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Importing Flash-created quicktimes into Avid
Hello-
I know this workflow is a little backwards but hear me out first. A colleague and i are producing short web-only segments with MC 2.7 (capturing 16:9 DVcam original media at DV 25 res) and in lieu of bringing in a professional AE graphics operator, we were trying to create our segment specific graphics – text over dissolving color backgrounds – in Flash, exporting those as 16:9 QTs, and then importing into the Avid. Then wedding those to the sequence video and exporting the full sequence as an MP4. This method has a lot of workflow advantages for us and the graphics look very clean in Flash and as exported QTs (ie when played in Quicktime) but look pretty rough after importing into Avid. And by rough I mean the text/font edges look really frayed and degraded. I tried as many of the Avid import permutations as I could and seemed to get the same result.
Am I crazy for even attempting this? I know folks generally use flash as the last stage of encoding/compression before uploading to the web, not the first. But again, the graphics looked totally adequate in flash and in QT and I’d love to make this work in Flash. Could tweaking the flash export options help? Again, these are very simple graphics – white “Retina” font text over disolving colored backgrounds. Or perhaps there’s an In Avid way I could do this?
Sincerely,
Nick.
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7 Replies
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What is your frame size when you start out in Flash? What version of Avid are you using? Is there a reason you don’t use Photoshop to create your graphics? Exporting as a .png will create an alpha channel.
Jon
“Jamming our heads full of figures and angles
And telling us stuff that we already know”Willie The Wandering Gypsy & Me
Billy Joe Shaver -
Avid’s titler can certainly handle this. Create the background and the text on two separate layers to allow you to dissolve the background out and leave the text. If you must work in Flash make sure your stage is 720×480. Export a PNG sequence instead of a movie (my opinion, I’ve had issues with movies). Then do your masking in the Avid to match your 16×9 letterbox.
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Many thanks David. Yes, I’d like to try and make this work in Flash first – for personnel and workflow reasons.
Understood about exporting as a PNG. But I didn’t realize PNG was also a digital motion file type – I thought it was just a pic file type? I’m assuming the PNG creates some kind of embedded alpha?
The Avid sequence we’re cutting this flash into is not 16×9 letterbox but SD widescreen (anamorphic.) What should be platform specs be in that case? Also, anything special I should do with my Avid import settings when bringing in this PNG?
Thanks, Nick.
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Many thanks Billy. We have used PS in the past – for non-motion elements like title/credit text cards and have had similar degraded pic quality issues. Since there’s a motion effect in this – the dissolving colors – and for personnel and workflow reasons, I’d like to try and make this work in Flash first.
We’re using Avid Media Composer 2.7. Frame size is a good question. The Avid sequence we’re cutting this flash into is SD widescreen (anamorphic.) I’ve never really gotten a great handle on the PAR issues involved in bringing in digital/computer generated elements (as opposed to video original elements) but we originally set the Flash frame size for 864×486. But what should be the frame size in this case?
Understood about exporting as a PNG. Anything special I should do with my Avid import settings when bringing in this PNG?
Thanks, Nick.
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David- Sorry to be a pest but just had a few more follow up questions to your very helpful response. If you’ve got any time to respond to this, would be much appreciated. Nick.
Many thanks David. Yes, I’d like to try and make this work in Flash first – for personnel and workflow reasons.
Understood about exporting as a PNG. But I didn’t realize PNG was also a digital motion file type – I thought it was just a pic file type? I’m assuming the PNG creates some kind of embedded alpha?
The Avid sequence we’re cutting this flash into is not 16×9 letterbox but SD widescreen (anamorphic.) What should be platform specs be in that case? Also, anything special I should do with my Avid import settings when bringing in this PNG?
Thanks, Nick.
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Sorry, meant to answer this last week! PNGs work very well in the Avid. They do carry an alpha channel. What you’ll be creating is a PNG image sequence. Before exporting, create a folder for the sequential images. When you import into Avid, check the “invert alpha” option as well as the “automatically detect sequential files”. Highlight the first file in the sequence and Avid will create a video clip from the sequence.
I’m not sure how to answer your anamorphic question.
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Many thanks David. Will give it a shot tonight. Nick.
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