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Losing quality in resolution when exporting
I’m new to this forum/website as far as posting goes, but I have referred to this site for lots of great tips and help with troubleshooting. I’m currently having problems exporting an MOV file that was edited together using FCP in HD using After Effects. I was hired to add graphics and animated text to this video, but so far the employer isn’t satisfied because when I render it out as an MOV, the resolution isn’t the same. I’ve set the composition settings to HD/DVCPRO 25. The original MOV file shows a resolution of 720×480. I did manage to export the project as an AVI without losing any quality, but the employer is still saying that the resolution is lower than what he sent. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Tommy
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5 Replies
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The issue is with the file you got to put graphics on- if you got a already compressed file, no matter how good that compression is, you will get a lower resolution on final export from AE. Ask for uncompressed files ( tga or tiff sequences), do your graphics and export from AE in an uncompressed format- this way you will not loose any quality. Your files should then be pulled in FCP and the final render should be done from there.
Tudor “Ted” Jelescu
Senior VFX Artist
Bucharest, Romania
http://www.ennstudio.ro -
Thank you Dave and Ted for your quick replies. My next question that comes to mind (I completely forgot to mention it before) is that the employer is sending the files from FCP on Mac and I am doing the effects/graphics/text using AE on PC. Is that an additional problem to the compatibility? Thanks again for the help and I will try those suggestions out to see if that will work.
Tommy
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The employer explained to me the video was shot in 24p HD, however, when I look at the file information in AE, it’s showing that it’s 29.97 with the resolution set to 720×480. So, taking his word for it, I’ve set my composition settings to 24p. The export part I need to take another look at and try setting it to progressive because I have been exporting it as lower field, which I’m guessing/hoping could be the issue. Thanks Dave!
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Thank you for the reply, however, I don’t appreciate your condescending tone at the end. Yes, I am a beginner with AE, which is why I’m confused with what is going on. The employer isn’t paying me anything until the project is finished, and even still, this project is more of an “audition” to possibly receive/do more work in the future. The employer told me himself that he has other people working different projects, and he is trying to find someone that can do the work at a high quality and at a fast rate.
I thought this forum was meant for people like me to find help from other experts who have been doing it longer – not to be put down because of lack-of-knowledge. But thanks anyway for your suggestions.
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Ahem.
Either the client was told this was shot in HD (a lie) or the client thinks that 24p SD is actually HD, or the HD footage was converted to SD along the way. Maybe the editor was his nephew, I don’t know. You need to talk to the FCP editor to get to the bottom of this. If the client won’t let you do that, I don’t think you want to audition for any work for this person.
Bottom line: in any job, if there are issues with something you’ve been given, you must talk to the technical person in the chain. It’s your responsibility as a professional, and it’s the client’s responsibility to allow you access so you can do your job right.
Tip: To see if a 29.97 video is 24p or not, hold down Alt and double-click on it to open it in AE. Use the PageDn key to step through it. If it shows a weird “lines-no lines-lines-lines- no lines” cadence, then it’s 24p that has had pulldown added. Check the help on Removing Pulldown to revert the clip back to 24p, then drag that clip onto the new comp button to make a 24p comp and go to work. It won’t make the clip HD, but it will revert it to 24p if pulldown was added in-camera.
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