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Edit long prores render without re-encoding
Hello,
Is there an accepted workflow for making small changes to big rendered files? I have a long piece that just needs quick fixes like a title swap and I don’t want to re-encode the whole enchilada (I realize I may have to compress again but didn’t want to have to render again to prores if I could avoid it.) Seems like this kind of thing comes up all the time so I’m just wondering how other people do it. In the old days I seem to remember doing something like a “pass through” render in QT or some utility that wouldn’t change any codec but instead just cut things together.
We export from Premiere or AE or AME as Prores HQ, and then compress from there using MPEG Streamclip, most commonly to x264.
Thanks!
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10 Replies
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We always use image sequences when rendering longer content from After Effects. This enables us to go in and re-render / overwrite parts of it, when doing revisions.
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Smart rendering is another option. You would render ProRes preview files, then enable “Use Previews” in the export panel.
To make quick fixes on your current project, import the ProRes file and insert it in a new sequence. Overlay the desired changes on another track (or splice out the old footage with the razor tool). If appropriate, replace the audio stream from the ProRes file with the original audio. Even though the ProRes file will be expanded and re-encoded, it should not take long when there are no effects to render. There should not be any noticeable degradation in quality with ProRes 422(HQ).
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Thanks, It still does take around two hours for a piece this length. Nothing like the original 8 or whatever it was, but still more than I’d like for just a title swap…
I guess I incorrectly assumed there was some way to splice/merge segments just for simple edits.
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Quicktime 7 will allow you to save without rencoding as you suggest, quite cumbersome but see here: https://tutorialgenius.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/joining-mp4-files-together-without-re.html
Chris Gunningham
Online/VFX Editor -
[David Edwards] “I guess I incorrectly assumed there was some way to splice/merge segments just for simple edits.”
With smart rendering any untouched clips are copied instead of recompressed, if I understand correctly. It might not be the best option for you now because the preview files would need to be rendered.
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Hi,
Which version of Premiere Pro are you working with?Thanks,
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CS6, I have CC but haven’t made the jump yet.
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Thanks Ivan.
So in the case of image sequences, I use them when I plan to composite more or if someone asks for a sequence, but have never really used them as the default ‘lossless’ output. In that case what would be your preferred workflow to add audio, do you re-import the image sequence, layer audio and then recompress to delivery codec?
I guess even with an image sequence, this seems to me like the same issue as I’d have with any codec, the need to import, edit and re-render a timeline? (short of the “smart render” and “use previews”.)
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[David Edwards] ” In that case what would be your preferred workflow to add audio, do you re-import the image sequence, layer audio and then recompress to delivery codec?”
Essentially, yes. Use ProRes instead of DPX if storage space is constrained. When the video is not being re-scaled I send jobs to the AME queue.
[David Edwards] “I guess even with an image sequence, this seems to me like the same issue as I’d have with any codec, the need to import, edit and re-render a timeline? (short of the “smart render” and “use previews”.)”
DPX is already expanded so you only have the encoding time. ProRes needs to be expanded and then compressed. Both options will still be faster than rendering and encoding together if you have more than one file to encode.
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Hey thanks this has been super helpful. Better understanding already.
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