Final Cut

[bullseye]

i'd like to edit my movie in Final Cut Express HD, but I'm having a hard time exporting a TVP file in a format that has good line quality in FCE.

what is the best TVP export setting for this use?

[Zaush]

Actually, your best bet is to export for QuickTime using the animation codec, at millions of colors. If you're exporting cels with alpha, then make sure it is exporting rgba from the tvpaint dialog, and millions of colors + from the QuickTime options. If you're not concerned about file size, you might also looking into photo-jpeg(100%), or prores HQ with 4:4:4 sampling. These formats take up much more space, but are easier to edit in FCP and FCE.

[hisko]

I think that for HD content, rendering quicktimemovies with the H.264 codec is the best option, especially when it's just linedrawings.
H.264 is a sort of standard right now, but I stll have problems with the gamma shift (washed out colors)

[slowtiger]

Ah, but trying to render with the H.264 codec results in only one frame, or an empty file! (Mac OS 10.4) Rendering from TVP doesn't work with this codec, I assume because the codec re-arranges some frames, and this doesn't work if future frames aren't rendered yet. Rendering H.264 from video sources in iMovie or FinalCut works fine.

[hisko]

That's strange. I remember rendering with the H.264 codec. I think it's a new bug.

[StopmoNick]

I have the same problem with exporting to QT in TV Paint - all I get is one frame.

I had to go back nearly 12 months to find a topic that mentioned this, so perhaps only a few get this bug? But I've found it with 3 different computers, with 3 different versions of TVP. But I didn't realize it was the H264 codec in particular - H264 is such a standard for making compressed versions for preview or emailing, or posting on the web, I never tried any other codec for those purposes. So this post has been really helpful!

It first happened in Mirage 1.5 when I upgraded QT Pro to the latest version 7. That was on a Mac G5 quad with OS 10.4. I also updated QT Pro to 7.4.5 on my old PC (Pentium 4, Win XP) and got the same problem with Mirage 1.2 there. I figured Mirage wasn't being updated to deal with some change in QT, but TPV would surely have fixed it by now.

Three months ago I got a new Intel Mac (Mac Pro dual quad-core Xeon) and upgraded to TV Paint 9. A new version of Final Cut Pro, with QT Pro 7.6 included, was installed on the computer from new. And last week I got to the stage of getting my finished shots ready for editing in Final Cut Pro, and found nothing has changed - TVP Paint still has the QT H264 option there, but when I tried to export a QT I got only one frame.
So now that I know it's the codec, I just tried exporting a couple of different codecs from TVP on the Mac Pro - the Animation codec worked ok. Uncompressed 8-bit 4:2:2 worked ok. Then I tried H264 and that worked this time as well! What? I'll have to test again sometime, up to now it's failed consistently.

Like Hisko, I find I get washed out colours using H264, but it's still been the best way of getting a compressed version of a shot to the offline editor.

[Paul Fierlinger]

Herve just answered this Q on another thread today and I can't find it now, but basically he says that the one frame issue is a known bug. The only work around at this time is to make sure that Key Frame is checked in the QT settings. I believe he said that this happens to only certain codecs, therefore it sometimes works and sometimes doesn't, depending on which codec you have selected. I hope I got this right.

[Elodie]

Herve just answered this Q on another thread today and I can't find it now, but basically he says that the one frame issue is a known bug.

Found it =D

http://www.tvpaint.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=3193

[Paul Fierlinger]

Thanks, Elodie. So Idid get it right. I've never unchecked that box so I'm not acquainted with the problem.

[StopmoNick]

I've usually had that box ticked (leaving it at keyframe every 24 frames) and I still get a one frame QT most of the time.

[Paul Fierlinger]

I've usually had that box ticked (leaving it at keyframe every 24 frames) and I still get a one frame QT most of the time.

Have you experimented going down the list of codecs to find out which works best and which doesn't do anything? Maybe you could find a new codec to import if you asked people on the FCP side.

[malcooning]

Have you experimented going down the list of codecs to find out which works best and which doesn't do anything? Maybe you could find a new codec to import if you asked people on the FCP side.

the easiest way to check is to set no algorithm at all. just select 'none' from the list, and do your tests on this one.

[slowtiger]

After I had some talk with the technician at my postpro facility, I'd like to share some info.

Although they're capable of converting nearly any codec in order to record your video on tape, they prefer the "Uncompressed 4:2:2" for the obvious reason that no conversion is necessary and everything works in realtime. Of course files get big, but since even a Terabyte drive is a bargain now, this isn't an issue.

As for which HD format to choose, he recommends HDTV 1080p 25fps since this would be the main format on the international market. 720p just isn't used. (Remember I'm in Berlin, so this reflects the European POV.)

[StopmoNick]

I normally use 4:2:2 Uncompressed for final output, (usually in 1920 x 1080 HD 25 fps), but test versions to give the offline editor so I can get feedback are usually a lot easier for everyone if the file size is smaller.