I want to get Vegas Pro 8 with the good deal of $130 at B&H, but all I have a use for it right now with my new film is height maps... What can I do with Vegas Pro 8 that I can't do with VMSP 7? I found i can render to a couple extra file types since I'm trying out the demo, and can use unlimited tracks, but what else is there to make it worth the cost. I want to do height maps for sure on my next film, but it doesn't seem to be worth $130 just to get it for height maps...

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Camera: Canon Elura 100
Microphone: Audio Technica ATR-20
PC: EVGA 680i, E6600 OC'd 3.2GHz, 2GB RAM, 160GB SATA, 320GB SATA, EVGA 7600GT, tri 19" widescreen LCD monitor setup
Software: Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 7
See some of my short films at: http://www.justbecausepictures.co.nr

Are you sure that it PRO 8 and not platinum 8? If it is $130 is a great price.

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Proud owner of the world's only GS80 with a mic port!

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I'm quite positive: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...ro_8_Video.html
It says Vegas Pro 8, not platinum or anything else. It was posted on here a couple months ago which is when I saw it. It doesn't come with DVD architect or anything else, just the CD and product key, but I already have DVD architect, and don't really need anything else besides. Yes, $130 is an awesome price, but it's still an expense when I'm trying to save money, but want something extra to use to add extra effects and such that VMSP can't do.

So, what can I do with Pro, that what I have can't do?

__________________
Camera: Canon Elura 100
Microphone: Audio Technica ATR-20
PC: EVGA 680i, E6600 OC'd 3.2GHz, 2GB RAM, 160GB SATA, 320GB SATA, EVGA 7600GT, tri 19" widescreen LCD monitor setup
Software: Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 7
See some of my short films at: http://www.justbecausepictures.co.nr

The pro version has two important features:

One, you can have as many video tracks as you want. This is very important if you are manking a long project - my last movie was something like 64 tracks. platinum only gives you 4 video and 4 audio.

Two, the masking tools are much more advanced. Instead of doing just square masks and keyframes, it's like photoshop for video.

__________________
Proud owner of the world's only GS80 with a mic port!

Check out my company's website:
www.lowcostvideos.net

If you're happy with the software you already have, why are you so eager to drop the $130? If the $130 is burning a hole in your pocket, why not donate it to your favorite charity instead?

If money was burning a hole in my pocket I would already have the full version and would have paid the $500 something that it costs regularly. However, I don't have money burning a hole in my pocket (but do have some extra money to play with), so I try to research items I buy before I buy them. If you don't already do this, you should probably try it... This $130 deal being pretty good for the full Pro version of Vegas, it's hard to pass up, but I'm trying to watch what I spend. Therefore the whole dang reason for this thread... To see what I can do with Pro that will make it worth buying over VMSP. If I don't find enough use for it, then I might not invest in it. If I find enough uses for my liking I might just buy it.

__________________
Camera: Canon Elura 100
Microphone: Audio Technica ATR-20
PC: EVGA 680i, E6600 OC'd 3.2GHz, 2GB RAM, 160GB SATA, 320GB SATA, EVGA 7600GT, tri 19" widescreen LCD monitor setup
Software: Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 7
See some of my short films at: http://www.justbecausepictures.co.nr

Scripts are another great reason to upgrade.
There are a lot of free ones out there which have made editing MUCH easier for me.
If you want to spend a bit more money, tools like Excalibur and Ultimate S can be your friends.

Mike

Indeed I do research things before I buy them. But I'd have to say from your posts, it sounds like you're happy with the software you already have & are trying to have someone convince you to buy the software, since it's "such a good deal." Since I do try to watch what I spend, I don't understand that logic.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Another thing you can do with the full version is you can create AC-3 audio with full surround. Most video will provide at least basic surround modes today. If you want you can create Dolby Surround with the full version of Vegas which might be important to you and maybe not. It depends on what you're doing with your video. People pretty much expect Dolby Surround with a DVD these days unless it's a music video thing. Everything from nature video to sports to films will benefit from a solid surround track.

There are lots of other audio features that are included in Vegas Pro that aren't included in VMSP especially if you're using DVDA to burn your projects. IMO the audio features make package worth the price.

Thanks for the info, I'll play around with the trial to see what I can do with the audio features.

__________________
Camera: Canon Elura 100
Microphone: Audio Technica ATR-20
PC: EVGA 680i, E6600 OC'd 3.2GHz, 2GB RAM, 160GB SATA, 320GB SATA, EVGA 7600GT, tri 19" widescreen LCD monitor setup
Software: Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 7
See some of my short films at: http://www.justbecausepictures.co.nr

Likewise for audio tracks--unlimited.

Have you looked at the comparison chart for the Vegas family? Without knowing what you are doing it's difficult to know which features in Pro would be useful. But two more I'd mention are video scopes and color correction tools.

Good luck.

Dennis