Hi foiks, feeling stressed out. Got a deadline to meet for a festival and urgently need to up-res my sequence. I AMA linked but didn't transcode (realised this is kind of an essential step I missed) ???

So now I have the film cut but the resolution is at DNHD 36. Also my workflow is a complete mess (I'm learning at this game!) [:'(]  I really would appreciate any help you lot can give me. Also can you please explain the steps in layman terms and break it down into simple chunks? 

Thanks !!!

p.s. my films is 9 minutes in duration and there are lots of edits - some with effects - so a batch import would be ideal...if I only knew how to do it. 

What is the original media? If you linked directly to DNxHD 36 then that's a proxy for the original. Or is the original linked media full resolution and you set your project to DNxHD 36?

DStone:

What is the original media? If you linked directly to DNxHD 36 then that's a proxy for the original. Or is the original linked media full resolution and you set your project to DNxHD 36?

Hi Dave, unfortunately I started this project so long ago that I can't recall what I did at the beginning of it, but I'm pretty sure I set the project to dnhd 36 on import as I shot on Canon mkii so the footage is definitely higher quality that what I'm seeing on the timeline. Does that answer your question? Sorry I can send screen grabs if it helps!

This doesn't make sense. If you AMA linked then you should be looking at original camera files. If you're looking at DNxHD36 media then you must have either imported from the originals or AMA linked and then transcoded.

Either way you need the original camera files to relink to. Do you have them on the system? Once you do then what you need to do depends on how the media was brought in originally ie AMA'd or imported.

If you imported then you can batch re-import the files. If you AMA'd and transcoded then you can AMA again and relink the sequence to the originals.

Let's not guess. Right-click on one of the clips in the bin and choose Get Info. Look at the entry for Video. That will give you the format of the actual media. If it says DNxHD 36, then you either imported or transcoded.

I right clicked and it says DNHD 36. I think I imported some and transcoded others! (I made this quite complicated for myself !) 

I appreciate your responses and help here. Please send me the steps on how to batch import. I'll try this and if that doesn't work. Please send me the steps to transcoding. Thank you!

cuspgirl:

Please send me the steps on how to batch import.

These instructions are based on Media Composer 8.9.1. If you're using an older version the menu locations might be different.

1. In a bin, click on one of the clips you think you imported to highlight it.

2. From the Clip menu, select Batch Re-Import.

3. In the box that asks "Import clips with offline media only?" click on All Clips.

The Batch Import dialog box opens, with the clip you selected in step 1 listed.

4. In the Batch Import dialog box, click on the clip listed in the box.

5. Click Set File Location.

A Windows box should open.

6. In the Locate File box, navigate to the folder with the original clip you selected in step 1, and select it.

7. Click Open.

In the Batch Import dialog box, your clip should now show the file location you selected in step 6 & 7.

8. In the Batch Import dialog box, click on the drop-down menu next to Video Resolution, and choose whatever resolution you want to upres to. If you don't know, tell us what is listed in the menu and we can help you choose. If you just want to test this workflow, choose whatever DNxHD resolution has the highest number next to it.

9. In the media drive drop-down (below Video Resolution) choose where you want your media to go.

10. Click Import.

The import process should begin. When it's finished, the clip you selected in step 1 should now be whatever resolution you chose in step 8. If it is, and if that's the resolution you want all your clips to be, repeat the process with the rest of your clips. You can select multiple clips in step 1 to do more than one at a time.

I hope this helps.

Camoscato, thanks a million! This is so helpful and I've done my frist clip batch import and all went smoothly (as in, the clip resolution went up in the bin) but, will this correlate immedately to the clip on the timeline? I ask because I'm not seeing a jump in resolution on the timeline. The clip looks identical to how it was. Or do I need to go into the clip on timeline and match frame with the new upres'd clip? (i did try that but the resoltion still looked the same so I'm guessing my resolution should go higher?)

Resolution options in the drop down are:

DNHD 175 / DNHD 175 X / JTK 1080P 24 MXF / H264 800KBPS PROXY MXF / 1:1 MXF / 1:1p 106 MXF /

APPLE PRO RES PROXY MXF / APPLE PRO RES LT MXF / APPLE PRO RES MXF / and finally APPLE PRO RES HQ MXF

I chose DNHD 175. What you reckon is the highest quality for me?

Thanks again for everyone's help!

cuspgirl:

will this correlate immedately to the clip on the timeline? I ask because I'm not seeing a jump in resolution on the timeline. The clip looks identical to how it was.

It should. In the timeline hamburger menu (bottom left of the timeline) click on Clip Text, and choose Resolution. This will show the clip resolution next to the clip name on every clip in the timeline. See if the one you batch imported is now at DNxHD 175.

If it is, then batch importing worked and the problem is something else (is the display tool at the bottom of the timeline green/green, green/yellow, or yellow/yellow?).

If the clip you batch imported still shows DNxHD 36 in the timeline, then we need to figure out where those DNxHD 36 clips are coming from (i.e. what workflow you used to get them into the system).

camoscato:

click on Clip Text, and choose Resolution. This will show the clip resolution next to the clip name on every clip in the timeline. See if the one you batch imported is now at DNxHD 175

Excellent, batch import worked. Resolution on the clips is up dnhd 175 X (i'd since upped it to 'X' to see how if it looked) and when I click the green/green it looks better. 

Out of those resolutions I mentioned earlier, could I go higher again than 175 X? Or is there a limit to the canon mk II footage? 

cuspgirl:

Out of those resolutions I mentioned earlier, could I go higher again than 175 X? Or is there a limit to the canon mk II footage? 

What's your eventual goal? In other words, is this going on the web, on TV, in a movie theater? Somewhere else?

DNxHD 175 is appropriate for 1080/24p, 8-bit media. 175X is for 10-bit. if your original media is 1080/24p then you won't get any real improvement by choosing a higher bitrate. Also, there are many Canon cameras that are Mark II. Which one are you using?

In your first post you mention that this is for a festival; is this going to be screen on a TV or TV projector, or by a theater digital projector? In any event, check the format for how they want things submitted (for example, a theater presentation may require submissions in DCP whereas if it's a rented hall somewhere with a video projector they may not be able to play DNxHD and want things as MP4).

DStone:

In your first post you mention that this is for a festival; is this going to be screen on a TV or TV projector, or by a theater digital projector?

@camoscato + @Dstone

The festival said that it will screen 'in a variety of cinemas'... (I've asked what they mean exactly as it could be just halls they've rented with standard digital projectors)

So in either case, I will need a version for both the 'cinema' screening and an online vimeo viewing. So I should stick with DNHD 175 X (for online and potentially for standard projection screening too)? + and a DCP if it's to be theatre projection?  

Can I ask what would be the best export settings for these routes? I appreciate your time on my questions, you've helped me hugely so far. Thanks

If you have to make a DCP (and you really want to know that before you go through the trouble) you would export your video as a J2K (JPEG 2000) file using the highest quality settings. You can make a profile in MC using Quicktime Movie, JPEG 2000 codec at best quality, PCM audio 48K, 24-bit. That gets you the content. There is a piece of freeware for packaging that into the DCP container called DCP-o-matic (https://dcpomatic.com/). You really need to read the manual for that one. DCP-o-matic can also encode to J2K, and it might do so even for media already encoded. I don't know if DCP-o-matic can take DNxHD.

Wait until the festival staff responds before trying to make a DCP. It's not worth the effort if you don't need it. What you do need is what they really do want. For Vimeo, use their help information (https://vimeo.com/help/compression). It will probably need to be an MP4 using H.264 at High Profile (not Main Profile). For the festival projectors, don't bet on them being able to read DNxHD. A lot of players won't.

You might be able to find more information on the festival submission site.

Just for grins, I checked and DCP-o-matic will take DNxHD in a .MOV file. So you can export using Same as Source and avoid any additional rendering.