Basic HDV workflow

[David Roth weiss]

Steve,

Sounds like you’ve doing just fine…

Kee in mind, the reasons for using Pro Res are simple, it has three basic benefits:

1) iFrame editing – it doesn’t use long GOP MPEG (so faster rendering in every way and more realtime performance)
2) 10-bit 4-2-2 color space – better graphics and text
3) if captured via a capture card or exported, pre res is full raster 1920×1080 – its not anamorphic (easier to import and export and interfaces better with other apps)

I prefer Pro Res to HDV for all of the reasons above, and I prefer to edit with it, but if you’re doing fine editing native HDV and simply want to compress it as Pro Res after editing, you can do that too. That has some of the advantages.

As fars as making DVDs, just keep on using Pro Res 422 and importing into DVDSP3, there’s nothing wrong with that, its very good quality. If you want to experiment with Compressor or another encoder you might be able to squeeze out 1 to 2% improved quality that no one would ever be able to see.

David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles

POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™

A forum host of Creative COW’s Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums.

[Steve Lux]

David,

Thanks so much for the info! Couple follow ups:

Would I be better off to capture straight in through the Pro Res Codec and edit in a pro res timeline??? Is that even possible? I don’t have any aftermarket capture cards and would prefer not to get any if I don’t have to.

Also, is there any difference between exporting a QT movie out of FCP with the Pro Res setting vs. creating a Pro Res file in Compressor???

One final question. Just picked another brain today and they mentioned editing native in HDV and then dumping the finalized sequence into a Uncompressed 8 bit NTSC timeline and then just exporting a QT movie from that like you would in a good old DV NTSC timeline.

Any thoughts????

Thanks again for your input!!!!!

[David Roth weiss]

You can capture HDV to Pro Res on teh fly via firewire in FCP 6.0.2. Search for Chris Poisson’s thread on that subject from last week. He’s just written a tutorial on that subject that will be here on the Cow soon too. That’s how I’m working these days with HDV.

If you output Pro Res or any format using current settings you can’t do nay better, so no, Compressor won’t help you there. Compressor can give you a few more options of course than letting DVDSP do your MPEG encoding, but frankly I think the defaults in DVDSP are great for most users.

I’m not fond of the 8-bit uncompressed workflow your friend mentioned. I just don’t see the benefit and in fact it could possibly introduce errors if you’re not careful. Why do it?

David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles

POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™

A forum host of Creative COW’s Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums.

[Steve Lux]

David,

I read the post you were talking about, thanks for that, very informative. Only down side I see is the inability to batch capture logged clips, which I would prefer to stick to.

So. . .just to be clear, (Sorry, a newbie at this one!!!)

You are suggesting I

A) capture via Firewire HDV 1080i60 into FCP and then set my clips into a Pro Res 422 timeline??? Would I then need to just export a simple QT movie using current settings, thus giving me a Pro Res movie???

OR. . .

B) Keep my HDV clips in an HDV 1080i60 timeline and then, when the project is completely finished, export via QT movie and instead of keeping the current settings in the dropdown, switch the current settings to the Pro Res 422 codec, thus creating a Pro Res movie.

Thanks again for your help!!!

[David Roth weiss]

Steve,

I am actually suggesting:

C) Capture and edit native 1080i HDV in an HDV timeline, and then, when all editing is complete, go to the menu Sequence–Settings and look down to the Quicktime Video Settings in the Compressor window and change the setting to Pro Res 422 and hit OK. Now re-render your timeline, and any export from thge timeline at current settings from this point on will be a Pro Res File.

Does that make sense?

David

David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles

POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™

A forum host of Creative COW’s Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums.

[Steve Lux]

Perfect, I understand exactly what you are saying. . . now a whole new bin of ?’s. . . .

1) I notice the file size created is massive. roughly a 1GB/minute. If I am creating a 1.5 hour piece (wedding), do you think I can still get that onto a standard DVD???

2) How can I maintain the 16:9 aspect ratio on the final product. When I go to import this into DVDSP4, and burn a test disc, the video shows up on a standard monitor in 4:3 aspect, squeezing the image. While I can adjust my monitor to 16:9, not every person out there is going to know how to do that with their TV.

Is there a way to ensure the video will play on ANY monitor in a 16:9 Letterboxed aspect ratio???

[Jamie Kehoe]

Yes, but if using compressor, you need to ensure that the aspect ratio is 16:9 in the video format of the compressor Inspector window. If that is checked, then you only need to place your movie in a new track and ensure that the track in the display mode of the General Tab indicates that it is 16:9 Letterbox. I prefer to use Pan-Scan and Letterboxing, that way it will appear correctly and not force letterboxing on a 16:9 TV. It will fill the screen on a proper widescreen TV and letterbox on a 3:4 TV.

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