problem with macroblocking on primiere pro 2.0

Jasta85 · Post by **Jasta85** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 6:05 pm

i'm making a really heavy duty amv on primiere pro 2.0 that is using something in the area of 50 episodes along with a lot of stuff like masks.

but partway through making my amv (once i filled up about 40 seconds on the timeline) i noticed that i was getting some really nasty macroblocking problems, these are not just a little fuzz, i mean actual noticable squares were sticking out all over the place

here's the worst example in my amv making so far, not all of the macro blocking are this noticable but some are pretty bad

now i know in the guides there is a way to use amvsynth to clean up macroblocking but this is so bad i dont know if it could handle it. does anyone have any advice as to what i can do to clean this up a bit cause i really dont want my amv to end up like this if i can help it, and there's nothing wrong with the source material, i already checked it

Jasta85 · Post by **Jasta85** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 6:06 pm

picture didnt show up so i'll just post a link
http://s178.photobucket.com/albums/w261 ... ence01.jpg

Scintilla · Post by **Scintilla** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 6:28 pm

Does this only happen on rendered preview files? If so, then quit Premiere and restart. I still don't know any other way to fix that little problem of Premiere Pro's.

Kariudo · Post by **Kariudo** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 6:29 pm

what codec is your footage encoded with? (list other properties as well)
what are your project settings?
what mode and codec are you using for video previews?

Jasta85 · Post by **Jasta85** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 7:15 pm

this particular episode is XVID compression, 23 fps, data rate 127 kbps (i just noticed its different from some other eps i have which are DivX compressed)

anyway, the specs for my project are:
Editing Mode: DV NTSC
Timebase: 29.97

Video Settings:
Frame size: 720h 480v (0.9)
Frame rate: 29.97
Pixel aspect ratio: D1/DV NTSC (0.9)
Fields: Upper field first

Audio settings: sample rate 44100 samples/second

Video Rendering:
Maximum Bit Depth: On
Preview File Format: DV NTSC
Compressor: DV NTSC
Color depth: Millions of colors

i read the primiere pro guide on how to set up a project but that was for an older version as they dont have a 2.0 guide so i wasnt sure as to some of the settings since they were different, i probably switched something wrong in there somewhere, thanks for the help

Kariudo · Post by **Kariudo** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 7:30 pm

the 24fps footage in 30fps project can't be helping (I did this by accident on my latest amv...but it didn't cause any problems)

the divx/xvid might be a factor as well as upper field first.
at 24fps the footage should be progressive.

try choosing no fields (progressive scan) and re-encode your clips with lagarith

Jasta85 · Post by **Jasta85** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 8:40 pm

sorry, havnt gotten online for a bit

ok, i have some problems following your advice, for instance
you said the 24fps in 30fps project is bad, i can understand that but DV NTSC only gives me the options of:
30 fps Drop-Frame Timecode
30 fps Non Drop-Frame Timecode
Feet+Frames 16mm
Feet+Fream 35mm
Frames

i'm not sure what other would be better, what option did you pick?

you said at 24fps the footage should be progressive, i dont really know what that means. and finally, the only options i have as far as fields are: Upper Field First and Lower Field First, there is no "no fields".

Is DV NTSC what you usually pick for editing mode? or is there a better version. It's the only one ive ever used simply because someone told me it produced the best video quality
thanks again for your help

Scintilla · Post by **Scintilla** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 8:46 pm

Jasta85 wrote:Is DV NTSC what you usually pick for editing mode? or is there a better version. It's the only one ive ever used simply because someone told me it produced the best video quality

No. For AMVs, you want Video for Windows ("Microsoft AVI"), not DV.

The problem with DV is that it locks you into using a specific frame rate (29.97 for NTSC, 25 for PAL), resolution (720x480 for NTSC, 720x576 for PAL), and codec (DV).
Even setting those issues aside for the moment, whoever told you DV produces the best video quality was lying. DV codecs aren't lossless, but you can use lossless codecs such as HuffYUV and Lagarith if you edit in Video for Windows mode.

Jasta85 · Post by **Jasta85** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 9:05 pm

when i export my amv i use Windows.avi but for the project settings, u have the choice of Desktop, DV NTSC, DV PAL, DV 24p, and a bunch of other stuff which i dont really know anything about, but windows avi isnt included there

also, i forgot to ask before, how would i reencode my eps with lagarith. a friend provides me with video materials so i dont know much about them myself

Jasta85 · Post by **Jasta85** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 3:36 am

(they really need an edit button)
ive determined that it is most likely the frame rate, however, as i mentioned in my post above, i have a bunch of options and dont know which is best. Windows avi is also not a choice when chosing the project settings, which of those choices works better than DV NTSC?