Struggling to make a logo loo sharp…

[Matthew Bradshaw]

Post your graphic and someone will let you know if that is the problem?
Matt.

[Max Fancher]

Thanks Matthew!

This is the original file:

https://maximizevideo.com/logo_original_eps.eps

I took that in Illustrator and exported it to a .psd to use in FCP. This is the file I’ve been using in my timeline:

https://maximizevideo.com/logo_psd_72dpi.psd

Thanks so much!

m

[David Roth weiss]

This type of thin, sharp-edged, winding graphic element is without a doubt the most challenging type of graphic to display in the video domain. And, the Sony codec you’re using doesn’t make it any easier for you.

To make it somewhat better:

First make sure your canvas scale is set to exactly 100% — just so the canvas isn’t adding additional jaggie aliasing via scaling.

Next, go to Sequence>>Settings and change the compressor to ProRes 422, then re-render the sequence. That should be better right off.

Then, add a directional blur filter to the graphic — double click to load it in the viewer — set the filter to blur vertically (i.e. 0 or 180 degrees) — and set the amount to 2. Then re-render and see if that helps.

Next, report back here…

David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor/Colorist
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles
https://www.drwfilms.com

POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™

A forum host of Creative COW’s Business & Marketing and Apple Final Cut Pro forums. Formerly host of the Apple Final Cut Basics, Indie Film & Documentary, and Film History & Appreciations forums.

[Olin Padilla]

This didn’t work on my end. It definitely has something to do with the highly saturated red and NOT the alpha channel. I would look for a photoshop filter or trick to simplify the color data without changing it visually.

Good luck on that.

[Max Fancher]

Thanks David!

With a “2” for the amount of the filter, it’s too much for the logo but “1” was a little better. It takes away from some of the aliasing/jaggedness but it obviously leaves the logo less clear overall. If it’s just an impossible logo to make look good on video, that would be interesting. The client is launching this new look and want it perfect so I’m trying desperately to make it so.

hoping there might be some other way to get it right. I’m hoping that somehow I didn’t do something right when I moved from the .eps to the .psd.

thanks, m

[Olin Padilla]

Also, keep in mind it probably won’t appear that way on a broadcast monitor. If your final delivery is for web, it will though.

[David Roth weiss]

[Max Fancher] “h a “2” for the amount of the filter, it’s too much for the logo but “1” was a little better.”

Agreed… 1 looks better here too, and that’s pretty much as good as you will get it.
The tricks I gave you are about the best going for something like this.

BTW, on my end doing both things, i.e. switching the compressor and the directional blur, made a significant difference.

David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor/Colorist
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles
https://www.drwfilms.com

POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™

A forum host of Creative COW’s Business & Marketing and Apple Final Cut Pro forums. Formerly host of the Apple Final Cut Basics, Indie Film & Documentary, and Film History & Appreciations forums.

[Max Fancher]

Thanks again David. I have an even bigger challenge in that the actual video (web distribution) will sit in a 352pixel wide player. You can imagine after running my 720p master through squeeze how bad that logo starts to look then.

I tried another technique where in Photoshop I added cyan to the background of the image, flattened it, and then color keyed out the cyan in FCP and that helped a little too. I’m getting desperate. 😉

m

[Max Fancher]

Thanks Olin! It is a web-only video… I’ll try and figure out the PS filter idea you had. thanks.

[Max Fancher]

I just brought the logo and my animated background into AE CS5 and rendered out a ProRes 422 (HQ) .mov that I then brought into FCP and added to my ProRes422(HQ) timeline and that has by far given me the best results.

After I compress it down to the size I need it for the website it looks like crap but at least i’m getting somewhere.