Compressor 3 – create a job with more than one targets

[Michael Kammes]

I think you’re asking too much of Compressor.

You’re looking for encoding automation, which is a feature found in higher end applications.

Root6’s Content Agent, Telestream Vantage, etc. all support multiple steps and automation for encoding (watch folders, moving files locally/SAN, or uploading)

These systems run $10,000+. Minimum. So, finding it on “free” software, is gonna be impossible.

You may be able to automate simple file moves locally with automator…but as far as the other tasks, you’re gonna have to do it manually…or have an intern do it 😉

~Michael

.: michael kammes mpse
.: senior applications editor . post workflow consultant
.: audio specialist . act fcp . acsr
.: michaelkammes.com

[John Tomlinson]

You don’t need any fancy software. However for about $1000.00 you could install Final Cut Server (FCSVR 1.5) on your laptop or tower and it will do what you want pretty seamlessly in the background.

Here’s the poor mans way:

1. Open compressor, select destinations tab and create the FTP (Remote from the add button) destination (fill out the fields, user and password info) and the local destination (folder on your desktop or work drive for FCP export of .mov’s).

2.Create your compressor setting (or duplicate the setting of your choice and rename for ID purpose and change the inspectors last tab destination) from within Compressor, save as droplet where ever, open droplet and assign destination to to your FTP folder then “Add” the youtube encoding (check mark the publish to youtube box) and add your youtube account info. Now there are 2 compressor jobs in your droplet (looks like the share feature in FCP 7) Close and reopen droplet to make sure it maintained the change. Should look like:

3. Open Automator (yep there’s an application in your Applications Folder called Automator), create new “Folder” action, choose your FCP destination folder as the “Folder Action receives files…”(AKA the “watched” folder). In the Automator Library pane search for the “Open Finder Items” Action, double click or drag to blank area beneath the “Folder Action” area

select the “open with” pop up and choose your droplet. Save! DONE!

If you drop anything in the folder it will get the request and run the droplet. Your only work will be clicking the 2 “Submit” buttons on the droplet. Try it as a possible solution. There may be an issue with the time it takes for your FCP export to finish. In that case don’t export directly to the “watched” folder let FCP export some ware else and you manually drop finished .mov’s to the “watched” folder.

That’s the basic idea.

The alternative is to spend $1k on FCSVR and it’ll do everything in the background including wait for the finished media from FCP export before an automation takes place. The Apple Training Series book FCSVR 1.5 has simple workflows to get you started.

I’ve been playing with launching MPEGStreamClip to do an Automatic trans-code from MJPEG files and played around with this idea last night.

Hope this helps.

JT