Compression Trouble at DVinfo.net

Clint Till · December 15th, 2005, 10:25 AM

I apologize if this has already been discussed before. If it has, just point me in the right direction.

I'm trying to compress some video for a client who will be using it for a web site his company is designing. I'm using Premiere 6.5 and have tried the MPEG encoder (rendering as an MPEG-1) and Quick Time, but the files are just way too large. I can't figure out how to export the clips as a .mov file and compress the file size down. Any thoughts here?

I did use Windows Movie Maker to reduce the file to around 1.15 MB, which my client says is manageable, but he was concerned with the quality. The original clip itself is only about 1 min. long.

Is there a way to compress the video file without sacrificing too much quality, or are the two proportional?

Also, I'm not familiar with the various compressor options in the Export Movie dialogue box in Premiere 6.5. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Christopher Lefchik · December 16th, 2005, 03:22 PM

Clint,

I don't believe MPEG-1 is the best choice for Internet video. And you aren't going to get decent video at file sizes comparable to Windows Media or RealMedia video with any of the QuickTime codecs included with Premiere. Pretty much the only good QuickTime codecs are the Sorenson Pro codecs (extra $$) or the new QuickTime 7 MPEG-4 H.264 codec.

You should be able to output RealMedia or Windows Media streaming video from Premiere 6.5. I know I could from Premiere 6. Both of those are good options for Internet video. Check your export menu. They should be separate options, apart from the "Export Movie" option. The "Export Movie" option is not meant for exporting streaming video.

As for file size vs. quality, yes, they are linked, although the streaming video codecs are steadily improving. Video on the Internet is highly compressed for a reason: People don’t have much patience and aren’t going to sit around waiting for your video to download, no matter how great it is.

You are going to have to figure out who your target audience is before you choose how much to compress your video. Are you trying to reach those on dialup? If so, then you are going to need to compress the video a lot more than if you are trying to reach those on broadband.

Probably the best solution would be to put up two or three versions. A small size for dialup Internet users, plus low broadband and high broadband versions for those with fast Internet connections. The RealMedia and Windows Media export plug ins for Premiere should have templates for dialup, 256k, 512k, etc, Internet speeds.

Both RealNetworks and Microsoft have updated export plug ins for Premiere 6.5. You can get them from the links below.

Download the Advanced RealMedia Export Plug-In for Adobe Premiere 6.5

Download the Adobe Premiere 6.5 Plug-in for Windows Media 9 Series

Alessandro Machi · December 18th, 2005, 11:40 PM

I think people get impatient because they usually can't multi-task when waiting for a clip to download.

If clip takes three times as long to download but I am able to continue to do other tasks on the computer while the clip is downloading I would mind "waiting" for the clip to download. I'd even settle for LONGER download times and at slower rates as long as I can continue to use the computer for other tasks while I'm waiting.

Is there a way to have an icon appear while the downloading is going on so that I can continue to surf the web and when the clip is finished downloading the Icon would start to flash and the person simply clicks on it to then view the clip?

December 19th, 2005, 08:50 PM

If you need image quality to remain and size to come down your only option is to cut frames.. What i normally do is cut down to around 10fps and also reduce resolution to half or 1/3.. Also drop the audio back to lowest settings you can tolerate and that will give more bandwidth to the video within your allocated bitrate..

Its a trade off but all up Id rather less frames which are clear than a wash of blurred images at 30fps..

December 15th, 2005, 10:25 AM	#1
Clint Till New Boot Join Date: May 2004 Location: Birmingham, AL Posts: 22	Compression Trouble I apologize if this has already been discussed before. If it has, just point me in the right direction. I'm trying to compress some video for a client who will be using it for a web site his company is designing. I'm using Premiere 6.5 and have tried the MPEG encoder (rendering as an MPEG-1) and Quick Time, but the files are just way too large. I can't figure out how to export the clips as a .mov file and compress the file size down. Any thoughts here? I did use Windows Movie Maker to reduce the file to around 1.15 MB, which my client says is manageable, but he was concerned with the quality. The original clip itself is only about 1 min. long. Is there a way to compress the video file without sacrificing too much quality, or are the two proportional? Also, I'm not familiar with the various compressor options in the Export Movie dialogue box in Premiere 6.5. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. __________________ Clint Till Parc Entertainment

December 16th, 2005, 03:22 PM	#2
Christopher Lefchik Trustee Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: US Posts: 1,152	Clint, I don't believe MPEG-1 is the best choice for Internet video. And you aren't going to get decent video at file sizes comparable to Windows Media or RealMedia video with any of the QuickTime codecs included with Premiere. Pretty much the only good QuickTime codecs are the Sorenson Pro codecs (extra $$) or the new QuickTime 7 MPEG-4 H.264 codec. You should be able to output RealMedia or Windows Media streaming video from Premiere 6.5. I know I could from Premiere 6. Both of those are good options for Internet video. Check your export menu. They should be separate options, apart from the "Export Movie" option. The "Export Movie" option is not meant for exporting streaming video. As for file size vs. quality, yes, they are linked, although the streaming video codecs are steadily improving. Video on the Internet is highly compressed for a reason: People don’t have much patience and aren’t going to sit around waiting for your video to download, no matter how great it is. You are going to have to figure out who your target audience is before you choose how much to compress your video. Are you trying to reach those on dialup? If so, then you are going to need to compress the video a lot more than if you are trying to reach those on broadband. Probably the best solution would be to put up two or three versions. A small size for dialup Internet users, plus low broadband and high broadband versions for those with fast Internet connections. The RealMedia and Windows Media export plug ins for Premiere should have templates for dialup, 256k, 512k, etc, Internet speeds. Both RealNetworks and Microsoft have updated export plug ins for Premiere 6.5. You can get them from the links below. Download the Advanced RealMedia Export Plug-In for Adobe Premiere 6.5 Download the Adobe Premiere 6.5 Plug-in for Windows Media 9 Series Last edited by Christopher Lefchik; December 17th, 2005 at 09:41 AM.

December 18th, 2005, 11:40 PM	#3
Alessandro Machi Major Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Los Angeles, Ca USA Posts: 553	I think people get impatient because they usually can't multi-task when waiting for a clip to download. If clip takes three times as long to download but I am able to continue to do other tasks on the computer while the clip is downloading I would mind "waiting" for the clip to download. I'd even settle for LONGER download times and at slower rates as long as I can continue to use the computer for other tasks while I'm waiting. Is there a way to have an icon appear while the downloading is going on so that I can continue to surf the web and when the clip is finished downloading the Icon would start to flash and the person simply clicks on it to then view the clip? __________________ https://alexlogic.blogspot.com/ Los Angeles Emmy Winner (yes, used a video edit controller and loved doing so.)

December 19th, 2005, 08:50 PM	#4
Guest Posts: n/a	If you need image quality to remain and size to come down your only option is to cut frames.. What i normally do is cut down to around 10fps and also reduce resolution to half or 1/3.. Also drop the audio back to lowest settings you can tolerate and that will give more bandwidth to the video within your allocated bitrate.. Its a trade off but all up Id rather less frames which are clear than a wash of blurred images at 30fps..