Best format to export 1920x1080i clips that will undergo additional editing?

We have a client that brought us AVCHD MTS files to be edited. We did some adjustments (audio, color, brightness) and some basic editing to them, but they now plan to send them to another company for final editing and DVD authoring. What is the best format I should send them in to keep from losing any quality, but still keeping the file sizes managable?
I was thinking of outputting to h.264 M4V files, but I don't know how easily those can be edited in other systems, such as Final Cut or Vegas and I don't know what editing software this other company will be using.
Would an MPEG2 file be better?
Thanks.
*The original footage is 1920x1080i, 29.97, square pixels at an average of about 9,000 kbps.

Harm Millaard wrote:
is not possible. It is about minimizing quality loss. Uncompressed, Lagarith or UT are your best options, but they will all increase file size.
Sorry Harm, I'm not communicating myself well. What I meant is that I know I can't gain any quality by increasing the file size, just like converting an MP3 file to a WAV isn't going to increase its quality, even though the size will be much larger. So what I was looking for was the best method for compression that wouldn't lose any quality over the original files (which were AVCHD), but also wouldn't unnecessarily increase the file size.
The reason I didn't want to increase the file size for no reason was because we will be delivering the files on DVD-R discs and I rather burn and ship as few of them as I need to.

Similar Messages

Best format for export to After Effects

When using a sequence from FCE in After Effects what is the best format to export? A Quicktime movie or a DV stream (or another format)?
WA

If you're on the same computer and will be making no further changes to the sequence, export a QuickTime movie not self-contained. If you need to do further work on the sequence that might replace render files, make it a self-contained QuickTime Movie.

Best format to export HDV to work in Windows XP?

Trying to move a HDV 1080i 25p video clip over to Windows XP to do some effects work in After Effects 8. I tried exporting as a ProRess422, HDV 1080i and a FCP 10bit uncompressed QuickTime and it never works on Windows, QuickTime 7.4 just goes on line to try and find the codec, which of course it can't find!
So what is the best format to export HDV from FCP6 so I don't loose any quality to work in Windows XP?
Thanks
Kevin

Useful info on that web page but as it was talking about FCP4, so not up to date with the latest HDV codecs.
I'm surprised I can't export a piece if video in HDV format on the mac and then play it on QuickTime on the PC, that's realy what I'm after, keeping it in the same codec, more or less.

Best Format for Exporting with Intended Internet Use

I am looking for (in general) the best format to export a file if the main intended use is for it to be shown on the internet (through Vimeo.com more specifically).
I uploaded my first couple of videos and was disappointed with the graininess and slight pixelation of certain sections of the footage. I think it may be the way I exported the file.
The first file I exported as a WMA file and the other file I tried as an MOV file. Not super impressed with either...but then again maybe it is something that I did wrong in the editing process...so many ways to screw this up
Any suggestions would be great! Thanks

My 1st step, if I were doing this, would be to go find the requirements page at Vimeo.com to find out exactly what they want and/or allow

How can I export a video that will loop indefinitely when played from a usb drive?

how can I export a video that will loop indefinitely when played from a usb drive?

As far as I know, PPro does not have that capability
If you were creating a DVD in Encore, you could put an "end action" on the video timeline to itself... so at the end of the DVD video it would go back to the beginning
I am not aware of any way to do that for a simple file

Best format to export in order to encode using a third party tool?

Hello,
I am trying to export a movie I cut. I want to have a high quality uncompressed file that I can transcode using a third party app (which I've had better luck with than AME). So far I have tried AVI's with 100 quality, no compression, RLE, and they look terrible. FIle size is not an issue at this point. Its a 3 minute clip that looks horrible and blocky and 2 gigs large. Sorry I am still learning premiere.

Well I have been encoding clips for web since CS3. At the time I was trying
to encode h.264 mp4's or quicktimes from premiere or from after effects.
Perhaps I wasn't setting the encoding right but I was getting relatively
larg files and or disappointing quality encodes. I then learned to export a
quicktime with animation codec, at high quality, and transcode it using MPEG
streamclip or Handbrake. They did a superb job and I had an easier time and
a lot of control with the h264 settings in these programs. It was just an
extra step.
Now that I am on CS5, its actually the first time I use Adobe Media Encoder.
So perhaps it does a good job, and I just haven't figured it out yet. I am
testing out some settings at the moment, trying to find a similar
configuration from Handrake, to see how AME handles it, because if it works
well it would be sweet.
Oh and I realized that to export clean AVI I needed to use microsoft
uncompressed AVI with uyuv. The other AVI settings looked horrible. Is that
what people send to tape?
Edit:
I have taken and transcoded an uncompressed AVI clip at 720x480 using AME's h264 and then taken the same clip into Handbrake to compare results. It was hard to assign similar H264 quality settings as the options in AME are very basic. You can basically choose Variable bit rate or Constant bit rate, and then ascribe a target bit rate. And that seems to be about it. In handbrake, the codec settings are much more granular. So I set off to create an encode that would have the same file size. Here are my results:
In AME I ended up with a 46 mb clip (it is over 3 minutes long) that looked pretty good. The render time was HALF of Handbrakes. With Handbrake, my clip was 45 mb, and it looked about the same as the AME clip, except that when there was a lot of fast movement on screen, the image quality was better, less blocky. While I really appreciate the speed from AME, the extra 2 minutes it took to transcode in Handbrake are worth the extra image quality and high end finish. It is hard to tweak the setting much more, in the absence of options inside of AME. Again, Handbrake is made to encode h264 from the ground up, and I also recognize that AME can be very useful in encoding other formats as well. Unless someone can show me otherwise, I think Handbrake will get you a better h264 encode than AME.

Best format to export for iPhone

What's the best format for viewing over the web via an iPhone? The quicktime format that I used for my blog generates an 'Error playing movie' message on my iPhone.

Visualhub is a transcoder with multiple input and output formats with specific setting for iPod,iPod touch. Costs around $19-used to work great but recently everything I convert suffers audio crash than closes out the player. Hopefully they will fix it.
Elgato H.264 hardware transcoder is $99 dollars(USB stick that plugs in to Mac)-speeds up encoding of any file quicktime can handle, settings for apple tv, iphone/touch, ipod,Sony PSP. Worth the cost if you transcode a lot of video for the Touch or own an elgato HD tuner. Files work flawlessly and look great.
Mpeg streamclip-free. Works great, has presets or can customize the output.

Best format to export old iMoveHD imovie projects?

I currently use iMovie 09, but have a number of older iMovie HD 6 projects that I'd like to save out for viewing on my HD TV via my Apple TV. I was wondering what the best format is for exporting them out. I was playing with several of the Quicktime "Share" options. The Full Quality setting was a HUGE file and made it into a .dv format. I then tried a few of the "Expert Settings". "Movie to Apple TV" setting made a much smaller file size but the quality was marginal with a lot of pixel lines. "Movie to MPEG-4" setting produced an even less quality result but there are many options here that I may not be setting correct. I just want to export out a file that I can then add to my itunes and sync with my Apple TV, iphone and other devices. I want the quality as good as it can be so that it looks good on my TV. Ultimately once I'm satisfied with the result, I'd then like to delete the old iMove HD 6 projects to free up hard drive space. Please advise.

I want the quality as good as it can be so that it looks good on my TV.
Full Quality is the way to go.
Especially if you're planning on deleting the iMovie project.
Matt

Best format the export ProRes sequence out of FCP (gave up on h264...)

Hi everyon,
I finally finished this 10 min long video in FCP in ProRes LT. (1080*1920, 30p)
I exported a self contained quicktime movie (7.5 gig) with the current settings (hence ProRes LT).
Now things are getting complicated...
I am trying to deliver this Vid to a friend, I have tried h264 but the color shifting and desaturation is fairly noticeable. I know this problem has been around for a long time. I tweaked the settings of brightness... gamma,,, saturation... to no avail. I decided to give up on h264.
What can I do now? Is there a format/Codec that I can use that will faithfully render the same colors as I had in my FCP prores sequence?
Thanks a bunch!!!!
Cheers.

H.264 will, you just need to give it enough bandwidth to do the job.
All the web trailers on the net are H.264, and somehow they manage to look great. Blu-Ray too...
You didn't say anything about your sizing, bandwidth, etc.
Patrick

How do I insert a pdf file (image) into a project as a picture-in-picture clip that will run for a specified amount of time?

I want to insert a pdf created from a ppt slide into a FCP X project that will run as a PIP for a specified amount of time. I was successful in bringing the image into the project as a clip but the default for the image is one second. When I try to change duration of the clip, I am able to enter a new time length but the actual clip doesn't change.

You select the PDF image in the timeline. You use Control-D and enter the new duration. What happens?

How to build a custom movie clip that will be used as a cell renderer for column in a grid ?

i want to build a datagrid that shows a picture and underneath it a name.
the problem is i dont want to see all of the pictures, but all the pictures that have certain requirements, so i cant just make one movie clip that includes all the pictures and names.
so my question is how do i build a movie clip that contains photo and text?.

You do not create movieclips on the timeline using code, though you can create them and add them as children of something that has been manually placed in the timeline.
To create a MovieClip using code you use:
    var mc:MovieClip = new MovieClip();
If you need to add an image, then however you intend to acquire the image, after it has been acquired, you add it to the MovieClip using:
    mc.addChild(img);
where img is the instance of whatever form of object the image takes (Bitmap, Loader)
If you need to add a TextField to the MovieClip then you use:
    var tf:TextField = new TextField();
    mc.addChild(tf);
and you can set up properties for the textfield such as the font and color and position as well after it has been instantiated (the first line).

Best format to export to Encore for a Blu-Ray disc ?

To All
My question is I shoot with a Canon Vixia HFR21. I am putting together a family vacation we all just had at Disney World. My computer is capable of handling everything very well.I had it built 2 years ago by ADK.I need to know once I have everything set on timeline and all is ready to export, what exact setting in Media Encoder would be best considering I will be bringing it then into Encore to burn on Blu ray disc.
I have Adobe cs6 Premiere and Encore.
Also after I make the Blu ray I will put exact same time line on regular dvd..from what I read for that I think I should export to mpeg-2 ..I'm not sure .
Also for both blue ray and dvd, which is better ipcm or dolby digital audio ?
Thanks a lot,
Ray Perry

Hi Ray,
From Premiere, export via AME and choose the "H.264 Blu-ray" format, and then for preset, get what best matches your footage, for instance maybe 1080i 29.97
You will need to choose a bitrate in line with the length of the program so that you don't exceed the disc capacity. Just search the web for "bitrate calculator" and plug in your details. No need to be in the 30-40 range, something like 25 using H.264 will look fantastic. I believe at "20" you can fit well over 2 hours on a Blu-ray disc. Dolby audio is the default.
For DVD, again Export via AME but choose "MPEG-2 DVD" and proper preset like "NTSC Widescreen", and set bit rate. Don't exceed 7 or 8 on that, and you can use 560/minutes=rate as a rule of thumb and round down slightly. For instance 560/120=4.66 so I encode at 4.5, again using default Dolby Audio.
I'm not keen on sharing the same Encore project for the Blu-ray and DVD, but that's up to you. Note that you can add DVD chapter marks in your Premiere timeline and when you export, those go with. In Encore, use "Import As > Timeline" and grab the audio and video clip at the same time and the chapter marks come along for the ride!
Thanks
Jeff Pulera
Safe Harbor Computers

Best format for exporting

Hi,
I recorded some video with a Panasonic DMC-LX1 camera which records in .mov format at 30fps, 480x848 (16:9) format.
I imported into imovie in DV widescreen format, as this was the only way i could find of keeping the original format without letterboxing etc.
I now want to export the movie, but I don't know what the best option is - basically I don't want to lose any quality at all. I tried mpeg4 setting resolution and frame rate to "current" and quality to "best". The results were pretty good, but 2.5GB for an 8 minute film.
Just wondered if any iMovie experts could tell me if there's a better way of doing this whole process?
sorry for the long post.....
thanks
17" macbook pro 2.16GHz 2GB RAM 100GB 7200rpm Mac OS X (10.4.7)

You can do a LOT of things in QT pro. Including making up very pretty title screens using something like Paintshop and the musical inserts are quite easy also.
The "problem" with Final Cut is you will have to figure out exactly the codec and dimensions as there is no "New Sequence from footage" command. A few people have asked for it since FC4.0 but it is still not there.
I would save the $$$ and use the QT mask and import to iMovie
or
buy a real video camera I am of the mindset that still cameras are for stills. I would never pit my Sony HD camcorder up against my Canon Rebel XT.

Exporting Animated Slides for widescreen - Best format for export?

I need to build a looping video to be played on a bunch of flat-screen TV's mounted to a trade-show booth. I'm guessing I need to build it for wide-screen - 16.9 ratio?
I used iMovie to build a simple video of images panning in and out. When I go to export, I can use the simple option of Share and if I choose their large option it exports as 950x540. That didn't seem right so I used the export to QuickTime and have selected the NTSC 720x480 16:9 Option.
Is this going to give me the best playback after I turn it into a DVD for playback?
Thanks.

When I go to export, I can use the simple option of Share and if I choose their large option it exports as 950x540.
Actually, it should be saying 960x540 which is a 16:9 aspect ratio.
That didn't seem right so I used the export to QuickTime and have selected the NTSC 720x480 16:9 Option.
If you plan to turn it into a standard DVD for playback in a commercial DVD player, then it makes no difference as long as the iMovie project is setting the anamorphic flag correctly. Authoring the DVD will automatically convert the input file to an encode matrix of 720x480 no matter what its current physical dimensions may be. Further the authoring application will also not and set the DVD anamorphic flag to match your iMovie project (as long as the flag is not lost) so the playback device will know how the display the 720x480 data encode on the DVD.
Is this going to give me the best playback after I turn it into a DVD for playback?
Hard to tell. You neglected to mention the size and codec for the source content, or the compression format used in your "Export Using QuickTime" work flow. Passing the data through the work flow at is highest possible data rate and letting the final MPEG-2 compressor do the final scaling at the appropriate data rate (determined by length and your choice of option) probably produces the best results.

Best format for exporting raw footage to a Windows PC (for editing)

Hi. I have 2 hours of raw MiniDV PAL footage and I want to burn that to DVDs so a friend can edit it on a PC (with Premiere I think).
I already had problems trying to play .mov footage (File>Export>QuickTime Movie...) on a Win PC. Tried installing different players and different codecs, and nothing worked. I cannot believe how Apple QuickTime for Windows doesn't play these files.
Well, which format should I use? (one that Premiere recognizes easily and doesn't need to re-render)
Thanks,
Rodrigo

1) The issue isn't as simple as playing a Mac file with Windows QT. You need a codec that is supported by the Windows NLE.
2) This means the NLE needs to open .mov files AND it can use a codec Windows has that matches your OS X codec.
3) The simplest is "M-JPEG A" because this codec comes as part of Windows.
4) If you load QT with ProRes on the PCc, the PR codec gets added to Windows codec list. So your NLE "should" be able to use it. Your PC may not be fast enough to play it smoothly.
WARNING: I've exported both ProRes and MJPEG directly via a network to a PC. From iMovie 08 and Premiere Pro, both came over as 29.97. From FCP, the files have conflicting frame-rates. QT Player claims they both are 13.3fps. Vegas claims they are 29.97.
Message was edited by: Steve Mullen

Best format to export 1920x1080i clips that will undergo additional editing?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for