aenhancers

Hello,

We need an AE script that probably needs a hook into an Applescript. What we want to do is have some sort of "watch" folder that the user can drop an SD movie into, launches After Effects which in turns uprezes the SD to HD with pillars on the sides.

We tried Compressor and weren't happy with how it handled the uprezed fields.

Any help or advice would be appreciated.

Hey Scott,

I think you'll be happier digging deeper into compressor or trying one of the other dedicated transcoding apps like Cleaner or if money is a factor some of the great open source tools like Streamclip, ffmpeg, et al. I've been knee deep in transcoding for years now and the workflow issues are much more streamlined in these kind of tools and usually the problem you're having is just an esoteric setting away from being solved. just MHO.

Dale

The problem with Compressor so far is that it seems to scale the video without deinterlacing first. This just turns the image into more mush and doesn't reintroduce correct interlacing. Granted, I may have something set wrong, but I don't think so. I've sent my settings and droplet to Apple's Compresor PM, but haven't heard yet. It sure would be great if it worked.

I will check into the other solutions you mentioned. (I've already looked at Cleaner but there doesn't seem to be any way to add side pillars.)

Thanks.

We do a lot of transcoding in my work, and find that in many situations where other apps fall down, Canopus Procoder comes out champion.

Trial available from their website, here: http://www.canopus.com/products/ProCoderSW/index.php

Scott_S wrote:Hello,

We need an AE script that probably needs a hook into an Applescript. What we want to do is have some sort of "watch" folder that the user can drop an SD movie into, launches After Effects which in turns uprezes the SD to HD with pillars on the sides.

Any help or advice would be appreciated.

Pretty easy. First you need to familiarize yourself with AppleScript's "Folder Actions". You can enable an applescript (AS) for a given folder that waits until something is added to the folder. You can check for the correct filename extension, etc. The AS would 'tell' AE to import the appropriate movie files, then, via the "doScript" command, run a particular AE script (either the text of the script itself, or a js/jsx file). This AE script would take whatever movie files are already imported into the project* and create the necessary comps, solids (if necessary), then whatever additional actions you want (add to render queue, render to original folder** with whatever name adjustment, etc.)

*some error correction would be needed if someone has an open unsaved AE project that someone wasn't aware of.
**there is a slight problem to overcome having to do with passing data from AS to AE's js -- but it's really not tough

If you have any more questions, or more info, you can post here, or email me using the address available at my crgreen dot com web site.

Hey Scott,

Once you get the applescript part worked out, you can use the code from my Fit2Frame script to handle the letterboxing part:

http://aescripts.com/2005/08/30/fit2frame/

-Lloyd