Latest version of Compressor: can it add 3:2 pulldown?
by Alan Okey
on
Oct 9, 2009 at 7:12:52 pm
Previous versions of Compressor have had the ability to reverse telecine (remove 3:2 pulldown), but haven't been able to add 3:2 pulldown when converting 24p to 60i. Does the latest version of Compressor have this capability? I normally use Combustion to do this, but it's cumbersome and almost always introduces an annoying gamma shift that needs to be corrected after the fact.
I'm casting my vote for adding this capability to Compressor. Anyone else with me?
Re: Latest version of Compressor: can it add 3:2 pulldown? by Jeremy Garchow on Oct 9, 2009 at 7:20:22 pm
[Alan Okey]"Previous versions of Compressor have had the ability to reverse telecine (remove 3:2 pulldown), but haven't been able to add 3:2 pulldown when converting 24p to 60i. Does the latest version of Compressor have this capability? "
Re: Latest version of Compressor: can it add 3:2 pulldown? by Alan Okey on Oct 9, 2009 at 8:19:41 pm
[Jeremy Garchow]"It's been able to do it since FCS2. "
Hmmm, hasn't been working for me this week. My output ended up with four frames followed by a duplicate 4th frame in a repeating pattern. I'm using FCS2 on Snow Leopard.
My workflow:
- import 24p footage to Compressor
- apply Quicktime encoding profile (usually ProRes 422 or Uncompressed)
- in Encoder tab of inspector, click Settings button and under Motion, change frame rate to 29.97
- in Frame Controls tab of inspector, turn frame controls ON, set output fields to lower, select "Fast (Nearest Frame)" for rate conversion, duration is 100% of source
- render
Any mistakes in that list?
Funny that you should mention that Compressor can add 3:2 pulldown since FCS2 - I could have sworn that this was the case, but it didn't work when I tried it earlier this week. Might be related to upgrading to Snow Leopard...
I recently upgraded to Snow Leopard by doing a fresh install on a new drive and using the Migration Wizard to pull my data and apps over from the Leopard drive. Perhaps something got screwed up in the process? I had to reinstall my MPEG-2 playback component manually, as it didn't work after the upgrade. I suppose I could always remove and reinstall FCS on the new Snow Leopard drive, but I honestly couldn't recall if I actually was successfully able to add pulldown in Compressor in the past or if I was remembering that incorrectly.
Re: Latest version of Compressor: can it add 3:2 pulldown? by Alan Okey on Oct 9, 2009 at 9:46:45 pm
I uninstalled/reinstalled Compressor, and I think I discovered what the issue is.
Compressor can add pulldown when you convert files of the same dimensions, but not correctly in the same job when you upscale or downscale the source clip. I think it has to do with the order of operations in Compressor.
Pulldown appears to be added prior to scaling, so if you try to downconvert a 720p24 file to NTSC 29.97i or to 1080i60, you end up with a stuttering duplicate frame on every 5th frame. The workaround is to perform scaling and pulldown as separate, sequential jobs, meaning that you must first downscale or upscale the source clip (keeping it 24p), then reimport the upscaled or downscaled clip into Compressor and convert it from 24p to 60i. Two separate tasks, two separate jobs in Compressor.
Whether or not this could be considered a bug or merely the way Compressor works is debatable. I would prefer Compressor to be smart enough to do both up/downscaling and properly add pulldown in the same job, but perhaps this isn't possible with Compressor's current architecture. For now, it simply means that if you want to scale a 24p clip up or down and add pulldown, you have to perform both tasks as separate, sequential jobs.
Re: Latest version of Compressor: can it add 3:2 pulldown? by Alan Okey on Oct 10, 2009 at 3:16:37 am
[Jeremy Garchow]"It works for cross and down conversion for me. I'll post something on Monday to show you."
No need, I discovered the problem - my own idiocy. One of my custom saved profiles didn't have the proper Output Fields setting - it was set to "same as source." Boy do I feel dumb.
Re: Latest version of Compressor: can it add 3:2 pulldown? by Kurt Waddington on Oct 20, 2009 at 11:14:05 pm
Don't feel dumb. I think you may have discovered the answer to my problem as well.
I was wondering why my XDCAM EX 24p in a 59.94i sequence was stuttering with the 4 frames and one repeating thing as well. I will try the Output Fields setting - not set to "same as source."
At least for me, this is not an obvious oversight.
