[Monica Nolan]

I miswrote my settings above: What worked in the end was saving the psd with a pixel aspect ratio of 1:33, NOT anamorphic; then importing to fcp; then opening the sequence; changing the sequence settings to 1280×1080, pixel aspect ratio 960×720; then correcting the scale and changing the distort to 33.33; then lining it up by comparing it with a flattened version of the same psd file which imported into fcp just fine.

So it’s something to do with layers?? I can’t believe the process I followed above is the way this was intended to work.

Any insights would be much appreciated!

[Monica Nolan]

I’ve read through this thread and I’m at a loss. I’m editing in fcp, a dvcpro hd 960×720 sequence, and I was sent a layered photoshop file to use for the title. The ps file is 1280×720. When I import this into FCP I get a sequence which looks stretched. After much experimenting, trying all different pixel aspect ratios in photoshop, and all different sequence settings in FCP, what seems to work is setting the pixel aspect ratio to anamorphic in photoshop, and changing the sequence settings to a frame size of 1280×1080 with a pixel aspect ratio of 960×720.

Problem: when I copy the layers I need from the imported graphic sequence to my video sequence, I get garbage–the two lines of text that are separate layers no longer line up, are the wrong size, overlapping, etc.

I’m going to keep trying to figure this out, but I feel like this is way more difficult than it should be and I’m wondering if I’m doing something basic wrong. I don’t want to eyeball this, because this video is one of a series and the title I was supplied matches the spacing etc. of other videos in the series.

Thanks!

[Monica Nolan]

I’d do some research into video cards. I am searching posts because my ATI Radeon 2600 HD XT seems to have died today. The computer (Mac Pro Quad core) was purchased from a reseller in February of 2007, so I’m out of warranty. I use final cut and after effects, and it’s not like I’ve been editing anywhere close to 24/7, since I mix off-site and home office work.

Any recommendations for replacement cards??

[Monica Nolan]

Got the expression working. Really does make a huge difference.

Thanks!

[Monica Nolan]

I tried copying this expression in and got this error message: “Class ‘Layer’ has no property or method named ‘timeToFrames'”

Wondering if this is due to working in AE 5.5? Which is why I can’t use the vertical scroll preset Todd mentioned.

[Monica Nolan]

Thanks all, for the suggestions and resources.

Dave, no, this project is not going to film. Its final destination is digibeta. I exported an uncompressed quicktime which is being color corrected, and then it will come back to me and I will stick it in an uncompressed timeline, put the titles back on, and export another uncompressed quicktime which will be laid to tape at a post house. My first time with this finishing process.

I got hold of an external video monitor, but can only hook up via firewire (to converter to monitor) so I can’t actually look at anything uncompressed, so I’m still flying a little blind.

Meanwhile, I’m trying to implement the pixel/second suggestions made by both Dave and the Best Practices link Todd led me to. Seems like it would be easy, but it’s not. The best practices recommends 119.88 pixels per second (4×29.97) but when I move my position key frame around to try and reach it, I discover that number lies between two frames. How do I make that number happen?

I looked for the Mercury Jones info–I guess it’s a preset to which a link once existed. No link found. Nothing found by googling.

Thanks!

[Monica Nolan]

Thanks everyone, for the suggestions.

I’m borrowing an external video monitor tomorrow, so I can look at my various experiments and see what’s working. So far, the illustrator>AE>FCP workflow for the crawl still looks the best.

David, I tried creating a ProRes sequence, and made the titles again (using Boris Title Crawl this time), rendered, exported, imported and dumped in the dv timeline, and didn’t see a difference. It’s probably not the best solution anyway, since I need the titles to play over footage, and so I had to pull my dv footage into the ProRes timeline as well (unless there’s a way to export a rendered timeline with an alpha channel). I’m curious, what sequence settings have you used that worked? Export settings? I just changed the compressor to ProRes and the framerate to 24p.

Well, maybe it will all look more beautiful than I can possibly imagine on the borrowed monitor tomorrow.

[Monica Nolan]

Thanks Kevin. If I output a test to mini-dv tape, hook up a camera to my tv, will I that be enough for me to judge if the titles are working?

No ability to monitor properly is a becoming a bigger problem. I’ve been working mostly with projects that were for the web, or that left me to go through a more traditional finishing process.

[Monica Nolan]

Nope, no multiclips. And no big difference between the project I was able to archive and the project I was not. Same types of media, mixture of P2 and screen captures.

It’s not that I can’t work around it, I just can’t leave the WHY NOT alone.

[Monica Nolan]

The media was P2, from a hard drive that went back to the client.

A new wrinkle: I was able to archive another project, no problem–same client, same project specs. Still wondering what is going on.