4
Table Of Contents
- Compressor 4 User Manual
- Contents
- Welcome to Compressor
- Getting Started Quickly
- Ways to Use Compressor
- The Basic Transcoding Workflow
- The Compressor Interface
- Compressor Windows and the Transcoding Workflow
- Creating and Managing Compressor Layouts
- Working with the Compressor Windows
- Batch Window
- Settings Tab
- Destinations Tab
- Inspector Window
- History Window
- Preview Window
- Apple Qmaster Sharing Window
- Share Monitor
- Droplet Windows
- About Changing Values and Timecode Entries
- Keyboard Shortcuts
- Setting Compressor Preferences
- Importing Source Media Files
- Creating, Previewing, and Modifying Settings
- Finalizing Jobs and Submitting Batches
- Creating AIFF Files
- Creating Common Audio Format Files
- Creating DV Stream Output Files
- Creating Dolby Digital Professional Output Files
- About the Dolby Digital Professional Encoder Pane
- General Information About Creating Dolby Digital Professional Files
- Converting Stereo Audio Files to Dolby Digital Professional Format
- Assigning Files to Surround Sound Channels (Manual Method)
- Assigning Files to Surround Sound Channels (Automatic Methods)
- Assigning Files to Surround Sound Channels with Droplets
- Options for Spatial Mixing
- Creating H.264 for Apple Devices Output Files
- Creating H.264 for Blu-ray Disc
- Creating Image Sequence Files
- Creating MP3 Output Files
- Creating MPEG-1 Output Files
- Common Uses for MPEG-1
- MPEG-1 Specifications
- About the MPEG-1 Encoder Pane
- About the MPEG-1 Video Tab
- About the MPEG-1 Audio Tab
- About System and Elementary Streams
- MPEG-1 Transcoding Workflow
- Configuring the MPEG-1 File Format for Web Use
- Configuring the MPEG-1 File Format for DVD Use
- Creating the MPEG-1 Video for DVD Setting
- Creating the MPEG-1 Audio for DVD Setting
- Optional—Creating an MPEG-1 for DVD Group and Destination
- Creating MPEG-2 Output Files
- Creating MPEG-4 Output Files
- About MPEG-4 Part 2
- About the MPEG-4 Part 2 Encoder Pane
- Using Default MPEG-4 Part 2 Settings
- Customizing MPEG-4 Part 2 Settings
- Audio Podcasting Workflow
- Stage 1: Configuring the MPEG-4 Output for Audio-Only Output
- Stage 2: Including Podcasting Information
- Stage 3: Applying the Setting to a Source Media File’s Target
- Stage 4: Entering Annotations for the Output Media File
- Stage 5: Creating and Configuring Markers for the Output Media File
- Stage 6: Submitting the Job and Verifying the Output Media File
- Adding Additional Settings and Presets
- Creating QuickTime Export Component Files
- Creating QuickTime Movie Output Files
- Adding Filters to a Setting
- Working with Frame Controls
- Adding Geometry Settings
- Adding Actions
- Using the Preview Window
- Creating and Changing Destinations
- Using Droplets
- Apple Qmaster and Distributed Processing
- Distributed Processing Basics
- Basic Components of the Apple Qmaster Distributed Processing System
- Getting Started Quickly Using This Computer Plus
- Getting Started Quickly Using QuickClusters
- The Interfaces in the Apple Qmaster Distributed Processing System
- Apple Qmaster Sharing Window of Compressor
- General Information About Clusters
- Options in the Apple Qmaster Sharing Window of Compressor
- Managed vs. Unmanaged Services
- Turning Cluster Controller Services On or Off
- Using Virtual Clusters to Make the Most of Multicore Computers
- Setting a Service Password for Including a Computer in a Cluster
- Scheduling Service Availability
- Using Cluster Storage
- Defining Ports for Service Advertisements
- Recovery and Failure Notification Features
- Creating Clusters with Apple Qadministrator
- Setting Up for Part-Time Distributed Processing with Shake
- Appendix A: Keyboard Shortcuts
- Appendix B: Solving Problems
- Appendix C: Using the Command Line
4 Choose an aspect ratio from the Aspect Ratio pop-up menu or select its Automatic button.
You must determine whether the intended shape of your source video is 4:3 (normal) or
16:9 (widescreen) before you can choose your aspect ratio.
5 Choose a field dominance setting based on your source media type from the Field
Dominance pop-up menu. For example, for DV choose Bottom First. Or choose the Field
Dominance Automatic button to let Compressor determine the correct setting.
6 If you want to use the timecode from your source video, leave the “Choose start timecode”
checkbox unselected. Otherwise, select this checkbox and enter a new timecode.
7 If you have selected the “Choose start timecode” checkbox, and if your video format is
NTSC, select the “drop frame” checkbox if you want to use drop frame (rather than
non-drop frame) timecode.
See Video Format Tab for more information.
Stage 2: Choosing Quality Settings
In the Quality tab, you set the MPEG-2 encoding attributes that have the greatest influence
on the resulting quality of your MPEG-2 video output file: encoding mode, average and
maximum bit rate, and type of motion estimation.
To open the Quality tab and choose the Quality settings
1 Click the Quality button in the MPEG-2 Encoder pane to open the Quality tab.
Choose a Motion
Estimation setting.
Choose a mode that
fits your time and
quality requirements.
Choose bit rates that
fit your file size and
quality requirements.
2 Make a selection from the Mode pop-up menu.
For best image quality, choose “One pass VBR Best” or “Two pass VBR Best.” For faster
encoding, with excellent image quality, choose “One pass VBR” or “Two pass VBR.” For
HD sources, choose either “One pass VBR Best” or “Two pass VBR Best.”
With two-pass modes, the source media file is examined on the first pass and transcoded
on the second pass, with bit rates tailored to the video content. Alternatively, one-pass
modes transcode the material more quickly, but allocate bits less optimally than do the
corresponding two-pass modes.
Note: If you are using two-pass VBR with distributed processing enabled, you may want
to deselect the Allow Job Segmenting checkbox in the Encoder pane. See Job Segmenting
and Two-Pass or Multi-Pass Encoding for more information.
214 Chapter 18 Creating MPEG-2 Output Files