[Lars Bunch]

Hi,

One of the things you can do that helps reduce flicker on a high res shot is to add a median filter to the image and set it to something really low. It’s not a perfect solution, but it goes a long way to reducing the flicker.

I suppose you could fine tune it with the above expression to adjust it’s value based on the rate of change.

Anyway, the median filter gives you less of a performance hit during rendering.

Lars

[Lars Bunch]

Hi,

I’m not sure I’m reading your question correctly, but my guess that what you need to do is set your comp setting to D1 (720×486) and the pixel aspect ratio to 1.2. If you are using AE 7.0 there is a setting for D1 Widescreen. This will set you up for what you need. If you are using 6.5 or earlier you will need to set the Comp size and pixel aspect separately.

Anyway, I don’t believe there is any time you would want to have a output that changes the frame sizes throughout the animation.

In situations where you need to output different versions for different uses, I would recommend creating a a D1 widescreen comp as the main animation. Then if you need to output a letterboxed version in a 4×3 frame, then create a new D1 4×3 comp and drop the widescreen comp into it, scaling it down to 75% so it is properly letterboxed. If you need a pan-and-scan version then you can drop the widescreen version into a D1 comp but don’t scale it down. Instead, animate the position of the widescreen comp to make sure the important part is visible.

Hope this helps,

Lars

[Lars Bunch]

Hi,

I’m not sure I’m reading your question correctly, but my guess that what you need to do is set your comp setting to D1 (720×486) and the pixel aspect ratio to 1.2. If you are using AE 7.0 there is a setting for D1 Widescreen. This will set you up for what you need. If you are using 6.5 or earlier you will need to set the Comp size and pixel aspect separately.

Anyway, I don’t believe there is any time you would want to have a output that changes the frame sizes throughout the animation.

In situations where you need to output different versions for different uses, I would recommend creating a a D1 widescreen comp as the main animation. Then if you need to output a letterboxed version in a 4×3 frame, then create a new D1 4×3 comp and drop the widescreen comp into it, scaling it down to 75% so it is properly letterboxed. If you need a pan-and-scan version then you can drop the widescreen version into a D1 comp but don’t scale it down. Instead, animate the position of the widescreen comp to make sure the important part is visible.

Hope this helps,

Lars

[Lars Bunch]

Hi,

I may not be understanding the nature of your question, so forgive me if I’m stating stuff you’re already familar with.

The DVCProHD codec is designed to display in 16×9 (1280×720) but the file that is actually recorded is anamorphic. The pixels are stretched out horizontally so that a 4×3 frame aspect ratio becomes a 16×9 frame aspect. This is the same for 16×9 SD video. This is all normal.

In some cases you might have to check the anamorphic field in the inport bin in FCP to make sure the shot displays in 16×9. This is particularly important when you are bringing in animations.

I hope this answers your question.

Lars

[Lars Bunch]

Hi,

This really isn’t an answer to the problem, but it might be an acceptable workaround. The problem might be related to rendering animations in an anamporphic format. If you set up your Motion comp using square pixels and a frame of 1920×1080 and then bring it in to FCP, you might get better image quality. FCP will want to render the animation out to the anamorphic format for actual playback when you cut it into your timeline, but it should look okay when FCP resizes it.

Hope this helps,

Lars

[Lars Bunch]

Hi,

I’m using a wacom pzt-631w wide tablet. The only time I have experienced what you describe is when I tried to adjust some camera control points in top view mode. The screen update mode was at “adaptive resolution” The tablet would consistantly become unuseable until I restarted the computer. If I switched the update mode to wireframe before switching to top view, then I did not have the problem. After I finished adjusting points and switched back to camera view, then I could go back to adaptive resolution with no problems.

I have no idea what is happening and have no fix. Does the problem seem to occur when you do a specific function or does it tend to happen after a specific period of time? It seems like this is some sort of conflict between AE and the Wacom driver.

Lars

[Lars Bunch]

Hmmm…

Switching to wireframe mode seemed to do the trick.

Lars

[Lars Bunch]

Hi,

I see your point about some of the slight hand movement and the fact that, especially the white haired woman at then end, seems to be a number of different people. I suppose it could be done in either way and if it is done completely practical, that is pretty darned cool.

Any ideas what production company did this spot?

Lars

[Lars Bunch]

Additional note;

It occured to me that everyone in the shot walks away at the end. I suspect that the people walking away are digital doubles since it would be really really really difficult to achieve this with the stills capture approach.

It is very likely that the still camera array was used up to the last frame of the shot, but that as the girl turns around, the shot transitions to using CG characters that have been positioned to match each still capture frame. That may, in fact, be why the girl turns away from the camera at the end; so that the transition to a digital double would not be as noticeable.

Lars

[Lars Bunch]

Hi,

You may want to look carefully at the motion path on screen to see if the handles at each end have bezier control handles that have been pulled up or down. Go to your first key frame and look at it’s start point on screen. Sometimes the handle can be hard to see, so you should look carefully. (I don’t know if there is a way to make the handles stand out – perhaps with a contrasting color – if so this could help you find them.)

Anyway, if you align the handle straight along the motion path, it should not dip. You will need to do this for all key frames.

I think there is another thing that can cause this problem, but I can’t remember it. I think it has to do with keyframe interpolation. If anyone else has any useful suggestions, please chime in.

Hope this helps.

Lars