What am I doing wrong?

[Daniel_l]

How are you compressing the movie?
What software are you using?
What source format are you using?
What output format are you choosing?
What frame size?
What frame rate?
What datarate are you setting?

DL

Video AllSorts

[Missy Moments]

When I go to export to Quicktime, I use the QT 256 Streaming NTSC preset to begin with. Then I customize it by making the size 320×240, frame rate of 29.97 and the Sorensen Video 3 Codec.

This results in a very bad quality video. How do I compress this 1 minute 40 second video and have a small yet great quality video?

[Daniel_l]

What application are you using to compress?
Are you doing this straight out of Quicktime Pro?
What is your source format i.e. DV, VHS?
Do you have the Pro version of Sorenson?
What is the content, i.e. is it fast moving or fairly static?

For what it’s worth, 256kb/s is too little for a 30fps, 320×240 Sorenson CBR encoded movie (unless nothing moves within the frame, at all!). If you use the 2 pass VBR option available in the Pro version of Sorenson you will get slightly better results.

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[Missy Moments]

I am using Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0 to compress. I do not have Quicktime Pro.
The source format is DV (well TV–>VCR–>Camcorder–>Computer via Firewire)
No I do not have the Pro version of Sorenson.
You can see the content at http://www.MissyMoments.com click on the services tab, and it is the Family Feud video at the bottom.

Thanks in advance,
Missy Moments

Bryan M Long
Missy Moments

[Daniel_l]

You’ve got everything going against you I am afraid.

You are starting with very low quality source (TV), making it look worse by transfering through those various stages and then not having the right software to compress.

Although you can’t polish a turd, it will help if you deinterlace the TV footage (I’m sure there’s an option for that in Premiere but it’s been a very long time since I used it). Other than that you are not going to make it look much better than you already have it except to tweek the brightness and contrast (get whites white and blacks black)

If you plan on making a business of this you really need to invest in some dedicated encoding software.

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[Missy Moments]

What software would you suggest I purchase/use?

Bryan M Long
Missy Moments

[Daniel_l]

I’m assuming you are on a PC…

I suggest either Procoder from Canopus or Sorenson Squeeze.

If you get Procoder you’ll benefit greatly from this:
https://yhst-58626189988044.stores.yahoo.net/benwacocofor.html

Although it’s a bit out of date this is a great book (also by Ben)
https://www.creativecow.net/articles/diefenderfer_james/compression_rev/index.html

(No, sadly I don’t get any commission from Ben)

Good luck!

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[Missy Moments]

What settings in Canopus would I use for a good quicktime video?

Bryan M Long
Missy Moments

[Daniel_l]

The presets that come with Procoder are pretty good and your best bet is to experiment.

Video AllSorts