Misrad -

No - you cannot pause the video to insert a title... well - you can - but it won't pause for you when you play the video on your TV.


The only way to do it is what you are doing. Take a snapshot - insert it at the point where you split the video (or beginning of clip). What setting is your preview quality on?

Re the mic issue - I would have a look at you settings in the Sound Control Panel. You can adjust levels there. You shouldn't need to yell!

Cheers - Tony
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Hello Tony, thanks for replying. What I am trying to say is that the images that are embedded with the video are not as sharp as the video. What I want to do is to create the video so that no quality loss is visible. I have a pretty powerful computer and graphic card and the videos are produced in DivX format in order to keep the best quality and compression. I have tried to take the still shot images in .PNG .JPG and .BMP in PD7 but still with no visible improvement. Any suggestions on what I can do? I would be very thankful!

/Mirsad

Misrad -

By what method do you create your screen shots? Are you using the inbuilt "snapshot" feature in PD?

Cheers - Tony
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Quote: Misrad -

By what method do you create your screen shots? Are you using the inbuilt "snapshot" feature in PD?

Cheers - Tony

Hello Tony, thanks for the quick response, yes I am using that one, should I use something else? I asked a guy on YouTube how he created his videos and he responded that he is using Photoshop for the screen shots and Windows Movie Maker to put it everything together.

However, I do not want to use Win Movie Maker as it produces crappy videos and I do not know a thing about Photoshop. I want to keep using PD as it provides me with everything I need beside the snap shot feature, which is of poor quality.

Anyway, here is the link to the video I am talking about. You'll notice that there are no visible changes between the images and the video:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eX0_Prb4eo

Hi Misrad,

I have often used the snapshot or freeze frame method to create a pause, and haven’t really ever experienced any dramatic loss of quality.

Have you confirmed that your Preview is set to High Quality before you create a snapshot? Also, as I’m sure you know, with footage that contains a lot of quick movement, you have to carefully choose which frames you freeze or split, or you will get some motion blur. Though I’m sure you’re not referring to motion blur as being your issue with the snapshot quality (or SQ )

Below is a link to 2 short tests I created to confirm quality.
- In test #1, I carefully chose at which frame to do a split and snapshot/freeze.
- In test #2, I randomly created a split/snapshot in mid motion.
When viewing test #1, if I concentrate on the “Speed” sign for instance, I do see a slight loss of quality at the snapshot pause. And there is still a small amount of motion blur on the main character.
The motion blur of the main character in test #2, is much more pronunced owing to the random split. But the background seems exceptable with only a slight loss of quality.

Over all, the “pause(s)” looks fine to me. Or at least expectable. But that may be subjective. And perhaps my less than youthful eyes need a checkup. Is there an Optometrist in the house?
I have not tried to burn this test to DVD and view it on my TV. Perhaps a quality change at the “snapshot/pause” would be more noticeable on a 37" screen.

http://www.vimeo.com/7283145

Note:
- Source file: 720p sample footage (via internet download) / Divx (1280x720)
- Produced to: WMV HD Standard Quality / PD8 (build 2207)




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Hello Cranston, I have created and attached a file on what I mean. Yes, I have used the high quality preview and I have alsow slowed the video down to 0010 and then took the screenshot. However, I still see the loss of quality. I have created a short video and added the created snapshot at 00:12 to 00:17. The video is just a soccer scene where I am showing how to perform a soccer move. It is for a soccer project.

Please take a look and let me know if there is anything more I can do to improve the quality.

http://uploading.com/files/5a4f6755/Produce_31.avi/

P.S you will need to wait 60 seconds for the download to start.

Thanks in advance!

Hi Mirsad,

I have no specific answer as to why the snapshot pause in the clip you provided, is as noticeably degraded in quality as it is. Or, why it jumps/snaps back.

- In your Preferences, do you have the snapshot file type set to BMP?
A .bmp image format should yield you the highest possible quality, and is also very compatible with, and when, exported to outside photo editors for modification or mask creation.

- What is the source and specs of the raw files you are editing?
Perhaps if you post the source and specs (e.g. format, resolution, etc), of the footage you are editing, someone may have a more helpful observation or solution to the snapshot quality loss.

At this point, the only thing I could think to suggest (as a workaround), is to use the color correction tool to apply a little bit of “sharpen” to your snapshot pauses.
If used in moderation, that may help to improve the difference in clarity between the snapshots and your footage.
Other than that, I don’t know what else you could try. Because as I said, even though I usually do notice a slight change in quality when using the snapshot tool to create a “pause”, the slight change has never been noticeable enough for me to consider abandoning the technique.


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Quote: Hi Mirsad,

I have no specific answer as to why the snapshot pause in the clip you provided, is as noticeably degraded in quality as it is. Or, why it jumps/snaps back.

- In your Preferences, do you have the snapshot file type set to BMP?
A .bmp image format should yield you the highest possible quality, and is also very compatible with, and when, exported to outside photo editors for modification or mask creation.

- What is the source and specs of the raw files you are editing?
Perhaps if you post the source and specs (e.g. format, resolution, etc), of the footage you are editing, someone may have a more helpful observation or solution to the snapshot quality loss.

At this point, the only thing I could think to suggest (as a workaround), is to use the color correction tool to apply a little bit of “sharpen” to your snapshot pauses.
If used in moderation, that may help to improve the difference in clarity between the snapshots and your footage.
Other than that, I don’t know what else you could try. Because as I said, even though I usually do notice a slight change in quality when using the snapshot tool to create a “pause”, the slight change has never been noticeable enough for me to consider abandoning the technique.

Hello again, and thanks for helping me out. Well, I have .BMP and it dosen't help so much either. I have best quality set in the preview. The raw data is MTS filmed in Full HD. I have also attached an image on how I take the screenshot just in case. It would really be awesome if I could get rid of this on some way but right now I don't really know what to do... I have tried your suggestion on the sharpen tool but that is not helping so much...




Thanks again /Mirsad