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Compressor Ouputs Ugly ProRes SD from EX-3 Original
I have movie files imported into FCP from Sony EX-3 SxS cards via XDCam Transfer utility.
The footage is 1920×1080 30p.
I’ve put these files into Compressor and converted them to ProRes 422 HQ SD, 16×9 Anamorphic (see bottom for summary settings).
They resultant SD movie looks terribly jaggy and soft.
I’ve tried FCS2 and FCS3 with the same result.
I’ve tried successfully using Squeeze to convert these files and they look good using Squeeze, but take a lot longer to convert.What settings do you use to convert these HD EX movies into SD movies?
Name: Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) HD to SD 720x486psf 16×9
Description: Apple ProRes 422 video with audio pass-through. Settings based off the source resolution and frame-rate.
File Extension: mov
Estimated size: 28.28 GB/hour of source
Audio: multi-track passthrough
Video Encoder
Format: QT
Width: 720
Height: 486
Pixel aspect ratio: NTSC CCIR 601/DV (16:9)
Crop: None
Padding: (L: 0, T: 2, R: 0, B: 4)
Frame rate: (100% of source)
Selected: 29.97
Frame Controls: Automatically selected: Off
Codec Type: Apple ProRes 422 (HQ)
Multi-pass: Off, frame reorder: Off
Automatic gamma correction
Progressive
Chroma filtering enabled
Pixel depth: 24
Spatial quality: 50
Min. Spatial quality: 0
Temporal quality: 0
Min. temporal quality: 0____
FCS3
FCP 7.0.3
OS 10.5.8
QT 7.6.6 -
5 Replies
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It takes longer because it is probably doing better calculations with the conversion. To get Compressor to do this, you need to go to the Inspector, and to the FRAME CONTROLS in there, and turn all the FRAME CONTROLS to the BEST settings.
Why are you making this SD? Just curious…
Shane
GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
I’m converting to SD because half of my footage is SD. Deliverable is web only which we’ll do at 16×9.
I’m pretty sure in Frame Controls I looked at changing all the settings to Best, but didn’t see any difference in Compressor’s Preview window between the settings. The ProRes side of the split screen looked soft and jaggy.
Should I have seen a difference in the Preview window? (monitoring a split screen between orig and downconverted codec settings)
Or would I not see the difference until it output the movie? -
I never see the difference until I output, which is why I do small chunks as tests. There are IN and OUT points in Compressor you can use to encode small chunks, and tweak settings. That PREVIEW window never shows me what I will be getting.
SO you’ll be delivering to the web at 720×480 or less? Not in glorious H.264 HD 1280×720? Personally I’d upconvert the SD via Compressor. But I know many wouldn’t…
Shane
GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
As Shane said:
Frame Controls: Automatically selected: Off
That’s ABSOLUTELY your main issue
In my opinion HD to SD always needs resize filter to BEST to look good in Compressor.
Especially when your source has a codec like HDV or XDCAM EX. -
I re-rendered with the frame controls set to “Best” and everything looks good now.
Thank you Shane and Paul.Love,
JeffFinal Cut Studio 5.1, G5 2GHz Dual Processr, 2.5Gb RAM, AJA IO
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