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Specific roll credits issue — greater speed = more jitters per frame?
Hi gang,
I’m having a specific issue when it comes to making rolling credits in AE CC 2015.
But first, let me make a disclaimer… I have used the sadly neglected search tool for phrases like “roll” and “credits” and “jitter.” I discovered, and understand, the importance of consistent pixels per frame. I even found this expression.
speedPxPerFrame = -3;
currentFrame = (time – inPoint)/thisComp.frameDuration;
value + [0,currentFrame*speedPxPerFrame]So I have a method to get the exact ppf (pixels per frame) that I would like, to ensure my credits are smooth (in the above expression, it’s set to 3 pixels per frame).
…Now for my problem. The client wants these credits for a duration of exactly 1 minute. However, if I want these credits looking smooth, I use my expression set to 3ppf, and it takes about 3min 15sec from in- to outpoint.
I tried upping the ppf from 3 pixels to 6. It moves faster, but it’s jittery. I tried putting this whole composition inside another comp, and doing a time stretch to speed things up. Still jittery.
Can my credits be a different frame rate from the rest of the film (like how 60fps obviously offers a smoother look than 23.976) or is that completely dumb?
What is the answer that I have so clearly missed? Must I suffer compensating pixels per frame for duration of speed? Or can I keep the smoothness of 3 pixels per frame, and still slow – or speed up – the credits to my heart’s content?
Bryan McClurg
Editor, Writer, Director -
5 Replies
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[Bryan McClurg] “What is the answer that I have so clearly missed? Must I suffer compensating pixels per frame for duration of speed? Or can I keep the smoothness of 3 pixels per frame, and still slow – or speed up – the credits to my heart’s content?”
We see jitter in video when the change in the image from one frame to the next is too great. Big moves at low frame rates jitter, period.
You can do some tricks like motion blur, but that will just make the text mushy and illegible.
If it has to be 1 minute — then maybe you can redesign the roll. More columns, smaller type, etc.
Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
@keenlive | RenderBreak [blog] | Profile [LinkedIn] -
Walter, I would try motion blur, if it weren’t considered a last-minute resort. But I will try to shrink the font, see if that helps.
Because I don’t think mushy & illegible text will fly with Lifetime network (nor am I in any position to tell them I can’t follow their request).
Anyone else have further advice / tips for this thread? I feel like there should be a relatively easy way to solve this seemingly simple task. How else does anyone get professional credits done?
Bryan McClurg
Editor, Writer, Director -
[Bryan McClurg] “Because I don’t think mushy & illegible text will fly with Lifetime network (nor am I in any position to tell them I can’t follow their request).”
Does it have to be a scroll? Could you cut from one static page of credits to the next? Side-step the jitter issue entirely?
[Bryan McClurg] “I feel like there should be a relatively easy way to solve this seemingly simple task.”
I’m sorry, but jitter is an artifact of higher motion and lower frame rates.
[Bryan McClurg] ” How else does anyone get professional credits done?”
Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
@keenlive | RenderBreak [blog] | Profile [LinkedIn] -
Have a look at this: https://www.omnislashvisual.com/keys-smoother-credit-rolls-w-template/
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Thanks for the tips, guys.
Walter, good reminder for static page credits. I’ve done this in the past when rolling credits were not suitable for the short screen time allowed. And I will look into “end crawl” at a later date. Trying not to spend additional money unless necessary.
Sebastian, great link for tips (your link is below my reply, for some reason). They’re not the “end all” solution, of course. But they help in little ways, where it counts.
With everything I did: condensing the credits, shrinking size, simple font (helvetica here), subtle “reduce interlace flicker” (softness of 1 worked for me), “off-white gray” instead of pure white, and no greater than 3 pixels per frame… I’d say these credits – for scrolling – turned out the best they could.
Hope this thread is helpful for others, too.
Bryan McClurg
Editor, Writer, Director
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