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the six pixels that changed my life
(This is a copy/paste post from the After Effects forum–I was hoping to get some help here as well.)
I have been supplied with a bunch of Standard Def 16:9 footage (1.2 aspect) and instructed that will be the output as well. I need to take much of it to AE for compositing and I’m just trying to do some simple apples-to-apples tests on exports/imports but I’m not coming up with apples. Here’s what I’m doing and the results:
I’m exporting from Avid Media Composer as QT Reference files. So, there should be no issues there. AE interprets the footage correctly as DV Widescreen 720 x 480 1.21 aspect. To keep things simple, I’m just dropping the footage into a comp and rendering back out to the Avid so I can make sure things are, as I said, apples-to-apples. But, when I import, the file has taken on a slight bit of softness and has lost image detail.
On the After Effects side, I have tried just making a new comp from the footage (720 x 480 comp, 1.21) and rendering it, as well as placing the footage into a 720 x 486, 1.21 comp and rendering. I’m rendering a QT Movie using the Animation Codec and field rendering using lower field first (native to the footage).
On the Avid side, I’m importing the QT at 1:1, using 601 color levels and lower field first.
When I import the 720 x 486 rendered comp, I get the noticeable image degradation and softness. When I import the 720 x 480 rendered comp, I get better detail but also the typical slight jittery video you would expect from feeding the Avid anything that’s not 720 x 486.
So, it’s a very simple but very frustrating problem: What is the proper way to be handling this footage in AE so I get a correct import into Avid MC? I’m attaching 2 images, pre and post render to illustrate. Notice the detail in the vases in the top image. Thanks in advance for any help!
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3 Replies
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Hi Dave,
I don`t think I can be of much help, but I noticed something you said
“I’m rendering a QT Movie using the Animation Codec and field rendering using lower field first (native to the footage).On the Avid side, I’m importing the QT at 1:1, using 601 color levels and lower field first.”
Correct me if I`m wrong but the Animation Codec is RGB in its origins. When I`m using the Animation Codec I always stay in RGB color space. I´m having some problems exporting QT files out of avid for quite some time concerning the gamma curve. What I found out was that an export from Avid (from version 2.2 to Version 4.05) only keeps the correct gamma curve when I use an Avid codec with 601 levels or Animation codec with RGB. Every other combination changes the gamma buy a value of 0.2. In the sample pictures you provided the gamma also seems differnet to me, but maybe you did some grading.
I would try to export from AE using Avid Meridian Compressed. Maybe that helps with your softening problem and you also get a fast import into avid.Yours sincerely
Hans -
Make sure that you have ‘interpret footage’ set to fields, not frames.
If that is set wrong, any scaling will be horrible.Having said that, AE is notorious for making stuff softer.
From memory, especially if it renders interlaced.
So if you do not do any scaling, you could have everyting frame based (instead of field based).And there are a lot of other variables that come into play.
Pick a nice test clip and test away. (It took me a couple of days to test before committing myself to a workflow, but i had a large project, year of work to do, so it did pay off…)Bouke
https://www.videotoolshed.com/
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Hans and Bouke,
Thanks for your responses. I came across a snafu in my export workflow that was causing the problem. I have pasted the solution below…
Thanks Johnny, you may have helped me hit on something…Initially, I thought your reply was wrong, because a native file is a native file when you’re exporting QT Reference…i.e. you can’t (or shouldn’t) change the resolution.
But, then I re-examined my export workflow and discovered that I didn’t have the “Use Avid DV Codec” option checked on the reference file. When it was unchecked, AE was interpreting the file as 720 x 480, 1.2 aspect. When it is checked, the file is interpreted as 720 x 486, .9 aspect.
You should still be working in a WS composition. I don’t know why AE interpets QT’s that come from avid as .91, but right click on the footage, choose “interpret footage” and make it 1.21. Either drag it to the create new comp button, or when creating a new composition choose NTSC D1 Widescreen.
Another guy then pointed me to an interpretation rules text file that I could edit and change the way that AE sees a file exported with the Avid DV Codec. Hans, I will also try a few of your suggestions.
Dave
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