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Graphics with Apple ProRes HQ
Posted by Marina Petrovskaia on May 19, 2008 at 3:42 pmI am creating a montage sequence in FCP 6.0.3 using still images. I resize them in Photoshop to fit the frame size of my sequence (1920X1080, Apple ProRes HQ) and get 1620X1080 as the maximum size without cropping. I import the files directly in FCP. When I view the clips on a timeline, they look soft. When I pause on the image, it sharpens. To solve this problem, I replaced each image with its still-frame counterpart created in FCP from the same timeline. Now the images stay sharp whey I play the sequence. As soon as I start editing the same sequence applying video-transitions, I loose the sharpness. I am using Apple Cinema Display to preview my sequence.
Why am I loosing sharpness? What is the best way to edit still images in FCP?
Marina Petrovskaia
Marina Petrovskaia
MFA, Film and Media Arts, Temple University 2003Marina Petrovskaia replied 17 years, 3 months ago 5 Members · 7 Replies -
7 Replies
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David Roth weiss
May 19, 2008 at 3:59 pmMarina,
You need to render the timeline making certain that “Full” is checked in the Render All dropdown.
Also, set your canvas view to 100%.
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los AngelesPOST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™
A forum host of Creative COW’s Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums.
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Chris Borjis
May 19, 2008 at 4:20 pmbe aware also that even rendered you may see softness in the image and shifting of the image slightly on transitions.
Thats ok though, as the final rendered output file will be perfect.
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Jeremy Garchow
May 19, 2008 at 4:56 pm[Chris Borjis] “be aware also that even rendered you may see softness in the image and shifting of the image slightly on transitions.
Thats ok though, as the final rendered output file will be perfect.”
Sorry but, this is not true. As long as your timeline is fully rendered with the full option checked in your preferences, you should not see this.
Jeremy
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Chris Borjis
May 19, 2008 at 5:05 pmJeremy, it is true, I’ve seen it with my own eyes here.
I had a .jpg series of stills, that on a FULLY rendered timeline would shift several pixels up or down that was unacceptable.
However, the exported quicktime was totally fine.
If I had to edit this to tape, I could not have done it from the timeline, I would have had to export it standalone then edit that to tape.
It seems like a bug in 6.01 or quicktime for sure. Definitely not something it should be doing when full quality rendering is on.
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Troy Lanier
February 15, 2009 at 5:24 pmMarina,
I am having a similar problem. Did you ever solve your issue, and if so could you share it with this thread.
Thanks
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Jeremy Garchow
February 15, 2009 at 5:31 pm[Troy Lanier] “I am having a similar problem”
Are you also not using an external monitor?
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Marina Petrovskaia
February 16, 2009 at 7:42 pmTroy,
Yes, I solved the problem, but only at the editing stage. I think I will have more problems when I am ready to output my sequence. I will appreciate any feedback.
I am creating a sequence out of still images for photo portfolio in FCP 6.0.5. My settings are Apple Pro Res 422 HQ 1920X1080, interlaced, 29.97. I have a Mac Pro 2 x 2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon with 5 GB of RAM.
Originally, I imported still images resized 1620X1080 or 720X1080 to fit different displays without cropping. I had the following problem: the images on the timeline did not look sharp and clear even after rendering full quality. I used Apple Cinema Display to view my timeline. In addition, the sequence did not play without dropped frames.
I added io HD to my editing station and selected AJA Apple Pro Res HQ setup. I use a 1080i HDTV as a monitor. I keep my primary and secondary video format 1080i.
All problems with color image quality have been solved. The sequence plays well without dropped frames. I am able to manipulate two video tracks and three audio tracks at a time. I use transitions, but not much, just because it is not my stylistic approach. I have to render every edit in full to see the full quality, but my system handles this quite fast. I do color correction for each photograph using three-way color corrector in FCP. At this point, I am satisfied with the quality of the playback and am able to show my rough cut for feedback. I have not tested the output yet. I would like to do the following: getting a recording deck with HD/SDI capability to print 1920-1080i from io HD. I consulted with AJA tech support on this. They assured me that I should be able to print to video exactly what I am watching on my monitor. I would love to have a high quality master on mini dv tape too. I think the best way to go is to get Sony HVR deck that should print 1920-1080 sequence on mini DV. I will appreciate any feedback on output. I did not test in full export to DVD yet.
There is a problem with b&w images though. Some parts of most b&w images look not rendered in full on HDTV Display, The distorted part is stretched horizontally in the bottom area of the frame or in the bottom corners. There are some color lines in the unrendered areas of b&w images. The problem is consistent with the same b&w images, but there are few b&w images that are perfect. After numerous attempts to reimport the “bad” images and edit them in different parts of the sequence, they still behave the same way. I consulted with AJA. They suggested that I might try to render my sequence using not HQ Pro Res settings. I changed Pro Res HQ to Pro Res. I have everything looking good at the moment. Some experts say that there is almost no difference between Pro Res and Pro Res HQ. I think I can see some very little difference on my Samsung HDTV. HQ, especially with color images, looks sharper in my opinion.
Marina Petrovskaia
Documentary
Cinewindow Productions
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