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Adding 3:2 Pulldown in AE (upper first)
Hey guys,
When adding 3:2 Pulldown to 24p footage, I usually just go to “Render Settings” and turn on “3:2 Pulldown” and select a pattern.
Question: when creating a ProRes file, do I also need to go to Output Module > Format Options > Codec Settings and select the “Interlaced” option?
I’ve been doing it without checking that box and it seems to be working okay but I need to create a file with Upper Field First (for Comcast Ad Delivery), which seems to be a bit different. Not quite sure how to test that field order for correctness, either. I usually play the “lower field” clips out through my Kona card to a broadcast monitor to test but I’m not sure how to test the “upper first.”
Thanks ahead of time.
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5 Replies
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Thanks Dave.
Question: How do you verify that ‘upper field first’ material has been encoded properly? SD material, for example. ‘Lower Field’ footage I can throw on a timeline and play out to an NTSC monitor to make sure it plays back smoothly. ‘Upper Field’ looks jumpy no matter how I play it.
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Your guesses are correct: no (as far as I can tell), yes and yes.
HD footage seems to play well–it’s the SD I’m having trouble with. Lower-field-first footage plays smoothly but upper-field-first footage plays choppy (even though the timeline settings are matched).
Is Standard Definition upper-field-first footage supposed to be playing back properly through my Kona card or is that so uncommon that it’s one of those “encode and hope for the best” things?
Thanks again for your help!
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Sorry, I think I’ve made this confusing. I’ll rephrase.
I am editing 23.98 SD footage in 23.98 progressive. I use After Effects to add 3:2 pulldown.
Here’s where my problem starts.
Both Comcast and DG Fastchannel require 720×486 with upper field first (not typical, I know). So, when I create this upper-field-first clip, how to I test to make sure it’s correct? Kona doesn’t seem to play upper-field-first SD footage properly.
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[Daniel Stone] “Both Comcast and DG Fastchannel require 720×486 with upper field first (not typical, I know). So, when I create this upper-field-first clip, how to I test to make sure it’s correct? Kona doesn’t seem to play upper-field-first SD footage properly.”
Import the rendered output back into After Effects. Select it and interpret footage and make sure it’s set to UFF.
Double-click the footage item to open it the viewer. Step through it with PgDn and PgUp — this will go one field at a time. If the motion always goes forward as you step forward, the fields are correct. If it goes back and forth, the fields are incorrect.
Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
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Thank you, thank you! This is exactly what I needed.
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