HDV/DV Still grabs?

Howdy all, recently there has been much talk in the publishing world about using HDV captures in print. David Leeson at the Dallas Morning News seems to have found a way to capture gigantic files that the paper has been able to run five collum, that's the whole width of a front page. (http://digitalcontentproducer.com/hdhdv/depth/photo_finish_2/)
I want in on that, and I know of just one repository for every great brain ever to ponder FCP. So, instead of pestering a busy guy like Leeson I thought I'd pester busy folks like you. Any ideas?
Thanks!
Chris

Sure. We did it a number of times. Open the work in QuickTime Pro, roll the work forward until you get to your frame and File, Export As:

The trick is that left to its own devices, you won't get a full frame, you will get the native HDV size which is wacky. To get round circles, you have to display the work probably too big for your monitors and export that.

I'm trying to remember the setting. In HDV, there is a difference between "original size" and "display size." You want the display size.

When you do this trick, you are going to get MPEG2 and motion artifacts. This is the reason it's so hard to edit effects in HDV. I don't know any way around that, but by the time it goes through a printing press, all is forgiven.

Check your work in Photoshop. It should be 1080 whatever and 16:9 if you did it right.

Koz

None of this works in DV, of course. That still looks like the blurry one-third megapixel still camera that it is.

Koz

OK...my own favorite power-user trick for clipping stills from Quicktimes (don't tell anybody - just between you & me, OK?):

"QUICKFRAME" Tutorial by Joe Morelli

Part 1
* Open your favorite HDV clip in Quicktime Pro & go to the frame you want to print
* Hit "Command/J"
* Select the Video Track on the top of the Properties
* Check "Single Field" on the bottom right of the Properties (removes interlace blur) & close Properties
* Leave this clip window open on the left of your screen

Part 2
* Launch Photoshop & create an artboard of your favorite size / dpi and move it to the right of the Quicktime window
* Click on the HDV Quicktime window / hold down "Shift" and "tear off" (drag) that frame over into the Photoshop artboard (holding down "Shift" centers the frame in the PS window).
* Apply the "Reduce Noice filter" and tweak to take down the artifacts / noise.

Need help? Let me know

- Joey

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

That is fantastic.

Don't worry tho, your secret is safe with me. well, all of us really...