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Exporting master clips to client – what format to use??
I’m about to export a number of movies to my client.
The obvoius one is self-contained ref movies, using the sequence settings. (SD PAL, DV50, widescreen).
But – in order to make sure the client can use the clips, should I also take the time to export to other formats? Most likely the master files will be used (by the client) to transcode to different web formats.
I figure that going higher than DV50 is pointless, but perhaps H.264 with AAC audio?
Any suggestions are highly appreciated!
Niklas
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5 Replies
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Depends on who your client is. If they are technical people just ask for the exact specs. If the client doesn’t know about these things I normally go with a H.264 MOV (just like you suggested).
But I also head cases where they were unable to play anything more advanced then the 10 years old, basic WMV format 🙂Head of Postproduction
Motherlode -
Don’t export a reference movie unless they have all of the original footage on their computer and the proper software to link it all up. Give them a self contained movie instead. H.264 is pretty universal and good quality as well.
E=MC2+/-2db
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Most of my clients can’t tell me what format they want. I ask what do they want to do with it. Most the time they say YouTube and PowerPoint. So I make files that are best for those.
Stephen Smith
Utah Video ProductionsCheck out my Motion Training DVD
Check out my Vimeo page
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Hi Dave,
The problem is that neither I (nor the client) knows what they need.
As I wrote, they need master files (self-contained) in order to somewhere in the future transcode to any web format they have chosen.Today they use Flash. Tomorrow… they don’t know.
Since my footage is DV50 (PAL SD shot on a HPX500) I reckon that going higher than that is of no use. However, I want to make sure they can READ the master file. My guess is that they are all on PC.
One of the good things with QT is that it has support for merely every format from the beginning of QT.
But what about the PC world, then? I’m thinking of going either PNG or M-JPEG A, as well. (I have a 500 GB hard drive that holds 31 GB of the DV50 master clips…)
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Similar answer- They paid for a professional video. Give them the Rez/codec you used. Whether they can read or play it or not. They now have it and the responsibility of you keeping it until the end of time is lessened. Also give them a high quality h264. If you want to save the trouble, make a couple versions. Even the postage stamp sized ones that you can attach to an email.
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