Apple Pro Res 4:4:4 on Windows 7

#2

Why dont you leave it in ProRes for work? Quicktime read ProRes on PC too no? (unlike the annoying apple intermediate codec)

As for the output, Apple refuse to let pc encode ProRes. You’ll have to settle for another codec, PNG come to mind (for over 16bit, you’ll need to export sequences as quicktime dont support it), and let the mac people reconvert it or use it as is.

Be prepare to get awkward reactions though. I find that most of my mac clients panics when I sent a PNG quicktime or a Tiff/TGA sequence. They often have no ideas about anything else outside their own Apple FCP workflow. Half of them think that PNG is an horrible lossy codec for web pages.

#3

Yes! Maybe that the easiest option that I have.I think it will read in nuke.I didn’t get my hands on the footage yet but hopefully it should work.

I think I should go fro tiff/tga sequence.

Do you think exr will be of any help for this prores workflow?
can exr sequence be compiled back into a prores video?
Does fcp handle exr sequence??

Thanks

#4

And also I need the final output in Apple Pro Res 4:4:4 is it possible through nuke.
No can do on Windows. You can download a ProRes decoder which allows you to read ProRes files, but you can’t write ProRes on Windows.

Go openEXR or dpx.

can exr sequence be compiled back into a prores video?
Yes, but probably not on a Windows machine.

Does fcp handle exr sequence?
No.
Apart from that, FCP’s performance with file sequences is poor at best, so go the QuickTime route. Compressor allows you to read openEXR and encode into ProRes 4444.

#5

OpenEXR is a pretty heavy gun just for exporting a sequence no? I dont think going EXR will give you any advantage if you dont include render passes in it.

A PNG sequence with Trillions of colors (32bits) will be lighter than TGA or Tiff. PNG is uncompress but it use a lossless compression like .zip and .rar. Very useful to reduce the weight without loss.

#6

You are absolutely right about the file size part. I am dealing with almost 6000 frames per sequence and I have three of these.

I guess the image sequence alone will be almost 100 gigs.

like you said, I will definitely give a try and experiment with PNG format.

But, does nuke 6.2 64 bit handle png as good as exr. I know I am talking about of gigabytes of file size difference but still…

#7

I second what Scrimski posted, transcode your Quicktime movie into an EXR sequence for Nuke. 64-bit Nuke on Win can’t open up Quicktime movies anyway and it’s performance with EXR image sequences is pretty great. You don’t gain anything by going to a PNG sequence except maybe color space problems.

If they want a ProRes 4444 final you need a Mac to encode it, you can offer to deliver an EXR sequence or DPX sequence to them that they can transcode, or sub-contract somebody with a Mac and Compressor to create your final ProRes 4444 quicktime movie for delivery.

#8

EXR is a format that was designed for a modern compositing workflow. It’s benefits are more than a multi-channel container for passes.

#9

Are there a specific steps/settings that I need to follow for exporting the QT Prores video into exr or dpx.

I think they provided QT support for nuke from V6.1 or V6.2 I guess.

I am using 6.2 and it works fine.

#10

Are there a specific steps/settings that I need to follow for exporting the QT Prores video into exr or dpx.

Create a duplicate of your sequence in FCP(for backup) and remove all effects and time ramps. Check everything, FCP tends to mess up in/out points on clips when removing timeramps sometimes.
Send to compressor, export to dpx/exr. It’s pretty much self explaining as there are no option to choose from apart from the frame rate and naming. dpx files will be exported as log, openEXR is a tad darker than the dpx export(after adding a Log2Lin).

#11

You are right, I haven’t used Nuke on win since 6.1, good to know that they fixed it.

Usually what I do is read in the Quicktime movie and write out an EXR sequence in Nuke on Mac.

openEXR is a tad darker than the dpx export(after adding a Log2Lin).

Why are you putting a log2lin after your read node in Nuke? Do you find this better or worse than changing the colorspace to Cineon in the read node?

also…

When you make OpenEXR and DPX sequences from Compressor and open them in Nuke which one matches the original?

#12

Why are you putting a log2lin after your read node in Nuke? Do you find this better or worse than changing the colorspace to Cineon in the read node?
It’s the same actually, I’m just used to it from Shake.

Will check the dpx from compressor against the raw source footage and the FCP output asap. Can’t post the frame though(NDA).

#13

When you make OpenEXR and DPX sequences from Compressor and open them in Nuke which one matches the original?
Nope.

Found some Red footage I had on my machine for testing purposes.
Both exr and dpx are darker than the ProRes4444 footage, exr is darker than dpx.

#14

Is it a gamma 1.8 vs 2.2 issue maybe? You could add a gamma node to see if you can adjust it back to the original.

I think I have noticed this before but I think it was dismissed as a non-issue, converting to EXR sequences and outputting to DPX with footage still needing to be graded meant that the minor difference was not affecting image quality.

#15

Gamma beteen FCP and dpx could be an issue, however the shift between exr and dpx is not that big, so I think it’s something different. Will check that out though.

#16

My client is ok with me sending the output as image sequence but now the problem is file size.when I tried to export the raw footage into exr or dpx each frame is about 40mb and I believe this per frame size will increase as I compose all the cg elements on to my footage.

It there a way to bring the file size down??

But I have about 6000 frames in each sequence and there are 3 sequences so the final output will be around 2tb.

Is this normal.Its impossible to share it via the internet. I guess I will have to copy it onto a hard drive and mail it to my client :eek:.

#17

My client is ok with me sending the output as image sequence but now the problem is file size.when I tried to export the raw footage into exr or dpx each frame is about 40mb and I believe this per frame size will increase as I compose all the cg elements on to my footage.
40 MB sounds like 4K footage(the frames I tested were 2K and around 8 MB each), do you really need to work on that size/deliver in this size?
Why do you think that adding elements will add to the file size? Maybe adding channels to an exr will, but a final composite doesn’t need any elements, apart from an alpha channel maybe.

It there a way to bring the file size down??
I zipped/rared a dpx and the file size decreased from 8 MB to 3,6 MB. will be still to much for an internet connection.

#18

Yes,Its a 4k Footage.

Its a music video and they shot it at that res and want it to be that way.

Sorry I was not sure.That was a miss assumption.:banghead:

You are absolutely right when we rar, dpx is getting compressed almost 50% but I have no luck with exr.

#19

… but I have no luck with exr.
Do you have to deliver a final composite in 4K exr?
Either way, you will need additional HD space and mail/FedEx it. That’s something I would bill the client or let hem take care of it.

#20

He didn’t confirm it yet.

Thanks,That is what I also thought of.I have already mailed the client.Waiting for his reply.

#21

That’s rather unrelated to the original question but as an advise: nail those details (both delivery specs and way of delivery)down in a contract or some written and signed form. Saves a lot of questions, misunderstandings, hassle and efficiently some of your time.