I just finished exploring a trial of FlamingoHD. Wasn't exactly what I was expecting. Was hoping it would replace iMovie in terms of cataloging captured video, but I'm not sure it will. This is what I was hoping for:
1) The ability to take clips from the events and use them in the projects to create rough cuts (like in iMovie). As far as I can tell I have the use the entire event within the project if I want some of the footage from the event in my project.
2) The ability to make some of the footage in the events as favorites and as rejected.
3) The ability to delete the rejected footage.
4) The ability to add keywords to selected portions of the footage, which I can easily then filter through (as I can in iMovie 09)
I realize the benefit in FlamingoHD is time and storage space, but if there is no way to remove rejected footage iMovie actually may take less space in the long run, as iMovie gives me the option to delete footage I don't need.
FlamingoHD Features
Hi there. Here are the answers to your questions:
1) You don't have to take entire events to projects. The idea here is that Events are related to things that happen and Projects are things that you create from Events. A project can contain content from any event.
2) We don't have this idea on the roadmap yet. We'll add it in for consideration.
3) You can delete footage from Events (which removes it from FlamingoHD entirely) and delete content from Projects. This is a right mouse option on the clips. This may not be obvious, so we're mapping the delete action to the Delete key also.
4) Tagging (keywords) are on the roadmap. We plan to support clip-level tags and 'deep tagging' which will allow the addition of a tag anywhere along the filmstrip of an event.
Thanks for the feedback. You ideas of what FlamingoHD should do are spot on. FlamingoHD is a work in progress for us and we plan to have all features in by early next year, at which point FlamingoHD will be complete.
Perhaps I'm using the wrong
Perhaps I'm using the wrong term. Instead of saying event, maybe I should be saying "MTS file". Because now that I read your reply, I realize that in your FlamingoHD an event can have multiple MTS files. And know that I think about it, this is how iMovie handles it as well. I was using the word "event" incorrectly.
So let me restate:
1) I wish I didn't have to take an entire MTS file into a project. I wish I could take just the frames I need. Which, again (I'll sound like a broken record), is what iMovie allows me to do: take a clip of frames from an event and place it into a project... I don't have to take the entire file.
2) Understandable. I just find it handy to have quick ways to mark frames as the best and others as completely not needed. The main reason I like this is for number 3 below....
3) Again, my misuse of the word "events". I'm wishing for the ability to delete from the MTS file just the frames I don't want. For example, to delete the parts of an MTS file that are too shaky and therefore not worth keeping. In iMovie deleting these frames splits the video file: you get a file for the the frames you are keeping that occur before the deletion point and a file for the frames you are keeping that occur after the deletion point.
Mainly, I'm looking for that "deep" level that you mention for tagging in all the above aspects: the ability to tag, trim, reject, etc. anywhere along the filmstrip of an event. Again (I'm a broken record, I know), like iMovie 09.
I realize that in iMovie I'm dealing with an uncompressed file, not a stream from a compressed file, so it's a lot easier to do a lot of "deep" level stuff anywhere along the filmstrip of an event. But the entire reason I'm looking at your Shedworx suite of apps is that I'm looking for the ideal (which iMovie doesn't do): allow me import the raw file, reject what I don't need, organize/tag what I do want, and allow me to make rough cuts directly from my AVCHD files... which in the end saves me time on importing, and space on my hard drive. I realize nobody really does this yet, at least not the organization part (my understanding is the Adobe Premiere and other NLEs can now edit rough cuts using native AVCHD)
So that is my feedback.
FlamingoHD features
OK - I see what you mean.
We will soon have trimming of clips in. This will let you mark an in point and out point for a clip.
We don't have clip splitting on the roadmap yet, but that will come next after trimming, if people tell us that its what they are looking for.
We are taking FlamingoHD down the path that you have in mind. We want it to be a native AVCHD editor and manager so that you can keep your footage all in one place and manage/edit/rough cut it as required.
We also have plans for the addition of simple titles to projects.
As mentioned previously, we have also put tagging (including deep tagging into clips) on the roadmap. No firm timelines for these features as yet, but we're actively developing FlamingoHD, so it shouldn't be too long.
Thanks for your thoughts. Its good to know that people are interested in the features that we plan to add next.