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Compressing HD for the web
Hello,
I’m shooting with a Sony HD camera, however, I don’t have a strong understanding of compressing HD for the web, so it has been keeping me from utilizing my camera’s HD capabilities on some projects. I have been tinkering with Premiere Pro’s Adobe Media Encoder, but can’t seem to get it right, and I’m hoping someone can point me in the right direction so I can begin using HD on the web.
Thanks,
Nathan
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4 Replies
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Can I assume that you are not posting 1080i or 720p files on the web?
That you are looking for a size that makes sense, like 400X224 or maybe 480X270?
Be specific and we will see what we can do to assist you.
Steven
https://www.stevengotz.com -
Yes, I am looking for a size that makes sense, but to be honest, I’m not sure how to calculate the optimal reduction in size. For example, why 400X224 or 480X270?
I have noticed that some sites are offering HD as an option when viewing movie trailers, commercials, etc., and they look great and stream smoothly even at large sizes ((the commercials on Apple’s site are an example). I am finding that the my attempts at compression (using standard settings on the Adobe Encoder for Flash, Real Media, Windows Media, and Quicktime) have resulted in poor video quality, particularly when the video contains significant movement, even for frame sizes that are equal to or smaller than what you suggested. What steps should I follow in order to achieve better results? If that is not specific enough, perhaps you could suggest a good tutorial?
Thank you,
Nathan
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I don’t mean to be rude, but using standard settings will not result in anything of quality for most people.
You should be able to get good Windows Media and Flash 8 out of the Adobe Media Encoder. If you want good results with Quicktime, you really need to purchase Sorenson Squeeze. By the way, their latest patch fixes all problems using the Cineform AVI.
Why did I suggest those sizes? Because most people don’t want to download 100MB files to see a two and a half minute trailer. They might download a third of that though. It depends on the audience.
Apple pays big bucks to compress those into the smallest files possible while maintaining the quality. You can not afford such software is my guess. So Get Sorenson Squeeze to use the Pro codec.
If you can afford the space to put up different versions, then feel free to do so. It all depends on your audience.
If you tell me how long your movie is, what is the minimum size you can accept for your web site, and I will give you a suggestion for a starting point for Windows Media. But the real way to do this is to bring the file size down by reducing the data rate to the point where you hate yourself for going that low and you back off a bit by increasing the data rate.
Steven
https://www.stevengotz.com -
Thank you, Steven. Once I can be more specific, I will post again.
Nathan
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