interlacing and illustrator files

[Darby Edelen]

What you mean to say is that you created all of your assets in Illustrator, right? You used AE to composite them?

If your client wants progressive footage then make sure you are rendering from AE as progressive in the Render Settings.

Other than that, are you doing anything else to your footage after it has been rendered from AE?

Darby Edelen
DVD Menu Artist
Left Coast Digital
Aptos, CA

[Heather Crank]

Hi Darby,

Yes all the assets were created in illustrator and I used Ae to composite them.

The client didn’t specify how they wanted to footage, they only told me that the end was interlacing.

Sooo, should I try rendering lower field first? It’s going to be broadcast at some point.

THANK YOU!

H

[Darby Edelen]

[heather Crank] “The client didn’t specify how they wanted to footage, they only told me that the end was interlacing.”

Interlacing could be good or bad… if you want to play it safe you should render progressive. If you know that the device it’s going to be displayed on is always lower field first then you can render that way (getting rare that you can assume this with HDTVs, but they generally have decent de-interlacers built in).

An image of what they’re complaining about might be helpful, if you rendered interlaced and there is fast motion then you will see interlacing on a progressive (i.e. computer) display, and that’s the way it should be.

Darby Edelen
DVD Menu Artist
Left Coast Digital
Aptos, CA

[Heather Crank]

Hi Darby,

You can see the piece here https://current.com/items/77144342_concrete_jungle

The part that has the issue is the very end with the guy that has his thumbs up.

Thank you for all the suggestions! I REALLY appreciate it!

Heather

[Erik Pontius]

Letting AE generate the fields will help to make the edges of text and graphics crisp when it’s imported into the NLE.
Some edit systems like Avid’s you pick a field order on import so that it knows how to deal with the fields.
Most edit systems are lower field first when dealing with SD, however, some could be upper field first.
You might try rendering with lower field first, making sure that you client is aware.

Erik

[Heather Crank]

Thanks Erik, I’ll give that a try!

Heather

[Steve Roberts]

Heather, here are some notes for you:

1. the interlacing would appear because you chose to render the motion *that AE created* as fields. If you made the layers move, you’d see interlacing on an interlaced render.
2. If you used all Illustrator sources, and rendered interlaced, the entire thing should be interlaced where there is motion. If only one portion of the spot is interlaced, I can only assume that something happened between you and the client.
3. Choosing a filed order should not be a crap shoot. The hardware that converts computer to tape has a very specific requirement for field order. Ask the editor who receives your material what he wants from you: lower first or upper first. If they say “odd” or “even” (bugger) tell them that DV is lower, so what do they call that, odd or even?
4. … but you don’t have to render interlaced at all. I haven’t done it in years. Rendering with no fields )progressive) is perfectly acceptable from a technical standpoint, and gives a look that I prefer, personally.
5. But as in #3, if you do render with fields, you must know which field order you’re choosing and why. It’s not a crap shoot (as in “try this, try that”). Always ask the editor what he/she needs from you. It’s your due diligence as a professional.
6. See if you can buy Chris and Trish Meyer’s Videosyncrasies disc.

Hope that helps …

[Heather Crank]

Thanks Steve! REALLY appreciate you taking the time!

I am beginning to think I need to speak with the editor. I didn’t render with fields originally…so I don’t know where the interlacing is coming from.

Thank you again!

Heather

[Steve Roberts]

Yes, starting a dialogue would be good. Sometimes it’s just a misunderstanding. 🙂

[Kevin Camp]

i can’t see anything that looked like interlacing issues, and if the piece wasn’t interlaced i really couldn’t be intelace issues. or if it was incorrectly imported (into say, avid) as interlaced, it would have noticeable issue through out.

i think they mean anti-aliasing issues as the layers drift, and those will be harder to get rid of. i would try to find out exactly where they see problems. get the time code for bad sections and also the areas they are seeing the problem (like the edges of the thumb, etc.). solutions for anti-aliasing problems can involve softening hard edges, decreasing contrast of edges, adding noise…. none of which are ideal.

Kevin Camp
Designer – KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW