[Aaron D hose]

So… basically what I did is..
– In VIDEO SETTINGS, changed the frame rate to 23.976
– In FRAME CONTROLS, turned everything to BEST, with PROGRESSIVE output.
– Kept the source frame rate @ 100%

Gee.. this is very slow process, especially for 10-bit uncompressed SD. But it didn’t look half-bad on the output back to tape deck via SDI (w/added pulldown from FCP). The ONLY issue is, the way Cinema Tools converted the offlineRT timecode vs. how Compressor converts TC, VERY different. So it looks like we’re going to have to slip and slide 9 minutes of our 80 minute timeline. Oh well. At least the stuff looks decent.

“Be the dream, NOT the dreamer!”

[Aaron D hose]

Yes, did read it. Except, the problem I seemed to be having is with my original master pixel aspect ratios, which were in DVCPROHD pixels (0.75). This was why YouTube was stretching them. Even if I converted my originals to 1280×720, the pixels were still off, unless I told Compressor to make the pixels square (1.00). YouTube should make mention of this on that “video optimization” page. My videos work fine now. Did take me a few hours to figure this out though.

“Be the dream, NOT the dreamer!”

[Aaron D hose]

Blah… animation codec gives me pristine name supers, but shows a slight aliasing in the video (nested DVCPRO HD sequence @ 720p/29.97). Hmmm, in reading your “Final Cut Pro 6 Bugs” article I can see now why I was able to do what I was in FCP 5 but not so easily in FCP 6. Bummer. At home, I tried this:

– 720×480/10-bit/29.97/no fields/high precision render
– Dropped in a DVCPRO HD (23.98/720p) clip which FCP rescaled to 75%
– Laid the name super over it (29.97/animation codec/straight alpha)

No problem here. Beautiful name super. Crisp render on the video as well.

Same trick @ work… aliased graphics. Diagnosis, I may just need a clean slate, brand-new project file. Maybe my project file is buggy ehehe.

“Be the dream, NOT the dreamer!”

[Aaron D hose]

Jeremy, get ready to laugh (or cry) along with me…
Tried it at home with your suggestion… it worked. Tried it this morning at work (same technique)… darn thing went back to interlacing the graphics!! Yuck!! What I’m doing now is, redoing the whole timeline in 720×480/Animation/no fields codec. That seemed to crystalize it best. Since I’m staying within the digital realm (not laying off to tape), I should be fine. 😉

Yes… the “fun” continues…

“Be the dream, NOT the dreamer!”

[Aaron D hose]

Exactly Rafael. Sure, 720×486/10-bit unc is the way to go when laying off to DigiBeta for broadcast. This is of the standard for SD. But we’ve been working in the 720×480/10-bit for years now. And since our delivery format is mostly DVD and web, we found it best to upres our DV and DV50 timelines (we use Panasonic P2 cameras for our SD acquisition) to 10-bit before exporting out of Final Cut, because it just looks better this way. DV or DV50 yield poor-looking graphics.

“Be the dream, NOT the dreamer!”

[Aaron D hose]

Well, I created a different thread, and the solution I got is as follows:

– When importing the render from AE into FCP, you must right-click inside the FCP Browser
– Choose ITEM PROPERTIES>FORMAT
– In FORMAT, set FIELD DOMINANCE to “None”
– Drop it into the “720×480/10-bit/no fields” sequence

This worked for me! Some people here on Creative Cow were experiencing the same thing. It drove everybody nuts. Apparently, Final Cut insists on interpreting a 720×480 quicktime file from AE as “lower field” dominant REGARDLESS of whether or not you actually rendered it with fields inside AE.

Anyway, troubleshoot is FINALLY over!! 😉

“Be the dream, NOT the dreamer!”

[Aaron D hose]

Tried that earlier, but I was actually trying it ‘after’ the super was on the timeline, meaning, I right-clicked and changed the item properties/format after the fact. Doing from within the browser made it work. Yes, this was VERY frustrating, especially since I render out from AE as “no field.” Well… you live and learn. Thanks guys!!!

“Be the dream, NOT the dreamer!”

[Aaron D hose]

I went back to an older version of FCP (5.0.4) and tested the lower third there. Whaddaya know… it looks FANTASTIC! This is bizarre. What gives…

“Be the dream, NOT the dreamer!”

[Aaron D hose]

What I don’t understand is… WHY is this not working anymore? Before I got perfectly sharp graphics using the exact same sequence/render settings (graphics in ANIMATION, timeline in 10-bit, render in full precision YUV). Only now, my graphics look aliased. What’s happening?

“Be the dream, NOT the dreamer!”

[Aaron D hose]

Yes, there must be a problem, b/c the comp settings I used are exactly that–960×720/1.33 p.a.r. Standard DVCPROHD preset, then rendered in Animation codec. Must be a weird glitch in FCP, b/c any subsequent comps that I created that don’t incorporate a video layer (only graphics) came out fine. No stretching. They fit the timeline perfectly. Hmm. Weird.

“Be the dream, NOT the dreamer!”