User Guide

CHAPTER 1
38
Working with Projects, Windows, and Palettes
For film and video, try to match import and composition settings with settings in the
output module used to render a movie. For example, to ensure smooth playback, the
footage frame rate selected in the Interpret Footage dialog box should match the setting in
the Composition Settings dialog box and the output module in the Render Queue
window. Also, the composition-frame size should be determined by the image size in the
playback medium. However, any footage item that can be imported can be used in any
composition. See “Preparing motion-footage frame rates for final output” on page 84,
“Understanding basic composition settings” on page 103, and “Changing output module
settings” on page 361.
If you will be mixing source footage with different pixel aspect ratios, correctly specify this
ratio for each footage item in the Interpret Footage dialog box. See online Help.
The suggestions that follow will help you select composition settings. However, the best
way to ensure that your project is suitable for a specific medium is to make a test compo-
sition and view it using the same type of equipment your audience will use to view it.
Film If you will be rendering for film, consider both the aspect ratio of the frame size you
select for your composition and the frame rate of your source footage. For footage that was
transferred from film to video using the 3:2 pulldown telecine method, you must remove
3:2 pulldown before adding effects. See “Removing 3:2 pulldown from video transferred
from film” on page 87.
CD-ROM When you create a movie that you plan to render for playback from a CD-ROM,
you may need to specify import and composition settings that take into account the wide
range of hardware that your audience may be using, possibly including older single- or
double-speed CD-ROM drives.
To make your final output compatible with older CD-ROM drives, try to reduce the data-
transfer rate of your final output by specifying certain settings for footage items:
• Lower the frame rate as far as you can in the Composition Settings dialog box without
making motion seem too jerky. Start at 15 frames per second (fps).
• When rendering your final composition, choose a file type and compressor/decom-
pressor (codec) appropriate for the final media. For example, for a cross-platform CD-
ROM, you might specify a QuickTime codec or a codec designed for low data rates, such
as Indeo, Cinepak, or Sorenson Video. Regardless of which codec you select, however, it
must be available on the system used by your intended audience to ensure successful
playback. Also consider the key frame rate of the codec you have selected. See the Adobe
Web site for more information on QuickTime compressors and codec key frame rates.
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