Creating DNxHD master for later exports? Is this any good?

[tarr]

Hi,
I usally need to encode in several different formats/codecs my Adobe Premiere projects: they usually have lots of effects (AE Dynamic linking and Color Grading), so having to export the same projects for DVD, Blu-Ray, H264 720p, H264 1080p, H264 1080p CBR and VBR, and so on can be a real pain. :zombie_smiley::crybaby:


Is it a pro / viable solution to export a DNxHD master for future conversions/encodings? :lipsrseal
Whill the quality be far worse than if i'd export from the Premiere Project? rogar-SunGlass(DBG

 

[Spartacus]

I always render out a low compression master file (in my case ProResHQ). If only to get the encoding job off the editing program (in my case FCP).

 

[eiker_ir]

That's what i do, render a 'master' in DNxHD in windows, or Prores in Mac, and then use that one to create web/DVD/other versions.

 

[Jim Simon]

I create UT Masters, as it's a VfW codec in the standard AVI wrapper and plays nice with more programs than DNxHD. (It's also mathematically lossless, whereas DNxHD is not.)

From there I can create the Blu-ray, DVD, web and Digital Copies.

 

[drapeama]

Is it a pro / viable solution to export a DNxHD master for future conversions/encodings? :lipsrseal

I'd say, if the video quality of your render (no matter what format it is) is good to you, then it's good. But, I personally usually render a Master out of Media Composer in DNxHD 115Mb, from which I compress in h.264 with VidCoder and in Mpeg2 with HCencoder.

That's what i do, render a 'master' in DNxHD in windows, or Prores in Mac, and then use that one to create web/DVD/other versions.

It's always better to be able to work with better quality, especially when you are compressing it after.

 

[arco1]

Interesting question... At one time, Premiere and almost all NLEs, compromised their outputs. The issues lie not in the editing process per se, but the codec part of the output rendering. Stu Maschwitz gave us the "DV Rebel" process which went so far as to suggest you output the locked cut as an image sequence from the NLE and then use something like After Effects (maybe even in 32-bit mode) to do your effects/grading and final outputting.

That was maybe seven years ago and things are better integrated now. But I'm not sure that the more cumbersome process might not still provide a better output. And, if I was working on some epic program, I'd probably output the final version to an image sequence to make it easier for some future viewer to be able to view or re-encode.


Jim

 

[northwesternpat]

On a PC. I export either DNxHD MXF OP1a or DNxHD wrapped in a MOV. The MXF is native to CC and performs better on Windows. Funny enough Avid 6 can't import the MXF. (At least the avid suites at that time had issue).