Bill Stephan
Forum Replies Created
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Everyone loves to skip the encoding step!
You can import DNxHD into Adobe Media Encoder and encode for Blu-ray using the H.264 (MPEG-4) for Blu-ray preset. Then import the picture and sound encodes into Encore.
Encore will transcode to MPEG-2 for DVD when you build the Blu-ray project.
Bill Stephan
Senior Editor/DVD Author
USA Studios
New York City -
Mike,
If your audio is Dolby .ac3, you should be aware that the length of a frame of Dolby audio is slightly different than the length of a frame of video. If you build a number of shorter encodes into a timeline in any authoring app, you will see the sync gradually drift.
You can trim each encode as you drop them into the timeline to minimize this, but remember that authoring apps are not designed for editing.
Bill Stephan
Senior Editor/DVD Author
USA Studios
New York City -
Lance,
The VOBs already exist on the your original DVD. You need to combine the VOBs together, since the multiplexed program has been cut into VOBs of approximately 1Gb in size. There are free/shareware PC utilities which combine VOBs together. Then you take the combined VOB and rip that back to the original .m2v and .ac3 encodes, which can be re-used in an authoring application.
I’m not sure whether Encore will accept standard-def media in a Blu-ray project or you need to do that in a spec-level authoring app.
Bill Stephan
Senior Editor/DVD Author
USA Studios
New York City -
In addition to Walter’s comments, you have to be careful with the characters in your filenames. Characters that are valid in Mac filenames might be invalid in PC filenames and vice versa.
Bill Stephan
Senior Editor/DVD Author
USA Studios
New York City -
Dave,
1. That’s a loaded question because YMMV depending on what formats you are trying to use. It’s safer to import because that process creates new media in an Avid codec, but that will consume more time. Many editors use AMA to select footage, then import or transcode only what will be used.
2. On a big project, I always duplicate the sequence at the end of each day, add the date to the sequence name, and then drag it into a bin used only for those backups. This helps when the client decides he really likes the version of the cut you did three days ago. To protect yourself further, copy the bin file ([name of bin].avb) to removable storage such as a thumb drive.
Bill Stephan
Senior Editor/DVD Author
USA Studios
New York City -
XDCAM source brought into Avid using AMA will not export to a QT reference file. You have to transcode the XDCAM footage to an Avid codec or export a normal QT file.
Bill Stephan
Senior Editor/DVD Author
USA Studios
New York City -
If the process always stalls at the same place, it sounds like you are trying to transcode from a corrupted file. Can you re-export from your edit software and try again?
Bill Stephan
Senior Editor/DVD Author
USA Studios
New York City -
The reason so many people are having issues with the idea of Creative Cloud is Adobe has discovered the cable TV marketing model. That is, in order to get the channels you want, you have to buy and pay for all the channels in the bundle including the stinkers and the ones you don’t watch.
Now you must buy and pay for all the Adobe apps regardless of whether you need or use them. I use Photoshop, After Effects, Lightroom and Encore, and I might start using Speedgrade. I don’t do illustration, web design or desktop publishing, nor will I change my video editor from Avid to Premiere. Regardless, the price of admission is the same as for someone who uses all the Adobe apps.
So I’m taking a wait-and-see attitude until I see what options Adobe makes available.
One other issue: in my area, the choices for an Internet connection are DSL, ISDN or nothing. I am not happy about the prospect of downloading huge install apps over the Internet.
Bill Stephan
Senior Editor/DVD Author
USA Studios
New York City -
If your still menu is done using a still menu plus a standard black-on-white menu overlay, then DVDSP will allow you to add audio to the menu. It sounds as though you are almost there by making a layer with inverted text. Export one .tif file with the menu background and one .tif file with the menu text as black text on a white background from Photoshop, then import these as a menu and an overlay in DVDSP. You will then be able to add an audio track to the menu.
See the DVDSP help if you need instructions on creating menu overlays.
Bill Stephan
Senior Editor/DVD Author
USA Studios
New York City -
Very brief walkthrough:
To make a very simple menu, black background with 2 chapter buttons, in Photoshop make a 720×480 pixel 72dpi document. Fill the bottom layer with black. Next, the layers for each button live inside a group (one group for each button). Make a group & call it button 1. Make a layer inside that group and type the text “Chapter One”. Make a new layer above the last and create your selection highlight — a yellow line under the words “Chapter One”. Make another new layer above and create your activation highlight — a red line this time. Now you need to make sure the layers in the group are named as they are in the sample menus. The punctuation (+ etc.) is how Encore knows what each layer belongs to. Now make a new layer group and complete the same steps to make the second button.
Be careful that you name all the layers and groups as Encore requires. See help file or sample menus. I’m not near an Encore machine right now, so I’d rather not try to explain from memory.
Hope this helps.
Bill Stephan
Senior Editor/DVD Author
USA Studios
New York City