blinking problem with exported video

dijego · Post by **dijego** » Wed Oct 03, 2007 10:14 pm

i exported my video several times and it was ok until today, when i made a little changes to videos, including several titles and adding several pictures, nothing more, and i exported it once again as a mpeg2 video file.
When i played the exported file i could notice "blinking" during the whole video.. or how should i explain it.. it is best seen on people faces - in a second the picture is ok, but in the next second its like a lower resolution, then its ok again and so on. i really dont know how to explain it better but the video for some reason has this bug
i tried to export it again but it has the same problem, the quality of the video is not consistant like it was before. Does anybody has any ideas? this is really desperate because i just finished my movie, and because it was working very well in my previous test exports
I am using Video Studio 11 plus

thank you

Post by **Ken Berry** » Wed Oct 03, 2007 10:25 pm

With Video Studio open, can you right click on one or more of the original clips (if they are from different sources) in either the timeline or in the library window, and copy down ALL its properties here please.

Then do the same with the 'blinking' video whose icon will be in the Library pane.

It sounds to me like something may have become mixed up with the Field Order you have used in exporting. You have to maintain the same field order throughout a project. So if your original video was Lower Field First, then the new exported video has to be Lower Field First; or if the original was Upper Field First, then the final output needs also to be Upper Field First. Moreover, you cannot (or at least, should not) mix video with differing Field Orders in the same project -- the only exception being still photos, which are normally Frame Based and which can take on the characteristics of either Upper or Lower Field First, depending on the video used on the project.

The usual symptoms of wrong field order is jerky video which can be hard to watch, and/or jagged edges on lines when the camera is panning across a scene. I don't know whether either of these symptoms matches your description of 'blinking', but we may get a better idea when we know what the various file properties are...

dijego · Post by **dijego** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 12:41 am

dear ken, thanx for quick response

now, my project is mixed of movie sources including avi and wmv, along with still pictures
the thing that puzzles me the most is that everything was ok when i exported before this project, but now it is giving bad results and i havent really added anything new in project, except for a few titles and few pictures

now, most of my project is build up from uncompressed avi files here is properties one of them because they are all from the same source

File Format: Microsoft AVI Files - Open DML
File Size: 1,559,238 kb
Frame Rate: 30.000 frames/sec
Data rate: 30547.27
24 bits, 720x576

wmv files (made in movie maker)

File Format: Windows Media Video
File Size: 89.939 kb
Frame Rate: 2031 kbps
Windows Media Video 9
24 bits, 640 x 480

now, i really dont know what is lower field upper field.. but i looked and when i choose to export the video it is saying frame based
now, i started new project, and i saw that default project settings are lower field first so i dont know if my project was orriginaly lower field first because i wasnt paying attention and i dont know what can cause that it changes to frame based along the way
i tried to change to lower field first but it is giving now the same results, also with upper field first

i dont know what else i can say to help u understand my problem.. maybe this one thing: i noticed that video (the exported video) is playing ok until the point where wmv file starts in the project, and until then to the end the video is sloppy nevermind that wmv file is not playing anymore in project. It is confusing because it was ok before and that wmv file was there before also. I added one avi file in the timeline before that wmv, but i dont know if that can cause this because as i said i exported it already and it was playing fine

thank you very much, anything is welcome since i m in nightmare now

dijego · Post by **dijego** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 1:32 am

just to add, i did a little test now

i moved the wmv file to the very beginning of the movie just for the experiment and started to export
i previewed the start of the exported video and it is playing fine

but when i put it back to original position the exported video is sloppy

i tried to trick the program and put some black color before wmv but its no good

edit: actually, i trimed the wmv and moved it to the beginning
but if i just move it to the beggining export is still sloppy

also, regarding lower field, i changed in project properties to lower field but when i choose to make mpeg2 it is still saying frame based

dijego · Post by **dijego** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 2:19 am

now i m even more confusing, because i started new project, with lower field first as a default
i imported only that wmv file to the timeline

when i choose to export it is saying frame based and the export video is sloppy

dijego · Post by **dijego** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 5:32 am

well i got back to movie maker and exported as avi this time..
now i placed avi file instead of wmv into project and i think it should be fine now... although the titles overlays etc are all messed up so i ll have to position them again manually
still, better then doing whole movie from the start ;]
so, if this topic has any meaning then it gotta be this - DONT mix wmv and avi

Clevo · Post by **Clevo** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 5:56 am

Do you get the pop up message about setting your project properties to the first clip in the timeline (or something like that)?

dijego · Post by **dijego** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 6:11 am

nope, i didn get that

Black Lab · Post by **Black Lab** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 1:00 pm

Do you get the pop up message about setting your project properties to the first clip in the timeline (or something like that)?

nope, i didn get that

You have to turn that on in Preferences > General Tab > Show Message When Inserting First Clip.

also, regarding lower field, i changed in project properties to lower field but when i choose to make mpeg2 it is still saying frame based

That depends on what template you are using. Also, you can use Custom and choose your properties.

dijego · Post by **dijego** » Fri Oct 05, 2007 5:56 pm

i really dont know what to do anymore.. whatever i do, whatever field order i choose (or frame based) the output is jerky and pulsating video that can be best seen on people faces
it seems something in my project has gone terribly wrong.. how can i recover or what can i else do to save my hard work, i m really desperate
as i said, i have mostly uncompressed avi files and wmv (from movie maker) and i dont know what field order they are each separately because clicking on properties on them doesnt have that info.
my project output is mpeg2 4:3 pal
if i need to put all information from the start to the end of the project to give u some ideas of whats wrong i will do that, because i put so much in this movie and i cant imagine to start work it again from the start
sorry if i am boring.. thank you

Post by **lancecarr** » Fri Oct 05, 2007 6:28 pm

Your uncompressed AVIs are 30 frames per second, you are exporting to the PAL standard of 25 frames per second. That could be the cause of things going wrong.

Black Lab · Post by **Black Lab** » Fri Oct 05, 2007 6:29 pm

Since you are mixing two different formats it could very well be that one is LFF and one is UFF, and that's why you continue to have the problem, no matter what your project properties are set for.

The only other thing I can suggest is to use only avi clips and set your project for LFF. Does that stop the jerkiness? If not, switch to UFF.

Now do the same with the wmv files.

If they are, in fact, two different field orders either you will have to live with the jerkiness or not combine them.

dijego · Post by **dijego** » Fri Oct 05, 2007 6:40 pm

oh my god!

after many desperate blind tries i think the output video is going ok for now!

i think the winner combination is frame based - without smart render but i will have to check it out once the video is completely outputed

i replaced only first wmv clip in project with coresponding avi clip and left others wmv that comes later in project but video is not jerky now even the output has come to those places where wmv are in projects

i hope this will be ok until end
THANK YOU Black Lab, THANK YOU Ken, thanx all

Post by **Ken Berry** » Fri Oct 05, 2007 9:29 pm

I don't mean to rain on your parade, but if in fact you are rendering the whole thing to a Frame Based output, it will play back just fine on your computer monitor, but won't necessarily do so on your TV if your TV is a standard, 'old fashioned' type. On the other hand, if you have a modern digital plasma or LCD type of TV which uses progressive scan, it should also play Frame Based video OK. But if you plan to distribute your DVD to friends and family who do not have such a TV, then again you will have troubles...

instantlegend · Post by **instantlegend** » Fri Oct 05, 2007 9:39 pm

I have the same problem. I am using VS8 and have a mix of avi files and pictures. A suggestion in http://phpbb.ulead.com.tw/EN/viewtopic. ... t=pulsates said to convert all pictures to 720x480 which I did, but still have the pulsating/flickering.

I posted this post about this this morning.
http://phpbb.ulead.com.tw/EN/viewtopic.php?t=26441