Compressor 3 User Manual
Copyright © 2009 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Your rights to the software are governed by the accompanying software license agreement. The owner or authorized user of a valid copy of Final Cut Studio or Logic Studio software may reproduce this publication for the purpose of learning to use such software. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, such as selling copies of this publication or for providing paid for support services.
Contents Preface 9 9 9 10 Welcome to Compressor About Compressor About the Compressor Documentation Additional Resources Chapter 1 11 11 12 16 23 Getting Started Quickly Terms Used by Compressor Quick and Easy Compressor Workflow: Batch Template Method Quick and Easy Compressor Workflow: Manual Method Optional Tasks You Can Perform Before Submitting a Batch Chapter 2 25 Ways to Use Compressor 26 Typical Compressor Scenarios 27 Compressor Features Chapter 3 29 29 32 34 35 37 37 The Basic Transcodi
64 Droplet Windows 64 About Changing Values and Timecode Entries 66 Keyboard Shortcuts 4 Chapter 5 67 Setting Compressor Preferences 67 About Compressor Preferences 70 Using Compressor Preferences Chapter 6 75 75 77 86 89 Chapter 7 93 93 97 98 100 101 103 104 105 106 Creating, Previewing, and Modifying Settings About the Settings Tab Using the Inspector with Settings Duplicating Settings Creating a Setting from Scratch Previewing a Setting Deleting Settings Creating Groups of Settings Distributing a
145 146 149 151 151 Converting Stereo Audio Files to Dolby Digital Professional Format Assigning Files to Surround Sound Channels (Manual Method) Assigning Files to Surround Sound Channels (Automatic Methods) Assigning Files to Surround Sound Channels with Droplets Options for Spatial Mixing Chapter 11 153 Creating DV Stream Output Files 153 About the DV Stream Encoder Pane 154 DV Transcoding Workflow Chapter 12 155 156 160 160 161 161 Creating H.264 for Apple Devices Output Files About the H.
186 186 188 189 190 191 193 About System and Elementary Streams MPEG-1 Transcoding Workflow Configuring the MPEG-1 File Format for Web Use Configuring the MPEG-1 File Format for DVD Use Creating the MPEG-1 Video for DVD Setting Creating the MPEG-1 Audio for DVD Setting Optional—Creating an MPEG-1 for DVD Group and Destination Chapter 18 195 195 196 196 197 208 213 219 Creating MPEG-2 Output Files About Standard Definition MPEG-2 About High Definition Sources and MPEG-2 About Elementary, Transport, an
263 Audio Filters Tab 265 Color Tab 266 Adding Filters to a Setting Chapter 23 269 269 274 275 276 279 Working with Frame Controls About the Frame Controls Pane Adding Frame Controls to a Setting About Deinterlacing About Reverse Telecine Using the Retiming Controls Chapter 24 283 283 285 290 Adding Geometry Settings Working with Cropping, Scaling, and Padding About the Geometry Pane Making Geometry Adjustments to a Setting Chapter 25 293 293 293 297 Adding Actions Working with Post-Transcoding Acti
Appendix A 351 Keyboard Shortcuts 351 General Compressor Keyboard Shortcuts 352 Preview Window Keyboard Shortcuts Appendix B 353 353 353 358 Solving Problems Resources for Solving Problems Solutions to Common Problems Contacting AppleCare Support Appendix C 359 359 360 367 Using the Command Line Installing Apple Qmaster from the Command Line Using the Command Line for Distributed Processing Using Scripts to Run Apple Qmaster, Compressor, and Batch Monitor Contents
Preface Welcome to Compressor Compressor is an essential part of the video compression process. It makes compression fast, efficient, and convenient, giving you more options in your choices of compression settings and output formats. This preface covers the following: • About Compressor (p. 9) • About the Compressor Documentation (p. 9) • Additional Resources (p.
• Distributed Processing Setup Guide: This guide explains how to set up and maintain a distributed processing network for use with Compressor or digital visual effects software packages. • Batch Monitor User Manual: This brief document describes how to use the Batch Monitor to monitor the transcoding progress of batches and jobs. Additional Resources Along with the documentation that comes with Compressor, there are a variety of other resources you can use to find out more about Compressor.
Getting Started Quickly 1 Compressor contains a number of preexisting settings that allow you to start transcoding immediately. You can begin transcoding media files as soon as you install Compressor, if you have one or more source media files and the preexisting Compressor batch templates or settings and destinations suit your transcoding needs. This chapter covers the following: • Terms Used by Compressor (p. 11) • Quick and Easy Compressor Workflow: Batch Template Method (p.
• The output filename: You can edit the output filename part of the target if for some reason you do not want to use the name generated based on the destination. Note: You can transcode a job only after it has at least one setting assigned to it. If you need to create your own settings, or modify those that come with Compressor, see The Basic Transcoding Workflow and Creating, Previewing, and Modifying Settings.
The Batch Template Chooser contains options for the standard Apple batch templates (described in step 2). You can also add custom batch templates. For more information, see Creating a Custom Batch Template. Note: To see the Compressor interface configured similarly to what is shown above, choose a Standard layout from the Layouts submenu of the Window menu.
• Create DVD: Use this template to create a standard definition DVD using MPEG-2 (.m2v) video and Dolby Digital Professional (.ac3) audio and automatically burn it to a disc. • Publish to Apple TV: Use this template to create a video file suitable for viewing on Apple TV and add it to the iTunes library. • Publish to YouTube: Use this template to create a video file suitable for viewing on YouTube and upload it to a YouTube account.
Note: You can drag in only one source file because batch templates contain only one job. If you drag multiple files to the job, only the last file is added to this job and all other files are ignored. Stage 3: Submitting the Batch Once the job includes a source media file, a setting, a destination, and an output filename, it is ready for processing. µ To submit the batch for processing Click the Submit button to submit the batch containing your job.
Note: Blu-ray output options are available only on computers that have Final Cut Studio installed. • Create DVD: Create DVD. • Publish to Apple TV: Add to iTunes Library. • Publish to YouTube: Publish to YouTube. • Publish to MobileMe: Publish to MobileMe. • Create Web Reference Movie: Create Web Reference Movie. Stage 5: Saving Custom Batch Templates—Optional For information about the optional step of creating custom templates, see Creating a Custom Batch Template.
Compressor opens with the batch template chooser and an empty untitled batch with a placeholder job. 2 Since this workflow is focused on the manual method rather than the batch template method, click Cancel in the Batch Template Chooser to close it. To prevent the Batch Template Chooser from opening in the future, select “Don’t show this dialog again,” or, in Compressor Preferences, choose Show Blank Template.
3 Drag source files from the Finder or the desktop to the Batch window. Note: If you drag multiple files to the thumbnail area (with the arrow in this example), only the last file is added to this job and all other files are ignored. The thumbnail area of the job New jobs are created for each source file you dragged to the batch. Each source file creates a job in the batch. Target area (empty in this case) of a job See About the Batch Window for more information about the controls in the Batch window.
To assign a setting and a destination to a job 1 Choose a setting for your source media file jobs in any of the following ways. • To assign different settings to different jobs: Drag settings from the Settings tab to individual jobs in the Batch window. • To assign a single setting to multiple selected jobs: Select the jobs (source media files) in the Batch window and choose Target > New Target With Setting. This opens a settings selection dialog over the Batch window.
Select the jobs in the Batch window. Click Add to assign the settings to the selected jobs. Select the settings to apply to the selected jobs. Choose one or more settings, using the disclosure triangles to reveal individual settings, and click Add. The chosen settings are assigned to all the selected jobs. The chosen settings are assigned as targets to the selected jobs. You can also choose Edit > Select All to select all the jobs before applying the settings.
2 Choose a destination for your job’s targets in one of the following ways. • Do nothing: Accept the default destination Source (the same folder as the source media files originated from) specified in the Destination column. • Use the target’s shortcut menu to change one setting at a time: Control-click the target you want to change and then choose any of the preexisting destinations available to you from the Destination submenu.
A dialog appears where you can name this submission, choose whether to use distributed processing, and set the priority of this submission. In most cases you can leave the settings as they are and just click Submit. For more details about this Submit dialog, see Submitting a Batch. After you submit a batch, you can open Batch Monitor so you can monitor the transcoding progress of your batch. You can also set Batch Monitor to automatically open in the Compressor Preferences window.
You can also monitor the encoding progress in the History window. See Finalizing Jobs and Submitting Batches for more information on jobs and batches. Optional Tasks You Can Perform Before Submitting a Batch The three stages described in the previous section show you the fastest way to transcode media files. Although you can modify your preexisting settings using this method, you can’t preview your files or fine-tune any settings.
• Creating MPEG-4 Output Files • Creating QuickTime Movie Output Files • Creating QuickTime Export Component Files 24 Chapter 1 Getting Started Quickly
Ways to Use Compressor 2 Compressor is a powerful and flexible tool that can be used in many different ways to achieve the results you want. This chapter covers the following: • Typical Compressor Scenarios (p. 26) • Compressor Features (p.
Typical Compressor Scenarios The following are typical Compressor scenarios. • Converting source media to one or more different output formats: You can use Compressor to convert one or more media files to one or more different media file output formats. See Quick and Easy Compressor Workflow: Manual Method for more information. Source media or Final Cut Pro project H.264 MP3 AC-3 AC-3 AIFF H.264 MPEG-1 MPEG-2 AIFF MP3 QuickTime H.
• Creating DVD compliant files for use with DVD Studio Pro: Before you can convert your existing media files into DVD Studio Pro projects, you must convert the video into MPEG-1 (SD projects only), MPEG-2 (SD and HD projects), or H.264 (HD projects only) files. Before importing one or more media files into DVD Studio Pro, Compressor transcodes the files into the correct format. Compressor can encode audio in the Dolby Digital Professional format (also known as AC-3).
• Filters: The selection of available Compressor filters gives you dynamic artistic control while you convert your source media to other formats and allows you to create a final product to your precise specifications. A selection of the available filters includes fade in/fade out, timecode overlays, gamma correction, noise removal, letterbox, watermark, color adjustment, and others. Additionally, there are audio filters for controlling dynamic range, peak levels, equalization, and fade in/fade out.
The Basic Transcoding Workflow 3 Compressor makes it easy to transcode media into multiple formats. In addition, Compressor is integrated into other applications, such as Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Soundtrack Pro. And Compressor generates high-quality assets for use in DVD Studio Pro, providing seamless transcoding between media formats directly within one application. For simple or repetitive workflows, you can also use the Share feature in Final Cut Pro and Motion.
The following diagram illustrates how the standard Compressor transcoding process works. The largest transcoding component is a batch. The batch represents all the components needed to transcode your current media. It must contain one or more jobs. A job consists of at least one source media file with one or more targets, each with a setting and a destination associated with it. After the transcoding process, the resulting file is known as the output media file.
• Stills: Used as part of a sequence of still images for certain video productions • QuickTime: QuickTime is cross-platform multimedia technology which allows Mac OS and Windows applications to capture and play back video, audio, and still-image files. QuickTime files can contain many different kinds of media and codecs. Codecs give instructions to QuickTime on how to play back the media. A typical Compressor transcoding process consists of the following components.
• Destination: A destination also needs to be assigned to the source media file. This is the location where your transcoded media file is stored. You can either use the default destination called Source (the same folder the source media file is in), or you can designate any location to which you have full access. You can also change the default destination in Compressor preferences. The destination also controls how the transcoded media file is named.
You can also streamline your workflow by putting your settings into groups. See Creating Groups of Settings for more information. After you have created a setting, you can further customize it with additional adjustments such as filters (to adjust image quality or add effects such as letterboxing), pixel size (geometry values), and post-transcoding actions. These additional adjustments are all managed in the Inspector window.
Choosing an Output Format Selecting the relevant playback platform (Apple Devices, DVD, web, CD, and kiosk) is the first choice you need to make before you compress a source media file into a different output format. Once you have decided on the platform, you can choose the appropriate output format for that platform. Choosing an output format is the first decision you need to make once you’ve decided to transcode a source media file.
• MPEG-4, Part-2: Intended for a variety of uses including the web or wireless devices. For more details on the MPEG-4 format, see Creating MPEG-4 Output Files. • QuickTime Export Components: Leveraging the component plug-in architecture of QuickTime, Compressor can output a variety of additional codec options and third-party formats such as Windows Media, RealPlayer, 3G, and AVI.
• If you create your own setting: You must choose an output file format from the file format menu that opens when you click the “Create a New Setting” button (+) in the Settings tab.
Note: If you are transcoding a large batch, you should turn off the screen saver application on your computer. This will improve the speed of your transcode because resources are not being diverted to the screen saver. See Submitting a Batch for more information. Viewing Transcoding Status You use Batch Monitor and the History window to see the current status of a submitted batch and all the jobs contained within it.
Using Default Settings and Destinations If you find that you are applying the same settings and destinations to each source media file, you can configure Compressor preferences to automatically apply those settings and destinations. See Setting Compressor Preferences for more information. Working with Droplets Droplets provide a fast and convenient way to transcode material without even opening Compressor. You create a Droplet by saving a setting or a group of settings and destinations as an active icon.
The Compressor Interface 4 The Compressor interface consists of a number of core windows in which you do most of your transcoding preparation work. This chapter covers the following: • Compressor Windows and the Transcoding Workflow (p. 40) • Creating and Managing Compressor Layouts (p. 41) • Working with the Compressor Windows (p. 44) • Batch Window (p. 47) • Settings Tab (p. 50) • Destinations Tab (p. 51) • Inspector Window (p. 51) • History Window (p. 61) • Preview Window (p. 61) • Batch Monitor (p.
Compressor Windows and the Transcoding Workflow Each Compressor window represents a part of the transcoding workflow. Batch window Preview window History window Settings and Destinations tabs Inspector window • Batch window: Allows you to import source media files, add settings and destinations, and name the batch. • Settings and Destinations tabs: The Settings tab allows you to centrally manage Apple and custom settings.
• Batch Monitor (not pictured): Allows you to view the status of all batches being processed. (See the Batch Monitor User Manual for more information.) Creating and Managing Compressor Layouts As you use Compressor you will find that, depending on the particular encoding task you are configuring, how the various Compressor windows are laid out can affect how easy Compressor is to use. To help with this, Compressor includes the ability to configure and save layouts.
Batch Layout The batch layout places the emphasis on the Batch window. This layout is optimized for those times when you are transcoding a number of similar source media files. Choosing, Saving, and Managing Layouts Compressor makes it easy to choose a layout. µ To choose a layout Choose Window > Layouts, and choose a layout from the list that appears. Once you choose a layout, the Compressor interface changes to match it. You can also create and save your own custom layouts.
The layout manager dialog appears. 2 Do any of the following. • To rename a layout: Double-click it and type the new name. • To remove a layout: Select it and click the Delete (–) button. • To save the current interface configuration as a new layout: Click the Add (+) button and enter a name for the layout. • To choose a layout and apply it to the current Compressor interface: Choose the layout and click the Apply button. 3 Click Done when you have finished managing your layouts.
Working with the Compressor Windows While the standard and batch workflow layouts present the Compressor interface as a single large element, it is actually composed of a number of individual windows that can be positioned and sized to best suit your needs.
About the Tabs The Batch window and the Settings and Destinations tab window can have multiple tabs. • The Batch window: When you are working with a large monitor and have several batches open, you might want to be able to see each of them in its own window. • The Settings and Destinations tabs: By default, the Settings tab and the Destinations tab are located in the same window. You can choose to have each in its own window or to close one of the tabs.
2 Release the tab to have it appear in its own window. µ To move a tab to its own window using a shortcut menu Control-click the tab and choose Tear Off Tab from the shortcut menu. The tab opens in its own window. To add a tab from one window to another window by dragging 1 Drag the tab to the tab area of the window you want to add it to. A highlight appears around the tab area. 2 Release the tab.
It snaps to the tab area and its original window closes. µ To add a tab from one window to another window by using a shortcut menu Control-click the tab area where you want the window to appear, and choose the tab from the list that appears in the shortcut menu. Note: This is the only method that allows you to add the History, Preview, or Inspector tabs to the window. µ To change the order of the tabs in their current window Drag the tab left or right to its new position.
In addition to the Compressor toolbar and the Submit button, the Batch window contains the tabs for the open batches and an area for showing and configuring a batch’s jobs. For information about adding source media files to a batch, see Adding Source Media Files to a Batch to Create Jobs. For information on working with jobs and targets, see Finalizing Jobs and Submitting Batches. Customizing the Toolbar The Batch window contains a toolbar that you can customize to better fit your needs.
• To configure how items show in the toolbar: Choose a setting from the Show pop-up menu. You can choose to show the icon and text, the icon only, or the text only. 3 Click Done when you have finished. Note: The toolbar configuration is saved as part of a layout. See Creating and Managing Compressor Layouts for more information about layouts. It is possible to add more items to the toolbar than there is room for.
• Preview: Opens the Preview window. • Batch Monitor: Opens the Batch Monitor application. • Separator: Adds a vertical line to the toolbar, allowing you to group items together. • Space: Adds a fixed-width space to the toolbar. • Flexible Space: Adds a flexible-width space to the toolbar. The space makes it possible to force items to the left and right edges of the toolbar, with it expanding to fill any unused area. • Customize: Opens the toolbar customization palette.
Destinations Tab The Destinations tab allows you to create, modify, or remove destination settings, set a default destination, and add file identifiers to your output media filename. To open the Destinations tab Do one of the following: µ µ µ Choose Window > Destinations (or press Command-4). Click the Destinations icon in the Batch window toolbar (if present). Click the Destinations tab (if present).
About the Automatic Settings Several items in the settings panes have an optional automatic mode. When the automatic mode is enabled, Compressor determines the optimal value for the setting. The Automatic button is dark when active, and its item is dimmed. The Automatic button is dimmed when inactive, and its item is selectable. In general, when the automatic mode is active, its item is dimmed and cannot be changed. • If the setting has not been assigned to a source media file: The item says “Automatic.
Media Source Files and the Inspector Window When you select a job in the Batch window, the Inspector window shows you information about the job’s source media file and allows you to add annotations, closed caption files, and job actions. The Inspector window contains three tabs: A/V Attributes, Additional Information, and Job Action. A/V Attributes Tab The A/V Attributes tab contains general information about the source media file and is divided into three sections.
See Using the Inspector with Source Media Files for more information on managing the closed caption files and annotations. • “Closed Caption file” field: Displays the name of the closed caption file currently associated with the source media file. • Choose (closed caption) button: Use this button to open a dialog and navigate to the the closed caption file you want to associate with the source media file.
Job Action Tab The Job Action tab allows you to apply and/or adjust post-transcoding actions to entire jobs. See Adding Actions for more information. • “When job completes” pop-up menu: Use this pop-up menu to select and apply a post-transcoding action for a job selected in the Batch window. For more information, see Adding Actions. Note: Blu-ray output options are available only on computers that have Final Cut Studio installed. • Do nothing: Choose this option to disable the Job Action tab.
• Open with Application: Compressor will open the output media file with a specific application. • Publish to MobileMe: Compressor will create video files suitable for viewing on MobileMe and upload them to a MobileMe account. • Run Automator Workflow: This option opens a dialog for you to locate and select an Automator script which Compressor will execute automatically on completion of the transcoding job.
• Estimated file size: When assigned to a source media file, this shows the estimated total file size. When not assigned to a source media file, this shows an estimated size per hour of source media. Note: The estimated total file size is not available for all output formats. • Audio Encoder: Details of the audio output file format and other transcoding settings, such as sample rate, channels, bits per sample, and codec type.
• mpg: Represents MPEG-1 multiplexed (video and audio) stream. • m1v: Represents MPEG-1 video elementary stream. • m1a: Represents MPEG-1 audio elementary stream. • m2v: Represents MPEG-2 video elementary stream. • m2t: Represents MPEG-2 transport stream. • mpeg: Represents MPEG-2 program stream. • m4v: Represents H.264 for Apple Devices. • mp4: Represents MPEG-4. • mov: Represents QuickTime and H.264 for DVD Studio Pro. • tga: Represents TARGA. • tiff: Represents TIFF.
Filters Pane You use the Filters pane to add filters to your setting. You can perform tasks such as gamma correction and noise removal from here. Select the checkbox next to any of the filters you want to include in a particular setting. Use each filter’s sliders or arrow controls to adjust your filter settings as necessary. Filters are applied to the source media file in the order you organize them in the Filters list. You can reorder filters by dragging them up or down in this list.
The Geometry pane has three sections: • Source inset (Cropping): Use any of the four fields to enter the number of pixels by which you want to reduce the source media file size, or click the “Automatically detect crop settings for letter-box” checkbox to have Compressor enter crop values based on the source media file video content. • Dimensions (encoded pixels): Use the Frame Size pop-up menu or these fields to create an appropriate output frame size and aspect ratio for your output media file.
History Window The History window gives you quick access to and some information about previously submitted batches. You can use this window to pause a transcoding operation, resubmit batches by dragging them to the Batch window, or view submission details about particular batches. You can also use it to locate the output media files from previously submitted batches. The History window also contains a progress bar that you can use to monitor the status of previously submitted batches.
µ Click the Preview button in the Batch window toolbar. Marker pop-up menu button The Preview window has additional features, including a marker management pop-up menu. The marker management pop-up menu allows you to import chapter lists or manually add chapter (and podcast) markers and compression markers (to improve the compression quality of your media file). You can also view Edit/Cut compression markers that were generated in other applications such as Final Cut Pro.
Batch Monitor You use Batch Monitor to monitor the progress of all transcoding batch activity, including estimates for the transcoding time remaining for all jobs. Batch Monitor is a separate application that can be opened without opening Compressor. For more details on Batch Monitor, see the Batch Monitor User Manual. To open Batch Monitor Do one of the following: µ µ Click the Batch Monitor button in the Batch window toolbar. Double-click the Batch Monitor icon in the Utilities folder.
Droplet Windows You can save one or more settings or groups of settings into a Droplet, a standalone preset, packaged into a drag-and-drop application and saved as an icon. Then you can transcode source media files (without even opening Compressor) by simply dragging them to a Droplet icon. See Using Droplets for information on creating and using Droplets. Drag selected source media files to a Droplet to transcode them. You can open any Droplet and view its window for full details about the Droplet.
Using Value Sliders There are two methods used to enter general numeric values: traditional sliders with separate numeric entry fields and value sliders that combine the slider with the numeric entry field. Value slider with combined slider and numeric entry field Separate slider and numeric entry field Value sliders allow you to enter a specific number in the value field or to drag in the value field to set a value.
Using Timecode Value Sliders Compressor uses timecode value sliders for all timecode entry fields. In addition to being able to enter timecode values directly, you can “scrub” the timecode value by dragging. If you place the pointer over a segment of the timecode, small arrows appear above and below that segment. You can drag up or to the right to increase the value in that segment (values in segments to the left will also increment if your dragging causes the selected segment to roll over).
Setting Compressor Preferences 5 You can use Compressor preferences to configure many aspects of Compressor. This chapter covers the following: • About Compressor Preferences (p. 67) • Using Compressor Preferences (p. 70) About Compressor Preferences Use the Compressor Preferences window to configure a variety of Compressor controls. The Compressor Preferences window contains the following controls.
• Outgoing Mail Server field: For more information about email notification, see Working with Post-Transcoding Actions. • “Auto launch Batch Monitor” checkbox: Use this checkbox to control whether Batch Monitor automatically opens when you submit a batch. • “Auto launch Content Agent” checkbox: Use this checkbox to control whether the Content Agent opens automatically when the computer is started.
• Show Blank Template: Compressor opens with an empty untitled batch with a placeholder job. • “Enter IP addresses or ranges for manually selected computers” table: This table displays information about remote host computers. • Add/Remove button: Use this button to add or remove information about remote host computers. Remote Computer Address Dialog The remote computer address dialog is displayed when you click the Add/Remove button in the main Compressor Preferences dialog.
Using Compressor Preferences Follow the instructions below to set Compressor preferences. µ To open Compressor preferences Choose Compressor > Preferences, or press Command-Comma (,). The Preferences window appears. To configure the email notification preference 1 Enter the default email address to use when email notification is activated. You can change this address in the Actions pane of the Inspector window. 2 Enter the mail server used by this computer for outgoing email.
To control whether Content Agent automatically opens Do one of the following: µ Select the “Auto launch Content Agent” checkbox to have Content Agent open automatically when the computer is started. µ Deselect the “Auto launch Content Agent” checkbox to have Content Agent not open until Compressor is opened. Content Agent is a background process that Compressor uses to transfer source files to other nodes in an Apple Qmaster cluster and to receive the transcoded files back from those nodes.
To control whether Compressor transfers Source files to the processing cluster immediately Do one of the following: µ Select “Copy at submission (high priority)” to have Compressor transfer source files immediately. µ Deselect “Copy at submission (high priority)” to prevent Compressor from transferring source files immediately. µ To control the default setting Use the Default Setting pop-up menu to choose from the list of existing settings.
Important: Any changes you make to the Compressor preference settings take effect only when you click OK. If you make changes but decide not to use them, click Cancel.
6 Importing Source Media Files The first step in the traditional Compressor transcoding process is to import at least one source media file into the Batch window. Note: If you are using the batch template workflow, the first step would be to choose a batch template. For more information about the simple batch template workflow, see Quick and Easy Compressor Workflow: Batch Template Method. This chapter covers the following: • About the Batch Window (p.
General Batch Window Information Batches are the heart of your Compressor workflow, and the Batch window is where you work with the batches. The Batch window supports having multiple batches open at once, showing them as separate tabs. µ To create a new batch Choose File > New Batch (or press Command-N). A new untitled batch is added to the Batch window. The new batch’s tab Each tab is for a different batch. See Saving and Opening a Batch File for more information about batch files.
Adding Source Media Files to a Batch to Create Jobs You need to import the source media files into the batch in the Batch window before you can add any transcoding settings to them. Once they are imported into the batch, the source media files create a job, which is the first step to getting the files transcoded. There are special methods to use when importing surround sound source media files.
• Open your source media file folder and drag one or more source media files into the batch. Note: You can combine the above steps by selecting all the source media files you want to transcode before opening Compressor and then dragging them to the Compressor application icon. This opens Compressor and adds the media files to the default untitled batch at the same time. 3 Save the batch by choosing File > Save As (or pressing Command-Shift-S).
The batch now contains your selected media files, each in its own job. Source media files with video content also include a thumbnail image and a scroller that you can use to scroll through the video. The targets for this job will appear in this area. Each source media file creates a job. Drag the slider to scroll through video files. Click anywhere in the job to see this file’s attributes in the Inspector window. You can change the source media file assigned to a job.
These jobs are now ready to have a target added to them. Targets include the settings and destinations required to make this a job that you can submit for transcoding. See Finalizing Jobs and Submitting Batches for information on adding targets to jobs. Also see Creating, Previewing, and Modifying Settings for information on how to create your own settings.
This procedure works only when you drag and drop files into the Batch window. If you drag the files onto the Compressor application icon, they will appear as separate source files, each in its own job. Note: If you are creating Dolby Digital Professional (AC-3) surround sound streams, you will not use all the channels listed in the table at once. See Audio Tab Settings for a diagram of the Dolby audio coding modes. 2 Drag the renamed source audio files to the Batch window.
The file is now assigned to the “L” (Left Front) Channel. 3 Repeat step 2 for each of the source audio files that you intend to include in the surround stream. Note: If you are creating Dolby Digital Professional (AC-3) surround sound streams, you will not use all the channels listed in the table at once. See Audio Tab Settings for a diagram of the Dolby audio coding modes. 4 When you have finished adding source audio files to the channel assignment interface, click OK.
About Surround Sound Jobs Once you have created a surround sound job, the batch window shows the surround sound icon in the source media file thumbnail and the Inspector window shows the channels and their assigned files. Click a channel’s icon to change the file assigned to that channel. You can change any of the file assignments in the Inspector window. To change a surround sound file assignment 1 Click the speaker icon of the channel you want to change. A file selection dialog opens.
Adding Image Sequences to Batches You can import a sequence of still images into Compressor as a single image sequence job and then apply an output frame rate and an audio file to the job. From that point, you treat the job as you do any other Compressor source media file, adding settings, destinations, filters, and post-transcoding actions to create an output media file with the desired video and audio formats and characteristics. To add a still image sequence job to a batch 1 Open Compressor.
The new job appears in the Batch window. 5 Select the job in the Batch window. The Inspector window displays the A/V Attributes tab containing information and controls for the new image sequence job. 6 Do any of the following: • Confirm the selected image sequence files. (Click the Info (i) button for the complete list of files.) • Confirm the video format information in the Video section. • Use the Native Field Dominance pop-up menu to adjust the field dominance for the source files.
Note: You can also use Compressor to output an image sequence. For more information, see Creating Image Sequence Output Files. Using the Inspector with Source Media Files When you select a batch’s job, the Inspector window shows you information about the job’s source media file. The Inspector window contains three tabs: A/V Attributes, Additional Information, and Job Action.
Additional Information Tab The Additional Information tab allows you to see and modify a variety of metadata items that might have been added in other applications such as Final Cut Pro or QuickTime. It also includes the ability to associate a closed caption file with the file. To associate a closed caption file with a job’s source media file 1 Click the job to show the source media file’s attributes in the Inspector window. 2 Click the Additional Information tab.
Important: The timecode values in the closed caption file must directly relate to the timecode of the source media file. You can open a closed caption file in TextEdit to see the timecode values it contains (the actual text is encoded and cannot be read this way). To add an annotation 1 Click the job to show the source media file’s attributes in the Inspector window. 2 Click the Additional Information tab. 3 Use the Add Annotation pop-up menu to choose the type of annotation.
Job Action Tab The Job Action tab allows you to apply and/or adjust post-transcoding actions to entire jobs. For complete details on using the Job Action tab, see Adding Job Actions and Job Action Tab. Tips on Importing Source Media Files Here are some additional tips on importing source media files.
Importing MPEG-2 Files When you import an MPEG-2 file, Compressor must parse the file before you can play it in the Preview window. Parsing the file involves determining its frame structure and other necessary information about the file. Since the frame structure can change throughout the file, Compressor must scan through the entire file, which can take several minutes for longer files.
For these reasons, it is a good idea to verify the values in the Inspectors for those settings that are set to automatic. See About the Automatic Settings for more information.
Creating, Previewing, and Modifying Settings 7 A setting is a combination of transcode attributes, such as output format, filter, and geometry settings, that you apply to the source media file as a part of the transcoding process. You need to assign at least one setting to a source media file before you can transcode it. Once you have a source media file in the current batch in the Batch window, you can either select a preexisting setting or create a customized one using the Settings tab.
You use the Settings tab (together with the Inspector window) to create, modify, or delete settings, as well as create group folders for multiple settings. You can also create Droplets from the Settings tab. The Settings tab contains a list of the existing settings and the necessary buttons to add, remove, or duplicate a setting and create groups and Droplets.
• Duplicate Selected Setting: Click to duplicate a selected setting in the Settings tab. The Duplicate button copies the exact settings of the setting currently selected in the Settings tab. Using the Duplicate button allows you to create a new setting from a preexisting one; you can then adjust that setting according to your needs, rather than creating a new setting from scratch. • Create a New Setting (+): Click to add a new setting to the Settings tab.
New settings appear in the Custom group folder with the default name “Untitled [File Format]” with “[File Format]” being the file format you chose from the (+) pop-up menu. It’s a good idea to change the setting name to something meaningful, such as details of the settings or distribution method associated with the setting. Click the setting in the Settings tab to open it in the Inspector window. Enter the selected setting’s name and description in the Inspector window.
Selecting a Target Whenever you select a batch’s target, its setting immediately appears in the Inspector window with Selected Target in the Name field. This is a temporary copy of the setting and not the setting itself, so you can make temporary modifications to the setting for just that one batch submission. Select a target in the Batch window to see its settings in the Inspector window. The setting’s name shows as “Selected Target”.
• Encoder pane: Allows you to select an output file format and other related video and audio settings. See the following specific sections for more information about the different encoder panes. • About the AIFF Encoder Pane • About the Dolby Digital Professional Encoder Pane • About the DV Stream Encoder Pane • About the H.264 for Apple Devices Encoder Pane • About the H.
2 Click the Duplicate Selected Setting button. Click the Duplicate Selected Setting button to duplicate the selected setting. Select the setting to be duplicated. A new setting appears in the Custom folder with the word Untitled appended before the original name. 3 Select the new setting in the Custom folder.
6 Click OK to save the changes, or click Revert to cancel the changes and return to the Inspector. See Assigning Settings to Source Media Files for information about assigning settings. Creating a Setting from Scratch If the preexisting settings are not sufficient for your transcoding needs or if you simply want additional settings, you can create your own. Note: The recommended procedure for creating custom settings is to duplicate a stock Apple setting and then adjust the copy to suit your needs.
A new setting called Untitled appears in the Custom folder of the Settings tab, appended with the selected output file format (for example, Untitled MPEG-2). The new Untitled setting The Inspector window also changes to show this setting’s parameters. Note: You can always change the output file format for that setting in the Encoder pane of the Inspector, but be sure to change the setting name to reflect its output file format.
Note: You cannot preview a setting on its own—it must be assigned to a job with a source media file first. In addition, Encoder and Frame Controls pane settings cannot be previewed. If you want to see the effects of settings you make in these two panes, you can use the Preview window to select a small portion of the source media file to transcode and then view the output file to see the results. See Submitting a Batch for more information.
4 Make any necessary adjustments to your setting while previewing the media file in the Preview window. Select the item you want to change. This half of the Preview window shows the effects of the Inspector window changes. Make adjustments while previewing the media file in the Preview window. Note: To preview the effect of the filters on your media file, you need to make sure that the checkbox for that particular filter is selected in the Filters list.
Creating Groups of Settings Creating a group of settings allows you to quickly assign multiple settings to a source media file. To create a group of settings 1 Click the Group button in the Settings tab. A folder called Untitled appears in the Settings tab with 0 Settings in the Description column. You cannot modify this field. It displays the number of settings the group contains. Click the Group button. Enter a name for the new group. A new untitled group with 0 settings is created.
Note: You can also create hierarchies of groups (groups within groups). Just drag a group folder into another group folder. This custom group contains three other custom groups, each with its own settings. The Description field displays the number of settings your group contains. Once you have at least one setting inside the group folder, you can click the disclosure triangle next to the group folder to show or hide the setting group details.
µ To copy a setting directly from Compressor Drag one or more settings from the Settings tab to the Finder (to the Desktop, for example). Conversely, you can add a setting to Compressor by simply dragging from the Finder. To apply or add a setting to Compressor from the Finder Do one of the following: µ Drag one or more settings from the Finder to the Custom group in the Settings tab. The settings appear in the Custom group in the Settings tab.
4 Select the third of the new groups and name it Final Discs. 5 In the Settings tab, drag the Dailies and Final Discs groups up until a black box surrounds the group named after the project, and then release them. Note: You can select multiple groups or settings by holding down Shift while selecting them. This places both these groups within the project’s group. 6 Locate settings in the Apple settings that come closest to matching what you need each setting to do in these new groups.
Finalizing Jobs and Submitting Batches 8 A job consists of a source media file with at least one target, composed of a setting and a destination, assigned to it. You created the jobs by importing the source media files. Adding targets makes them ready to be submitted for transcoding. For a job to be complete, and thus ready to be submitted for transcoding, you need to add one or more targets to it.
Assigning Settings to Source Media Files You can use a variety of methods to assign settings to a job. Some methods, such as dragging the setting from the Settings tab, are better suited to working with one job. Other methods, such as using the shortcut menu, are better for assigning the same settings to a group of jobs. You can even assign settings by dragging (settings or droplets) from the Finder.
A new target is created for each setting that you added to the batch’s job. New targets are added for each setting you drag to the job. Note: You can only apply the settings to a single job when you assign them by dragging. To assign a setting to a job using the Target menu 1 Select one or more jobs in the Batch window’s current batch. 2 Choose Target > Add Target With Setting. The settings selection dialog appears over the batch window.
2 Control-click one of the selected jobs and choose New Target With Setting from the shortcut menu. The shortcut menu lists the settings based on their groups. You cannot directly choose a group to be assigned, but each group contains an “All” item that selects all the group’s settings. Note: You cannot select multiple individual settings with this method. 3 Choose a setting or All to choose all settings in a group. The settings are applied to all selected jobs.
To replace a setting already assigned to a target with a different setting Do one of the following: µ Choose Target > Change Setting. This opens the setting selection dialog where you can choose a new setting and click Add to assign it to the selected target. µ Control-click the target and choose Change Setting from the shortcut menu. This opens the setting selection dialog where you can choose a new setting and click Add to assign it to the selected target.
2 Make the changes to the setting. When you modify the setting, the Save As button at the bottom of the Inspector window becomes active. 3 Click Save As to save the modified setting with a new name. The saved copy appears in the Settings tab as Setting Name-Copy and immediately becomes the selected setting in the Settings tab. Note: You do not have to save the modified setting, but it is a good idea to save it in case you need to use it again later.
2 Drag the destination to the target in the Batch window. Drag the destination to a job with a target in the Batch window. Select a destination to apply to the target. The destination part of the target updates to the new destination. Note: You can only apply the settings to a single job when you assign them by dragging. Additionally, you cannot create a temporary destination using this method.
• Control-click one of the targets and choose Destination > [Destination] from the shortcut menu. Destination submenu Once you have assigned the destinations, they appear in the target’s destination section. Note: You can also assign a temporary destination by choosing Other. This opens the File Selection dialog and allows you to create a new destination for just that batch submission. This destination is not saved and applies only to the submitted batch.
About Targets Targets contain three items: • The setting • The destination • The output filename Drag the dividers to expand a target’s section and make it easier to see the entry. The target Add and Delete buttons The output filename The setting The destination You can use a variety of methods to add targets to a job. The most common is to add a setting or destination to the job. You can also use any of the following methods.
About Adding and Copying Jobs Jobs are most often created by adding source media files to a batch. You can use several other methods to add jobs to a batch. Additionally, you can chain jobs in a batch to set the order in which the files are transcoded once they are submitted. µ To add an empty job to a batch Choose Jobs > New Job. µ To delete a job from a batch Select the job and press the Delete key.
New jobs are added to the batch with the chain thumbnail and the name of the output file of the targets they are chained to. You can chain multiple jobs if needed. See Other Reverse Telecine Issues for an example of chaining two jobs together. General Batch Information This section provides general information about submitting, saving, and opening batches. Submitting a Batch Once you have configured the jobs and their targets within a batch, you are ready to submit the batch for processing.
5 Select the “Include unmanaged services on other computers” checkbox to create an ad hoc cluster including This Computer and any available service nodes. This is part of the AutoCluster feature. See About AutoCluster and Unmanaged Services for more information. 6 Use the Priority pop-up menu to choose priority level for the batch. 7 Click Submit or press Enter to submit the batch for processing. The History window shows the batch progress. See About the History Window for more information.
In the above case, since the batch has been submitted, this warning is to let you know that a file with that name now exists at that destination, and that if you submit again, that file will be overwritten. You can bypass the submit dialog when submitting a batch. The submitted batch automatically uses the settings from the previously submitted batch. To submit a batch using previous settings Do one of the following: µ µ Choose File > Submit with Previous Settings.
The History window organizes its contents by the submission date. You can change the order in which the contents are sorted by clicking the Reverse Sort Order button along the bottom of the History window. You can also clear the contents of the History window by clicking the Clear button or remove selected items by selecting them and pressing the Delete key. The History window can also show you the progress of a batch currently being transcoded.
To resubmit a batch submission from the History window 1 Use the disclosure triangles to locate the batch submission to resubmit. Note: This is where giving the submission a recognizable name can help. 2 Drag the submission from the History window to the Batch window. When you drag a batch from the History window to the Batch window, Compressor creates a new untitled tab in the Batch window for that batch.
Creating a Custom Batch Template You can save any batch as a custom batch template. Custom batch templates appear as options in the Batch Template Chooser, alongside the default Apple batch templates. Custom batch templates can save you time, particularly with workflows that you repeat often.
A unique identifier is applied to the output filename, so that you can easily identify each clip after it is transcoded. Unique file identifiers are automatically applied to each job. 4 Do one of the following to open the Preview window: • Click the Preview button in the Batch window. • Click one of the targets. The Preview window opens. 5 Use the Batch Item selection buttons or pop-up menu to navigate to each media file you want to transcode.
Using Final Cut Pro with Compressor This section explains how to submit Final Cut Pro projects directly to Compressor. Submitting a Final Cut Pro Project for Transcoding You can use Compressor to improve the transcoding process for your Final Cut Pro projects. For example, you can transcode your Final Cut Pro project without rendering it.
See the following sections for more information: • Assigning Settings to Source Media Files • Assigning Destinations to Source Media Files 6 Click the Submit button in the Batch window. Compressor begins transcoding the Final Cut Pro project and then closes. Note: Final Cut Pro needs to remain open throughout this process, because much of the transcoding preparation of the frames occurs within Final Cut Pro rather than within Compressor.
Note: You can also use distributed processing with the Share feature in Final Cut Pro and Motion. For more information, see the Final Cut Pro User Manual or the Motion User Manual. To export a Final Cut Pro sequence directly to Compressor for distributed processing 1 Make sure Final Cut Pro is installed on each computer in the cluster that you intend to use for distributed processing. Each installation of Final Cut Pro requires a product serial number.
Compressor opens with the selected media file (the Final Cut Pro sequence) in the Batch window. 8 In Compressor, double-click the selected file and play it in the Preview window to verify the integrity of the clip. 9 In the Batch window, assign settings and destinations to the selected file as necessary. 10 Click the Submit button. The submit dialog appears. 11 Do one of the following: • Choose the intended cluster from the Cluster pop-up menu.
To export a Final Cut Pro sequence as a QuickTime reference movie and submit it to Compressor for distributed processing using preparatory steps to maximize performance 1 Make sure all the source media files and render files for your Final Cut Pro project are on a hard disk that can be shared (mounted) by all the computers in the cluster that will process the job. The following instructions use an example of a shared hard disk named Media1.
13 Click Submit. Using Distributed Processing with Compressor You can increase speed and productivity by distributing processing across multiple computers. The Apple Qmaster features of Compressor subdivide the work for speed, route the work to the computers with the most available computing power, and direct the processing across designated computers.
However, you may have a source media file with an uneven distribution of complex scenes. For example, suppose you have a 2-hour sports program in which the first hour is the pregame show with relatively static talking heads, and the second hour is high-action sports footage.
Creating AIFF Files 9 You can use Compressor to output audio in the AIFF format. This chapter covers the following: • Creating AIFF Output Files (p. 133) • About the AIFF Encoder Pane (p. 134) • About the Sound Settings Dialog (p. 134) • QuickTime Audio Sample Sizes and Rates (p. 135) • Choosing an Audio Codec for Distribution (p. 136) • Configuring AIFF Settings (p. 136) Creating AIFF Output Files The AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) file format was developed by Apple for storing high-quality audio.
About the AIFF Encoder Pane The following options appear when you choose the AIFF output format from the File Format pop-up menu in the Encoder pane of the Inspector window. Choose AIFF. File Extension field Click to open the Sound Settings dialog. QuickTime AIFF Summary table • File Extension: This field displays the AIFF file extension (.aiff ) automatically after the AIFF output format is selected from the File Format pop-up menu or the (+) pop-up menu in the Settings tab. Don’t alter this field.
If a particular audio setting cannot be changed, it remains dimmed. Some audio codecs allow you to configure additional settings, which appear in the lower half of the Sound Settings dialog. In some cases, an Options button becomes available. Click it to configure additional settings. Choose an audio codec. Choose the number of channels (the selection varies based on the codec). Choose a rate that provides the quality and file size required.
Choosing an Audio Codec for Distribution MPEG-4 Audio (AAC) is a good general-purpose audio delivery codec and is compatible with a wide variety of playback devices. For slower computers, less-compressed formats, such as IMA, or completely uncompressed formats, such as AIFF, may be better choices, because they are less processor intensive, thus allowing the computer to focus on the more challenging video stream.
Creating Dolby Digital Professional Output Files 10 Compressor provides the tools you need to encode, and batch-encode, Dolby Digital Professional (AC-3) audio files. Dolby Digital Professional format (also known as AC-3) is a very common compressed audio format for DVD-Video discs. Compressor accepts multichannel sound files in a variety of formats and gives you complete control over the AC-3 encoding process. Dolby Digital programs can deliver 5.
• Assigning Files to Surround Sound Channels (Automatic Methods) (p. 149) • Assigning Files to Surround Sound Channels with Droplets (p. 151) • Options for Spatial Mixing (p. 151) About the Dolby Digital Professional Encoder Pane This section contains detailed information about the various tabs within the Dolby Digital Professional (AC-3) Encoder pane of the Inspector window.
Audio Tab Settings All the most important Dolby Digital Professional settings are accessible in the Audio Tab. • Target System: Compressor limits available settings to those appropriate for the target system. If you’re encoding for use with DVD Studio Pro, choose DVD Video. Choose DVD Audio only if you are encoding for use in a DVD Audio authoring application. Choose Generic AC-3 to remove the setting limits. • Audio Coding Mode: Specifies the audio channels of the encoded stream.
For example, “3/2 (L, C, R, Ls, Rs)” means three front channels (left, center, right), and two rear channels (surround). “2/0 (L, R)” is essentially a standard stereo file. The audio coding mode affects settings such as the available bandwidth and surround channel preprocessing. If you click the Automatic button (next to the Audio Coding Mode pop-up menu), Compressor makes its best guess at the intended audio coding mode, based on available source audio files.
• Dialog Normalization: Specifies the average volume of the dialogue, using decibels of full scale (dBFS), in your sound files relative to full modulation. The playback device uses this information to maintain similar volume among different AC-3 streams. The goal is to make all AC-3 encoded audio files have the same listening level, regardless of the source file.
Bitstream Tab Settings These settings are stored in the finished stream for use by the playback device. Leave them at their default values unless you have a specific technical reason for changing them. • Center Downmix, Surround Downmix: If your encoded audio has these channels, but the player does not, the channels are mixed into the stereo output at the specified level. • Dolby Surround Mode: When encoding in 2/0 (stereo) mode, specifies whether the signal uses Dolby Surround (Pro Logic).
Preprocessing Tab Settings Preprocessing options are applied to the audio data before encoding. With the exception of the Compression Preset setting, leave these settings at their default values unless you have a specific technical reason for changing them. Compression Preset • Compression Preset: Specifies one of the dynamic range processing modes built in to the AC-3 format. The default of Film Standard Compression should only be used when you are encoding an original mix intended for cinema.
LFE Channel • Apply Low-Pass Filter: Select this checkbox to apply a 120 Hz low-pass filter to the Low Frequency Effects (LFE) channel. Turn off this filter if the digital signal fed to the LFE’s input does not contain information above 120 Hz. Full Bandwidth Channels • Apply Low-Pass Filter: Select this checkbox to turn on a low-pass filter with a cutoff near the available audio bandwidth that is applied to the main input channels.
• AC-3 streams must have a multiple of 1536 samples. If the selected input files do not, Compressor adds digital silence to the end of the files. Note: Compressor can support any kind of source files that contain surround sound and high resolution audio up to 64 bits per sample (floating point) and sample rates up to 192 kHz. About Previewing the Encoder Settings The settings made in the Dolby Digital Professional encoder pane cannot be previewed.
• In the Batch window, Control-click in an empty part of the job, choose New Target With Setting from the pop-up menu, choose a setting, and click Add. • Drag a setting from the Settings tab to the source audio file’s job in the Batch window. 4 Optionally, make any adjustments to the setting in the Encoding pane of the Inspector window (see About the Dolby Digital Professional Encoder Pane for more information). Note: Compressor will map channels intelligently.
The file is now assigned to the “L” (Left Front) Channel. 3 Repeat step 2 for each of the source audio files that you intend to include in the surround stream. Note: If you are creating Dolby Digital Professional (AC-3) surround sound streams, you will not use all the channels listed in the table at once. See Audio Tab Settings for a diagram of the Dolby audio coding modes. 4 When you have finished adding source audio files to the channel assignment interface, click OK.
The group of surround files appears as a single surround source media file job in the Batch window and the icons are also shown in the Inspector window. Note: You can click a channel icon in the Inspector window to change the file assigned to it. 5 Do one of the following to apply the appropriate Apple setting from the Dolby Digital Professional category to the source audio file: • Choose Target > New Target With Setting, choose a setting, and click Add.
To combine a video file with surround audio files to make a single source media file 1 Follow steps 1-5 above to manually assign source audio files to channels of a surround sound stream. 2 Click the Add Video button and use the resulting Open window to choose the video file. Note: This feature supports QuickTime source media files only. Image sequences are not supported. 3 Make any necessary adjustments in the Inspector window and click Submit.
If the following conditions are met, Compressor automatically collapses the entire group of files into what appears as a single surround source media file in the Batch window: • The files in the group must be named correctly. (See the channel identifier codes listed above.) • The total number of files in the group must be fewer than seven. The Inspector window shows the audio files assigned to each channel. Note: You can click a channel icon in the Inspector window to change the file assigned to it.
Assigning Files to Surround Sound Channels with Droplets You can further streamline the channel assignment process by encapsulating the “automatic” method described above in a Droplet. For more information about Droplets, see Using Droplets. Options for Spatial Mixing This section offers additional insights and suggestions for using the channels in a Dolby Digital Professional program. Using the Center Channel In a multichannel system, there are three ways to achieve a centrally placed sound image.
In most music productions (with such exceptions as the famous cannon shots in Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture”), the LFE channel is not necessary. The LFE signal is also discarded in the Dolby Digital Professional downmix process, so intense bass signals do not stress small stereo systems. Be sure not to include vital information in the LFE channel that would be missed in mono, stereo, or Pro Logic playback.
Creating DV Stream Output Files 11 Compressor provides the tools you need to create DV files. Due to its low cost and wide availability, the DV video format is extremely popular for standard definition (SD) video capture and delivery. This chapter covers the following: • About the DV Stream Encoder Pane (p. 153) • DV Transcoding Workflow (p.
• Allow Job Segmenting: This checkbox allows you to turn off job segmenting. For more information, see Job Segmenting and Two-Pass or Multi-Pass Encoding. • Format: Choose either NTSC or PAL as the output video format. • Aspect Ratio: Choose either 16:9 or 4:3 as the output video aspect ratio. Note: The 16:9 aspect ratio uses anamorphic video. • Field Order: Choose Bottom field first (required for interlaced DV video) with interlaced sources or Progressive with progressive sources.
Creating H.264 for Apple Devices Output Files 12 Using Compressor, you can create iTunes-compliant H.264 files. These can be played in iTunes, on an iPod, on an iPhone, or with Apple TV. The efficiency of the H.264 encoder makes it well suited to create media to use with iTunes and its related Apple devices. Compressor includes preconfigured settings that use the H.264 for Apple Devices Encoder pane to make it easy for you to create suitable media files. For information on creating H.
About the H.264 for Apple Devices Encoder Pane This section contains detailed information about the elements of the H.264 for Apple Devices Encoder pane in the Inspector window. You make your H.264 settings using this pane, by either modifying an existing setting or creating a new setting in the Settings tab. You make your H.
• Device: Select one of the following device options from the pop-up menu: • iPod/iPhone (VGA): This option creates video output files with a frame width of 640 pixels. • iPod/iPhone (Anamorphic): This option creates video output files with a frame width of 640 (anamorphic) pixels. • iPod/iPhone (QVGA): This option creates video output files with a frame width of 320 pixels.
Important: The automatic mode for the Aspect Ratio setting is able to choose from a wider variety of values to better match the source video (with the values determined and displayed when this output format is applied to a source media file). For the best results, it is recommended that you use the automatic mode for the Aspect Ratio setting. The Aspect Ratio Automatic button Note: By default, the Frame Controls feature is set to Automatic. As in the H.
• Audio: Use this pop-up menu to choose from the four audio bit-rate options listed below. • None: Use this option to exclude audio from the output media file. • 24 Kbps: Creates an audio bitstream at 24 Kbps for the iPhone (Cellular) device option. • 128 Kbps: Creates an audio bitstream at 128 Kbps. • 256 Kbps: Creates an audio bitstream at 256 Kbps. • Frame Sync: Also known as the key frame interval, the Frame Sync value represents how often a key frame is inserted in the H.264 stream.
Chapter and Podcast Markers for Apple Devices Chapter markers created in Final Cut Pro are passed through (transferred) to other output files that can be recognized by QuickTime Player, iTunes (.m4v files), Final Cut Pro, and DVD Studio Pro. You can also add podcast markers to the output file. Podcast markers are similar to chapter markers (they can have a URL and artwork assigned to them); however, they cannot be navigated to directly by the viewer.
H.264 Workflows for Apple Devices The efficiency and quality of H.264 creates a number of options for iPod and Apple TV video producers. • Compressor includes two video sizes specifically designed for playback on an iPod or an iPhone: iPod 320 (QVGA) and iPod 640 (VGA). Both sizes create output media files that are compatible for playing on an iPod, and both will look good on the display of the iPod.
Creating H.264 for DVD Studio Pro Output Files 13 Compressor includes the ability to easily create H.264 settings specifically configured for high definition DVD authoring. High definition DVDs have the option of using HD MPEG-2 encoded files or H.264 encoded files as sources. At DVD data rates, H.264 is generally twice as efficient as MPEG-2. That means you can use a lower H.
Note: This particular Encoder pane is devoted to encoding H.264 files intended for authoring high definition (HD) format video DVDs. For information on creating H.264 files for use with Apple devices such as iTunes, an iPod, or with Apple TV, see Creating H.264 for Apple Devices Output Files. For information about using H.264 for other purposes, see Creating QuickTime Movie Output Files. The H.264 for DVD Studio Pro pane contains the following items.
• PAL: This format is referred to as 576p. It uses a 720 x 576 frame size with an anamorphic 16 x 9 format at 50 fps. • 720p: This format uses a 1280 x 720 frame size with a 16 x 9 format at either 59.94 fps for NTSC or 50 fps for PAL. • 1920x1080: This format is referred to as 1080p. It uses a 1920 x 1080 frame size with a 16 x 9 format at either 59.94 fps for NTSC or 50 fps for PAL. • Frame Rate: Use this pop-up menu to choose a frame rate for the output media file.
Important: For maximum compatibility with HD DVD players, avoid setting the maximum bit rate above 18 Mbps. • Frame Sync: Use the slider or enter a value directly to choose the Frame Sync rate for the output video. The default setting is 2 seconds. See About the Frame Sync Setting for more information. • Multi-pass: Use this checkbox to turn on multi-pass encoding. Similar to two-pass MPEG-2 encoding, multi-pass offers the best possible quality.
About the Frame Sync Setting The Frame Sync setting defines an H.264 group of pictures (GOP). One difference between MPEG-2 and H.264 encoding is that a frame within a GOP can reference frames other than those that it is closest to, which means the decoder must store all potential reference frames in order to be able to access them. The first frame of an H.264 GOP is a special I-frame known as an instantaneous decoder refresh (IDR) frame that also flushes the decoder’s reference frame buffers.
Important: For maximum compatibility with HD DVD players, avoid setting the maximum bit rate above 18 Mbps. You must keep the total of both average and maximum audio and video bit rates under 30 Mbps, the maximum guaranteed transfer rate from high definition DVD players. Because DVD-compatible audio formats are constant bit rate (CBR), there is no maximum audio bit rate to worry about. For example, if you are using AIFF audio at 1.
Creating H.264 for Blu-ray Disc 14 Compressor includes the ability to easily create H.264 settings specifically configured for Blu-ray and AVCHD discs. Blu-ray, also known as Blu-ray Disc (BD), is a format that was developed to enable recording, rewriting, and playback of high definition (HD) video. The format offers more than five times the storage capacity of traditional DVDs and can hold up to 25 GB on a single-layer disc and 50 GB on a dual-layer disc.
About the H.264 for Blu-ray Disc Encoder Pane This section contains detailed information about the elements of the H.264 for Blu-ray Disc Encoder pane in the Inspector window. You make your H.264 for Blu-ray Disc settings using this pane, by either modifying an existing setting or creating a new setting in the Settings tab. The H.264 for Blu-ray Disc pane contains the following items. • File Extension field: Displays the H.264 for Blu-ray file extension (.264) automatically after the H.
The Video Format setting also has an Automatic button. Clicking the Automatic button causes the encoder to choose the video format that matches the source video file. The Video Format Automatic button • NTSC: This format is referred to as 480p. It uses a 720 x 480 frame size with an anamorphic 16 x 9 format at 59.94 fps. • PAL: This format is referred to as 576p. It uses a 720 x 576 frame size with an anamorphic 16 x 9 format at 50 fps.
• Average Bit Rate slider and field: Choose an average bit rate to use for the output video with the slider, or enter a value directly. While the available range for a Blu-ray disc is between 5 Mbps and 30 Mbps, typical video bit rates with H.264 might range from 7 Mbps to 15 Mbps, depending on your DVD bit budget and the nature of your source media files. The available range for AVCHD discs is 5 Mbps to 15 Mbps.
Creating Image Sequence Files 15 You can use Compressor to output an image sequence for use by compositing applications. This chapter discusses the image sequences that Compressor can output from your source media files. This chapter covers the following: • Creating Image Sequence Output Files (p. 173) • About the Image Sequence Encoder Pane (p. 174) • Configuring Image Sequence Settings (p.
• OpenEXR: OpenEXR is a high dynamic-range (HDR) image file format developed by Industrial Light & Magic for use in computer imaging applications. About the Image Sequence Encoder Pane This section contains detailed information about the elements of the Image Sequence Encoder pane in the Inspector window. You make your image sequence settings using this pane, by either modifying an existing setting or creating a new setting in the Settings tab. Choose Image Sequence.
• Frame Rate (fps): Use this field and pop-up menu to enter the frame rate at which you want the still images to be created. The higher the frame rate, the greater the number of still images created and the larger the output file. For example, if you choose 30 fps, Compressor creates 30 still images for every second of the video clip you are transcoding. If you choose 8 fps, Compressor creates only 8 still images per second.
• TARGA • DPX • IFF • JPEG • openEXR 6 Enter a number in the Frame Rate (fps) field or choose a frame rate from the pop-up menu. 7 Select the “Create unique output directory” checkbox if you want your image sequence files stored in their own folder in the destination folder. 8 Select the “Add leading zeros to frame numbers” checkbox if you want your output image sequence files numbered with the format 0000nn.
Creating MP3 Output Files 16 Compressor provides the tools you need to create exceptional MP3 files. MP3 is a specific type of MPEG encoding known formally as MPEG audio layer 3. MP3 uses perceptual audio coding and psychoacoustic compression to remove all superfluous information (specifically the redundant and irrelevant parts of a sound signal that the human ear doesn’t hear anyway). The result is that MP3 encoding shrinks the original sound data from a CD (with a data rate of 1411.
Podcasts The MP3 format’s wide range of supported bit rates makes it ideal for delivering podcasts at a variety of quality levels, making it possible for users to choose a file size and quality level they are comfortable with. Note: For the most options when creating enhanced audio podcasts, use the MPEG-4 output format. You are able to add chapter and podcast markers with URLs and artwork to the output file. See Creating MPEG-4 Output Files for more information.
Some example settings and uses include: • 32 kbps: AM radio quality, suitable for medium quality speech • 96 kbps: FM radio quality, suitable for high quality speech or medium quality music • 128 kbps: Suitable for good-quality music • 256 kbps and 320 kbps: Suitable for music that is near CD quality • Use Variable Bit Rate Encoding (VBR): This setting varies the number of bits used to store the music depending on the complexity of the music. This can help keep file size to a minimum.
Stage 3: Adding Annotations (If Needed) If you intend to play the MP3 files with a device or application, such as iTunes, you can add a variety of annotations, such as artist, album, title, and so on, that can be read and displayed. Stage 4: Adding Targets with an MP3 Setting to Each of the Jobs Each of the jobs requires at least one target—in this case the jobs need targets with an MP3 setting.
Creating MPEG-1 Output Files 17 Compressor provides the tools you need to create exceptional MPEG-1 transcoded files. MPEG-1 is an internationally accepted compression standard developed by the Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG). MPEG-1 allows you to create VHS-quality video files and was designed to support SIF (Standard Interface Format) resolution noninterlaced (progressive) video using relatively low bit rates (Compressor supports 0.5 Mbps to 2 Mbps).
DVD, VCD, and CD-ROM MPEG-1 is the video compression format used for video CD (VCD) titles and is compatible for use on DVD titles since all DVD players contain the hardware required for MPEG-1 playback. MPEG-1 is commonly used in videos distributed on CD-ROM. Its low bit rate and small file sizes are useful when you must fit multiple hours of video onto a DVD and do not require the broadcast quality of MPEG-2 encoding. A DVD can contain a mix of MPEG-2 and MPEG-1 video.
• GOP length: 15 frames for NTSC; 12 frames for PAL These settings are fixed and apply to all Compressor MPEG-1 video output files. See GOP Tab for information about Group of Pictures (GOP) settings. See Quality Tab for information on the encoding mode. The MPEG-1 output files can have I-frames forced on specific frames by placing compression markers on them. These markers can be added to the source media file using Final Cut Pro or can be added manually in the Preview window.
• Allow Job Segmenting: This checkbox allows you to turn off job segmenting. It is relevant only if you are using Compressor with distributed processing and with multi-pass encoding. (The distributed processing feature is limited to computers that have Final Cut Studio installed.) For more information, see Job Segmenting and Two-Pass or Multi-Pass Encoding. • Video and Audio tabs: These buttons open the Video and Audio tabs described next.
• Purpose buttons: Choose the intended purpose for the output files. • Web: Forces the resolution to 320 x 240 regardless of the Frame Rate selection. • DVD: Allows the Frame Rate selection to set the resolution. With the 29.97 frame rate, the resolution is 352 x 240. With the 25 frame rate, the resolution is 352 x 288. • Bit rate: Use this slider to choose the bit rate to use for the output video, or enter a number directly into the text field. While the available range is from 0.5 Mbps to 2.
• Channels buttons: Choose the channel valence (stereo or mono) for the output media file. • Stereo: Choose this button to create a stereo output audio file. • Mono: Choose this button to create a mono output audio file. • Bit Rate pop-up menu: Choose the bit rate to use for the output audio. Choices are 64 kbps, 128 kbps, 192 kbps, 224 kbps, and 384 kbps. Higher bit rates produce higher quality audio, but they also produce larger output files.
Example MPEG-1 Settings The settings you use depend on whether you are encoding for use on the web or in a DVD project. Encoding for the Web Use the following settings when encoding MPEG-1 system streams for the web. Video tab: • Frame rate: Automatic • Purpose: Web • Bit rate: As low as you can set it and get acceptable picture quality Audio tab: • Sample rate: 44.
Configuring the MPEG-1 File Format for Web Use The following sections guide you through configuring the MPEG-1 output file format for web use. This process creates a single MPEG-1 system stream. • Stage 1: Choosing Video Settings • Stage 2: Choosing Audio Settings Stage 1: Choosing Video Settings This section describes creating MPEG-1 video settings for web use.
To open the Audio tab and choose audio settings 1 Click the Audio button in the MPEG-1 Encoder pane to open the Audio tab. Select to enable the Audio tab. Choose the sample rate. Choose the bit rate. Select the number of audio channels. 2 Select the Enabled checkbox. 3 Choose 44.1 kHz from the Sample Rate pop-up menu. 4 Select Stereo when using two-channel audio sources, or Mono when using one-channel audio sources. 5 Choose the bit rate to use from the Bit Rate pop-up menu.
Creating the MPEG-1 Video for DVD Setting The following sections create the setting for an MPEG-1 elementary video output file suitable for DVD. • Stage 1: Creating the MPEG-1 Video for DVD Setting • Stage 2: Configuring the Video Settings • Stage 3: Making an Elementary Video Stream Stage 1: Creating the MPEG-1 Video for DVD Setting This section describes creating MPEG-1 video settings for DVD use.
5 Select the DVD button. This sets the resolution of the output to match the selected frame rate. 6 Choose the bit rate to use with the Bit Rate slider, or enter a value directly. The typical value used for DVD projects is 1.15 Mbps, with 1.856 Mbps being the maximum allowed. Stage 3: Making an Elementary Video Stream In order for the output media file to be an elementary video stream, you must turn off the audio setting.
To open the Settings tab and create a new setting 1 Open the Settings tab and click the Add Preset (+) button. This adds a new setting to the existing list. 2 Name the new setting “MPEG-1 Audio for DVD.” See Creating a Setting from Scratch for more information. Stage 2: Making an Elementary Audio Stream In order for the output media file to be an elementary audio stream, you must turn off the video setting.
2 Select the Enabled checkbox. Select to enable the Audio tab. Choose the 48 kHz sample rate. Choose the bit rate. Select either Stereo or Mono. 3 Choose 48 kHz from the Sample Rate pop-up menu. 4 Select Stereo when using two-channel audio sources or Mono when using one-channel audio sources. 5 Choose the bit rate to use from the Bit Rate pop-up menu. The typical values used for DVD projects are 192 kbps and 224 kbps.
Creating MPEG-2 Output Files 18 Compressor provides the tools you need to create exceptional MPEG-2 transcoded files. MPEG-2 is an internationally accepted compression standard developed by the Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG). MPEG-2 allows you to create broadcast-quality video files and was designed to support high-resolution, high bit-rate video. It is the video compression format used for high-quality video titles on DVD, HD broadcast, and home satellite dish systems.
About High Definition Sources and MPEG-2 Compressor has several different options and workflows for transcoding high definition (HD) video source files into MPEG-2 files. HD on DVD Compressor can output MPEG-2 files for creating HD-resolution DVDs from either HD or standard definition (SD) source media. Compressor can retain the various frame sizes and frame rates of high definition video when transcoding to MPEG-2. And Compressor supports the higher bit rates required by HD-based DVD formats.
Transport streams can also recover from interruptions during playback, making them ideally suited for broadcast and streaming applications where noise or network congestion can lead to interruptions. • Program streams: These streams contain only one MPEG-2 content channel and its associated audio. Program streams require an error-free delivery method and are primarily used for storage or processing within a computer. By default, the Compressor MPEG-2 encoder creates elementary MPEG-2 steams.
• Allow Job Segmenting: This checkbox allows you to turn off job segmenting. It is relevant only if you are using Compressor with distributed processing and with multi-pass encoding. (The distributed processing feature is limited to computers that have Final Cut Studio installed.) For more information, see Job Segmenting and Two-Pass or Multi-Pass Encoding. • Stream Usage: This pop-up menu allows you to choose how you intend to use the MPEG-2 stream.
Video Format Tab You use the Video Format tab to make settings related to video formats, frame rates, aspect ratio, field dominance, and timecode. All of these, except the timecode setting, can be set to automatically configure themselves based on the video being encoded. The Video Format tab contains the following controls. • Video Format pop-up menu: Choose your output video file format as NTSC, PAL, 720p, HD 1440x1080, HD 1920x1080, or a variety of versions of 640 width formats.
Note: Since MPEG-2 uses fixed video frame sizes (see MPEG-2 Video Frame Sizes and Formats), Compressor enters the output frame size in the fields in the Geometry pane based on your video format selection. The video format you choose determines the options for the associated characteristics such as frame size and rate, aspect ratio, and field dominance. Note: The normal frame dimensions of standard definition (SD) NTSC digital video are 720 x 486.
• Field Dominance pop-up menu: Choose whether the top field or the bottom field of your interlaced source media file will be the dominant (first) field in the output MPEG-2 video file. If you choose Automatic (the default), Compressor analyzes the source video and attempts to determine field dominance automatically. The bottom field is dominant for DV source video. This setting does not pertain to the 720p video format, since that format must be progressive.
The Quality tab contains the following controls: Mode pop-up menu Motion Estimation pop-up menu Time estimate for a 4.7 GB disc with a stereo AIFF audio stream • Mode pop-up menu: Allows you to choose one of the following MPEG-2 encoding modes. High Definition (HD) quality modes will be “One pass VBR Best” or “Two pass VBR Best.” • One pass CBR: Using this mode, the output MPEG-2 video stream’s bit rate is held approximately constant from one GOP to the next.
• One pass VBR Best: This is similar to one-pass VBR, but with this mode, Compressor applies greater effort to its internal decision-making processes. Although one-pass VBR Best transcodes slower than one-pass VBR, it provides excellent to outstanding SD video quality at bit rates of 3 to 3.5 Mbps and above. Bit rates for HD MPEG-2 can range from 10–29 Mbps average, 12–29 Mbps maximum. Compared to one-pass VBR, one-pass VBR Best provides higher quality, especially for difficult material at low bit rates.
Note: The average bit-rate setting directly controls the size of the encoded file. The maximum bit-rate setting does not affect the encoded file’s size. • Maximum Bit Rate slider and field: Choose the maximum bit rate by dragging the slider or entering a number into the accompanying field. See About Choosing the Bit Rates for more information. The range available to you depends on the Stream Usage setting. See Stream Usage for more information.
Note: If you choose any of the HD video formats in the Video Format tab, the settings in the GOP tab cannot be changed and default to a closed IBBP GOP structure with a size of 12 (for PAL) or 15 (for NTSC). • GOP Structure pop-up menu: Choose an option from this pop-up menu to specify whether there will be two, one, or no B-frames between the reference frames within a GOP.
• Open and Closed buttons: Closed GOPs do not contain any frame that refers to a frame in the previous or next GOP, while open GOPs begin with one or more B-frames that reference the last P-frame of the previous GOP. Closed GOPs created by the Compressor MPEG-2 encoder begin with an I-frame. Choose your GOP type (open or closed) based on whether and how you create chapter markers for DVD authoring with DVD Studio Pro, and whether you intend to use multiple video angles in your title.
Extras Tab You use the Extras tab to control the inclusion or exclusion of specific MPEG-2 authoring information. The Extras tab contains the following controls. • Add DVD Studio Pro metadata: Selecting this checkbox allows Compressor to parse specific MPEG-2 authoring information during the transcoding process to accelerate the import process into DVD Studio Pro. However, these MPEG-2 files will be incompatible with versions of DVD Studio Pro 1.5 or earlier.
Important: Generic is the only Stream Usage setting that supports transport and program streams. Selecting the Multiplexed MPEG-1/Layer 2 Audio checkbox sets your stream usage to Generic if it is currently anything else. MPEG-2 Reference Information The following sections contain useful information for creating MPEG-2 output media files.
Video format Frame size (pixels) HD 1440 x 1080 Frame rate (fps) Aspect ratio Scanning method 1440 x 1080 23.98 (progressive only), 25, 29.97 16:9 Interlaced, progressive HD 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080 23.98 (progressive only), 25, 29.97 16:9 Interlaced, progressive 640 x 480 (1.33) 640 x 480 23.98, 25, 29.97 4:3 or 16:9 Interlaced, progressive 640 x 360 (1.78) 640 x 360 23.98, 25, 29.97 4:3 or 16:9 Interlaced, progressive 640 x 352 (1.82) 640 x 352 23.98, 25, 29.
More About GOPs and Markers Following is some additional information you may find useful when deciding how to configure your GOP settings and how the GOP settings affect DVD Studio Pro markers. The following MPEG-2 markers can be found in a source media file: • Chapter markers: These identify frames that should be encoded as I-frames and are recognized as chapter markers when imported into DVD Studio Pro.
Compressor Native Projects You can set chapter markers using the Compressor Preview window, but they will not be preserved when exported to versions earlier than DVD Studio Pro 2. I-frames will be preserved. If you are using a version prior to DVD Studio Pro 2, you can manually set the chapter markers directly in DVD Studio Pro. Things to Consider When Choosing a GOP Setting You need to consider the following factors when choosing a GOP setting.
Open and Closed GOPs Open GOPs are most efficient because they allow an extra B-frame in the GOP pattern. Open GOPs start with a B-frame that is able to look at the last P-frame from the preceding GOP as well as the first I-frame of its own GOP.
About 24p (23.98p) For DVD authoring and encoding, 24p refers to a video sequence that contains 24 progressive (non-interlaced) frames per second, with NTSC-related standard definition frame dimensions (720 x 480 for MPEG-2). Film-based movies have a native frame rate of 24 fps, and because the MPEG-2 format is able to represent 24 fps video internally, many commercial movie DVDs are encoded in this way.
Note: The easiest way to make sure you are matching the source media file is to activate the Automatic buttons. See About the Automatic Settings for more information. To open the MPEG-2 Encoder pane and choose Video Format settings 1 Open the Settings tab, then choose MPEG-2 from the Add Preset (+) pop-up menu button. The MPEG-2 Encoder pane opens in the Inspector window with the default Video Format tab displayed. Choose the type of MPEG-2 stream to create.
• 640x360 • 640x352 • 640x384 • 640x320 4 Choose an aspect ratio from the Aspect Ratio pop-up menu or select its Automatic button. You must determine whether the intended shape of your source video is 4:3 (normal) or 16:9 (widescreen) before you can choose your aspect ratio. 5 Choose a field dominance setting based on your source media type from the Field Dominance pop-up menu. For example, for DV choose Bottom First.
With two-pass modes, the source media file is examined on the first pass and transcoded on the second pass, with bit rates tailored to the video content. Alternatively, one-pass modes transcode the material more quickly, but allocate bits less optimally than do the corresponding two-pass modes. Note: If you are using two-pass VBR with distributed processing enabled, you may want to deselect the “Allow Job Segmenting” checkbox in the Encoder pane.
Average bit rate1 Approximate duration for 4.7 GB DVD 6.0 Mbps 82 minutes 7.5 Mbps 68 minutes 8.0 Mbps 65 minutes 1 For a DVD clip with video, audio, and subpictures: assumes 1.5 Mbps for audio (two-channel AIFF). Note: When “One pass VBR or “One pass VBR Best” is chosen for very short clips (less than a minute or two in length), the resulting MPEG-2 output file size may not accurately reflect the average bit rate you specified.
4 Decide whether you want the GOP pattern to be open or closed and click the appropriate button. Working with MPEG-2 I-Frames The Compressor Preview window offers additional MPEG-2 transcoding flexibility by allowing you to manually insert I-frames into your output MPEG-2 file at any frame location, regardless of your chosen GOP pattern and size. These are known as forced I-frames, and may be useful for improving the quality of the MPEG-2 file in the vicinity of the scene change.
4 Select the Multiplexed MPEG-1/layer 2 Audio checkbox only if you need to create transport or program streams. See About Elementary, Transport, and Program Streams for more information. See Extras Tab and More About GOPs and Markers for more information about settings in the Extras tab. Also, to make it easier to use the output files created by these presets in DVD Studio Pro, create a destination that ensures the video and audio output files have the same name, only with different file extensions.
Note: Your choice of GOP type (Open or Closed) may be influenced by whether and how you create chapter markers for DVD authoring with DVD Studio Pro and whether you intend to use multiple video angles in your title. See More About GOPs and Markers and Adding Chapter or Podcast Markers to a Clip for more information.
Creating MPEG-4 Output Files 19 Compressor provides the tools you need to create exceptional MPEG-4 transcoded files. MPEG-4 Part 2 (known as MPEG-4 video in QuickTime 6) plays an important role in the evolution of standards for the Internet and wireless multimedia industries, where it has been widely adopted.
• High-quality video: A versatile transcoder that can be set to a target data rate and—using one-pass variable bit rate (VBR)—can maximize the highest-quality output or speed for the fastest possible transcode. • Advanced Audio Coding (AAC): MPEG-4 audio accommodates a wide variety of source audio, and brings true variable bit rate (VBR) audio transcoding to QuickTime.
• Allow Job Segmenting: This checkbox allows you to turn off job segmenting. It is relevant only if you are using Compressor with distributed processing and with multi-pass encoding. (The distributed processing feature is limited to computers that have Final Cut Studio installed.) Since the MPEG-4 Part 2 format uses single-pass VBR, you can leave this checkbox selected in all cases for added speed gains with distributed processing.
• Bit Rate pop-up menu: Choose from one of the following bit rate settings. Whatever setting you choose, quality will vary from frame to frame to maintain the selected bit rate. • Constant at: Sets a manually specified bit rate based on your slider setting. • Low VBR: Sets an overall low quality for all frames. • Medium VBR: Sets an overall medium quality for all frames. • High VBR: Sets an overall high quality for all frames. • Bit Rate slider and field: (Available only with the “Constant at” setting.
• Quality pop-up menu: Choose one of the following for the audio quality of your output media file: • Low: This allows for fast transcoding, but it is at the expense of output file quality. • Medium: The audio quality is better than Low, but this takes longer to transcode. • High: This is the best audio quality setting available. Use this setting when the audio quality is important for the output media file and you don’t mind how long it takes to transcode.
• Packet Maximum Duration field: Enter a number to specify the longest duration allowable (in milliseconds) for a streaming packet in your output media file. The duration affects MPEG-4 Part 2 audio only. It limits the maximum amount of audio (in milliseconds) in any packet, which limits the audio dropout created by the loss of a packet.
• Bit Rate: 64 kbps See Audio Pane for more information. Default Streaming Pane Settings These are the default streaming settings for MPEG-4 Part 2 output media files. • “Streaming hints enabled” checkbox: Selected • Packet Maximum Size: 1,450 bytes • Packet Maximum Duration: 100 milliseconds See Streaming Pane for more information. If these settings are acceptable to you, there is nothing further that you need to do, and you can begin transcoding source media files immediately.
• Stage 3: Editing MPEG-4 Streaming Settings Stage 1: Customizing MPEG-4 Video Settings You adjust MPEG-4 video settings in the MPEG-4 Encoder pane. To open the MPEG-4 Encoder pane and adjust the MPEG-4 video settings 1 In the Inspector window, click the Encoder pane and choose MPEG-4 from the File Format pop-up menu. The MPEG-4 Encoder pane opens, displaying mp4 in the File Extension field, and the default Video pane. Either enter a number in the Bit Rate field or use the slider to set the bit rate.
To open the Audio pane and adjust the MPEG-4 audio settings 1 Click the Audio button to open the Audio pane. Either enter a number in the Bit Rate field or use the slider to set the bit rate. 2 Adjust the MPEG-4 audio settings using the available controls. Note: Make sure that the Audio Enabled checkbox is selected. See Audio Pane for details about MPEG-4 Part 2 audio settings. If you don’t want to edit any other attributes, your MPEG-4 setting can be assigned to any source media file in the usual way.
Audio Podcasting Workflow Compressor makes it easy to create an enhanced audio podcast based on the MPEG-4 output format. An enhanced audio podcast includes podcasting information such as chapter and podcast markers with artwork and URLs, as well as a variety of text annotations. Follow the instructions below to create an audio podcast.
To configure the MPEG-4 output to include podcasting information 1 Select the “Allow Podcasting information” checkbox at the bottom of the Inspector window. Deselect this checkbox to activate the “Allow Podcasting information” checkbox. Select this checkbox to include podcasting information in the output media file. This checkbox is available only when you have deselected Video Enabled in the Video pane.
3 The Additional Information tab is where you can add annotations, such as a title and artist, to the output media file. Choose items from this pop-up menu to include them as annotations in the output media file. 4 Choose an item from the Add Annotation pop-up menu to add it to the output media file. The item appears in the Annotation column. 5 Double-click the item’s Value column to type in the text annotation. 6 Repeat this for each annotation item you want to add to the output media file.
Stage 6: Submitting the Job and Verifying the Output Media File Once you have added the annotations and markers to the job, you can submit it to create the output media file. After the encoding process finishes, you can open the output media file in QuickTime Player to verify that the markers, URLs, and artwork appear as intended.
Creating QuickTime Movie Output Files 20 Compressor provides the tools you need to create QuickTime media files. QuickTime is cross-platform multimedia technology and allows Mac OS applications to capture and play back video, audio, and still-image files. QuickTime supports a wide variety of codecs and can also be extended to accommodate additional codec options and third-party codecs. See Creating QuickTime Export Component Output Files for more information about additional QuickTime export options.
QuickTime Media Files for the Web You can play your output media files over the web with QuickTime, once they are compressed to a data rate appropriate for the bandwidth you expect the users to have. You can do this by making your output media files either QuickTime Fast Start movies (pre-buffered download) or QuickTime Streaming movies. Compressor allows you to choose different streaming options via the Streaming pop-up menu in the QuickTime Encoder pane.
• Video Settings and Audio Settings: These buttons open the QuickTime Compression Settings and Sound Settings dialogs. Use these dialogs to select suitable codecs and change other video or audio compression settings. See About the Sound Settings Dialog and About the Compression Settings Dialog for more information on these dialogs. • Enabled/Disabled/Pass-through: Use these pop-up menus to enable or disable Video and Audio settings.
QuickTime Video and Audio Settings The QuickTime Video and Audio Settings buttons appear in the Encoder pane if you selected QuickTime Movie as the output file format. (The Audio Settings button also appears if you choose AIFF from the File Format pop-up menu.) You use these buttons to open the Compression Settings and Sound Settings dialogs, where you can modify whichever video or audio codec you want to add to the selected setting in the Settings tab.
About the Compression Settings Dialog You use the Compression Settings dialog to change your video codec settings for the QuickTime output format. To open the Compression Settings dialog, click the Video Settings button in the QuickTime Encoder pane. If a particular setting can’t be changed, it remains dimmed. Some video codecs—such as Apple ProRes 422 and Photo-JPEG—allow you to make additional settings. If this is the case, the Options button becomes available. Click it to make additional settings.
• Key Frames: If your selected codec allows it, use the Key Frames Every field to enter the number of frames you want between your key frames. Codecs based on the temporal compression method use key frames. These act as a reference frame for the next sequence of frames, so that any data redundancy between the key frame and the ensuing frames can be removed. In between key frames are the less detailed delta frames. You need to insert key frames throughout your media file because content changes.
About the Sound Settings Dialog You use the Sound Settings dialog to change your audio compression settings for either the QuickTime or AIFF output format. To open this dialog, click the Audio Settings button in the QuickTime Movie or AIFF Encoder pane. If a particular audio setting cannot be changed, it remains dimmed. Most audio codecs allow you to make additional settings. If this is the case, various buttons and controls become available. Click them to make additional settings.
Choosing an Audio Codec AAC is a good general-purpose audio delivery codec and it is compatible with a wide variety of playback devices. For QuickTime movies playing on slower computers, IMA is a better choice because it is less computer intensive, thus allowing the computer to focus on the more challenging video stream. See QuickTime Audio Codecs for more information about audio codecs.
The default QuickTime Encoder pane appears, containing the Video and Audio Settings buttons, Enable pop-up menus, the Streaming pop-up menu, the Options button (dimmed), and the Summary table. See About the QuickTime Movie Encoder Pane for more information. Note: Make sure that the Enable pop-up menus next to the Settings buttons are set to Enable if you want those settings included in the transcoding.
The Compression Settings dialog opens. Choose a video codec from the Compression Type pop-up menu. 2 Choose a video codec from the Compression Type pop-up menu and either accept its defaults or customize the other settings (Motion, Encoding Mode, Quality, Depth, and Options, if available).
The Sound Settings dialog opens. Choose an audio codec from the Format pop-up menu. 2 Choose an audio codec from the Format pop-up menu and either accept its defaults or customize the other audio codec settings (Format, Channels, Rate, and Options, if available).
Understanding Codecs Codec stands for compressor (CO)/decompressor (DEC) pairs. You use different codecs for different playback methods (such as the web or DVD). Once you know the playback method of your target audience, you can pick a suitable codec. To decide which codec is right for your needs, you must choose the necessary level of compression to meet your data rate limits and the level of quality you want. The following sections discuss issues to be aware of when selecting a video or audio codec.
• Lossy codecs: In comparison to lossless codecs, lossy codecs return only an approximation of the data and are usually used to deliver finalized video to an end user. The level of approximation is determined by the quality of the codec. Typically there is a tradeoff between the output quality of the codec and its achievable level of compression. With some codecs, a compression ratio of at least 5:1 can be reached without visible degradation. An example of a lossy codec is the Photo-JPEG codec.
Sound Sample Size The sound sample size determines the dynamic range of the sound. 8-bit sound provides for 256 possible values, whereas 16-bit sound allows for more than 65,000 possible values. Choose 16-bit sound for music that has both soft and loud sections, such as orchestral music. For spoken voice or music that has a more or less constant volume level, choosing 8-bit sound can still yield good results. If you need to shrink your media file, you can reduce the sample size from 16 bits to 8 bits.
Creating QuickTime Export Component Files 21 You can use Compressor to output a variety of additional formats using the QuickTime component plug-in feature. This chapter discusses how to take advantage of the QuickTime component plug-in feature, which opens up a wide variety of additional file formats that Compressor can output from your source media files. This chapter covers the following: • Creating QuickTime Export Component Output Files (p. 249) • Installing QuickTime Export Component Plug-ins (p.
Installing QuickTime Export Component Plug-ins With no additional third-party software, Compressor currently supports transcoding to 3G, AVI, and iPod. The export component feature in Compressor was developed to make it possible to add additional export plug-ins in the future. You would simply install the third-party software and then choose the corresponding output file format from the Encoder Type pop-up menu in the QuickTime Export Components Encoder pane of the Inspector window.
About the QuickTime Export Components Encoder Pane The following options appear when you choose the QuickTime Export Components output format from the File Format pop-up menu in the Encoder pane of the Inspector window: Choose QuickTime Export Components. File Extension field Choose an encoder plug-in. Click to see the options for the encoder plug-in. • File Extension: This field indicates the file extension for the output format selected from the Encoder Type menu.
2 Choose an output file format from the Encoder Type pop-up menu. 3 Click the Options button in the Encoder pane. The Settings window for that particular output file format opens. Configure settings for the QuickTime export component. Important: Use the third-party export module user interface to explicitly enter the width, height, and frame rate for the output file. Do not leave the width, height, and frame rate fields in the third-party user interface at their default (“current”) values.
Adding Filters to a Setting 22 Compressor comes with a variety of filters (such as color correction and noise removal filters) that you can use to adjust the details of your transcoding projects. This chapter covers the following: • Working with Filters (p. 253) • About the Filters Pane (p. 255) • Video Filters Tab (p. 256) • Audio Filters Tab (p. 263) • Color Tab (p. 265) • Adding Filters to a Setting (p.
Previewing Filters You can preview a clip containing your current filter settings by clicking the target in the Batch window to open it in the Preview window. The Preview screen is split into original and transcoded versions of your media file so that you can see or hear the effects of your filter settings before processing the batch (as long as the checkbox for that particular filter is selected). Adjustments you make can be viewed in the Preview window.
Color Spaces Compressor supports the following color spaces: YUV (R408), 2VUY, RGBA, ARGB, and YUV (v210). Some filters require a color space conversion and some filters can handle various color spaces. For each media file, Compressor chooses the most suitable color space to provide the best output and performance results based on the color space of three attributes: the source media format, the output file format, and chosen filters.
Note: Once you make any adjustment to a filter, its checkbox is automatically selected. If you decide that you no longer want to use that filter, be sure to deselect that particular filter’s checkbox before transcoding. • Filters list: Select the checkbox next to the filters you want to add to your presets. Filter settings you select appear in the Summary table in the Summary pane. You can reorder filters by dragging them up or down in the Filters list.
Brightness and Contrast Alters the overall color and luminance values of your output media file to a brighter or darker level. Some QuickTime codecs darken your video file, so you can use this filter to compensate for that. Choose any number between –100 and 100, but avoid the extreme settings as they give a very washed-out quality. • Brightness: Adjusts brightness to any number between –100 and 100. • Contrast: Adjusts contrast to any number between –100 and 100.
The following (legacy) deinterlacing methods are available in the Algorithm pop-up menu. • Algorithm: Choose from one of four deinterlacing methods. • Blur: Blends the odd and even fields together. This setting gives more importance to temporal data and preserves motion better, but because individual frames consist of a composite of both frames, they don’t look good when you pause playback. • Even: Keeps the even fields and ignores the odd fields, avoiding motion blur.
Gamma Correction Controls the overall brightness of an image as displayed on a monitor by changing the gamma amount of the media file. This filter can be used to remove detail from an underexposed clip or reduce an overexposed clip’s saturation to an acceptable level without washing out the image too much. Computers using different operating systems have different monitor settings. For cross-platform viewing, correcting the gamma will improve the image for all platforms.
• Background color well: Sets the letterbox color. Click this box to choose a background color from the color picker. Noise Removal Reduces random flecks of noise from the image. Some codecs introduce noise into the video file, which can be softened with the Noise Removal filter. You can improve image quality and spatially compress your material more efficiently by reducing its fine detail. The noise reduction filter allows you to blur areas of low contrast while leaving high-contrast edges sharp.
Sharpen Edge Enhances the image contrast around object edges. Some codecs blur the video image, so this filter can counteract the softening effect of noise removal or blurred source material and increase the perception of sharpness in the image. When used to an extreme, the output media file can look grainy. Choose any number between 0 and 100. • Amount: Sets a sharpen setting between 0.0 and 100.0. Text Overlay Superimposes text onto the image.
Timecode Generator Superimposes the clip’s timecode text onto the image. You can also add a label to the timecode text. • Position: Positions timecode text in the image clip. Choose from 1 of 13 positions such as Center, Lower Left, Lower Left - Title Safe, and so on. • Alpha: This slider sets the timecode text opacity. Choose between 0 and 1. A value of 0 makes the text completely transparent, while a value of 1 makes it completely opaque.
• Alpha: This slider sets the watermark image opacity. Choose between 0 and 1. A value of 0 makes the watermark image completely transparent, while a value of 1 makes it completely opaque. • Repeat checkbox: Used when you choose a clip as the watermark, this checkbox allows you to have the watermark clip loop its playback. If you don’t select this checkbox, the watermark clip plays until its end and then disappears.
Apple AUGraphicEQ Allows you to use the Apple AUGraphicEQ to shape a wide variety of frequencies throughout the audible frequency range. You have the choice of a 31-band or a 10-band version. • Options button: Opens the Apple AUGraphicEQ interface. • AUGraphicEQ: You can use the “number of bands” pop-up menu in the equalizer’s interface to choose to use the 31-band or 10-band versions of the equalizer.
Fade In/Out Adds a mix from and to a silence (or a gain level you set) at the beginning and end of the clip. Note: When using the Fade In/Out and Dynamic Range filters at the same time, be sure to have the Dynamic Range filter ahead of the Fade In/Out filter in the filter list. • Fade In Duration: Sets the duration of the mix from the gain value to the clip’s normal audio level at the start of the clip.
The Color tab includes the following controls. • Output Color Space pop-up menu: Choose from the following options to affect the color space in the output media file. • Default for Encoder: Uses the standard color space for the target format. • Preserve source: Maintains the color space of the source media file. • SD (601): Uses the standard color space for SD media files. • HD (709): Uses the standard color space for HD media files.
5 Drag the filters up or down within the Filters list to set the order in which you want them applied to the source media file during transcoding. Drag filters up or down to set the order in which you want them to be applied to the source media file. Because these filters are processed one by one during transcoding—starting with the first item in the list—it is important that your filters be organized in the order you want them.
Working with Frame Controls 23 Frame controls use advanced image analysis for retiming, resizing, and other sophisticated video effects. Through frame controls, Compressor offers high-quality transcoding from many different source formats to many different target formats using advanced image analysis. This chapter covers the following: • About the Frame Controls Pane (p. 269) • Adding Frame Controls to a Setting (p. 274) • About Deinterlacing (p. 275) • About Reverse Telecine (p.
Important: Frame Controls settings cannot be previewed in the Preview window. To preview Frame Controls settings, do a test transcode of a small section of your source media file. (See Transcoding a Portion of the Clip with the Preview Window for more information.) Use the following features in the Frame Controls pane of the Inspector to select and adjust frame controls attributes that you want to assign to your settings.
• Transcoding from interlaced sources to H.264 for DVD Studio Pro and H.264 for Apple Devices (progressive) output files Resizing Controls Area Use the controls in this area to choose the algorithm with which frames are resized. • Resize Filter: Use this pop-up menu to choose from the following resizing options. This decision is a trade-off between faster processing time and higher output quality in projects that involve a change in resolution.
For general information about deinterlacing, see About Deinterlacing. Important: Using all Best settings may result in unexpectedly long processing times. If you are reducing the frame size in addition to deinterlacing the frame, Fast or Better will likely provide sufficiently high quality, depending on the amount of downward resizing. Note: While the Deinterlace pop-up menu is always active, Compressor only deinterlaces jobs that need it.
• Details Level: Use this slider to set a level (from 0 to 100) to preserve sharp edges. This is a sharpening control that lets you add detail back to an image being enlarged. Unlike other sharpening operations, the Details Level setting is able to distinguish between noise and feature details, and generally doesn’t increase unwanted grain. Increasing this parameter may introduce jagged edges, however, which can be eliminated by increasing the Anti-alias level.
• Set Duration to: Use this to choose one of three methods to convert the clip’s duration to a new duration. Selection pop-up menu • Percent of source: Use this to enter a percentage value to modify the clip’s speed or choose a specific situation from the pop-up menu. For more information about the options in this radio button, see Entering a Percentage. • Total duration: Use this to choose a duration for the clip. For more information about the options in this radio button, see Entering a Duration.
2 Select the setting in the Settings tab that you want to modify. (Or select a setting already applied to a source media file in the Batch window.) 3 Click the Frame Controls tab in the Inspector window. 4 Choose On from the Frame Controls pop-up menu. Choosing On allows you to manually adjust all the attributes in the Frame Controls pane. 5 Make changes to any of the following controls in the Frame Controls pane. (See About the Frame Controls Pane for details on each of the controls.
Because interlacing creates two fields for each frame, areas with fast movement within the field become separated into alternating jagged lines. You can view your source media one frame at a time and check for horizontal stripes along the leading and trailing edges of moving objects. If you find these, you need to deinterlace your source media to convert it to a frame-based format. Interlacing creates a “comb” effect that should be removed.
About Reverse Telecine The most common approach to distributing film’s 24 fps among NTSC video’s 29.97 fps is to perform a 3:2 pull-down (also known as a 2:3:2:3 pull-down). If you alternate recording two fields of one film frame and then three fields of the next, the 24 frames in 1 second of film end up filling the 30 frames in 1 second of video. A B A A B B Field Field Field 1 2 1 Field 2 C B C C D D D D Field Field Field Field Field Field 1 2 1 2 1 2 3:2 Pull-Down Before (23.
The lower frame rate also has the advantage of requiring fewer frames per second of video, leading to smaller file sizes. The reverse telecine feature makes it easy to do this. 3:2 Pull-Down Removal One second Before (29.97 fps) A A B B B C C DDD A A B B B C C D DD A A B B B C C DD D A A B B B C C DD D A A B B B C CDDD A A B B B C CDDD After (23.
About Reverse Telecine and Segmented Encoding Because of the unpredictable nature of the processing when reversing the telecine, segmented encoding does not work as efficiently as it does when reverse telecine is not being used. About Pausing the Transcode Process If you pause the transcode process, the transcode must start from the beginning when you restart it. Creating PAL Video During the Reverse Telecine Process It is a common practice to convert 23.
Important: If you are using retiming controls on a setting using the QuickTime Movie output format and choose “Pass-through” for the audio setting, the audio does not have its speed changed and will not maintain sync with the video. See About the QuickTime Movie Encoder Pane for more information. Converting Video to a New Speed The retiming controls give you three options for determining the playback speed.
• 24 @ 23.98: Use this setting when you have 24 fps video and want to convert it to 23.98 fps for NTSC DVD distribution. With all these options, no intermediate video frames are required—the existing frames are just set to play back faster or slower. Entering a Duration The duration field shows the clip’s current duration. As you change the duration, the percentage value changes to reflect that change.
Adding Geometry Settings 24 You can make advanced adjustments to your settings with the Geometry pane of the Inspector window. This chapter covers the following: • Working with Cropping, Scaling, and Padding (p. 283) • About the Geometry Pane (p. 285) • Making Geometry Adjustments to a Setting (p. 290) Working with Cropping, Scaling, and Padding The Geometry pane provides three different methods you can use to affect the output image. Cropping When you crop an image, you are removing video content.
The cropping settings are in the “Source inset (Cropping)” section of the Geometry pane. Scaling Scaling provides a way to alter the output video file’s frame size without removing any of the source image. Most often, scaling involves shrinking your output media image size to save storage space or reduce the bit rate. Compressor offers four basic methods for scaling the image size of an output media file.
There are also several common padding settings you can choose from, such as 16 x 9 and Panavision. These make it easy to have Compressor automatically enter padding values to ensure the source image retains its original aspect ratio. The padding settings are in the Output Image Inset (Padding) section of the Geometry pane. About the Geometry Pane You use the Geometry pane to choose cropping and sizing settings, output media file sizes, and the aspect ratio (the ratio between image frame width and height).
Note: If you want to transcode a normal size standard definition (SD) source media file (720 x 486) using an MPEG-2 NTSC setting, your output media file will be automatically cropped (two pixels from the top and four from the bottom) to achieve the MPEG-2 required dimensions of 720 x 480, unless you already specified cropping attributes. This crop attribute is only temporary and is not saved in the setting.
Dimensions (Encoded Pixels) Settings The settings in the Dimensions section are only active when using the MPEG- 4, QuickTime Movie, and Image Sequence output encoding formats. For other formats, the settings are dimmed but show the settings that will be used when the batch is submitted. • Frame Size Width and Height fields: These text fields and associated pop-up menus allow you to customize the frame size and aspect ratio of your output media file.
• Up to 428x240: Scales the output dimensions to not exceed a 428 x 240 frame size while maintaining the original aspect ratio. • Up to 214x120: Scales the output dimensions to not exceed a 214 x 120 frame size while maintaining the original aspect ratio. • 320x240: Defines an output dimension of exactly 320 x 240. • 640x480: Defines an output dimension of exactly 640 x 480. • 720x480: Defines an output dimension of exactly 720 x 480. • 720x486: Defines an output dimension of exactly 720 x 486.
• Pixel Aspect pop-up menu: Use this pop-up menu to set the pixel aspect ratio of the output media file. This forces the pixel aspect ratios to conform to specific formats. Options include the following. • Custom: Choose this option to manually enter values in the Pixel Aspect field. • Default for size: The pixel aspect ratio is set to the commonly assumed value for the setting’s width and height. For example, the default for 720 x 480 or 720 x 486 is NTSC CCIR 601/DV NTSC.
• Preserve source aspect ratio: Pads the image so that the original aspect ratio is maintained. • 4x3 1.33:1: Uses a 4 x 3 aspect ratio. • 16x9 1.78:1: Uses a 16 x 9 aspect ratio. • 4x3 1.33:1: Uses a 4 x 3 aspect ratio. • Panavision 2.35:1: Uses a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. • Europe Standard 1.66:1: Uses a 1.66:1 aspect ratio. • UK Standard 1.75:1: Uses a 1.75:1 aspect ratio. • Academy 1.85:1: Uses a 1.85:1 aspect ratio.
3 Click the Geometry tab in the Inspector. 4 Enter your source inset (cropping) settings, choose output size dimensions from the Frame Size pop-up menu, and choose padding settings from the output image inset section. You can see all changes you make to your setting by viewing the Summary table in the Summary pane.
Note: There are two ways to adjust frame size. You can either enter numbers in the cropping fields or drag the red frame bars in the Preview window. Using the latter method, the resulting numbers dynamically appear in the cropping fields so that you can see a numerical representation of your frame cropping. Hold down the Shift key to constrain the crop to either the source aspect ratio, the source height, or the source width.
Adding Actions 25 You can create automatic post-transcoding actions and apply them to jobs and settings (and thereby also individual targets). Post-transcoding actions simplify and accelerate your day-to-day workflow and make it easy to share your work with others. You can quickly create and deliver output media files for the iPod, iPhone, Apple TV, MobileMe, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, the web, and YouTube without having to open any additional applications.
About the Actions Pane You can use the Actions pane in the Inspector to set options related to transcode completion notification emails, post-transcoding AppleScript options, and default destinations. “Email Notification to” checkbox Choose button The Actions pane contains the following items. • Email Notification to: If you want to be notified when a particular transcoding job has been completed, select this checkbox and enter the appropriate email address in the text field.
How to Add Setting Actions You use the Actions pane in the Inspector window to set post-transcoding options for your output media file, such as sending an email, adding metadata to QuickTime files, or transferring the transcoded file to a streaming web server or to DVD Studio Pro. To add an email notification to your setting 1 Open the Settings tab, or open a batch with a job that has a setting applied to it. 2 Select the setting in the Settings tab that you want to modify.
5 Navigate to the relevant AppleScript file and click Open. The path to the AppleScript file appears below the Choose button. Make sure the checkbox is selected; otherwise, the script won’t be applied to the setting. See About the Actions Pane for more details. Using AppleScript Droplets Follow these steps to ensure that your script will successfully process Compressor output media files.
For general information about writing scripts using AppleScript, go to http://macscripter.net. Adding Job Actions You can use job actions to automate your transcoding workflow. For example, you can automatically upload output media files to web streaming sites such as MobileMe and YouTube, burn DVDs and Blu-ray discs, trigger Automator workflows, transfer output media files to iTunes, open output media files in other applications, and create web reference movies.
The Job Action tab consists of a single “When job completes” pop-up menu. The list below details the purpose of each option in this pop-up menu. For a detailed description of the user interface for each option, see About Job Actions. • “When job completes” pop-up menu: Use this pop-up menu to select and apply a post-transcoding action for a job selected in the Batch window. Note: Blu-ray output options are available only on computers that have Final Cut Studio installed.
Add to iTunes Library Use this form to automatically add output media files to iTunes. • “Add to Playlist” pop-up menu: Use the “Add to Playlist” pop-up menu to add the output media file to a particular playlist in your iTunes media library. Note: The first time you use this feature, this pop-up menu will be empty. To populate this menu with playlists from your iTunes library, choose Refresh from the “Add to Playlist” pop-up menu.
Important: For information about using Share to burn dual-layer discs, see Using Job Actions to Burn Dual-Layer Discs. • Output Device pop-up menu: Use this pop-up menu to choose the device to format to. The pop-up menu displays a list of your system’s suitable output devices, including optical drives and the computer’s hard disk. Choose Hard Drive to create a disk image (.img) file that you can burn to DVD media at a later time using the Disk Utility application (available in the Utilities folder).
An AVCHD disc can be thought of as a simpler HD disc that is burned to red laser media. The resulting disc plays in Blu-ray Disc players that are compatible with the AVCHD format. This means that you can burn a disc that contains HD video content and some basic menu features using a standard DVD burner and play that disc in compatible Blu-ray Disc players. See About the H.264 for Blu-ray Disc Encoder Pane for information on creating H.264 streams suitable for Blu-ray discs and AVCHD discs.
• Play Movie: Choose this option to play the movie. • “Use Chapter Marker Text as Subtitles” checkbox: Select this checkbox to have marker text appear as subtitles. This is particularly useful for creating Blu-ray Disc dailies . This allows you to line up a series of clips or scenes and identify each item with a marker text-subtitle. Note: Subtitles are not supported on AVCHD discs. • Include Loop Movie Button checkbox: Select this checkbox to add a “Loop Movie” button to the menu.
Create Web Reference Movie Use this form to create a reference movie that enables a web browser and a server to automatically select the right movie for any device or connection speed, without requiring the viewer to make a choice. • ”Web reference movie destination” field and button: Use this field and the associated Choose button to define a destination folder for the output web reference movie. Click the button to open a dialog for locating and selecting the folder.
Open with Application Use this form to specify an application to open the output media file. • Open With pop-up menu: Use this menu to either confirm or select the application that will open the output media file. Publish to MobileMe Use this form to enter information about movies you want to publish to a MobileMe Gallery on the web. When you choose Publish to MobileMe, Compressor creates three targets for each source media file: Mobile, Medium, and Large.
For information on manually adjusting the number and the details of the targets created by the Publish to MobileMe job action, see About Targets and Modifying an Assigned Setting. • Username: Use this field to enter a MobileMe member name. Do not include “@me.com” or “@mac.com.” The MobileMe member name is required for successful uploading. • Password: Use this field to enter a MobileMe password. The MobileMe password is required for successful uploading.
• “Edit Names and Passwords”: Select this option to open the Names and Passwords dialog in which you create names and passwords to restrict viewing of your published movies. You can assign only one name and password to each movie, but you can use the same name and password for multiple movies. Names may contain letters, numbers, underscores, and one dot (.). Names and passwords are case sensitive. Passwords must contain four or more characters.
Note: To upload multiple YouTube output media files in one batch, create a separate job for each output media file. Important: You must complete all fields for successful uploading. • Username: Use this field to enter a YouTube username. • Password: Use this field to enter a YouTube password. • Title: Use this field to enter the name of the movie you are publishing. • Description: Use this field to enter a description of the movie you are publishing.
Using the Preview Window 26 The Preview window has two main roles. You can use it to play your source media file in its original format, or you can preview your source media file with whichever settings have been assigned to it. This chapter covers the following: • About the Preview Window (p. 309) • Previewing a Clip (p. 315) • Transcoding a Portion of the Clip with the Preview Window (p. 320) • Adding Markers to a Clip (p. 321) • About the Preview Window Keyboard Shortcuts (p.
You can also use the Preview window to enlarge the Preview screen size, manually add I-frames (MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 only), and designate a portion of your media file for transcoding using the In and Out markers. The Preview window allows you to play batch items before submitting them for transcoding and allows you to compare versions of your clip to ensure that the quality of the output media file is acceptable.
Batch Item Selection Control Area You can use the batch item selection area to choose specific items from the Batch window to show in the Preview window. Batch Item selection buttons Batch Item pop-up menu • Batch Item selection buttons: Use these buttons to click backward or forward through the list of source media files and clips with settings available for previewing. As you click through the list, the selected batch item appears in the batch item pop-up menu.
Preview Screen Area The Preview screen area displays the currently selected batch item. Split screen slider Cropping dimensions (also seen in Source Inset fields in the Geometry pane) Cropping boundary Cropping handle for the lower-right corner The Preview screen also contains the following items. • Split screen slider: Drag the split screen slider any distance across the top of the Preview screen to get a comparison view between the source media file (left side) and output media file (right side).
Note: If your source media file has a timecode track with a specific timecode, the timecode of the clip will appear in the playback timecode field. For everything else, the timecode will start with 00:00:00:00. • In and Out points: Use these if you want to transcode only a section of your source media file, rather than the whole thing. Drag the points to indicate the Start and End points within the source media file that you want to transcode.
• “Move to previous marker” or “Move to next marker” buttons: Moves the playhead to the previous or next marker, or to the start or end of the clip if no more markers are present. • Fast Backward and Fast Forward buttons: Allow you to play your clip in either direction at twice the normal speed. Hold down a button to continue scanning in either direction. • Playback Loop button: Click to play the media in a continuous loop. Marker Pop-Up Menu Use the Marker pop-up menu to manage the clip’s markers.
• Show Edit/Cut Markers: Controls whether markers automatically placed at each edit point by another application, such as Final Cut Pro, are shown in the timeline. A checkmark indicates they are shown. • Set poster frame: Choose this item to make the current frame the poster frame. A poster frame is a still image that represents a video or audio media file or a podcast chapter in applications such as iTunes and the Finder. By default, the first frame in a video file is the poster frame.
2 Do one of the following: • Choose a source media file from the Batch Item pop-up menu (identified by its filename). Selects the default color bars image. The original source media file “Nancy at table CU 5.” A setting applied to the source media file “Nancy at table CU 5.” The checkmark indicates that this is currently being viewed in the Preview window. • Click the Batch Item selection buttons until the source media file appears in the pop-up menu.
• Click the Batch Item selection buttons until the clip with a setting appears in the pop-up menu. • Select the clip’s setting in its job in the Batch window. Both Source and Setting (Output) View buttons are active so you can switch between these two views. Because you selected a setting, you can use the split screen slider and cropping boundary in the Preview window. 3 Click the Setting view button in the upper-right corner of the Preview window.
Note: The more you reduce the clip image by cropping it, the larger the scale factor of the output image will be (as the framing geometry conforms to the settings of the output size ratio rather than to the source file settings). This effect is similar to zooming in on an image, which results in larger pixels and overall image degradation. So make sure that you don’t crop in so far that the image is enlarged past its original size relative to the original size of the frame.
9 If you want to make the display frame size of your output media file different from that of your source media file, open the Geometry pane in the Inspector window and choose a preexisting value from the Frame Size pop-up menu or enter different output size values in the relevant fields. Note: MPEG-2 is limited to preestablished display frame sizes based on MPEG-2 specifications. In this instance, all output size items are unavailable.
Playing Dolby Digital Professional (AC-3) Files in the Preview Window You can use the Preview window to play back Dolby Digital Professional (AC-3) files. Compressor includes a Dolby Digital decoder so that when you add an AC-3 source media file to a batch and play it, you are able to hear it using your computer’s current speakers.
• Drag the playhead to where you want transcoding to begin and click the Set In Point button. In point Playhead Out point Set In Point button Set Out Point button 4 Do one of the following: • Drag the Out point to the appropriate location. • Drag the playhead to where you want transcoding to end and click the Set Out Point button. The only segment of the media file that will be transcoded is between the two points that you set. The rest of the clip will not be transcoded.
• H.264 for DVD Studio Pro • H.264 for Apple Devices You can set and configure markers for other output file formats, but they will not be included in the encoded output file. Types of Markers Compressor can import and create the following types of markers. • Chapter markers: Chapter markers allow easy access to index points throughout a DVD, QuickTime movie, or podcast. Compressor and DVD Studio Pro can both read chapter markers exported from Final Cut Pro.
Manually Adding and Removing Markers The Preview window includes comprehensive marker support, including the ability to manage markers already added to the source media file, manually add or remove markers, and import chapter marker lists (described in Adding Chapter or Podcast Markers to a Clip). To add a compression marker to your clip 1 Open the Preview window. 2 Choose the Show Chapter/Podcast Markers and Show Compression Markers items from the Marker pop-up menu, so there is a checkmark by them.
A blue marker appears in the timeline. A blue marker appears under the playhead after the marker is added. Compression markers can be converted to chapter or podcast markers by using the Edit option of the Marker pop-up menu. See Adding Chapter or Podcast Markers to a Clip for more information. To remove a marker from your clip 1 Click either the “Move to Previous Marker” or “Move to Next Marker” control to move the playhead to the marker you want to remove.
• Press M. A blue compression marker appears in the timeline. 3 Open the Markers pop-up menu and choose Edit (or press Command-E). A dialog for editing the marker appears. 4 Choose Chapter or Podcast from the Type pop-up menu. 5 Enter a name for the marker in the Name field. For chapter markers, this name appears in the output media file where it can be seen with QuickTime Player, in DVD Studio Pro (where it can be edited), and in playback devices.
You also have the option of importing a chapter marker list. These lists can use either the QuickTime TeXML format (an XML-based format for constructing 3GPP-compliant timed text tracks in a QuickTime movie file) or the plain text chapter list files supported by DVD Studio Pro. See Creating Plain Text Chapter Marker Lists for information. To import a chapter marker list 1 Open the Preview window.
About the Preview Window Keyboard Shortcuts For a complete list of Preview window keyboard shortcuts, see Preview Window Keyboard Shortcuts in the Keyboard Shortcuts chapter.
Creating and Changing Destinations 27 Compressor allows you to choose where to save your transcoded files. Without a selected destination, the output file is saved to the same folder as the source media file. This may be satisfactory for your needs, but if there are various remote uploading servers, or if you just want a specific type of output file to end up in a specific location, you must assign that destination.
About the Destinations Tab You use the Destinations tab together with the Inspector window to create, modify, or remove your destination settings and add file identifiers to your output media filename. Duplicate button Default destinations Add and Remove buttons Default filename identifiers Filename Template pop-up menu Sample filename line Custom destinations The Destinations tab contains the following items. • Destinations list: This lists destination names and pathnames.
• Duplicate button: Makes a copy of the selected destination, placing it in the Custom folder. Using this option allows you to create a new destination from a preexisting destination, which you can then adjust according to your needs, rather than creating a new destination from scratch. • Remove (-): Removes a selected custom destination from the Destinations tab immediately. You are not asked for confirmation, so be sure you want to remove the destination before clicking this button.
• ftp or iDisk: Select the type of remote destination you want to create. • ftp: Select this button if the destination is an FTP server. • iDisk: Select this button if the destination is an iDisk. • Host Name: (Required) Name of the host server. Compressor assumes that the URL scheme being used is ftp, so you don’t need to enter this or any other URL scheme. For example, a valid host name for this field would be da0101wa-dhcp191.lemur.com/ or an an IP Address, such as 192.168.001.
• Sample From Defined Template: Displays a sample of what the output filename will look like with any file identifiers you have added. You cannot edit the Sample line, but it changes dynamically based on the file identifiers you add or delete. • Path: Displays the path to the destination folder. Creating a Destination You use the Destinations tab with the Inspector window to create and assign a destination and to add file identifiers to your output file.
The Destination Selection dialog appears. 3 Navigate to your chosen destination folder or open mounted volume, then click Open. A new destination called Untitled Local-1 appears in the Custom folder of the Destinations tab along with the path to the folder you just assigned. 4 Double-click the new destination in the Destinations tab. The Inspector window opens, showing relevant information for the new destination.
4 Click OK. Once you have at least one destination in the Destinations tab other than Source, you can set a new default destination. To change the default destination 1 Choose Compressor > Preferences. 2 Use the Default Destination pop-up menu to choose from the list of existing destination presets. The destination you choose appears as the default destination when you import a new source file in the Batch window.
Deleting and Duplicating a Destination You can manage destinations by deleting those you no longer need and creating new ones based on existing destinations. To delete a destination 1 Open the Destinations tab. 2 In the Destinations tab, select the destination you want to remove, then click the Remove (–) button, or press Delete. Important: There is no confirmation step in this process, so you need to be sure you want to remove the destination before clicking the button.
2 In the Destinations tab, select the destination you want to copy, then click the Duplicate button. Duplicate button A new entry appears in the Destinations tab with Copy appended to its name. This destination is identical in all other ways. Rename the duplicate destination as appropriate.
DVD Studio Pro includes the ability to automatically locate and, if applicable, import or use an audio file when you import or use a video file with the same root name. For example, if you assign a video file to a menu’s background, DVD Studio Pro looks for an audio file with the same name and automatically sets it as the menu’s audio. The default Compressor destinations add the Setting name to the filename.
Using Droplets 28 Compressor allows you to save one or more settings or groups of settings into a Droplet. A Droplet is a standalone preset created by Compressor, packaged into a drag-and-drop application and saved as an icon. When you drag source media files to a Droplet icon, they are automatically submitted for transcoding using the specified embedded settings. The transcoding process begins, whether or not Compressor is open. Drag selected source media files to a Droplet to transcode them.
Creating Droplets Droplets are easy to create, and once created, allow you to quickly and easily submit source media files for transcoding. Compressor offers two methods for creating Droplets, each with its own advantages. In the Settings Tab, you can use the “Save Selection as Droplet” button. And, in the File menu, you can choose the Create Droplet item.
You can only select destinations that have already been created using the Destinations tab. If no custom destinations have been created, only four default Apple destinations appear in the Choose Destination pop-up menu. See Creating a Destination for more information about destinations. 5 Click Save. Your newly created Droplet appears as an icon at whatever location you selected. You are now ready to use it for transcoding.
4 Use the “Destination for files created by the droplet” pop-up menu to choose a destination folder for the output media files that the Droplet will create. You can only select destinations that have already been created using the Destinations tab. If no custom destinations have been created, only four default Apple destinations appear in the Choose Destination pop-up menu. See Creating a Destination for more information about destinations. 5 Click Save.
See About the Destinations Tab for more information on using file identifiers. Destination pop-up field Source files table Individual jobs Jobs table Submit button “Show window on startup” checkbox Job Type Filename Template Show Info button Add Output and Remove Output buttons Action checkbox (only present for some job types) Job type identifier The Droplet window contains the following items. • Destination Folder: This field displays the path to the destination folder for the output media file.
• Jobs table: Each job in this table represents a separate media file that will be generated from each item in the Source files list. • Filename Template: Compressor automatically enters a filename in this field for the output media file. The first part of the filename is based on the source file name. Compressor also automatically appends an output type identifier (such as “iPod” or “YouTube”) at the end of the filename. You can manually edit any portion of the filename by double-clicking it.
If this checkbox is not selected, double-click the Droplet icon to open its window and see the settings. Show Details button “Show window on startup” button See About the Droplet Window for more information about Droplet settings. Show/Hide Details Button Use this button to open or close the action drawer for any particular job. You can use the action drawer to apply and adjust job actions. For more information about post-transcoding actions, see Adding Job Actions.
Info Button Click the Info button on any job to get detailed information about the resulting output media file. “Show info for” pop-up menu Note: If you are transcoding multiple source files, you can use the “Show info for” pop-up menu in the Info dialog to choose which particular source media file will have its details displayed. Using a Droplet to Transcode Source Media Files Once you have created a Droplet, you can transcode source media files by dragging them to the Droplet icon.
• If the “Show window on startup” checkbox is selected: The Droplet window opens with the source media files displayed in the Droplet Source Files table. Proceed to step 2 to submit your batch. If the Droplet window opens, you can view its full details as well as add, remove, and modify settings and source media files. You can also modify the filenames for the output media files using the Filename field and change the destination folder for the output media files that the Droplet will create.
8 Open Batch Monitor if you want to view the processing status of your source media files. See the Batch Monitor User Manual for more information. If a Droplet window is open, you can drag your source media files directly to the Source Files table and submit them for transcoding. To transcode source media files using an open Droplet 1 Double-click the Droplet icon to open it. 2 Using the Finder, locate the source media files and drag them into the Droplet’s Source Files table.
One or more new target rows appear on the job, populated from the Droplet's properties, including settings and destinations. Droplet Tips Here are some additional tips on using Droplets to transcode source media files.
A Appendix Keyboard Shortcuts Compressor keyboard shortcuts can maximize your efficiency with Compressor. This appendix covers the following: • General Compressor Keyboard Shortcuts (p. 351) • Preview Window Keyboard Shortcuts (p. 352) General Compressor Keyboard Shortcuts Keyboard shortcut option Function I Brings the History window to the front. 1 Brings the Preview window to the front. 2 Brings the Settings tab to the front. 3 Brings the Destinations tab to the front.
Keyboard shortcut Function I option Submits the current batch. Submits a batch from an open Droplet. return Removes a selected item from the Batch, Preview, or Destinations window. delete Navigates up list items in the Batch, Destinations, Settings, and Filters lists. Navigates down list items in the Batch, Destinations, Settings, and Filters lists. Navigates through text fields in all panes. tab shift M shift ? Opens the Mount Cluster Storage dialog. Opens Compressor Help.
B Appendix Solving Problems If you are having trouble working with Compressor, look here for answers to your questions. This appendix covers the following: • Resources for Solving Problems (p. 353) • Solutions to Common Problems (p. 353) • Contacting AppleCare Support (p. 358) Resources for Solving Problems If you run into problems while working with Compressor, there are several resources you can use to find a solution.
Exporting from Final Cut Pro and Distributed Processing You can use Compressor to transcode sequences or clips from within other applications, such as Final Cut Pro. This saves time and hard disk space by eliminating the need to export self-contained media files before processing them.
4 Enable file sharing on the computer where the scratch disk (Media1) is located (in the Sharing pane of System Preferences, click Services and then select Personal File Sharing). 5 On each computer in the intended cluster, mount the scratch disk you specified in step 3 (in the Finder sidebar, click Network, navigate to the computer that contains the Media1 disk, click Connect, and select Media1).
6 On each computer in the intended cluster, mount the hard disk (Media1) where the media files and QuickTime reference movie are located (in the Finder sidebar, click Network, navigate to the computer that contains the Media1 disk, click Connect, and select Media1). 7 In Compressor preferences, specify cluster options settings: a Choose Compressor > Preferences, or press Command-Comma (,). The Preferences window appears. b Choose “Never Copy Source to Cluster” from the Cluster Options pop-up menu.
Using Apple Qmaster with an NFS Server By default, Apple Qmaster uses /etc/exports to define its Cluster Storage export. This can cause a conflict if you defined an NFS export in your local NetInfo database. When you enable a controller using Apple Qmaster 2 or later, Apple Qmaster uses /etc/exports, not entries defined in your NetInfo database. To work around this issue, either move the exports to /etc/exports, or move the controller to a computer that doesn’t export anything.
Contacting AppleCare Support Information about the support options available from Apple is included in your Final Cut Studio package. Several levels of support are available. Whatever your issue, it’s a good idea to have the following information immediately available when you contact Apple for support. The more of this information you have to give to the support agents, the faster they will be able to address your issue.
C Appendix Using the Command Line If you are accustomed to doing your work from Terminal shells, and you need or prefer to run Compressor from the command line with minimal use of application interfaces, this appendix is for you. This appendix covers the following: • Installing Apple Qmaster from the Command Line (p. 359) • Using the Command Line for Distributed Processing (p. 360) • Using Scripts to Run Apple Qmaster, Compressor, and Batch Monitor (p.
Using the Command Line for Distributed Processing The following sections describe how to issue shell commands (from the command line) to run your distributed processing network. Shell Commands for Configuring Service Nodes and Cluster Controllers As an alternative to using the Apple Qmaster pane in System Preferences, you can use the command qmasterprefs, with command-line options for enabling and disabling service node and cluster-controlling services.
Preference command option Description -cluster [options] Turns cluster-controlling services on or off. All [options] are: -service “name” [on|off] [options] Turns service on or off. Valid names are Rendering or "Compressor Processing".
µ To change the cluster storage path to an Xsan volume Enter the following: qmasterprefs -cluster off storagepath /Volumes/XsanVol µ To change the number of Compressor Processing services from 2 to 4 Enter the following: qmasterprefs -service "Compressor Processing" off sharing on instances 4 µ To turn off the Rendering service Enter the following: qmasterprefs -service Rendering off µ To turn on unmanaged services for Compressor Processing Enter the following: qmasterprefs -service “Compressor Proce
Additionally, if you specify -batchfilepath, then -jobpath, -settingpath, and -destinationpath are not necessary because the previously saved batch file already contains information about the job, settings, and destination. Example of -batchfilepath: Compressor -clustername "This Computer" -batchfilepath "/Volumes/Hermione/SavedCompressorBatches/FreeChampagne.
Submission command option Description -help Displays information regarding the required parameters for the Compressor command. Example of Compressor Command XML The code below is an example of XML code for submitting a Compressor command. Notice that because it needs to be entered as one command line, every character after -options that isn’t alphanumeric must be preceded with a backslash (\). ./Compressor -clusterid tcp://127.0.0.1:51737 -batchname myBatch -jobpath /Volumes/Source/ShortClips/NTSC24p.
Submission command option Description -clustername Use to specify the name of the cluster to which you want to send the job. Using the cluster name, Apple Qmaster looks for the cluster on the network in order to use it. -batchname Use to specify a name for the batch so that you can easily recognize it in Batch Monitor. -clusterid Optionally, you can use -clusterid to enter the cluster ID and port number instead of using -clustername.
Note: Apple Qmaster stores the XML code for the last command you entered in ~Library/Preferences/com.apple.AppleQmaster.plist. You can copy the command in XML form there, and customize it to use for a new job submission. Shell Commands for Monitoring Batches You can use the Batch Monitor command, Batch options for monitoring jobs.
Monitoring command option Description -timeout Use to specify the number of seconds before Batch Monitor can quit when looking for a cluster. The default value is 0, which puts no limit on the timeout and allows Batch Monitor to browse the network for as long as it needs to find the cluster. -query Use to specify how frequently, in seconds, the job status should be updated. -kill -jobid -batchid Cancels the specified job or batch.
Compressor Script Example #!/bin/csh -f # # set env var, COMPRESSOR_LOCATION if not set # if ${?COMPRESSOR_LOCATION} == 0 then pushd `dirname $0` >& /dev/null setenv COMPRESSOR_LOCATION /Applications/Compressor.
