[Richard Ducasse]

This comment and the following 2 helped me figure out how to fix this for my Illustrator file. It was already in RGB mode, but one color looked very wrong after import to After Effects. In Illustrator, when I selected it, it was labeled as a “Pantone color”. So I selected all the shapes that had that same dark blue, then I clicked the Palette icon; clicked the Options icon, and selected RGB to convert it. Then it matched the same RGB color in After Effects.

So even though the RGB numbers looked correct in Illustrator, they did not match an RGB solid of the same blue in After Effects. I had to go back in Illustrator and select that one color that was a Pantone or “Spot color” to individually convert it to RGB. Just having the whole document set to RGB did not properly convert that color. It had to be done manually in the Palette menu.

I also spent an hour searching on Adobe’s website and it did not help. This seems like a bug in Illustrator.

[Richard Ducasse]

Me too. Exact same problem. Did you ever hear of a solution, after all this time?

[Richard Ducasse]

I am having the exact same problem. Got some HDCAM EX clips, was not supposed to be green screen, but client shot some at the last minute. Can’t get a clean key with Keylight. Looks OK until you look close. Very grainy and noisy at 100%.

Tried using After Effects Color Difference key, and it’s less noisy, but not as good of a key as Keylight.

Did anyone ever come up with a solution to get rid of the noise in green screen keys with HDCAM EX?

Any info would be most appreciated.

[Richard Ducasse]

Thank you for that information. No one has explained it to me that way, including the 2 insurance agents I talked to. They said it did not make any sense for me, as a sole proprietor with no employees.

As interesting as your explanation sounds, I still don’t see how I could ever file a claim for workers comp with any of my clients. I only get hired by the day, and typical jobs might last a week. I thought you had to be working at a company for a year, full-time, before you could claim workers comp, and only after you had been “layed off”. So how does it make any sense for me to pay $425 a year for this insurance? Any thoughts on that?

[Richard Ducasse]

Yes. If you hire other freelancers to be on your crew, you should have worker’s comp insurance in case they get hurt or damage something. It is fairly common with working for larger companies.

[Richard Ducasse]

I totally agree with you. I know this is an extreme example of corporate bureaucracy run amok. But if there is a chance I can get a new client, I will try almost anything to do it. And if that means spending $1000 for insurance, to end up getting 5 or 10 or 20 thousand in business from them, it is worth it. Remember, I have to be very careful what I tell these people, or they will stop talking to me. Expressing my opinion on their rules is not a good idea. But if I don’t get some feedback on my questions to them about at least exempting me from Worker’s Comp, and hopefully Professional Liability, then I may have to give up, and stop wasting my time.

[Richard Ducasse]

Thanks Bob, for the interesting story. I did a slightly similar thing a few years ago with another giant corporation, here in the Chicago area. I started working for them through independent production companies, and eventually they started sometimes hiring me directly, and finally gave me a vendor number, which makes getting payed easier for them and me.

It sounds like your friendly “Video Dealer”, who let you work through his company for Universal Studios, was doing you a big favor. Did he mark up your fees? Did you buy him a few bottles of fine wine? I don’t understand why your first vendor number was not good enough. Was your second vendor number a “universal” Universal number?

I also have worked through a friend’s company many times in the past, for this big corporation, but if I continue to do that, I would have to get payed through that friend’s company, and he would deserve to mark-up my pay. I’m trying to get away from that, by selling myself to them with no unnecessary middle men, and they really liked the idea of saving money that way. Then they dropped the insurance bomb on me. They just have too many MBAs clogging up their system. This is the real reason many American companies cannot compete, but don’t get me started.

[Richard Ducasse]

Thanks Nick for your thoughtful response. It confirms all my suspicions, and I agree with everything you said. However, I am not giving up yet. Before I started this post, I had worked my way up to a face-to-face meeting with 5 of their employees, where I showed my work, and it went well. I will continue to diplomatically probe their level of potential cooperation, after I talk to more insurance agents next week.

I will also try to set up my insurance options, but not pull the trigger until they actually book me the first job.

My alternate plan is to try to show them how easy it can be for me to work with them totally on the internet, thereby eliminating any insurance issues. But this company’s bureaucracy is byzantine.

[Richard Ducasse]

Yes, I am planning on charging them at least 15 to 20% higher than my normal rate to make up for my extra cost (if I buy item 2 and 3). I have worked for this company before, but always through other contractors, like independent producers who hired me to do the graphics. I know this company sometimes just wants graphics and I’m trying to establish a direct relationship with them. If I get 2 or 3 small jobs out of them, per year, it would cover the cost. But item 4 (Professional Liability) is the tough one. It may be the deal breaker, unless they grant me an exemption. I doubt if they would give me enough work to justify my buying it.

[Richard Ducasse]

When I first got CS4 in February, I thought the same thing. I even manually changed it to 720 x 540, and did a small job. Weird that no one else replied to you yet.

I found out recently, Adobe has corrected what was a long time mistake. The new numbers are correct, and are caused by using more accurate pixels sizes. Go to Adobe’s help site for AE, and search for pixel aspect size, or something like that. They explain the change, and also give a link to a very good web video that explains it even better, on lynda.com.