Why is export uqality HORRIBLE? FCP 7.3

[Austin-1]

Why can't I export a .mov quicktime movie from FCP 7.3 that looks EXACTLY like the image I get when playing the footage in the timeline?

These are my 2 biggest quality issues that I can't find a way to surmount:

1. Interlacing. Yes, I shot interlaced - bad idea, never will do it again. But in FCP, viewed at full screen, the footage is beautiful - no interlacing artifact at all. Once exported, it looks horrible. Please no comments about "just choose 'deinterlace' when exporting." This seems to horribly degrade the quality (see below) and it doesn't deinterlace it anyway at the same resolution as I'm viewing it in FCP - you have to scale the quality down from 1080i to 720p before the interlace artifact in the exported file is gone. And even then, the quality is much worse than 720p should be (see below).

2. Saturation/bit depth/color quality: Once exported - no matter what quality I choose and no matter whether I check 'deinterlace' or not - the color goes down the drain once exported. It looks pathetic. Oversaturating the image before exporting in hopes of a correct saturation by the time it's exported does not work. The image is simply very, very washed out once exported.


Bottom line: If the footage looks beautiful IN final cut, viewed at full screen, we KNOW it can look beautiful OUT of final cut, viewed on the same screen. How is this accomplished?

A few technical details:

Footage specs:

Shot in 59.94i, 1080
AVCHD
.MTS
Imported RAW into FCP using Log and Transfer.

Once ingested into FCP (using default ingest settings):
29.97i
1920x1080
Upper (odd) field dominance
Square pixel aspect ratio
Apple prores 422


Export specs:

Compressor: H.264
Frame rate: Current
Keyframes: Automatic
Data Rate: Automatic
Frame recording: Unchecked
Quality: Best (multipass)
Encoding: Best quality

Export size settings:

I have tried all of the following settings, each with 'deinterlace' checked AND unchecked, respectively. And each with bad results:
1920x1080
1600x900
1280x720
and other sizes of 16:9


Any ideas on this is HUGELY appreciated.

 

[LiamR]

It's because you are compressing the file. You're exporting further into H.264... which video sites like Vimeo will only put your video on their site if it's finished in this Codec.

The only way you are going to get 'similar' looking footage to what you're seeing in Final Cut is to export it without compression, in a really high quality Codec, for example, instead of Exporting Using QuickTime Conversion, try just QuickTime movie, that'll be a bigger file and better quality. Or you can alternatively try and find a Higher Quality Codec when using the other way, just change the H.264, but bare in mind, if you do this, you won't be able to upload it to Vimeo, etc.. if it's for DVD Finish, use DVD Studio.

 

[morgan_moore]

IMO its beyond compression, FPC is very shifty in color/gamma on export

I apply a gamma filter to all my footage before export

But this is far from perfect

S

 

[daihard]

Simply do the standard "direct" export (Export to quicktime). Dont export to compressed or send to compressor. THat way, you will get the same quality your working with. Not to mention its the faster way to export.
Also, make sure your timeline is completely rendered before export. Then once you have the export finished, you can then throw that into compressor or handbrake... or whatever your gonna deleiver the final in.
DO IT THIS WAY, also allows you to see exactly where a problem is coming from. But since your currently compressing the quality before viewing your final export... you cant see if its a problem in FCP or a problem with your compressor settings.

 

[Vandrei]

I have some problems with h.264 export file. Some clips start with previous cut point. If i export to ProRes 422, works fine. So i export to ProRes and make a re-encode (compressor) to h.264 to send a sample to my clients.

 

[bbalser]

This is why Apple incorporated Color Sync into FCP X apps. It keeps gamma and color spaces equal across files and applications. Unfortunately it should have been done long ago. Different apps use different color specs and gamma specs.