Is it Fable or Absolutely True? Edit in low-res

[David Hunter]

Of course I realize my last question about whether to keep editing with DVCPRO HD is a new question contrary to my original thread question about FASTER Render for the editing of HD.

I am guessing…have not tried it yet…that for my original question about creating a low-res, faster render project for more like an offline session I could copy the high resolution clips contained in the main project bin into a new bin in the same project and then send them out to Compressor to batch convert to a lower resolution, lower file size version that still keeps the original frame rate and frame size, such as 1440 X 1080 pixels. Import them back and use that bin with the same Compressor codec as the project timeline setting.

When time comes to re-enocde to the highest quality I could reset the project properties to the higher DVCPRO HD or ProRes settings, close the project, re-open FCP 7, make sure I have the last .fcp file, and then open up the high-resolution bin….and do something to make sure that I can lay all of these back into the finished project timeline for a re-render at the higher resolution encoding….

This is my guess at a possible workflow but I must be missing some necessary steps or shortcuts.

[Shane Ross]

[David Hunter] “Shane, I actually bought one of your books two years ago and it was very helpful as I was just getting introduced to FCP.”

Book? I wrote a book? I don’t remember writing a book. COOL! What’s it called? I want a copy!

[David Hunter] “Shooting with DVCPRO HD 50 in the Panasonic AG-HVX200A “

Uhh…you mean DVCPRO 100, or DVCPRO HD. DVCPRO 50 is a Standard Def format. Or do you mean DVCPRO HD PAL (thus 50?)

[David Hunter] “Technically shouldn’t this DVCPRO HD 4:2:2 codec be even higher quality (more original information) than converting it to any ProRes native Apple codec since any conversion is an algorithmic interpolation or corruption of the first data, in a strictly technical sense? “

Well…yes. Converting to any other format means loss of quality. Some people…not me…like to convert to ProRes because DVCPRO HD is an 8 bit codec and ProRes is 10-bit, so they feel like they have better quality…or they want to really push things in Color Correction and want the extra bits. I can say that I edited, color corrected and delivered 3 two hour specials and 16 episodes from two different series by capturing and editing DVCPRO HD from the start, no conversion, and it looked great. No issues. Transcoding this format, IMHO, is a waste of time and resources. But that’s MHO…

[David Hunter] “If I keep the sequence at DVCPRO HD for the whole process until it is time to take it into the final delivery medium such as online video, or broadcast NTSC or PAL interlaced, or progressive HDTV…etc isn’t this the time at the end to convert it to one of the ProRes codecs or H.264, etc? “

I sure think so!

Shane

GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

[David Hunter]

HI SHANE, thanks for taking the time to comment!

Now that I look back I bought two books and I must have been confusing you with Lonzell Watson!

As for DVCPRO HD 50 I was confused again. referring to the camera setup that allows shooting up to 50 frames per second. And yes you are correct that sometimes the DVCPRO HD codec has a “100” appended.

As far as picking up 2 bits–from native 8 bit DVCPRO HD to 10 bit PRO RES–are you implying or working under the premise that this gives you extra specs room to play with when Color Correcting?

Are you working in ProRes 422?–the one called “an intermediate codec intended for video editing and not for end user viewing”?

Or do you use ProRes 4444?

Apple says this: “The family now includes ProRes 422 (Proxy), ProRes 422 (LT) and ProRes 4444, in addition to the original ProRes 422 and ProRes 422 (HQ).”

One more area of confusion is that it seems if you are preparing clips for online…the variants of mpeg, or .flv files, or QuickTime mov files that now you have to dumb it down even farther because these are just wrapper formats that depend on the client side online to be able to decode the CODEC you used when creating an online player friendly version. And that this extends to .flv files controlled by a .swf file or to Flash Video encoding.

So if you have a video that will be mastered to DVD, yet also clipped for Youtube, Vimeo, etcetera…and Quicktime video players you have to abandon the ProRes codec or the ten thousand other codecs to re-encode for some things like H.264 because of more widespread codec support for online video purposes.

I have videos running on various websites in .mov and .flv formats and this compatability of codecs seems to be the small hole in the hourglass that all the sand of competing recording and editing codecs has to pass through to reach the web.