Optimization + stuff

Videosync
1

Been learning how to use Videosync, it’s really great! Trying to figure out a workflow that my machine can handle (2016 15" MBP), so I have a few questions:

  1. From what I gather it’s generally best to use HAP video files, but if I understand correctly this isn’t possible in arrangement mode? I’m working with processing fairly long clips (5-10 minutes), which in HAP format results in quite big files. I guess I’m wondering: between HAP/ProRes/mp4, what is the best option for maintaining good performance, especially when applying effects? (And can ideally work in arrangement mode.)

  2. Freezing tracks seems not to work for Videosync plug-in tracks…is that something that’s theoretically possible in the future?

  3. Are there any other “best practices” you recommend for keeping things at a pretty speedy frame rate, in general? Short vs. long clips, some effects vs. other effects…stuff like that.

Thanks for any help, and really loving Videosync so far!!

2

Thank you for the kind words!

  1. Correct, HAP is currently not supported in the Arrangement View, only in the Session View and in Simpler. For more background info about codecs I’d like to refer to this chapter in our Handbook.
  2. Correct, Freezing only applies to audio. Freezing for video would mean we’d need to implement a way to render video. Offline video rendering is on the wish list, but not something we can support in the near future.
  3. Big factors determining the workload are the clip resolutions and FPS, and Videosync’s output draw size and FPS. Keeping these as low as possible is always better for a smooth output frame rate.
    A good practice is to not use videos with a higher resolution than Videosync will put out. For example: when using a 4k video, Videosync still has to decode all the pixels before sending the textures to the GPU. It’s a lot of wasted energy to decode a 4k image when using a draw size of 1920x1080.
    And then of course the effects. Depending on the amount of blur passes and eco/complex modes, BloomBlur is the one that causes the most significant effect on workload I would say, and after that Wavvy. The others are more tolerable in higher quantities. The higher the draw size, the more pixels need to be calculated by the GPU.
1 Like
3

Super helpful, thank you! Exactly the kind of info I was looking for. A few additional questions:

  • When working in arrangement view, is it more compute efficient to use ProRes files or h.264 files?
  • Are effects effectively “off” when the device is off, or is an effect using CPU/GPU once it’s loaded into the project, even when it’s turned off?
  • Finally, I’m working with a lot of SD source material, but I’d like to ultimately output 1080p videos. Is the best option to:
    • work with the SD video in VS, and then output 1080 versions from VS
    • work with the SD video and then output SD video from VS, and then upscale in a video editor
    • upscale the SD video to 1080 beforehand, and then work with this 1080 video in VS & export 1080

Thanks again for any info!

4
  • Honestly, it’s hard to say which is better as we haven’t done comparative tests on this.
  • Yes, with Videosync plugins off really means off.
  • Option 1 would be the lighter for Videosync than option 3, but you don’t have any control over the method of upscaling, so the result of upscaling may look better/worse/different when done with another application. Having a 1080p file that was upscaled from SD still means Videosync has to decode an HD video.
1 Like
5

Thank you! Very helpful advice.