Is it possible to batch-process with Color?
by Chad Terpstra
on
May 7, 2008 at 1:22:07 am
So I have a really large lecture project to render (5 days with 5 hours/day and 4 cameras). I've found it easy within Color to apply grades to one camera angle within a sequence but is there a way to render out multiple projects at a time? Since I'm limited to 200 cuts per sequence I have to break everything down into 1/2 hour sequences.
So for example, could I grade everything for each project file and then put all render files from all projects into one massive render queue? Or place multiple projects into one batch? I don't want to have to baby-sit rendering 25 projects....
Re: Is it possible to batch-process with Color? by walter biscardi on May 7, 2008 at 1:28:05 am
Nope, there was a product that was supposed to be coming out, or maybe it did, when it was still Final Touch, to allow batch renders, but it is no longer around.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Biscardi Creative Media HD and SD Production for Broadcast and Independent Productions.
Re: Is it possible to batch-process with Color? by Timo Teravainen on May 7, 2008 at 6:06:05 am
How about Final Cut Server, isn't there any tool there that you could use to do batch-processing? I have the same problem with multiple projects needing to be rendered, and I'm currently thinking about having a Remote Desktop -connection that I could use from a laptop to control the Mac Pro at the office. But still I would have to wake up in the middle of night and set another project to render..
Re: Is it possible to batch-process with Color? by chad terpstra on May 7, 2008 at 4:14:09 pm
I might have found the answer. I rigged up Automator to process the projects one at a time using "watch me do." the trick is having it pause long enough to do each render so do some tests and the math. I used "Watch me" for the pause and set it to .1x speed just waiting. It's going now on 15 projects and we'll see how it does when I get back tonight. Crossing my fingers!
Re: Is it possible to batch-process with Color? by Josh Petok on May 8, 2008 at 5:44:30 pm
You might have better luck with Quickeys. I haven't used it in a while, but I think that it can read when dialog boxes come up. Then you can loop through the action again. Not sure if it will work, but worth a try. There's a 30 day demo to try it out.
Re: Is it possible to batch-process with Color? by chad terpstra on May 10, 2008 at 10:21:38 pm
It sure does work. I just needed to work out some bugs with timing but it rendered several separate projects all by itselff. I can post the workflow here if that would help anyone.
Re: Is it possible to batch-process with Color? by Chad Terpstra on May 14, 2008 at 6:51:21 pm
Hey there. Sorry for the late response. I think I finally got it working but have had numerous false starts. "Watch Me Do" isn't always reliable for some reason. Especially when you click things in the dock. So if you want to bring a window to the front it's best to find a place to click on the main document to bring it to the front.
I've linked a sample workflow here. After looking a few things over you should see the logic behind all the steps. The most important thing is to accurately estimate how long each render will take. I made the mistake of being too optimistic in my time allowance and it tried moving to the next step before Color was finished and it stopped the workflow. So do a test on your system and be generous in your pause times. My system renders at around 3.2x the real time. So I give it around 3.6x real time in the pauses because after a while it might slow down.
The only thing you need to do to run this for yourself is to change out the files in "Get Specified Finder Items" to your own projects, adjust for an appropriate pause time, and close ALL other windows and programs except for Color (Minimize Automator). I had the delusion that I could run a FCP process at the same time but not only did it slow Color down significantly it also popped up with an error and messed up the "Watch Me Do" workflow steps.
So the moral of the story is yes, there is a way to batch-process Color projects. But it's pretty finicky and one false step will throw off a night's worth of renders.
To get this working, right-click the file and "Save Linked File As..." It will prompt you to use .html at the end but click "Use Both." Then when it's downloaded change the extension back to ".workflow" Then open with Automator. Enjoy!
