Which output format for animation + sound?
hrpschrd
Posts: 179
I have working animation AVI files that I now want to add sound to. I have tried using QuickTime format and within Carrara they work fine but outside of Carrara they only play sound. I also want to put these animations into PowerPoint and the QT files only play sound now.
What output file format will produce animation+sound files that play independently?
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What video codec did you set under the options menu for the QT render?
And what media player are you using outside of Carrara?
Do you have QT Player installed?
I use the inexpensive Movie Software from Sony for mixing my avi clips together and adding sound, if that's your question. I love Movie HD, because it is very feature rich, yet easy enough to use - it even has a built in tutorial system that will guide you on a question you have - right in the middle of your own project.
If you don't have anything like that, you might want to just try loading the avi into Carrara as the Backdrop, plunk in your sounds and render it. Never tried it - but I bet it would work. Movie software gives you so much mixing power.
Many people like Adobe products and there's many, many others, like Power DVD, Roxio, Magix, etc.,
many have free trials. I made a pretty cool test movie using the 30 day free trial I got from Sony. Its simplicity with many transitions and such that sold me. I'm already busy enough trying to get more mileage out of my mind in Carrara. I want my production software to just do what I want.
I don't think Carrara will give you both as a separate file - most won't.
In my above post, I'm using Movie Studio HD. In that, I can mute the sound from the avi - if that helps. I add a bunch of sound tracks so that the different sounds can use different effects and at varying volumes.
Virtual Dub is a fairly popular free app that I just couldn't wrap my head around. I don't have a lot of time on my hands. But I believe it has the capabilities of splitting audio and video.
I have found "VirtualDub" does just about everything I need for editing videos (reformatting and a ton of adjustments), mixing audio, and compressing in any format you have installed on your computer. And best of all, it's free.
Agree, I have been using virtuadub for years ;)
I use Lightworks.
The free version has most of the capabilities of a professional editing software and can export mp4 or mov file.
If you like it and need full quick time export (or other format), the pro version is inexpensive ($60) for such a software (for instance, it's been used for movies like 'the king's speech').
there is also Switch. strips the video from the sound
Holly;
I am not experienced in this but I see that the AVI file was uncompressed as was the QT file. The AVI file gave me the error that sound could not be included. Were there compression settings that would have allowed that? If I can use QT, what should the settings be to allow a single file with both video and audio?
I want a single file because I am sending it out to people with no experience with animation and unknown computer capabilities. Would MP4 be a better format?
Thanks (to all) for your help!
I'm afraid you will probably need to have an extra step after you render for best results....
Rendering to uncompressed will give you absolutely the best quality, but depending on your movie resolution your computer may not be able to play the uncompressed file smoothly.... It will also be a very large file to send to other people.
Carrara is not really designed to compress files efficiently. A program that is specialized for editing and re-encoding will give better results (using 2-pass compression, targeted bitrate, etc).
I'm not on a PC, but maybe try one of the programs that have been suggested, you may find that it can preview the original QT+audio and re-encode it to a format that is more convenient to share, and compressed a better quality than Carrara can create on it's own.
As far as I know, you cannot save your audio to an AVI in Carrara, but since I am suggesting an extra step anyway it might be more convenient to render to AVI and add the audio as suggested above...
If you're on a PC,. you can install and use the 32bit version of Carrara, which has Quicktime export support. (there's still no quickime 64 bit)
With quicktime you should have a compression codec called H 264 (under "options" when you select quicktime)
that will give you a small file, which should be easier to send , and should play in windows media player.
I personally find wmv a good compression without loss of quality, not sure if it plays on a Mac but does on my android and nokia phone.
I get there by compiling an image series into avi in virtual dub then rendering in Windows live moviemaker.
Thanks Holly and 3DAGE.
By the way, I am just doing simple technical animations for PPT presentations for work. The molecular animations are very useful to convey complicated actions to non-chemists for example.
I am curious about the use of Carrara in general. Is it a hobbyist art program or do people use it for commercial animations or graphics? I assume on bigger platforms there is bigger software for movies.
Success!
Thanks 3DAGE! Using QuickTime and compression H264 made a .MOV file that plays independently and in PowerPoint.
Kudos.
There are pros that use it as well as hobbyists. Not to sound flip, but if Carrara does what you want and is flexible and affordable, who cares?
I will say that you will have more control of your audio and video elements if you use video editing application to combine them in post production. Remember, Carrara is a 3D program, not an editor. The main purpose of the audio track in Carrara is to help the artist sync actions to sounds. Lip syncing is a great example. Using an audio file of a sound effect to help time an animation is another aspect.
Hi Hrpschrd :)
Glad that works for you,. Quicktime H 264 is what I normally use for draft test renders,. then I'll re-render as sequenced images, with higher render setting, then I'll open that sequence (frames) into a video editor,. (I use After Effects) but any other video editor should allow a sequence of frames to be loaded,. then you can add your sound / Vocal / Backing track / Effects tracks etc,..
then export that for whatever final output format you need.
The question of who uses carrara and why, is a difficult one to answer,.
it's like asking who buys a tool from a hardware store,. ...are they hobbyists,. or professionals,.
Actually, in 3D,. I think the term should be "Student" since what you're doing is learning to use a digitised set of tools which animators and artists have used for years,. you're also learning about lighting, shade and colour,. as well as the technical aspects of how to create shaders or how to animate objects, or light a scene. or composite 3D with video, and those skills will transfer to any other 3D application. so it's more of a learning process than a hobby.
Carrara is capable of producing great quality images, and 3D models. and has a whole bunch of tools and features, (the same tools and feature which you'll see in any other full 3D application) so, for some people, it's an easy and inexpensive way to learn all of the skills to work in 3D. whether the final goal is seeking employment or making your own film, or designing products for manufacturing, is up to the individual user.
Many people may never need use half of the features in Carrara, and may prefer to use ready made content, whether that's a human figure, or carrara plants and scenery.
But,. the option to build those things,. and learn from doing that,. is there in Carrara.
I totally agree with Evil Producer,. it's less about what others do, than,.. does it do what you want it to do for you.
also,. great examples of why using sound in carrara should be a "reference" rather than the final output.
Use a Video editor to load your sequence of images from carrara, adjust the images or add effects, combine multiple layers of sound or images, and finally export.