generated text media looks bad after prerendering

krispy wrote on 7/25/2004, 11:44 AM
hi... I'm using Vegas 5... when I create text using the media generator... the colors, 'placement' movement & sizing look great before pre-rendering! Then when I render all tracks to one track... the text comes out distorted & not fine at all... what's up? I tried creating a new version over & over... but after rendering it still doesn't look good. Any clues? Is the text generator not a funcional feature with this program?

Comments

GaryKleiner wrote on 7/25/2004, 12:16 PM
What format are you rendering to? What settings?

Gary
JaysonHolovacs wrote on 7/25/2004, 2:22 PM
Text generator works great, if a little limited. If you are rendering to a new track, it may have something to do with your output format. MPEG can do passable video at low bitrates but will do horrible on text. This is because the algorithm is designed to get the best possible compression with "real-world" images, which have quite different charicteristics than computer images, such as sharp colored text. Even high bitrate MPEG will show some small degradation of text if you look closely. Rendering to DV AVI is a much better choice, especially for an intermediate clip.
B_JM wrote on 7/25/2004, 2:24 PM
DV totally kills text ....
rmack350 wrote on 7/25/2004, 2:34 PM
If you can output to an NTSC monitor through a firewire port Vegas will be forced to convert to DV. You can then fiddle with text sizes and color to try to get something that doesn't completel fall apart. Also, the render will actually look a little better on the NTSC monitor than it will n your CRT.

Rob Mack
JaysonHolovacs wrote on 7/25/2004, 3:24 PM
B JM,
DV, being based on a similar algorithm to MPEG, does have problems with text similar to high bitrate MPEG in my experience(but less pronounced). But it's better than mid to low bitrate MPEG. What do you suggest? Would you work with fully uncompressed AVI?

-Jayson
B_JM wrote on 7/25/2004, 4:57 PM
i have no problem rendering commercial dvd's with lots of txt to mpeg as long as it is above 4000 bit rate .. how i do depends on if there is moving film based video behind it or if it is text alone or if actual video footage ..

i don't work with interlaced sources though, but film -- but tests i have done rendering anything out of vegas to dv with text in it didn't look so good blown up on the big screen ...

JaysonHolovacs wrote on 7/25/2004, 9:27 PM
B JM,
You are probably right about MPEG text on non-moving backgrounds... if the bits are assgined heavily to the text it will be alright. My experience has been with very active video with text on top of it. Perhaps if the video were more stable the text would look better for MPEG.

Everything I've done has been DV, standard interlaced 720x480 NTSC. No film or other stuff yet. Some VHS but that was captured to DV before use so basically the same thing. I think I'm coming from a much different point of view; nothing really high quality like you might expect from film. Anything blown up large is going to show every little flaw.

And i'll note that I'm just speaking from my experience and don't claim to be a professional at motion video... I just know a little about it from my day job, which does not involve this kind of video.

-Jayson