Animation codec clamping

[Graeme Nattress]

YOur source footage is DV? Just export it and no extra compression is added? You’re not trying to export keys from FCP though, are you, or effects from FCP? If so, you need to fix your workflow as I don’t think it’s optimised.

Graeme

– http://www.nattress.com – Film Effects and Standards Conversion for FCP

[Nicholas Raeburn]

YES i am trying to export keyed footage of an actor from FCP. Would it be more benifical to use the source file in AE and key it in there instead rather than in FCP.

Thanks.

[Nicholas Raeburn]

Also Graham when you say export do you mean a reference movie rather than quicktime conversion to avoid recompression.

[Graeme Nattress]

I’d think so. Generally keyers are much better in AE. What effects are you doing in AE that you can’t do in FCP?

Graeme

– http://www.nattress.com – Film Effects and Standards Conversion for FCP

[Nicholas Raeburn]

Adding some tracked particle effects in AE to an actor as the physical camera tracks in toward the actor.
I do a lot of work like this so need to find a good workflow solution to this problem.

[Graeme Nattress]

Never ever use Quicktime Conversion to get movies out of FCP. That’s designed for exporting web movies. It ruins quality….

I think your workflow should be:

export reference movie (or self contained – still doesn’t add compression) out of FCP to AE,
do all effects
bring back to FCP. That’s how I’ve always done it, and it’s been fine.

Trying to get an alpha out of FCP is an excersise in frustration.

Graeme

– http://www.nattress.com – Film Effects and Standards Conversion for FCP

[Nicholas Raeburn]

I am refereing to this article
https://www.lafcpug.org/porting_between_fcp_ae.html

Specifically this line “The default codec for After Effects is Animation, but that might not be appropriate. The rule of thumb is this. If you need to carry an Alpha Channel, or transparency information, back to FCP with the QT movie, then you need to use the Animation codec”

[Nicholas Raeburn]

I originally did it the way you suggested (export reference movie (or self contained – still doesn’t add compression) out of FCP to AE,
do all effects bring back to FCP). But thats when I was getting luma shifts and weirdness. So I started Trying FCP>animation>AE>Animtion>FCP and didnt get the shifts. I’m totally confused myself now?

[Nicholas Raeburn]

Thanks for the input Graham however this is still clear as mud to me. Been trying for about two weeks to understand the whole YUV>RGB thing and I still don’t get it.

[Graeme Nattress]

Animation 100%+ for alpha back into FCP, but that doesn’t mean you have to export animation from FCP to go to AE, unless you need alpha out of FCP, which is generally tricky.

Graeme

– http://www.nattress.com – Film Effects and Standards Conversion for FCP