Clip loses quality when scaling down and how do I insert a clip in an image?

[elinx]

Hi,

For my film, Im trying to scale down a clip (HD 1910x1080) as I will use this inside an image as screen replacement (image size is also 1910x1080). The clip is of high quality, crisp and clear, but once scaling it, it becomes blurry with lost details. What do I do wrong? Another issue here: When I use the "Corner Pin" functionality, to make the clip fit into the image (the screen), also details in the clip are distorted (text and shapes). Is there another way of doing this (scaling and inserting a clip into an image), without losing all quality?

Should I use After Effects instead (although I have no knowledge at all about After Effects)?

Pls help and thanks in advance!

[Ann Bens]

That is what corner pin does: it distorts the clip to make the clip into a different shape.

Post screenshot.

[elinx]

Hi Ann! Thats why I don't think that corner pin is the right tool for this purpose. How can I scale a clip and preserve the details, as in not loosing the quality? I would love to inklude a screenshot but its from a new UI. I might produce another one, just to show you...

[elinx]

To clarify: These are the properties of the clip, that loses all quality when downscaling (its made with Camtasia):

[Stan Jones]

I see no reason you are not seeing good quality. For testing, no corner pin.

Make sure you have the Program Monitor set for full quality: Wrench icon, and use full quality on playback and paused resolution and "high quality playback."

Add the clip in the timeline and select. In the Effects Panel, set scale to 50%. How does it look?

Stan

[elinx]

Hi Stan!

Program monitor, do you mean the preview in PP? I always export to see the result. Will chosing "full quality on playback and paused resolution and "high quality playback" improve the result? This is what I do:

-I scale down the clip mentioned below to fit into a screen in an image (jpg). This is where it goes all wrong! Example:

Area in the original file:

Same area after scaling:

Once above is done:

-I merge the two layers (clip and image) into one (to be able to later scale up both the screen and the clip). Ive tried to merge these by "Make subsequence", by "Nest" , etc.

Does it matter what I choose when first setting up the project?

[Stan Jones]

Neither of the first two images in your post seemed to come through. Also, if you send more than one image in a post, I cannot expand any but thefirst. (I think this is a new problem in the forum, not your problem.)

No, those preview settings have no effect on export. But if the scaling is a problem, you should see it in preview. If you are exporting, that raises many other issues.

In your steps above, after "Same area after scaling," does that look bad?

If you are merging, nesting, whatever, and then scaling up, that will cause a problem.

Stan

[elinx]

Thanks Stan! I really appreciate your patience here. Same area after scaling looks very bad, all details are lost.

How can it be so tricky? How do I replace a screen and, when I have the new clip, zoom in and out, with retained quality? I mean, its not like I try to invent something new here. 😉

[elinx]

Stan, I tried what you suggested: 0 frames dropped during playback and the same results. This is so strange!

[Ann Bens]

Is playback set to FULL?

[elinx]

Ann: Playback resolution is set to full, yes.

[elinx]

Sequence settings is 25 (after scaling and nested) but the project is 30 (I think)? And the original file is 30. Has that something to do with it?

[Stan Jones]

Yes, framerate change can create issues.

New test. Drag the clip you want to scale from the Project Panel to the "New Item" icon. This creates a sequence with matching framerate etc. Now scale it down there: effect control, 50%. How does it look?

Stan 

[elinx]

Hi Stan! Finally back. 🙂 Thanks for your dedicated support. Seems like that works better; I can now make the clip smaller and zoom in again, but some quality is still lost. Can I improve it in some way? And how do I merge the clip with the image (the screen) in the best way? By nesting (or will nesting cause issues when zooming in again?). How to fill the screen in the clip (its not 100 % the same size as the screen in the image, see draft below, including extremly misplaced screenshot). These two clips have been nested.

[DAS0077]

I am sure it doesn't matter any more to the OP but maybe to anyone else who stumbles upon this thread.  Leave the screen recording at scale 100%  and scale up the monitor image until the screen recording fits into the monitor frame. You may have to adjust your sequence settings so the monitor is not outside the frame.