How to encode with X264 codec?

I made a frag/kz movie (mainly frags) using Sony Vegas 6.0. I would like to encode it with that trendy x264 codec but I don't know how to do it. :(

I got the codec and I also got ffdshow decoder to be able to view videos using that codec. But everytime I want to encode with the codec Vegas tells me that the codec does not support my settings. However I tried changing the settings it still does not work. I read on the net that Vegas doesn't like the codec. :o

I wanted to ask the movie making people how can I encode my Vegas Project with x264? A solution would be to output the project raw with no compression and than use another program (I also don't know what that would be) but unfortunately that would take too much hard drive space I don't have.

My movie has a resolution of 800x600. Is there no way to encode with x264 directly?

I don't have Nero 7. I only have 6.6 (maybe it's in there too) and I don't want to transcode (encode twice) if I don't have to.

This converter can take almost any format, sound or video. And its free :)

http://www.erightsoft.com/SUPER.html

uthas., SUPER suxx in converting hq movies ;)

acidburn, simply create a big hq movie file and convert it in a second progress with the program you like.
OR you create a very high quality version, put it on.. maybe rapidshare and I could try to do my best. But that depends on your Internet connection :)
[ Edited Tue Feb 13 2007, 05:23PM ]

I also dont know how to convert a movie to the x264 file format. Im using my loved nero recode <3
ehm when you create it with vegas, dont use this 100% bar. Choose bitrate to type in the bitrate by your self.
maybe 3MB/s
I never used divX or XviD; I know that you can squeeze xvid or divx quite well but I dont know how.

Try to ask some of the xj movie makers.

I only wanted to give you the clue to create it with nero recode 2.
One last info: recode 2 is only a converting program. You have to have a completed already compiled movie file to convert that. You cannot use the Nero Digital codec in any other applications.

At first you need to have your complete movie rendered with a losscompressed codec, e.g. huffyuv (or even uncompresssed), so that you can be sure the quality is nearly perfect... It is important that you render your movie and your audio seperately, so you have on the one hand the video-file without audio and on the other hand the audio-file... You can even compress your audio as an mp3 file, that does not matter.

As the next step, you simply create a text file and rename it to "myvideo.avs" (it is only an example). Open it and paste the following lines:

AVISource("jumpmasters3.avi")
Crop(0,0,-0,-0)
ConvertToYV12()

It is very important that the avs file you created is located in the folder of the movie you are going to compress. In addition, the video name behind AVISource in brackets has to be exactly the same as your losscompressed movie, otherwise it will not work. In my example it is "jumpmasters3.avi" I would recommand you using a very simple name, so you can be sure it will work :)

(AVS stands for AviSynthScript and it is a simple textfile. It contains cammands for AviSynth, so you also have to check if you have installed AviSynth 2,5. If it is not installed, I think x264 will automatically ask for a download. Otherwise you have to google it.)

After having done that, you (of course) have to be sure that you x264 codec is installed correctly, but I tink that should not be a problem at all.

Then, you have to install Megui. This is actually the software you encode your movie with. It is free and you can get it here

As present for you, here are some nice profiles which are pretty useful... download You simply have to copy the video profiles into your megui folder:

C:/Programme/megui/profiles/Video/

Just put them there and you can be sure Megui will load your profiles properly.


After having installed the software, start Megui and it should look like this: picture

1.) Load your avs file by clicking on "..." next to "AviSynth Script"
2.) Choose a location where you want to render you movie to by clicking on "..." next to Video Output
3.) Codec: x264 | File format: mp4
4.) Choose a video profile. I would recommand you using HQ-Insane
5.) Click on Config and make sure that Rendering Mode is set to Automated 3 pass and the bitrate is set to 2000 or 2200. You can play around with the settings of course
6.) Click Ok and after that click on "Enqueue". That means you added the 3 jobs to the queue list because it will render you movie with 3 passes
7.) Open your audio by clicking on "..." next to "Audio Input"
8.) Set a location for you audio output
9.) Codec: FAAC | Container: MP4-AAC
10.) Click on Config and set VBR to 100 or 90
11.) Click on Enqueue
12.) Go to the enqueue list at the top and there you should see 4 jobs now: 3 pass rendering with the video file and 1 pass rendering with your audio file
13.) Click on "Start" and go to bed because it will take at least 10 hours for a moive having a length of 9 minutes...


If everything is done you will see that you have created 2 mp4 files... One of them is the video without sound and the onther one is the sound file...

So finally you have to mux your two mp4 files together and therfore I would recommand you using the program: YAMB
It is freeware as well and very easy to handle with. download

I think it is senseless to explain that ;)

Congratulations! You have successfully compressed your movie with the x264 codec. Now, you can be happy about a movie having very nice quality and a very small file size! :D

Peace out.



[ Edited Wed Feb 14 2007, 12:11AM ]

but remember: an uncompressed movie file is HUGE!

The first pass is pretty fast in comparrison to the other two. For me it is like 3frames per second or a bit less... The last two passes go with sometimes under 0,9 frames per second. Maybe it is just because of my old computer, but yeah it takes very long ;) Just test it with a movie that has got a length of 30 seconds... You will see :P

Thank you! ;)

Ok, I installed everything and it seams to run, but there is something wrong with the encoding.

I use that HQ-Insane profile and set the bit rate to 2200 but encoding is too fast and the quality of the movie sucks.
I tried it with a part of the movie (about 5 minutes in length) and it takes only one hour to encode. Any ideas?