Tip #020: 9 Ideas to Explain Media Technology
… for Random Weirdness
Tip #020: 9 Ideas to Explain Media Technology
Larry Jordan – https://LarryJordan.com
Ideas to help you understand the technology used to edit media.
There are so many different forms of media, that making choices almost becomes overwhelming. Yet, in spite of it all, we still need to create projects. Here are some thoughts to keep in mind about editing media and the storage it uses.
- If deadlines are extremely tight AND you are not adding a lot of effects, you can edit H.264 or HEVC directly in your NLE. Otherwise, transcode all highly-compressed media into an easy-to-edit intermediate format, such as ProRes.
- Image quality is not lost in transcoding a highly-compressed video format into ProRes.
- If the media was shot by a camera, transcode into ProRes 422.
- If the media was created on a computer or uses Log or Raw formats, transcode into ProRes 4444.
- Always shoot the frame rate you need to deliver. Changing frame rates is a massive pain.
- Save the aggravation: Use proxies to create a rough cut when using 4K, HDR or Raw media.
- Color grading high-quality HDR media can require over 1 GB / second of data bandwidth!
- Always have a reserve budget for more high-performance storage. You’ll need it.
- Always allow time to test your entire workflow from capture to final output before starting production. It is much easier to find and fix problems when not staring at a looming deadline. “I didn’t have time to test!” is never a good excuse.
Yes, there are exceptions to these rules, but not in most cases.
Hi Larry, thank you for your prompt reply, I do though have a further question if I may. In relation to your reply to Mike’s observations in respect transcoding H.264 to ProRes. Do I understand you correctly when you say 8bit H.264 when transcoded into ProRes then becomes 10bit?
Phil
Phil:
Yes, but not in the way you mean.
Transcoding H.264 to ProRes moves 8-bit video into a 10-bit environment, but each video pixel still has only the 8-bits of value of the source. However, any NEW effects, titles, transitions, color grading span the full 10-bit range of values.
Larry
Don’t know what we’d do without you!
Phil
Phil:
Smile. Well, you’d have a whole lot less to read.
Larry
Hi, do you have a transcoding software preference?
Thanks.
Philip:
I find myself using Apple Compressor, Adobe Media Encoder and ffWorks – depending upon the job. I also like Kyno, from Lesspain Software.
Larry
Hi, Larry.
Would you please describe what kind of job you use one or another transcoder for?
Thank you.
Andrey
Andrey:
I use Adobe Media Encoder for HEVC, ffWorks for MPEG-4 and Compressor for HTTP Live Streaming files.
Larry
Uh…this really doesn’t work for most Windows users. ProRes is not supported until PPro 2019. I can’t speak for Avid, and of course FCP doesn’t run on windows, making this whole discussion moot from their perspective.
Also, on a reasonably equipped computer of either OS, h264 edits just fine in PPro. The slight problems you have with playback (it doesn’t like to play backwards very well, and dragging through footage can sometimes hang the system for a few seconds) far outweigh the time it would take to transcode one’s media.
Mike:
Thanks for your comments. You are correct, ProRes has been a problem on Windows. I generally recommend GoPro Cineform or one of the Avid DNx family as an intermediate codec for Windows editors.
Keep in mind, also, that H.264 s an 8-bit codec. While this doesn’t have a big impact on editing, it will impact image quality for color grading and any effect which uses gradients – such as a blur. The three intermediate codecs – ProRes, GoPro and DNx – are all 10-bit codecs which handle color and gradients much better.
Larry