IMovie 08 imports AVCHD 60i = lower image quality!

The Sony SR11 AVCHD 60i videos play great with Sony player under BootCamp/XP, but iMovie 08 noticeably lowered the image quality after importing.
You can clearly see the difference: http://www.alyudesign.com/images/photo/sr11-sonyvsimovie.jpg
Is there a setting to improve the import quality?

It is of course difficult to tell but I see no difference in quality. What I do see is that one has been either de-interlaced (or displays only one field) whereas the other is in its original interlaced format.

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Controlled test shows imovie 08 import is problem with image quality

Friends,
Like many others I thought that I had noticed a quality difference between imovie 08 and imovie 06. So I did a controlled test:
I imported the same video into imovie 08 and imovie 06. I made two separate movies out of the video in 08 and two separate movies out of the video in 06. I then exported one of the 06 movies into 08 and one of the 08 movies into 06. I then burned all four movies to dvd.
The resulting burns were the following:
1. imported into 06, burned through 06
2. imported into 06, exported to 08 and burned through 08
3. imported into 08 and burned through 08
4. imported into 08, exported to 06 and burned through 06.
The result:
The movies imported into 06 were clearly superior in image quality to those imported into 08. I couldn't tell a difference between the 06 imports burned through 08 and 06. I also couldn't detect a difference between movies imported into 08 and burned in 06 and 08.
What is it about 08 import that causes quality degradation? I couldn't find any quality preferences to change.
I suppose this post isn't much different from the others along this line but I couldn't find any that did this type of controlled test.
Applecare had no idea why there was this difference.
Steve

I think I've solved my problem with a Google Search. I came across a free slide show generator
(contributions requested) that shows much higher quality slide shows than either iPhoto or Aperture 3.
You click on a folder of jpegs and it almost immediately generates thumbnails and within a few seconds
I can be viewing a full screen, tack sharp, slideshow of all of the files in the folder. Much sharper than
I'm used to seeing.
I think I'll keep the Aperture 3 and use if for the purpose it's intended for in the future. I'll also redo the
image preview files to the small size it started with and then I'll copy all of the files I'm interested in from
iPhoto into a separate folder on another disk. I'll use Aperture to catalog and to perform image manipulations
on but I won't try to use it as an iPhoto replacement. I don't think I'll be using iPhoto much as an image
viewer in the future either after I finish moving my favorite pictures to the Phoenix Slides folder.
The name of the free program is Phoenix Slides. It's free to download and try, free to keep (though I
think you'd want to pay the small amount requested) and fast. My pictures have never looked so good
before.
http://blyt.net/phxslides/
Message was edited by: Jimbo2001

Low image quality in pics

Hi: I have a ipad 2 and when taking are blurry photos in low image quality. I have to do something to improve the image quality?
I wait your comments...Thanks.

Two main points:
1. Use good lighting.
2. Remember the photo is actually taken when you release the shutter ("take photo") button. Make sure you do not move the iPad when you release the button.

When using Lightroom Book module for Blurb book making, why do I keep getting a low image quality message if it's supposedly accessing my large raw files in my library?

When using Lightroom Book module for Blurb book making, why do I keep getting a low image quality message if it's supposedly accessing my large raw files in my library?

I think I've solved my problem with a Google Search. I came across a free slide show generator
(contributions requested) that shows much higher quality slide shows than either iPhoto or Aperture 3.
You click on a folder of jpegs and it almost immediately generates thumbnails and within a few seconds
I can be viewing a full screen, tack sharp, slideshow of all of the files in the folder. Much sharper than
I'm used to seeing.
I think I'll keep the Aperture 3 and use if for the purpose it's intended for in the future. I'll also redo the
image preview files to the small size it started with and then I'll copy all of the files I'm interested in from
iPhoto into a separate folder on another disk. I'll use Aperture to catalog and to perform image manipulations
on but I won't try to use it as an iPhoto replacement. I don't think I'll be using iPhoto much as an image
viewer in the future either after I finish moving my favorite pictures to the Phoenix Slides folder.
The name of the free program is Phoenix Slides. It's free to download and try, free to keep (though I
think you'd want to pay the small amount requested) and fast. My pictures have never looked so good
before.
http://blyt.net/phxslides/
Message was edited by: Jimbo2001

Huge HD file sizes in iMovie when importing AVCHD files from HD Camcorder

Although several answers have been given on different ways to import HD files from a AVCHD camcorder, in this case a Sony one, the issue is what to do with the HUGE files it creates. I recorded 2 hours of HD content in about 30GB on the camcorder. I can burn those native HVCHD files on DVD's, took 6 of them, and play them on a Blue Ray player in HD. To edit, I tested a sample 50MB file that was about 3 minutes in length. It convered to quicktime file in the same 1920x1080 quality resulted in a file that was about 800MB, looked great, but how do I store or play a 20 minute version of it? iMovie is inadequate to do anything other than produce smaller size files for an iPod or lower quality, unless it is going to be a very short HD movie if doing true HD quality. One of the reasons I took the MAC plunge was the better multimedia capabilities. In this case, Apple (iMove and Final Cut) is behind.
I ended up shifting my HD editing back to a PC with $100 Sony Vegas software that can edit the AVCHD files and author in it. I can produce a DVD with about 25 minutes of edited HD in AVCDH file format and play it. I can also store the finished product in a much smaller space using AVCHD files. I have a 1 TB drive on my Mac that would be consumed if I worked in iMovie with converting all these AVCDH files and kept them in HD quality since it looks like it needs to expand them 12-16 times the AVCHD file size.
Yes, I know I could lower the quality to better work with them in iMovie, but that makes no sense to me. I want to record and edit in the HD format. Seems like these AVCHD cameras are becoming a standard since they are so efficient at storing HD content, iMovie needs to figure out how to edit and store them the same way. Very disappointed in how iMovie handles HD, to me it is NOT very good at handling HD, no good way to store or distribute it.
Am I missing soomething here? I have spent hours looking for a different answer, but have not found one yet? Maybe the next version of iMovie will be better. I like using it for SD DVD authoring, but for HD, did not work at all for me.
Jon

Interesting you say it is not meant for editing, but there are about a half dozen editor's for windows that will work on these exact files. I know with Sony Vegas that I have the same level of control with frame precision as I do with iMovie so I think there must be more to the story why Apple has not been able to support it like other software manufacturers who support windows. Don't get me wrong, i would love to do the work in iMovie and not have to learn something new. I don't have the storage space to use the HD apple format, that 2 hr of HD in AVCHD would turn into about 500GB then what do I put it on to play it. If the BlueRay standard calls for 25 or 50G disc's and we can get full two hour movies on them today, then they must be using a file format similar to AVCHD to fit on a disc, they cannot be using anything close to what Apple uses for HD files, it is just simple logic and math. So why doesn't Apple finure it out before everyone who starts working in HD comes to the same conclusion that the Apple QT file formats for HD is going to be an issue with space, you can create content, but cannot afford the disc space to store it or play it.

Low image quality on Android using CameraRoll.addBitmapData

When using CameraRoll.addBitmapData on Android the resulting .jpg's quality is quite low in what looks like 50% jpg compression. In iOS the quality is much better. How do I reduce the compression on Android and increase the image quality? I don't quite understand why the compression is so high and why there isn't a method argument to adjust it.
Is there a work-around?
My app is an art app that users typically export imagery from to use in other apps or share. When the quality is so low, the additional compression in another app makes it even worse.
Any help is apprecaited it. Thanks in advance.

As DPI, or PPI, are meaningless in Video, one should concentrate on the pixel x pixel dimensions. Also, with the exception of PrPro CS5 & 5.5, with CUDA/MPE acceleration, Scaling of stills in an image editing program, like Photoshop, will yield better quality. This ARTICLE goes into more detail, and also gives tips on doing batch Scaling of entire folders of still images for Video use.
Good luck,
Hunt

Elements 8 Low image quality on import

Hello,
I am using Premiere Elements 8, and importing large 300dpi images that once imported and scaled, look blurred and really badly compressed. Is there something I am missing?
Thanks

As DPI, or PPI, are meaningless in Video, one should concentrate on the pixel x pixel dimensions. Also, with the exception of PrPro CS5 & 5.5, with CUDA/MPE acceleration, Scaling of stills in an image editing program, like Photoshop, will yield better quality. This ARTICLE goes into more detail, and also gives tips on doing batch Scaling of entire folders of still images for Video use.
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Hi, I am trying to create a DVD that will play wildlife images. I have the images (In high ressolution, edited at photoshop CS2) and an audio file (Wildlife sounds)
I went to IDVD, choosed a theme, added an image as the entrance, add a slide show, added the images to the slide show, added the sound to the slide show and exported.
My settings in idvd are set to best quality.
The resulting DVD presents very low quality, saturation has decreased immensly, sharpness is gone. Audio VERY loud.
Is this the best quality iDVD can provide? Shall I use FCP (I wish to avoid it since I will like to make new versions of the cd as long as new images arrive, iDVD, if it provides good quality, will make life much easier.
By the way, I tried exporting a slide show from iPHOTO to iDVD but the resulting quality is extremely poor. I also tried to prepare the slide shows on iMOVIE but the results I get are not good either...
Is there anything I ma doing wrong? Should I change the settings somewhere womehow? or Should I forget about iDVD?
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See Preparing images for DVD slideshows at http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=iDVD/6.0/en/17.html
I have the images (In high ressolution ...
Basically, that's an overkill. At this point (pre-HD capable burners) we are limited to the less than 640x480 pixel resolution of the NTSC system (or 768x576 pixel resolution of PAL).
You slide show should look 'fairly good' on a TV set or on your computer monitor viewed at 640x480.
Sorry.

Low image quality, strange playing behavior of Encore CS5-authored DVD

Hello Forum.
looks like I'm becoming a frequent visitor here! Could do with a little more help.
A no-menu DVD I tired to make yesterday is shown plays in rather low quality. Also, it starts from about a minute into the movie, even though no chapters have been set (I have to rewind to see the beginning), and for the first split second it shows something that looks like 1 or 2 frames of 3/4 video that immediately stretches out to something that looks like 16/9 with dark left and right margins of about 7 pixels.
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My questions are:
1. How to make it work and --
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Always feel free to drop by.
First, there are ways to Burn HD onto a DVD disc, but obviously the Duration will be greatly limited, due to the size of the destination disc. Not sure how they might, or might not, apply to Encore, but here is one ARTICLE on Muvipix, and here is an ARTICLE from the PrE forum on similar. Here is an ARTICLE from Elements Village, but I think it is basically a re-cap of material in the other two.
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Can you post a screen-cap of your En Timeline, just in case there's something there?
You might want to also post to the Adobe Encore Forum, as there are some users, who do not spend much time here.
What you describe is odd to me. I have not encountered such, nor have I read of it.
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Hunt

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begin download.
*wait forever*
3) Alright now they are .mov saved in events.
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Also! If anybody could help me with controlling my camera from the computer (selecting it instead of iSight) I would be very thankful. I'm wanting to do some timelapses outside my window. Thanks!
Thanks in advance,
WIll
Message was edited by: IL7
Message was edited by: IL7

I take it from this new thread that you were unable to return/exchange the cam with Sony. That's too bad, but you seem to be making progress, albeit at more of a snail's pace. I didn't realize your cam format was AVCHD in the previous thread, otherwise I might have mentioned that this format does take more processor time in iMovie 08. Hopefully someone who knows about this aspect better than I will help out.
Re Richvid's post, here is something I found on the Sony site, from last April, when your cam became available. It's just one line from the review of the AVCHD cams, but maybe you want to investigate if this item is available yet.
"Sony has plans to release a DVDirect recorder that will allow high definition DVD creation without the use of a PC."
I would be remiss in my mission to promote miniDV if I didn't also say:
Of course, there's more expense (Sony's DVDcorder), which you probably weren't counting on, but Sony is, and add that to your near hatred of your brand new cam's hassles and it sure makes the idea of a nice simple miniDV cam even more palatable.
Forest

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Does FCPX import AVCHD 1920x1080?

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