Best format for eding video using only text

[David Roth weiss]

Use ProRes 422. In addition, your workflow logic is a bit off… You should create a hi-res master first, rendering the timeline first, then exporting a file that matches your current settings – both of those will happen super fast. Then, use that file in Compressor to create and h.264 file for delivery using one of the h.264 presets.

David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor/Colorist & Workflow Consultant
David Weiss Productions
Los Angeles

David is a Creative COW contributing editor and a forum host of the Apple Final Cut Pro forum.

[Shane Ross]

[Jean Tertrain] “I’m editing a 5minutes video using only the normal text tool (not the Boris one) from Final Cut, and I end up with a 1.21Gb video file… my question is : is it normal ? I mean, there is no ‘videos’ in it, nothing, just white text. Could it be because I’m using many different fonts ? Or because text pixels are square and my sequence are PAL CCIR 601… or because of the compressor, even though there isn’t any used ?”

What did you export? What format? It doesn’t matter if you have text only, or video. If it’s just solid black…nothing…if you export a 5 min proRes file, it’ll be the same size. it doesn’t matter what is IN it…it matters how you COMPRESS it.

ProRes sequence is the best to work in…that’s the optimal format for FCP. Then export out ProRes, and from THAT compress to H.264.

And you really shouldn’t need to be rendering your text. it should be GREEN. Make sure your RT settings are set to…hmmm…UNLIMITED? SAFE? switch them and see what’s best. Sorry, it’s been 5 years since I used it.

Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

[Jean Tertrain]

Thank you Shane for answering,

I exported it using the ‘current’ settings of my sequence, which you can see on this screenshot :

Thefore, using the DV – PAL compressor.

Do you know what debit of H264 I should not go down from in order to not loose too much quality from the text ? 5000K ? 10000K ?

Do you know why FCP’s texts get blurred sometimes ?

I know it could be a large subject of discussion, but could you tell me what is the best editing software, to you, nowdays ?
I’m thinking of going to Adobe Premiere. I just don’t have a too big of a machine.

Thank you,
Jean.

[Jean Tertrain]

Oups sorry, I did not see your first answer. Thank you David.

Sorry for my step-to-step questions… but you mean that using a hi-res master, I still need to render my text blocs ?

Is Compressor actually faster than MPEGStreamclip ?

[Shane Ross]

DV is the lowest quality sequence setting in FCP. It’s standard definition, and highly compressed. You should not be using it. TEXT in DV is icky, to say the least. What you should to is make a ProRes sequence, copy and paste your text into that, and then export. BUT one issue is that I know that the only ProRes sequence setting available to you without a capture card is not full size, but based on HDV capture, so 1440×1080 instead of 1920×1080. So you’ll have to go into the settings, duplicate that settings, and then edit it so you can have a 1920×1080, square pixel ProRes 422 settings. Frame rate up to you…23.98, 29.97. And then use THAT setting for your text.

Best editing software to me won’t be the same for you. I cut broadcast TV shows, reality and documentary shows with multiple editors on one episode, so Avid is the best for that. Even long form doc with one editor, I tend to lean on Avid. But Premiere Pro is also one I use. That one is closest to how FCP 7 works, so that might be best for you. Just know that you can’t buy it…you can only rent it. Monthly payments or a bigger yearly one…but once you stop paying, it stops working (STUPID, I know).

FCX, the latest from Apple, costs $299, and you buy it and it’s yours…and all updates are free. But it is also vastly different from any other editing app, so the learning curve will be steep. But I know that those who have it, and use it, love it and think it’s the best thing since sliced turkey.

Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

[Jean Tertrain]

Thank you so much Shane. I show my videos on square cathodic tv’s so I’m not sure what is the best scare format for me but thank you any way, all the information you gave me helped a lot !

Thank you again.
Jean.

[Sunderland Green]

Very appreciate for your sharing!