working with a large image 7200x1400 for a video wall
by joseph ahn
on
Mar 17, 2008 at 7:33:05 pm
hello,
i'm working on contents that need to be displayed on a large video wall. the total resolution is about 7200x1400. (each plasma display is about 800x480.) what would be the best way to tackle this project? from my brief research, i found out you need a device that divides the image into a number of sections and synchronize them. aside from the hardware, is there a AE plug-in that automatically divides the image?
Re: working with a large image 7200x1400 for a video wall by Dave LaRonde on Mar 17, 2008 at 8:19:04 pm
Your easiest path will be to contact the people who will play back your animation.
Find out what you need to deliver to them, and find out as much as you can. The word "about" is no good to you. You'll want to know things like the playback device(s), the resolution of the individual screens, the aspect ratio of the individual screens, total number of screens and how they're arrayed, whether you need to deliver your work as separate files or one big file, the horizontal and vertical resolution required of your file(s), the file architecture they want (Quicktime, AVI, etc), the codec and frame rate. Believe me, all this information will make your life MUCH easier in the end.
Because there are so many ways to play back on multiple screens, we could give you the incorrect advice with what we know right now.
Re: working with a large image 7200x1400 for a video wall by joseph ahn on Mar 18, 2008 at 2:57:01 pm
thank you for your reply.
i was hoping to get some general workflow for a video wall content.
fyi, i have the exact dimension of the video wall. the total size is 7677x1440pixel. each display is 853x480.
let say the contractors asked me to give them 3 separate files with each file containing a section of the whole image. how can i do this in AE?
Re: working with a large image 7200x1400 for a video wall by Brian McCullough on Mar 18, 2008 at 3:28:33 pm
Create your comp 7677x1440 and do all your magic. When you are complete you create additional comps the size you need them and simply render out those sections. You can check out rendering regions of interest if you like, however I have found it easier to just create new comps like Left, Center, Right and position the 7677 comp into these new comps. Simple math will give you what sizes you need and where to position them. Make sure you work in tandem with techs who set up the video wall and run the gear. They will be your best friend helping you avoid re-rendering over and over again.
Good luck, it is tons of work but will look fantastic in the end.
Re: working with a large image 7200x1400 for a video wall by joseph ahn on Mar 20, 2008 at 2:44:01 am
thank you. it was a big help.
i have a duo core and 3 gig of ram. would this be enough to handle the comp size especially when working on the motion design?
Re: working with a large image 7200x1400 for a video wall by Brian McCullough on Mar 18, 2008 at 2:48:19 pm
Check out the Live & Stage Events forum. Lots of different equipment and good suggestions there. Your thinking down the right path with the AE composition though.
Re: working with a large image 7200x1400 for a video wall by axel flachenecker on Mar 19, 2008 at 12:27:21 pm
You could also use multiple output modules with different crop settings on your main comp. Advantage of this method is that you only need to render your comp once - wich in this particular case means 1/3 render time.
Re: working with a large image 7200x1400 for a video wall by axel flachenecker on Mar 20, 2008 at 10:54:46 am
You can set up multiple output modules after you have added your composition to the After Effects render queue. Simply choose "Composition > Add Output Module" , they can be used to render different file formats at the same time (for example an image sequence in full resolution and a small Quicktime movie for previewing) - or multiple crops out of one large comp.
If you want your 7677 x 1440 pixel project split up into three pieces, you would set up three output modules with different crop settings (for the leftmost part the crop right would be set to 5118 and crop left to 0, for the middle crop left would be 2559 and crop right 2559 and for the right part crop left would be 5118 and crop right 0). When working in resolutions larger than my screen i usually add an additional output module where the whole comp is stretched to the width of my monitor and rendered out as a Quicktime that i can use to check for errors and show to my client.
