It's not the best example, but it has plenty of format flavors.

Scenestealer wrote on 1/17/2018, 6:04 PM

That all makes sense.

World of difference between MP4 & AVI. The AVI is much better. VPX works much better, you can feel and see it using the orange timeline scrubbing tool.

As expected as Cineform HD is an Intermediate Codec with "Edit friendly" lower, less complex Intra Frame compression that reduces the load on your hardware. It is similar to Magix's MXV codec that is also designed for the same purpose and is utilised when you create Proxies in VPX.

They keep generation losses to a minimum but if I had the hardware resources to keep the original right through the chain then I would not convert - or I would use the proxy route as VPX uses the original GoPro files for the final encode.