What bitrate do you export at?
GreestockMedia
20 Apr 2018 17:10
What is the minimum or usual bitrate you export a 4K and a 1080p clip respectively ??
Trying to keep the file size as small as possible without sacrificing quality.
Trying to keep the file size as small as possible without sacrificing quality.
RekindlePhoto
20 Apr 2018 21:15
Same as originally shot in camera. I don't reduce quality for file size. In most cases it all depends on what camera you have as well as what program you are using to process the clip. The file type may very well have a limitation. So tell us your camera and program, file type you want to process into.
GreestockMedia
21 Apr 2018 05:16
Thanks for the reply. I am using my GH5 and shoot 4K 150Mbps mp4 clips. Then I use media encoder to make it 100Mbps.
For HD I go with 100Mbps.
The frame rate is 25p. All the editing is done in sony vegas pro.
For HD I go with 100Mbps.
The frame rate is 25p. All the editing is done in sony vegas pro.
Mizamook
21 Apr 2018 18:55
100mb/s is icky. 200-300 is decent, use Render at Max Quality and all that.Camera bitrate has NOTHING to do with your rendered output unless you are outputting in the same codec as the camera. Always retain a ProResHQ (lossy) or better (preferably lossless) master version of your clip.
GreestockMedia
22 Apr 2018 09:30
Thanks. I always export at max quality. The camera only supports 4K at 150 or 400Mb/s. There's no between that. FHD can record up to 200 which as you said is decent. So if I shot in mov I should export as mov as well?
Thank you for the advice.
Thank you for the advice.
RekindlePhoto
22 Apr 2018 17:38
The GH5 is a good camera. I shoot the Canon 5D MK IV that shoots 4K at 500Mbit/s. And the Canon 1DX MK II that shoots at 4K 60 fps at 800Mbit/s. Since I want as perfect as possible original I shoot at highest setting. I also feel obligated to give the buyer the highest quality download as far as technical bits and pieces. File size for me is a secondary concern. I do what I can to keep a 30 second of shorter clip under 4Gb while keeping the bit rate as high as possible. HD or 4K at 100 IMHO introduces too much blur in tree leaves, waterfall or faster movement and banding in blue skies. I hate mush that is very visible in cameras such as DJI Mavic drones and older GoPro's. Just be prepared to buy a lot of 4 to 8 TB hard drives for storage. Storage is cheap. Of course upload speed through many ISP are a killer.
So you can get away with 100Mb/s but if shooting at 400 Mb/s why degrade it for the buyer?
As far as .MOV, that is getting tougher since newest version of PP and AE does not use these anymore. The turf war with Apple and PC based systems is heating up more and more. Some agencies still don't accept h.264. No one has a clear answer and the agencies are not helping clear the water.
Good Luck.
So you can get away with 100Mb/s but if shooting at 400 Mb/s why degrade it for the buyer?
As far as .MOV, that is getting tougher since newest version of PP and AE does not use these anymore. The turf war with Apple and PC based systems is heating up more and more. Some agencies still don't accept h.264. No one has a clear answer and the agencies are not helping clear the water.
Good Luck.
Mizamook
22 Apr 2018 20:06
Well to that, why downgrade the quality if/when shooting RAW? I shoot RAW all the time (Inspire 2/X5s, FS700/7Q+, OsmoRAW, and GH5 timelapse occasionally, and there is no way the full rez original files would even be accepted. Neither would the uncompressed renders. GH5 shoots 400mb/s. Seldom use Mavic because the output looks like something the dog smeared on the carpet, but when I do manage to get something I like from it I render that work out uncompressed, then transcode to ProResHQ (yes, on a PC) and also h.264 for upload. There's no way I'm going to falsely limit the output of my work to the codec of the camera.
Ultimately, it's the content that counts. Putting the question fairly regularly to agency persons, the answer is always the same: Codec/bitrate/camera quality is much less important than the subject matter. I'm sure we all have plenty of older clips that still perform very well that were shot on HDV, GoPro, etc. But these were rendered and uploaded as ProRes or PJPEG, many of them, a codec/bitrate (remember bit rate is not an absolute definition of quality .. it also depends on the efficiency of the codec) that is much higher than the camera it was shot on, and in most cases noticeably better than h.264
Ultimately, it's the content that counts. Putting the question fairly regularly to agency persons, the answer is always the same: Codec/bitrate/camera quality is much less important than the subject matter. I'm sure we all have plenty of older clips that still perform very well that were shot on HDV, GoPro, etc. But these were rendered and uploaded as ProRes or PJPEG, many of them, a codec/bitrate (remember bit rate is not an absolute definition of quality .. it also depends on the efficiency of the codec) that is much higher than the camera it was shot on, and in most cases noticeably better than h.264
GreestockMedia
23 Apr 2018 19:43
Great technical info @Mizamook. I am still trying to figure out the bitrate thing. Sure, content is what matters, but since I am shooting I should be as accurate and correct as possible. Thanks for helping out. Thank you as well @RekindlePhoto for the solid advice. Totally agree with you. I should invest in a couple of 8TB's and go full 4K at 400Mb/s.
Mizamook
23 Apr 2018 19:51
There are levels upon levels of "accurate and correct". You have to start somewhere, and also remember make your own shorts and color correct your own stuff, and you will very quickly see why a buyer might like higher quality. It's easier to go further and modify stuff if one is not fighting compression artifacts. Remember the word "lossy" and understand that every time you use a lossy codec you are tossing information out for the sake of convenience. Learn to key things ... even if it's sky replacement instead of controlled lighting greenscreen stuff (do both) , you soon discover why compression is the devil.
Also don't forget you can change the extension of a h.264 (filename.mp4) to filename.mov and back. What does that tell you?
Also don't forget you can change the extension of a h.264 (filename.mp4) to filename.mov and back. What does that tell you?