What happens to my High Def Media when I put it into a Standard Def Sequence?

Being that Hi Def media is so much larger I should be able to scale it up to 200% and not loose quality however it seems like I am,

When I put Hi Def Media into a Standard Def Comp in After Effects it will scale it to the comp size but then show the scale at 47%       Avid does not show this fact.

I am scared that once I put Hi Def media into my Standard Def Sequence that Avid is doing a real time conversion and then when I try to scale up the video it is actually scaling up a Standard Def proxy of the media.

Anyone have any insight here.

Thanks

Chris

Dad X 3:

I am scared that once I put Hi Def media into my Standard Def Sequence that Avid is doing a real time conversion and then when I try to scale up the video it is actually scaling up a Standard Def proxy of the media.

What you fear is exactly what's happening.  Avid is not resolution independent like a few other NLEs (and compositing apps like After Effects).  Your HD material becomes SD in an SD project, and scaling it up will look like crap.

Unfortunately.

Michael.

 Yep, that's how Avid works. If you have Avid FX, you can duplicate the way AE works but, in the standard editor, you cannot scale the image without degrading quality.

BLKDOG:

 Yep, that's how Avid works. If you have Avid FX, you can duplicate the way AE works but, in the standard editor, you cannot scale the image without degrading quality.

One feature request I think Avid should really address. As the handles are still to the hi-def media, Avid should be able to recursively process it through some kind of software scaler.

The ability to pan and scan around the HD frame in an SD project is sortta basic these days. To have to load and try and accurately time and edit clips through AvidFX is very time consuming.

As a workaround I'd work in an HD timeline with your SD material, get your edit working and then take it into AE to reframe, or bring the timeline into an SD project via AvidFX and a QTRef (if you have either of those programs/plugins).

Thanks for all your help.

Here is my work around untill Avid fixes this issue.

1. Work in a HD sequence
2. Put a PSD file on top layer which is actual size of my Web video 500x300 I have made this simi trasperent so I can see through it.
3. Then all the video underneath I can pan / scan and scale down to make the shot look best for the size hole I have.
4. When I go to out put I use AE or other croping feature to make the actual size movie I need.

Again thanks everyone for the help and I hope this is fixed soon.