First Time Nattress G Converter User – Having Issues

[Hilleke Doevendans]

I had a similar problem converting PAL to NTSC. My first suggestion is email Graeme at Nattress. He’s very helpful and responds quite quickly.

Here’s what he suggested I check (can’t remember which one worked but something did. Keep in mind this is for PAL to NTSC not NTSC to PAL):

Things to check:

1) that the NTSC sequence really is NTSC – that it’s 29.97fps

2) that you drop the same PAL clip into the source well as you dropped on the timeline and they have the same in point.

3) Filter is set to PAL to NTSC. Nesting should be off, rest of settings are probably ok.

4) Don’t export direct to compressor from FCP. Export a movie out first by File -> Export -> Quicktime Movie, keep current settings, make self contained.

Hope that helps,

Graeme

[Graeme Nattress]

So when you drop the NTSC clip into the PAL timline, it could look gnarly. That clip is only holding a place for the converter though. Ensure your timeline is PAL – FCP will change it for you under the guise of optimizing the timeline for the clip, so say no to it, if it asks.

In the converter, check your field orders are correct.

Any problems beyond that, email me, and perhaps arrange to send me a small clip to look at and I can determine best settings for you.

Graeme

– http://www.nattress.com – Film Effects and Standards Conversion for FCP

[Andrew Saliga]

Thanks for the tips Hilleke. I’ve checked my process, and it matches the brief bit you quoted from Graeme.

Graeme,

Thanks for the response. Great to see someone backing and supporting what they sell.

Anyways, I am uploading some sample footage to our FTP here so you can download it. How can I contact you to give you the login info?

While this is uploading, I’ll explain my workflow in more detail. (Last night was a rush attempt at output, but luckily the client has made some last second changes.)

The content of the original clip is 2D animation. Unfortunately the trail that these clips have travelled along is quite complicated as it’s between 5 animators/editors and 3 programs.

Most scenes were created in Flash at 33fps. (Why 33? – I don’t know…) (The segment of clip I am sending you for review never touched Flash at was created in AE.) These Flash exports were brought into After Effects to add the FX and rendered out of AE in ProRes422 codec 720×480 33fps. An FCP project was created at 720×480 29.97fps ProRes422 HQ to cut together scenes and add the sound FX, etc.. The master was exported from this FCP sequence. Animation codec, 29.97fps, 720×480.

I set up the FCP project for the conversion by first choosing Easy Setup, then specifiying 25fps and ProRes as my codec. I did the nesting and other steps that you outlined in the video on your site and the PDF that came with the plugin.

As far as the specific settings I chose in the effects control panel, NTSC-PAL conversion. Source as Lower field dominant, and output as Upper. (Possibly noteworthy is the fact that the output from this conversion, and Compressor’s for that matter, had no field dominance even when selecting Upper for output.) I unchecked the NTSC DV footage checkbox.

After looking at this whole process, I do see some areas where the workflow needs to be tightened up. I think, ideally, it should all stay in Animation codec at 29.97 until the master is output from FCP. Since this is all animated content I see no need to introduce any interlacing until final output for NTSC and PAL DVD.

-Andrew Saliga

Steelehouse Productions
http://www.steelehouse.com

[Andrew Saliga]

I’m still looking into this, and I’ve picked up on one more bit of info.

Last night I set up two conversions with Nattress, each in different edit suites. Neither of them were able to convert NTSC to PAL without producing this “artifcating/interlacing” issue.

I believe you are correct Graeme when you say that it’s FCP causing this. I see the odd result when scrubbing through NTSC footage in the PAL sequence before the effect is even applied.

I didn’t convert in my suite because the boxes in the other suites are faster, but there is also another potentially notable difference. They have AJA Kona 3 cards and I am on a AJA Kona LHe. The only difference that I know of in the FCP setup is that last night I set the sequences to “AJA Kona 3 PAL ProRes 422HQ” and here on my box today it’s “AJA Kona LH PAL ProRes 422HQ”.

Could the hardware be handling it differently, because it looks fine here on my box with the Kona LHe today? Will this even affect the output if I am applying the filter correctly?

-Andrew Saliga

Steelehouse Productions
http://www.steelehouse.com

[Paul Dickin]

[Andrew Saliga] “I see the odd result when scrubbing through NTSC footage in the PAL sequence before the effect is even applied. “
Hi
This is the significant part of Graeme’s response above:
[Graeme Nattress] “when you drop the NTSC clip into the PAL timline, it could look gnarly. That clip is only holding a place for the converter…”

Because of FCP’s ‘gnarly’ treatment of the clips in its Sequence, the Nattress ‘converter’ has to do the render on its own, away from FCP, and then dump its correctly rendered/field-blended output back into FCP’s timeline render files.

So you only get to see the results in full resolution AFTER the conversion has happened – its not clear from your posts whether you’ve ever let it get that far…

[Andrew Saliga]

Sorry. I guess I was caught up in all the other details. Yes, I’ve exported the full sequence as well as shorter test segments out of FCP. What I do not understand is why it’s looking fine on my box but not boxes in other suites when I scrub through the NTSC clip in the PAL sequence – regardless of whether or not it should or should not affect the end output.

I tried to upload some screenshots, but it didn’t work. Instead, here is a ZIP of all five samples. I’ve included a screenshot of the same frame from: the NTSC master, Compressor conversion, Nattress conversion on computer with Kona LHe, Nattress conversion on computer with Kona LHe (smart deinterlace option selected), and Nattress conversion from computer with Kona 3. All images are labeled accordingly in the archive.

-Andrew Saliga

Steelehouse Productions
http://www.steelehouse.com

[Andrew Saliga]

Just realized I forgot the link.

https://f1.creativecow.net/74/conversion-screenshots

-Andrew Saliga

Steelehouse Productions
http://www.steelehouse.com