what’s the best settings for a quicktime render

[Mike Kujbida]

My limited understanding is that 709 is the color space for HD footage so I’d use that one.
To be on the safe side though, do a render in both and see which one looks better on a properly calibrated monitor.

[John Rofrano]

You want to use 709 for HD. I have a tutorial on my web site that shows you the correct way to configure it.

Create a QuickTime Avid DNxHD Render Template in Sony Vegas Pro

~jr

http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com

[Karl Dixon]

Wonderful, thank you very much John!

[Tyson Onaga]

Has anybody got the Alpha channel to work with DNxHD 1080/24p?

I tried Codec Configuration with
Color Level: 709
Alpha: Compressed or Uncompressed
Resolutions: all of them (1080p/23.976 DNxHD 175 10-bit, 175 8-bit, 115 8-bit, 36 8-bit)

Renders without errors … but when I drop the .mov into Vegas, no matter what I set the Properties, Alpha [Straight, Premult, Premult (dirty)], I’m not seeing an Alpha; i.e., the tracks beneath are covered.

Any ideas what I’m doing wrong (I need the Alpha)?
Thanks.

[John Rofrano]

[Tyson Onaga] “Any ideas what I’m doing wrong (I need the Alpha)?”

I have never been able to get the Alpha channel working with Avid DNxHD either. I’m not sure what’s wrong. If you need an Alpha channel then use the QuickTime Animation codec.

~jr

http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com

[Tyson Onaga]

Thanks for the reply John.

I opened a request on the Avid site (where, BTW … posting a “free” technical Q. is like squeezing blood out of a rock) specifically asking this: Using Sony Vegas with DNxHD version 2.3.7 and an Alpha

I submitted my Q. (with steps). In addition, I attached this info which I found this on the Avid site:

When you import alpha from an Avid QuickTime codec, select Alpha > Use Existing in the Import Settings dialog box.
When alpha is imported from a non-Avid QuickTime codec, select Alpha > Invert Existing. This is because the
Avid QuickTime codec inverts the alpha during the movie’s creation…

Thus, I think the resulting .mov has the Alpha “inverted” and when you use this .mov in Vegas, it doesn’t recognize it.

The Avid “ticket” isn’t closed, but I think there’s no solution. I’ve found AE users posting the same Q., also with no solution.

So, long story short … I will stick with QT Animation with which I’ve had good success; PNG works but it takes 2x (or more) longer to render.

Unfortunately, it looks like the only place where you can use the DNxHD w/ Alpha .mov _____ is in an Avid NLE.

[John Rofrano]

[Tyson Onaga] “Thus, I think the resulting .mov has the Alpha “inverted” and when you use this .mov in Vegas, it doesn’t recognize it. Unfortunately, it looks like the only place where you can use the DNxHD w/ Alpha .mov _____ is in an Avid NLE.”

This makes perfect sense now that you mention it. I’ve seen this in composting tutorials where the instructor says, “When using a mask, white lets video through while black blocks it, except if you’re using an Avid system where black lets video through and white blocks it!” So Avid has everything backward from the rest of the industry including their masking and alpha channel handling.

~jr

http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com