-
Animating text on a spiral, and I’m having a render issue
I’m slowly animating text counter-clockwise along a spiral path and in front of a white background. The text starts at center frame, emerging from behind a white solid and from the right so the words “reveal” themselves, and the text (a run-on sentence) grows larger in size as it winds around the spiral and moves toward the camera. Everything works nice and smooth in RAM previews, but whenever I render it out the movement shudders for a few frames in random spots. Not too often, maybe one to three times per render. Clearly enough to be annoying.
I have a feeling this might be one of those “DUH!” questions, but figured I’d throw it out anyway. Many thanks in advance.
-
23 Replies
-
When you render, what kind of file are you creating and where are you watching this file.
For instance, I have a very capable computer for AE, but if I were to render a HD quicktime-animation and try to play it on my computer, it will stutter and stop…all the information will be there the CPU’s just can’t play it. Once I import the file into my NLE(Avid) it plays fine.
Johnny Cuevas, Editor
Thinkck.com“I have not failed 700 times. I have succeeded in proving that those 700 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.”
—THOMAS EDISON on inventing the light bulb. -
Is the shudder consistently in the same place each viewing?
What codec are you using?
What is your system config?If its random, it might just be that your system can’t decompress the final file fast enough for a smooth viewing.
If you compress your final file to a smaller format, does the playback smooth out?
-Kevin
Mac Pro 2 x 3 GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon
32GB Memory
Dual-channel 4Gb Fibre Channel PCI Express card
Dell Display (23″ flat panel)
ATI Radeon HD 5770
AJA Kona LSi SD/HD capture card
Rourke 16 TB
Flanders 2460SOFTWARE
Mac OS X 10.6.5
FCP 7
After Effects CS5
Boris Continuum
Sapphire Plug Ins
All Trapcode Plugs
Zaxwerks Invig -
Hi Johnny…thanks for the quick response.
I generally render out avi’s and open them in QuickTime. And yeah, I’m watching them on the same computer I made them with. (I can only wish I had an Avid to know for sure if it’s a machine issue.)
What’s worse: this project is something that will be most likely seen over the internet, so there’s really no guarantee it won’t shudder anyway. I’ve posted sections of the project throughout the approval process for the client on YouTube, fully aware of the limitations of such an endeavor as this, and the imperfection(s) in this particular clip are embarrassing regardless.
None of the other clips over the 3:37 project have had the negative render issues this one always seems to have, either on my machine or on the internet.
-
Hi Kevin,
Eighty percent of the time it happens in the same spot, but it’s not limited to just that one spot.
I render out uncompressed (1920 X 1080) avi’s, but usually stretch to 480 X 270 in the Render Queue for posting on YouTube. (See reply to Johnny’s response.) I export Movie to QuickTime Movie using H264, and all the parameters YT suggests. A smaller compression doesn’t smooth it out.
System config:
HP xw9300 Workstation
Dual Core AMD Opteron
Processor 285
2.59 GHz, 3.25 GB of RAM
NVIDIA Quadro FX 3450 -
(Sorry for the double post. I’m new to the forums.)
-
The uncompressed avi files might be choking your system, especially if you’re trying to watch them in quicktime. So it might be a playback problem.
Also, AE isn’t the best for compressing. Can you go out uncompressed in QT and then compress it down to your youtube settings using a compression application?
And on a totally different note, try adding a little bit of motion blur to your animation. That often gets rid of judder.
Good Luck,
ReinerMac Pro 2 x 3 GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon
32GB Memory
Dual-channel 4Gb Fibre Channel PCI Express card
Dell Display (23″ flat panel)
ATI Radeon HD 5770
AJA Kona LSi SD/HD capture card
Rourke 16 TB
Flanders 2460SOFTWARE
Mac OS X 10.6.5
FCP 7
After Effects CS5
Boris Continuum
Sapphire Plug Ins
All Trapcode Plugs
Zaxwerks Invig -
Thanks, Kevin…
I’ve added AE’s built-in motion blur already, but now thinking maybe I should add CC Force Motion Blur to the precomp. Is that kind of what you were suggesting?
I’ll have to try the “uncompressed in QT…compress down with compression app” to see if that works. I’ll post back with results on both ideas.
-
@Dave: Open GL never gets used in any of my renders, but thanks for checking in anyway…hoping you (and anyone else) might have some more advice.
Test results: I rendered out a full 1920 X 1080 .avi and used HandBrake for compression (output = 960 X 544 .mp4…my first compressed test was a 1920 X 1080 .mp4, but the clip hung and wouldn’t even play!) and the initial problem persisted. So I added CC Force Motion Blur to the precomp, didn’t futz with any of the settings within that effect, rendered full and then compressed the clip down to 960 X 544, just like before, and I still have the problem.
I’ve even tried rendering directly with H.264 instead of doing a full, uncompressed .avi. This made the problem even worse.
Thanking any (and every) one else who might have a solution.
-
Try this:
1 Precomp your whole master comp into another comp. Make that comp 960×540 and scale your master to fit.
2 Render that out to using the Quicktime animation codec.
3 You might not be able to play that file and it will be pretty big.
4 Now try compressing using .h264 960×540.
If you don’t have luck with that, post what your settings are in handbrake. I am unfamiliar with that program.
-Reiner
Mac Pro 2 x 3 GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon
32GB Memory
Dual-channel 4Gb Fibre Channel PCI Express card
Dell Display (23″ flat panel)
ATI Radeon HD 5770
AJA Kona LSi SD/HD capture card
Rourke 16 TB
Flanders 2460SOFTWARE
Mac OS X 10.6.5
FCP 7
After Effects CS5
Boris Continuum
Sapphire Plug Ins
All Trapcode Plugs
Zaxwerks Invig -
Many thanks…I’ll post the results later today.
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up