Problem importing .mov file into AS7

BunyanFilms · Post by **BunyanFilms** » Tue Jun 29, 2010 7:05 am

Hi. I'm trying to to import some video footage for rotoscoping into ASpro7 but things are not working.
It will import from the "import movie" from the file menu. However the frame rate is wrong. Here is my movie file http://www.bunyanfilms.com.au/hightower ... CC-sc2.mov
The clip is supposed to be 83 frames in length. But in ASpro7 it comes in at something like 74 and then a red arrow appears in amongst the frame numbers of the time line that seems to indicate some sort of out point of the video images but doesn't correspond with the real frame length of the video clip. I have tried the same video file in ASpro5 and there is no problem at all. Work fine in Flash as well.
I can't find much in the manual regarding the green and red arrows that appear on the time line at the top where the frame number are.

Has anyone had this problem or am I just not seeing something.

heyvern · Post by **heyvern** » Tue Jun 29, 2010 7:50 am

Length in 'frames" depends on the FPS of the AS file.

If your movie is "83 frames" what is the FPS? If the movie file is a different FPS than the AS file of course the frame "length" won't match. Different frames per second... different length.

I just did a test. AS file, 30 fps. Exported a 48 frame animation. Imported that video into a 24 fps AS file, that video was only 38 frames in length instead of 48.

24fps/30fps = .8 or 80%

80% x 48 frames = 38 frames (38.4)

-vern

BunyanFilms · Post by **BunyanFilms** » Tue Jun 29, 2010 8:05 am

Vern. Thanks for your quick reply.
The As project is set to 25 fps. The .mov file is 25 fps. Sorry I should have said what the frame rate was.

heyvern · Post by **heyvern** » Tue Jun 29, 2010 8:22 am

If both files are the same fps then the imported movie should be the same frame length in the AS file.

I have not encountered any problems with file length or importing movie files. The "red arrow" is the length of the movie file imported. Double check to make sure that the file you import really really is supposed to be longer than it says in AS. The red arrow simply indicates the length. If it is 73 or whatever in AS than that's how long the file is.

Did you export from AS? If so are you absolutely certain that the length of the AS document was 84 frames? Many times I THINK I changed the length of the AS animation but actually forgot to change it.

Also make sure the fps wasn't "changed" during "encoding" on export. If you use QT for export you can actually CHANGE the fps AFTER the rendering from AS. Other than that I can't say without seeing the entire process you use to get to that point.

-vern

BunyanFilms · Post by **BunyanFilms** » Tue Jun 29, 2010 9:05 am

OK, it seems that the original file (that was supplied by the show's director) was in Sorenson Video 3 Decompressor, 600 x 350, Millions QDesign Music 2, Stereo, 44.100 kHz.

I have tried running the animation out in Apple Animation codec which seems to have fixed the problem and is now importing in at the correct frame total. The H264 codec has also worked.

So I guess watch your codecs in ASpro7

Antony

heyvern · Post by **heyvern** » Tue Jun 29, 2010 9:24 am

Most likely the original file was a different FPS than stated. If you didn't create the file than you can't be absolutely sure about the fps. I have dealt with many people; clients, content providers who often are... uh... "misinformed" (polite way of saying "idiots"

) You can't always trust the information provided if you are getting incorrect results.

If you reexported to 25fps than that fixed the problem because It changed the fps of the original. The codec won't have an effect on FPS. It only effects the quality or compression of the video.

-vern

BunyanFilms · Post by **BunyanFilms** » Tue Jun 29, 2010 9:34 am

It's strange as the same Sorensen file when opened in Quicktime reads as 25 fps. Also when I import the Sorensen file into ASpro5 it opens OK.