-
Mixing SD and HD footage in the same timeline
I’ve read a few posts on this topic, but some of them were relatively old. So I thought I would refresh the topic.
I’m using Adobe CS5.5. What is the best way to combine SD DV and HD 1920×1080 footage on the same project/timeline? And I suppose the answer depends on if I’m burning to DVD or Blu-ray? Well, how about both:
For DVD…
-Should I scale the HD footage down in Premiere? If so, should I still use ‘Maximum Render Quality’ in Encore?
-Or should I scale the SD footage up on an HD timeline and let Encore convert everything back down to SD?For Blu-ray…
-I suppose the only option is to scale the SD footage up and use 1920×1080 timelines all the way.
-Are the upscale converters (Red Giant, Boris) worth it? Preference?And if it’s not too much to ask…what are your preferred transcode settings in Encore for Blu-ray discs? This is my first dive into HD and I want to make sure I get the best quality possible.
Thanks for all the help.
Bruno71 -
5 Replies
-
Hi Mike,
When the final delivery is SD, you do NOT want to upscale SD footage to HD, then back down again, it kills the SD clip quality! If you must deliver BOTH DVD and Blu-ray, you could edit in an HD sequence, then create an SD sequence and copy/paste the edits to it to retain the native SD quality for the DVD export.
Before beginning, in Edit> Prefs > General there is a checkbox for “Scale to Frame Size” – if you select this, then any clip you import will automatically match the sequence you place them in. If changing checkbox after import of clips, you can set Scale to Frame manually by right-clicking each clip in timeline.
Note that HD titles do NOT scale in an SD sequence. If memory serves, you can open the title in the titler, hit the button to make “New title based on current”, and that copy will be made at the SD frame size, then just right-click the title on the timeline and use Replace with Clip from Bin and that will substitute the SD title copy, pretty painless.
You are correct that if exporting an HD timeline to DVD, use the Max Render Quality setting for best downscale quality, but again, don’t incorporate SD footage into HD project for this purpose.
Regarding upscale conversion software, I had purchased the Boris Continuum UpRez Unit software a couple years ago for a project I did and it definitely improved the upconvert quality compared to Adobe scaling. There are likely other options out there as well
Thanks
Jeff Pulera
Safe Harbor Computers -
Thanks Jeff! This is some great information. So I guess the next question is:
If my footage is HD and my target disc is SD, should I…
A) Create an SD timeline with the scaled-down HD footage in Premiere and then burn a DVD in Encore? (do I still need MRQ?)
B) Or create an HD timeline in Premiere and let Encore convert it to DVD with MRQ?Thanks.
~bruno71
-
Hi Mike,
When editing HD footage, use an appropriate HD sequence to match, then use MRQ for the export to MPEG-2 DVD. Best to “keep it HD” during the editing to maximize quality of titles, graphics, effects, and of course downconversion at the end with MRQ.
You will also be able to produce HD content for YouTube and such if desired as well.
Jeff Pulera
Safe Harbor Computers -
Thanks for all the help, Jeff.
~bruno71
-
hello help me
i need encore dvd menu template
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up