Help wanted: New guy needs some input for my own project - please - anyone can help

Greetings everyone, I may be new to this forum, but I am in no way new to Star Wars. Having been a fan for 30 years I’ve owned the films in just about every form they’ve come out in. I am interested in doing my own restoration of the original trilogy but am having trouble finding it in its original form without any changes done to it. So where do I get a clean source film from? This may be a repeating post here but I thought I’d ask anyway. Earlier this year I found a pretty nice copy of the original trilogy and made custom artwork for it and that got me interested in trying to build one from scratch. So anyone care to point me in the right direction? I see that alot of stuff can be downloaded from Myspleen, I’d love an invite to there too if anyone has one. Thanks again for any help…

Adam

Thank you so much Russ,

   I have the 2006 release of the original trilogy and that is my base for the project, problem now is just where to start. What are some of your favorite programs to edit with? I have Nero 11 Ultra which is pretty good but not that user friendly when it comes to adjusting the picture. Give your thoughts to me please

Also wondering what some of my different audio options might be. I would really like the original theatrical stereo tracks and also the famed mono track for SW. Not sure where I can find them though.

Thanks again Russ, you are very helpful in your guidance. I'll take a look at that and get back to you if I have any questions. I just found the definitive editions (Laser Disc set of GOUT) and am downloading them as we speak. just not sure what video editing software i am going to use. 

what are your thoughts on Adobe Premier Elements vs Final Cut Pro?

The GOUT maybe the defacto go to official release for many people, but that doesn't mean it has to be the version you want to preserve or work with.  What were the reasons behind you buying the versions you do have.  Do any of them hold a special place for you.  Some older releases do have a certain charm, but they may not be up to today's perceived definition of quality.  Also identifying what you believe the 'original form' of these movies is, will affect your resources and options.

Another aspect to consider is what resources can you put into your project.  They'll definitely eat whatever time you can give it, but also where do you find your interests going.  You mentioned finding a program to edit with.  The How-To Forums http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/forum.cfm/How-Tos-and-Technical-Discussions/forum/12/ can provide guidance into what options are out there and that will help you chose something to start with.  When it comes to software/hardware you will want to experiment till you find tools your comfortable with or are capable of doing the task at hand.

Ok, things are starting to become clearer for me now. Let me clarify myself a little. I have a set of the original trilogy that i am pretty sure is GOUT sourced. It seems a little strange to me but I swear there are some elements from the Special Edition in here. The quality is pretty great to my eyes. There are some obvious issues with color timing etc, but it is totally watchable.

What my vision is for "my version" of the Trilogy is something that closely resembles the Theatrical releases of 77,80,83. I'd like to try my hand at cleaning up the image, i.e. color correction, brightness, grain etc.... As far as audio options I'm all about old school mixes i.e. theatrical stereo and mono. Let's face it they didn't have Lossless True HD 7.1 surround sound back then.

So I guess that is what I am longing to find. As far as the laserdisc definitive edition, it may not be "GOUT" quality as you call it, but it might be of some use to me as a training set. Like the Jedi I must learn how to master this. I'll post in a bit after I get a look at the raw source of said LD rip..... Thank you Puggo, None and Russ for putting your two cents in.

okay, after doing some quick research Vegas video editing program is out. I don't have $599 to spend on a video editing program. i am thinking perhaps Cyberlink Powerdirector 10. http://www.cyberlink.com/products/powerdirector/overview_en_US.html?&r=1

Anyone worked with this software or know anything about it? Keep in mind I am an entry level video editor.

Well after viewing just a bit of the Definitive Edition Laserdisc rip all i can say is it is ROUGH! The audio is fairly crappy so I will have to replace that for sure. The picture is decent for being a rip from a laser disc but it needs a lot of work. Annoying technical question, how do I post pictures of what the original source looks like? i.e. take a snapshot of what I'm watching so i can post it here?

Puggo, i have yet to find anyway to view their particular restorations, I have read so many great things about them though. Any idea how I would go about getting a copy?

<p>I don't know the Cyberlink software, but if you're prepared to spend a little more (about USD200 from the looks of things) this is an excellent package for PC-based editing: http://www.grassvalley.com/products/edius_neo_3/ (I use the 'grown up' version for most of my projects, and this Neo version should easily have everything you need).</p>
<p>Puggo's right though, it's well worth checking that none of the existing projects suit your needs. The guys on here have produced versions of the original trilogy better than any official home video releases (now and for quite some time into the future).</p>

thank you all for your replies. I will now attempt to give my answers.

First off I have not looked at any other fan restorations save for pictures posted on the web. I am sure that DarkJedi's and Harmy's works would fit the bill for me. We are all here though because we love Star Wars and the effect that it has had on our lives. What makes a personal restoration nice is that you can put your own signature on it, which is what appeals to me most.

Regarding the LD rip I just got I'm afraid I don't have too much info on it. This is what I do know though. It may be an original rip but it does have Episode IV A New Hope in the title

VIDEO

Length: 2:00:58

Frame Width: 720

Frame Height: 480

Data Rate: 496kbps

Total Bitrate: 697kbps

Frame Rate: 23 frames per second

AUDIO

Bitrate: 130kbps

Channels: 2(stereo)

Audio Sample Rate: 44 kHz

I may be barking up the wrong tree with this rip but you never know until you try right?

I just downloaded Picasa so i'll be posting some screen shots from the rips as soon as I can.

Here's a few screencaps to get you started

https://picasaweb.google.com/109695558536788880331/DropBox#5772601053162436674

https://picasaweb.google.com/109695558536788880331/DropBox#5772601354580643954

https://picasaweb.google.com/109695558536788880331/DropBox#5772600676898658946

TK421138 said:

okay, after doing some quick research Vegas video editing program is out. I don't have $599 to spend on a video editing program.

Yeah, so the Laser Disc rips are just too low quality to use for anything here. Guess my best option is to start over looking for a clean source. On the plus side I am getting Dark Jedi's version of the trilogy so I can watch and compare to my set I have.

Yeah I'm pretty stoaked for it. I think in the long run as a companion to the 2006 GOUT it will do just nicely.