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Quality issues
Hi All,
I’m new to this and usually read posts to help myself rather than start them, but I don’t seem to find anyone else with my problem so i’m probably just being thick and need help!
My job is currently expanding and I’m having to create more corporate DVD’s so quality is key. However, when I produce them in FCP they look great, but when I export them and play them on a TV the video just has a very weird look like a holiday video you play straight off the camera. Slow motion also seems to be very jumpy and everything looks just has a very amateur look. It’s had to explain, but the colouring looks a lot lighter as well (but that’s probably just the tv). Basically just doesn’t play like your average TV documentary or professional video.
I really hope someone knows what I mean here. To help here is my process:
-film on a Sony DSR-PD170P
-digitise as DV Pal
-edit using final cut pro – often colour grade/play with retiming/mess around with some Motion graphics.
-export from FCP as quicktime movie
-use either Toast or DVD Studio Pro to create a PAL DVD.
– put in DVD player and doesn’t have that braodcast HQ feel.I’ve tried messing around with the feild dominance but that made it more jumpy! and the next thing i was going to try was mess around with the frame rate which i’m working in 25fps at the moment. and then the conversion on export, but obviously there are hundreds!
I really hope someone knows what i mean and can help. If you need me to explain something better please say and i will do my best!
thanks in advance.
Mark
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8 Replies
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Here’s the thing…are you monitoring your sequence from FCP on an external monitor when you edit and color correct? This way you can see what you actually have WHILE you edit. Then you’d see if it looks like a Holiday Video or amateurish. More often than not it is the SHOOTING that causes this. Lighting, frame rate shot…lots of factors.
Shane
GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
Hi Mark,
What you may be seeing is the interlaced qualities as opposed to progressive. When you see your work on a computer monitor the fields are blended, much like the frames of real film. When you output to TV monitor those fields are represented as interlaced, as distinct fields. That may be the amateur look you’re referring to. A simple fix is to de-interlace during the encoding process in Compressor. Encode the MPEG2 file with the legacy filter deinterlace applied. Make sure the deinterlace option of ‘Blur’ is set. Then just make the DVD as you normally do. This will smooth out the edges and give the DVD a more film-like feel.
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Hi Joel,
Thanks for that, I have tried Shane’s idea of an external monitor and the FCP output still looked the same (but i’m using my laptop screen) so your solution sounds like it could be my lifesaver.
I haven’t used compressor much before though so if you could help me a bit more that would be great!
I have loaded the video into compressor, and under settings dragged up the “MPEG-2 6.2mbps 2 pass” (DVD- best quality 90 min) and then clicked on the video to look at the filters. I can find deinterlace and selected the ‘odd’ algorithm but not sure what this ‘legacy filter’ is and there doesn’t appear to be a blur? looked up the legacy thing on google and it didn’t help.
I’m sorry, this probably sounds really stupid but your help is really appreciated!
Thanks
Mark
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Hi Mark,
You’ve got everything right. With the preset you’ve placed on the clip selected click on filters > deinterlace > algorithm field that says ‘Odd’ you’ll see other options: blur, even, sharp etc. Choose blur. Also be sure to place the Dolby Digital audio preset on your clip. Both will be needed for DVDSP.
The deinterlace filter in the filter tab is called ‘legacy’ in the manual because its function is now available in the Frame tab also, at a higher quality but at the expense of a longer encoding time.
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Deinterlacing is often advised as a way to fix basic field order problems in the workflow. Bear in mind you will be reducing your overall resolution with deinterlacing.
Try sorting your field order issues as deinterlacing will not make slo mos as smooth as interlaced done correctly.
DV is the only lower field order PAL codec. A lot depends on how you are exporting your quicktime from the sequence. Using Compressor to make the final mpeg is good but what are your settings in the original edit sequence and the QT export. Also are you using Qt conversion?
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Hi Michael,
Deinterlacing is often advised as a way to fix basic field order problems in the workflow. Bear in mind you will be reducing your overall resolution with deinterlacing.
In my experience if the fields are combined with a quality encoder there isn’t a perceived loss of resolution. In fact visually the the real-world impression of progressive is of finer detail when compared to deinterlaced. A lot of detail here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_scan
Try sorting your field order issues as deinterlacing will not make slo mos as smooth as interlaced done correctly.
I’ve found that editing interlaced footage as interlaced and blending the fields in the mpeg=2 encoding process makes for very smooth slow motion as well as a complete elimination of interlace artifacts like stairstepping and twittering. Its a very viable option to add a progressive look to your footage.
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Joel,
Thanks very much for that, just tested it on the TV and it all looks ALOT better!, Thanks. Also I now know why I didn’t have sound either with the first export!
Obviously I’m still quite new to all this corporate stuff and need to learn about interlaced/progressive, field dominance etc, so thanks very much for pointing me in the right direction. i can start using compressor a lot more now!
Michael,
When i export i simply use the quicktime conversion on best settings, is this correct? any other settings you could suggest?
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I wouldn’t bother with quicktime conversion. Just go to file > export > quicktime movie at your current settings. Self contained or not, doesn’t really matter.
Joey
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