Would like to hear how you guys are arriving at HD quality with your stuff. I batch everything in photoshop to 1280x720, then use quicktime to compile. I use the H.264 codec and set it to 5000kb/sec. My frame rate depends on how fast I want the scene to move usually. Do you have to run at 24fps for true HD? I'd like to start getting things right so when the day comes when I can burn blu-ray discs or if I ever get my computer hooked up to my 1080p set I don't have to go redo all my videos.

Keeping the source data set is my solution. Things change so fast that I question any codec/solution today. H264 (as far as I know) is a 'delivery' codec vs 'archive' or 'editing'. Along the same line, I've dug up sets from years ago and composted them with great results today...

Wish I had an answer because I'm feeling the same urge to start burning some blu-ray... I have CS3 and I know it can prep it but I've yet to get a drive and try the workflow.

My "archive format" is one or other flavors of Black Magic 1080p video.
You can get a free QT codec on their site, for Mac and PC.

I'm mostly shooting jpg sequences, so almost everything drops to 8bit or 8bit YUV at the end, but if I do a RAW sequence I'd think about keeping a 10 bit copy.

I also keep all the shots backed up.
Ouch, I feel a new Hard drive coming on soon.....

oh I understand now
Have you tried authoring a blu-ray data set via encore? If your sans cs3, I'd try it for you... I'm heading to a buds/w burner projector n player soon. I should prep some of my stuff as well...




check out the thecus n4300 or n5200br and/or the drobo. I use the n5200 for editing and the drobo for backup/archive. 3tb redundant ---- 800G used

I keep the RAW frames as my "archive" and try to keep a CC'd 1080p PSD image sequence. Then you always have the absolute highest quality to go back to.

As far as an intermediate codec, I guess motion JPEG is an option. Animation. Cineform. I've never tried the serious codecs like DPX or Cineon, but maybe I will look into those. I have Cineform Aspect HD 720p, but upgrading to 1080p or 2K is like another $1,200 dollars.

You are able to render as lossless x264 for no loss in quality (obviously) at your chosen resolution and framerate.

No, I've managed to avoid all the authoring complications, I'm in Scotland and that side of things is in (believe it or not) Portugal, so...... I just send files....

I have enough memories of being at the bleeding edge of DVD authoring, although they seem to have had (some) less problems getting the first BR project out the door..... but for us here..... not really having 25p support is a pain

I'm still new to this, most of this topic has lost me. At least as far as quicktime is concerned, how do I end up with the best quality?

Best quality is uncompressed video, which gives huge file sizes.

We are more or less just talking about ways that give a good balance between size and quality. The Black Magic QT codec is one option, another could just be Quicktimes with photo jpeg compression. Cineform is more compressed but (comparatively) very small files for the quality.....

For a true archive format it's better to go for the quality above a lower file size - we are not dealing with THAT long duration files at the end of the day.

For my workflow I basically import everything as an image sequence into Premiere or After Effects depending on what kind of editing I have to do to it. I do this with the full size jpegs str8 out of the camera. The AE or Premiere projects are usually setup for 1080p 24fps, then I usually scale down to about 64-65% and then move the sequence to frame it how I want. You usually have to crop off a little bit of top and bottom to fit the 16x9.

I've thought of batch resizing in Photoshop before, but to me I don't like the idea of loosing all that resolution before even starting my timelapse. I also like to do in image pans and zooms, so you want to start with the highest resolution possible so if you do zoom in you don't loose quality unless you go past the 1080p plane per say.

Another consideration would be microcosm. You have to purchase it but will save a lot of drive space and it's 64 bit.

http://toolfarm.stores.yahoo.net/dianmi.html

Red Giant now owns Microcosm and will be giving it away for free this fall - I paid $99 US for it last year.

"Free Products: Microcosm, Color Theory and Plasma FX will all be released as free products in Fall 2008 once they are tested by our QA department."

Cheers,
cd

Personally, I just keep the source photos archived and work from those every time directly.
Where repairs are made (cloning out spots etc) I'll keep an extra set of "fixed" photos to work from.
Hard drive space is getting cheaper all the time. I really need to buy a large free standing raid array. Having 14 individual hard drives is getting a bit much .

True, I'm keeping the raw files along with the AE project files. That's the most efficient storage option.
Where microcosm works is if I want to keep the uncompressed quicktime handy (at about 1/6th the size of animation) so I don't have to re-render the AE project.
Anyway...microcosm is the best solution to date.
Cheers,
cd