Exporting in 1080i and Apple prores 422HQ

[bethanyborg]

Hi!

So this may be a really silly question -


A festival is requesting file formats of my film in HD1080i and Apple prores 422HQ.
I know that I can export an uncompressed .MOV and normal AVI Internal, but is there a way to export the formats they are requesting? Sorry for such a silly question but never had to really export these formats so just feel a bit lost and internet searches haven't helped much!

(I am working on a Windows, using 64bit TVPaint 11 Pro.)

Thank you!

[D.T. Nethery]

With the 64bit version the Export formats are .AVI and FFMpeg .MOV . So technically , no , you can't export to Apple ProRes 422HQ directly from the 64 bit version of TVPaint. (Quicktime is not compatible with 64bit and technically , not compatible on Windows at all , since Windows users were all advised to uninstall Quicktime due to security risks because Apple stopped providing security updates for Quicktime on Windows) .

Here's a suggested workaround:

1.) the main security issue for Windows is the Quicktime browser plug-in and downloading Quicktime .MOV files from unknown sources, then playing them with Quicktime Player on your Windows computer . The actual Quicktime codecs are not a security risk if you're using them internally for exporting your own files. So you need a way to keep the Quicktime codecs , but dump the Quicktime player and browser plug-in . Here's how to do that:

https://www.cinecom.net/video-editing-t ... ep-codecs/

2.) Download the 32bit version of TVPaint . You can have both the 32bit version and 64bit version on your computer . Open your project in the 32bit version and go to File menu > Export To > Then choose Quicktime and from the list of available codecs choose Apple ProRes 422HQ .

However, the big issue for you is that I don't know if you can actually get the Apple ProRes 422HQ codec for Windows ? (I'm on a Mac here , I don't have a Windows computer) . Maybe if you install FFMpeg codecs for Windows https://ffmpeg.org/download.html there is an "FFMpeg equivalent" codec to ProRes 422HQ .

On the 64bit version you should try a test export using FFMpeg .MOV - Compressed RGB-RGBA (the third option on the list under FFMpeg .MOV) .

FFmpeg_Compressed_RGB-RGBA.jpg (40.27 KiB) Viewed 12949 times

See if that format will be acceptable to the festival.

If not , do you have any friends who have TVPaint running on a Mac ? They could open your project on their Mac in TVPaint 32bit version and export it to ProRes 422HQ for you.

Another suggestion would be to look at a free application called MPEG Streamclip Video Convertor - http://www.squared5.com/svideo/mpeg-streamclip-win.html . It can convert .AVI and .MOV files to various codecs , including Apple ProRes 422HQ. Of course I think it depends on whether you can get the Apple ProRes 422HQ codec installed on your Windows machine , whether or not you'll have access to it in the list of available codecs in MPEG Streamclip.

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[bethanyborg]

Thanks for replying!

No friends have it on a mac sadly- first thing I tried (would have saved a lot of trouble!)

So I installed 32 bit (didn't know I could have both- handy to know; thanks!) It didn't give me the option for pro res , I've attached images of what was available.


I think for the festival exports I can do either Apple Pro res or HD 1080i - Since Prores isn't working, I've done as you suggested and exported it as a .Mov through the 64 bit version. But do you have any idea how I can go about saving it as a HD 1080i? Is it just a case of selecting 'upper first' in the field section instead of progressive?

[D.T. Nethery]

I would still suggest from the 64bit version you try the third FFMpeg option - "Compressed-RGB/RGBA" , which as I understand it is the FFMpeg equivalent of ProRes .

I would definitely suggest that you NOT use H.264 compression codec as in your screen shot, because H.264 has poor color fidelity , it will make your colors look washed out.

I've never used export to HD 1080i ... I had to look it up ... what I found says:

"The number "1080" refers to the number of horizontal lines on the screen. The "i" is an abbreviation for "interlaced"; this indicates that only the odd lines, then the even lines of each frame (each image called a video field) are drawn alternately, so that only half the number of actual image frames are used to produce video. A related display resolution is 1080p, which also has 1080 lines of resolution; the "p" refers to progressive scan, which indicates that the lines of resolution for each frame are "drawn" in on the screen sequence.

The term assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9 (a rectangular TV that is wider than it is tall), so the 1080 lines of vertical resolution implies 1920 columns of horizontal resolution, or 1920 pixels × 1080 lines. A 1920 pixels × 1080 lines screen has a total of 2.1 megapixels (2.1 million pixels) and a temporal resolution of 50 or 60 interlaced fields per second."

So two of the choices I see in my 32bit version Quicktime export options are HDV 1080i50 and HDV 1080i60 , I believe the 50 and the 60 referring to what is mentioned above where it says "a temporal resolution of 50 or 60 interlaced fields per second."


I don't know which is preferable , 1080i50 or 1080i60.

Screen Shot 2018-06-18 at 9.43.09 PM.jpg (34.71 KiB) Viewed 12921 times

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[bethanyborg]

I sent a Compressed RGB/RGBA to them and will see what they say.

HDV 1080i doesnt actually come up on mine- I get the AVI ettc as standers then is says convert but I have HDTV 1080 (no i ). With quicktime there isnt that option in the compression type.
SO from what I can see- I do AVI , HDTV 1080, upper first to make it interlaced.
I've doen this and the quality matches the Mov so thats good- no glitches either; but the file size is about 14gb? Would that be an issue for playback or should I be exporting it differently?

Sorry for the delay in replying - internet went haywire and I get back too late to call them.