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Best Flavor of Codec/file/wrapper
Anybody have a recommendation for a file type, codec/wrapper, to master to from Premiere on a PC? We are currently in the process of switching from FCP/MAC, which we were using ProRes, to Adobe/PC which we are currently mastering to Avid DNxHD. Not real happy with the results so we are looking for suggestions.
BILL
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11 Replies
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Well, what is the intended use of said mastering format? Delivery to a client? What do they want? Delivery to a post house for output to tape? What can they deal with? Or just plain archival?
DNxHD is, IMHO, the best option for the PC. Open codec, readable by others, high quality. What do you find lacking about it?
Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
[Bill Olafsen] “We are currently in the process of switching from FCP/MAC, which we were using ProRes, to Adobe/PC which we are currently mastering to Avid DNxHD. Not real happy with the results so we are looking for suggestions.”
This is a tough question. What do you mean by not happy with the results, and what do you expect to do with your masters?
Premiere Pro CC supports DNxHD in MXF wrappers, so you don’t need to be reliant on QuickTime. Depending on what your problem with DNxHD is, this may help.
AVC-Intra 100 (with CS6, AVC-Intra 200 with CC)/ MXF may be a good option. It’s documented and relatively open, but common desktop players like QuickTime or Windows Media Player don’t do MXF.
I like and use CineForm from GoPro. It wraps in AVI or MOV and it’s available on both Macs and PCs. However, it is proprietary.
For the long term, image sequences plus some kind of PCM audio (WAV/AIFF) are an interesting option, but can be harder to manage or play directly.
Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events -
The intent is to use the file as the “House Master” which all other files will be “Dubbed”(I’m an Old School Guy) from. Currently when using DNxHD with any encoder the resulting file has had its Gamma adjusted, we have tried every setting possible and cannot seem to get a clean file.
BILL
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Gamma adjusted compared to what? What is the codec of the current files? If you convert from some formats of camera master, there will be a gamma shift, as certain camera codecs don’t have the best compression to begin with (AVCHD for example) and converting to a more professional codec might shift things a little. I noticed this with AVCHD mainly…and in Avid. AMA linking to the camera masters, then the transcoded masters. Gamma shifted.
With Premiere and it’s “lets work native with everything” mentality, I wonder how this will be dealt with? What are you rendering to? What codec? The default MPEG-2 one…or ProRes? There is a known gamma issue when converting ProRes to DNxHD too. One no one has solved yet.
Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
Mastering to DNxHD from PP. Using DNxHD as source to encode to whatever, the gamma of the resulting encoded file is different than the original. The amount of Gamma adjustment is different based on what encoder might be used but it appears no matter what that the Gamma has been adjusted.
BILL
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Have you tried mastering to ” P2 ” format?
Opens up on any NLE.Chris
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[Bill Olafsen] “The intent is to use the file as the “House Master” which all other files will be “Dubbed”(I’m an Old School Guy) from. Currently when using DNxHD with any encoder the resulting file has had its Gamma adjusted, we have tried every setting possible and cannot seem to get a clean file.”
You are missing one of the big benefits of Premiere. You can bring your Premiere sequence into Adobe Media Encoder and output your multiple different “dubs” simultaneously (including both compressed deliverables and an in-house master for safe-keeping) without having to generate an intermediate first.
In Premiere Pro CC, DNxHD support is native (it doesn’t have to rely on QuickTime) and is vastly improved.
Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events -
But what do you archive to with premiere? Surely you don’t keep the project and all the media. In Avid, you can consolidate only the clips used in the cut, with handles…but it’s media management is top notch, and Adobe’s is sub par. We also exported DNxHD Qts…or lately, Op1A MXF files.
FCP…we exported ProRes QT files and archived those…and I still media managed the project.
Can adobe CC media manage only footage used in the cut? I know it can’t with GOP formats like XDCAM or HDV (Avid and FCP can). And what about a DI (Digital Intermediate?) This is a standard thing to have…a DI master to make all your compressions from.
Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
[Shane Ross] ” In Avid, you can consolidate only the clips used in the cut, with handles”
The same can be done in Premiere’s Project Manager.
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[Shane Ross] “But what do you archive to with premiere? Surely you don’t keep the project and all the media.”
Actually, I do. Everything goes off to LTO-5 at the end of a job. But my work is very different than yours, and I doubt this would be practical for the kind of shows you cut.
AFAIK, Premiere Pro CC still will not trim long GOP sources, but that’s not a part of my workflow and I haven’t actually tried it.
It’s also worth mentioning that Premiere Pro’s Project Manager will not preserve things dynamically-linked AEPs and their dependencies, either. For me, archiving the whole lot is just simpler, and the amounts of footage I deal with allows it.
Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events
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