Marco Solorio
Forum Replies Created
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Just a note that Apple’s uncompressed codecs have never faired well with regard to chroma jaggies. This is due to the chroma filter (or lack thereof) that they employ. However, the upside to it is that it holds up incredibly well under numerous re-encoding generations.
I’ve pleaded for years with Apple to implement optional settings in their uncompressed codecs, or at the very least implement at better algorithm. At one point I thought things were going to happen when I was communicating directly with the Apple developers a few years back, but nothing came out of it and we still have the same anomalies to this day. At which point, I’ve given up all hopes of updates.
Definitely use Sheer if you don’t mind the RT hit.
Marco Solorio
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I’ve gotta agree with everyone here. Recap at uncompressed, preferably 10-bit if you have the speed/space to do so. And yeah, probably stay away from ProRez until it’s been proven as a solid performer.
Like David, I still often render out my AE projects with animation Animation code, this way we (A) have a lossless archive of the master and (B) FCP can do the final encoding on the timeline without the actual animation itseld getting a generation hit.
There are two (or really three) options to keep in mind when rendering out of AE…
1. Rendering as Animation out of AE gives you a 4:4:4 lossless master that is the same as the origina AE comp you were working in. Only problem is that it’s 8-bit. If that’s okay then stick with it.
2. Render as UC 10-bit out of AE **in 16-bit mode** or higher and directly encode to 10-bit UC. This isn’t an exact representative of the original master you were working with, so keep that in mind. However, for keeping banding out and the like, it’s a great option.
3. A payable option is as David mentioned… the Bitjazz Sheer codec. An awesome diamond in the rough. You could render out to either 8-bit 4:4:4 RGB or 10-bit 4:2:2 Y’CrCb (no 16-bit RGB option yet). There’s also the Microcosm codec that saves to 16-bit 4:4:4 RGB with reduced file sizes.
Personally, I prefer to render out of AE in lossless RGB mode. This way if I ever have to re-encode from the master to a different format down the road, I’m re-encoding from an original lossless master as opposed to the “latest whiz bang codec at the time” in a reduced/different color space.
Marco Solorio
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Just to add, you can easily crush your black levels by using the Levels tool. Simply slide the black level to the right and it’ll, well, crush the blacks. Any shadow detail will be gone. This can look good or bad, depending on what you’re trying to achieve.
Marco Solorio
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You can double-click the clip from the time-line to view it in the Viewer. Then click “Motion” tabe in the Viewer. See if your Aspect Ratio setting is not set to zero under the Distort section.
If it’s a sub-sequence, then right-click and “Open in Viewer”. Then do the same as above.
Marco Solorio
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Right-click the sequence in the FCP browser. Then select Item Properties and then Item Properties again. When the properties window appears, uncheck the Ananmorphic option.
Marco Solorio
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[Daryl K Davis] “As far as waiting for the next generation – this IS the next generation of Intel MacPro Desktop machines.”
Yes, but it’s first gen octopus technology. I’m sure Apple will quietly fix something that’ll render out a “V2” motherboard within the next couple of months. They always seem to do. But hey, I’d be more than happy to have an octopus in the studio!
Marco Solorio
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[Thax] “Why do the bad eggs get all gthe way down the line and to the consumer’s video screens?
Nobody along the way gives the slightest damn.”
True, but you’d think the schmuck paying for the commercial and air time to promote their business or whatever it is, would care. Just can’t believe that they’d pay all that money to let it air like that.
Marco Solorio
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And what deck is it that you’re trying to capture from?
I know this happened to me before, as mentioned. I could swear it was a setting in FCP. It’ll come back to me at some point. Hopefully before you run out of time.
Marco Solorio
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[santellavision] “The rule of thumb is to usually upgrade to the most powerful system you can afford, because it will have a longer life.”
But the other general rule of thumb is, don’t buy the first generation of something new, LOL 😉
Marco Solorio
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I could swear this happened to me a year or two ago with a BVW-70 deck and FCP 4 or 4.5 but I can’t recal what the solution was. What version are you on? What happens if you start a new project and try capturing from there as a test? What format are you in and how much space is left on your drive? I know that last question seems off, but I’ve had problems before where space was low and things started to act funky. Clearning stuff off seemed to make things good again.
Maybe try repairing your permissions as a last ditch attempt?
Marco Solorio