Posting AVI's

# 1 01-07-2006 , 12:03 AM

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I just finished a nice test I would like to share. The problem is that the final .avi is something like 216 megabytes...a bit large, methinks! I downloaded one finished avi of at least a minute's duration, and it was only 56MB. Mine is only just over nine seconds long!!!!

I only know the bare bones basics of After Effects, so I haven't yet been able to figure out how to shrink the file size in that program. I could try it in Flash, but I'm not sure all of you would appreciate an .swf file.

The .Tiff files I rendered (in Mental Ray) are 640X480, preview quality. I tried removing the sound, but the file still weighs in at 212 MB...not much of a drop!

I'm wondering if there's a way to shrink the size of an avi once it's been rendered. I only have 200 MB of web space, so it wouldn't even fit there!

I suppose I can re render all of the pix at 320X240, but that would take too long.

Any ideas, or am I going to have to post stills? :-)

Thanks in advance!

"Ad astra per aspera..."

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# 2 01-07-2006 , 10:46 AM

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have u tried hosting it on stuff like google video as they have 2hr plus movies on there

being a noob at ae as well i cant help u with that part

Now at SMU doing BSc 3D Computer Animation so its hard to get on here
My wire render tut https://forum.simplymaya.com/showthre...threadid=20973

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# 3 02-07-2006 , 04:43 PM

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The simplest way would be using Virtualdub. Just follow these easy steps and you'll get what you want:

1. Open the first frame of your animation
2. Press ctrl+p
3. Select Xvid (will only be in the list if you have the Xvid codec installed) and press "Ok".
4. Under File choose "Save as avi"

This will give you a very small video that you can post anywhere.

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# 4 02-07-2006 , 07:24 PM

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Thanks for the advice, guys! Unfortunately I don't have the Xvid codex (never even heard of it, though I DO have a "Divx" player! :-) ).

What I DID figure out is as follows, and I really should have known this beforehand!

I could have easily rendered out the test as .jpegs rather than .tiffs.

Tiffs look really nice, and that's the format I will use for my reel. JPEG's look almost as nice and are about a fifth to a quarter the size of tiffs, so technically I could now post the test on my website! Of course I now either have to render out the whole thing as .jpegs, or I have to import all of the tiffs into Photoshop and save them one by one as jpegs. I may just try rendering everything as JPEG's tonight and see how it all adds up tomorrow!

I will keep everyone posted!

Thanks...!

"Ad astra per aspera..."

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# 5 03-07-2006 , 01:38 AM

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I use Videostudio to convert my AVI's . . . to MPEG files . . . it reduces them a lot. Maya could stand to have a render function to MPEG . . .

"The Sage as an Astronomer: If you still see the stars as something above you, you lack the eye of knowledge." Friedrich Nietzsche

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# 6 03-07-2006 , 07:08 AM

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Lt Jim: You can use FCheck (found in the startmenu together with Maya) to batch convert all of your images. Open your animation in there and then save it using another format such as jpeg. For future referens I do recommend you render out to .tga (targa) at first instead. Targa has better quality than jpeg and jpeg can also give you artifacts on images.

The Xvid codec can be found here and Virtualdub here. I highly suggest than you follow my previously posted steps after installing these since that will give a very small video in the end.

Hope that helps user added image

skywola: Even if Maya had the option to render to mpeg you shouldn't use it for the same reason you shouldn't render straight to avi.

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# 7 03-07-2006 , 09:49 AM

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Pardon my ignorance, but is that reason because of higher quality output, smaller file, or better for posting on the web?
I myself am not real concerned about posting on the web, most of what I do I put on a DVD. I suppose it would be good to post some things online now and then though.

"The Sage as an Astronomer: If you still see the stars as something above you, you lack the eye of knowledge." Friedrich Nietzsche

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# 8 03-07-2006 , 11:37 AM

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I think one of the main reasons for not rendering straight to AVI is that maya crashes whist rendering straight to AVI you have pretty much wasted the time as the AVI will be unusable whereas rendering as a image sequence you only loose the frame that the PC was rendering.

You can aslo render stright to MPEG formats via after effects which would save further conversion

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# 9 03-07-2006 , 12:01 PM

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Thanks for your replies, Pursuiter and Skywola!

Pursuiter,

I am familiar with FCHECK. It's one of the playblast options! As for the video codec/virtualdub, I appreciate your hepping me to its location! I will certainly download it and try your method, it certainly seems simple enough!

As for "first renders", I generally prefer Tiff, but again this time I wish to post it online! If TGA's are better than JPEGs and are of comparable size, I will try rendering to TGA's as well. I'm also going to try a mass changeover to JPEGS.

Skywola,

I myself prefer high-end rendering, but in this case I would simply like to share (get comments, &c), and I simply can't post a 212 MB file! I know there are ways to keep quality while reducing file size, and I'm inquiring as to those methods!

Gster,

I use After Effects 6.0 to composite. Unfortunately, my knowledge of AE is minimal. I can (and have) created compositions many times, but usually as RAM Previews (which play back on Windows Media Player but are HUGE). I have not yet been able to render a composition with sound (other than the RAM Previews). Of course I will continue to play around with AE in hopes I will discover its "inner secrets".

Thanks again everybody for your comments!

"Ad astra per aspera..."

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# 10 03-07-2006 , 12:12 PM

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The MPEG options are found in the render que when you "make Movie"

As with a few programms sometimes the default settings for sound are switched off (dont know why but this is the same for Avid Express Pro) so you have to play with the settings to get the desired result.

When I get home I fill post my settings for AE as I managed to get a 100+ Mb file (using the RAM Preview) to approx 300 Kb final rendered!!! That plays fine on media player etc..

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# 11 03-07-2006 , 12:16 PM

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Thanks, Gster, I would really appreciate that! :-)

I've been playing around with the settings on AE and SHOULD be able to get sound in the final render...oh well, I will just keep at it! :-)

"Ad astra per aspera..."

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# 12 03-07-2006 , 05:20 PM

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Whoops sorry Lt Jim I did the compression in Avid Express pro, but heres the settings that I used, dont know if it will help much though.

The compression title was "Windows Media 8 high quality based VBR for Broadband" which is a wma

The above turned a 222Mb avi into a 134kb wma.

So looking at After effects go to make movie then click "Output module" then change "format" to "Windows Media" then change tht format options to the above and hopefullly it should work.

Worth a go??

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