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Weird Quality Loss in the Source File
Hello all, this might be a rookie mistake but I can’t for the life of me figure out what’s going on. So I am working on an indie feature and my editor is in another country at the moment, but we both have all the movie files on our two external drives. That way, when he modifies a cut, I can just download the FCP file. This also allows me to easily do some post work in AE CS3 and this is where the problem lies.
Now I understand the work flow that I am supposed to use, but there is a weird problem that is coming up. I load up the source file from the timeline (shortcut F) and export that. But as soon as I show that file, I’ve got image loss. On some of the shots it’s not that noticeable, but on others it’s quite apparent. Everything on the timeline is fine and dandy. So, to check I importing the source file into the project and it comes in as a low quality file If I play the file with an outside player like quicktime then it plays fine with no noticeable compression.
So, where is my simple mistake hiding?
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15 Replies
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What’s the file format (codec), what’s the frame size and how are you viewing your material?
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Biscardi Creative Media
HD and SD Production for Broadcast and Independent Productions.STOP STARING AND START GRADING WITH APPLE COLOR Apple Color Training DVD available now!
Read my Blog!
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It’s NTSC DV 24p advanced from a DVX100B. widescreen (1:2)
As for viewing, I’m looking at the source clip in the FCP viewer. When I export the specific cut, it maintains the loss. I know you’re supposed to export from the bin that’s why I hit (F).
I hope this clarified things a bit.
Thanks,
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[Phillip Hughes] “hope this clarified things a bit. “
Yep, you’re not properly viewing your project. You must view all FCP projects via an external monitor. Never, ever, ever, never, not even for a second, ever, never just the quality of your footage in the Final Cut Pro Viewer or Canvas. Never.
Connect a proper TV monitor to your system and then let us know how the quality holds up.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Biscardi Creative Media
HD and SD Production for Broadcast and Independent Productions.STOP STARING AND START GRADING WITH APPLE COLOR Apple Color Training DVD available now!
Read my Blog!
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Walter is entirely right, of course. In addition to that, I’d be interested to know if you are using a Kona 3 card. I had a problem with a Kona codec that was screwing up my exports from AE to FCP. The great, great tech support folks at AJA figured it out and gave me the solution, which resulted in perfect FCP>AE>FCP round trips. I can post their guidance here if someone wants it but it’s fairly detailed and I won’t waste the bandwidth unless you think it really addresses your issue.
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Yeah, Ron. Id’ love to hear that.
ALso, if you’re using DV, and watching your exports in QUicktime, you need to enable the high quality option in QT. It is now a preference within QT.
Open QT player and choose the Quicktime Player > Preferences menu (not “Quicktime Preferences”).
The third tick box down is ‘Use high-quality video setting when available’. Check that.
ALso check the ‘Enable Final Cut Studio color compatibility’ at the bottom of that window.
Jeremy
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Yeah, Ron. Id’ love to hear that.
OK, here goes…information from AJA Tech Support with notes added from my experience:
1) Close applications. In Finder, go to /Library/QuickTime and remove any third-party QuickTime components such as: Avid, Media 100, etc. (Don’t move any Apple components.)
2) Delete QuickTime preferences, as follows:
a) Go to: /users/username/library/preferences
b) Delete: com.apple.quicktime.plugin.preferences.plist.
c) Delete: QuickTime preferences3) Restart.
4) Delete the FCP preferences. (This can be painful if you have a lot of customized transitions, window placements, etc. in Final Cut but doing all of this exactly as specified is what solved my problem. Good advice: backup your current preferences first. You can do a test later, reinstalling your original preferences and see if that affects the gamma. If not, you can go back to using your original set, which is what I ended up doing.) Delete prefs with FCP Attic or some such s/w, or as follows:
a) Close FCP.
b) Go to: /users/username/library/preferences/FCP user data/
c) Delete: FCP preferences, OBJ cache and Prof cache files.5) Go to: /library/quicktime and temporarily remove the AJA uncompressed QuickTime component. (I think this is the key step.)
6) Start FCP and export a QT movie.
7) Start AE and start a new comp.
File>Project Settings>Color settings: 8 bits per channel. Working space: None.
CHECK the box “Match Legacy After Effects QuickTime Gamma Adjustments.” (That last step is particularly important.)
My composition settings in this instance were: Composition>Composition Settings: Preset: Custom. Width: 1280. Height: 720. CHECK the box “Lock aspect ratio to 16×9.” Pixel aspect ratio: Square pixels. Frame rate: 59.94 fps. (Note: I have read elsewhere that a square pixel setting is necessary to avoid the dreaded gamma shift. I don’t know if that is true; I haven’t tested these instructions with a non-square pixel setting.)8) Import the QT movie that you exported from FCP; put it in the composition. Add it to the Render Queue.
9) Set your Render module at “Current Settings.” Set your Output Module: Format: QuickTime movie. Format Options: Compression Type: Uncompressed 10-bit 4:2:2. (This is an Apple uncompressed codec, not AJA Kona or anything else.) Frames per second: 59.94.
10) Render movie. Import to FCP. Good luck!
Thanks again to the great tech support guys at AJA for this. I was completely unable to get perfect round trips between FCP and AE until I followed these instructions.
— Ron
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Thanks for posting that, Ron.
I have made a couple of Automator apps and finder plugins that will automatically move the codec in and out of the folder. Works like a charm.
I didn’t have to trash any prefs, just moved the codec out and made sure the legacy adjustments were on and it works.
Much appreciated.
Jeremy
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Hi Jeremy,
Yep, I think the moving of that codec and the legacy adjustment in AE are the critical items. But I had been tearing my hair out for so long, trying to make the FCP>AE>FPC workflow successful that I wanted to follow every little step of the procedure I was given.
A couple of questions for you: I have never used Automater. Would it be too much trouble to post how you used it in this instance (or would it just be obvious to me if I got into Automater)? Also, do you have an explanation of why that AJA codec should be put back in place? I figured that if it was messing up gamma levels, etc. it needed to be taken out permanently — while they’re presumably re-writing it.
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[Ron Craig] “A couple of questions for you: I have never used Automater. Would it be too much trouble to post how you used it in this instance (or would it just be obvious to me if I got into Automater)?”
Yeah it’s not a problem, it’ll take me a little bit to get it together. It’s not too hard to figure out if you want to play with it.
The codec doesn’t have to be put back in to place if you don’t need it, I guess. I just like to keep things installed in their proper places as the AJA hardware is tied to that codec in certain instances. I use it, but use it rarely so I put it back in after I am done with AE.
Did AJA say they were rewriting it or is that your presumption?
Jeremy
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Did AJA say they were rewriting it or is that your presumption?
Hi. It’s my presumption. The fellow I spoke to in tech support said to report back on the results after I implemented their proposed changes. He said he would pass that information along to the guys in (hmmm…what department did he say? Engineering, or something like that.)
Lee
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