[Jason Connolly]

Some good tips! Thanks, Mylenium…

–Jason

[Jason Connolly]

Thanks, Chris. That’s my thinking precisely. I’m working on a project where the producers would like to test 24P vs. 29.97 to see which one they prefer. I’ve explained that there will probably be little difference in the end result, but that it’s easier for me to work with 29.97 during the production process. The final destination will be video and the web.

Thanks again, Jason

[Jason Connolly]

Hey, Tiya-

I’ve heard good things about Digital Anarchy’s Re-Sizer plug-in:

https://digitalanarchy.com/resizer/resizer_main.html

I’ve never used it, but thought I’d mention it as an option.

Cheers,
Jason

[Jason Connolly]

Hey, Aaron-

Just a few things off of the top of my head…

1. 2 pixel lines (from ANY graphic program) in AE can be problematic. Especially if they’re curved.

2. Make sure all points of your production pipeline match. Make sure your AE comp is set to 720×486(D1), 0.9px. Make sure your render/output settings are correct(fields ON/OFF, etc.). Make sure your FCP sequence settings are correct as well.

3. Render out different tests…render one version with FIELDS NONE, one with FIELDS LOWER, and see which looks better in FCP.

4. Try adding a sub-pixel blur to your AI file in AE. Something like 0.2 – 0.5. I know you’re thinking: “What? Blur my image to make it ‘sharper?'” Trust me, sometimes this little trick works.

5. If any of your AI files have a gradient, that could be an issue. If you need a gradient on your graphic, consider exporting to photoshop and re-importing. OR (this is what I do sometimes for simple gradients) …in AI, change the gradient to a solid color and re-import. Then, re-create the gradient in AE with Ramp or another gradient plug-in.

hope that helps…

Cheers,
Jason

[Jason Connolly]

Hey, Stanley-
With stuff like this, there are two things I check right away:

1. Footage/Files Interpretation – are all of my video and graphics files interpreted correctly in the project?

2. Render Settings – This is more likely the culprit. Check your render/output settings to make sure you’re rendering appropriatley for your project. For example, should fields be ON/OFF, UPPER/LOWER, etc.

Just my two cents…

Cheers,
Jason

[Jason Connolly]

Hey, Jeff-

I can completely understand your panic mode right now, but I TOTALLY suggest searching the posts here at the COW AE forum. Just search “HD” to start and you’ll discover a wealth of knowledge and discussions about this very topic.

I’m guessing you probably haven’t gotten any responses yet because your question is really broad and there is not ONE right answer or workflow. For starters…Is your project going to be letterboxed, center-cut or anarmorphic for SD broadcast? So, (this is just my advice, so feel free to tell me to go fly a kite) search the posts, get a little more bgd under your belt and re-post with some more specific questions, and I’m sure the COW can help you out!

Cheers,
Jason

[Jason Connolly]

Thanks, bear…

Well, I’m not sure why this worked, but here’s what I did to “fix” the issue:

In C4D, I UNchecked “24-bit dithering” and changed my file format from PSD sequence to TGA sequence. After I did this, AE imported everything as it it should.

Anyone have insight? Is it because AE 6.5 can only support 16-bit or lower color? (Are they even related??)

Thanks,
Jason

[Jason Connolly]

What I forgot to mention in my previous post above was that after AE gives me the “cannot parse” error, AE imports only PSD sequence from C4D, but none of the C4D cameras or lights.

Thanks,
Jason

[Jason Connolly]

Hey, Gang-
My apologies, I didn’t mean to push the thread off of the poster’s question…Of course, yes, render to frame size and frame rate. My experience has been that when I render in AE to DV, sharp, thin lines get a teensy bit blurred, but if I render uncompressed in AE, and then let FCP perform the DV render, I get a little sharper results. Maybe it’s something that’s quirky about my system, or the way my AE renders out to DV, but it’s worked for me in the past. Apologies if I’ve confused the matter.

Thanks,
Jason

[Jason Connolly]

Hey there-

Yes, I too would love closer intergration between FCP and AE, but Dave’s point about competition is well documented. Also, Dave’s right about Automatuc Duck — fantastic products, but expensive. Purchasing the Duck only makes sense if you are constantly flipping btw AE and FCP, or AVID, etc. Personally, I do it all day long, so I convinced my boss last year to pony up the dough, and have been very happy with the Duck (although their registration and activation process leaves something to be desired. Kind of a hassle).

Anyway, to get your clip back to FCP, you’ll need to render out the clip as a movie(command-M), just like if you were rendering an effect in FCP. The AE manual comes with a lengthy chapter on rendering, so it may be worth your while to check it out.

Some advice:
Render out at the highest quality possible(Uncompressed, Lossless, Animation), even if that means rendering out with a different codec than your native FCP codec. For example, if your FCP project is a DV project, DO NOT render your AE clip with the NTSC/DV codec. Sure, you’ll be able to play back the DV in real time in your FCP timeline, but you WILL lose detail. Render in AE with highest quality, and let FCP convert to DV.

I could be wrong, but that’s always worked best for me. Just my two cents…

Cheers!
Jason