Seeking Guidance on optimal Transcode Formats: New to CS6 work flow and realize I must quickly absorb info and Update…

[Ryan Holmes]

Transcode to ProRes or DNxHD. Those are probably your best options. Prelude to AME will work fine. And any presets you create in AME will show in Prelude (and PPro).

Ryan Holmes
http://www.ryanholmes.me
@CutColorPost

[Angelo Lorenzo]

Premiere Pro has pretty inflexible MXF support so as a container I feel like that option is out.

AVCHD is a branded implementation of H.264, so taking it down to something like MPEG2 could work in theory but you go through a round of recompression that is still pretty lossy. I’d avoid it.

This leaves you with the “holy trinity” of intermediate codecs: Avid DNxHD, Apple ProRes and GoPro Cineform. All three work within the Quicktime MOV container and DNxHD and Cineform are free (both limit support to 1080p) while Apple ProRes is installed with purchase of at least one Apple pro app like Final Cut 7, Final Cut X, Compressor, Motion, etc.

GoPro Cineform works really well and it tends to be a codec that I’ve started to enjoy but it’s not widespread so if you have to reach out to other facilities, they may be reluctant to want to handle it or feel hassled to install the codec. They are working on making it a standardized codec with SMPTE if I recall so you may see it become more widespread in the next few years. Download GoPro Studio to install the codec.

Avid DNxHD is another free codec, it’s the oldest of the three. After Effects has some artifacting issues with it does tend to block up more in terms of compression artifacts as you compress it over a number of generations. If you keep a clean workflow that doesn’t recompress footage often or you need to send out work to an Avid editor then this could be the choice for you.

Apple ProRes is a popular option even if it isn’t free. It’s many people’s go to, it’s a common codec for delivery to post facilities and so on. Good quality over multiple generations of recompression. What worries me over long term success is its proprietary nature although I feel all of these codecs will get a major revamp as we move to 4K deliverables in the next 5-10 years.

——————–
Angelo Lorenzo

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[Kevin Monahan]

Why transcode? Can’t you just drop the playback resolution to 1/4 and have at it? I’d run a test before wasting all that time transcoding.

Kevin Monahan
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Adobe Systems, Inc.
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[Ryan Holmes]

[Kevin Monahan] “Why transcode? Can’t you just drop the playback resolution to 1/4 and have at it?”

You don’t have to transcode the media for it to work in PPRo. However, the OP wanted to speed up render/export times and getting out of a long-GOP, CPU intensive codec like AVCHD or h.264 is a good way to do that. Plus if the OP gets into other areas of post-production – motion graphics, color correction – moving to a more universally accepted format like ProRes or DNxHD is a good idea as it plays well with other apps. Not to mention the superior file compression that these intermediate codecs have which stand up well to multiple generational compression.

Any footage I shoot receive from a DSLR or comparable camera gets converted to ProRes for all the above reasons. Not a waste of time, just a difference of opinion on how to approach the post workflow.

Ryan Holmes
http://www.ryanholmes.me
@CutColorPost

[David Roscher]

Great Info Ryan!

The videos I am working with as i mentioned are all AVCHD, and I want to work with a video format that is less processing/processor heavy. My talent screwed up my scene and opened the windows blinds right before our shoot (after I had everything set). I have to use some ‘Warp stabilization’ too because I was new to using a camera and wasn’t aware that every-time I shut it off, the settings were reset. (Aargh!)
Years ago, when I was working with smaller projects I would have video uncompressed, and simply curious how other media editors would approach this.

What is the general consensus with all you fellow editors; how would you personally handle this? I have a few projects that we shot that day. Instead of re-shooting, my talent requested that we ‘make it work’.

Considering the processing that is involved for Color correction within Premiere Pro as well as ‘Warp Stabilization’; I’m simply looking for some effective suggestions.

Thank you

David
Media Producer
Editing System: Mac Pro 2008; 3,1 with 2×2.8 Xeon, 14GB RAM (Can’t wait to discover when a New Mac Pro Tower will be announced!)
Nvidia 480GTx 1536Mb GDDR5
Boot: Mercury Accelsior RAID SSD 480GB + project Drive
Secondary: Velociraptor 500Gb
2x1TB Element Back-up Drives
6TB Media Storage
Primary Edit tool: Adobe Premiere CS5 Master Edition & CS6 Suite (New User to this Suite on the Cloud!)
NOTE: Have been a Product Tester and Beta tester for Several companies, Including Intel, HP, Xerox, Microsoft; Welcome Inquires to Beta Test Products!
PS: Does anyone know how I can Increase the SPEED of processing of Clips? Mainly working with Footage Shot in AVCHD; Want to Speed Up my Editing/Rendering!
Pps: Will Adding more System RAM speed up Premiere and my editing? THANKS!!!

[David Roscher]

Ryan,

You totally get where I’m coming from.

I wasn’t sure about MXF, and certainly knew I had to figure it out. After searching the internet, and watching videos seeking a ‘refresher’ on the updates from the recent years when I was more focused on editing, Realized the best way was to ask right here. Getting out of a long-GOP, CPU intensive codec like AVCHD or h.264 was certainly essential, and considering that CS6 with the Use of Prelude would allow me to do this, it simply makes sense.

Consider that with Color Correction, then Render. Primary Edit (some Warp Stabilization), Render; Polishing (slowing some video segments) and Titles; Render. Intro and Exit Graphics; Final Render to Quicktime H.264 is the breakdown of my work flow.

Which of the 2 formats make the most sense? Quicktime ProRes or the Avid DNxHD? I just installed the Avid DNxHD codec, and my workstation already had a wide variety of codecs from Final Cut (7) Studio, as well as lingering fragments of old projects from prior editors that used my workstation. I know a faster CPU would seriously speed things up, though making the best with what I got.

Another opinion I am soliciting is: Does it make more sense to edit my project in 720HD, considering that I am uploading to YouTube in 720HD? Someday we may require to master to DVD, though I am seeking to Speed up my render times and overall processing.

I realized a couple months ago, that I was expecting ‘too much’ of the render engine because my videos would appear totally fine and ready to rock, I would upload to YouTube and had ‘irregularities’ with Audio/Video sync. Considering that my video projects were between 15-40 minutes long, this was greatly frustrating. My discovery was that I had to expect less and render more often.
Made some upgrades, got faster data devices & storage with faster video card, sure reduced some areas of frustration.

David
Media Producer
Editing System: Mac Pro 2008; 3,1 with 2×2.8 Xeon, 14GB RAM (Can’t wait to discover when a New Mac Pro Tower will be announced!)
Nvidia 480GTx 1536Mb GDDR5
Boot: Mercury Accelsior RAID SSD 480GB + project Drive
Secondary: Velociraptor 500Gb
2x1TB Element Back-up Drives
6TB Media Storage
Primary Edit tool: Adobe Premiere CS5 Master Edition & CS6 Suite (New User to this Suite on the Cloud!)

[Ryan Holmes]

[David Roscher] “Which of the 2 formats make the most sense? Quicktime ProRes or the Avid DNxHD?”

This is totally up to you. You’re on a Mac so ProRes will work pretty seamlessly on your system. However, if you have to interface with Windows machines then DNxHD plays better on a PC.

ProRes = Read/Write on Mac, Read only on PC
DNxHD = Read/Write on Mac, Read/Write on PC

The codecs are nearly identical in terms of compression quality. So either way you go you’re in good shape.

Ryan Holmes
http://www.ryanholmes.me
@CutColorPost