Video Format

[Steve Roberts]

“Format” is pretty broad.

You deliver in the format requested by your client. Maybe you mean “codec”?

If so, then you should work in the highest-quality codec your system can support. If you’re editing video, you want to use the codec your system can play back. For example, I can’t play back uncompressed 1080i, but I can play back DVCPROHD 720p. Regarding AE, since instant real-time playback isn’t possible with any codec in AE, you can work in uncompressed HD or RED if you have to — AE has to render everything.

Usually AE artists work in a high-res intraframe codec such as Animation, PNG, Photo-JPEG, 8-bit uncompressed or similar to avoid recompression. Then they render to a codec required by the editor or editing app.

In AE, don’t work in interframe-compressed codecs such as MPEG-2 or HDV.

If you need more info, let us know.

Anybody else?

[Todd Kopriva]

I second what Steve said.

Consider—as he suggested—that you have input formats, intermediate formats, and output formats. Each has its own principles that govern which is best. The last of these three (output formats) is sometimes constrained by things like bandwidth to your audience or client demands. You can usually choose intermediate formats based on what works best for you. Input formats… well, sometimes you just take what you get.

I cover this at a high level in “Planning your work”, which links to a great article by Aharon back here on the COW.

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Todd Kopriva, Adobe Systems Incorporated
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[Richard Stegall]

Thanks for the replies. I made some adjustments to footage and my work flow is much smoother and the render times have decreased.