Category: Camcorder

Ask Jake / Camcorder

Tips for Shooting Video in the Snow

“Everytime I record videos of my dog playing in the snow, they come out looking washed out. What can I do to make my snow videos look better?”
Shooting movies of your pets outdoors, making nature videos, shooting outdoor sporting events, and shooting scenic movies all require special attention to the details, but one of the most challenging outdoor moments is shooting video in the snow. Here are a few tips (followed by a YouTube video from Videomaker magazine) to make shooting video in the snow a little easier. Follow the steps here and I guarantee your dog videos will look better.

Ask Jake / AVCHD / Camcorder / Pinnacle Studio

Editing Sony AVCHD Files in Pinnacle Studio

Steve writes, “I have recently purchased a Sony HDR-SR8E with USB2 input/output. I have just purchased Pinnacle Studio v11 Plus (Ultimate). I cannot get Pinnacle to see the camcorder as a capture device, nor will it import the m2ts files generated by the camcorder. Any advice on how to resolve this so that I can maintain the 1080i (AVCHD) output would be appreciated.”
It seems that some of the AVCHD files are more compatible than others with various video editing applications. After struggling with this new format for months, most of the kinks are worked out, but there are still steps you can take to get better results. One method I’ve found to be almost fool-proof is to take the Sony software that ships with these camcorders out of the mix completely.