HQ Animation Codecs/Optimal Speed Settings

[dann_stubbs]

Hi dudes, many of us who use Cinema 4D for animations are faced with choosing the Codecs and settings that will be the fast while offering a high quality output.
What settings and Codecs do you find works best for you when exporting your animations?

you "don't" use the codecs and movie settings from c4d if you are looking for high quality.

you render to uncompressed (or losseless) frames and then you have the ability to compile movies with a compositing program and test different settings and codecs to find the best size/quality for that one situation. there is no perfect codec and setting for all formats and types of scenes. otherwise there would only be one option to choose.

dann

[<Scott M C4D>]

If you want smaller file sizes while rataining a high quality output then it matters. This is more practical when transfering files over slower internet connections. Not everyone has a video editing program to choose a ideal codec to compress the uncompressed avi after rendering so it makes sence to use the one best suited within cinema.

[tcastudios]

Read Dann's post again. You don't render using a lossy codec. You render to highest possible quality. - Then - you apply a codec for the use of the file in a post app (FinalCut, AfterEffects, QT Pro etc.
The result will be much better that way since -any - codec produces a much better result with a top notch ground material.

Cheers
Lennart

[dAfTiE]

Yeah,there really are no good reasons to render to a lossy format,and a lot of reasons not to.
If you have to deliver an animation in different formats for example.
And,if you render direct to mov or avi,and find that at frame 50,you have some ugly artifact or intersect or something,
you pretty much have to render the whole thing again unless you have the frames handy.
Same thing if the power goes out halfway through the render job,or you get ugly blocking...

Personally,since I don't do any fancy composition or anything,I just render to tiff sequence,
bring that into Virtual Dub,and compress/resize/mux audio there.
I also use xvid and ogg vorbis for audio and video,since they are both free,easy to use,
and pretty mature by now,
and they both manage to squeeze alot of quality into a small file.

[<Scott M C4D>]

I do know that using no compression will result is a higher quality,i have always known that.
But for the reason i edited above i think you get what i mean. Maybe as high as possible with little atifacts would have been more acurate.

[dAfTiE]

Well,if you're on windows,you can't do better than virtual dub.
Extremely capable,stable,and completely free and open source.

Just open the frame sequence,hit Ctrl-C,set compression settings,hit F7,and go have a smoke while it finishes.
(depending on the length of the animation and codec used,there might be time for a couple of beers as well.)

[dann_stubbs]

I do know that using no compression will result is a higher quality,i have always known that.
But for the reason i edited above i think you get what i mean. Maybe as high as possible with little atifacts would have been more acurate.

you are missing the point.

one style animation will compress differently then a different style animation.

there is no ONE best setting - the only way is really trial and error. so the best way is to render uncompressed and then try a few different codecs and settings to achieve the best overall result.

so if you render and pick a codec setting in c4d - it may look ok or even good, but you will never know the variables of potentially better or smaller final file sizes unless you have the pristine original source material to try another setting to compare. - unless you want to waste your time rendering over and over...

dann

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