Alias issues …

[Dipalma]

Yeah … I have been through all my render templates, preview preferences, comp settings … even my ATI Display settings … and shunned OpenGL like an adultress in church. To no avail.

Nic

[Dipalma]

I can see it ever so slightly in the comp window but that’s because my screens are showing a progressive scan. It’s very noticeable after it renders and gets imported into an AVID or FCP (with DVC Pro 50 codec, lower field first). Now, of course, the Quicktime move it renders is going to look ugly because of the the field render. But once it’s imported, it should look pretty good.

The layer itself is a very “cartoony” hilltop with a gradual curve against a soft gradient sky. The movement of the hill, rising from the bottom into the composion, is where it is most pronounced. And motion blur is not an option if rendering to an NLE separating fields.

Is it me, or has AE 7 completely negated the field dominance of today’s digital NLEs? Perhaps I should render everything as an Animation Quicktime with field rendering off … and then leap out my office window … I’m only on the first floor …

Nic

[Dipalma]

Very true … 99% of the NLEs that I import to are lower field first. In working with video footage, in my project window, I interpret footage based on where the footage originated.

However, that does not apply to Photoshop layers. There is no logical need to interpret Photoshop layers.

Thanks for your help, though. Effects blurs seem to be my only option.

Nic

[Kevin Camp]

are you setting your render to render in fields (via the render settings)? ae will default to progressive.

in avid they have import settings that need to be set correctly when importing too. if you give them rgb color, 601 pixel aspect ratio and progressive frames, that all needs to be set up before they import.

i’ve seen stuff i’ve given to avid editors look like crap when those import settings don’t jive with the footage or photoshop files that i’ve given to them.

Kevin Camp
Designer – KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW

[Dipalma]

I have preset render and output modules as AVID MCA. My instructions to the editor are to import into AVID as 601 pixel aspect ratio, NTSC 2:1 Interlaced (lower field first), invert existing alpha, and RGB levels (0-255). My comps and templates are set up for these import settings.

I have been doing it this way ever since the gang in Tewksbury, Mass switched to a Meridien system. Am I doing something wrong?

Nic

[Dipalma]

I have done the search, but nothing seems out of the scope of what I am already doing. I might try to send them a test with field rendering turned off.

Nic

[Kevin Camp]

i think your settings are ok (i would verify that the render settings are indeed lower field, just to be safe).

i think they may be importing incorrectly… i think you mentioned that photoshop files had issues, and that would make me suspect that there are problems with the import in to avid.

avid isn’t very smart when it comes to importing, if you have something that is progressive (be it a sill image or footage) and it is imported into avid as having fields, then it usually looks bad. the same can happen the other way around, field render mis-imported as progressive. those settings can get changed, and if the editor doesn’t check before importing something new then there is a good chance the settings are not the correct settings for that import.

verify your render settings and output module settings, then verify the import settings in the avid before they import your footage.

Kevin Camp
Designer – KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW

[Dipalma]

Actually, that was referencing a different project … sorry. But the problem occurs AFTER the page turn transition with the alpha channel. The alpha channel has nothing to do with these issues. But your enthusiasm in possibly finding the solution, similar to Columbus finding land, was priceless … sorry to burst your bubble gum.

Nic

[Kevin Camp]

so after the page turn effect, does anything else animate, or continue moving? or are they freezing on a frame after the turn is complete?

it’s been my experience that avid can’t hold on both fields of a frame, so you get the jaggies.

Kevin Camp
Designer – KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW

[Dipalma]

The page turn is a “wipe on” transition revealing a fullscreen comp. After the transition is complete, a “blueprint” style graphic “draws” on, but the width of the lines are wide enough and blurred only slightly. Honestly, I think it just moves too fast and too far acros the screen for AVID to deal with it.

I could send them a fulscreen movie without the alpha and let them create the transition. Or send them the file as a matte and fill.

Nic