iUseApple

Now that I am done editing my video masterpiece, it may be time to output the video to a format necessary for the Internet. Uploading a video to YouTube is pretty easy. Making it look good is a bit of a challenge. Most online videos are plagued with artifacts, pixelations, and lag time (the latter is mostly dependent on my Internet connection). But I have a Mac, so I can make a fantastic looking video for the web using Final Cut Studio, iMovie, or Quicktime Pro.

Last time I heard, about 20% of the population has actually purchased a HDTV for their home. Yet everyone seems so content watching the poorest quality video on YouTube. Now that AppleTV has been released, a flood of similar products will probably hit the market. This will bridge the gap between online videos and television. It is time to start making online videos at a reasonable quality for both the Internet and TV.

I am going to make this easy by providing the settings necessary to output a fine looking video for the Internet with Final Cut Pro near the end of this post. This method can also be done with the Output/Share settings in Quicktime Pro or iMovie. It is important to note: All video editing applications created by Apple use Quicktime as a backbone. Every Apple video editing application basically outputs video using the screens below (written during the release of Final Cut Pro ver. 5.1.2, Quicktime ver. 7.1.3).

In video speak we want the following: A video with a 300 kbits/sec data rate, small file size, a resolution of 640×480, 22.050KHz AAC audio compression, few key frames, and high quality. I will elaborate on these points below for the beginner.

Data Rate

This is an extremely important concept to understand. Streaming video is really only available to those with a high speed connection to the Internet. 56k modems just don’t cut it. This is because streaming video needs to transfer at speeds higher than around 100 kilobytes per second, double that of a 56k modem. Basically, video needs a bigger pipe to fit through. Most high speed connections can transfer at speeds up to 700kbps. A poor high speed connection can transfer at around 100 kbps.

Most video we capture from a camera is extremely large in file size and quality. To make video suitable for the Internet, we need to “compress” the video to make it fit through the pipe we want.

In order to compress the video we need to choose a codec for it. A video codec is similar to the make of an automobile. There are various makes of cars out there: Audi, Ford, Subaru, Saab to name a few. They all have four wheels and can be driven by a person, but each has a distinct look and feel. Video comes in all shapes and sizes. DV, HD, MPEG2, H.264, for example. The latter is what we will be using, since H.264 is ideal for streaming video and was created by Apple.

Small File Size

All of the settings I explain in this tutorial are targeted to result in a video of the best quality / smallest file size. If the file size is small, this means the video can fit through the pipe we want quickly. This will prevent lag over the Internet, at the expense of quality. This solution will yield a good quality with a small file size.

640×480 Resolution

This is the Standard Definition of Television. 640 pixels across X 480 pixels down = Resolution. Anything smaller, when blown up on a television will create glitches and pixelation in the video. All videos on YouTube are 320×240, half that of a television set.

AAC Audio Compression

Audio compression is the same concept as video compression. We need to shrink the file size of the audio track by giving it a lower quality. There are many audio codecs out there. MP3 is the most famous audio codec. Do not use the default Integer (Big Endian). I’ve noticed audio will be slightly out of sync using it on YouTube. AAC works great and can be compressed to a sampling rate of 16.000 KHz and Bit rate of 24 kbps stereo to give us decent sound and small file size.

Keyframes

A keyframe, in regards to compression, is a frame with a complete image. To make the video have a smaller file size, there must be few key frames. More key frames, better the quality.

High Quality

There are two ways Quicktime will look at the video in order to compress it: Spatially and Temporally. Spatial Quality, meaning the depth of the pixels in each frame of video. A lower spatial quality means similar colors in each frame will start to blend together. Colors will be more distinct with a higher quality. Temporal Quality is the way pixels change from one frame to another. A low spatial quality is good for talking heads and video with very little movement. High spatial quality is suited for fast motion. Apple provides a Quality slider that controls both.

Read the Guidelines

Every video service has guidelines for submitting a video. There may be limits on file size and duration, even the codec. YouTube has two basic guidelines for uploading a video: The filesize must be no larger than 100MB and the duration may not exceed 10 minutes. When I upload to a video sharing site, the service will then process the video to it’s own specifications. YouTube will shrink the video to 320×240, but Google Video will retain the 640×480. So, just double check how the service handles the video. Final Cut Pro will give us a fantastic Online Video Master, that we can upload to any video sharing site or embed on a website with Quicktime.

How To

Every Apple video editing application uses the same method of exporting video via Quicktime. Below are the methods of reaching the above window in Final Cut Pro, iMovie HD, and Quicktime Pro.

Final Cut Pro
Go to File in the menu bar and Select Export -> Export using Quicktime Conversion.

iMovie HD
Go to Share in the menu bar and Select Quicktime from the drop down list.
Select Expert Settings in the Compress Movie For: menu

Quicktime Pro
Go to File in the menu bar and Select Export from the drop down list.

Now all the steps become exactly the same, no matter which application I am using. When the above window appears make sure Movie to Quicktime Movie is selected in the Export: menu.

Hit Options

The next window is a current overview of the export settings. The image below is what this window will look like when we have finished entering the settings.

Make sure Video, Audio, and Prepare for Internet Streaming are all checked.

Click Settings under the Video checkbox. The following window will appear. This is where we will apply the concepts we just learned.

H.264 is the best codec for Internet Video. Select H.264 in the Compression Type: drop down menu.

Under Key Frames: Select Every and Enter 1000 in the frames field. The higher the number I enter, means lower the quality and smaller file size.

We can restrict the “Data Rate” of the video. Select Restrict to and Enter 300 in the kbits/sec field.

This is a very important tip: Never slide the Quality slider below Medium! The video will just fall apart. Slide the Quality to High. The Quality I just set was the Spatial Quality. To adjust the Temporal Quality, Hold Down Option and use the Slider. If my video has little movement, I can turn the Temporal Quality to Low. If my video has a lot of movement, slide the Temporal Quality to High.

Select Faster encode (Single-pass). I can select best quality, but usually I am in a rush to get an Internet video online, so I opt for the faster encode. The file size may grow with best quality.

Click OK. Now I return to the Movie Settings window. Select Size… under the Video check box.

In Dimensions: Select 640×480 VGA. Check Deinterlace Source Video.

Click OK. Now I return to the Movie Settings window again. Select Settings… under the Audio check box.

Here I will lower the quality of the audio, allowing me to keep the file size of the output video small. In Format: Select AAC. Keep it Stereo (L R). Change the Target Bit Rate to 24. Select 16.000 from the Rate drop down menu.

Click OK. Now I return to the Movie Settings window for the last time.

Double check that all the settings match with the image above of the Movie settings window. Click OK and I will be directed back to the first screen I saw. Here I enter a name for the file and choose the destination to save it. Click Save and the export process will begin. This could take anywhere from a few minutes to hours depending on the length of the clip and the speed of my Apple Computer.

Blender is a free open source application for 3D modeling, animation, and game design. At first, I was skeptical of Blender’s capabilities since 3D Giants like Maya and 3D Studio Max have dominated the scene for quite some time. Once I downloaded and installed Blender, my misconceptions were completely erased by a wonderful 3D experience. Blender offer comparable features, pulls off Multi-OS Support way better than it’s competitors and it is totally free!

To the noob, Blender may seem daunting with a mess of buttons and available layouts. Like any good graphic application, there are many ways to do the same thing. This can be complicated. Blender.org offers Tutorials and Wikis to get started making 3D models. These resources far exceed my previous experiences with documentation for Maya or 3DSMax.

Check out what Blender has to offer.

I have lately grown restless and annoyed with my growing clutter of Widgets. I turned to Sherlock and found some useful features.

For all us Mac veterans, we remember Sherlock being a handy one stop shop for internet searching, flight tracking, movie schedules, eBay, even language translation. Sherlock was introduced back in OS 8.5, but since Apple introduced the Dashboard, Sherlock has been abandoned but is still available in the Applications folder.

Growl is a system notification application that resides in System Preferences. “Notifications are a way for your applications to provide you with new information, without you having to switch from the application you’re already in.” More and more developers are adding support for Growl. Applications such as Adium, Transmission, Max, and Transmit use Growl.

Growl is extremely customizable. When installed, take a gander in System Preferences and a new icon for Growl will appear at the bottom. Here, I can choose from a variety of display styles, enable specific notifications from different Applications, and even stylize the notifications.

Download Growl Here.

Deeper is an application that taps into hidden options in Finder, Dock, Dashboard, Exposé, Safari, and Login window. Notice above, how I can put the Dock on the Top and Align Left with Deeper? Deeper is one of three similar applications for OS X by Titanium Software.

Deeper also solved a problem I was having with Finder, where the Finder Preferences were not available in the menu.

Look Deeper.

Gawker is a free application that will make time lapse movies from the iSight or DV camera connected to a Mac. Time lapse photography allows me to make a movie of an event with a long duration shorter by recording a frame every few seconds. I can specify the frequency that Gawker takes each shot for the time lapse. I could use Gawker for video surveillance, a webcam, or just to suit my creative impulse. Gawker even lets me share my time lapse and view others’ online.

When the opportunity is right, I’ll upload a time lapse I make with Gawker.

Download Gawker here.