[Todd Jacobsen]

Thanks again for all your help and advice, Kevin. I really appreciate it.

Todd

[Todd Jacobsen]

First off, thanks so much for all your help on this. Much appreciated.

To answer your question(s): It appeared as though it was just the text being affected. I did notice some horizontal banding happening in spots that caused the entire frame to be affected, but I know that’s something completely different.

There’s a new version up here on Vimeo for a very limited time (only 12 hours–let me know once you’ve seen it so I can take it down). This incorporates a new methodology that might have solved the issue. I’m not entirely sure yet.

When I created the original I was ecstatic–after what seemed like days of experimenting–that the result finally worked even remotely close to my initial concept. The big problem? The spiral was so far away in frame that I didn’t want to move the camera any closer and take a chance on mucking the whole thing up. So I precomped everything, and repositioned and rescaled in the new comp so the words appeared to be emerging from the same spot in the frame. That new comp was then imported into another “final edit” project/timeline, where all the clips from the entire project reside.

Remember that the juddering seemed to happen about 80% of the time in the same spot? It was where a couple of scaling/positioning keys were in the new comp. Took me while to even think about looking there. (Like I said in my first post: “Duh.”)

So last night I went back into the original composition–not the new comp, but the one off in the distance–and rendered out a full-res .avi. I brought that into QuickTime and Exported to QuickTime Movie (mostly to bring the size down from 4.5gb), and imported the new .mov into the final edit timeline. Using the scaling/positioning keys from the old “new comp,” I repositioned everything. Then I rendered out a 1/4 size test, and the issue seems to have disappeared.

This morning, I rendered out a full-res 1920 X 1080 .avi and used HandBrake to generate a 1/2-sized 960 X 540 .mp4, the results being linked above. After viewing this more than a dozen times on Vimeo, I notice it judders only sometimes, but really only once or twice in the original offending spot. There have also been a few times where it doesn’t judder even once throughout the length of the clip. Same thing with the original .mp4 on my computer.

How does it look on your end?

[Todd Jacobsen]

No dice. Still stuttering.

The new QT movie, using the Animation codec, wasn’t that large (75 mb); it played fine by itself. (I’m hoping this wasn’t due to an error on my part in your “New Precomp” instructions.)

HandBrake settings…

Output Settings
Container: MP4 File
Large file size (box unchecked)
Web optimized (box checked)
iPod 5G support (box unchecked)

Picture
Source: 960 x 540
Anamorphic: Strict
Cropping: Automatic

Video Filters
All options set to “Off”
(Detelecine, Decomb, Deinterlace, Denoise, Deblock)

Video
Codec: H.264
Framerate: Same as source (29.97)
Quality set to “Avg Bitrate (kbps)= 600”
2-Pass Encoding (box checked)

Audio, Subtitles, Chapters
N/A

Advanced
Encoding:

Reference Frames=4
Maximum B-Frames=2
CABAC Entropy Coding (box checked)
8×8 Transform (box unchecked)
Weighted P-Frames (box checked)
Pyramidal B-Frames: Default(Normal)

Analysis:

Adaptive B-Frames: Default (Fast)
Adaptive Direct Mode: Default (Spatial)
Motion Estimation Method: Default (Hexagon)
Subpixel ME & Mode Decision: 6: RD in I/P-frames
Adaptive Quantization Strength, Psychovisual Rate Distortion: (Sliders set to 1/2 by default)
Partition Type: Default (most)
Trellis: Off
Deblocking: Both windows set to Default (0)

[Todd Jacobsen]

Many thanks…I’ll post the results later today.

[Todd Jacobsen]

@Dave: Open GL never gets used in any of my renders, but thanks for checking in anyway…hoping you (and anyone else) might have some more advice.

Test results: I rendered out a full 1920 X 1080 .avi and used HandBrake for compression (output = 960 X 544 .mp4…my first compressed test was a 1920 X 1080 .mp4, but the clip hung and wouldn’t even play!) and the initial problem persisted. So I added CC Force Motion Blur to the precomp, didn’t futz with any of the settings within that effect, rendered full and then compressed the clip down to 960 X 544, just like before, and I still have the problem.

I’ve even tried rendering directly with H.264 instead of doing a full, uncompressed .avi. This made the problem even worse.

Thanking any (and every) one else who might have a solution.

[Todd Jacobsen]

Thanks, Kevin…

I’ve added AE’s built-in motion blur already, but now thinking maybe I should add CC Force Motion Blur to the precomp. Is that kind of what you were suggesting?

I’ll have to try the “uncompressed in QT…compress down with compression app” to see if that works. I’ll post back with results on both ideas.

[Todd Jacobsen]

(Sorry for the double post. I’m new to the forums.)

[Todd Jacobsen]

Hi Kevin,

Eighty percent of the time it happens in the same spot, but it’s not limited to just that one spot.

I render out uncompressed (1920 X 1080) avi’s, but usually stretch to 480 X 270 in the Render Queue for posting on YouTube. (See reply to Johnny’s response.) I export Movie to QuickTime Movie using H264, and all the parameters YT suggests. A smaller compression doesn’t smooth it out.

System config:

HP xw9300 Workstation
Dual Core AMD Opteron
Processor 285
2.59 GHz, 3.25 GB of RAM
NVIDIA Quadro FX 3450

[Todd Jacobsen]

Hi Johnny…thanks for the quick response.

I generally render out avi’s and open them in QuickTime. And yeah, I’m watching them on the same computer I made them with. (I can only wish I had an Avid to know for sure if it’s a machine issue.)

What’s worse: this project is something that will be most likely seen over the internet, so there’s really no guarantee it won’t shudder anyway. I’ve posted sections of the project throughout the approval process for the client on YouTube, fully aware of the limitations of such an endeavor as this, and the imperfection(s) in this particular clip are embarrassing regardless.

None of the other clips over the 3:37 project have had the negative render issues this one always seems to have, either on my machine or on the internet.