[Beryl Stajich]

This is just a thought. I had a similar problem where I convertd an MPEG2 file to an avi file using a third party converter. Since the file was already on my machine, there was no need to take it thru the capture card. I tested the new avi file using the windows media player and it played and looked fine. When I brought it into premiere, it played and looked fine in the project window, but would not load or play in the timeline–so I could not edit it or do anything with it.

The problem turned out to be, as Brian suggested, all avi files are not the same. I use a matrox pro rx100.extreme capture card and presets. If the avi file is not brought in using the matrox presets (which in this case it was not), then the timeline in premere does not know how to read it becasue it’s looking for a matrox codec.

To solve the problem, I would have had to turn off the matrox presets, use the std NTSC setting, but then lose all of the matrox realtime editing/exporting capability. So, I had to rethink what I was trying to do.

In your case, you may be able to bring the file into premere2 through whatever capture card you are using on that machine, and it works because the capture codec and premere are in sync. But in CS4, they may be out of sync for whatever reason. (I am assuming that p2 and CS4 are on separate machines using different capture cards.)

Hope this gives you some clues as to what rock to look under. I think Brian is right, it’s a codec incompatability issue.

Beryl Stajich
bstajich@comcast.net

[Beryl Stajich]

OK, I’m more than willing to go back to basics. So, let’s try this:

On rotating text from the rear of a globe to the front, using the cylinder effect–
.I already have the text in the correct position & invisible behind the globe.
.Now I want to slowly rotate it out to the front.
.The end effect would be similar to the Universal Studios Logo
Now tell me how to just that much!

On rotating the earth created in sphere:
.I’m not talking about previewing the effect ram or otherwise. I’m talking about playing the effect as a rendered avi movie–the spin is not consistent and jerky. I am using the Y-rotation to animate it in the sphere control panel, but do not understand the contol settings. Here is where I need the help.

Beryl Stajich
bstajich@comcast.net

[Beryl Stajich]

I’m just geeting started w/AE 6.5. I’ve had the program a long time, but the learning curve always seemed to steep to get into it. Recently I’ve tuned into the tutorials on Creative Cow and other sites (Video CoPilot) and have been following the bouncing ball(s).

But it’s tough to make any real headway when all the experts are using the 7.0 CS3/4 or higher interfaces and I have to stop and explore how to translate that into 6.5. Then, they use plug-ins and presets I don’t have. Very frustrating.

So far I have done a few projects with sphere and other plug-ins and am learning my way arouns the timeline and how to navigate the effects control panel. But I am clearly having problems figuring out how to make it all gel.

Here is an example:
.I took a world map and made an earth’s globe using the sphere plug-in.
.I added a starfield behind the earth.
.I transformed the earth by making it appear and grow in the composition.
.Then i made the earth rotate, but can not contol the speed or smoothness of the rotation.
.I then added text to the composition, and used the cylinder plug-in to wrap it around the earth. I used the outside render key and repositioned it behind the earth.
.Now I want to have it rotate out infront of the earth, but can not get the text to move at all.
.I’ve also used a precomp to add some highlights to the earth using expressions. But can not get the prcomp married back to the original comp. So I have a non-highlighted glove and a separte highlighted precomp. What a mess.

Does this give you some feel for where I am in terms of development time.

Beryl Stajich
bstajich@comcast.net

[Beryl Stajich]

Dave
OK, sounds like the witch hunt is on. Thanks for the direction.

Beryl Stajich
bstajich@comcast.net

[Beryl Stajich]

Dave–
Thanks for the ram tip. I’m about to build a new machine to handle HD, and will max out as much ram as I can aford.

Right now I’m just trying to learn the basics of AE on my present system before I do all the upgrading including going to CS4 and all of that. My AE 6.5 program was working fine for the last 6 months with just 1gb of ram, then last week it quit. I can do things in current comps, but can’t start any new comps or projects.

Seems like this is more than just a ram problem. Are you saying that if I add more ram, the problem will go away?

Beryl Stajich
bstajich@comcast.net