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Best HD for After Effects?
We’re finally (finally!) going HD and I am tasked with getting a camera. But which one would be best for getting footage into After Effects?
I’m focusing on the smaller units, it’s between the Canon XH-A1 and the Sony HDR-FX1 HDV. Both shoot onto miniDV tape in either SD or HD.
Now, I just borrowed a friends consumer HD camera for some testing, and ran into problems. It wrote MTS files to its internal hard drive (which AE doesn’t like), which I had to convert to MP4 (which AE doesn’t like), which I finally had to convert to MOVs (yeah, AE likes those!).
So, can anyone familiar with these camera speak as to their workflow? Is it as simple as digitizing miniDV footage from a camcorder? Now I just plug in the camera and Windows will capture as a Microsoft DV AVI file that works easily in AE and Premiere. Will either of these cameras be that simple? Or what is the process for capturing HDV footage for use in AE (and Premiere)?
Advice welcome! Thanks!
— TL
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7 Replies
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Oh crap. A big use of this camera is going to be for green screening. Any other camera recommendations in that form factor, then?
— TL
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I’d send you out to the vast Internet to explore the entire spectrum of conflicting and mutually exclusive flavors of HD. There are about 40 different formats. Only you can decide which camera will suit your needs for acquisition, features, flexibility, and cost.The “best HD for After Effects” is not necessarily a viable acquisition format and you probably are not really going to be taking your raw camera footage directly into AE. If you your workflow is direct from camera to AE, you want as little compression at the source as possible so that pretty much leaves out all HDV systems.
bogiesan
This is my standard sigfile so do not take it personally: “For crying out loud, read the freakin’ manual.”
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the panasonic p2 comcorders are nice, particularly for workflow, and their hvx is pretty affordable (of course i don’t know your budget). they shoot to p2 cards or a hard drive (like the firestore), and those files can be imported directly into ae or premiere. they use the dvcprohd codec which has a data rate of around 5 times that of hdv and a greater color space (4:2:2) which would be better for keying than hdv.
if you are shopping around for cameras, you might look at the panasonic p2 camcorders. there is a step up from the hvx that allows for changeable lenses and i think has a larger ccd, if you have the budget for that.
Kevin Camp
Senior Designer
KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW -
If cost is an issue (isn’t it always), you might consider a camera like the Canon HV20 for your green screen work, along with a Black Magic Intensity capture card. The HV20 will output an uncompressed HD signal through the HDMI port (live video only – once it’s laid onto tape, it’s gone through the HDV conpression), and the Black Magic card accepts an HDMI input. If you also bought something like the XH-A1 for your field work, you could also use the HV20 as your capture deck, saving some wear and tear on the more expensive camera.
I have run the HDMI output of an HV20 into a good monitor, and the image is gorgeous. I intend to try pulling a key off of the HV20 live output, but haven’t yet had the opportunity to lug my editting computer (with the capture card) down to the studio.
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Thanks for all the advice! I’ll be taking this to my boss.
— TL
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“I’m uncertain of the actual process ’cause I’m a Mac guy.”
You don’t have to do much on the Windows side since AE and Premiere Pro CS3 support Panasonic’s P2 format. You just copy the MXF files to your hard drive and import them into your project/comp/timeline like any othe file. No transcoding or intermediate files required.
Thanks,
Shawn
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The Canon HV20, if captured to dv tape, will lose chroma that will blur and bleed, flickering ugly into the interlaced lines, making reverse 3:2 pulldown irrecoverable.You will have to be always capturing HDMI with a long, long cable to a computer capture black magic card. That method is very clean and pretty but, it’s up to you to have an unmovable recording platform or not.
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