Hi

I need some help with compression tech, wondered if someone could help me out.

I've been experimenting with a short segment of footage I captured with Fraps. (I have IL2 set at 1024x768.) I export from Prem Pro with settings: compressor DV PAl, widescreen 16.9 and that gives me the dimensions I want.

But of course the file size too big for the web, so I try it in VirtualDub. But after VD I lose my nice widescreen effect. It stretches away the widescreen into a horrible stretched but cropped full screen version.

I have tried putting it through VD 1st, and then PP, can't get my widescreen.

I have tried almost every combination of options I can see with both programs to no avail.

What am I doing wrong? I've read lots of posts, here and elsewhere, can't figure it out. Help appreciated.

It might be the PP output that is messing you up, and using a widescreen flag to change the pixels to not square.

Change the project properties (input) of Premiere Pro to the resolution you want, e.g. 640x360 and use square pixles.

The render out from PP with the exact same settings. Don't specify 16:9, just use square pixels. I'm not sure what all the options are in PP as I haven't used it for years, but that should give you a hint for a start.

Thanks Joe, I tried what you said, realised I can't mix it all up.

I can't see any option to change resolution at project setup. One can only change between widescreen and standard. Frame size is greyed out at 720x576. Can't seem to change it in custom settings either.

I experimented a lot more and the best result I can come up with is this formula:

1. Prem Pro widescreen (16.9)
2. Export from Prem Pro as DV AVI 720 x 576, pixel aspect: square.
3. Send through VirtualDub with a divx 96 crop.

The result is 'ok', but could be a bit better imo. Incidently, that 12 seconds of footage is 3,4mb - seems a bit big considering I'd like to make a feature 20 x that length.

Everything else i try shows signs of quilting, scaling or is blatantly the wrong size.

Any comments on above welcome. I'd be interested to hear any suggestions as to how i might tweak things - or correct them if you think above is wrong.

Hmm, it's been a couple of years since I used Premiere Pro, but I was able to customize BOTH the project settings AND the render settings.

I did find an old pic of a screenshot I took that shows the custom settings I used for FH&C:

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p195/russellboyd90/fhcmaster.jpg

Don't be use the DV setting either. Get your custom settings right, then render out using the HuffyUV codec. It will be a HUGE file, but don't worry, you can use VirtualDub and DivX to get the size sorted.

hi flitgun,

on joe's screenshot you have to chose 'custom settings' at the upper left first. there you can define your own settings (and store them maybe as 'preset' - so they will be available as 'preset' next time)
don't chose any of the 'premiere' presets, they are all dvd-/tv-standards.

you should best load your footage into 'virtualdub', where you crop it to the aspect-ratio, you want. there is no need to insist in 16:9 for you, since any software/hardware-player will add trhe amount of black borders needed to place it on any screen on display later. however, 16:9 would be 1024x576px to crop in 'virtualdub' - i recommend to just watch the composition and crop it more or less as you wish (just keep the pixels dividable by 4). then export from 'virtualdub' with 'huffyuv'-compression.

after starting 'premiere', chose new project, and change to the tab with 'custom settings'. under 'general', set it to 'video for windows', 'your framerate', 'your resolution (like 1024x576)', 'square pixels' and 'progressive scan'. under 'video-rendering' set 'no compression' and 'more than 16mio. colours'. save the project under a name and start editing.
remember, that for every prerender during editing, the program saves a prerender-file, which may be huge - however, these files are only for displaying the effects and blends and can be deleted at least after exporting.
when you are finished, export the timeline with the same settings as you used for the project, just compression might be set to 'huffyuv' again.
the exported, huge video-file can be finally compressed for distribution in 'virtualdub'.

Right, I see, needed to change 'editing mode' to 'desktop', now i can adjust.

Hmm, well, I think I am having codec problems. What seems ok for one codec is not ok for another. Then again, it could still be my foolishness, but I am blaming my computer.

I am running Vista, and have the Divx 6.8.4 codec on pro trial. It seemed ok with the 'widescreen preset' function i kept mentioning in the previous posts, but seems to cough at anything else. Now, I can't get it to work at all.

Xvid just closes everything down. Cinepak Radius works well and is very flexible, but isn't at all lossless - sometimes it makes it bigger. Huffyuv - does it work with Vista? I can't seem to be able to install it.

So, thank you both, I feel I have made progress, the sizes make more sense to me now. But any suggestions for my codec issue? If, that is, you agree that could be my problem. Idiocy could still be it of course.

HuffyUV should be OK with Vista, but I personally have never tried it.

Strangely enough, I just installed Huffyuv 2.2 and it isn't working on my XP system. So I'm back to 2.1 now and all is well.

Flitgun, uninstall every codec that you do not use! You said you have DivX and Xvid? You only need one and you might confuse Windows, Choose one and stick with it.

On my system, I have only the default codecs that come with Windows, HuffyUV 2.1 and DivX 6.8.4.

I also have Lame MP3 for audio compression.

You'll need to do some fault finding to see where you're problem lies:

Set up Premiere Pro with project settings 640x360, square pixels, 24fps, progressive scanning.

Render out uncompressed with the same settings.

Does this play in WMP?

Drop into VirtualDub and compress with HuffyUV. (don't worry about audio compression at this point, but don't forget about it for later)

Does this play in WMP?

Drop the uncompressed into VirtualDub and compress with DivX (set Divx on default settings).

Does this play in WMP?

Try that first, and figure out what is wrong, or post your results and we can take it from there.

I've hit the same problem as you over the time I have used PP.

If you have already done a project or are half way through in the wrong setting then just create a new project as you need it and copy and paste the 'sequence' blocks from your old project into your new one. That should give you what you have edited without the trouble of having to redo everything.

Thankfully I haven't started this one. I've been here before; made a couple of movies of 3 - 6gb that sat in my computer for years, unseen by anyone but me (and my gf, who was happier to see that I'd finished it than enjoy the IL2 action lol).

I've got the sizes sorted. They play in WMP.

Unfortunately, I have only managed to compress 12 secs of footage to a 42mb.

So I am investigating codecs now. I can't install Huffyuv. It says right click the .exe and select 'install', but there is no such option for me.

I am trying to find a lossless codec that will work with Vista.

You don't right click the exe file, you right click the inf file.

Compress with DivX or Windows Movie Maker to get the size down. See my sticky on how to do this:
http://forums.ubi.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/65710358/m/3451078076

I tried HuffyUV with VISTA in Summer 2007. It did not work. I think I read somewhere that it will not work.....unless they have made a new version specifically for VISTA. Then, again, I may have right-clicked the wrong file way back then...?????

You are right Joe, the inf file. That is the one I right-clicked. It was just the reporting of the event that got twisted.

Thanks for your help guys, much appreciated.

quote:

Originally posted by FlitGun:
You are right Joe, the inf file. That is the one I right-clicked. It was just the reporting of the event that got twisted.

Thanks for your help guys, much appreciated.

Now I am confused. Are you saying that you have HuffyUV working with VISTA???

quote:

Originally posted by Doolittle81:

quote:

Originally posted by FlitGun:
You are right Joe, the inf file. That is the one I right-clicked. It was just the reporting of the event that got twisted.

Thanks for your help guys, much appreciated.

Now I am confused. Are you saying that you have HuffyUV working with VISTA???

No. I am saying I was following the install instructions correctly. I just forgot what i had done when I was writing it here. I cannot install Huffyuv.