Media Manager Does Not Delete Unused Media When Recompressing.

[David Michael]

Go into the browser and assign all your clips a reel number, I’ll bet that column is blank. After they have a reel number they’ll slim down no problem. Only issue is that when you change the reel number it says “This will affect the file on the disk” and I don’t know what effect that will have on your offline project. I copied everything to another drive, changed the reel number then exported to whatever when I ran into this problem – but that may have been overly cautious. Good luck.

-David

[Shane Ross]

If you plan on using COLOR to color correct this, do not transcode to ProRes 4444. There is a bug in Color (that will never get fixed as it is now EOL) where any ProRes 4444 footage gets clamped at 98IRE on the high end, and 0 IRE on the low end. Very undesirable.

Besides the fact that ProRes 444r is overkill for 5D footage…anything over ProRes 422 is. The only thing you gain with HQ or 4444 over ProRes 422 with HDSLR footage is file size. Between 1.5 and 2x larger files…with no color space benefit. H.264 is an 8-bit codec, and HQ is designed for 10-bit formats. As is 4444…but it is also meant for use in graphics, to preserve alphas. Not much as a finishing codec. HQ is for that…for 10 BIT CODECS. For 5D, ProRes 422 will be fine. Anything more just eats up space.

BUT, up to you. Might make your clients happy that you used HQ. Just know that 4444 is a big problem with Color.

Shane

GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
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[David Michael]

Thanks Shane,

The information surrounding this is basically completely all over the place if you are searching the forum. When I trouble-shot the workflow for the project I’m on now based on the mistakes that were made in setting up the project by the assistant, I read in one place that LT does the best job of preserving image quality because it is similar in bitrate to the original and that anything higher is actually bad for the footage. Then I read that Prores 422 was best, but that if you are going to send the project to a colorist or a VFX house to put it into 4444.

Anyhow, that’s where I made up my mind to just cut in proxy for speed, reconnect to h264, then transcode to 4444 for the finishing team. I wish the production actually had a finishing team right now for me to get specs from, but unfortunately, there isn’t. So anyways, I’m sure you are right about not needing to go higher than regular 422. Hell, it would have been a lot easier from the get go.

-David

[Shane Ross]

[David Michael] “Then I read that Prores 422 was best, but that if you are going to send the project to a colorist or a VFX house to put it into 4444.”

IF THEY REQUEST IT. VFX I can see going 4444 maybe. MAYBE. Colorist? Not if they are using COLOR. I got files like that and had nothing but issues. When they resent them as HQ (still more than I wanted, I requested 422) Color worked properly. But 4444 is so much overkill for DLSR footage it isn’t funny. Yet everyone seems to think that because it is the highest data rate, it must be better.

But always ask the people you are sending footage to what THEY want. Don’t ask us…ask them. And never assume you know. Always ask.

Shane

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