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vfx_buddy
Participant
June 13, 2021
Question

Automating the import of camera raw sequences.

  • June 13, 2021
  • 2 replies
  • 1198 views

Hello group,
I've been manually importing raw file seqeunces, choosing the necessary ACR profile, making comps and exproting as prores. We only use one particular ACR profile. I have people doing this with hundreds of sequences, daily.

I'm hunting for a way to automate this process. My searching has not revealed a way to to this with raw sequences involved. The scripting guide doesn't even mention raw workflow. Has anyone done this sucessfully?

This topic has been closed for replies.

2 replies

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Paul Tuersley
Inspiring
June 13, 2021

I just did some quick tests with this. I've done a lot of batch automation work but not specifically with ACR. The only way it seems possible to import a new raw sequence without it bringing up the ACR dialog is to replace the footage on the computer's file system with something with the same name, then open the project.

 

But even though ACR has preferences like applying a default preset, I'm not seeing After Effects honouring that in my quick tests. But if that were possible it would be reasonably trivial to have a script copy and rename a sequence into a placeholder sequence, open the project and render. You'd probably need to make the placeholder sequence longer than any possible import so AE doesn't complain about the changed duration, but as the script would know the original name and length you could then easily set the output range / file name for the specific sequence.

 

So if you do some tests and do find that you can change the footage to something with an identical name behind the scenes then reopen the project and have AE stick to the preset that was previously applied, then yes I'd say it can be automated.

 

Equally if you can have AE apply some default 'none' preset on import then use effects applied to the layer to replicate the preset then again that would give it potential for automation.

 

 

V
vfx_buddyAuthor
Participant
June 14, 2021

Thank you for your reply Paul.
That may be the only way. I could run a python script to rename the sequence to match the "placeholder" that's in the template, then revert to the original naming.

But all this sounds like such a hack. I tried running a replace footage command on the "place holder" footage, but it still wants to open ACR.

If only I could suppress the need for ACR to request a profile. I've also tried placing an xml in the sequence folder with the proper ACR profile configs. Still no go.

Anyone ever done this sucessfully?

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Wim_Schalley
Inspiring
June 15, 2021

Hi,

Did you consider ffmpeg? Ffmpeg can do 3D Luts and export QT Prores (even on PC), so if you export your ACR colour profile as a CUBE LUT, you can apply that in ffmpeg.

You could write a python program that checks a watch folder for new raw files. When it detects that no more frames of that sequence are coming in, it could launch a system command to ffmpeg like this: ffmpeg -y -hwaccel auto -i INFILEVID%03d.dpx -c:v prores_ks -profile:v 4 -qscale:v 0 -vendor ap10 -pix_fmt yuv444p10le -s 2048x1152 testout.mov

 

This creates a prores quicktime file of an image sequence with three digits in the filename

Regards,

Wim

S
Community Expert
shachar carmiCommunity Expert
Community Expert
June 13, 2021

i'm asking out of ignorance...

importing footage and exporting at some format seems like a straight forward scripting job. what's special about raw that makes it challenging?

V
vfx_buddyAuthor
Participant
June 13, 2021

Hi, thank you for your question. When importing camera raw files, AE opens ACR to allow you to choose the raw profile you want applied. I haven't been able to suppress this action, so it hinders automation.

S
Community Expert
shachar carmiCommunity Expert
Community Expert
June 14, 2021

perhaps app.beginSuppressDialogs() would do the trick?

(i don't really know. just suggesting a possible solution)

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