Paul Conigliaro
Forum Replies Created
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No, you’ll want to keep your AE render as uncompressed as possible. If you have QuickTime Pro, use these steps to get an h264-MP4:
Open your render in Quicktime.
Choose File:Export and select “Movie to MPEG-4” and click on Options…
Make sure “File Format” at the top is MP4, NOT MP4(ISMA).
Change your video format from MPEG-4 Basic to H.264.
The rest of the settings are pretty self explanatory (image size, data rate, etc).This is the method we use to create h.264 encoded MP4s. It works for us, but is hardly an elegant solution. The adobe video encoder (and on2, etc) will not use h.264, as far as I know. They are limited to producing FLV files, not MPEG files.
Adobe CS3, Apple FCS2
[Disclaimer: Sometimes I am an idiot and misinterpret people’s posts. I’m sorry.] -
It will depend ultimately on what you want to do with AE. It’s just a tool that can be used for many uses: compositing, motion graphics, animation, etc.
If you’re leaning more towards mograph, you’ll want something with a graphic design background. You might also consider a film school that offers compositing & graphics classes.
I attended Columbia College Chicago’s film program with an editing and motion graphics concentration. It worked out well for me (I’m one of the few in my graduating class actually working in the field I studied). But I wish I had a stronger design background. Editing, timing, and techniques are all there, but my design skills are lacking.
(Aside: One of the great things about Columbia, though, was that all the classes were taught by working professionals. So I had classes with actual directors, editors and designers. It was great for both their experience and the connections they offered.)
So again, it all comes down to what you ultimately want to do. If you have a better understanding of the underlying principles of animation, design, etc, you’ll be able to use any tool, not just After Effects.
Adobe CS3, Apple FCS2
[Disclaimer: Sometimes I am an idiot and misinterpret people’s posts. I’m sorry.] -
It definitely sounds like an issue with VP6. We had some issues on a static logo over black even when in a DVCProHD timeline. Ultimately, we tried to keep things in After Effects at Animation and even 16 or 32 bpc.
If you can, definitely try using an h264 encoded MP4. It should be much better. But the usual disclaimer applies: YMMV.
Adobe CS3, Apple FCS2
[Disclaimer: Sometimes I am an idiot and misinterpret people’s posts. I’m sorry.] -
I’m not extremely familiar with using VP6 for animation (only for live action), but it sounds like a color sampling issue. Typically reds block like that in 4:1:1 (and even on occasion 4:2:2), especially against black.
Two suggestions:
Do you have the option of using a very dark red for a background instead of pure black?
What about rendering out as with the Animation codec and using the adobe video encoder, Sorenson Squeeze, or On2 Flix?If you’re using Flash 9, you can also compress to MP4 files (even with h.264 encoding) and they will play back in Flash.
Lastly, make sure you’re not scaling the video once you bring it into Flash. What is your comp/render resolution vs the area of the stage your placing the video? You’ll want a 1:1 match.
(Sorry if this is redundant.)
Adobe CS3, Apple FCS2
[Disclaimer: Sometimes I am an idiot and misinterpret people’s posts. I’m sorry.] -
What codec are you using to go to Avid? Also, are you rendering with field dominance, or progressive? Lastly, what are your field settings when you import to Avid?
Adobe CS3, Apple FCS2
[Disclaimer: Sometimes I am an idiot and misinterpret people’s posts. I’m sorry.] -
What settings did you use to compress the FLV? The general advice is to stay away from File:Export in AE.
It sounds like either your render or your compression is set to a lower resolution than your stage size, or the bitrate is far too low.
Adobe CS3, Apple FCS2
[Disclaimer: Sometimes I am an idiot and misinterpret people’s posts. I’m sorry.] -
Not sure about the Particular/SoundKeys combo, but I’m pretty sure this can be accomplished with Trapcode Form. If you search around, you’ll find some tutorials. I believe it even comes with presets for responding to sound.
Adobe CS3, Apple FCS2
[Disclaimer: Sometimes I am an idiot and misinterpret people’s posts. I’m sorry.] -
If you’re looking for a true 3D model (and not a flat object in 3D space), you’ll need a 3D modeling app such as Cinema 4D or the like. I’m sure there are other more basic, cheaper ones out there.
After Effects cannot to true 3D modeling.
Adobe CS3, Apple FCS2
[Disclaimer: Sometimes I am an idiot and misinterpret people’s posts. I’m sorry.] -
Poor editing of a post on my part. I meant “Why not use masks in photoshop and save as a PSD file?”
Adobe CS3, Apple FCS2
[Disclaimer: Sometimes I am an idiot and misinterpret people’s posts. I’m sorry.] -
After Effects will also read layered PSD files. Why not convert use masks and save as a PSD file?
But, yes, the first additional channel beyond RGB in a TIFF will be interpreted as the alpha channel.
Adobe CS3, Apple FCS2
[Disclaimer: Sometimes I am an idiot and misinterpret people’s posts. I’m sorry.]