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Export Dimensions
This was posted in the Avid Editing Basics forum last week but didn’t see much in the way of definitive answers, so I’m reposting it here in hopes of greater feedback.
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I thought I knew this topic well enough but a recent situation has me wanting to double check what I thought and expand a bit.
We’re on Avid using DV format (720×480 non-square, right?). I export from Avid all the time for importing into After Effects (into a DV comp) and haven’t had problems. I recently exported from Avid for importing into Sorenson and my video looked too wide.
Question 1) Do I need to use different export settings for clips that end up in AE than for clips that end up in Sorenson, r directly to WMV or AVI where it’s square pixels only. At first I didn’t think so but I’m second guessing myself based on AE using non-square pixels in a DV comp, as opposed to Sorenson which (apparently) doesn’t differentiate between non-square and square pixels.
Question 2) You’ll notice I didn’t even mention what my previous export dimension settings were. Good, we’ll forget the past. What should my export dimension settings be in Avid if I’m editing DV format in Avid and I intend to import the exported clip into After Effects for use in a DV comp (which will then be exported from AE back into Avid again). I know the answer should be obvious but I’m just checking.
2b) Depending on the answer to question 1, what would the dimensions be if the end result were going to be imported into Sorenson or directly into some other square pixel only file format?
Question 3) Same situations as question 2… what about the “Display Aspect Ratio” setting? I had mine previously set to Native but now I’d like a more complete description of what this setting actually does. In particular, does it make a difference depending on where you’ll be using the exported clips (AE, Sorenson, directly to WMV or AVI)?
Thanks so much in advance for the clarification
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2 Replies
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1) When I export to Sorenson, with the final product going to the web, I export to Square Pixels. This way, a circle will look like a circle on my computer screen. If I’m going to DVD, though, I keep it same as source – 720 x 480 non-square. I haven’t had problems with this.
2) If you’re 720 x 480 non-square in Avid, export a quicktime reference to AE (or same as source if AE is on another system), then make sure After Effects properly interprets it. Should be 720 x 480, .9 (Non-square, or 1.2 if widescreen), and lower field first. Render out to 720×480, lower field first, .9 (or 1.2 if widescreen anamorphic).
2.1) If you’re rendering out of AE for Sorenson and your final deliver will square pixels (say, the Web), I would make a 720×540 or 640×480 comp, drop my final AE comp into there, and size to fit. Render to square pixels.
3) Not sure what you mean. Which app?
Hope this helps. And I hope I’m right about all of the above. It’s what I’ve been doing, and so far it’s been working great.
Michael.
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Re: #3
In Avid near the bottom of the export settings dialog there’s a setting for “Display Aspect Ratio” (separate from the actual dimensions above it). There’s not much explaining this in detail in the help files.
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