challenging: Project settings, Share options for best result

[Juergen]

PRE8 is a great tool. Very easy to edit, adding transition, merge video, and and and …
But most challenging for me is to understand the project setting and the share options for my final video product.

I read a lot of articles in Adobe / MuViPix forum and the great book from Steve (thanks for sending to Germany Steve )
I learned a lot, but still not clear.

My project: Movie, which should be presented at a wedding ceremony.
…. Photo Album / page turn (35 pages) + background video + standard AVI video

My source: - HD Love Background movie from MuViPix 1920x1280 30p
- Still photos with very high resolution
- AVI 720x576 video: digitized from 8mm analog video

I would like to have the best possible quality which is finally limited/defined by my “presentation equipment”,
a projector with 1280x720. Therefore I decided to use HDV 720p (PAL).

Below I described what I did and please correct me if I’m doing wrong (everything is based on PAL).
I do want to avoid any shutdowns or other PRE problems by using the correct input footage.

1.
I created a separate PRE8 project just for converting the HD Love Background Video to HD 720p25 (MPEG share option).
Also here I’m not sure regarding the project settings, as the footage is a .mov file with 30p
(which belongs to NTSC, doesn’t it?).

2.
I resized my still photos 1000x750 with PSE8
Is there also higher resolution possible?

3.
I include my AVI Video without “resize to framesize”


After having done #1 and #2 I started my final project with HDV 720p settings, bringing also my AVI files (720x576)
in the project without “resize to framesize”.
After having finished my final editing (which will take some weeks) I will share this video with 720p

So far it looks pretty good. However, I do not feel very save as I have to great a video with an album of 35 page turns.
I don’t want to end up in a crashing PRE.

I would really appreciate some advice. Is this procedure according the guidelines of PRE?

One additional question:
I read very often, to convert any footage to DV-AVI.
Based on my learnings so far, this will everytime end up in a 720x576 frame (PAL) — correct?
What to do if higher resolution is needed.

Sorry for many questions and thanks for any help

Juergen

[Steve Grisetti]

Hi, Juergen. Thanks for the kind words about the book!

I understand why you want to create a 720p video, since you want to project it from a 1280x720 display. But, since most of your video will be standard resolution anyway, I'd recommend that, rather than trying to "up-rez" your standard video to high-definition video (which usually doesn't work all that well), you just make a standard definition video (a DVD maybe) and let the projector compensate for it. Projectors (and DVD players) usually do a pretty good job of this. So do computers.

So to do this:

1) Keep your photos at 1000x750. They should be just the right size for your presentation.
2) Export your high-definition motion background as a standard DV-AVI.
3) Build a standard DV video project.
4) Create a DVD.

That's my recommendation anyway. But it's by no means definitive. I just prefer simple solutions rather than trying to create hybrid solutions.

Anybody else want to present an alternative plan?

[Chuck Engels]

The resolution of 720p is 1280 x 720, so I think you can allow for the images to be a little larger

[Paul LS]

Juergen. I think you have a good work flow. As you are NOT upscaling your video but have it playing over the 1280x720 background you will not lose any quality as there is no upscaling of the video required.

AS Chuck says you could re-size your photos to 1280x720 to fill the frame without them being scaled up by Premiere Elements.

And yes converting to DV-AVI will result in the 720x576 frame size.

[Juergen]

Dear Steve, Chuck, Paul,
thanks for your answer and recommendations.
Good to read that my workflow is ok.
Maybe I already got some basic understanding from all the good video trainings and tips from MuViPix.

I will follow Steve's advice and stay with standard DV as this is minimizing the risk of missing
the wedding ceremony deadline.

Great job, thanks!

Juergen