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1080 to 640×420 workflow
Hi all
I’m making some video backdrops to be projected behind a band when they play. The software they are using to project is a VJing programme called Arkaos. It works best with mov. files that are 640×420.
I’m shooting on a Sony EX1, 1940×1080 as much as possible (the EX1 does slow mo at 720P) and Canon D5 1940×1080…
I’ve taken into consideration the switch in aspect ratio, so I’m framing all my shots knowing the sides will be cropped at some point.I’m just wonder if anyone has a good work flow for a situation like this. I’m going to convert all footage to Prores 422 in Compressor to cut in FCP (6.0.6) and edit it in a timeline with the same settings . Once edited, I was going to then move the final sequence into a 4:3/640×480 timeline, letting FCP do the conversion. Then I was going to export out 4:3 quicktimes. I’ve done a little test, and the footage loses quality (obviously).
As the images are going to be blown up big (the actual projection size will vary from gig to gig) I’d like to give them the best quality/crispest shots as possible… Is there a better way to do this?
I’ve got Compressor 3.0.5 and Sorenson 5.1.1.16 installed, so I can squeeze down files in terms of size (although I’d rather not use the cropping filters in these apps).
I’m working on a 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Imac, 4Gb Ram, ATI Radeon Graphics card, using FCP 6.0.6.
Cheers for any advice.
J
Cheers
James -
1 Reply
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[James Herbert] “I’m shooting on a Sony EX1, 1940×1080 as much as possible (the EX1 does slow mo at 720P) and Canon D5 1940×1080… “
I assume you mean 1920×1080 – also Canon 5DII? Do you mean 640×480 for the VJ software too? The size you describe is non-standard even for computer software.
[James Herbert] “As the images are going to be blown up big (the actual projection size will vary from gig to gig) I’d like to give them the best quality/crispest shots as possible… Is there a better way to do this? “
Use software and projection that supports a better resolution – or accept that 640×480 will look poor on anything bigger than a 14″ TV.
Exporting quicktimes at best quality (h.264) using the size presets (or a custom size) within FCP will yield very good results if the original footage is good quality. Given the down-rezzing, you will not gain anything by using Compressor or Squeeze IMHO.
Ben
Edit Out Ltd
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