720 to 1080 uprez at DVinfo.net

Daniel Alexander · September 1st, 2008, 12:08 AM

Hi, I've been trying to figure this out for a while. I often here people referring to 'up-rezzing' footage in final cut pro i.e. 720p to 1080p and im very curious to how this is done. Is it as simple as dropping some 720 footage onto a 1080 timeline and fcp automatically scales it up thus creating an uprezzed piece of footage? and if so how does this fair compared to alternative methods such as red giants instand hd?

I ask because i will be filming a short film soon and i plan to record in 1080p on my sony ex1 however i need to film some slow motion shots in camera so this means using the 720p setting for those shots and im just trying to figure out how i can put these clips together in a 1080 timeline and not have attention drawed to the 720 footage when it comes up.

Any advice would be great, thanks :)

Christopher Drews · September 1st, 2008, 12:39 AM

This is done by scaling. There are various approaches, each with their own benefits. For ease of use, when you drop your footage inside a 1080 24p final cut pro sequence, your 720 footage will be scaled. This usually is done by final cut pro creating a render file in your capture scratch folder. The other way, which I prefer, is using a dedicated application to do your scaling. I prefer after effects CS3 because of it's track record and great motion estimation. Although, you can also scale up in Compressor or Sorenson Squeeze.

So the short answer is, if you are satisfied with how your 720 footage looks in your 1080 sequence, no need to go elsewhere than final cut pro. If you're going for a film out or mastering on HD-CAM SR, then you'll want another application to do the heavy lifting.

Hope this helps,
-C

Daniel Alexander · September 1st, 2008, 04:38 AM

Thanks Christopher, I think i will be using the After Effects route then, how exactly is this done as i'm not quite sure on the process?

Jon Goulden · September 5th, 2008, 12:23 AM

Media Manager in FCP will 'uprezz' to whatever you specify. I happened to run across an article recently that compared the various video editing suites in this area. Some were faster but FCP came out on top in quality of output.

Christopher Drews · September 6th, 2008, 12:03 AM

Sorry Daniel, I'll have to disagree with you. From my experience AE's scaler leaves FCP in the dust. I upconverted 43 tapes for a feature and tried various methods (including FCP). AE's footage was crisper and without artifacts (not to mention the de-interlacing was flawless).

Jon when you open AE just click on your footage and hit Apple+F. This will open the interpret function. Check the resize box and change your resolution. Add it to the render queue and you're good to go.
-C

Jon Goulden · September 6th, 2008, 07:39 PM

Here's the article link I mentioned earlier BUT I see that it compares 2006 products.
Given how everyone keeps improving the comparison is probably not relevant today.

Multicam Roundup: Part 1

The Red Giant software gets some good marks.

Review - Red Giant Software's Magic Bullet Instant HD Advanced

Daniel Alexander · September 7th, 2008, 12:26 PM

Thanks guys. Christopher, im supresed you wouldn't use red giant's instant HD for this?

September 1st, 2008, 12:08 AM	#1
Daniel Alexander Major Player Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: West Midlands, UK Posts: 320	720 to 1080 uprez Hi, I've been trying to figure this out for a while. I often here people referring to 'up-rezzing' footage in final cut pro i.e. 720p to 1080p and im very curious to how this is done. Is it as simple as dropping some 720 footage onto a 1080 timeline and fcp automatically scales it up thus creating an uprezzed piece of footage? and if so how does this fair compared to alternative methods such as red giants instand hd? I ask because i will be filming a short film soon and i plan to record in 1080p on my sony ex1 however i need to film some slow motion shots in camera so this means using the 720p setting for those shots and im just trying to figure out how i can put these clips together in a 1080 timeline and not have attention drawed to the 720 footage when it comes up. Any advice would be great, thanks :)

September 1st, 2008, 12:39 AM	#2
Christopher Drews Major Player Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 628	This is done by scaling. There are various approaches, each with their own benefits. For ease of use, when you drop your footage inside a 1080 24p final cut pro sequence, your 720 footage will be scaled. This usually is done by final cut pro creating a render file in your capture scratch folder. The other way, which I prefer, is using a dedicated application to do your scaling. I prefer after effects CS3 because of it's track record and great motion estimation. Although, you can also scale up in Compressor or Sorenson Squeeze. So the short answer is, if you are satisfied with how your 720 footage looks in your 1080 sequence, no need to go elsewhere than final cut pro. If you're going for a film out or mastering on HD-CAM SR, then you'll want another application to do the heavy lifting. Hope this helps, -C

September 1st, 2008, 04:38 AM	#3
Daniel Alexander Major Player Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: West Midlands, UK Posts: 320	Thanks Christopher, I think i will be using the After Effects route then, how exactly is this done as i'm not quite sure on the process?

September 5th, 2008, 12:23 AM	#4
Jon Goulden Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: United States Posts: 32	Media Manager in FCP will 'uprezz' to whatever you specify. I happened to run across an article recently that compared the various video editing suites in this area. Some were faster but FCP came out on top in quality of output.

September 6th, 2008, 12:03 AM	#5
Christopher Drews Major Player Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 628	Sorry Daniel, I'll have to disagree with you. From my experience AE's scaler leaves FCP in the dust. I upconverted 43 tapes for a feature and tried various methods (including FCP). AE's footage was crisper and without artifacts (not to mention the de-interlacing was flawless). Jon when you open AE just click on your footage and hit Apple+F. This will open the interpret function. Check the resize box and change your resolution. Add it to the render queue and you're good to go. -C

September 6th, 2008, 07:39 PM	#6
Jon Goulden Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: United States Posts: 32	Here's the article link I mentioned earlier BUT I see that it compares 2006 products. Given how everyone keeps improving the comparison is probably not relevant today. Multicam Roundup: Part 1 The Red Giant software gets some good marks. Review - Red Giant Software's Magic Bullet Instant HD Advanced

September 7th, 2008, 12:26 PM	#7
Daniel Alexander Major Player Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: West Midlands, UK Posts: 320	Thanks guys. Christopher, im supresed you wouldn't use red giant's instant HD for this?