disjecta
Lucky Duck
I get questions all the time about my workflow so I decided to document it. It really is quite simple.
First, it has been difficult for me to find a "one size fits all" NLE. I really like the interface of Premiere Pro 2.0 but I don't necessarily like the quality of its exports.
If I try to export my finished HDV film to a DVD format, for instance, the resulting quality (no matter how high I set the bit rate) always comes out soft and looking worse than what I shot on my DVX.
I also own Vegas and, while I have never really cared for the interface because it feels clunky to me, the quality of the exports Vegas is capable of is the best I've experienced. It runs rings around Premiere.
For the Web I am now using the 1280x720 24p preset and I set the bit rate to 10mbps.
There is a default DVD setting for widescreen 24p projects which I use to downrez to an SD DVD. The results are really dramatically different to Premiere. The resulting file looks better than anything I could shoot with the DVX in terms of retained detail.
So back to Premiere...
I can capture footage using the HDV preset from Adobe which gives me raw mpeg files. The problem with this is that they are not very robust and there is a noticeable drop in quality when you throw in a levels adjustment and/or color correction. What to do?
Cineform has a plug in called Aspect HD (around $500) that will allow me to capture robust Cineform AVI files into Premiere. They hold their quality through the post process and I've been very happy with the overall performance of this plug in.
So those are my tools of choice. Here's my process.
CAPTURING and EDITING:
1. Capture via the Cineform Aspect HD plugin using Premiere Pro 2.0 via firewire
2. Create a basic edit
3. Add color correction and establish a baseline look
4. Create a nested timeline containing the master edit and apply an overall levels correction. I name this timeline "Levels"
5. Create another timeline and nest the "Levels" and apply a Cinemascope matte. I use the crop tool and crop top and bottom 12.5% each.
Render this final timeline out to a Cineform AVI master.
EXPORTING:
1. Import Cineform AVI master into Vegas 7
2. For DVD, export as MPEG using the default DVD Widescreen 24P option.
3. For sharing on the Web: Use the 1280 x 720 24p option (with square pixels) and adjust the bit rate to 10 mbps
4. For a master for upcoming Bluray or HD DVD, I export using the 1080 x 1440 24p option (with pixel aspect ratio set to 1.33) and a bit rate of 25 mbps
Hope this helps some of you working in Windows.
First, it has been difficult for me to find a "one size fits all" NLE. I really like the interface of Premiere Pro 2.0 but I don't necessarily like the quality of its exports.
If I try to export my finished HDV film to a DVD format, for instance, the resulting quality (no matter how high I set the bit rate) always comes out soft and looking worse than what I shot on my DVX.
I also own Vegas and, while I have never really cared for the interface because it feels clunky to me, the quality of the exports Vegas is capable of is the best I've experienced. It runs rings around Premiere.
For the Web I am now using the 1280x720 24p preset and I set the bit rate to 10mbps.
There is a default DVD setting for widescreen 24p projects which I use to downrez to an SD DVD. The results are really dramatically different to Premiere. The resulting file looks better than anything I could shoot with the DVX in terms of retained detail.
So back to Premiere...
I can capture footage using the HDV preset from Adobe which gives me raw mpeg files. The problem with this is that they are not very robust and there is a noticeable drop in quality when you throw in a levels adjustment and/or color correction. What to do?
Cineform has a plug in called Aspect HD (around $500) that will allow me to capture robust Cineform AVI files into Premiere. They hold their quality through the post process and I've been very happy with the overall performance of this plug in.
So those are my tools of choice. Here's my process.
CAPTURING and EDITING:
1. Capture via the Cineform Aspect HD plugin using Premiere Pro 2.0 via firewire
2. Create a basic edit
3. Add color correction and establish a baseline look
4. Create a nested timeline containing the master edit and apply an overall levels correction. I name this timeline "Levels"
5. Create another timeline and nest the "Levels" and apply a Cinemascope matte. I use the crop tool and crop top and bottom 12.5% each.
Render this final timeline out to a Cineform AVI master.
EXPORTING:
1. Import Cineform AVI master into Vegas 7
2. For DVD, export as MPEG using the default DVD Widescreen 24P option.
3. For sharing on the Web: Use the 1280 x 720 24p option (with square pixels) and adjust the bit rate to 10 mbps
4. For a master for upcoming Bluray or HD DVD, I export using the 1080 x 1440 24p option (with pixel aspect ratio set to 1.33) and a bit rate of 25 mbps
Hope this helps some of you working in Windows.
Last edited:
Guess'll have to go buy that now. I'm stuck to premier becuase I use all the AE plugins on it. And I love the FC like workflow. Cool I'll try that. Sorry one more silly question. When you export Cineform HD Export. Whats the Pixel Aspect Ratio selected? Mine is 1.333 and it seems to be squeezing my footage to a 4:3 instead of leaving it at 16:9, does that happen to you> Framze size is at default 1440 by 1080
Maybe I'll just buy an update. But thanks. Have you ever tried exporting Raw Avi's? what is the main difference between cineform and raw avis? Sorry i'm a bit confused by the new HD era 
