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Hi, this is a Apple 4444 Pro Res file that I bring into premiere and export at these settings, it comes out pixelated and not looking great, how can I fix this?
It shouldn't be looking this bad
Images attached
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Please post comp specs, Premiere version and build.
Also screenshots of MediaInfo info in Treeview on footage used, sequence settings
https://mediaarea.net/en/MediaInfo
Please next time embed the images so we dont have to open them one by one.
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Hi Ann, seuqence settings and media info below
General
Complete name : /Volumes/VideoMaster/SUSAN/wetransfer_2024-04-26_prores4444_hd_sdr_2024-04-26_1545/2024-04-26_prores4444_HD_SDR/2024-04-26_susan_prores4444_HD_SDR_rec709_legal_OAR_25FPS.mov
Format : MPEG-4
Format profile : QuickTime
Codec ID : qt 2005.03 (qt )
File size : 17.6 GiB
Duration : 9 min 51 s
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 256 Mb/s
Frame rate : 25.000 FPS
Encoded date : 2024-04-26 15:08:40 UTC
Tagged date : 2024-04-26 15:08:40 UTC
Video
ID : 1
Format : ProRes
Format version : Version 1
Format profile : 4444
HDR format : SMPTE ST 2086
Codec ID : ap4h
Duration : 9 min 51 s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 256 Mb/s
Width : 1 920 pixels
Height : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 25.000 FPS
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:4:4
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 4.937
Stream size : 17.6 GiB (100%)
Writing library : afl0
Language : English
Encoded date : 2024-04-26 15:08:40 UTC
Tagged date : 2024-04-26 15:08:40 UTC
Color primaries : BT.709
Matrix coefficients : BT.709
Mastering display color primaries : BT.709
Mastering display luminance : min: 0.0000 cd/m2, max: 100 cd/m2
Gamma : 2.400
Other
ID : 2
Type : Time code
Format : QuickTime TC
Duration : 9 min 51 s
Frame rate : 25.000 FPS
Time code of first frame : 01:00:00:00
Time code of last frame : 01:09:51:20
Time code, stripped : Yes
Language : English
Default : No
Encoded date : 2024-04-26 15:08:40 UTC
Tagged date : 2024-04-26 15:08:40 UTC
Let me know what you think, I need to export for online use so H.264 really
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Premiere Pro version 24.3.0
Build 59
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From what I can see of the actual image involved, it's very low on exposure. What did the scopes show of the image, Waveform or Parade?
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Hey, the Pro Res 4444 file back grom grade is fine, its just when exporting that file to h.264
Waveform and also the export of the still to show how I need to get the mp4 looking
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I have to go to 50mbps to get the quality I'm looking for on the mp4 but that'll make the file massive as its a 9 minute short film
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Your exposure is low enough there that you will probably be getting notable video noise and if exporting to long-GOP, I would expect some would even 'block' together. Therefore requiring a higher bitrate to get around that.
Something that a lot of people don't understand, is you don't light and shoot a 'dark scene' as dark, you shoot 'normal' exposure, then grade it to dark. But making sure your exposure is well above noise-floor levels in shooting.
For instance, I do video tutorials for pro colorists on ... working the computer. And when I am working, my 'suite' is that fairly dark, gray curtained room with only D65 Medialights illuminating the room ... barely! ... and providing the bias light behind the monitor on the gray surround curtains.
But when I'm shooting for tutorials, showing the use of that Tangent Elemements panel, the space is fairly bright, quite a bit lighter in reality, so I don't have video noise nor blocked up shadows. And I grade it to look as an appropriate colorist's working setup.
Night scenes for full TV and movie productions can be expensive because of lighting an acre or more with cranes and massive scrims hung above the scene, spots/rim lights of all kinds hidden behind trees or 'deep' in windows ... more lights than you would ever imagine, as every edge of a character or scene item needs to show. And will only do so when lit that way.
Then of course, it's graded 'down' mostly in the mids/upper mids. And you "see" it as a real night scene.
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This is the grade, it wasn't shot as dark as this and was shot normal exposure
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But still, are you exporting to H.264/5, long-GOP?
If so, then the compression pattern of that format kicks in. A large part of the compression is looking at blocks of what, 4, 6, 8 pixels? If they are very close, they simply make them all the same.
Like a block of 18/14/23 - 17/15/22 - 18/13/22 - 16/14/21 becomes a block of four indentical pixels at 17/14/22.
With that done to a fair amount of the area, blocks of slightly different values, you get "macro blocking". At higher resolutions, it looks on most screens like basic pixelation.
Which is why you need the vastly higher bitrates in those areas to avoid that. However, YouTube/Vimeo et al will frequently cut the rates back in those areas during playback ... sigh.
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...how can I fix this?
By @SiHutch
What happens if you use CBR instead of VBR and also un-check Render at Maximum Depth and Use Maximum Render Quality. Set the CBR bitrate to 30.
You can also try to set the Key Frame Distance from 72 to 25.
And, how does it look if you render out to Apple ProRes?
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Thanks boss, will try that 🙂
Very helpful thank you