Quality Stills from Post...

Nathyn

Nathyn

Low Budget Ninja
I'm using FCP and shootng on the DVX100. I am curious as to how I would get high quality stills from FCP. I'm using FCP 4 since I've yet to have a real reason to upgrade but all of the stills exported from FCP come out at 72 dpi. I'm trying to get something around 300 dpi.

-Nate
 
Ah, the age old 72dpi question. 72dpi means absolutely nothing unless you are printing. The still will be 720x480 or whatever it is, and it can have a dpi of 72 or 300 or 1 , it does not affect the onscreen quality, only the print size and subsequently print quality. I'm on my phone right now so I'll post an example when I'm on my computer. Suffice to say, your captures are either fine, or there is something else wrong.


- GageFX
 
Okay. I'm not at my computer, but I'm at a computer. The dpi setting is only a reference in the file for how it should be printed. The file is (for example) 2400x3000 pixels and it is a "300dpi" image. That means that if you open that file, by default it will print an 8x10 print as the reference inside the file is saying to print at 300dpi. Now, open the file in Photoshop, open Image Resize, (I'm going by memory, no PS on this comp) unclick resample image, then change the dpi to 72. You still have a 2400x3000 pixel image of exactly the same quality, it is just now set to print 33x41 inches. That print will be of decidedly lower quality than the 8x10 printed at 300 dpi. The onscreen image will look identical.

Here's the same example I posted online years ago to help explain.

Two images. Actually, same image, but one has been saved as "1dpi" and the other as "300dpi". Go ahead and open both and check the specs.

6420160.jpg

6420162.jpg


Onscreen they are the same.

Hope this has helped.

-GageFX
 
But that's what I need to know. I need to use clips from the film for posters and such.

-Nate
 
Oh no. It wont happen. At least it wont happen well. My daily camera is a 16MP Canon 1DsMkII. 4992x3328 pixels. The best image in 35mm body based digital SLRs. Your capture, from DVX, is 655x480. That's it. There is no getting more. (BUt shouldn't it be 720x480? I dont understand this video stuff.) But it doesnt matter let's even say 720x480. That is the size of the image. So, if the image is 300dpi, that's 720 divided by 300 and you get a 300dpi quality print size of 2.4x1.6 inches. MAXIMUM. You can take it into Photoshop and "uprez" it, but you wont get good results even at twice the size, so at the most you'll get an okay 4.8x3.2 print. There is no setting in any NLE that can do better. There is no setting in any application at all that can get more actual resolution out of your still. That's just the size it is.

Just as an example, your best print size for your image is 2.4x1.6. The best from my camera is 17x11. That's at 300dpi. I know my images will print larger than that, stunning and better than 35mm film up to even 20x30. But when I shoot for my posters (the shoot will be in the next couple weeks), I'll be renting a 22MP Medium format digital for $400/day. That will give me 4056 x 5356 pixels and a 300dpi print size of 18x14. Or a 35mm film quality print of up to 40x60 poster size.

To compare:

22MP = Poster resolution.

.34MP = Less than business card resolution.

You can't change that. You can push that image farther, but even 2MP produces bad 8x10s. Doable, but very, very poor quality.

Please get other info as I am just another retard on the internet, but this is my day job and livelyhood. I know photography and printing and have been shooting digital since digital SLRs cost $25,000 for a 2MP body. You need to shoot some stills, even a cheap Canon Rebel will get you much better results. Get your actor in costume and makeup, light the sucker and shoot some stills. Keep a digital on set to get some production stills to use later.

Good luck,

-GageFX
 
Hi:

Gage knows the score here. You could try an uprezzing program like Genuine Fractals 4.0, which will help you obtain decent results but your end result will still always be low resolution video.

You can also check out Graeme Nattress/ website for some information on this http://www.nattress.com/magic.htm

Dan
 
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