Re: Subtitles: suggested workflow?

Hi Bob,

Exporting a sequence that has DV footage as well as high-res graphics, titles etc... as a QT Movie (using current settings) is good enough in about any circumstance, except when you want to make a master video file that will be converted into a more compressed codec than DV.

MPEG2 is such a codec, so if your final delivery is a video DVD my advise is to always render your master video in a higher quality format, in which your non-DV content will better preserve its initial quality. This goes for Motion project files, LT project files, Boris titles, high res graphics etc... Of course this takes more time and the final video file is much bigger, but you will notice a difference once you view your DVD. The first rule of software compression is: start with the highest possible quality so you can give your compression software the best possible assets to work with.

Best wishes,

Ronny

Hi Ronny,
Are you saying that any Motion files (eg text) that are generated in a higher codec (eg uncompressed) and incorporated in an FCP DV time-line, will retain this quality if re-rendered into uncompressed, PROVIDED THAT it has not been rendered in the DV timeline first?
Does this mean that we should not render in this lower codec? If so then how can we view the project play-back before completion?

Cheers
Alexander

...and Ronny please.

Cheers
Alexander

Hi Alexander,

As I mentioned above: "When you export your timeline to anything else than a QT Movie using current settings, ALL render files are disregarded during the export. So if you have rendered titltles, graphics etc... on your timeline, these render files will be converted starting from their original format, not from the render file."

Say you create a Motion title animation and you import the project file in an FCP DV sequence. In FCP you will have to render the Motion file in order to play it smoothly, so your title animation will be compressed to DV. When you export the FCP timeline to Uncompressed these render files will be disregarded and your Motion file will preserve its full quality in the Uncompressed video file.

Best wishes,

Ronny

So in a nutshell, if you go to your delivery codec out of the FCP time-line, no need to first go to a higher Codec like Un-Compressed?

Cheers
Alexander

Hi Alexander,

You got it absolutely right. However, you can't convert to MPEG-2 anymore using QuickTime conversion. So in this case you will need to either Export Using Compressor straight from the FCP timeline, export an Uncompressed (or Apple ProRes) file and import it in Compressor (same quality as the first method, but without blocking FCP during the conversion process), or make a QT Movie and send this movie to Compressor (if your timeline consists mainly of captured footage and does not have many complex filters, titles or high-res graphics).

Best wishes,

Ronny

Thanks Ronnny, exporting via Compressor for m2v was always the recommended best path, worth tying up FCP for a better result.

Cheers
Alexander

I agree to a certain extent. The Export via Compressor workflow offers two main advantages:

1. Your timeline is sent fully decompressed, so any graphics, titles, or resolution-independent files (such as Motion, or LT project files) are sent at their full quality to the conversion application (this is the same advantage as when you export an Uncompressed video file from your timeline).

2. When you send an FCP timeline to Compressor for m2v encoding, Compressor automatically puts a new I-frame at the start of every cut in the timeline. This can improve the quality of your conversion, especially when you cut fast moving video.

But every medal has its flip-side, and so does this workflow.

First of all this workflow costs a lot of time as every single frame is decompressed and converted. And all this time your FCP station is tied up. As you say, it is worth the trouble if you really can see a difference in the m2v quality.

But if your timeline is already in a higher-end format that plays natively in FCP and that does not mess up your titles or graphics quality (such as DVCPRO 50, DVCPRO HD, Apple ProRes,...), or if your timeline mainly consists of native footage (such as documentaries or news), you will hardly notice any quality difference in your m2v conversion if you just export a QT Movie (especially with ProRes), and you will win a considerable amount of time with FCP because your native footage will not be recompressed frame by frame when making the QT Movie.

Second the Export via Compressor workflow is reputed for its problems with audio getting out of synch. This happens more frequently with longer projects and with projects that have complex audio layers. Here, downmixing the audio first may be required.

Best wishes,

Ronny

Ronny,
We archive projects to DV tape.
I think I know the answer; it sounds like we're stuck with that compression with any LiveType or Motion pieces within, correct?
Thank you,
JR

Hi JR,

You got it right.

Best wishes,

Ronny

Hi Robert,

Make sure your render options are correct. Choose Sequence > Render All and make sure ALL render options in the list are checked, including the Full (dark green) option. Then you press ALT+R to fully render your timeline, you nest the video tracks to one nested layer (select your video layers, then choose Sequence > Nest items), and finally you add the subtitle tracks.

Best wishes,

Ronny

Hi Robert,

This seems like "buginess" indeed. One thing you can do: export your Master Sequence as a stand-alone QT Movie and import the QT movie in your project. Then make a new sequence ("Subtitle Sequence"), drop the QT movie in the sequence and put your title tracks above this. Your problems should be solved now.

This of course means that if you should need to make any changes to your initial edit, you will have to make the changes in the Master Sequence and then re-export a new QT movie to put it under the subtitle tracks in the Subtile Sequence. But this should not happen anyway, because normally you only add the subtitle tracks at the very end of your editing workflow, when the edit is "locked" (i.e. final and approved).

Best wishes,

Ronny