Compressor

Animation

For high-quality, lossless compression (in which no picture information is lost).

Uses a run-length-encoded (RLE) scheme to encode each pixel, resulting in a file that is 70% to 95% the size of the uncompressed file.

At maximum quality, this is a lossless compression (in which no picture information is lost). See the description of the Quality option in this table.

Avid DV

For compression compatible with Avid Xpress DV and Avid NewsCutter products or with Avid Meridien products with the DV/MPEG option. Allows fast import.

Avid Meridien Compressed

For compression compatible with Avid Meridien products. Allows fast import. See Using the Avid Codecs for QuickTime.

Avid Meridien Uncompressed

For 1:1 resolution used in Avid Meridien products. Allows fast import. See Using the Avid Codecs for QuickTime.

For export at the same resolution as your current clips, select Same as Source instead of Custom. See Exporting as a QuickTime Movie.

Avid ABVB NuVista (Windows only)

For backward compatibility with systems using AVRs.

BMP

For internal encoding of individual frames as BMP (Windows native bitmap format) files.

Cinepak

For export at low resolution where high quality is not an issue, such as presentations or educational uses, or for small-screen-size playback from CD-ROM or hard drive. Uses compression algorithm optimized for CD-ROM playback.

Component Video

For high-quality, lossless compression (in which no picture information is lost). Uses the same algorithm as the Animation method but saves the file in YUV RLE format, which separates the luminance from the chrominance. All QuickTime applications can read this format, but only some can write to this format.

DV-PAL
DV/DVCPro -NTSC
DVCPRO-PAL

For storing original or edited DV (digital video) footage in QuickTime files. DV-PAL does 4:2:0 chroma sampling; DV/DVCPRO-NTSC and DVCPRO-PAL do 4:1:1 chroma sampling.

Graphics

For export at low resolution where high quality is not an issue, such as presentations or educational uses, or for small-screen-size playback from CD-ROM or hard drive. Uses a limited color palette version (16 colors) of Animation compression.

H.261

For low-quality video conferencing.

H.263

For video conferencing. Optimized for low data rates and low motion.

Intel Indeo
Video 4.4 (Windows only)

For export at low resolution where high quality is not an issue, such as presentations or educational uses, or for small-screen-size playback from CD-ROM or hard drive. Files do not export at 720áxá540 and 720áxá486 frame sizes, even though these sizes are listed.

Motion JPEG A

For medium-quality, lossy compression (in which some picture information is lost) requiring much storage space and additional hardware support for real-time playback.

Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) is a variant of the ISO JPEG specification for use in digital video. Considered the standard for Motion JPEG, format A is supported by chips from Zoran Corporation and C-Cubed, Inc.

Motion JPEG B

For medium-quality, lossy compression (in which some picture information is lost) requiring much storage space and additional hardware support for real-time playback.

Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) is a variant of the ISO JPEG specification for use in digital video. Format B cannot use the markers that ISO JPEG and format A do; supported by chips from LSI Logic Corporation.

None

Does not compress the file; results in very large files.

Photo - JPEG

For medium-quality, lossy compression (in which some picture information is lost) requiring moderate storage space and data throughput on playback.

Uses the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) algorithm for image compression; results in files that are 20% to 30% the size of the uncompressed files. Some data is lost during compression, and the export process takes longer to complete (typically six times longer than the Animation compression, for example).

Planar RGB

For high-quality, lossless compression (in which no picture information is lost). Results in large files.

Encodes each image plane separately, using a run-length-encoded (RLE) scheme. Used primarily to support Photoshop files, which are usually stored using a planar run-length algorithm.

PNG

Portable Network Graphics, used to replace GIF as a bitmap still-image format for newer Internet browsers.

Sorenson Video

For medium-quality, lossy compression (in which some picture information is lost) at a low data rate and low storage requirements. This codec is particularly suited for Web or CD-ROM delivery.

Sorenson Videoá3

An improved version of the Sorenson Video codec. Movies created with this codec require the QuickTime 5 viewer.

TGA

Saves exported file in TARGA format.

TIFF

Tagged Image Format, a cross-platform bitmap still-image format, used often in pre-press production.

Video

For export at low resolution where high quality is not an issue, such as presentations or educational uses, or for small-screen-size playback from CD-ROM or hard drive.

Depth

Select the colors that you want included in the exported file. The selections vary according to the codec you select. Some codecs have only one color setting.

If you select the Sorenson codec, Millions of Colors is selected automatically.

Do not select the option Millions of Colors +. This option creates an alpha channel that is not used for export from your Avid system.

If you use one of the Avid Codecs for QuickTime with other applications that support alpha channels, you can select the Millions of Colors + option to create an alpha channel that can be imported into your Avid system.

Quality

Drag this slider to adjust the image quality for the exported file. The selections vary according to the codec you select. Some codecs have only one Quality setting.

This slider does not adjust quality for the Avid Codecs for QuickTime.

If you select Avid Meridien Compressed or Uncompressed, a dialog box opens, allowing you to select a resolution.

Motion

Frames per second

Select a frame rate from the pop-up menu. Select 30 to maintain full-motion video/animation. A frame rate of 29.97 conforms to NTSC video frame-rate standards. Select 25 foráPAL 25p projects.

Key frame every n frames

Use this option to have the system use keyframes as a reference for subsequent frames. Enter a numeric value to specify the frequency of the keyframes. Generally, type a value of 1/2 the play rate.

Limit data rate to n KBytes/sec

Allows you to specify the target data rate for the compressed movie.