Solved Help for a video editing Beginner, using Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 14

I don't know anything about video editing, but I bought this software Vegas Movie Studio 14 Platinum. I thought it would be for a dummy beginner like me but it is very hard to understand. I have a lot of old home movies taken on a JVC digital camcorder and an old Panasonic-VHSC (I don't know what type of format it is. I have install the software but I really don't know how to get started? Once installed I tried to drop and drag the movies into the timeline. The program would not accept them. I am now stuck. Please could someone help me.
Thank you in advance for your assistance. betty

Hi Betty

Some basic comments first
It is normal to feel completely overwhelmed, when beginning the journey of learning how to edit video.
You would have felt the same way, no matter which program you had bought.
Don't give up before you even start - that is a very common mistake.

It is normal for a beginner to "jump into the deep end" and try to do something more advanced first.
I recommend you take a step back first and experiment with some basics before working on your "old" videos.

Most of my tutorials will work in any version of Vegas Movie Studio Platinum.
Which means you can watch a tutorial on a specific topic, made with an older version of Movie Studio, and adapt it easily to version 14.
All of my Vegas Movie Studio Tutorials are listed here:
www.moviestudiozen.com/free-tutorials/sony-movie-studio-platinum

I recommend you start with this tutorial first:
www.moviestudiozen.com/free-tutorials/sony-movie-studio-platinum/584-beginners-guide-vegas-movie-studio-14-platinum
An easy thing to start with, is to import some photos and basic videos, and experiment with using the basic controls.

Also watch this tutorial, which goes over the basic workflow for rendering a new video from your project:
www.moviestudiozen.com/free-tutorials/sony-movie-studio-platinum/516-1080p-video-in-movie-studio-platinum-13

I have not been making any new tutorials for a long time, but will be beginning again this week.
I am working towards producing a large amount of new training videos, which will help someone like yourself.

Now to answer your original questions...
Some types of older videos, from older video cameras, may not be in a format that can be edited directly from the camera.
Do you already have these videos converted and living in a folder on your computer ?
Are you able to play the JVC and Panasonic videos on your computer, using a Media Player like Windows Media Player ?

If you can play these videos with a Media Player on your computer, you should be able to import them into Vegas Movie Studio.
First I need to know about the specific details for both of your video types.

I recommend you do 2 different things:
1. If you are using Windows 10, go to the folder your videos live in and set everything the same as I have shown on the screen shot below.
Turn on the Details pane - when you click on any file, it will show basic/important information.
Turn on File Name Extensions and Hidden Items - this will give you more information about your videos.
After doing this, what is the .file_extension for your JVC and Panasonic videos ? It will probably be different for both.



2. Install a free program called Media Info - it is safe to use and most video editors use this app to discover information about their videos.
mediaarea.net/en/MediaInfo

After installing this app, you can right-click on any file and select Media Info - do not be overwhelmed by all this info.
It is useful for other people like myself, for helping you!



Make sure to set the View = Tree



Now you are going to save this information to a Text file, which can then be uploaded to the forum here.
Press the i information button



Choose a new location on your computer for saving the media-info files to - somewhere that makes sense to you!
I recommend creating a New Folder in your Documents folder and naming it something like Media Info Data
Then create a new/different file name for every time you save Media Info for a particular video file that needs inspecting.



Now you will be sent back to the Media Info window - press OK



You can then close any remaining windows that may be open.

The final step is to Upload your Media Info text files to the forum - then I can read them and understand precisely what type of videos you are working with! When you reply to this message, press the Attachments button at bottom and then press the +Add files button. Navigate to your Documents/Media Info Data and select all the media-info.txt files you created and open them. After you finish writing your reply and press the submit button, the text files will upload to the forum.

I know this seems like a lot to do, but it is an important step before we can proceed any further.

Regards
Derek

I'm so sorry but I don"t know how to copy and paste an email messages as a reply on the forum. I think I'm stupid enough to learn such a simple things. Happy Easter. Thank you very much for your patience.
To start all over again, I have Windows 7. I could play the movies of the JVC Everio Camcorder in the computer but I could not download them in the Vegas Movie Studio. The Panasonic camcorder, I use the Panasonic DMR-EZ24V player to transfer the movies from VHSC tape to DVD-R disc. How do I load the disc to the computer and the Vegas Movie Studio? It is a lot but I really want to learn this. Do I need a video converter so I could load them easily. Thank You Very Much Again and Happy Easter... Betty

**Edit from Moderator**
Here is a copy and paste from the emails you sent me:

First of all, I have to thank you very much for the fast respond. Now all I have to do is start reading and watching your videos and I think it will be a little while before I'll learn about this software. And also, do I need a video converter for all of my other videos so I could load them easily? What do you think?

I have a Windows 7. I could play the movies of the JVC Everio Camcorder in the computer and all are already in it but I could not load them in the Vegas Movie Studio. I could play them in the Windows Media Player but it won't come out of the Add Media of the Vegas. The Panasonic camcorder, I use the Panasonic DMR-EZ24V player to transfer the movies from VHS tape to DVD-R disc. How do I load the disc to the computer and to the Vegas Movie Studio? It is a lot but I really want to learn about this. Thank you very much again and for your patience. Betty

I will reply to your message properly, sometime in the next 24 hours.
I have done a copy and paste into your new message.

Copy and Paste is a basic computer function, that is universal to all computers.
You must learn/know basic skills like this, otherwise you will struggle with learning how to edit video.

How to Copy:
Hold your left mouse button down and drag over the text you want to copy, so that it is highlighted.
Then right-click your mouse and select Copy or press CTRL + C on your keyboard.

How to Paste:
Place your mouse cursor where you want to copy the text.
Then right-click your mouse and select Paste or press CTRL + V on your keyboard.

To post a reply on the MSZ Forum, press Action and then Reply



If you make a mistake in a message that you have already submitted, press Action and then Edit



If you need to upload a screen shot (image) to the forum, press Attachments and then Add Files
Then select the images from your computer you need to upload.

I hesitated to answer your questions, because what you are asking is a lot for a beginner to understand and it can't be answered easily and quickly.
I also do not have infinite time to help people for free, so I will try and make this as simple as possible.

It will be best to work on one problem at a time, before moving to the next step.
For both types of video you are working with, you will need to transfer the original video files into a new folder on your computer first. This is a very important step before you attempt to import them into Vegas Movie Studio. All the video files need to be on your computers hard drive first and then you can inspect them before importing into Vegas.

Before you do anything else, you need to change a setting in Windows 7, so that you can see the file extensions for all types of video on your computer.
Go to the Windows Control Panel.
In the top right corner, set View By = Large Icons
Then select File Explorer Options
Select the View tab
Select Show Hidden Files, Folders and Drives and OK.



Issue #1 - JVC Everio Camcorder

You said: I could play the movies of the JVC Everio Camcorder in the computer but I could not download them in the Vegas Movie Studio.

Have you downloaded (copied) the movies from your JVC Everio Camcorder, into a new folder on your computer ?
OR
Did you play them directly from the camcorder into the computer ?

Issue #2 - Panasonic DMR-EZ24V
You have told me that these video files are located on a DVD-R disc.
You will have to transfer (copy) these videos into a new folder on your computer first - the same as your JVC video files.

You need to import the videos from both cameras into a new folder inside of your Windows Video folder.
How you organise your video files is up to you, but I recommend you keep both sets of video files in separate folders, so they don't get mixed up.
Go to This PC in Windows 7 and select Videos folder.
Create 2x new folders - one for the JVC videos and one for the Panasonic videos.

I don't have the answer about your JVC videos yet, so will concentrate only on the Panasonic DVD-R videos first.

1. Insert the Panasonic DVD-R disc into your computer - if the Auto-Play feature turns on, just ignore it and click it off.
2. Hopefully you are still in the This PC window. Your DVD will be showing as an option in the screen.
3. I am on Windows 10, so I can't show you the same view as you have on Windows 7, but it should be similar to my first screen shot.
In the left hand column, you need to find the Videos folder and open it up, until you see the new Panasonic folder you created.



4. Right-click the DVD and select Open - I have no idea what file structure your DVD will be using.
Keep opening the folders until you find large video files. They may end in something like .vob or .mpg.
The video files will be obvious, because they will all have large file sizes.
You need to drag all of these video files into your new Panasonic Videos folder, inside of your master Videos folder.
Because they are on a DVD, this may take some time to do - you will have to be patient.



5. Once you have all the videos copied into the new folder, you can then Eject the DVD from your computer.
You will never have to use this DVD again, because everything is now on your computer's Hard Drive.

6. I can't help you with the JVC videos from Issue #1, until I get an answer to my questions.

7. Before you proceed any further, you will need to learn another computer skill.
You need to learn how to create a screen shot from your computer's monitor, so that you can share information with me.
If I can't see important information about your computer and videos, I will not be able to help you any further.
I have instructions on how to create a screen shot listed here:
www.moviestudiozen.com/forum/welcome-to-msz/1541-how-to-take-a-screen-shot-of-your-desktop-and-upload-it-to-the-forum#7660
When you locate the Snipping Tool, I recommend you right-click it and select Pin to Taskbar
You will then be able to turn it on at any time, by clicking on top of it in the Windows Taskbar (located at bottom of screen).

8. Go to the Videos folder and open the Panasonic Videos folder.
What is the file extension of your videos ?
Does it say .vob or .mpg or something else ?

9. You are now going to try and import a test video into Vegas, from your new Panasonic Videos folder.
Open Vegas Movie Studio 14 Platinum.
Select the Explorer tab
Select the Videos folder and double-click to open
Select the Panasonic Videos folder
If you do not see any videos inside the folder, don't panic!
Go to the top right corner of window and click on top.
Now select All Files - your videos should now appear.
You should now be able to drag each video onto the timeline and begin editing.





Remember I have a beginners guide video for Version 14 here:
www.moviestudiozen.com/free-tutorials/sony-movie-studio-platinum/584-beginners-guide-vegas-movie-studio-14-platinum

I will now wait to hear back from you with a report, before providing any more instructions.

Regards
Derek

Derek asked you "what is the .file_extension for your JVC and Panasonic videos ? It will probably be different for both."

If your files from JVC Everio are .mod files, read all of this thread .