losing picture quality when doing slideshows with Final Cut Pro at DVinfo.net

Rishi Kumar · May 15th, 2009, 12:54 PM

Whenever I put images in final cut and export them, the quality of the images look utter garbage. The pictures im taking are 2848X4288. Whatever Frame Size I make and whenver i Export them, the images doesnt look as sharp.

Could anyone suggest that I do something so I can keep the same quality of pictures?

thanks!

Mitchell Lewis · May 15th, 2009, 02:45 PM

Need more details. What video format are you editing in?

William Hohauser · May 15th, 2009, 04:29 PM

Any common video format, HD or SD, is a lower resolution than your original pictures. The viewers of your finished product don't have the originals to compare so they should enjoy what they see be it on DVD or an HD format.

If you want to make a presentation utilizing the full resolution of your photos, you might want to explore Keynote, PowerPoint or a photo presentation program. You will have to connect a computer to the LCD or projector by DVI or RGB for this to work best.

Rishi Kumar · June 22nd, 2009, 12:23 AM

the major problem with using another video, is I want to put images in my wedding videos, however, the pictures i notice never look very sharp

Robert Lane · June 22nd, 2009, 01:06 AM

When you import an image into any NLE timeline you're forcing that application to downscale the image to fit the video format pixel size you're editing in. No video editing program is optimized for down-scaling still images to fit video.

The best thing to do is pre-scale your still images to fit the frame size of the format you're editing in; use any image-editor and down-scale your stills *first* before importing them into your timeline, this will have a dramatic effect on how good your images look.

Check out the chapter in the built-in help manual for FCP about "Working with still images".

Boudewijn de Kemp · June 22nd, 2009, 01:33 AM

You can also try and built your slideshow in After Effects.
This will leave you much more in control.

Nigel Barker · June 22nd, 2009, 11:21 AM

I am not clear what exactly you are doing wrong but I can drop images 5616x3744 onto a 1920x1080 timeline mixed in with video. I animate them with a Ken Burns effect & they look great.

What resolution video are you working with? If you are taking your 2848X4288 images & putting them on an SD timeline then they likely will look like poor compared to the originals but if your video is intended for viewing on a TV it probably will look OK when viewed thus.

William Hohauser · June 23rd, 2009, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rishi Kumar

the major problem with using another video, is I want to put images in my wedding videos, however, the pictures i notice never look very sharp

Are you rendering everything? Sometimes I have to force render some photos that FCP thinks are ready for real-time playback.

Pete Cofrancesco · June 23rd, 2009, 10:23 PM

I find if I don't apply a blur filter to still images I get a nasty flicker on crt televisions. I opt for soft rather than flicker I'm not sure if the blur is needed for non interlaced photos from a camera or whether its needed for interlaced stills from video. I've noticed loss in quality but I think what someone said is true that resizing it before it is imported gives you a cleaner picture.

May 15th, 2009, 12:54 PM	#1
Rishi Kumar Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Toronto Ontario Posts: 55	losing picture quality when doing slideshows with Final Cut Pro Whenever I put images in final cut and export them, the quality of the images look utter garbage. The pictures im taking are 2848X4288. Whatever Frame Size I make and whenver i Export them, the images doesnt look as sharp. Could anyone suggest that I do something so I can keep the same quality of pictures? thanks!

May 15th, 2009, 02:45 PM	#2
Mitchell Lewis Trustee Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Kennewick, WA Posts: 1,124	Need more details. What video format are you editing in? __________________ Sony EX3, Canon 5D MkII, Chrosziel Matte Box, Sachtler tripod, Steadicam Flyer, Mac Pro, Apple/Adobe software - 20 years as a local videographer/editor

May 15th, 2009, 04:29 PM	#3
William Hohauser Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: New York City Posts: 2,650	Any common video format, HD or SD, is a lower resolution than your original pictures. The viewers of your finished product don't have the originals to compare so they should enjoy what they see be it on DVD or an HD format. If you want to make a presentation utilizing the full resolution of your photos, you might want to explore Keynote, PowerPoint or a photo presentation program. You will have to connect a computer to the LCD or projector by DVI or RGB for this to work best. __________________ William Hohauser - New York City Producer/Edit/Camera/Animation

June 22nd, 2009, 12:23 AM	#4
Rishi Kumar Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Toronto Ontario Posts: 55	the major problem with using another video, is I want to put images in my wedding videos, however, the pictures i notice never look very sharp

June 22nd, 2009, 01:06 AM	#5
Robert Lane Go Go Godzilla Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Scottsdale, AZ USA Posts: 2,823 Images: 15	When you import an image into any NLE timeline you're forcing that application to downscale the image to fit the video format pixel size you're editing in. No video editing program is optimized for down-scaling still images to fit video. The best thing to do is pre-scale your still images to fit the frame size of the format you're editing in; use any image-editor and down-scale your stills first before importing them into your timeline, this will have a dramatic effect on how good your images look. Check out the chapter in the built-in help manual for FCP about "Working with still images".

June 22nd, 2009, 01:33 AM	#6
Boudewijn de Kemp Regular Crew Join Date: May 2009 Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands Posts: 63	You can also try and built your slideshow in After Effects. This will leave you much more in control.

June 22nd, 2009, 11:21 AM	#7
Nigel Barker Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK Posts: 3,531	I am not clear what exactly you are doing wrong but I can drop images 5616x3744 onto a 1920x1080 timeline mixed in with video. I animate them with a Ken Burns effect & they look great. What resolution video are you working with? If you are taking your 2848X4288 images & putting them on an SD timeline then they likely will look like poor compared to the originals but if your video is intended for viewing on a TV it probably will look OK when viewed thus.

June 23rd, 2009, 10:23 PM	#9
Pete Cofrancesco Inner Circle Join Date: May 2004 Location: USA Posts: 3,005	I find if I don't apply a blur filter to still images I get a nasty flicker on crt televisions. I opt for soft rather than flicker I'm not sure if the blur is needed for non interlaced photos from a camera or whether its needed for interlaced stills from video. I've noticed loss in quality but I think what someone said is true that resizing it before it is imported gives you a cleaner picture.