Using the Mpeg_4 Codec for Your Film

Using Quicktime Pro For Compression and Color Correction

Okay so now you will have to compress your uncompressed film. If you tried exporting it as an mpeg-4 in premiere or after effects you might get something similar to what I have below.

The image to the right is the uncompressed version. The image to the left is the mpeg_4 version. Pretty big friggin’ difference! This can be solved to some extent with quicktime pro.

*Quick note: This problem only arises in quicktime. You won’t get this lack of color in VLC media or windows media player.

Open your uncompressed movie in quicktime.  Select file

1) In the Export dialogue box choose Movie to Quicktime Movie then select the Options button to the right.

2) Select settings and the Standard Video Compression Settings window will open.

Select the following:

Compression type: Mpeg-4 Video

Compressor Quality: Best

If you exported your uncompressed file correctly then your frame rate should already be 24 per second so you would just need to set your frame rate to current in the frame rate section. Make sure that your data rate (top right section) is set to automatic not restrict to.

Click okay, name your file (do not overwrite your uncompressed) and save it. Open your new mpeg-4 video, and select Windows then show movie properties. Select the Video Track and choose the tab under the video track labeled Visual Settings. At the bottom of the window is the Transparency dialogue box. Change it from its default Dither Copy to Blend. A Transparency level slider will appear. Slide it to 100%. To the bottom right of the screen is a box labeled High Quality. Check this box then go back to the transparency dialogue box and change it from blend to Straight Alpha. Close this box then save your mpeg-4 file. You will not see a difference until you close the file and reopen it.  Now here is my new mpeg-4 (left) in comparison to my uncompressed file (right)

It’s not a perfect match but pretty close. Keep in mind this is just a display problem with the quicktime player. If you want to show this to friends and family outside of the senior showcase you can easily view it with VLC or Windows Media and you won’t have this problem. From what I understand all films in the senior showcase are burned onto a DVD then played at once but I’m not sure with which player so there is a 2 out of 3 chance it will be at the levels it was intended for and a 1 out 3 chance that it will be played just under those levels (barely).

A Note about Compression

Okay so compressing your file is important because if done incorrectly your film could end up looking like crap even if you use the right codec. I have done this plenty of times. An example would be the left picture in the first comparison. Notice how it lacks in color and quality? That’s because I compressed it wrong. Here are a few tips to make sure you compress your film correctly.

Ø  Never limit your bit rate. If you are in premiere or after effects and are exporting your film uncompressed this option should never be checked. As a matter of fact if this option is even clickable then you have the wrong codec selected. Remember to export uncompressed select the animation codec of the quicktime format. The animation codec does not allow the limit option.

Ø  When you are compressing your film through quicktime pro remember not have your data rate set to Restrict to. From what I understand this is the same thing as Limit Bit Rate in after effects and premiere. Your data rate should be set to Automatic (just above Restrict To).

Ø  Check for the signs: Does you film have weird pixilated boxes here and there that weren’t present beforehand? Is your film much smaller in size after you tweeked the options in the Quicktime Pro movie properties and saved? If yes then you probably did something incorrectly that resulted in compressing your movie file more than intended.  Go back and try again. Still getting the same problem? Check your uncompressed file and make sure that it is actually uncompressed. If it is not ridiculously huge (my two minute film is over a gig) or shows signs of pixilated boxes here and there then it isn’t uncompressed and you chose the wrong codec in your video editing program. Oops? No worries just go back to your video editing program and re-export with the correct format and codec. In premiere’s export window choose format: quicktime and video codec: animation under the video tab. In after effects’ render queue click output module: lossless to format: quicktime and then click the button Format Options… and choose video codec: animation.

Wait! I’m not getting crazy pixilation but my lines are aliasing!

If you have lines that look segmented in your film this isn’t a compression problem, your lines are just too thin. Even if you produced them in a vector program like flash video programs raster your images when making them into movie files. The only way to fix this is to go back to your source files and thicken your lines or brush strokes. In flash if you ink with the line tool or the pen tool your line width should never be below 2 if you want them to show up. Your brush strokes should not be thinner than a line with a width of 2 either. 

Hope this helps. Good luck to you all! – Nana Boachie

Using premiere to set up your film cut

                Creating the project

Okay I know a lot of people hate this program but it is really helpful if you practice using it and better understand what you are doing. First we are going to set up your project so it is properly tailored for your film. If it’s properly tailored exporting will be less of a pain in the butt.  If you already understand how to do this skip to the next section:

When you open premiere, select new project, place it the folder you want to save it, name it, and hit okay. The new sequence box will appear. Select the general tab.  Select the information below from the dialog boxes. There’s more in the new sequence box than what I am displaying but these are the most important to pay attention to:

Editing Mode: Desktop

Time Base: 24 frames/second

Video:

Frame Size: (enter in the original dimensions of your film. If you work in 1280x720 then put in       1280x720)

Pixel Aspect Ratio: (this depends on what your dimensions are. I believe Square Pixels(1.0) are good for 16:9 ratio and the default D1/DV NTSC (0.9091) is good for 4:3 ratio like 720x480)

Check the Maximum Render Quality box

Click okay

Great now import your image sequences and put them together in your sequence panel’s timeline. Make sure that when your files are imported they have the same frame rate of the sequence setup. In our case it is 24 fps. Sometimes premiere will import your files to a different fps like 29.97. This is annoying and I have no clue why it happens, but to fix it right click on your file in the project panel and go to modify< interpret footage from the little menu that appears. Next select Assume this frame rate and type in 24. This should fix it.

Using premiere and sound

The reason why premiere is important is because it makes it easier to sync up your imagery with sound effects and dialogue. With after effects you will have to RAM preview your workspace in order to hear any sound then try to sync things up then RAM preview again to see if your audio matches with your footage. This may not sound like a big deal but it’s a pretty inefficient way to work if you have a lot of audio files. With premiere it is a lot faster because there is no need to preview.

You will need two sequences in your project file. To make another simply go to file

For the sake of clarity we will call the first sequence panel “Originals” and the second sequence panel “Final”. You will be putting your image sequence files in the Originals panel timeline and nothing more. Once you have your film cut together, export (fileOptimize stills box is checked. Export your stuff and be aware that this will take a while. My short film of 2 minutes is about 1¼ gig uncompressed and took approx. 30 minutes to export. If you are unsure of your settings or want to experiment around some try a smaller compressed codec like H.264 until you get what you want. H.264 is smaller and takes less time to produce. Once you find the settings you like best apply them to your export window and export uncompressed.

So now you have your uncompressed footage. Import that into your project file and place your movie file into your second sequence panel labeled Final. Make sure it is the correct frame rate. Right click over your movie file (inside of the sequence panel not the project panel) and choose scale to frame size. Your movie will then fit appropriately according to the 720x480 dimensions assigned to this sequence. It may not fill the entire space completely. For instance my film is 16:9 therefore it has black bars present at the top and bottom. This is expected and totally okay. Now import all of your audio (remember to keep your project panel tidy and organized). In the Final sequence is where you will put your audio and sync it up easily. Once you are done with that export this sequence uncompressed again, 24 fps, 720x480, uncheck the optimize stills box and make sure both the export video and export audio boxes are checked.

After it’s exported check the file and make sure everything looks good.

Now it is time we get this file compressed to the correct codec. Go to my Using Mpeg_4 Codec post to read this tutorial (finally yeah!)

PROGRESS!

Oh wow so much progress in only a few weeks! Most shots are inked and a handful are colored. I'm hoping we get the visuals done in a couple of weeks.


Ah man I'm awful aren't I? Last post I meant to show the illustrated shots a day later. Ooops. Well I guess it shows how busy the team and I are, eh? I have barely anytime for blogspot, but I am trying to be better about it. Anyhoo here are the awesome pictures I promised that Kenton produced.

Did I forget to mention how talented Kenton is?

The Beginning of the End

Haha look at how often I tend to this site (guess it only shows how much I've been workin' aye?).

Finally it is the beginning of the end... for the film that is. Going to get to inking and coloring and all that funky jazz now that I am in senior II and in the my last quarter before getting my B.F.A.

Good News!:
My illustrator, the talented Kenton, finished Fishsticks' hyper-real painted shots! They look fantastic, and I'll post them in a couple days or so. I'll be posting more often in the last few months of this film's production. Promise.

As a certain cloran would say, "Hobey-ho!" and so I go...

(you just got ten bonus points if you understood that reference)

Inbetweening go Go GO!

It's been five months since my last post and I have the first stage of my inbetweening done for the "Fishsticks" film. Right now I am just doing the bodies' actions. I got a critique from my senior class and will finish adjustments by Wednesday. Afterward, I will start the second stage of my inbetweening, in which I'll animate the facial expressions, along with the lip sync and also the pretty mermaid's bangs. i think I'm still a little tired from the weekend in which 70% of my free time was animating. If it wasn't for my film it was for other students' film. I think I'll head home, cook and relax then start fresh tomorrow. There are only 2.5 weeks left to get the rough animation done....  

Concepts

Touched up on my concept pieces. These are the before and after pics

yeah this last one is my favorite.

Mermaid Princess designs are finished 8D

She just wants what any random princess wants- LOVE!...or maybe a convertible? No, no it's definitely love.