Larry Jordan

[This article was first published in the February/March, 2007, issue of
Larry's Free Monthly Newsletter. Click here to subscribe.]

Dave Haldiman, of Madison, Wisconsin, writes:

What suggestions can I tell to the art director for providing image files specifically for video, that will avoid the pixelation problem? Is there a filter that will smooth edges of graphics and text, without blurring them?

Larry replies: Still images cause more problems for Final Cut users than any other subject, except for system setup.

Keep in mind that video, unlike PhotoShop is EXTREMELY low resolution. Also, pixelization will be accentuated when displaying the videos on an LCD monitor at more than 100% size and viewing the monitor up close.

Rule #1: All video is bitmapped at a fixed size and resolution. This means, by definition, all images are composed of small rectangular pixels. Any edges that are not perfectly horizontal or vertical will always show stair-stepping.

Because video is fixed in resolution, all you are doing when displaying video to a larger screen is making the pixels bigger -- and, thereby accentuating the pixelization. The worst thing you can do is look closely at video displayed on a large monitor.

Here are things to avoid for your text and images:

• Serif fonts
• Point sizes smaller than 24 point
• Thin horizontal or vertical lines
• Lines that are almost, but not quite, horizontal or vertical
• Lines thinner than 4 pixels
• Finely detailed images
• Curvy fonts or lines

Also, because video is a fixed size, if you zoom an image, all you are doing is making the pixels bigger. There is NO anti-aliasing in video. Therefore, you are simply aggravating your pixelization.

Remember, it is NOT the dpi of the image -- unlike print -- it is the total pixels across by the total pixels down. If you want to zoom a 4:3 NTSC image, create it at 1800 x 1350 x 72 and you'll be able to zoom it by 2.5x.

Video is best at showing motion and emotion. For this reason, keep your graphics moving and people won't notice the stairstepping so much.

Here's an article that goes into a lot more detail:

http://www.larryjordan.biz/articles/lj_grfx_look.html

Larry Jordan is a post-production consultant and an Apple-Certified Trainer in Digital Media with over 25 years experience as producer, director and editor with network, local and corporate credits. Based in Los Angeles, he's a member of both the Directors Guild of America and the Producers Guild of America.

The information in this article is believed to be accurate at the time of publication. However, the author assumes no liability in case things go wrong. Please use your best judgment in applying these suggestions.

The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. This newsletter has not been reviewed or sanctioned by Apple or any other third party. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners and are mentioned here for editorial purposes only.

Links to my website home page or this article are welcome and don't require prior permission.

Larry Jordan is a post-production consultant and an Apple-Certified Trainer in Digital Media with over 25 years experience as producer, director and editor with network, local and corporate credits. Based in Los Angeles, he's a member of both the Directors Guild of America and the Producers Guild of America.

The information in this article is believed to be accurate at the time of publication. However, the author assumes no liability in case things go wrong. Please use your best judgment in applying these suggestions.

The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. This newsletter has not been reviewed or sanctioned by Apple or any other third party. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners and are mentioned here for editorial purposes only.

Links to my website home page or this article are welcome and don't require prior permission.