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FCP to AE and back
What is the best way to retain video(4:3NTSC) quality exporting from FCP to AE and back? Ive been doing this for years and never found a satisfying codec. Uncompressed (animation) is out of the question for most of my work simply because the files end up being 12 gigs and lag terribly in AE. I’ve been trying the new PRORES422(HQ), but after exporting in AE with those files, they put several lines through my video that look like a digital goof. My AE settings might be bad: I usually just select DV-NTSC and press render. I deal with a lot of blue screen footage so in order to keep my keys looking clean I need to get this right. The less noticable de-generation from export to export the better. Thanks fo taking time to read =)
-Also, does AE automatically retain interlacing after rendering?
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10 Replies
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Photo JPEG works pretty well
Thank You
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Yep, Photo-JPEG at about 89-90% quality works well. Also try “8-bit uncompressed”. There used to be issues with ProRes and AE, but i thought they were fixed. Hmph.
Oftentimes, the best option is to do this:
1. export from FCP using the current sequence settings (i.e. no changes)
2. render in AE to the same codec as the FCP sequence
3. import into FCP, and drop into the sequence with no rendering necessary thereOtherwise, if you render in AE to Animation (or whatever non-FCP-sequence codec you want), FCP would have to render that clip to match the sequence settings anyway. Right?
As for your keys, to keep them clean, you need to shoot in something better than DV — that’s where you have to watch the quality: at the camera, right? Now, you can try the keyer from DVgarage — I hear it’s good.
But, if I shoot DV and edit DV, I render DV.
Regarding interlacing, it works like this with interlaced clips:
– if you want to move/scale/blur/distort the clip, you need to separate fields (interpret footage). I’ve never keyed interlaced footage, but I’d imagine you should separate fields for keying as well. Hm. Anybody?
– if you want to render with fields, you have to choose to do so in the Render Settings in the Render Queue. -
Wow, K. Ill definitely try photo-jpeg. Im assuming it de-interlaces, which might be a problem.
If I want to separate the fields, is the best way to do that in FCP or AE (interpret footage/ main/ separate fields)?
After I’ve separated the fields to animate the frames, do I need to re-interlace before rendering? Or am I forever stuck with progressive frames?
Also, Ive tried current settings in FCP before and always thought it lost a bit of quality. Am I crazy?
I will remember to select render with fields in my render queue though, THANKS!
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Thanks. By Reference movie. That is going to revolutionize my life Im sure of it.
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Thanks for the keying info, Dave.
But … I was under the impression that a self-contained FCP export, in a sequence with no rendering, just creates a new file with no recompression, if you deselect “recompress all frames”. In the case of intraframe-compressed files, with access to all discrete frames, isn’t this so …?
https://www.lafcpug.org/Tutorials/basic_export_files.html
key phrase: “The quality and contents of the reference and self-contained movie are identical.”…?
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Should I use DVNTSC when exporting from AE still then? Or photo-jpeg? Wouldnt I lose my interlacing if I did a photo-jpeg?
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Ah. My assumption, as always, Dave, is that we’re talking cuts-only in FCP. No effects, or otherwise mussin’.
… and my reason 5, which is most compelling:
“5. You expect to lose the original file at some point.” 🙂Regarding the Duck, I’m not at the Duckbox right now. Anybody? Wes?
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Sorry, I didnt mean “export” I meant render… I only ever use the Render queue.
I am using Keylight for my keys, and the problem I am having is with the terrible blocky edges. I didnt know if it had to do with my compression, interlacing, pixel aspect ratio, or something else that I am totally unaware of.
I recently de-interlaced, and saw a bit of a difference on my keys. They smoothed out a bit.
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Good discussion/refresher, but I noticed no one mentioned Keylight in AE. Not sure where your issues with blue/green screen are, but I find Keylight to be the only way to key footage. I have AdvantEdge and FCP keyer and AVID keyer and they’re good, but I think Keylight blows them away. Could a bad keyer be part of the issue?
greydogcreative.com
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Dave I noticed that you mentioned this thread in another post and tracked it down.
I have created a sequence in AE (not touched FCP) and now need to get it onto tape. The AE sequence contains 78 layers staggered along the timeline. The project uses the PAL D1/DV preset and is 4:3.
It contains:
pre-comps
QT Movies with photo-jpeg codec
QT Movies with Avid Compressed codec
wav audio
3 adjustment layers with Lens flare effectsThe material is a 50:50 mix of library footage (QT photo – jpeg) and animated material (QT Avid codec). Duration of the piece is 3 minutes.
I tried the “export to Premiere Pro Project”, opened it in Premiere and then rendered it. The adjustment layers with the lens flare appear as white, and the pre-comps are all wrong. Audio is good though! No joy there.
So exporting a QT ref for FCP is out the window as well for similar reasons.
So I assume I need to render a self-contained movie. Is my best route to stick to QT with Avid compressed (2:1) the way my pre-renders are, or should I use another method? And is there any difference using FCP or Premiere? As you might have worked out, my background is Avid hence my choice of codec.
Playback is via projector onto a large screen only, probably off a DVCam player.
As ever your advice and those of your colleagues is greatly appreciated.
Scott
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