Export a Quicktime movie with 5.1 Surround sound in Premiere Pro

Transcription

1 Export a Quicktime movie with 5.1 Surround sound in Premiere Pro PREPARED BY LUIGI ALLEMANO in collaboration with JEAN THÉBERGE and DIEGO RIVERA- KOHN March 22, 2018 Table of Contents Overview... 2 Procedure Collect materials Set up Premiere Pro Project Create a New Sequence with 5.1 Master audio track Export the Quicktime movie Verify the Quicktime movie Delivering screening copies to the CFF Export a Quicktime movie with 5-1 Surround sound v04.docx Page 1 of 13

2 Overview This tutorial is for all students in Introductory, Intermediate and Advanced Animation courses. The tutorial provides instructions on: How to perform audio layback in Premiere Pro using 5.1 final sound mix audio files How to export from Premiere Pro a Quicktime movie with embedded 5.1 sound for delivery to CFF (Concordia Film Festival) festival DCP (Digital Cinema Package) LAYBACK in the context of the FMAN undergraduate program refers to the process of combining the final sound mix files with the final image and exporting the screening copy (ie: finished product ). This process is the responsibility of the individual animation student. Before the final mix, animation students are responsible for assembling all sound and music materials and organizing them in a Pro Tools session (project) for delivery to the final mix engineer. After the final mix, students receive the final sound mix files containing all integrated sound and music elements, in both 5.1 and stereo formats. With these final mix files, students are then required to complete the audio layback; one version in stereo for in- class presentation and one version in 5.1 surround for submission to the CFF festival. Alternatively, some instructors may request a 5.1 sound version for in- class screening, pending availability of an appropriate playback system. Refer to the FINAL MIX Info Sheet to determine which files are appropriate for a given output format. The 5.1 surround version will be integrated into the DCP (Digital Cinema Package) for screening in the CFF cinema presentation. Export a Quicktime movie with 5-1 Surround sound v04.docx Page 2 of 13

3 Procedure 1. Collect materials Prepare the following files: Final image sequence in full resolution 2k full container (2048 x 1080, square pixels, progressive) in a bitmap format such as TIFF or TGA. Do not use lossy compression formats such as JPEG. Note that the image sequence must use a consistent name and be numbered consecutively without any missing numbers. For example: MyFilm_2k_full_res_0001.tif MyFilm_2k_full_res_0002.tif MyFilm_2k_full_res_0003.tif Etc. Countdown leader with 5.1 channel ID slate (as of this writing, the file is named 2k_ProRes_countdown_w_5-1_channel_slate_SMPTE.mov and is available on the class_shares). Final mix 5.1 audio file (delivered by the Sound Coordinator Tim Horlor or his assisting engineer) 2. Set up Premiere Pro Project Open Premiere Pro, create a New Project and name it appropriately (ie: My Film Layback Project or similar). Use the following settings in the Preferences: Preferences > Media > Indeterminate media timebase 24 FPS (it is essential to verify this preference each time you import image sequences) Preferences > Media > Frame Count: Start at 1 3. Create a New Sequence with 5.1 Master audio track Create a New Sequence and name it appropriately (ie: My Film Layback with 5.1 Audio or similar). Use the following Sequence Settings as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2: Be sure to modify settings in both the Settings tab and the Tracks tab. Export a Quicktime movie with 5-1 Surround sound v04.docx Page 3 of 13

4 Figure 1 Be sure to modify settings in both the Settings tab and the Tracks tab. Export a Quicktime movie with 5-1 Surround sound v04.docx Page 4 of 13

5 Figure 2 Click OK Note that Premiere Pro will play back a 5.1 audio file in a stereo sequence via an automatic down- mix process for listening on a stereo computer sound system or on headphones. However, it is not possible to export a 5.1 audio file from a stereo sequence, hence the need to create a new sequence that has a 5.1 Master audio track. Refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 Export a Quicktime movie with 5-1 Surround sound v04.docx Page 5 of 13

6 Figure 3 Figure 4 Next, verify that the timeline start value is set to 00:59:52:00 as shown in Figure 5. Figure 5 Export a Quicktime movie with 5-1 Surround sound v04.docx Page 6 of 13

7 Import the file 2k_ProRes_countdown_w_5-1_channel_slate_SMPTE.mov and place it at the start of the timeline. Check that the 2- beep occurs at 00:59:58:00. Figure 6 Figure 6 Import the final image sequence and place it at 01:00:00:00. It should align precisely with the end of the countdown file. See Figure 7 Figure 7 Create a new Audio Track in 5.1 format. This track will house the final mix audio file. Ctrl- click on any track name to open the Add Tracks menu. See Figure 8. Note that this menu is distinct from Add Track. Export a Quicktime movie with 5-1 Surround sound v04.docx Page 7 of 13

8 Figure 8 Import the Final Mix 5.1 audio file and place it in the newly created 5.1 audio track. Normally the file is delivered to the animation student using the following naming convention: Film_Title_5.1 Monitor.wav. Ideally, the final mix 5.1 file should align correctly when placed at the start of the timeline. If it does not, adjust its placement so that the 2- beep in the final mix 5.1 file aligns exactly with the 2- beep in the countdown leader at timecode location 00:59:58:00. See Figure 9. NOTE: It is possible that the mix engineer may export the Final Mix 5.1 audio file such that it s start time is earlier than 00:59:58:00. In such a case, the animation student may trim (edit) the 5.1 audio file so that it will align correctly with the 2- beep. Note that while it is OK to perform a cut (trim) edit or to displace the final mix audio file, no other processing should be used. Do not adjust the volume of the final mix audio track. Doing so will compromise the final mix loudness calibration. Export a Quicktime movie with 5-1 Surround sound v04.docx Page 8 of 13

9 Figure 9 Test playback to verify sync. DO NOT ADJUST THE VOLUME OF THE AUDIO TRACKS IMPORTANT: Premiere Pro will play the 5.1 audio on a stereo system, even when the Master Audio track is in 5.1 format, but on some computers the.lfe (low frequency effects) channel will not be audible. The contents of the.lfe channel will however be included in the final export. Before exporting, mute the audio track containing the sound from the countdown leader. See Figure 10. Figure 10 Export a Quicktime movie with 5-1 Surround sound v04.docx Page 9 of 13

10 Set the Work Area Bar to include only the animation (the countdown is not normally included in screening copies). The Work Area Bar should start at 01:00:00:00 and continue to the very last frame of your image sequence including end credits. If your image sequence contains a tail sync reference, it is not necessary to include it for a screening copy. See Figure 11 Figure 11 The project is now ready for the next step, exporting. TIP: If a final edit sequence with full- resolution image sequence already exists, it is possible to copy- paste the image contents directly into the new sequence with 5.1 audio master track. Before doing so, make sure that all settings including the timeline timecode start are correct in the new 5.1 audio sequence. Note also that Premiere s built- in countdown leader, if used in an existing Premiere sequence, is of a different duration than the recommended countdown file named 2k_ProRes_countdown_w_5-1_channel_slate_SMPTE.mov. If copy- pasting content from an existing sequence that includes the built- in Premiere countdown (11 seconds duration) it is recommended to edit the built- in countdown so that it is 8 seconds in duration, matching the 5.1 countdown file, beginning at the frame called Picture Start. In any case, the frame Picture Start should always be located at timecode 00:59:52:00 and the 2- beep at 00:59:58:00. Export a Quicktime movie with 5-1 Surround sound v04.docx Page 10 of 13

11 4. Export the Quicktime movie From the File pulldown menu, choose File > Export > Media (command- M). The Export Settings dialogue box should now open. Choose the following settings and note that there are separate tabs for video and audio Figure 12, Figure 13. Figure 12 Export a Quicktime movie with 5-1 Surround sound v04.docx Page 11 of 13

12 Figure 13 Export a Quicktime movie with 5-1 Surround sound v04.docx Page 12 of 13

13 Note that export settings and options may look different depending on the version of Premiere being used. Regardless, in order for the exported file to be DCP- compliant, it must respect the following audio settings: Sample rate: Hz Sample size: 24- bit Channel Layout in SMPTE order. If not listed as such in your version of Premiere, verify that you have selected L,R,C,Lfe,Ls,Rs. Verify settings, then Export for immediate export or Add to Queue for outputting at a later time. 5. Verify the Quicktime movie The resulting Quicktime movie file will be substantial in terms of data; approximately 1 GB per minute of film. Open the file using Quicktime Player and open the Inspector window (command I) and the Properties window (command J). Make sure the following parameters are indicated, as in Figure 14. Figure 14 Delivering screening copies to the CFF Instructions on how to deliver the Quicktime movie with integrated 5.1 surround sound for inclusion in the CFF s screening DCP are provided by the organizers of the CFF. Export a Quicktime movie with 5-1 Surround sound v04.docx Page 13 of 13