[David Bogie]

Not a clue.
when faced with weird stuff like this, I try to take it down to the very basics, turning off everything but one layer or one effect at a time. Adding one effect or one more layer each render cycle. Set in and out points for the first 50% and then for the second 50%. It’s a long and painful process but it can really be illuminating if you find your cause. Otherwise, it’s a waste of time.

Usually easier to start from scratch. Only add one item at a time and test the render each time.

bogiesan

[David Bogie]

[Noah Kadner] “For that sort of thing I’d highly recommend rendering out in Motion rather than trying to drop a Motion project into FCP and rendering there. “

I don’t see how that would make any difference.

bogiesan

[David Bogie]

Ah, \Particle Playground, the ugly little brother no one wants to choose for basketball. In ten years I do not think I have opened that filter more than twice.

Something should be done about that.

bogiesan

[David Bogie]

You need a third party filter, I think. i don’t remember the stock particle systems having alpha interactivity. DigiEffects was once the goto provider (but I’m sure there are more modern offerings from the likes of Red Giant.

CC Particle World has a floor (which can be positioned to be a wall or ceiling) that can be turned “sticky” but it is a flat plane. You can access those controls with the Options button. Very confusing first few times you go there.

bogiesan

[David Bogie]

You’ve got to export the entire QT out of FCP including the alpha. It sounds like you are exporting the clips, unrendendered.

Your post is dense but it’s incomplete. I can’t tell what exactly you;’re bringing into Media encoder since you use the term “your quicktime” in many places but the references are unclear.

Your quicktime should looks perfect – Feel free to import that clip back into FCP and prove to yourself that you’ve done it right. Slot any ol’ PNG, JPEG or PSD file behind it. You can see the picture, AND you can see the subject in the original clip (and, oui oui! You can hear the French audio, too!)
Now, here’s the sticky thing… Converting to FLV.
I’m using Adobe Media Encoder CS3.
I bring the new French quicktime into Media Encoder.

bogiesan

[David Bogie]

NTSC Component, by definition, contains all you need to lock up a monitor in the three signals.

from WIKI:
Component video is a video signal that has been split into two or more components. In popular use, it refers to a type of analog video information that is transmitted or stored as three separate signals. Component video can be contrasted with composite video (NTSC, PAL or SECAM) in which all the video information is combined into a single line-level signal. Like composite, component-video cables do not carry audio and are often paired with audio cables.
When used without any other qualifications the term component video generally refers to analog YPbPr component video with sync on luma.

RGB, on the other hand requires a fourth cable supplying sync.
from WIKI:
RGB requires an additional signal for synchronizing the video display. Several methods are used:
composite sync, where the horizontal and vertical signals are mixed together on a separate wire (the S in RGBS)
separate sync, where the horizontal and vertical are each on their own wire (the H and V in RGBHV)
sync on green, where a composite sync signal is overlaid on the green wire (SoG or RGsB).

[David Bogie]

Yar, I share your enthusiasm.
The secret is being able to predict ahead of time which application will be appropriate for the job.

Yesterday I was doing a fairly simple quad split of photgraphs flying in from behind the camera, resting on the stage for a few seconds and then flying up and back into a quad. I could have done it in about 15 minutes in AE with easy control over the motion paths and eases.
Took me about 12 hours in Motion. It would taken much less but I thought I’d try behaviors. Then it took me a few hours to figure out can’t use Beziers on motion paths unless you first go to the keyframe editor. then I found out having a layer or object selected in the keyframe editor does not select it in the canvas or timeline.
I hate Motion with an unreasonably deep yet obscenely satisfying passion.

bogiesan

[David Bogie]

About all I can do is humbly suggest you try switching off all but one layer and all but one effect/behavior/filter. Then you start switching them one, one at a time, till it breaks.

I have not seen this issue mentioned before but our collective experience with Motion is really small compared to our collected experience with, say, FCP and After Effects. Those of us who have successfully keyframed animation in Motion remain unable to use behaviors with any satisfaction edging on rage.

bogiesan

[David Bogie]

[Chris Wright] “Simply apply color correction/auto levels and it will reduce 80% of the flicker by auto adjusting each frame to a standard max range. “

Did not know that.
Excellent.

bogiesan

[David Bogie]

Lord, this is funny.
Most of the posts on this topic are trying to put those effects INTO some video.

but first, I can’t tell form your post, are you sure these are film artifacts, from the original footage, or are they artifacts in or caused during the transfer?

I’v done some archive work. We would never attempt to improve or modify an original. It is what it is. Assuming you’ll be working from copies, be sure to hang onto the original transfer video copy. It could be quite rare and the towns or scenery depicted are probably long gone. Can you get the original 16mm?

bogiesan