Render to QuickTime at DVinfo.net

Ian Stark · October 28th, 2009, 12:33 PM

My client wants .mov files so for the first time that I can think of I am exploring (and having trouble with) the QuickTime render dialogue.

The source project is PAL DV widescreen but try as I might I cannot get the rendered file to be widescreen.

I have tried all sorts of combinations of things, mainly to do with aspect ratio and frame size but I can't seem to get it right.

Any help appreciated! Thanks.

Ian . . .

Seth Bloombaum · October 28th, 2009, 02:12 PM

I'm not in PAL-land, but the general fix for this sort of problem is to get to a 1.0 pixel aspect ratio (PAR), then adjust your picture dimensions to create wide screen.

OK, let's do the math:
The PAL wide template is 720x576 with a 1.4568 PAR.
Multiply 720 by 1.4568 = 1048 (rounded). 1048x576 at 1.0 PAR would be one choice.

A true 16:9 that's 576 tall will be 1024 wide. So, that's 1024x576 at 1.0 PAR.

Obviously, you're upscaling horizontal resolution on these renders, so, be sure to select "best" render quality.

Is widescreen PAL exactly 16:9? See what looks right in some test renders, 1048x576 or 1024x576.

I don't know why PAR flagging is so inconsistent - this isn't only a problem with QT, it crops up other places too.

Ian Stark · October 28th, 2009, 04:41 PM

As an aside, I am not particularly impressed with QuickTime other than in higher resolutions. Does it remain a popular format?

Ian Stark · October 28th, 2009, 04:43 PM

That did it, thanks Seth. I'm a bit annoyed with myself because I have solved this problem before when working with other formats. I think my brain must have got a bit fried! Lots going on at the moment!

Thanks again for the help.

Ian . . .

Seth Bloombaum · October 28th, 2009, 06:17 PM

Ian, I'm very glad you got it working.

QT on the PC is not so popular, however, it is a leading solution for cross-platform digital intermediate files. Forum contributor Perrone Ford has written at length about the Avid DNxHD codec in QT, which if I recall, allows him to move his work through Vegas, AE, and AVID across Mac and PC. Not super fast on the PC, preview rates suffer, but it works, and it supports alpha channel.

Which is a pet peeve of mine - way too few codecs support alpha channel!

Of course on the Mac, QT is *the* container format, even moreso than AVI on the PC. Many codecs work within it, and FCP users rarely branch out from the QT container until encoding for delivery.

Perrone Ford · October 28th, 2009, 09:05 PM

Yea Seth,

Honestly, if it wasn't for Virtualdub, I wouldn't use AVI any more at all. About the only thing I use it for is to make Lagarith encoded AVI files to move from Vegas to VirtualDub and back. And it's the only (free) decent editing AVI available in the 64 bit version of Vegas.

Quicktime on the other hand gives me access to ProRes, DNxHD, Jpeg2k, the AJA/Blackmagic codecs, etc. All the best stuff is there.

October 28th, 2009, 12:33 PM	#1
Ian Stark Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Hampshire, UK Posts: 2,237	Render to QuickTime My client wants .mov files so for the first time that I can think of I am exploring (and having trouble with) the QuickTime render dialogue. The source project is PAL DV widescreen but try as I might I cannot get the rendered file to be widescreen. I have tried all sorts of combinations of things, mainly to do with aspect ratio and frame size but I can't seem to get it right. Any help appreciated! Thanks. Ian . . . __________________ www.vit-media.com www.classicmachinefilms.co.uk

October 28th, 2009, 02:12 PM	#2
Seth Bloombaum Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 3,420	I'm not in PAL-land, but the general fix for this sort of problem is to get to a 1.0 pixel aspect ratio (PAR), then adjust your picture dimensions to create wide screen. OK, let's do the math: The PAL wide template is 720x576 with a 1.4568 PAR. Multiply 720 by 1.4568 = 1048 (rounded). 1048x576 at 1.0 PAR would be one choice. A true 16:9 that's 576 tall will be 1024 wide. So, that's 1024x576 at 1.0 PAR. Obviously, you're upscaling horizontal resolution on these renders, so, be sure to select "best" render quality. Is widescreen PAL exactly 16:9? See what looks right in some test renders, 1048x576 or 1024x576. I don't know why PAR flagging is so inconsistent - this isn't only a problem with QT, it crops up other places too. __________________ 30 years of pro media production. Vegas user since 1.0. Webcaster since 1997. Freelancer since 2000. College instructor since 2001.

October 28th, 2009, 04:41 PM	#3
Ian Stark Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Hampshire, UK Posts: 2,237	As an aside, I am not particularly impressed with QuickTime other than in higher resolutions. Does it remain a popular format? __________________ www.vit-media.com www.classicmachinefilms.co.uk

October 28th, 2009, 04:43 PM	#4
Ian Stark Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Hampshire, UK Posts: 2,237	That did it, thanks Seth. I'm a bit annoyed with myself because I have solved this problem before when working with other formats. I think my brain must have got a bit fried! Lots going on at the moment! Thanks again for the help. Ian . . . __________________ www.vit-media.com www.classicmachinefilms.co.uk

October 28th, 2009, 06:17 PM	#5
Seth Bloombaum Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 3,420	Ian, I'm very glad you got it working. QT on the PC is not so popular, however, it is a leading solution for cross-platform digital intermediate files. Forum contributor Perrone Ford has written at length about the Avid DNxHD codec in QT, which if I recall, allows him to move his work through Vegas, AE, and AVID across Mac and PC. Not super fast on the PC, preview rates suffer, but it works, and it supports alpha channel. Which is a pet peeve of mine - way too few codecs support alpha channel! Of course on the Mac, QT is the container format, even moreso than AVI on the PC. Many codecs work within it, and FCP users rarely branch out from the QT container until encoding for delivery. __________________ 30 years of pro media production. Vegas user since 1.0. Webcaster since 1997. Freelancer since 2000. College instructor since 2001.

October 28th, 2009, 09:05 PM	#6
Perrone Ford Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Tallahassee, FL Posts: 4,100	Yea Seth, Honestly, if it wasn't for Virtualdub, I wouldn't use AVI any more at all. About the only thing I use it for is to make Lagarith encoded AVI files to move from Vegas to VirtualDub and back. And it's the only (free) decent editing AVI available in the 64 bit version of Vegas. Quicktime on the other hand gives me access to ProRes, DNxHD, Jpeg2k, the AJA/Blackmagic codecs, etc. All the best stuff is there. __________________ DVX100, PMW-EX1, Canon 550D, FigRig, Dell Octocore, Avid MC4/5, MB Looks, RedCineX, Matrox MX02 mini, GTech RAID, Edirol R-4, Senn. G2 Evo, Countryman, Moles and Lowels.