How to work with MXF in Combustion?

D

daktulus

Well-known member
PC:
I edit with Avid and would like to import DVCPRO HD 720p50 in Autodesk Discreet Combustion. How do I best import the footage?
 
I wouldn't do that- too many generations to lose. Export from Avid to uncompressed HD, ProRes HQ if you can or an image sequence- such as TIF or TGA. Otherwise your final work out of combustion will show a generational loss in quality.

Noah
 
daktulus said:
thanks. But isn´t there an official way to import HVX200 DVCPROHD 720p25 material into combustion?
Click to expand...

Ha- ok so we don't really care we're losing quality then? Ok. :beer:

Is that Combustion on the Mac or the PC? On the PC- that would be no. On the Mac, not sure it depends how well they implement QuickTime in Combustion- i.e. what version you're on etc.

Noah
 
No, this is all about quality. That is why I try to import the original MXF files...
How can I import them directly? (If not possible I cant understand Combustions compability policy at all.)
I work on PC.

Oh, and this is not about 1080 or 720 - I need a high quality workflow in general.
 
daktulus said:
No, this is all about quality. That is why I try to import the original MXF files...
How can I import them directly? (If not possible I cant understand Combustions compability policy at all.)
I work on PC.

Oh, and this is not about 1080 or 720 - I need a high quality workflow in general.
Click to expand...

Yeah that's my point- the MXF files from your camera are in a compressed form- DVCPROHD 100 Mbit. If you put them into Combustion you'll be doubling that compression as you work and wind up with greatly compromised footage for really no reason.

So my advice is again- don't do that instead convert MXF to an uncompressed format before going into Combustion.

Which is the very reason why higher end compositors like Combustion supports very few compressed formats, because it hurts the image quality. When it comes to compositing you want the least compressed format as your input so you can put it through multiple passes without losing quality. There's no 'official' method for bringing in MXF/DVCPROHD footage because it doesn't make much sense for compositing.

Think of it as a film analogy- in the old days ILM would often shoot and composite with 70mm negative, not say a 16mm print because the amount of grain and distortion you'd build up in compositing would quickly render the footage unusable. Same principle here.

Noah

Noah
 
Sounds logical. Which export format would be best then, coming from Avid?

Is there a combustion forum?
 
Does the latest version of Combustion support P2 yet? Autodesk added P2 support across their line; according to this press release they've put it in Smoke, Inferno, Flame, and Flint. That was back in April. So maybe they're adding it (or added it) to Combustion too?

There's a combustion forum on creativecow.

Over there, Eleventy said that you could easily make a quicktime reference movie to the original MXF in something like Avid, and then use that reference movie in Combustion.
 
daktulus said:
Sounds logical. Which export format would be best then, coming from Avid?

Is there a combustion forum?
Click to expand...

I'd go with uncompressed movie or an image sequence such as TIF or TGA. Image sequences are almost 100% what is used in major VFX houses because any program can read them and it's easy to fix a single frame render than have to redo an entire shot 100%.

Noah
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top