Adobe AFTER EFFECTS 5.5 Help Manual page 39

Adobe After Effects Help
Using Help | Contents
To import a Cineon sequence:
1 Choose File > Import > File.
2 For the file type, select Cineon, and then select Cineon Sequence.
3 Locate and select the first numbered Cineon sequence file.
4 Select the Cineon Sequence option, and then click Open.
The Cineon file or sequence appears in the Project window.
To convert a Cineon sequence from logarithmic to linear:
1 Select the sequence in the Project window, and choose File > Interpret Footage > Main.
2 In the Interpret Footage dialog box, click More Options.
3 In the Cineon Conversion dialog box, select the Logarithmic Conversion option, click
OK, and click OK again.
When you are ready to produce output from the Cineon file, it is important that you
reverse the conversion from logarithmic to linear.
Preparing motion footage for import
Some of the source footage you use may have been created digitally (for example, in
Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Premiere), but other footage may need to be transferred to
the computer from analog sources, such as film and videotape. When you work with After
Effects, understanding some of the differences among media can help you decide how to
handle footage as you transfer it between digital and analog devices. For more infor-
mation, see "Analog video" on page 39, "Analog film" on page 39, "Digital video" on
page 40, and "Interlaced and noninterlaced footage" on page 40.
Analog video
Analog video carries picture and sound information by creating variations in an electro-
magnetic signal. Before you can import analog video into After Effects, you need to
digitize it. Digitizing converts the electromagnetic signal to a binary signal, which can be
read by a computer.
Analog film
Analog film, such as a still transparency or common motion-picture film, carries picture
information by creating variations in colored dyes on a strip of acetate.
To apply digital effects to motion-picture film using After Effects, you must first transfer
the film to a digital format. You can transfer film in two ways:
Use a film scanner to transfer each analog film frame directly to a digital movie frame.
•
This method best preserves the image quality. Using a film scanner is preferable,
because you scan the footage directly to the computer as noninterlaced, full-resolution,
24-fps footage; in other words, it is ready to use in After Effects. See "Importing Cineon
files" on page 38.
Transfer the analog film to analog videotape, and then digitize the videotape. This
•
process is called telecine transfer. It converts 24-fps film footage to 30-fps videotape
using 3:2 pulldown. Transferring using the 3:2 pulldown method introduces two issues:
you must resolve the different frame rates of videotape and motion-picture film, and
you must separate the fields of the interlaced video. After Effects can automatically
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Preparing and Importing Footage
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