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Using HD footage in an SD project
We have a client we recently shot in HD 1080i 59.94 on P2. I edit on Avid MC5 and use AMA linking for all my clips. However with this client all of the other elements are in SD and they can’t currently afford to regnerate them in HD, so I need to edit the project in SD.
I made an NTSC 30i 4:3 project and I can open the bin from my HD project and access the HD clips linked via AMA, but, of course, Avid just conforms them to the 4:3 project and squishes them. None of the built in “Reformat” effects are designed to solve this. I know I could manually use a resize effect and widen the clips back out (side-cropping them is fine in this case), but it seems like there would be a better way.
Does anyone know the best way to use HD 16:9 AMA linked footage in a an SD 4:3 project?
jeff g
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4 Replies
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Well, I use AMA to access the footage, transcode or consolidate it from there. I never just AMA and go from there. Too many issues can arise, like not linking properly. Avid has the strongest media management system out there…utilize it.
Open an HD Project that matches the media that was shot on P2. Use AMA to access the media. Then CONSOLIDATE it to your media drive.
Then create a project with SD settings. Copy the bins (on the finder level) from the HD P2 project to the SD project. Now you will have the HD Media in your SD project…as HD media.
Shane
GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
What do you mean “as HD media”? Avid conforms everything to the project settings does it not? As far as I understand the instant I open an HD file in an SD project as far as Avid is concerned that is SD media.
I have done everything via AMA for a year now, and, while there are a few issues I have to work around, I haven’t been overly disappointed. My primary issue here is not file management, but simply how to overcome the aspect ratio discrepency while maintaining as much quality as I can in the transition to SD. As far as I can tell, your suggestion doesn’t address the aspect ratio problem, but I do appreciate the response! I didn’t realize AMA was such a problem for some and maybe I need to be more cautious with it.
So far I have tried using a resize effect and scaling the width up to 133%, but I seem to lose some detail that route. I also just tried using Pan and Scan in my HD project then exporting Same As Source then importing it into my SD project, and that seems to give me slightly better results. I was just trying to discover best practices, and wondered if there was a way that it should be done for maximum quality.
jeff g
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When I imported P2 media into a project with 1080p settings, it conformed the media to 1080p…when I consolidated. Even though it was 720p. When I changed the settings to 720p, it came in right. But after you do that, the media is what the media is. Take it into an SD project, it will be HD media. Avid will mix it fine, but will show it as a different color if you have that option checked. It sees it as HD.
[Jeff Gandillon] ” As far as I can tell, your suggestion doesn’t address the aspect ratio problem, but I do appreciate the response!”
Well, use 16:9 footage in a 4:3 project, there will be differences. Sorry I forgot to address those. You will have to use filters to adjust. The REFORMAT ones. But they should allow you to Pan and Scan too.
As far as quality goes…do you have Avid hardware, or Matrox MXO2 Mini or AJA IO Express and an external monitor connected to this? The displays in media Composer are FAR FAR from accurate. They lower resolution in order to give smooth playback.
Shane
GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
I am having this exact same issue, where I Transcode (the files are MP4 and I cannot Consolidate) the clips as HD, and when I bring the Bin into the 4:3 project, the clip is squeezed. What the heck to do?
Thanks.
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