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Debate on File *Formats* for Editing ...

Posted By sonic7 6 Years Ago
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sonic7
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Earlier in this post I'd mentioned this:

..... upon importing the 'uncompressed' AVI into Vegas MS, it became evident that it doesn't 'include' the alpha component.
Meaning that when attempting to 'overlay' it (using the next video track 'above'), it totally excludes the video track 'below'.
So now I'm wondering whether uncompressed can even hold 'alpha' information at all.......

Well that was incorrect, because the 'uncompressed' video from iClone does contain an alpha component.
I had failed to 'select' the file's 'properties option' for making it's alpha 'active' - as in 'straight' or 'premultiplied', (whatever they mean); but once I did that (in the NLE), - all was well and it showed it's transparency.


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Please be patient with me ..... I don't always 'get it' the first time 'round - not even the 2nd time! Sad  - yikes! ... 
MSI GT72VR Laptop, i7 7700HQ 4-Core 3.8 GHz 16GB RAM; Nvidia 1070, 8GB Vram iClone-7.93  3DXChange Pipeline 7.81  CC-3 Pipeline 3.44  Live Face  HeadShot  Brekel Pro-Body  Popcorn FX  iRAY  Kinect V2  DaVinci Resolve17  Mixcraft 8.1

Edited
6 Years Ago by sonic7
bexley
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Just my 2 cents worth:

By coincidence I've been forced to deal with this issue myself recently.  I'm out-putting lip-synced toon-shaded animation at 24fps to be posted in After Effects and Premiere Pro CS5 (I bought CS5 in 2010 for a project and it still works great!).

Because of I-clones eccentricities, I'm forced to output audio as an mp4 at 30fps, and the picture is a PNG sequence at 24fps.  The picture might comprise of three passes per character ( 1-with lines, 2-without lines, 3-matte pass) and then some motion tracking data if necessary (another pass or more) -- so I have to keep notes.  I block the scene, set up the cameras and lights, use the switcher to figure out the coverage, then render each angle based on the switcher cut -- but with a few seconds either side of the cut to maximise my editing opportunities.  That last part is a lifesaver.  All four files (three PNG picture at 24 fps, and one MP4 sound at 30fps) are pulled into After Effects and synced up into a single composition (very fast).  This is then rendered into a Quicktime JPG sequence for editing.  Any additional work (adding backgrounds, etc.) is done in AE and then re-rendered as necessary.  These re-renders update automatically  in Premiere.

If I could make it simpler I would.  However it guarantees me optimum control of post without sacrificing the ability to edit properly.  Once you get used to it, it becomes automatic.  The Iclone switcher is a great idea (and very handy) but it's just a switcher.  Editing usually involves disrupting the time-line with overlaps, and jump cuts.

Just my 2 cent worth.

--Bex
sonic7
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@bexley ..... Your approach sounds good to me .... I'm personally not an 'After Effects' person - only because of doing things 'on the cheap', but I was wondering with your use of JPEG image sequences whether you lose your 'alpha' ability at that point? - or doesn't it matter for your purposes?. Your file sizes would certainly be reduced though - compared with PNG sequences .... Smile
Steve.

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Please be patient with me ..... I don't always 'get it' the first time 'round - not even the 2nd time! Sad  - yikes! ... 
MSI GT72VR Laptop, i7 7700HQ 4-Core 3.8 GHz 16GB RAM; Nvidia 1070, 8GB Vram iClone-7.93  3DXChange Pipeline 7.81  CC-3 Pipeline 3.44  Live Face  HeadShot  Brekel Pro-Body  Popcorn FX  iRAY  Kinect V2  DaVinci Resolve17  Mixcraft 8.1

Edited
6 Years Ago by sonic7
bexley
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By the time I'm at the QT Jpeg stage I don't need the alpha channel.  I went with QT Jpeg because it was recommend to me some years ago by someone who knows what he's doing :-), but I'm sure there are better codecs out there now.  The real advantage to my system is that I get to make precise edits (in Premiere Pro because I'm in QT Jpeg), and still have the option of fixing background and picture detail in After Effects (because I'm in PNG sequence).  After making my changes, I just re-render over the old file and the update is automatic.  This is a system that could work in any NLE with any post-prod software.

Other advantages with AE are things like re-framing and re-timing.  I'm working in a 2D-like environment (fake anime), which helps.  I haven't tried it, but WAX might be useful for this stuff. http://www.debugmode.com/wax/

All these tests were made using the system I described 


sonic7
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@bexley .... thanks for sharing your thoughts on work flow .... Smile
Thought your animation was good! A lot of expression in these 2d cartoons! (helped along by a great sound track) ....
Yeah, I'd heard of 'WAX' a few years back ... might take a fresh look and see what it can do!
Thanks for sharing!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please be patient with me ..... I don't always 'get it' the first time 'round - not even the 2nd time! Sad  - yikes! ... 
MSI GT72VR Laptop, i7 7700HQ 4-Core 3.8 GHz 16GB RAM; Nvidia 1070, 8GB Vram iClone-7.93  3DXChange Pipeline 7.81  CC-3 Pipeline 3.44  Live Face  HeadShot  Brekel Pro-Body  Popcorn FX  iRAY  Kinect V2  DaVinci Resolve17  Mixcraft 8.1

Edited
6 Years Ago by sonic7



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