Best video format for AE CS3 & Final Cut Studio 2

[Walter Soyka]

[quincy hall] “My question is: What is the most reliable footage format to use in AE CS3 and Final Cut Pro Studio 2 ? I’ve had this problem with AE: https://forums.creativecow.net/thread/2/947990 In addition I’ve not always been able to import video into final cut until I updated my Quicktime.”

What codec were you using? The problem described in that thread is usually associated with temporally compressed footage, like MPEG2 or H264.

[quincy hall] “I’ve come to the conclusion that your standard jpg encoded .mov is the way to go. Am I right? My software is dated, so I can see my choices are a little limited.”

You could use JPG in Quicktime as you mentioned, but it’s lossy. Animation or PNG codecs (in a Quicktime wrapper) are both lossless, and both preserve transparency.

ProRes might be a good option for you, too — just check out Todd Kopriva’s blog post about preventing gamma shift with ProRes in CS3.

Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
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[Quincy Hall]

Thanks guys. I’m getting started with my project today I appreciate all the help.