Field selection when rendering movie

[Enzo Tedeschi]

I always check my field render order before rendering my comps. You can set it from your render queue.

Quicktime PAL DV is lower field first, while some others use upper. Make sure you match your output gear, and you should be fine. When rendering for someone elses gear, I often use progressive if the content allows (supers, slower moves etc)

Enzo Tedeschi
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Editor
Sydney, Australia

[Mark Wesley]

Hi Enzo.

Thanks for your comments. Typically, shortly after posting my message, I discovered the little arrow with the drop down options, so I can now set field order. However, the news of the variability of PAL field order is very interesting. I wonder if the variations are listed somewhere? I do know that PAL broadcast here in Britian is upper field first and while it’s less of a problem when viewing on a computer, it sure makes a difference when watching on your basic domestic TV. Particularly with captions and graphics.

Thanks for your help.
Mark

[Enzo Tedeschi]

Mark,

I have seen a few lists posted around the web, but they seem to be full of inaccuracies. As I understand it, a lot of PAL codecs / formats are upper field first. DV seems to be an anomaly as lower. I may stand corrected on that. Avid uncompressed SD works in upper. It’s all over the place.

I usually do a check when doing an FX shot for an unfamiliar project format. Most of the time, you will be affecting a digitised piece of footage, or creating a shot to be re-inserted into an existing sequence. A brief investigation will reveal the field order of what you are woking in, and just make sure you match your AE settings. You can’t really go wrong that way…

And by all means, if you find that (correct) list, please post it here!

Enzo Tedeschi
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Editor
Sydney, Australia

[Mark Wesley]

Thanks Enzo.
Sorry to continue to trouble you, but you mentioned that DV is generally lower field first. I shoot a lot of DVCAM. Bearing in mind the time relationship between the lower and upper field, in a PAL TX upper field first world, how do we get the lower field to appear correctly as the upper field without the reversed time order problem that might accur by using the ‘later’ DV upper field? Or is PAL DV actually upper field first anyway?

Ive just read that paragraph though again and I think I know what I mean!! Do you?

Mark

[Enzo Tedeschi]

It’s no trouble – I’d like an answer myself!

It would seem that the field order of digitised footage depends on the hardware used. Some capture cards are ordered upper-first, others are lower-first. Perhaps once this is played out as a video signal back to a deck, the order doesn’t matter as much as it does to have 50 fields for each PAL second? I’m just guessing, here, as all my googling seems to have come up with nada…

I’ll keep searching!

Enzo Tedeschi
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Editor
Sydney, Australia

[Enzo Tedeschi]

Mark,

I posted the query on the Australian Screen Editors Guild forums, and here is a neat clarification:

https://www.screeneditors.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1270

Enzo Tedeschi
____________________________
Editor
Sydney, Australia

[Mark Wesley]

Thanks Enzo
You and your Australian colleagues have been a great help. I also have checked Google for info and came up with a Creative Cow link that seemed quite helpful:
https://www.creativecow.net/show.php?forumid=1&page=/articles/onneweer_barend/deinterlacing/index.html

My guess is you’ve seen this.

The whole issue is rather like Russian Dolls where each new doll reveals its own version of clarity!!

I’ve been racing ahead with my AFX skills, but have not been paying attention to the basics. I’ll take more care in the future. Once again, thanks for your help.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Mark

[Enzo Tedeschi]

Thanks, Mark. Yes I had seen this one. I was a little more preoccupied with finding out why there was a difference!

It’s been a learning experience for us both!

Have a great Christmas and a awesome ’06.

Enzo Tedeschi
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Editor
Sydney, Australia