Solved Platinum 13 crashing when rendering 4K video with laptop

Hi everyone, not to hijack this thread, but I am having a very similar issue. The difference is, I believe, is I am trying to render some 4K clips.

I have done what Derek has suggested (as well as what other forums have recommended), but it still crashes every time rendering starts, even with one 5-second 4K clip. HD clips can be rendered flawlessly without any issues.

So my question is, have you guys successfully rendered 4K clips without issues in Movie Studio 13 Platinum? My 4K clips came from a rental Sony AX100, so I assumed it would be compatible with Movie Studio well. I bought this used laptop (with 2nd generation i7, 4GB RAM and Windows 7 Professional) just for this but it's not working at all.

Any insights? Thanks in advance.

What is the exact model CPU in the computer ?
Is the Operating System 32bit or 64bit ?

I think your problem is pretty simple.
You can't render 4K video with a laptop and only 4GBs or RAM.
4K is massive and needs a modern computer fresh off the shelves with the very latest specs.

Besides a lack of CPU power, I would also guess that the Hard Drive in this laptop is only running at 5400rpm.
You need drives that run at 7200rpm and/or SSDs (Solid State Drive).

I have moved your question into it's own thread, because it does not relate to the other messages.

Regards
Derek.

Derek,

Thanks for your reply and moved my post to a separate thread. If this gets resolved, hopefully it would be helpful for anyone searching for an answer when they encounter similar issues.

I bought this used Fujitsu Lifebook e-series laptop with i7-2620M, 4GB RAM and Windows 7 32-bit Professional, specifically for video editing as a beginner. I have read quite a bit across different forums on Sony Movie Studio 13 Platinum (for its 4K import/render capability), and what kind of hardware specifications/requirements I need before making a decision on what laptop I shall buy. Over at AVSforum, there's a long-time poster who used a $249 Celeron laptop with 4GB RAM to do simple editing on 4K clips he captured from his Sony AX100. So I figured a 2nd generation i7 would be more than sufficient for my newbie work because Movie Studio 13 offers proxy files for editing. I have posted a question to that person and he did confirmed using a Celeron laptop (I have looked up the specifications and it's a slower laptop than mine in almost every category except having a USB 3.0 port) to edit and render many GBs of 4K clips with Movie Studio 13 with no issues, and the only difference is the operation system (his is Windows 8/8.1).

So that leads me to believe it's not the hardware that causes this, instead, it's the operating system compatibilities. When I started rendering even a short 4K clip, it immediately gives out an error message ('Not Responding'). That seems like an issue with compatibility rather than the laptop capability because if the laptop lacks capability, it would drag on for a few seconds/minutes before freezing or popping our error messages. I also wonder if other programs have conflicts with Movie Studio, but other than PowerDirector 9 (which came with the fresh installation) and an anti-virus program (in which I have uninstalled), there's virtually nothing on the machine.

So I am really lost, puzzled and wonder if anyone has similar issues. If so, any resolutions?

Thanks for any insights/ideas while I try installing a trial version on some more powerful (but borrowed) computers to test out.

When you imported the 4K videos into Movie Studio, did you create Video Proxy versions first before adding them to the timeline ?
This is very important to do when working with 4K video, so that the Preview Window works with lower file size versions while editing. This takes a BIG strain off the CPU while editing. When it comes time for Make Movie (creating/rendering/exporting) the final video, Movie Studio automatically uses the original 4K versions.

Now that I have more information from you, I think I can confidently say that your problem is the raw 4K files are just too big for your laptop.
Hopefully if you follow the correct workflow for 4K and use Proxies for editing, you will be able to edit your videos.
I would never in a million years recommend someone to use a Celeron based computer for any type of video editing.
Movie Studio Platinum is a complex program underneath the hood - meaning there is a lot more going on even during simple edits.

Here is the correct workflow to use:
1. Import 4K videos into Project Media tab
2. Right-click videos in Project Media tab and select Create Video Proxy - this will render low file size versions for easy playback.
3. Set Preview Window to Preview or Draft quality - this will automatically switch Proxy versions on. Do NOT set to Good or Best while editing, otherwise the 4K versions will start playing and probably cause a crash again.
4. Now you can drag your videos onto the timeline and begin editing.
5. When you are ready to Make Movie, render as per normal - the program will automatically use 4K versions for final video.

Another thing you have against you, is that your laptop is only 32bit.
Movie Studio Platinum comes packaged with a 32bit and 64bit version. The 64bit version is vastly superior and the better option to use, especially when working with big files.
You would have the 32bit version installed - this limits the processing power available to you.
On a more powerful Desktop computer, you would be using the 64bit version.

It's way past bed time in Australia right now.
I wish you all the luck with your problem and hope it works for you.
Looking forward to your next report.

p.s.
Go to the Help Menu (in program) - Contents and Index and search 4K workflow.

Derek, first of all, thank-you for staying up late to provide guidance on this issue. I really appreciate it!

I must agree that using any generations of Celeron to do any video editing (either by Movie Maker or PowerDirector, in their earlier versions, which are not so memory/processing power hungry) is really pushing to the extreme. With this newly bought $250 used laptop (it is about 2 years old), there's no return, and the only option I'd have is to swap a SSD in there. However, I am not sure if a SSD (about $100 for 128GB here in the United States) would be a big help without expanding RAMs (4GB is its limit) or changing to 64-bit (beyond my capability).

In the past several hours, I have tried different combinations of your suggestions, it DID give me a bit more leeway to do MORE editing. Also, it does not crash (as much) during rendering if I don't stick too many clips in the timeline. The one suggestion that made the most significant change is "Set Preview Window to Preview or Draft quality". That pretty much eliminates (most) crashing issue for both editing and rendering.

As for the 4K workflow topic in the program, I have read some of them and compared it to the HD workflow from a few years ago. They "sound" similar, so I guess it is a matter of time when 8K comes around, the workflow is similar accompany by more powerful hardware requirements. Interesting read and I'll continue digging later in the week.

This is a big help for me. Thank-you very much and now I am inching ahead with my hobby.

Fay