Quicktime file size/quality question.

[DrRock]

I have a 90 minute feature project in FCS 2 that I want to export as a quicktime .mov file. My project was shot on a JVC Everio GZ-HD7 at the FHD setting. It was converted to the DVC Pro 1080i60 codec using Mpeg Streamclip before being imported into FCS 2.

I know the basics of exporting .movs, and I know how to burn to DVD. I know that if I export as a self-contained .mov, the file will be much bigger, but will work on other computers without all the original source footage.

When exported as a self contained .mov the file size is about 78 gb.
When exported as a non-self contained .mov the file size is just over 1gb

It's my understanding that when I export the movie as a non-self contained .mov the file is considerably smaller, but in my experience, the file won't work on other computers because it's still referencing the original source footage. That's my understanding of self-contained vs. not self-contained. Is this correct?

What I'd like to be able to do is create a self-contained .mov that is small enough for me to burn to a DVD-R as a file, so another party can import it into their computer for use with their editing system.

I've tried exporting the .mov as non-self contained, to create a small file, then re-importing the new file into FCS 2 and then re-exporting it as self-contained in the hopes that even though it's self contained it will be referencing only the smaller file, rather than all the original footage, thereby decreasing the file size.? Should this work, or does it ultimately reference the original footage?

Bottom line, how do I create a self contained .mov that's not massive in size?
Thanks!

 

[LethalWolfe]

The only way to reduce the file size is to compress it and if the goal is to send the footage to someone else so they can edit with it you'll be doing too much damage if you compress 78gigs down to DVD size, IMO. You can either use a program to span the 78gig file across a bunch of DVDs (I think Toast can do this) or you can put the file on a harddrive and give it to the person that way.


Lethal

 

[DrRock]

Thanks, Lethal-

What I'm doing is submitting it for a film festival. The end user will be compiling video clips to a laptop to screen several in a row without having to switch DVDs, etc. In that case, is compression ok? It will projected on a big screen digitally, so I want to be sure it will look ok. Maybe I could bring him an external HD with the self-contained file as you suggested, and from there he could make his own smaller, non-self contained file.

His original plan was to have me burn him a DVD, from which he would rip the video and play with the laptop. My thought was to try to just give him an .mov so he could cut out the middle process, save some time, and keep the quality intact.

If he does it his original way, it will definitely be compressed anyway, coming from a DVD. In this case, would compressing the video from the outset be preferable? I wonder this because when I burn the DVDs, I get glitches. I don't know what they're called, but it's that digital "shifting" of blocks that usually happens with highly compressed video. Anyway, thanks for the info, and if you have any advice in light of these other questions, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks again!

 

[LethalWolfe]

If can bring him the file on a HDD that would probably be the most straight forward way to do it. Another option is to ask him for the exact compression settings he's using for playback and give him your film in that format. Of course if it's still too big to fit on a DVD as a data file then you still might have to give it to him on a HDD.


Lethal

 

[DrRock]

Thanks Lethal!

 

[DrRock]

I was wondering; if I use compressor to create an mpeg-2, would that work? I know it will be compressed, but since they're ripping from a DVD to mpeg, it seems that it couldn't be any worse quality than what they would achieve. Plus, I'd be cutting out the middle man.

I started the process with compressor, and it says it will take 19 hours. I'm three hours into it, so if you think that won't work, I'll quit & try something else. If it will work though, I'm in favor of waiting. Thanks again!

 

[handsome pete]

As Lethal suggested, try to find out the specs he will be using for playback and see if you can do the compression on your end.

It beats compressing to mpeg2 then having him compress it yet again to something else.

 

[electrolux76]

Also, ask him what the resolution of the projector he'll be using is. It's probably 1080p but if it's a 720p, you can save yourself quite a bit of file size by downsampling.
I know people always bitch about h.264 but IMHO a 2 pass h.264 .mov made using quicktime conversion and a quality setting at high will look pretty darn good.

Also, LethalWolfe, great avatar. I still miss him.

 

[DrRock]

Thanks for the info guys.

He said he's creating mpeg 2 files and the image resolution is 720 x 480. I'll try the h.264 just to see how it looks. He won't be burning it to a disc, then re-extracting. If I give him a file, he'll play it as is. That being the case, maybe h.264 will be ok, since it won't be going back to a disc.