Quicktime .mov looks flat.

chasford

Member
I have what might be a dumb question and I'm a bit of a newbie to FCP. I've been editing some videos that are only going to be seen on the internet in FCP2, which my client wants delivered as a quick time .mov compressed as DV/DVC PRO NTSC. When I play the quick time file after compression it looks much flatter than the image I see on the FCP2 Canvas. I have been sending the sequences to Color for contrast and color adjustments but the DV/DVC PRO NTSC file still never comes close to the crisp beautiful visual I see in Color or FCP2. Can anyone give me any suggestions or maybe just explain why there's such a difference in quality? Also, even though I can't send it to my client, is there a compression I can use when I export my FCP sequences using QT conversion that will match or come close to the contrast I see in FCP on my computer monitor? Thanks
 
I too find that compression flattens and darkens the image, especially .wmv compression.

When I am getting ready to compress for the web after final color correction, I usually bump the saturation, bump the luminance and sometimes increase contrast.

No matter what, the compression never looks as good as the original file. The trick is, as you probably know, to have the cleanest footage in to the compressor to get the cleanest footage out. Also, simple static backgrounds like a sit-down interview or extreme shallow DOF will be easier on the compression software than one with lots of changing detail in each frame.


Jason
 
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