Assignments

Compression Exercise

Compress multiple versions of your Self-Portrait project using the 5 NTSC presets (and 3 custom presets) in Compressor.

For this exercise you will use the DV-format QuickTime movie that you output from Final Cut Pro (and imported into iMovie).

First, import the DV QuickTime movie into Compressor. This will create a batch job. Then select the 5 NTSC compression presets and assign them to the batch. Check your output settings to make sure the files are going where you expect them to go and that the "preset" name will be appended to the filename.

You can also duplicate existing presets and customize the settings to achieve a better balance of size and quality. Duplicating the broadband web preset 3 times. You now have 3 more presets which you can customize. By default, the MPEG-4 presets use CRB compression. You can change your presets to use VBR compression, which is more efficient. Try using a low, medium, and high VBR setting with each of the presets and compare the results to the CBR default setting.

When you have set up the job, click "Submit" and Compressor will begin processing the job.

You can view the progress of the jobs in the "Batch Monitor" window. Compressor will produce 8 MPEG-4 format video files which vary is file size, data rate, and quality. You will turn in this assignment by making a folder on the drop box and placing your 8 movies in it. Make sure your folder is named with your first and last name and that your file names describe the preset that was used.