Video editing requires a significant amount of system resources, especially if you are working with high-resolution photos or high-definition video. Make sure that your computer meets the minimum system requirements that can be found in the release notes. When editing and previewing your video in Vegas if you are not seeing true framerate during playback, there are a number of settings that you can adjust within the software to help optimize playback from the timeline.
Match Project Properties to your source media.
If your project’s Properties (dimensions, aspect ratio, frame rate, etc.) are different than that of your source media files, Vegas has to do additional processing to convert it in real time. To set your Project Properties, go to File (or Project) > Properties. Select the Template that corresponds to your source media, for example, HDV 1080-60i. If you aren’t sure which Template to select, hit the Match Media Settings button (with the folder icon) in the upper-right corner of the Properties dialog. Navigate to one of your source video files and hit Open. This selects the appropriate Template for you. Hit Apply and OK.
Adjust your Preview Quality setting.
Vegas software allows you to toggle between various Preview Quality settings, depending on what type of work you are doing on the video. For detailed imaging work, such as applying Video FX or masking, set the Preview Quality to Best (Auto) or Best (Full). For other types of editing work, such as checking the pacing of a montage, or checking a transition, set the Preview Quality to Preview (Auto). You can change this setting at any time during your editing. Adjusting the preview settings will have no affect the final rendered video.
Disable or Bypass effects.
Video that has effects applied, such as color correction, brightness and contrast or other filters can sap your computer’s processing power and cause gapping and stuttering. In Vegas Pro, you can bypass effects by clicking on the button labeled Split Screen View, and then clicking Select All. In Movie Studio Platinum, you can open the Video FX window, and uncheck the name of the effect in the FX chain. Don't forget to re-enable them before you render.
Selectively Prerender Video or Build Dynamic RAM preview.
To preview a portion of your timeline smoothly and at full resolution, try Selectively Prerendering or Creating a Dynamic RAM preview. This will be your best option if you wish to preview a section of timeline that has complex compositing or transitions. The difference between these two options is that the first creates a temporary file that is stored on your hard drive, while the second uses your computer’s RAM to store the data. To use one of these techniques, create a loop region on the timeline and go to the Tools > Selectively Prerender Video or Tools > Build Dynamic RAM Preview.
Down-convert to an intermediate format.
Some computers simply don’t have the processing power required to edit AVCHD footage on the timeline. That doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to use the software. In this case, you may wish to look at converting your file to a different format.
Finally, keep in mind that even if your video isn’t playing back smoothly from the timeline, doesn’t mean it will appear this way in the final render. Go ahead and render out a portion of the timeline and open it up in a media player. You will get a better idea of what your final product is going to look like. Happy editing!
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