I have some MPG video files and all I want to do is trim them. No editing, no procesing. Is there anyway to import them into Vegas 8 without decompressing them, and then export them back out without re-compressing them?

I tried using the Match File Properties feature in Properties, but when I rendered out, the trimmed file was 1.2 GBs and the original untrimmed file was only 50 MBs!!!

If there is no way to export files without recompressing, is there a real way to automatically match the orginal file properties instead of having to pick from the drop down list of choices? I didn't even see the proper export type in the list, and when I used the match file feature, it must not have matched the files properties exactly, as obviously the exported file was uncompressed.

If Vegas can't do this, is there any video editing software that can?

Thanks for all help!

after you do your edits you have to render it to something. The reason why it was so much bigger it that you either used a diffrent codec, Im guessing AVI. But you never meantioned how long your video was

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Wil

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http://www.youtube.com/ChapmanPhotography

Trimming is editing. Cut, trim, edit. It's all the same thing. Then as Chapman says, you need to render (or process) them into a new file to save your changes.

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Why did I become a Video Editor? Well, To cut a long story short....

I used the match file feature, it must not have matched the files properties exactly, as obviously the exported file was uncompressed.

What the Match Media button does is match your project properties to the chosen source file and as you've obviously already noted (and others have pointed out) you rendered to something else. Assuming these are MPEG2 files about three posts down (as I read this) is the following:

http://www.videoforums.co.uk/sony-ve...nightmare.html

You will need to learn how to set up your own custom templates for MPEG-2 output to Smart Render MPEG2.

Inkexit - by "Match File Properties", do you mean "Match Media Settings" (Project Properties - Video tab, the "folder" icon next to Template, select a file)?

If so (and probably even if not so - I can't find a "Match File Properties") then you've misunderstood what that does.

It sets the Project Properties to the same as the file you select. In other words you'll be working in that mode whilst editing.

You can still render to any format you wish and so you will still need to select which format and which template when you render. This does NOT default to the same settings as the project properties as you might wish to render an avi, a MP4 and a WMV from the same project.

(I would accept that there might be a good case for a button where you can set render properties to match either a specific file or the project properties - in fact it could be VERY useful - but there doesn't seem to be one)

I suspect the same as Chapman Photography - you're rendering uncompressed AVI.

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Tim

Using the right tool for the right job is an often neglected axim in the PC world. Vegas is not the right tool for this task. To do exactly what you want (trim without changing compression), you should use a tool such as VideoRedo - www.videoredo.com

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yep, I meant Match Media Settings. Sucky that it matches everything but the codec.

The clip is about 5 minutes long.

So I'm guessing nobody knows of any video editing software that doesn't need to render the file if all I'm doing is trimming? Seems a waste of time to re-render something that has already been rendered and compressed once. Sure, if i'm blowing up or shrinking the aspect ratio, adjusting brightness or contrast, or even compressing the audio, I understand the need to re-render, but if all I'm doing is removing frames from the file and not changing anything else, can someone explain to me why the software can't just remove these frames?

Ahhhh! Looks like Marc knows the answer! Funny that this little unsophistacated program (VideoRedo) can do what I want, but big fancy Vegas can't, lol.

but big fancy Vegas can't, lol.

Actually if you'd bothered to read my post above, you'd have discovered that "big fancy Vegas" can. VideoRedo like (MPEG Video Wizard) is indeed extremely good at re-editing MPEG2 streams without recompression - unfortunately, unlike Vegas it's bugger all use for anything else.

Sorry Andy, I took so long writing that (and checking) you'd already posted your much more succinct post

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Tim