export

[Shane Ross]

If you are going to burn with those, then it is best to export as as QUICKTIME MOVIE, self contained using sequence settings. NOT Quicktime Conversion. Then when you import and burn with iDVD or Toast they compress it MPEG-2 for you.

[Nicolas]

can you explain why

[Shane Ross]

Because why…that is what I tell my kids.

Because exporting Quicktime Movie, self contained using timeline settings is lossless. no compression…just a file transfer. Quicktime Compression does just that…compresses. Even if you chose DV/NTSC, it compresses it. Export a lossless movie, and then iDVD will convert that to the file type that plays back on your DVD player.

[Juli Brown]

Shane, I exported a 38 min timeline as QT (was & am having horrible problems just printing to video, cracshing like crazy, so wanted to try this.). So I ended up with an 8GIG file, too big for a 4.7 gig dvd, didnt even try toast. Tried compressor to Mpeg , which took ages , then when I used toast to put it to dvd it wouldnt link the sound.

How can I export a 35 -40 min edited sequence to under 4 gigs. Oh yeah, my irrational and micromanaging boss refuses to believe anything takes more than real time: anything done to a 38 min film must take 38 minutes.

The whole demented timeline thing is (I think) an FCP4.5 interracting with QTPro 7.0.2. Tried to go back to 6.5.2 QT that was worse, FCP stopped recognizing my hardware.

Ps: will try to mixdown audio before next tape output. Wanted to do that tonight but the micromanager said “No” so we spent 4 hours trying other things. OH, and she made me throw out the QT of the timeline that took 1 3/4 hrs to make.

[Shane Ross]

Juli…you are not quite understanding how DVD authoring is done. You 8 GB file is not what you directly put onto the DVD. When you export as a QT movie and get that, you end up with an uncompressed file. You now need to compress it into MPEG-2 for DVD authoring.

If you use iDVD, just open iDVD, import the file and when you burn the disc, then iDVD will compress it properly for you. If you use DVD Studio Pro, then you would run this file thru Compressor using one of the presets. That converts it into file formats that DVD SP uses. No clue about Toast…sorry.

[Juli Brown]

Shane, Thanks for reply, in my original attempt when I saw gthe self-contained QT was 8gig I used Compressor, but despite reading the manual found it oblique. So I ended up with a nice small video file, but no sound. Compressed that after then burned them to dvd with Toast. video ok, sound disn’t come along for the ride. A clearer version of my question is, I guess:

a) is it legit that exporting a 38 min timeline to self contained QT (uncomprssed) takes 1 3/4 hours or so? or have I set something wrong?

b) sould I mixdown the audio before doing this? would that help?

c) is it legit that comprssing 8 gig self-contained QT take about 1 1/2 hrs? or have I set something wrong?

d) from other advice you’ve given (forgive me if I ask the same question several ways) you point out mpeg 2 as the best way to go for conventional dvd. I tried mpeg 1 because the image size is smaller so I thought it might encode faster & burn to dvd quicker, and it was a ruff cut only. Compressor Manual also said conventional dvd players have the ability to playback mpeg1.

In your experience, is compressing to mpeg 1 from self contained QTmovie faster or slower than going to mpeg2?

[Shane Ross]

a) I guess it might depend on your settings, but really, if it is DV material then that does seem rather long. Are you SURE you are not selecting Quicktime Compression and not Quicktime Movie?

b) It makes no difference. That is really for exporting back to tape.

c) See answer to A.

d) DVDs ONLY use MPEG-2 compression. If you compress to MPEG-1, then try to use iDVD, it will recompress that to mpeg-2, making your picture look really bad.

If you use iDVD, export as a Quicktime Movie…self contained, sequence settings. Then inport that directly into iDVD. Pay no heed to the file size at this point…iDVD will compress it. Unless your movie is over 2 hours, then there will be issues.

If you are using DVD SP, then take that exported quicktime movie and use Compressor to compress it for you. There are easy to use presets.

I have no experience compressing mpeg-1 or mpeg-2. I only use iDVD when I need to. Most of the time I go out to tape.

[Juli Brown]

Thanks Shane. Good advice.
I re-exported the timeline as a Quicktime movie tonight & it was 7.5 gig(down from 8) and took 10 min not 1 1/2 hrs. I will try to burn a dvd later.

I did mixdown the audio & am trying to go from the timeline to vhs with mixdown audio now, “print to video”, was having evil trouble with that recently (freezeups).

I’ve never used idvd, but Toast balked at an 8gig Quictime movie file which is whay I tried compressor. will try compressor again after reading the manual more slowly! thanks again. J.