workflow from after effects to dvd

[samwich]

I was wondering what are people's workflows when going from After Effects to final DVD.

Right now I am using After Effects CS4 to create title sequences and motion graphics. My final output would ideally be D1 NTSC Widescreen DVD disc at the highest quality.

I am rendering out text/title sequences into 720x486 mp4 with H.264 codec and a pixel aspect ratio of 1.2 (for the widescreen DVD). I am compiling these movie files in Premiere CS4 and then using Adobe Dynamic Link to bring the Premiere project into Encore CS4 to burn a DVD. When I burn the final DVD video, it still doesn't look quite the best quality I want even though I feel I am using professional products.

Does anyone else use this workflow have any tips or suggestions as to things I could check to get the highest quality? Should I be using the animation codec instead of H.264?

 

[LethalWolfe]

Don't use H.264. It's not good for anything other than final delivery. You can use animation but you have to keep in mind that DVD is a very, very compressed format. Are you watching the DVD on an SD CRT TV or on your computer monitor or HDTV?


Lethal

 

[samwich]

Good to know, I'll re-render my intermediate videos in the animation codec. And I am watching the final output on an HDTV and/or my computer.

 

[LethalWolfe]

Enlarging an SD graphic on an HDTV is going to detract from the quality as well.


Lethal