Advice on best output settings for custom video content

[MichSuS]

Hi there-
I am creating a library of custom media content to have on hand for use in future designs. Some of it is stuff that i've created solely in Photoshop/After Effects, and some of it is based on live footage i've taken with my camera.
Although i've been using media servers for a good few years now, i'm a little new to the content creation side and would love to get some advice on the best export settings to maximise compatibility with different systems, keep file sizes reasonable, and make crisp, great looking final output.
I know that in a perfect world you'd want to have pixel to pixel content sized for the screen you're using, but as this is just a general use library of my own stock content, i want to make it as universal as possible for use on Catalyst and other media servers. I shot some of the camera stuff in 1280 x 720 (60fps) and some in 1920 x 1080 (30fps) and use the film and video preset for HDTV 1080p/29.97 in photoshop for the animated stuff. Since a lot of what i've been making is pretty simple and will likely be played back on LED screens, i was wondering if there's an advantage to keeping it all in the highest HD form or not really- the files are large!
The second part of the question is what is the best Output Module or encoder to use. Using the Quicktime Lossless module in After Effects or exporting as an uncompressed Quicktime file in Final Cut looks great but the files are gigantic. I've been experimenting with different settings and encoders - mainly H.264 and MPEG-4 trying to find the optimal balance between file size and crisp good looking video, but it seems like when it looks good it's always a pretty big file (200-300 MB for 15 seconds of not too complicated animation for example). Also i have a fear of making a whole bunch of videos that then turn out to be incompatible with programs i might want to use them with in the future, so i'm saving lots and lots of versions of things in after effects and it's all starting to take up a lot of room. Is anyone aware of any compatibility issues with stuff that's encoded as MPEG-4 vs. H.264? Or do you have any other ideas of settings i should try? It's hard to find info out there on this as the creation software just says "check the documentation for the program you will be using the file with for the correct settings," and the Catalyst manual just says something like "Catalyst plays .mov files."
I also appreciate any other pearls of wisdom anyone might have about video content creation- stuff i should pay attention to or avoid, problems you've run into before with file formats, etc. Some of that stuff is still pretty mysterious to me- like why Quicktime plays some .mov files and not others... weird.
Thanks very much,
-Michelle

 

[derekleffew]

Hey Michelle, Welcome to ControlBooth.

A couple of random responses, to be taken with as much salt as you like because I really don't have a clue what I'm taking about. Ask anyone.

"for use on Catalyst and other media servers."

While Catalyst was the first widely-used media server, I think its time has passed and it's been succeeded by Axon, Pandoras Box, Green Hippo, Mbox, and even Maxxedia. So make your creations compatible with those as well, or instead of Catalyst.

"keep file sizes reasonable," "the files are large!"

No graphics artist I know worries or cares about filesize. One can make a large file small, possibly sacrificing some quality, but one can never make a small file large to gain quality.

Sure, in a perfect world, content would be created to match screen size, aspect ratio, resolution, pixel pitch, and so forth; but you're creating multi-purpose, generic content so need to be as flexible as possible.

"like why Quicktime plays some .mov files and not others"

Why does my PS3 play some .mp4/.flv s from my MBP but not others? I have yet to figure out what might always work. Sometimes it says "data corrupted" one day and plays the same file fine the next day. The downloaded file always play fine on my Mac.

If you don't already, subscribe right now to PLSN and other Industry Periodicals. If nothing else, makes for good bathroom reading. Vickie Claiborne has written many articles recently on content creation. Here's one of her recent projects: PLSN | Avolites Ai Media Server Hits Vegas NYE Jackpot . Another: http://www.plsn.com/current-issue/3...onfetti-prepping-media-for-new-years-eve.html . Other vidiot s write also, but I usually only read Vickie's.

Oh, define your market. Is this footage targeted to rock tours? Corporate business meetings? Live theatre? Find out what people are looking for, and fill that hole.

Hope the above helps.
.

 

[cpf]

There's a whole world of video codecs (H.264, VP6, Theora etc), which are completely different things than video container formats (.mov, .avi, etc). The software needs to support both the container and the video inside it in order to play properly.

Re. file sizes: this will only be a problem if you find yourself running video off of a slow hard drive (e.g. 5400RPM laptop drive, or a cheap USB external one). Getting things compressed right takes a good amount of experimentation, and there's no one-size-fits-all preset. Google around to see what other people have found for the kind of content you're doing and go from there; I find the presets that come with Premiere are pretty decent for full-motion video, and when all else fails there's always Handbrake for creating reasonably-sized, highly-portable files. In the meantime, buy yourself more storage.

 

[MichSuS]

Thanks Derek, that's all good stuff to keep in mind. I mainly do concert lighting design and i've usually used Catalyst in the past, but i did recently use Hippo on something and thought it was pretty cool. Right now i'm just looking to build up a library for my own use because i'm sick of the "CNN breaking news" look of a lot of the stock content on the servers, and i like video with a lot of black in it so that it doesn't blow out the lights. Maybe sometime in the future i'll sell it to other clients but for right i'm just amassing a pile of stuff for me.
I have seen some of those articles by Vickie Claiborne but i should look back and scour more thoroughly i guess to see if she recommends specific codecs/output settings. I know that it's easy to keep the files big, but especially for some of the slightly longer stuff where it starts to get into multi-GB territory it just seems like a waste of space, and i'm sure larger files use more processing power in playback as well. I already have a 1TB drive that's nearly half full, and that's mainly just raw content that i haven't even edited into loops and stuff yet. I have a few stock files on my computer that i pulled off of a catalyst machine to edit, and they look nice without being too large, so i know it's possible. Anyway, figured i could use some guidance to my 'shot in the dark' rendering technique, as i haven't really been happy with the results so far and i'm concerned about compatibility.
Thanks for your help,
Michelle

 

[MichSuS]

Thanks cpf- that does explain why quicktime plays some .mov files and not others, good to know. All this advice is getting me closer to figuring out exactly what it is that i have to be looking for when i compare the output module presets in the editing software to existing video that others have done. Will keep looking!
Thanks,
Michelle

 

[metti]

I have found that for the playback systems I work with most in regional theatre, Quicktime PhotoJPEG, Quality 80 works that best for my needs. I work almost exclusively with non-standard display geometries so the resolutions that I am working with vary wildly but I will say that it is infinitely faster and easier to run a quick batch convert to downres some content for a project than it is to try to add back in pixels that no longer exist in lower res content. If I was going to make a stock library it would also be in 1080p 29.97fps.

 

[MichSuS]

Thanks Matthew, i will try that out. I agree about the pixel size- think i'll just keep it all in 1080p and downsize if i need to.
Thought i'd also add this to the thread for future information seekers on this topic- from a talented friend of mine who does a lot of big shows with Catalyst:

"If you're using catalyst stick to the AIC (Apple Intermediate Codec). However I doubt this works for other media servers. Avoid H264, is is a codec designed for domestic use. It compresses the file massively and then is very processor hungry when playing back. I do convert things to H264 if a member of the band want something to watch on their ipad or laptop.

As far as resolution there is no correct answer to that. I would stick to the highest possible resolution and then down scale it depending on what LED or PJs your using.

I always stick to 30fps as the LED screens usually run at 60Hz or 60fps."

Thanks everybody! Getting closer...
-Michelle