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question: best way to import jpegs to make animation
Hello, I am making an animation by scanning hand drawn pics into Photoshop, manipulating them, then saving them as jpegs & importing into Final Cut.
However, there is a noticable difference in quality to the jpegs in Final Cut from the originals.
This is my first time, and know only the basics.
What is the best way to keep the maximum quality when importing?
The specs:
The canvas size for the jpeg:
width: 10.417 inches
height: 8.042 inches
resolution: 72 inches per inch1. Should I be saving the images (from Photoshop to jpeg) at a different size?
2. I am unsure of my ‘output’ for the animation (HD, etc), so am unsure of what the sizes of the frames should be – what should the default size be & how do I control this?Also, on a different note, I have some files that I am ‘overlaying’. I now find those frames will no longer render. In fact, the movie no longer renders selected sequences.
3. Have I reached some sort of maximum size allowance, so that Final Cut no longer functions as it should?
or
4. Is my movie somehow corrupted?
or
5. Is it that I haven’t enough free space on my computer and so affects Final Cut?Please excuse my ignorance! Thanks.
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10 Replies
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Try exporting TIFF files instead of jpegs. As for the space on your computer, get info on your hard drive and make sure you have enough free space to do what you’re intending to do.
Thanks,
Mike -
You would do better to output TIFFs at the exact frame size you want to use them in FCP – SD or HD – no idea what your final output format is. Keep the dpi as 72 for any video work. This assumes you do not want to do any moves etc. in FCP.
However, I suspect that your comments about quality in FCP are not just to do with the scaling, it’s also to do with the fact that the canvas in FCP DOES NOT PLAY IN FULL QUALITY. Please look at the FAQs (link in menu bar above) – you need to view your project on a video monitor, not a computer one.
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Hi John, you need to familiarize yourself with how sequence settings work. There is lots of info on the Cow and other places on the web (and of course, the FCP manual). But before you do too much work, you have to decide what you want your final product’s tech specs to be. HD, Standard def? WIdescreen? 4×3? etc… What’s your framerate? 23.98 (aka 23.976) is the most common for animation.
It’s not clear from your post if you are doing frame by frame “cel” style animation, and you just need to assemble the drawings in FCP, or are you importing lots of elements and using FCP to add movement? (or maybe a bit of both)
Matt Lyon
Editor
Toronto -
If I’m creating graphics in Photoshop I always save them as tiff or TARGA, generally twice the frame size at 72 dpi. I always get excellent results.
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Thanks, Mike, a couple of others said Tiff as well. As for the rendering, I have 38 gigs on my computer free, but FCP said I needed to go into ‘memory’ in system settings and increase capacity. It doesn’t seem to work …
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Thanks, Ben,
TIFF appears the go. I will go back and resave. As for output, it will just be for the web – websites and such (for now. I may eventually want to output it in different formats… Sorry I can’t be more specific – it’s a video for a band at the moment and just that). I am doing no manipulating in FCP, it is all just putting cells next to each other, except for a couple of times when I use the ‘overlay’ effect for cells (this is where I am now unable to render. FCP manual said go to system settings>memory cache and change things there, but it still doesn’t seem to want to render…)
As for: ‘it’s also to do with the fact that the canvas in FCP DOES NOT PLAY IN FULL QUALITY.’ – brilliant information.
Cheers!
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TIFF it will be, thanks!
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Hi Matt,
Basically I’ve jumped in with minimal know how and have been doing okay up til now, but, obviously, there are things you need to know – it’s not magic! I am doing a ‘cell’ animation – basically making each frame in Photoshop, saving as jpegs (I now have found out it’s better to use TIFFS) and importing to FCP – not using FCP for any manipulation (only non-side-by-side cell stuff is for a couple of times when I use the ‘overlay’ effect for cells – placing 2 on top of each other – which is where I am now unable to render. FCP manual said go to system settings>memory cache and change things there (change to what?), but it still doesn’t seem to want to render…)
As for output, at the moment just be for the web – websites and such (for now. I may eventually want to output it in different formats… Sorry I can’t be more specific – it’s a video for a band at the moment and just that. However, I am happy enough with it so far to be thinking of trying to push it outside of the band, so then I will have to decide an output).
Thanks for the reply and sorry to just be confusing!
John
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Hey mate, thanks for the response. I can go back and resize my j pegs – but what size should they be in pixels?
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Hi Dave I have a question regarding pictures as well, I have some logos that I have put on my film and they display to big for the end product on my TV , but look fantastic on my pc , can you help me in the right direction , kind regards Steve
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