h264 codec tutorial
by nelson fernandes
on
Oct 9, 2008 at 4:21:20 pm
Hi guys. I use AE CS3 to export my movies and I like very much the h.264 codec. The problem is that lot of times it doesn't work. I export the animation and at the end the movie just shows a green screen and nothing else.
Does anyone know a good tutorial that teach how to use the h.264? Thanks.
Re: h264 codec tutorial by Dave LaRonde on Oct 9, 2008 at 4:54:44 pm
Okay, for just about EVERY use of h264 -- either within AE or for creating files in AE -- here's the tutorial:
• If your source footage is h264, you need to change it to something else. It has interframe compression, also known as long-GOP or temporal compression, and AE plain ol' doesn't like it. I like using Quicktime's Animation codec at Best Quality for the conversion. You may choose something else.
• Render out of AE using the highest-quality you can.
• Use some OTHER application to compress to h264. You'll have more control over the compression process, resulting in better-looking files. Most compression applications let you batch process, so it isn't all that painful if you have a bunch of files from AE that need conversion.
AE isn't the brightest candle in the chandelier when it comes to transcoding or compressing, and h264 is a particularly bad one. Sorry.
Dave LaRonde
Sr. Promotion Producer
KCRG-TV (ABC) Cedar Rapids, IA
