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Issues with exporting to any format. 8-Bit looking banding, especially prevalent in dissolves
Hey guys.
I have had this issue with avid since the first day I opened it. I have MC 6.5 on Windows 64-bit. No matter what kind of footage I import, then export or whatever the method of ingestion (AMA or Transcode), every single clip has an large amount of banding, as if it’s exporting it as 8-bit.
It is especially apparent when fading to black. The footage I’m currently working on has a bunch of slow fades to and from black. And this quality isn’t acceptable to the client (or me for that matter).
I have tried everything to fix this problem. Changing the effects processing depth from automatic to 16-bit. Rendering the effects before exporting, not rendering the effects before exporting. Doing a mixdown to MXF 1:1, then exporting. Nothing helps, and I can’t find anything on google that has helped me so far.
The footage I’m using was shot with a Sony NEX FS100, even though I had to transcode this footage to MOV from .MTS, then use AMA linking into Avid. I have even had problems bringing in DNxHD that was directly exported from After Effects (No footage, just graphics)
Here are some screenshots from the H.264 export so you guys can see what I’m talking about:
https://i.imgur.com/9d9MLj8.png
https://i.imgur.com/pn9kClM.pngAnyone have any ideas?
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4 Replies
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Are you exporting an H.264 straight from Avid? What happens when you export a DNx? If you need H.264 I would always recommend exporting a high res (or quicktime ref) and compressing in squeeze or what ever encoder you prefer.
Best
Paddy
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Thanks for the reply!
When I export to DNxHD I still get the banding, just not as much.
I’m working in windows, so what would be the best H.264 Compression software available? Media Encoder? After Effects?
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I just read your post again and I missed that you transcode before bringing the files into Avid, this maybe where the problem is occurring. Do you have all the up to date AMA plugins because you should be able to AMA link to the AVCHD files.
There’s a vid on the workflow here.
Best
Paddy
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Figured out the issue. It was a combination of two things:
1. I needed to apply a color correction to all my clips in the timeline, only adjusting the levels. Made sure the output started at zero. The blacks weren’t actually being displayed as blacks.
2. Needed to export as DNxHD, then used Cinec to compress to H.264.
thanks for the help!
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