Creating a SD project with HD footage

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Peem Washikiat

Active member
Here I go again,

So I figured some problems and have a solid HD segment for a client. I used his footage from his XH A1. I captured the footage to my computer without any changes to settings. I've finished the project but have a feeling my client wants to POWER POINT the video via his PC laptop to a projector. I doubt the projector is compatible for HD.
So Im hoping to anticipate his problems and make an SD DVD of the same project.
Is it possible to use the same footage? Even better is it possible to start from the SEQUENCE I have finished in FCP?

As always props to your replies.

baby steps-

Josh Haroldsen
 
If FCP works like Premiere, you should be able to open up an SD project and import the HD one inside, then all you'll have to do is shrink the video so that it fits. That's the best way to down convert.

Another way is to just render out the footage in SD dimension straight from the HD timeline. The result might not be as good.
 
I thought rendering SD from the HD project should give you the best results, because all your filters and transitions are being calculated in HD space.

Could be wrong of course. Since you already have the HD project this is the easiest thing for you to try. If the results are OK you won't need to go to the effort of recreating the project in SD.
 
Somebody should make a sticky on the best way to downconvert A1 HD footage to SD in FCP, ASAP. OK? :evil:
 
jaegersing said:
I thought rendering SD from the HD project should give you the best results, because all your filters and transitions are being calculated in HD space.

Could be wrong of course. Since you already have the HD project this is the easiest thing for you to try. If the results are OK you won't need to go to the effort of recreating the project in SD.
Click to expand...

I don't know how FCP does it but rendering SD from the HD project gives very poor result in Premiere. Render from an SD timeline and the result was night and day. I'm no expert on how these render setting works, but my guess is that when downconverting from HD, the program pick and choose details to throw away, while when rendering out from an SD timeline, it is "tricked" into retaining as much detail as it can from what it assumes is the original SD source.
 
I've tried a few different workflows in Vegas and Edius, and concluded that editing HD gives the best results. Haven't tried Premiere though.
 
Peem Washikiat

You did not say how your recorded the footage, i.e. as 1080i, 24f or 30f. If you used the progressive 24f or 30f then just output the edit as a WMV file at 1280 x 720 square pixel, progressive. This will playback as HD in Windows Media Player. The quailty will be high and the video scales to the the full 1280 x 720 if the computer/ projector resolution is that high.

If you recorded the footage as 1080i you will have to deinterlace.

If you are using a Mac or the laptop is a Mac then you can use QuickTime H.264

Using this method you can save the file to a DVD or even a CD (if the file size is below 750mb). It will have no menu or auto start feature like a commercial DVD but just use the Windows Media Player to open the file or use Window's explore to access the DVD/CD drive with the disc in place and choose play or double click the file icon on the disc. Use the QuickTime player for Mac.

BTW I use Vegas and I edit the HD footage natively first then output to a SD DVD using the DV Widescreen template. This looks great on a standard TV or even an HDTV LCD if you don't scale the video by zooming to fill the full LCD display. Even in widescreen SD video is still only 720 x 480 with pixel aspect ratio of 1.212:1 so if you zoom or scale to 1280 x 720 or higher you will loose quality. No way around this. To much screen real estate and not enough pixels to go around.

S Cannon
 
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