Rendering a ChromaKey

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The only thing that seems odd is that you used the unsharp mask. You shouldn’t have to use that on a good key.

I propose the following test: shorten the work area to 10 seconds by going to the 10-second mark in the timeline and hitting the n (for eNd) key. Now duplicate the comp. Delete the unsharp mask from the duplicated comp’s effects, and give the duplicated comp a new name… perhaps “no unsharp” for clarity’s sake.

Add both comps to the Render Queue, a topic which is covered in AE Help. Use the same codec to render both comps.

Parenthetically, unless you have no other choice, it’s better to Render in AE than it is to Export. The two terms are not interchangable in AE.

When the rendering’s done, you can re-open the Render Queue and look at the time it took to render the two clips. If the times aren’t all that different, there’s something wrong with your installation, or perhaps with your Open GL settings.

Open GL: a nice idea, but because of the varying capabilities of video cards, not the world’s best way for the unitiated to accelerate the rendering process.

Dave LaRonde
Sr. Promotion Producer
KCRG-TV

[Gregory Leno]

Thanks for the reply.
When I check the openGL, what should my settings be?

The only reason I used the unsharp mask is that my footage has some focus problems. As near as we can determine someone along the line messed up the back focus setting on the camera…long story short… I need to do something to help get this footage a litte sharper.

Would it be better to sharpen after the key?

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For now, you’re just running a test. We’re just trying to track down what’s going on in AE, not making a final product.

So turn Open GL off, which eliminates it as a factor in your render woes. Use the precedures described above. AND to it, make a SECOND duplicate of your original comp… but with NO EFFECTS WHATSOEVER applied. Now you’ll have a total of three comps.

And when you get rid of any of these effects, delete ’em right out of the layer. Don’t just turn ’em off, get rid of ’em. Why? AE defaults to rendering all effects, whether they’re turned on or not… which could leave you scratching your head, asking why all three clips look the same.

The comp containing no effects will render the fastest, followed by the comp with chroma key only, and then the comp with the chroma key and the unsharp mask. Remember, these comps only have to be 10 seconds long… five seconds if you’re impatient.

As these comps render out, you should keep your eye on the render queue. There’s a “details” twirly thing which you should open, and note the time it takes for a frame to render in each kind of comp.

Of course, by turning Open GL off, you may have solved your problems. But whatever happens in this test, do report back in!

Dave LaRonde
Sr. Promotion Producer
KCRG-TV