Hi

Does anyone know what export settings I should use when rendering graphics in After Effects, so that they cna then be imported into Avid without field-juddering problems? I have tried exporting .avi files as both upper field first and lower field first, I also tried exporting an .omf file. No luck so far.

Help appreciated.

Why not use QT and Avid 1:1x codec?

That is, unless need alpha channel - in that case, use Animation codec.

Hi

That doesn't help.

The AEX project is a mixture of progressive and interlaced footage, with one title which is bevelled and which moves. It needs to be exported into Avid as an interlaced DV movie.

I render the AEX movie in the usual way using "Comosition>Add to Render Queue".

When I add it to the render queue using normal DV AVI settings, it plays back fine in Adobe Premiere. However, the file appears low resolution (this is particularly obvious on the bevelled caption) when it plays back on the Avid timeline, and also there is clearly a problem with the field order.

I've tried exporting it to Avid in a Quicktime Movie using the Avid DV codec, both Lower and Upper field first and indeed "No Fields". No fields removes the field rendering problem but not the low resolution, and it's no good to me anyway as it's not progressive material. I also tried using the (memory hungry) Avid 1.1x codec - same result.

Have you checked that AE interprets the footage right? (rightclick on the footage in project-window -> interpret footage -> main).

Because when AE renders it, the render output has field dominance as you set it!

g_f

All the files are set tl "lower field first" apart from the still images which default to "fields off".

ECS_1:

However, the file appears low resolution...when it plays back on the Avid timeline

Is your timeline set to green/green (Icon at the bottom of the timeline, looks like a tv-screen)?

ECS_1:

with one title which is bevelled and which moves...and also there is clearly a problem with the field order.

How thick is the bevel? If it's to thin it'll jump around between two fields.

The footage you imported was lower field for sure? If so, going to the render settings:

choose quicktime, compression animation (will be big as well), pal 720x576, lower field first.

import settings in Avid: 601/709, maintain unsquare, alpha ignore, lower field first (even).

Do a test render with short in-out in AE. Try other codecs (Avid codecs or DV(!) codec as well, MC should then fast import).

In general, when I have to exchange material between Avid & AE, I'll go for upper field, wether it's an DV project or none, in both, import & export settings. I'm in PAL-land, too. But as long as you keep "the chain" closed, meaning staying in one field dominance all the time there shouldn't be a problem. -.-

Hope it helps, g_f

Hi

Thanks for the various suggestions. I think I tried everything suggested here but I never got round this problem, it was taking all day to test various settings so I just played it back out to tape via Premiere and then captured the footage in Avid. Clearly this is not the best long term option!

I'm a PC user. The footage is a DV lower field first interview keyed against a still image. I can export it to Adobe Premiere as an avi file with no problems at all.

I have tried exporting using the Avid DV codec (.mov files), and my usual DV codec (.avi file).  I can tell these are not the correct settings because when I import the files, I can see in the avid source window, the file is slightly horizontally squashed (I see black for maybe 30 pixels on the left and right side, and the picture information is squashed into the remaining space, so the interviewee appears too thin). Also, the field movement is not smooth on playback. I've re-set the footage as upper field first in the AEX settings and it makes no difference.

The only export setting in AEX which I've tried and which does not give me this problem is OMF. When I export to OMF using its DV option, and import the resulting file into Avid, the image appears to be the correct size and plays without any interlacing problems. However, there are two problems doing this - (1) there appears to be no option to export audio with an OMF file, and (2) Avid tells me that the file is the wrong resolution (DV411 not DV420). The file then exhibits some weird colour artefacts.

Any more suggestions?

thks a lot

ed

hi

just bouncing this to the top of the page.

Is there no way, within Avid, to adjust the properties of clips that are imported in the wrong field order?

In Adobe Premiere there are several field options you can choose which resolve this problem - either "reverse field dominance" or "interlace consecutive frames" does the job on files which are imported with the wrong field order. Surely Avid must have something similar?

thks

Batch Import, choose "Use Current Settings" and change the Field Order in the Options

That works fine, thanks. Slightly annoying that you can't retrospectively change it once you've imported the footage but you've solved the problem.

ECS_1:

 Slightly annoying that you can't retrospectively change it once you've imported the footage

Sometimes, you might not even have to change it, all depends, I had a dvd disc project once with all the media having the uncorrect field order.

I just let Adobe Mediaencoder encode the dvd file with lower fields first, then add that one to a dvd, worked very well. 

ECS_1:

I can tell these are not the correct settings because when I import the files, I can see in the avid source window, the file is slightly horizontally squashed (I see black for maybe 30 pixels on the left and right side, and the picture information is squashed into the remaining space, so the interviewee appears too thin).

If you have originated in DV420 you can still export the same way.  Select Quicktime, and change the format settings to Avid DV.  Once you have done that, click on the Settings button in the Format window and select 420.  Now export.  It should fast import into Avid and look exactly as you expect it to.