Looking for recommendations for assembling animations

[Darthlister]

from a set or TGAs. Was using Adobe's Media Encoder, but the trial ran out. Looks like to only way to get it is to purch one of the Video apps from Creative Cloud at $20/month. Anybody got a better alternative?

 

Thanks,

Rich

[itsjustme]

http://www.virtualdub.org/ can convert TGA's to an AVI (it's free)

 

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/fusion can convert image sequences to a video (get the free version...Windows, Mac and Linux)

 

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve can convert image sequences to video (get the free version...Windows and Mac)

 

 

Hope that helps, Richard.

[Bobby]

You can use Blender VSE (Video Sequencer Editor)
can exporte to any video contrainer format (file format) and video format (codec)
Free to use for any purpose, forever and easy to use.

 

[robcat2075]

A:M will convert an image sequence to a video file.

 

Load the image sequence into your images folder.

>Save As>Animation

 

 

Do this in 32-bit A:M for Quicktime choices

[Rodney]

Looks like to only way to get it is to purch one of the Video apps from Creative Cloud at $20/month.

 

 

Yikes. Don't do that.

(unless you need some of Adobe's other tools)

 

As Robert mentioned, converting via A:M is the easy route.

The catch with using A:M as an option would be that the image files need to be named/ordered in a sequence to go that easy route.

We can convert unsorted/random sequences too but it's best to get those images named correctly.

The primary downside of converting random image sequences via A:M would that the quick conversion needs all the images to be of the same resolution.

(As a caveat... even differing image resolutions can be converted via A:M but... not via the quick 'Save As Animation' method.)

 

If I ever need to rename large numbers of files or get them into another format or resolution I lean toward Irfanview as a quick solution.

Others have mentioned so useful programs for conversion. In addition to those mentioned I'd add OpenToonz as a option. It has a batch renaming utility/browser. It also has some similar node based compositing and effects tools such as Blackmagic Designs very powerful Fusion compositor. Images can also just be drag/dropped into the xsheet and they are automatically in sequence. Then the sequence just has to be rendered out to the desire format. I should mention that A:M can basically do this same thing by simply drag/dropping images into A:M.

 

If you can provide specific details about your image sequence more specific solutions can be suggested.

Without knowing more I'd say it sounds like A:M is the best choice for conversion.

I can think of five different ways to convert images from one format/sequence to another in A:M and I'm sure I'm missing a few (for instance, I'm not considering use of Netrender which can be used to automate A:M conversions).

 

It should be said that there are good reasons to use programs such as Adobe Media Encoder but for simple conversion it isn't required.

A:M isn't ideal for optimization of formats, reducing file size, adding LUTs, etc.

In my estimation the best reasons to use A:M for this... other than that it's quick and efficient... is that such use will suggest some of the other ways we can use A:M to manipulate images too.

[Rodney]

I want to revisit this again because I don't want to steer you clear of Adobe Media Encoder if you have a legitimate need to use it.

There are many reasons that would make $20 a month worth the expense.

 

There is a lot to like about Adobe Media Encoder but the two primary reasons I would likely use it would be:

 

1) To get at formats I cannot in any other software

Currently this is the MOX/NOX format that is new and not well distributed. It's a great format for use in Adobe Premiere and After Effects (Encoder uses the Premeire plugin).

Additional reasons in this same general area of interest would revolve around optimization of any given file format.

 

2) Watch Folders

This is a powerful tool in that folders on a drive can be set for monitoring and when files are added/updated to the folder specific activities take place such as conversions etc.

An example using your stated goal would be to convert a sequence of TGA files to another movie format. If you render to TGA sequence, Encoder would automatically convert to other format.

 

I tend to render out of A:M into folders named 'RenderFolder'* and... if set up accordingly... Media Encoder would recognize that I've added/updated files in that specific directory and automatically convert them behind the scenes. I haven't tested but I think this would include automated uploads to Youtube, Facebook or wherever. Render out of A:M.... done. The key of course would be that the settings would have to be properly set for the automation to occur. This can be especially useful if a sequence of images needed to be converted to multiple formats, i.e. gif animation, MP4, H264 and perhaps altered in some fashion such as captioned, color adjusted, resized, etc. This capability alone would be worth $20 if the volume/frequence justified its use.

 

If already a current Adobe CC subscriber Encoder is certainly a useful tool in the digital artist's arsenal.

 

 

*If I'm feeling particularly lazy I name my renderfolder 'RF' or 'rf' and press on.

The important thing being to get the rendering going and files appearing in a known location.

There are other mostly theoretical reasons for rendering to a static location but few programs take advantage of those in that they render to that location while exposing all the various optimization options to the user. I believe most programs do render to the same location (in temp memory or cache) before handing off the data in final distributed form.

[robcat2075]

I'll also note that Quicktime Pro ($29 just once) is a great compression tool with many input and output options including for audio compression, too.

[CaptBobo]

You can use Blender VSE (Video Sequencer Editor)

can exporte to any video contrainer format (file format) and video format (codec)

Free to use for any purpose, forever and easy to use.

Blender_VSE.png

 

 

Yeah, I agree. The Blender sequence editor is supposedly very good and can even do things like transitions between clips and such. The Blender UI is not the easiest thing to pick up, though, IMO.

[Darthlister]

A:M will convert an image sequence to a video file.

 

Load the image sequence into your images folder.

>Save As>Animation

 

 

Do this in 32-bit A:M for Quicktime choices

Didn't I read in a thread last year that Apple had stopped Windows support of QT on Windows and that wasn't going to be an option going forward? That's what originally got me interested in Media Encoder. I had originally been using 32-bit A:M for just that reason

 

Rich

[robcat2075]

I still have QT Pro installed on my Windows 7 machine and find it indispensable.

 

I have all my browsers set to "ask" before running any QuickTime content to avoid the security perils of it.

I haven't gotten a 32-bit version of v19 yet so I don't know if A:M will still offer QuickTime when it's available.

 

But if you still have QuickTime installed you can still do QuickTime things in 32-bit A:M. It's free.