Outputing for digital release... Graphic size???

D

dhoydysh

Member
I am putting the finishing touches on a documentary that will be digitally released in the theatres. Now, I've got a bunch of graphics I have composed in photoshop - do I need to create them with a higher resolution (higher dpi)??? Anything special I need to do to the PS files before importing into FCP - with regards to them being blow up on the big screen?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Damon
 
Re: Outputing for digital release... Graphic size?

Re: Outputing for digital release... Graphic size?

You need to make sure they're as high of res as your video (720 pixels). (or HD or whatever format). Since you're going to film you need to determine what final res you want (is there any live action or is it all pictures). Contact the company that will be doing the filmout to determine resolution, format, etc.

The final output will determine the mimimum number of pixels you'll require. Take in to account any zooming since that means your still be high resolution. Also watch lines, especially horizontal lines, that are only 1 pixel wide since tyou may get some flickering even when transferred to film.

FCP probably isn't the best solution to doing Ken Burns type moves. You might want to consider After Effects or Motion.
 
Re: Outputing for digital release... Graphic size?

Re: Outputing for digital release... Graphic size?

Keep in mind that video, at any level, runs at approx. 72 dpi. If you wanted to scale your image @ 200%, you'd need to scan it at 150 dpi. It depends on how much you're moving the graphic, if at all, and what your output is; 480, 720, 1080. The higher quality the output format, the higher resolution you'll need on your graphic. If you get any horizontal line problems, add a small gaussian blur.
PSD, Jpeg & most formats work flawlessly in FCP. PSD expecially, to work with alpha channels.
As for Ken Burns type animation with stills, I'd suggest FCP over After Effects or Motion. FCP you can set your timing & keyframes more easily & playback it all in real-time. Motion's great, but can be a huge hassle on long form video. After Effects is a great compositor, but wouldn't use it for long form video, unless you really love RAM preview.

Just some thoughts.

-CJ
www.arkhamfilms.com
 
Re: Outputing for digital release... Graphic size?

Re: Outputing for digital release... Graphic size?

Video has no DPI. It's the over all pixel size that's important. Motion blur and other factors come into plan. Do a quality test first before creating a lot of footage.
 
Re: Outputing for digital release... Graphic size?

Re: Outputing for digital release... Graphic size?

Scott's right. For clarity, I should say, the nearest graphic equivalent for video is approx. 72 pixel/inch not dpi. Just something to keep in mind, when working with graphics for compositing.
Also, graphics can look squashed going to DV, due to the square/rectangular pixel conversion.
-CJ
 
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