Mixing Media

What is the best workflow for mixing media...I've always edited in a timeline with a setting that matches the majority of my media, mostly ProResHQ, so the video from my Sony NX or JVC needs no rendering. The other video in the timeline that requires constant rendering, I just deal with as I edit. Many editors like to convert the non-native video to ProRes with Compressor before editing to avoid the rendering. Is there an advantage to this? Is there any quality loss with the conversion in Compressor?

Thanks!

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Is there an advantage to this?

YES. less rendering is a time saver and will allow you to work more fluidly. Same codec and fps is what you want.

Is there any quality loss with the conversion in Compressor?

Technically yes. But visually no. If your settings are right there is no notable loss, unless you up res. Not even the average editing enthusiast will be able to see it.

""" What you do with what you have, is more important than what you could do, with what you don't have."

> > > Knowledge + Action = Wisdom - J. Corbett 1992 """"

Hi,

I'm working with five different sizes - 1920 x 1080, 720 x 480, 720 x 486, 864 x 486, 1280 x 720.
I want the final output to be 1280 x 720 so that it fits the Youtube dimensions and is the best quality.

I thought I could start my timeline using 1280 x 720 sequence settings but when I start placing my various clips I get all kinds of weird sizes, black bars on top and bottom on some of the images, etc.

I also tried starting with 720 x 480 seq setting since most of the clips were that size. Then I put Andy's letterbox over the whole show and manipulated the 720 x 480 images to fit within the letterbox. When I uploaded to Youtube there was a black frame around the whole video. I found a formula on Youtube that resizes your video -- you put yt:stretch=4:3 yt:crop=16:9 yt:quality=high in the tag box -- that made the video look very ratty.

What are the correct steps for maintaining the correct proportions and quality when mixing various sizes within the timeline?

I have read similar posts relating to this topic but can't find the right answer that works for me.

Please help.

Thanks,

Shelley

Shelley
MacBoo Pro 2015
16 GB Ram
OS X 10.13
Premiere Pro CC

> What are the correct steps for maintaining the correct proportions and quality when mixing various sizes within the timeline?

You have so many different specs for your media that "maintaining" the original "quality" is impossible.

If you edit in 1280x720, then anything smaller will have to be blown up to fit.

If you edit in 720x480 anamorphic 16:9, then anything bigger will be shrunk down. It will look as good as or better than the other 720x480 media, but you're still not "maintaining" the resolution of the original; you're using fewer pixels to represent that better original.

The only way to know is to test. See what looks worse: 720x480 video on the web, or 1280x720 video with blown-up 720x480 mixed in. There's also a huge difference between a 720x480 clip that had come from a capture of a professional Hollywood feature (where the original image looked so good that even a blowup of the 720x480 version will look less crappy than the usual), versus a 1280x720 clip that had come from garbage sources in the first place...for example a 320x240 MPEG file handed to you by some client.


www.derekmok.com

to J. Corbett:

So, technically, if there's a small amount of extra media in my project and I don't mind the delay, rendering in the timeline will produce better quality than running it through Compressor first. Right?

Thanks for your input.

Wrong. It is the same in some cases, better in Compressor in others. Anybmixed frame rates/ frame sizes?



www.strypesinpost.com

The most common mix is DVCam with my NXCam...DV video with 720p/60. The DV frame rate is 29.97 vs 59.97. I usually pillar-box the DV, for better quality or blow it up and aspect it slightly. Haven't noticed any problem with the change in frame rate. Would it be worth running my DVCam footage through Compressor to transcode to ProResHQ?

Thanks!