[Rick Sebeck]

https://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93871

“When using 10-bit high precision rendering, clips with motion blur and a drop shadow do not render. This can happen when working with uncompressed material, or when working with DV if the 10-bit high precision rendering option is enabled.”

Well there’s the answer! Wow… this is the first time I’ve seen this article… and it applies to FCP 4.

[Rick Sebeck]

Just noticed one more thing….

It seems to only happen when you apply settings that affect the alpha channel… like a drop shadow. PSD with an alpha with no drop shadow, rendered in YUV 10bit… looks great. With a drop shadow,, you get the green dots!

Speaking of looking great.. why do you have to set the field dominance to none in order to get a good looking render in FCP 5?

[Rick Sebeck]

Okay… definitely a 10 bit problem. I took a PNG that had an alpha channel, stacked it on top of a basic matte color. In Kona 10bit sequence set to YUV renders with green crap.
Kona 10bit sequence set to RGB renders fine.
DV NTSC sequence renders fine.

[Rick Sebeck]

I noticed that PNG’s with an alpha channel do it ALL the time. I just took one and saved it as a PSD… problem solved. But some text generators do it too. Definitely an alpha channel issue with YUV rendering. I haven’t upgraded my FCP or OS since my Fibre Channel software (FibreJet) doesn’t like mismatched OS’s… wonder if it is fixed in the update?

I’m thinking about pulling the trigger to find out! My home G5 is my guinea pig, and it has 10.4.2 and FCP 5.0.2 and no problems… but no Kona either… it may be a 10 bit thing.

Dual 2.5 G5, 4GB RAM, OS 10.4.1, FCP 5.0, QT 7.0.1, Kona 1.1.2, FibreJet 2.0.4, Xserve

[Rick Sebeck]

I still haven’t figured out the green ghost!

I have noticed that rendering in RGB cures the problem, as well as changing the scale of the clip.

Sometimes just re-rendering it several times makes them go away.

By any chance are you using a Kona2 card? or using an Xserve? – just trying to see if it is FCP related. I am assuming so, since I have also had to set all of my sequences field dominances to “none” since the upgrade to fcp5 as well… seems like there have been some strange render issues.

[Rick Sebeck]

FWY My friend worked on Stealth, which comes out this weekend… and one of his main jobs was to put the reflections back in ALL of thee helmets, and the glass of the cockpit. When they shot, they shot without any glass.

Now go watch the movie and see how impressive that feat was!

P.S. This was done at Digital Domain… they used Lightwave, Maya, and their proprietary node based composting system to pull it off. It took him months and he bitched every day! But, if you can pull it off a little simpler, and still as effective… you can hope to someday make a feature blockbuster too!

P.P.S. The matrix also does a similar effect with sunglasses. I once mimmicd that by hand rotoscoping the lenses.

[Rick Sebeck]

Michael,

By “center punch” do you mean 4:3 stretched? or 4:3 pan and scan?

I just love learning new lingo and wanted to be clear before I start using it!

-Rick

[Rick Sebeck]

Try using the “editing” selection not the “mastering” one. Or visa versa. I had the same problem with my Kona card, and switching the mode from “mastering” to editing” fixed the problem. Strange thing is that when i went back with another project later in the week the “mastering” mode worked just fine when doing an insert!

Thought maybe it would help you too!

[Rick Sebeck]

Okay gang.. I’ve been following this tread, and others, and all I still have some questions….

I am cuting a film shot on the Varicam. I have a Kona2 system with a 5.6 Xraid. With a robust system should I still “offline” in DVCPRO HD?

Am I correct in saying that-

1) Shoot in 23.98 (using seperate tapes for variable frame rates)
2) Rent a 1200a deck and digitize all the footage via firewire (capturing takes separately and not full tapes at a time) using the DVCPRO HD codec
3) Offline edit in 24fps DVCPRO HD sequence.
—Here’s where you loose me—
4) Lay to tape, then redigitize? at _____? or 4) create an uncompressed timeline and re-render

5) The film is ending on DVD and the budget is cheap, but should I still make a master of the “true” HD? Would I rent a D5 deck, and use the Kona to output the new render?

If they have the budget to do a true color correction (DaVinci / FinalTouch HD), should I do that from the DVCPRO HD suedo master and let them up-rez and output a D5?

And last- to make it worse… it is pretty intensive effects film – lots of rain and weather effects.

I am assuming it wouldn’t be cheaper to down convert to DVcam (since I have a deck) offline at 29.97, then online (rent the 1200a) at HDcam compression and output it (rent a D5 deck).

[Rick Sebeck]

Each cable carries two digital streams, so you will have four channels in two cables. (if you use FCP 5 you can capture all 4 at the same time) If not, use the AJA control panel to select which ones you want to record, then do a two pass. You can also get all four channels in the embedded SDI signal as well. I was told there is no difference in quality between the AES/EBU and the SDI – but that doing insert editing the AES reduces the chances of audio popping.