final cut highest quality export

[famicom69]

Hi guys, I recently finished editing and filming my music video for a university project dvd. So far I have managed to get to grips with final cut and our mini dv camera without too much guidance, but Im still unsure about bouncing the file down in highest quality available to a dvd disc and to my desktop. What export settings in final cut studio 2 are ideal for this? Theres so many

Many thanks for your time.

 

[LethalWolfe]

For making the DVD, Export via compressor, add a DVD template setting and change the bit rate to "constant bit rate" and the amount to 7.0.

For the highest quality QT you can export it out as an 8-bit, uncompressed QT, but that'll be a huge file. Using the MJPEG-A codec on highest quality will get you almost exactly the same quality at a much smaller file size.


Lethal

 

[-DH]

If your final delivery format is going to be DVD-Video, then it will end up as compressed and multiplexed MPEG-2 (with AIFF or AC3 audio), formatted as VOB files.

But from FCP, quality will NOT improve if you export to a format any higher than what you started with. i.e.: if you started with DV, then DV quality is the best you'll get on export*. To achieve that, export from FCP as a self-contained QuickTime Movie (File->Export->QuickTime Movie). Do NOT recompress all frames. Or simply export directly to compressor and choose the appropriate preset for DVD-Video.

-DH

* = The exception to this rule is when you have a Sequence that is heavy on graphics and/or titles. A higher export format may help those elements look better, but will not do anything to improve the quality of the video footage.

 

[famicom69]

Many thanks guys, much appreciated.

 

[HDproducer]

Do not go constant bit rate. a two pass variable bit rate is much better then constant bit rate.

Compressor has some very nice up-res filters. But you don't kneed them.

Export your timeline directly to compressor. This way compressor looks back to your original files, instead of some quicktime conversion from Final Cut. Use one of the "high quality" presets from compressor. run a few short clips with some different settings to see what looks best. Watch your color saturation levels, you may want to bump your colors up a bit, as things get muted on compression.

But if you want the best looking video YOU have to play with it a bit. Don't go constant bit rate, and don't export a quicktime file first! Both of these options will make the process go faster, but you will lose quality.

 

[-DH]

Export your timeline directly to compressor. This way compressor looks back to your original files, instead of some quicktime conversion from Final Cut. ... and don't export a quicktime file first! Both of these options will make the process go faster, but you will lose quality.

Sorry HDproducer, but your information is incorrect. A self-contained QuickTime Movie from FCP is an exact copy of the Sequence with the EXACT same quality. It doesn't make it go faster, but it does allow you to continue working in FCP while Compressor does the encoding.

Also, Compressor doesn't work with the original captured/imported files unless there are no filters or other alterations added in FCP. If there are, then Compressor use the render files from FCP - NOT the original clips.

-DH

 

[Hooka]

Sorry HDproducer, but your information is incorrect. A self-contained QuickTime Movie from FCP is an exact copy of the Sequence with the EXACT same quality. It doesn't make it go faster, but it does allow you to continue working in FCP while Compressor does the encoding.

Also, Compressor doesn't work with the original captured/imported files unless there are no filters or other alterations added in FCP. If there are, then Compressor use the render files from FCP - NOT the original clips.

-DH

The Quicktime movie is the way to go, It gives you your edits just as you put them in. But, I always like to output to tape first before I do anything. That way you have your edits on tape and you don't have to worry that anything might happen to your files.

 

[HDproducer]

Sorry HDproducer, but your information is incorrect. A self-contained QuickTime Movie from FCP is an exact copy of the Sequence with the EXACT same quality. It doesn't make it go faster, but it does allow you to continue working in FCP while Compressor does the encoding.

Also, Compressor doesn't work with the original captured/imported files unless there are no filters or other alterations added in FCP. If there are, then Compressor use the render files from FCP - NOT the original clips.

-DH

Apology accepted. You would be correct if you are dealing with simple cuts only. Once you apply any effects, filters, crop, transitions, anything outside of simple cuts, and Final Cut alters the footage. If you save a Quicktime movie of your timeline, Final Cut is processing all those changes. Then you send it to Compressor to be processed again. Compressor does a much better job of handling the processing.

If you want fast and convenient than a Quicktime export is fine. If you want the best quality, go straight to compressor.

 

[-DH]

Apology accepted. You would be correct if you are dealing with simple cuts only. Once you apply any effects, filters, crop, transitions, anything outside of simple cuts, and Final Cut alters the footage. If you save a Quicktime movie of your timeline, Final Cut is processing all those changes. Then you send it to Compressor to be processed again. Compressor does a much better job of handling the processing.

If you want fast and convenient than a Quicktime export is fine. If you want the best quality, go straight to compressor.

Still wrong. Where do you get your information?

If you add transitions and filters in FCP, the export process references the render files (or makes new ones during the export) REGARDLESS of which export method you use; 'QuickTime Movie' or 'Using Compressor.' So they've already been processed. Exporting to a self-contained QuickTime Movie merely makes a copy of your Sequence; NO FURTHER PROCESSING OR ENCODING TAKES PLACE (as long as the Sequence is rendered properly and you don't check the "Recompress All Frames" option).

I would advise you to recheck your information before disseminated here as fact.

-DH

 

[LethalWolfe]

Do not go constant bit rate. a two pass variable bit rate is much better then constant bit rate.

VBR is better if file size is a factor, but for something as short as a music video CBR is higher quality and faster. Fitting a two hour movie onto a single layer DVD would definitely benefit from VBR because a CBR would have to be set very low in order to get 120 minutes to fit. But we are only talking about a five minute or so music video would not so we don't have to take space into consideration.


Lethal