Vegas Pro 8.0 - maintaining video quality when re-editing...

Hi everyone,

I want to know if my videos will degrade when I bring them back into Vegas Pro 8.0 after I've edited them once.

I have some really nice water shots which I have already rendered in Vegas (NTSC / DV codec / Quicktime.MOV file). I want to know if they'll degrade if I import them back into vegas at a later date to make different versions (ie. slo-mo / different coloured tones) of the original 'master clip'.

(my footage was shot NTSC on a mini DV Sony DCR-TRV33 camera))

Any thoughts / answers or ruminations are GREATLY appreaciated!!

Thanks
Orbit Rob

unless they were rendered as 'lossless' there will be some quality loss. The only lossless video format I know of is uncompressed avi. .... but I don't think anyone will notice. The quality loss is so insignificant that the averaged person cant really see any difference.... ALthough if you have ever resaved a jpeg file over and over again it will start to look really weird because artifacts will build up and amplify.

orbitrob,
The less you do to your clips the better off you'll be. If your using a PC to edit you clips they will be AVI's uncompressed and also your master. If you intend to make different versions file those clips under a different name and leave the masters alone. Also, don't reuse those tapes as you may need that footage again later on if you make a mistake or your harddrive takes a dump.

thanks ironstrike and jason. i'll be saving my 'master avi's' from now on. :0)

A little dirty trick in Vegas 8 is use the "render to new track" method. This will allow you to leave the original in tact and create as many new ones as your heart desires. Simply select the output you want when you do this - it lets you choose prior to saving or rendering to new track. I have made several pre-configured formats that I can select when I do this. It makes life so easy.