Hi Editors:

                 There's a first time for everything in post production, and today I find myself up against something which is baffling me. I successfully imported a time-lapse image sequence into my Ultra HD 4K (23.976p) project, which plays like a normal clip. I find myself wanting to apply a nice zoom in effect to improve the shot, so I go ahed and apply it, open it up in the effects editor, add a couple of key frame points to show where I want the effect to begin and end by, make sure the background colour is set to video, and viola ! The effect doesn't work ! So, like a reasonably caffinated individual, I consult the MC 8.9.1 online manual book, locate the desired section about Avid Pan and Zoom Effect, and viola ! - Now I'm completely confused ! In the MC manual it describes the proceedure of adding this affect by beginning with "1.Load a sequence and create a placeholder segment of the duration you want for your image. The footage you use in the placeholder segment is the footage the effect uses if you set the Background parameter to Video."

For the Love of God and Country can someone more learned than I please explain what is meant by "placeholder segment ?" I'm pulling my hair out and drinking far too much coffee trying to educate myself (learning something new is always a good thing), here, but the clock does move forward, and time is lacking, and I've failed to climb K2.

Much Thanks in Advance,

Mark Job

Laptopeditor

Normally you would only use pan and zoom on a still image a la Ken Burns. I've never seen it used on a video clip.  I would use a 3d warp or resize for that sort of thing.  How large are the original stills you are importing as the image sequence? Are they larger than UHD (3840x2160)? If so, I'd be tempted to create a project the same size as the still images, import in to this to create media at the full resolution, then open this media in the UHD project, cut in to the timeline and let Avid place a frameflex effect on the clip. This should give you access to the full resolution with the ability to zoom in and out without losing quality (up to a point). 

The placeholder you refer to I think is normally just used as a reference so that an onliner will know what image you are supposed to be using at that point.  Pan and Zoom links to an external image and allows the full resolution to be used but that link can become broken if the sequence is moved to another system etc. Leaving a placeholder helps a new editor to understand what image should be used at this point.  At least that's how I've always used it and that's how i'd interpret "placeholder segment". When I receive a sequence from an offline editor I'd like to see a placeholder image on v1 and then the pan and zoom effect on v2 linking to the full res external image. If that link is broken for some reason I have a visual reference in the timeline to help hunt it down.  Does that make any sense at all? It's late and it's been a long day...

Andi

Hi Ripvanmarlowe:

ripvanmarlowe:

Normally you would only use pan and zoom on a still image a la Ken Burns.

....Yes. This is how I've seen it used over the years as well. 

ripvanmarlowe:

I've never seen it used on a video clip.  I would use a 3d warp or resize for that sort of thing.

....It says it can be used for both video as well as still, and there's a setting for either inside the effect controls, however, if there's a better tools for that, then I'm happy to use that instead. I have used resize on many video clips before.

ripvanmarlowe:

How large are the original stills you are importing as the image sequence?

....One set is coming in at 4000 × 2250 pixels (Roughly 12 Mega-pixel source), while the others are coming in @ 5472 × 3648 pixels (Roughly 21 Mega-pixel source).

ripvanmarlowe:

Are they larger than UHD (3840x2160)? If so, I'd be tempted to create a project the same size as the still images, import in to this to create media at the full resolution, then open this media in the UHD project, cut in to the timeline and let Avid place a frameflex effect on the clip.

.....Uhh, I'm not familiar with this (underline mine) effect ? Also, it's my understanding MC 8.9.1 only goes as far as 4K DCI ?

ripvanmarlowe:

This should give you access to the full resolution with the ability to zoom in and out without losing quality (up to a point). 

The placeholder you refer to I think is normally just used as a reference so that an onliner will know what image you are supposed to be using at that point.

......Looks good to me. I will look up and study frameflex effect.

 

Thanks For Your Response,

Mark J.

 

Hi Ripvanmarlowe:

ripvanmarlowe:

Normally you would only use pan and zoom on a still image a la Ken Burns.

....Yes. This is how I've seen it used over the years as well. 

ripvanmarlowe:

I've never seen it used on a video clip.  I would use a 3d warp or resize for that sort of thing.

....It says it can be used for both video as well as still, and there's a setting for either inside the effect controls, however, if there's a better tools for that, then I'm happy to use that instead. I have used resize on many video clips before.

ripvanmarlowe:

How large are the original stills you are importing as the image sequence?

....One set is coming in at 4000 × 2250 pixels (Roughly 12 Mega-pixel source), while the others are coming in @ 5472 × 3648 pixels (Roughly 21 Mega-pixel source).

ripvanmarlowe:

Are they larger than UHD (3840x2160)? If so, I'd be tempted to create a project the same size as the still images, import in to this to create media at the full resolution, then open this media in the UHD project, cut in to the timeline and let Avid place a frameflex effect on the clip.

.....Uhh, I'm not familiar with this (underline mine) effect ? Also, it's my understanding MC 8.9.1 only goes as far as 4K DCI ?

ripvanmarlowe:

This should give you access to the full resolution with the ability to zoom in and out without losing quality (up to a point). 

The placeholder you refer to I think is normally just used as a reference so that an onliner will know what image you are supposed to be using at that point.

......Looks good to me. I will look up and study frameflex effect.

 

Thanks For Your Response,

Mark J.

 

Hi Mark, I didn't notice what version you were on. I can't remember when custom project sizes were introduced?

Frameflex effects are automatically placed on any clip in the timeline that is not the native resolution of the timeline. So for example if you place a 4k clip in a 1080p timeline, Avid will apply a frameflex effect to the clip automatically (it should manifest itself as a green dot on the clip, or maybe now it's a small "s" for "spatial", not in front of my Avid right now.). If you open effects mode whilst parked on the clip you should have access to the frameflex parameters.  Give it a try. 

Essentially what I was sugesting was making a project at say 5472x3648, creating your media in that so you end up with a clip of those dimensions and then cutting that clip in to your UHD timeline, then manipulating with frameflex.  

Michael Phillips wrote some good articles on frameflex and resizing within MC: http://24p.com/wordpress/?p=160

Andi

Best bet is to AMA link to the image sequence, go to consolidate/transcode and pick transcode then set raster dimensions to "source dimensions".  This brings the video into the project at it's higher resolution (I think you said 5 or 6k).  When you "import" you set the resolution of the video to the projects dimensions, in this case UHD, no matter the original file's resolution...so you lose access to all those extra pixels.  When you AMA link then transcode using source dinesions you have access to all the original file's resolution.  Once you bring it in (and check that it is the original file resolution in your bin column under "video") you can cut it in a sequence, hilight the clip, go to effects editor and the frameflex effect will be there to adjust.  Frameflex is kind of a crappy 3d warp but lets you zoom and reposition and use all of the original file's resolution.  At the dimensions you mentioned you can push in 30% or so with NO loss of resolution....it is very cool.

 

Cheers

 

Gregg

Ah didnt notice you said image sequence and not a super high rez video clip...yes yes make it video first either in a custom avid project or in the app that the image sequence is from (where is it from?)

Hi Andi:

ripvanmarlowe:

Hi Mark, I didn't notice what version you were on. I can't remember when custom project sizes were introduced?

....I think I can go up maybe one more MC iteration to (possibly) 8.9.3 (??) I have backups of my backups, and I'm inbetween projects right this week, so the daring time for experimentation might be right now ? MC is more tolerant in its backward MAC OS compatibility then in its forward direction (I will check in any case before proceeding).

ripvanmarlowe:

Frameflex effects are automatically placed on any clip in the timeline that is not the native resolution of the timeline. So for example if you place a 4k clip in a 1080p timeline, Avid will apply a frameflex effect to the clip automatically (it should manifest itself as a green dot on the clip, or maybe now it's a small "s" for "spatial", not in front of my Avid right now.). If you open effects mode whilst parked on the clip you should have access to the frameflex parameters.  Give it a try. 

. OooooooH ! Very cool indeed ! I am so going to check this out over the next 48 Hrs.

ripvanmarlowe:

Essentially what I was sugesting was making a project at say 5472x3648, creating your media in that so you end up with a clip of those dimensions and then cutting that clip in to your UHD timeline, then manipulating with frameflex. 

.....I will experiment, and try one as you suggest. Let's see what happens. Obviously, this is an amazing effect tool to have, as it allows you to input lots of matterial shot on high end DSLR's and Mirrorless cameras. All our independent post jobs shoot in this manner, as do we when we are in production. We use little SONY DSC RX 100's, DJI OSMO Pocket Gimbal Cam, GoPro, and SONY RX 0 MK II tiny cams.

Mark J.

Hi Gregg:

dingo1:

Best bet is to AMA link to the image sequence, go to consolidate/transcode and pick transcode then set raster dimensions to "source dimensions".

....Oh jeepers I never thought of that !  

dingo1:

This brings the video into the project at it's higher resolution (I think you said 5 or 6k).

...Actually, these files are in 1`2 and 21 Megapixel sizes @ 5K and 8K (I think ?), but I follow you. This is very interesting. I have been straight importing image sequences as a general rule, (and thus loosing their full rez), but I should go try this.

dingo1:

When you "import" you set the resolution of the video to the projects dimensions, in this case UHD, no matter the original file's resolution

...Yes. Of course. I didn't realize you could now get anything else into your project at a resolution higher than the project settings themselves. You learn something new every day. 

dingo1:

so you lose access to all those extra pixels.

... This is wonderful news that you can get around this ! 

dingo1:

When you AMA link then transcode using source dinesions you have access to all the original file's resolution.  Once you bring it in (and check that it is the original file resolution in your bin column under "video") you can cut it in a sequence, hilight the clip, go to effects editor and the frameflex effect will be there to adjust.

....This is freken awesome ! Ha ! Ha ! You can't do THAT with Final Cut Pro !  

dingo1:

Frameflex is kind of a crappy 3d warp but lets you zoom and reposition and use all of the original file's resolution.  At the dimensions you mentioned you can push in 30% or so with NO loss of resolution....it is very cool.

.....Yes indeed that is very cool. 

Thanks For Your input,

Mark J.             

Hi Gregg:

Mark Job:

dingo1:

Best bet is to AMA link to the image sequence, go to consolidate/transcode and pick transcode then set raster dimensions to "source dimensions".

.....Uhhh, something's going wrong. When I open the MC Browser, and link to the image sequence I want to bring in, then hit import to my selected bin, MC only puts the single jpeg image file I selected into my bin (MC is not recognizing I linked to an image sequence ?) Why am I only getting the one image and not the whole image sequence ? Very confused here.

 

Mark J.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<BUMP!!!!>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Mark Job:

Browser, and link to the image sequence I want to bring in, then hit import to my selected bin, MC only puts the single jpeg image file

As far as I am aware Linking does not have a Auto detect sequential files option so it does not act like an Import  media that has auto detect sequential files setup.  So as far as I can see MC is acting correctly by linking to a single file. (the first one with the name you chose to link to)

Alayne

 

Hi Alayne:

Alayne Holmes:

As far as I am aware Linking does not have a Auto detect sequential files option so it does not act like an Import  media that has auto detect sequential files setup.

.....Good to know. Thank you for the heads up on that.

 

Mark J.

Seems Avid MC provides sequential AMA via DPX format, according to this:

https://www.avid.com/~/media/avid/files/hero-products-pdf/media-composer/highres_workflowsguide.pdf?la=de#page203

I suppose you could ask support about any format specs and if doing jpeg conversions to DPX is possible.

 

 

Quicktime (7) Pro and MPEG Streamclip will also build a sequence from stills which can then be exported as a .mov or whatever you require. You can create a .mov from your stills in one of these programs and then link to that file within Avid.

Andi