Is rendering an m2v out of AE comparable to using Compressor? Will the quality be about the same? I just noticed the option to change the render settings to Mpeg DVD in the new AE CS3 and was wondering if this was a good way to create m2v files.
Thanks.
Re: rendering to an m2v by Dave LaRonde on Mar 24, 2008 at 2:47:44 pm
It's NOT a good way to create m2v files. You're much better off rendering in a high-quality codec, then using the resulting AE file in Compressor.
Yes, it does take up more file space and it does take more time, but you have many more compression options in Compressor than you do in AE. Let's say you also need an mp4 file. You simply use Compressor to make it from the AE file.
Re: rendering to an m2v by Dave LaRonde on Mar 24, 2008 at 4:17:49 pm
I'd say it's a toss-up, but if you have Compressor available to you, I'd still use that instead. You're going to have better control over the quality of the file you create.
Why use a generic "make an m2v file" setting when in Compressor you select a preset that would get you better quality for the file's length?
Re: rendering to an m2v by Darby Edelen on Mar 24, 2008 at 4:43:10 pm
[Dave LaRonde]"Why use a generic "make an m2v file" setting when in Compressor you select a preset that would get you better quality for the file's length?"
I will add that AE's MPEG-2 encoder is pretty top-notch (it uses the Main Concept encoder). However, it is still valuable to have Lossless files if you need to go to other formats.
In my own personal workflow I almost exclusively render to MPEG-2 out of AE because I render almost exclusively for DVD menus. It saves time, disk space and confusion to render directly to MPEG-2 in my case. When I need to render for broadcast, however, I will render Lossless and transcode from there to whatever is needed.
Darby Edelen Designer Left Coast Digital Santa Cruz, CA
Re: rendering to an m2v by Joseph Springer on Mar 24, 2008 at 5:13:28 pm
Rendering the lossless copy from AE and then using one of the dedicated compressors -- Compressor, Squeeze, & Cleaner-- is definitely a useful and efficient workflow for most situations, Mr. Rabinowitz speaks to this here:
