Working with H.265/HEVC 4K video in Vegas Pro 13


Currently, most major NLE systems have added full support for H.265/HEVC 4K video, so is Vegas Pro. However, for those who are running a version older than Vegas Pro 14, or working on a computer that is not powerful enough to handle 4K HEVC, you will need third party solutions to process format conversion. Here’s a guide telling you how to perform H.265/HEVC 4K to DNxHD .mov conversion for Vegas Pro editing.

How to let Vegas Pro work with H.265/HEVC media?
“Hi, guys, I have a new Samsung NX1 4K camera which records footage using the new HEVC (H.265) codec. Now I have an issue, my Vegas Pro 13 won’t open H.265 files created by this camera. Does anyone have a suggestion on editing H.265/HEVC content in Vegas? Thanks.”

To be able to edit H.265/HEVC files in Vegas Pro 13 fluidly without incompatibility issues, currently you have to convert H.265/HEVC files to an intermediate format that is fully compatible with Vegas Pro 13, such as DNxHD encoded QuickTime MOV, because it works great in Vegas Pro. To process format conversion, third party software is required. Considering the ease of use and well support for H.265/HEVC UHD 4K footage, we would recommend H.265/HEVC Converter app, which recognizes and handles H.265 media well on both Windows platform and Mac OS. Check out a guide on how to do this below:

How to encode HEVC H.265 files to DNxHD .mov for use in Vegas Pro smoothly?

Here’s what you need
HD Video Converter
You can download a demo version (for both, PC and Mac) to have a try. They are not free but it is totally worth it.
HEVC H.265 video in Vegas Pro 14/15 HEVC H.265 video in Vegas Pro 14/15

Follow these steps:
Step 1: Start up HD Video Converter as an HEVC H.265 Converter for Vegas Pro. When its main interface pops up, click ‘Add File’ to input your source media.
HEVC H.265 video in Vegas Pro 14/15

Step 2: Choose output format for Vegas Pro
From ‘Profile’ list, select ‘Avid Media Composer’ > ‘Avid DNxHD 1080p (*.mov)’ as output format for Vegas Pro.
HEVC H.265 video in Vegas Pro 14/15
Important: If you’ve loaded a number of video clips to do batch conversion, please do remember ticking off ‘Apply to All’ option before you start.

Step 3: Custom video and audio settings
If necessary, you can click ‘Settings’ button and go to ‘Profiles Settings’ panel to modify video and audio settings like video encoder, resolution, video bit rate, frame rate, aspect ratio, audio encoder, sample rate, audio bit rate, and audio channels. 3D settings are also available.

Step 4: Start HEVC to DNxHD MOV Conversion for Vegas Pro
When ready, click ‘Convert’ to start format conversion. As soon as the conversion is complete, you can click ‘Open Folder’ button to get the exported DNxHD MOV files for use in Vegas Pro with optimum performance.

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